"We seem to be caught up in the idea that the demon is tempting you, but Vasquez may want you to tempt the demon. If so, I fear for you."
I fear for myself as well.
As soon as she drives off, Vasily arrives in his car and I get in and go back to the warehouse.
“Vasily, is there any way you can contact Julien? My new boss wants me to go to Ramallah and make contact with Soren. I don’t think either Julien or Michel would want that.”
“I’ll try, but Julien said he’d be out of contact for maybe a week.”
I watch the scenery as we drive to the warehouse. Now is not a good time for Julien to go black.
With no word from Julien to stop me, I make plans to leave for Ramallah. I have nothing to do but pack my small case and leave an extra bowl of water and food for the cats at my flat. Once that's done, I pace the warehouse, wondering what will happen in Ramallah and who this older Adept is. Finally, I go to bed and roll up in the blankets, doing my progressive relaxation to try to fall asleep.
The first sensation is movement on the bed as he sits beside me, the pressure of his hard thigh along my hip. I lift my head off the pillow, to look at him, expecting to find Julien and am shocked to find Michel instead.
He's dressed in a loose black robe open at the neck, his pale skin glowing in the moonlight shining in from the window.
"You're mine," he says, his voice warm and deep. His eyes move over my body. "So lovely. So much loneliness."
He leans over and kisses my neck. His mouth is so cool, histongue soft and wet - they feel so incredibly erotic on my skin.
"I’ve known loneliness," he whispers in my ear. "Hundreds of years. They chose you so well, I just might give in to temptation."
Then he kisses me and I feel such a surge of desire go through me I think I'll explode from it even as I feel tears fill my eyes. I miss him so much and kiss him back and my arms circling his neck, pulling him closer to me.
"Dear sweet Eve," he whispers, pulling back and raising himself up on his hands. He wipes my cheeks with a finger and slips the finger in his mouth, his eyes closing as he tastes my tears. "So much need..." He bends down and kisses me once again, the touch of his tongue on mine taking my breath away. "Can you believe?"
He waits for an answer.
"Yes," I say, not knowing what it is I'm asked to believe. I only know I want him more than anything. Then, he exhales heavily and bends down, his open mouth pressing on my neck and then a searing pain as he bites down.
I wake with a start, still on my side, my blankets twisted around me. I reach for my neck and feel only smooth skin, the wound where Julien bit me almost healed. Thankful that the dream ended there, I get up and go to the washroom, drink some water and go back to bed. I spend the rest of the night tossing and turning, waking only partially rested, but I have no more dreams.
Twenty hours of flight after we leave Boston, and Ramallah shines like burnished copper in the mid-day sun. Its light gilds the building tops and glints off the domes and minarets spread over the city. The heat of the morning blends the scents of the city to produce the over-whelming odor of humanity.
My handler from the Council is Sharon Blake, an older Adept, heavy-set and assuringly strong, dressed in grey pantsuit, a scarf around her head to honor the local customs. I wear one as well, not wanting to draw attention to myself.
Although assigned to escort me, she’s given me wide latitude, even leaving me alone while she returns to the hotel to retrieve her laptop that she forgot in the suite. While she’s gone, I meet with our contact in the office assigned to American officials and I use my guise as an FBI Special Agent, flashing my badge, which I keep in my jacket pocket. The staffer hands me the latest reports on the peace talks. I sit on the couch and read through the reports. It’s uncertain if Soren is here to sell his mercenaries or arms. Is this part of his plan for Dominion?
My head aches from too little sleep the previous night and I feel hung-over and can't stop yawning.
"Is there someplace to get lunch?" I ask Crosby, the staffer in charge of logistics when I return from the washroom. He shakes his head.
"You have to go out to the market and buy your food. Only official participants get food."
I head out. I don't really feel like being here, sitting in the cramped room with Crosby. He's wearing headphones and listens to the proceedings of the talks. There's nothing to do but sit and read the international English language newspapers.
I take the closest exit to the street and walk to a nearby market, wondering if Soren's here today. The streets are scorching hot, and the wind blasts me, sand gritting between my teeth. I shiver, feeling suddenly feverish and faint so I sit on a bench, and put my head between my knees.
Before I'd accepted the job at the SCU, I had episodes of vertigo and had them checked out by a neurologist, including a CAT scan, but it was negative.As I sit there, trying to focus, I see what looks like rose petals on the ground before me. Where did those come from? A local man stops in front of me, speaking in some dialect.I shake my head.
He points to his nose and I realized my nose is bleeding. Blood drips down my chin onto the street. I hold my arm up, staunching the blood with the sleeve of my jacket. Then someone hands me a handkerchief and I noticed the signet ring on the man's index finger.
Soren.
I lean my head forward to stem the flow of blood.
"You don't look well,AgentHayden."