"Now," Merrill said, "dawn will arrive soon. Go to bed, little Lissa and take tomorrow off. Read, watch television or do whatever you want."
"Can I borrow a computer? I want to order a swimsuit online. I don't have one and I'd like to sit in the hot tub or go swimming."
"You're welcome to go in nude," he said. "Although I think you might be too modest to do that. Feel free to use this computer anytime," he tapped the one on his desk. "I'll get an e-mail account set up for you if you want and you can exchange e-mails with Charles if you like." I left Merrill's study after that, heading off to my bedroom.
I had another bag waiting outside my door when I rose the following evening. Two swimsuits were inside—a one-piece and a bikini, both in the right size. There was a note inside from Merrill, saying he'd asked Lena to purchase something for me. That was really nice of him and Lena had done a good job. I borrowed Merrill's computer anyway, sent an e-mail to Charles and passed along a thank you note to Radomir through him. It was the right thing to do.
* * *
"Rad, she sent you a thank you note," Charles was turning his laptop around so Radomir could read the message from Lissa. Radomir sat down in front of Charles' desk to read.
"Radomir, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate what you did for Gavin and me," it read. "If you hadn't been there, I don't know what we would have done. Had I known something you might like, I would have sent it to show my gratitude. In the meantime, you'll have to settle for my thanks.
Lissa."
"I don't believe I have ever received a thank you note before," Radomir smiled. "Can we forward this to father?"
"Sure." Charles flipped the laptop around and did just that.
* * *
"She is sitting on the roof," Merrill said, five days later.
"She likes to do that," Gavin agreed.
"Can you get yourself up or do you need help?" Merrill asked, almost smiling.
"I can get myself up. The only thing not fully recovered is my hair."
"I can tell," Merrill wanted to snicker but didn't.
"I had to get my scalp shaved so it will grow out evenly," Gavin huffed.
"Of course," Merrill nodded agreeably.
* * *
I was sitting on Merrill's roof, staring out over the English countryside of Kent, which is quite beautiful, actually. I'd only seen pictures of what it looked like in the daytime, though. What surprised me was when Gavin floated up and landed on the roof. I had no idea he could do that. I almost slid off the roof, I was so surprised.
"What the hell was that? You can just float around?" I asked, dusting off the back of my jeans and climbing up again to sit down in my usual place.
"Some of the older ones can," he replied, sitting down next to me.
"Well, that explains how you got up and down those other times without making any noise," I grumbled.
"Yes. That explains it."
We sat there in silence for quite a while. Finally, he spoke again. "Lissa, I heard you."
"Gavin, you hear me all the time, whether you want to or not," I huffed.
"No, when you mindspoke me. I was so shocked I couldn't even think what to say and I really don't know how that happened."
"And yet you stood there like a dummy and let Nyles place compulsion," I said. "Doofus."
"Lissa, I got a little taste of my own medicine that night," Gavin told me. "I know now what it's like to stand there, facing your own death when you can't move a muscle."
"Welcome to the club," I grumbled. "At least yours lasted only a few seconds. Mine lasted days. You scared me, Gavin. You still scare me. When we're together, I keep reminding myself that you could place compulsion any time and I'd be forced to do whatever you said. Do you know how humiliating it is to have to wait for permission to blink? And you're never running a shower for me again, you jerk. That water was cold."
"I know I frightened you." He reached over and placed his fingers on the nape of my neck, massaging it a little. I drew my knees up to my chest.
"Don't, Lissa," he said, pulling me against him. "I know it's too much to ask for you to trust me. You may never trust me again and I can't say that I blame you. I should have asked Wlodek to send someone else to replace me, but I couldn't do it. I was torn between wanting to be with you as much as I could and jealousy if someone else came to replace me. And I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if someone else took your life and they were cruel about it. I wanted your death to be as swift and painless as I could make it, ma petite ange, if it came to that."
"Am I supposed to thank you for that?" I asked incredulously.
Gavin pulled me into his lap. "No, angel. Not at all. All I want, if you are willing, is for you to give me a chance. Let me court you as you should be courted. Without interference. Without the rogue status and the Council and the blackmail hanging over your head. That is what I ask. And no, I will not be placing compulsion to make the decision come out in my favor. Rule four, Lissa, is never use compulsion for unethical reasons. Vampires used to take—not just blood, but sex and money and anything else they wanted—by compulsion. That is wrong. You were rogue and that rule is lifted when we go after criminals. Your decisions will be your own from this point forward where I am concerned. Tell me you will consider this." He kissed the top of my head.
I sat there for a few minutes, Gavin's arms wound tightly around me upon the very peak of Merrill's roof. The stars were out and they twinkled brightly over our heads. "I'll think about it," I said.
* * *
Winkler was checking his e-mail and yawning before going to bed. Davis was working out well as his Second and Glen had slipped into the background a little. He and Phil had been friends for a very long time, but even Glen hadn't known anything about Phil's betrayal. Lissa's cell phone and the credit card he'd given her still rested on a corner of Winkler's desk; he couldn't bring himself to get rid of them. They were the only things he had left of her. Lissa's fake ID was missing and he could only imagine that Gavin had taken it with him. Winkler got down to his last e-mail message of the evening. It was from an unknown source. He was just about to hit delete without reading it when he changed his mind and opened it up. He stared at the three words for a very long time.
"She lives.
-Gavin"
The End
Lissa's adventures continue in Blood Passage, book two of the Blood Destiny series, coming soon to an e-reader near you.
* * *
Connie Suttle lives in Oklahoma with her patient, long-suffering husband and three cats (The cats are not so long-suffering and certainly not patient). Connie will not tell you how long she has been reading, but she adores fantasy of all kinds and loves vampires, werewolves and anything else you might bump into in the night. She also enjoys writing about them when she isn't reading about them. For information on upcoming titles, please visit her website at subtledemon.com, her blog at subtledemon.blogspot.com or follow subtledemon on twitter or Subtle Demon on Facebook.
Blood Wager (Blood Destiny #1) Page 27