“Yes. You know that new client I have?”
“You mean the ONLY client we have ever seen you get close enough to kiss,” Maggie snickers, “how could we miss that!”
“Anyway,” I say, glaring at Maggie, “he isn’t exactly human either. He was the one who initially warned me that the Master vampire, Kage, is coming after us. Chi will be showing up at some point to help us prepare.”
Matthew tries to stifle a growl, but I hear it anyway. “Don’t start. We don’t have time for a pissing contest.” As usual, Onyx is amused by the situation. “And, you,” I point at him, “wipe that smirk off your face.” God, am I the only one who is thinking straight right now? I’ve got a room full of dazed women who just found they have been sharing the world with a whole other set of beings, a jealous shifter, and a vampire who uses humor to cope. We’re doomed.
***
We spent more time talking with the girls, and it wasn’t an easy decision for them. After grilling Mercy about how things were for her, they all decided they would rather take a chance with powers than try going off on their own, defenseless. They had all reassured me that they don’t blame me for what is happening, but I do blame myself to some degree. I know I made the right decision when I stopped Javier from hurting Maggie and got them all out of there, but it feels like this is so much worse. Would they have been better off if I had just stayed out of it? I have to wonder. And then I think about the physical abuse, the mental abuse, the drugs, and I know I would make the same choice all over again. This whole situation is bringing up the guilt I still feel about Urd. I had convinced her to escape the man who finally bought us. I didn’t want to see her suffer anymore. But what we did got her killed. I don’t want a repeat of that. I don’t know if I could handle it. What sense is there in trying to help someone if it only ends up making things worse?
“Stop blaming yourself, Xen. You were making the best decisions you could at the time.” Matthew startles me out of my downward spiral of thoughts. Sitting down beside me on my bed, he puts his arm around my shoulders. I resist the urge to pull away. Even though I know I want to be more open to him, a lifetime of keeping myself guarded makes it difficult. I’ve got a lot to work through sooner rather than later, especially now that he and Onyx are going to be staying in my room. The other living quarters are full, and we need the rooms on the second floor open for business. Onyx and Mercy are down re-setting the room we had originally taken them to while we waited for Onyx to come around. Pretty soon they would be done, and then my room was going to get even more crowded. Taking a deep breath, I try not to panic at the thought of sharing my space with two men. Two men that I am still trying to get to know. It is one thing to read a person and know they are essentially good people; it is another to spend time with them and forge a personal connection.
Then there is the whole Chi thing. I don’t know what exactly is happening with him. I know I am drawn to him, and I feel safe with him. I can’t explain why. Maybe it is some mystical protector connection thing. What I do know is Chi is coming over tonight to help with the first round of girls that are receiving my blood, so Matthew is going to have to get his act together and accept that Chi is going to be around, whether he likes it or not.
“When is he getting here?” Matthew asks, struggling not to sound irritated. We are really going to have to work on this mind invasion thing. First we are sharing dreams, now we can hear each other’s thoughts, although it isn’t consistently.
“After sundown. What exactly do you have against him?” I ask. “You don’t even know him.”
“Look, Xen, whether you and I have any control over this or not, we do have a connection. After our first dream walk together, I knew I wanted you in my life. But I also know that you are hesitant to form relationships with men. I was going to ease into it, and then Onyx showed up and threw my entire life upside down. The next thing I know, some guy is kissing you, and I lost my shit. I wanted to be that guy. I don’t have anything against Chi personally. As you said, I don’t know him. I do know that you got close to him very fast, and I don’t understand why it could happen with him and not me.”
“Let me ask you something. Do you want me to accept Onyx? You want to pursue some type of relationship with me, yet you are clearly in love, desperately in love, with him. How should I feel about that? Especially since our first meeting was when he busted in here and bit Maggie. All while on an errand for the very person you were investigating for crying out loud. Should I get bent out of shape because you kiss him, or fuck him? Which is something I haven’t gotten around to doing with you or anyone else, by the way.” Irritated, who me?
I’m met with silence.
“And, I will remind you, Chi actually stood up for you and asked me to give you a chance. Even after that temper tantrum you threw, and got Mercy to go along with.”
“Lovers quarrel, already?” Onyx teases as he walks in. Honest to god, I might slug him. Jackass. Why the hell did I tie myself to him for eternity? Oh, right, Master vampire, defending the girls, and…don’t think it, don’t think it…because of Matthew. Damn it brain, why? I really want to be mad at Matthew right now. He’s a good man, but he’s jealous, judgmental and childish. Ah, crap. Me wanting to stay mad at him is probably a bit childish too. I strongly dislike it when my brain makes me see reason.
With a heavy sigh, I motion for Onyx to come in and sit. “Okay, look, we’ve all had our lives turned inside out. We’ve all got deep scars from the past that we’re going to have to figure out how to deal with. We’ve all made decisions, and we’re all having to deal with the consequences. You guys are bonded with me now. We’re in this together. We have got to figure out how to make this work. Matthew, I know we have a connection. Yes, I am attracted to you, but you are going to have to be patient with me while I adjust. I blood bonded with you, not Chi, and it has to mean something to you.”
I turn to address Onyx. “I blood bonded with you because I know how important you are to Matthew. I’m not going to lie, it gives me a greater tactical advantage. I chose this even though I wasn’t sure at the time if I could trust you. But I know you sacrificed your freedom to keep Matthew safe. You could have seriously injured Maggie, but you didn’t. There is still light in you, and it is the only reason I am even halfway okay with this bond. At some point, hopefully you and I will be able to become friends. After all, eternity is a long time. Right now we don’t have the luxury of not trusting each other, which is something I’m going to have to work on. It won’t be an overnight change, that’s for sure. Let’s try to keep some perspective here so we don’t get distracted and get ourselves, or worse, the girls, killed. Now, I’ve had about as much heart-to-heart as I can take, so I am going to go downstairs, do some work, and prepare myself for tonight.”
Neither one of them says anything as I go for the door, which is probably a good thing. I need some space to process. “Oh, and if you guys decide to take a roll in the sack; for the love of all that is good and pure, put clean sheets on the bed when you’re done.” In spite of the serious conversation we just had, those two haven’t been together in years, and Onyx is feeling much better due to the bonding, I know exactly what is going to happen once I leave.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Xenobia
“Are you ready, little angel?” Chi asks me.
“No, but do it anyway.”
As an added measure of protection, and to be formally recognized as an influencing voice in the supernatural community, we have to form a House. It requires a visible brand that can be easily identified by other supernatural beings. Only a metaphysical priest can create and bless the mark. Being the only priest we have, Chi is giving us the mark.
He takes my hand in his, and I feel a burning sensation in my right shoulder. I don’t get to choose where the mark goes or what it is. Not sure I’m thrilled about not being able to choose something so permanent, but the magic has its own way of doing things.
“Do you want to see it?” Chi qu
estions.
“No. I’ll see it when the others get their brand.”
All of the girls, Onyx, and Matthew each receive their mark. It isn’t always in the same place as mine but it is the same design, a dagger with a skull at the top of the hilt, wings just above the blade, and an oval in the middle of the wings that contains the letter ‘V.’ Maggie, Terra, Morgan, Kelly and Sylvia also take my blood. Until we know how the blood affects them, they can’t be around clients. Once we see the results, the remaining girls will take my blood. I just wish their time off was for a nice vacation. Something fun, not this.
***
Everyone is on edge for the next few days. I’m having to shield more than usual to keep from taking on everyone else’s emotions. Between using the extra power to keep myself from riding the emotional roller coaster and sleeping on the couch in my office, I’m exhausted. I can’t bring myself to sleep in the same bed with Matthew and Onyx yet. I suppose I could make them sleep on the floor, but that seems like a pretty shitty thing to do when the bed is big enough for all of us. Being bound together for all eternity doesn’t mean instantly being in love. There was plenty of lust to go around, but not love. Besides, Matthew and Onyx are trying to work things out between themselves. A third wheel is not something I want to be. That’s the reason I keep giving them when they ask why I’m not in my own bed anyway. Don’t judge me; it’s a plausible reason.
Day seven rolls around, and we are still not seeing any sign of powers. I try to remember how long it took for Mercy’s powers to manifest, but so much was happening then that it all runs together. Her circumstances were also very different, so could we really go by that? The girls are starting to go stir crazy cooped up in the living quarters day in and day out. They keep trying to talk me into letting them go into town for drinks since I don’t allow alcohol in the house, but we’re already dealing with a lot of unknown. Adding alcohol to the mix doesn’t seem like a great idea. I might not be able to get drunk easily, but they are still human. If their powers came online while they were intoxicated, well, it could get ugly.
We’ve also got a Master vampire out there biding his time to make a move. Just our luck he’d strike when the girls were inebriated and defenseless. Since we don’t see any powers, and knowing how restless the girls are, I’m considering letting them go back to work. With them not working for a week, we’ve got a waiting list.
I’m headed upstairs to let the girls know they can go back to work, at least for one client a night for now, when I run into Maggie.
“Have you seen Kelly and Sylvia?” Maggie asks her forehead creasing a little from concern. “I can’t find them anywhere.”
“I haven’t seen them. Hold on a second.” I send out my power to search for familiar energy patterns. Of course the first ones I find are Matthew, Onyx,and Maggie but I pass those by. I can sense the girls that now carry my blood a little stronger, but I don’t sense Kelly or Sylvia. They aren’t anywhere in the building. “I’m not sensing them here at all. Let’s go talk to Terra and Morgan, maybe they know something.”
I don’t want to start worrying until I have all the facts. Maybe they just went out on the property for a walk or something. I already know it isn’t going to be that simple; my life just doesn’t work that way.
CHAPTER FIFTY
Kelly
“Come on, Sylvia. I’m tired of sitting around here waiting for something to happen. Let’s go into town. We’ll be back before anyone misses us.”
“I don’t know, Kel. What happens if we suddenly manifest powers while we’re out in public? It could be dangerous. I don’t want to hurt anyone accidentally.”
“It’s been a week. Maybe it isn’t going to happen at all. I’m going nuts staring at these walls. Even my workouts aren’t taking the edge off. C’mon, you know you want to get out of here too. Who knows, maybe we can drum up some new clients while we’re out,” I say with a mischievous grin.
“New clients. Well, when you put it that way,” Sylvia trails off as she jumps up and grabs her purse, “Let’s go!”
I lead the way down the back stairs, keeping an eye out for anyone. Lucky for us the coast is clear. We make it outside and to our car without incident. I know Xenobia is trying to keep us all safe, and I love her for that, but I can’t stand one more minute of being cooped up. I need my space. And tonight, I need a few drinks to help me calm my nerves. I thought I was safe after Xen got us all away from Javier, but now that safety is being threatened by something I had no idea even existed. I don’t regret my decision to take Xen’s blood. If it works, I’ll be better prepared to defend myself. I wish there weren’t so many unknowns coming along with it though. I need to not think about it for a while. If there is one thing that will make me forget, it’s a few delicious drinks and stiff men. Wait, I mean a few stiff drinks and delicious men. Unhealthy coping mechanism, probably. Do I care, not really.
Our drive into town is pretty uneventful, but it feels great to be out of the house. There is something about being told you have to stay inside that makes you want to get out all the more. Or maybe that is just me. I do have a rebellious streak a mile wide.
***
Usually, I would be praying for a parking place close to my destination, but tonight, I wouldn’t mind walking a little bit. I’ll settle for something relatively close. It’s not a bad night to be outside, eighty-ish degrees with a breeze. Maybe we can find some patio seating.
Lucky for us there is not a wait at the restaurant we choose, so we get seated right away. Our table is on the patio in the back, which is great because it is a lot quieter. I order a pomegranate margarita and Sylvia orders a mango one. We decide to split some nachos, so we aren’t drinking on an empty stomach. I’m working on my second drink when I realize that I don’t feel the buzz I would usually have by now.
“Do you think they are watering down these drinks? I should be feeling something, but I don’t, not even a little.”
“Me either. Let’s order some new ones.”
Sylvia flags down the waiter so we can get some fresh drinks. She makes a point to request that they be stronger. On drink three, I feel a little something, but not much.
“You don’t think this is some weird reaction to the ‘blood’ thing, do you? That would really suck, especially since we didn’t even get powers from it.”
“I don’t know. It’s possible. It isn’t like any of us have a lot of experience with this. Maybe we should just go back to the house since this is not having the intended affect.”
“No! I don’t want to sit there and stare at the wall. Besides, the night is young, and a group of guys just walked in. Maybe we can snag a couple of them.”
“Well, I guess just giving them a card won’t harm anything. They’d have to go through the interview process before we could entertain them anyway. I don’t think we should be out and about now that we know something is different. It could be temporary, or this could be the start of actually getting powers. We need to not be around people if it is the latter. Let’s put a few cards on their table and get out of here.”
Sylvia is being the voice of reason here. I mean, I am three drinks in and barely feeling it. Something is definitely off. But, me being who I am, I don’t want to be reasonable. I want to take my time. I’m going to have to share my body with whichever guy gets my card and decides to go through the interview process, I’d like time to be picky. I would think Sylvia would want the same. She’s always seemed so quiet and controlled. Now that we have more say in how our business operates, I am enjoying the freedom of choice in who my clients are. Life with Javier was not full of options, and I’d been on the receiving end of several fists. I can only imagine what a timid thing like Sylvia had endured from her clients. Angry, hateful, and brutal men seem to have a radar for women with no fight in them. My beatings all came from Javier. They were always for me trying to stand up for myself by putting clients in their place when they tried to do things I didn’t want to do. Life with Xenobia was
paradise. It surprises me a little to see Sylvia ready to rush this. I guess the promise of impending powers is scaring her more than she’s willing to show externally. Granted, it makes me uneasy too, but I’m not going to stop my life for something that may or may not happen.
“It’s not going to take that long to observe them for a little bit and make a more specific choice. I would think you’d be a little pickier now that we can be.”
“Xen will weed out anyone who isn’t a good fit.” And there is one of the many differences between Sylvia and me. She relies solely on Xenobia to call the shots and send her clients. She doesn’t trust her instincts. I get it. When you’ve lived through what we have, it is easy to forget how to make your own decisions, how to trust yourself. But me, I’ve got too much fight. I depend on Xenobia to catch things about people that I don’t, but I don’t rely on her completely. I like to make my own choices, and I will still veto clients that I don’t want, even if they’ve cleared the interview.
It looks like Sylvia and I going back and forth isn’t necessary because two guys get up from the table and walk toward us. Assuming I like what I see and hear, this could decide for us. They introduce themselves as Haven and Lennan. I am only half listening to the conversation because I am watching their demeanor and their eyes. You can tell a lot about a person by their eyes. Lennan says very little, but for some reason he is the one that fascinates me. As I watch him, a feeling of sadness begins to grow inside me. It’s disorienting because I was fine just moments ago.
“I’m sorry guys, it has been great to meet you, but we need to go. I didn’t realize it was getting so late.” I know it is abrupt, but I think I might finally be catching on to a little of that caution that Sylvia has been throwing around. Something is definitely not right.
“At least let us walk you out,” Haven says.
I nod as I stand up and start walking for the door. I want to get back to the house and see what is happening with the other girls. Once we reach the car I hand a card to Lennan. “Call me.” Lennan pockets the card as I turn to open the door. Sylvia is about to walk around to get in the car when two new guys walk up. I know trouble when I see it, and these two are nothing but trouble. Apparently, Haven recognizes trouble as well because he puts Sylvia behind him.
The Rise of House Valdis Page 11