***
Adam said to Niona, “I think if you can help them sleep for a while, and let Hecate enter their minds, it will help them heal from the uncertainty and anxiety they feel. They have suffered an immense shock and need to some time together to heal. I think Hecate knows what to do.”
“I don’t know what to say, Adam. What did you say to Cindy?”
“I told her that I loved her and the girls, and she will be loved for all the days of her life. I will always watch over them.”
Niona looked at Adam with a new curiosity. She knew him to be a hard man, cruel even at times. That he loved his family was evident; that they trusted his love without reservation was something she had never experienced in her long life. Adam St. James was suddenly a more interesting human and someone she wanted to understand even better. It was no longer just duty; it was more.
Niona too had a boss to report to, and her boss would want to know more about this man before this scenario was finally played out.
“Now,” Adam said, “Where are my two other heroes, especially that young scamp who we almost lost to intemperate heroism.”
Niona started to answer, but then Hecate materialized. “I’m here, if I’m the scamp to whom you are referring. Am I in trouble? Niona yelled at me, but just a little. She said I was forbidden from being brave again for a thousand years.”
“Come to me my sweetest Immortal. I am not angry with you at all; you were brave, and I am, so very proud of you. I am pleased you are well and I wish to show you off to everyone in Paraiso. I wish to walk with you, and Niona through the streets of the City so, that everyone may pay their respects to the young Immortal and mysterious woman who saved us all. Will you both come with me?”
Niona nodded assent.
“I will too,” said Hecate, “but on one small, tiny, tiny condition.”
“Anything. It is granted even before you ask.”
“I wish to call you ‘Master’ from now on, just like Niona. Not in public; she says you still forbid that, even though she disobeys you all the time. I wish the same privilege. And ‘daddy’ too, when no one else is listening.”
“I see conspiracy afoot here, but I can deny you nothing, Hecate, nothing. Nor you Niona. I agree under minor duress, but remember I am a harsh Master, and some punishment may eventually be involved for overstepping boundaries.”
They both together said, “Promise!”
Adam looked at his women. “I suspect you do not sufficiently respect my rules and think me a pushover just because I love you both.”
Niona looked at her “new” Adam. “Well, you are a pushover, that much we already knew. And as far as your rules are concerned, our misbehavior is so, very tiny it’s hardly worth mentioning. But, if we do transgress, I promise to take all the spankings for both of us.”
Hecate said, “That’s not fair.”
Niona said, “Too bad Immortal, too bad.”
Chapter 59
Adam was finished talking to his three principal loved ones, now it was time to visit the two other players in the tragedy that took place in Boston. After that he would visit family, and discuss what had happened, as far as he knew, and what the plan was going forward. He had carefully planned each step in the drama that would follow, and although he expected some distress, and pushback, especially from Kendra and Noki, he also expected the other major players to support him and finish what they had started.
There was a lot of blood on his hands, and Adam wanted to lessen both the anxiety, and potential for bloodshed, that was surely to follow. The Collective was in disarray, with Paulo now only in control of his principal Clans; they could fall away at the first opportunity they had to sue for peace. If Paulo couldn’t kill Adam, he was finished. His own people would kill him if Adam didn’t get there first.
The news of Boston created a panic with the general populace of the Collective, with Enzo now captured or presumed dead, and Paulo in hiding. If the Human followed his regular habit of extreme retribution, it was conceivable that millions could die. The cagey Human had found a way to distinguish the transformed Gens from regular humans, and if he wanted, he could just gun them down. Human law wouldn’t protect the transformed Gens, and Adam could prove that the Gens were not homo sapiens. Many had already fled to other countries preparing to transform back to natural state if they could. Many could not; they would just go on the run and hope for the best.
Adam asked Niona and Hecate to join him in visiting Derek, whose recovery was slow, but steady. His injuries were major, and his health poor; Niona spent a great deal of time healing him, and Hecate spent a portion of her nights, when not resting with Niona, dwelling in his mind, amusing him with one parlor trick after another. She had found a way to show him TV shows from his youth and replay them for him in his mind; their time was happy, even though the pain was all too real.
Adam asked Hecate to go on ahead, and let Derek know that he would be visiting, but the real reason was to get a prognosis from Niona as to the chances that Derek would live. He was shot twice in the stomach, entering his stomach at an angle, and exiting through his side, shattering two ribs in the process. Niona’s skill was exceptional, certainly better than conventional medicine, but Derek had consumed a great deal of alcohol in his lifetime and, though a great athlete in his prime, he was well past that stage of his life. His recovery would, at best, be slow, and his bed rest lengthy.
Adam asked Niona, “What’s the prognosis for his recovery?”
“He could live out a long life or be dead next week. He’s tough, but he’s a man in his late forties who looks like a man in his late fifties. He can recover, but he’ll need to stop the drink, and his eating habits must change. If not, and assuming his coronary disease isn’t too advanced, he may make it for a few more years. But he doesn’t strike me as a human, or Nobilus, that takes advice very well. Right now, his best therapy is named Hecate. He listens to her. If she demands that he change, I believe he will.”
“I see. How is she doing?”
“Fine outwardly, but inside she has nightmares of getting shot. She knows exactly how close she came to death, but she would do it again. For some reason she loves us all and has a soft spot in her heart for this Nobilus guy. I don’t think he would have done what he did for me or you; just Hecate.”
“Close enough for me. It all worked out except for my brother, but that leaves only one mystery left to solve.”
“Which is?”
“Who you really are? You’re this amazing female, not human, Gens or Nobilus, that suddenly leaped into our lives, then became this instant star who everyone adores. The City wants to know, but no one is willing to ask you to tell us your story. Are you planning on giving us the 411?”
“You are my Master; if you command it I will. Hecate has already made me promise to tell my story if you tell me I must; she wants a front row seat at the monologue if you do.”
“But you don’t want to discuss this, do you.”
“No, I’d prefer not to, but then I am a creature bound by certain rules over which I have no control. The decision is yours, and yours alone.”
“May I ask just one question?”
“Of course. I repeat, you are my Master. I am duty bound to obey.”
“Would telling just Hecate and me your story be painful? A lost love or painful memory?”
“Yes.”
“Then our young Immortal will have to be disappointed. I free you from this bond to obey my command in this instance. You may decide for yourself what I need to know, and our young Immortal will just have to suffer. Have you ever noticed just how much like a teenager she is? Powerful, yet emotional for an Immortal. Rebellious and yet willing to let others set boundaries which she will respect.”
“You mean you?”
“Yes. This wasn’t how we started off, but since then she has been amazing. She disappears sometimes, and she won’t say where. I think she’s trying to figure out how we can escape together after I kill Paulo. But
Liara, the Creator, has told her to forget about escape; I’m never getting off this rock alive, and neither will she if she tries to help me escape.”
“Then it’s r true, she’s been assigned to kill you?”
“Yes.”
“And will you defend yourself when the time comes?”
“No. I will not. I cannot harm her; she’s family. Besides she’s my hero now and it would seem impolite to try to harm my hero.”
“But it’s her or you?”
“No, it’s protecting a young Immortal from certain death at the hands of the Creator. Hecate doesn’t wish my death; she has been commanded to carry out this insane notion that Liara has cooked up. Not sure what she’s up to, but there is no point in both of us dying. She’s my ward; I intend to go peacefully, and without struggle. My greatest fear is that she will not do what she must. I cannot allow her to give up her existence for me; my time is limited anyway.”
Niona looked at Adam, as if she had just met him for the first time. “What are you?”
“Excuse me?”
“You would kill thousands; I’m sure you’re considering revenge for the death of your brother in the hundreds of thousands if not millions. You’ve carried out heinous crimes before, but you would allow Hecate to end your life? You confuse me at every turn.”
“I know. That’s why women fall in love with me. I’m quirky.”
***
Adam and Niona came into the room with Derek reclining back on a profusion of pillows that Hecate asked an attendant to help her arrange, Hecate in human, but not physical form, at his side.
“You surprise me, Derek Nobilus,” said Adam. “The selflessness doesn’t fit your profile. I thought for sure you would bolt as soon as you could. Staying around was dangerous and almost fatal.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was planning to do, and if it had been you or even the beautiful doc here, I just might have taken off.”
“No, he wouldn’t,” said Hecate. “I am in his mind all the time. He’s really fun, and I know his heart. He did what he did to save me, but he would have done it for you and Niona. He believes in you; we all do.”
“That true, Derek?”
“Possibly. Maybe. But we’ll never know, now will we? But I would have died for my girl here. That part is true. She’s been a blessing and changed my life since the first time we met. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for Hecate; for you, Adam, well let’s just say that’s a little dicier.”
“Fair enough. But I think I trust Hecate’s explanation more than I trust yours. I think you really do want this to succeed, and you have proven not only to be truthful, and helpful, but committed and brave. I cannot thank you enough for saving the lives of both Hecate and Niona. I am truly in your debt. Is there anything I can do to repay your bravery?”
“Don’t kill me and ask Vera, and Hannah to stop planning ways to slice and dice me. Not that they don’t have good cause, especially Vera, but Hannah seems determined to send me to the afterlife.”
“She said she wouldn’t do that.”
“Not exactly. She said she would refrain from offing me until this was all resolved. If you succeed, and Paulo dies, she might just think it was time for my exit as payback. Just because I tried to kill her wife.”
“I take your point. I shall have a more definitive conversation with her very soon. You’re under my protection now; you’ll always be welcome and safe here. At least as long as I’m still alive and safe here.”
“Thank you. It means a lot. But your time is short, as I understand it. Any chance for an extension?”
“Hurry up and heal; I want to kill Enzo in combat, and you’ve earned the right to witness his death. I’ll set the date for our match in the Coliseum for three weeks from today. I’ll put you in the center of the grandstand, Roman style. You can even dress as an Emperor if you wish. Might be a hoot.”
This was new news to Niona and Hecate and would likely not be well received by the family or anyone in Paraiso. Most just wanted Enzo dead, and quickly.
Adam had other plans.
Chapter 60
When they left Derek’s room, Hecate and Niona each asked if he was mental, deranged or just stupid. Enzo was in a cell and awaiting execution for the death of Rodrigo Suarez; permitting Enzo to fight Adam was better than the coward deserved.
Hecate said, “Master, what the fuck are you thinking? This is an unnecessary risk, and you’re being … stupid. That’s all I can think of. Your family will go ape shit, Cindy will go ape shit and, hell, Niona and I forbid you to fight Enzo. We forbid it!”
“I’m truly touched, but you seem to think this is just some nutty idea for me trying to be a manly man for the people of Paraiso.”
Niona asked, “And it isn’t?”
“No, I’m not that crazy; I was in the old days, but now I’m just cagey. Chess player, thinking steps ahead. I’m brilliant! I’ve got a plan.”
“Are you drunk?”
“No.”
“High?”
“No. And by the way, did either of you hide my weed? I want it back if you did.”
“We have some time right now. Why don’t you tell us about your brilliant plan?”
“I’ll do better than that. I’m calling a family meeting for tonight, and I’m going to tell everyone at the same time. And arrange a little demonstration.”
Niona said, “So, you’re not an idiot?”
“I didn’t say that. I am, in fact, a complete idiot. But that’s why I surround myself at all times with you two and Kendra. Less chance of doing idiot things. Or fewer anyway.”
“And if we don’t like your plan?”
“Then we call off the fight and execute Enzo in a manner he deserves in the public square.”
Hecate said, “I still don’t like the idea of a fair fight. It sounds like a dumb idea. Too much can go wrong.”
“I know, but that’s why it’s brilliant. You’ll see. You’re both going to kiss me tonight after my demo. I’m thinking of having you both dress up as cheerleaders for the event.”
“What are cheerleaders?”
“We’ll discuss that later. Right now, I need to visit the soon-to-be decedent, and if you don’t mind Hecate, could you and Kendra go get Tar, and ask him, Akira, the Lady Cia and the Lady Eene to meet me on the martial field? Kendra can stay, but you must leave. And no invisibility tricks either. I want this to be a huge surprise tonight. And you, Lady Niona, please send messengers to my family and associates that we’re all having dinner tonight in the Great Hall, and I’m cooking. Actually, Alana will probably do most of the cooking, but I’ll help. Come to think of it, you better mention it to her too.”
“OK, but this better be good,” said Hecate.
“And Niona, the knife you carry is a Sari Blade, correct?”
“It is.”
“Bring that too; I may need it.”
***
Adam departed for the cells as the women went their separate ways. He seemed jovial, but he knew this plan was deadly serious, and doing his plan correctly now was key to several very important items later. If he was successful, the Collective would surrender, and further bloodshed avoided. It hinged on several giant ifs; but Adam killing Enzo wasn’t one of them. Enzo was a dead Gens; others may have doubted Adam, but Adam didn’t doubt himself. Enzo on the other hand would be elated; he was completely unaware of his certain death.
***
Everyone invited met at the Great room, seated in a semi-circular arrangement with Adam’s wives and mates in a precise order. Beata and her two mates from the Black Forest were first, Cindy, then Hecate and Niona, Alana and Noki, then Vera and Hannah, and finally Kendra and Misti. He would start with Beata and work his way down the row. Family was seated behind the wives and mates, while Akira and Tar were to the right of the dais. Lady Cia and the Lady Eene were seated on the dais behind Adam, who was in front.
“Thank you all for coming tonight, and I am not such a dullard that I don’t sense the a
ir is thick with anxiety. Though I have asked for secrecy until I reveal things that, as always in this family, was a pipe dream. I’m sure everyone here knows most of the reasons for our assembly; I will not tarry in being direct.
“I must explain who, and what I am. That will come later. I have assigned tasks, and those will be explained later too. I have a demonstration to conduct, which will begin soon. But first I wish to talk to my wives, and mates in front of my entire family, and everyone else I care most deeply about. My goal is to save lives and assure those closest to me that what I intend to do is for the benefit of everyone. I am in no danger, and never will be.”
Adam went down on his knees before each of his wives, gazing at each as if each was the only woman in the world. “I begin with Beata, Verna and Lia I love all three of my latest brides, formalized as we were in human fashion in the great Chapel. You are sweet and innocent, and I take great care with each of you to be gentle and loving. Your chief conspirator, Beata, is another story however, though I am just as gentle with her. She weeps at every hint of danger to me and has begun to call me ‘Master’ to others behind my back.”
“And daddy too,” said Beata. Everyone laughed. They all knew of Adam’s quirky, but harmless fetishes. He thought they were his secrets, but every woman in the City was aware of his strange predilections; they were the worst kept secrets in Paraiso, but never discussed openly.
Beata worries about every little thing, wishing only for my safe return. My three young mates are my pride and joy, and if I am quiet about my dangers, it is only to protect your peace of mind, and worry you less. I could not love you more, and soon your time will come to play your roles in our drama. You will be asked for all your time and effort, even if I have not already shared with you as much as I have with Beata. And the other beginnings too, as is apparent with my Beata.”
Resolution Page 72