He began to look.
He was a wanderer, a lost soul with no home and no people. But not a killer. He learned to take blood without killing, to find willing donors instead of hunting terrified prey.
He looked in every village he passed, learning about the new world surrounding him, surviving on very little, searching every face he saw. Lots of communities would have been glad to adopt him, this tall young man with dusty clothes and far-seeing eyes. But he only stayed long enough to make sure that Hana wasn't there.
When he did find her it was in Egypt, the Kingdom of the Two Lands. She was sixteen. Her name was Ha-nahkt.
And Thierry would have recognized her anywhere, because she was still tall, still fair-haired and gray-eyed and beautiful.
Except for one thing.
Across her left cheek, where his fingers had smeared her own blood the night that he had killed her, was a red mark like a bruise. Like a stain on her perfect skin.
It was a sort of psychic brand, a physical reminder of what had happened in her last life. A permanent wound. And it was his fault.
Thierry was overcome with grief and shame. He saw that the other girl, Ket, the friend who had been with Hana in the last life, was with her again now. She had friends. Maybe it was best to leave her alone in this life, not even try to speak to her.
But he had forgotten about Maya.
Vampires don't die.
Life is strange sometimes. It was just as Thierry was thinking this that a figure walked into the lobby. Still half in his daydream of the past, he was expecting it to be Circe, so for a moment he was simply confused. Then his heart rate picked up and every muscle in his body tensed violently. " It was Maya.
He hadn't seen her for over a hundred years. The last time had been in Quebec, when Hannah had been named Annette.
And Maya had just killed her.
Thierry stood up.
She was as beautiful as ever. But to Thierry it was like the rainbow on oil scum. He hated her more than he had ever imagined he could hate anyone.
"So you found me," he said quietly. "I knew you'd show up eventually."
Maya smiled brilliantly. "I found her first."
Thierry went still.
"That amulet was a very good one. I had to wait around to catch her alone so she could invite me inside."
Thierry's heart lurched. He felt a physical wrench, as if something in him were actually trying to get out, trying desperately to get to Hannah-now.
How could he have been so stupid? She was too innocent; of course she would invite someone into her house. And she thought of Maya as a friend.
The ring should have offered at least a measure of protection from mind control-but only if Hannah had kept it on. Thierry realized now that she probably hadn't.
His voice a bare whisper, he said, "What did you do to her?"
"Oh, not much. Mostly it was just conversation. I mentioned that you were likely to get rough with her if things didn't go your way." Maya tilted her head, eyes on his face, looking for a reaction.
Thierry didn't give it to her. He just stood, watching her silently.
She hadn't changed in thousands of years. She never changed, never grew, never got tired. And she never gave up. He didn't think she was capable of it.
Sometimes he thought he should just tie himself to her at the waist and find a bottomless pit to jump into.
Rid the world of its two oldest vampires and all the problems Maya caused.
But there was his promise to Hannah.
"It doesn't matter what you say to her," he said stonily. "You don't understand, Maya. This time is different. She remembers and-"
"And she hates you. I know. Poor baby." Maya made a mock-sympathetic face. Her eyes sparkled peacock blue.
Thierry gritted his teeth. "And I've come to a decision," he went on evenly. "The cycle has to be broken.
And there is a way to do it."
"I know," Maya said before he could finish. "You can give her up. Give in to me"
"Yes." This time he cut her off. And the look of astonishment that flared in her eyes was worth it. "At least, yes to the first part," he finished. "I'm giving her up."
"You're not. You can't."
"She's happy in this life. And she-doesn't want me." There. It had been hard to say, but he'd gotten it out. "She remembers everything-I don't know why, but she does. Maybe because she's so dose to her original form. Maybe somehow the memories are closer to the surface. Or maybe it's the hypnosis. But in any case, she doesn't want me anymore."
Maya was watching him, fascinated, her eyes the violet of deep twilight, her lips parted. Suddenly, she looked beyond him and smiled secretly. "She remembers everything? You really think so?"
Thierry nodded. "All I've ever brought her is misery and pain. I guess she realizes that." He took a breath, then caught Maya's eyes again. "So I'm end-tag the cycle... now."
"You're going to walk away."
"And so are you. She's no threat to you anymore. If you want something from me, the only person to deal with is me. You can try any time you like in Vegas." He gazed at her levelly.
Maya threw back her head and let out ripples of musical laughter.
"Oh, why didn't you tell me before? You could have saved me some trouble... but on the other hand, her blood was very sweet. I wouldn't have missed-"
She broke off, then, because Thierry slammed her against the oak-paneled wall of the lobby.
In one instant, his control had disappeared. He was so angry that he couldn't speak out loud.
What did you do to her? What did you do? He shouted the words telepathically as his hands closed around Maya's throat.
Maya just smiled at him. She was the oldest vampire, and the most powerful. In every vampire who came after her, her blood had been diluted, half as strong, a quarter as strong, an eighth. But she was the original and the purest. She wasn't afraid of anyone.