“Take a break ladies,” the casino manager said. Our two wins had gotten some cheers and applause from the group around the table. He was a male witch judging by his pentagram tattoo on his wrist. Male witches were pretty rare compared to the female variety. “Let’s continue,” he said. “I’m sure we all just want to have a good time tonight. I’ll just sit here and watch while the ladies take a short break.”
He was a friendly person and I saw Jade ease up a little on the aggression so we both just relaxed and had some fun, winning a few but losing more often than not.
“Why aren’t you picking the number that will come up next?” Oracle Joe said from behind me as I lost a small bet yet again.
Joe was connected with the Universe in a special way and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he knew what the next number would be. Seeing the future was not a talent that witches had although it was said that there were a few that had visions and vague premonitions from time to time. That was more common among the human population, however.
“That wouldn’t be much fun, would it?” I answered. “The goal is to win without knowing the next number. That way you can be surprised and delighted when you do get lucky.”
“Ah, I see,” he replied. “I probably should not play then,” he added. “Wouldn’t be much fun for me.”
“Probably not, Joe,” Jade said from my side as she also lost her bet. “We’re going out for some steaks in a little while,” she added. “Would you like to join us?”
“Love to,” said Joe, and we introduced him to the shifter group we had met and then headed over to the blackjack table. Jade said Rolfe, her former partner on the police force, taught her how to play. It was one card game she was familiar with. We headed over that way and I saw Jade stop and talk to the male witch briefly and thank him for letting us enjoy ourselves. Even though we had lost, I left a pretty nice tip on the table.
We had drawn a pretty decent sized crowd at this time and both of us stopped to autograph a few things on the way over to a blackjack table with our shifters and Joe enjoying the attention we got.
Jade turned out to either be a really good blackjack player or I was just terribly bad because she won more than I lost. I still had a lot of fun doing it. She would squeal with delight every time she won, and I saw this was her game. The shifters joined us at the blackjack table and John did almost as well as Jade with Leo and Bill just about as bad as me. Joe didn’t play but watched us with interest, sighing every time I asked for a card that ended up busting my hand. “This one probably not fun for me either,” he remarked.
We had a chair still open and Detective Thomas slid in there asking us if we would mind if he joined us. Dressed in casual clothes with no badge or gun showing he was obviously off duty. He still looked dangerous but both Jade and I felt he was a good and fair cop. He even ordered a drink. We were on our third glass of wine by this time. It would have been more but the waitress just didn’t come around often enough to suit me. Joe had no problem, however, as several waitresses kept handing him his drinks sometimes two at a time. “Here’s your drink, Joe,” they would say as they handed him one or more on the way by to another table, totally ignoring my wave for some more wine. It was pretty funny and I saw he was getting rapidly snookered.
Our detective proceeded to win every hand he played, looking almost embarrassed about it and placing the smallest bet allowed after winning five in a row. Jade was pretty amused and I got a chuckle in as well, knowing she was playing with him.
“Let’s get those steaks now,” I told Jade.
It was a beautiful night, clear and cool with a slight breeze and even I could smell the meat cooking from the nearby steakhouse. Usually that smell would do nothing for me but I knew my system had changed yet again. I was about as hungry for food as I had been when I was human, my mouth watering and my senses homing in on the smell just as if I smelled human blood. I just hoped I would not be sick.
CHAPTER TWENTY: LEAP OF FAITH
THEY HAD A PRETTY nice wine list and Jade ordered a dozen bottles of red wine for our group of now seven strong as our good detective had joined us. Jade had even introduced him to the others as our good detective. The wines were not cheap either and I smiled as Mom was footing the bill for our group.
“Are you sure twelve bottles are enough, Jade?” I asked as the waiter wrote down the last one and I heard a barely suppressed snort from him. I was willing to bet he was already calculating his tip and we had not even ordered our steaks yet.
“I’ll be back with your initial wine order then,” he said. Walking away, I saw him waving desperately for another waiter to help him out. When they got back with the wine, Jade surprised them grabbing a couple of bottles off the rolling table they had brought up. Waving her hand over the top of those made the corks pop out magically and she set one down in front of her and one in front of me.
“Which ones you guys want?” she asked. I was laughing my head off and started to choke on the first guzzle of wine. The rest of the wine bottles spat their corks out and she proceeded to set them around the table. Mom will have a good time teaching Jade the finer rules of dinner etiquette, I thought, still smiling to myself. The waiter was left holding his little corkscrew in his hand with a stunned expression on his face and the other waitress was busy picking up the corks off the floor.
By the time he took our orders both Jade and I had guzzled our bottles down and grabbed a couple more. Jade ordered the largest steak they had, seared on the outside and pink and juicy on the inside.
“Ditto that,” I added.
“Works for us as well,” John said.
“Why not?” echoed Joe and Adam.
“No appetizers or salads?” asked our waiter.
“That will do for now,” Jade said.
As we waited we chatted, the guys sharing a few of the bottles around and actually using their wine glasses whereas Jade had not taken her hand off her bottle since she finished the last one.
Noticing our matching rings our good detective asked where we had gotten them.
“Yes, tell us about the rings, Jade,” I said.
“They were a wedding gift to us from a witches’ coven in Germany,” she said. “The history of these rings goes back over a thousand years.” She had everyone’s attention.
“Two young talented witches were elected to the European witches’ council and they fell in love, married, and served the council for many decades. Back then most witches pursued projects that would be considered a life’s work, sometimes realizing their goal and sometimes not. Leon and Lenora were their names if I am remembering the story correctly. They retired and began their project, their life’s work. Witches can live to be several hundred years old and we know they spent at least a century working on these rings before people lost track of them as they became more and more reclusive. They never said much about this project to anyone except that when they were done with their rings the world would change. All reports indicate it was almost a hundred years since they were last seen by anyone when they were visited by a young researcher seeking their aid on a project he had in mind. At that point he discovered their cabin abandoned, overgrown and run down, with these rings sitting in plain sight on their workbench. The cabin had been protected by spells that gradually wore off over time, allowing the researcher to search inside.”
“They had no family, no children, and no bodies were ever found. The rings eventually came into the hands of a nearby coven. They passed hands many times among various covens, all trying to figure out the purpose of the rings. Nobody was able to solve the riddle but several things were learned.
“First, they are magical, with a deep and powerful magic that can be sensed but not touched. Second, if you look at the rings long enough you can almost see blood flowing around the band and something like breathing taking place as if they were alive. They are certainly capable of making themselves larger or smaller depending on the finger they are placed on. What little notes that were found indic
ated the couple considered these their wedding rings, signifying a deep love they had for each other. It is rumored they still live within these rings, somehow becoming a part of their work. This of course, has never been proven to be anything other than speculation. There are words written on each band. Jane’s says ‘Two hearts’. Mine says ‘Never apart’.
“In any case, they are beautiful and mysterious and a good choice for us. As a gift, it can’t really be measured in terms of money. They are a one of a kind pair.”
I looked at my ring closely, fascinated by what Jade said. “They are perfect, and beautiful,” I said. “There are no other rings like these in the world.”
Our steaks arrived and we dug in, still talking and kidding around as the wine continued to flow.
“Where we going after this?” Jade asked.
“We’re dancing,” I replied.
Dinner with tip ran close to five figures, Mom would have a cow. We said our goodbyes to John, Bill, and Leo and took a cab to various dance clubs around the city. The last time we did this was in Guildford and Jade got so snookered I had to carry her into the room. I didn’t quite remember but this time, I think Joe and Adam ended up carrying both of us. Adam turned out to be a great dancer and Joe was a chick magnet with ladies hanging all over him wherever we went. The last few hours were pretty blurry but my vamp senses told me we finally got back to the hotel shortly before dawn.
The phone rang and rang and I finally answered it, looking at the clock by the bed. Ten in the morning.
“Blarg, arghh,” I said. “Two pots of coffee please.” We were still dressed and sprawled sideways on the bed.
After a quick shower, we explored our suitcase, picking out a casual outfit of black jeans, black T-shirts and vests, black underwear, and white tennis shoes. With not much left in the suitcase, we would need to go shopping soon. We would drive to the police station with our good detective and Jill would have a lawyer there waiting on us.
We met Adam in the lobby. He looked neat, perky, and ready to go. Jade threatened to kill him for that and he laughed, then handed us a couple more coffees he had picked up on the way over.
They were waiting for us in a conference room, the police chief, local D.A., a federal prosecutor, a couple of FBI agents, an Interpol agent, an agent from Scotland Yard, and our lawyer, an older gentleman named Samuel Clauson. It was all we could do to get everyone seated around the table. Jill had prepared a written statement and signed it already. It awaited our signatures as well.
Mister Clauson made all the introductions and we introduced him to Detective Adam Thomas who remained standing behind us as we sat down, as the last of the available chairs had been taken.
“Gentleman and ladies,” he said. “I have a prepared statement that I will read shortly. It has been prepared and signed by the Winter Queen of Faerie and will also be signed by our two ladies here. It contains a brief admission of responsibility for the rescue at the prison in Winston, North Carolina.”
He paused briefly, looking around the table at those gathered before continuing.
“While it is understood that this rescue caused loss of life both on the part of those doing the rescuing as well as those holding many innocents hostage, it must also be understood that the people responsible for the kidnappings and deaths of many in the supernatural community were also the ones in charge of both the laws and law enforcement in the area. These three ladies had simply nowhere else to go for help and felt it necessary to take matters in their own hands. They were also under a deadline where some of the hostages were threatened with death.
“It is acknowledged that the rescue was both technically illegal and constituted a criminal act. However, our careful analysis of public opinion and support of the rescuers indicates the chance of a jury finding them guilty in such a matter is slim and none and we will fight any attempt at prosecution of even the most minor offenses with considerable resources both in court and in the media. I expect it would be a complete disaster from a public relations standpoint to charge my clients with any crime. We do not intend to plea bargain in any way.”
At this point he pulled out an envelope and asked Jade and me to read and sign below the Winter Queen’s signature and Royal Seal. “Please sign all five copies, and we will retain one for our records.”
It was a short statement. Jill had said it was a chance we were taking but felt that under the circumstances it was the best time yet to get this behind us without prosecution. After we signed all copies and handed them back to our lawyer he read out our statement for those gathered in the room.
“We wish to take full responsibility for the rescue at the prison in Winston, North Carolina. All those that participated in this rescue were under our leadership and direction. As Winter Queen, I directed the witches and Fae that took part, while Jade as an alpha herself led the shifters, and Jane as master vampire of that territory directed the vamps taking part. Signed by the Winter Queen of Faerie, London Jane, and Jade Smith.”
He paused again, looking around the table and making eye contact with those present. “Any questions?”
“What about the incident in Guildford?” the Scotland Yard agent asked.
After conferring with our lawyer, I answered. “We are claiming self-defense on that one. I am sure Rose Red has already confirmed that with you. The man known as Clive Wishmeister pulled a gun and shot one of the participants in the tournament and our goal was simply to prevent him from shooting anyone else.”
“What of the fight in shifter pack territory in Germany?” the Interpol agent asked.
“Also self-defense,” Jade responded, this time not even bothering to consult with Mister Clauson. “We were attacked by an armed force made up of mostly criminal elements and mercenaries for hire that were led by the same Clive Wishmeister that shot one of our friends at the Chess tournament.”
Silence reigned around the table. They didn’t even ask about the incidents in Seattle or San Jose. I think they realized it was pointless.
Mister Clauson passed around all but one of the signed copies of our statement. “Are my clients being charged with anything at this time?
After conferring with his colleagues the federal prosecutor said, “Not at this time.”
“We’ll be leaving then,” our lawyer said and we followed Detective Thomas out the door. We shook hands with our lawyer and our good detective gave us a ride back to our hotel.
Oracle Joe took us to The Strip and we spent most of the afternoon spending more of Mom’s money. Most of the salespeople knew who we were and we got lots of attention. We had fun trying on various outfits and modeling for each other. As usual we had similar tastes and ended up buying several matching outfits, handbags, shoes, and jewelry. We were loaded down and Joe had to get help carrying it all back to our room.
We decided to check out the Eiffel Tower restaurant for some chocolate and coffee, waiting for the sun to set so we could go to the top of the tower and see the city all lit up. We were finally relaxed, as weeks of fights, battles, chases, and kidnappings had limited our quality time together. Our bond was closer and we could read each other’s feelings and sometimes even direct thoughts. We were both thinking the same thing about tonight. We wanted tonight to be a romantic one, just for us together, a real honeymoon. We planned on staying in with an occasional call for room service. As we waited, we called Jewel’s mom as we still had Jewel’s phone and talked to them both. They had been shocked but pleased at our sudden marriage. We promised to come and visit. We also got hold of Sister Tess and Catherine, thanking them for their part, making sure we had clothes and rings for our wedding.
We took our time, holding hands on occasion, drinking our coffee. Jade enjoyed some of their chocolate but my feeling was I still would not be able to stomach it. I had no problem with the steak, which was delicious, but some things I was just not ready for.
Jill called and said she had talked to our lawyer and was glad things were working out with our legal troubles
. She had talked with Mom who was attempting to pinpoint Clive’s location without any success so far. We waited about an hour after sunset to ride up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It was another beautiful night, clear with just a slight breeze, and the view of the city was fantastic. We held hands as we walked the circle, stopping to take stock of the beauty of the city. We rubbed shoulders and flirted with each other. It was romantic and wonderful. There were a few attendants up there pointing out the sights to people that were interested and we followed one around, stopping with him as he pointed out various landmarks. They had a wire mesh to prevent people from falling out but otherwise it was exposed to the night. We got our share of curious glances and we heard whispers around us as people noticed and recognized who we were but for the most part people saw we were lovers out enjoying a romantic time together. They left us to enjoy ourselves. It was a nice feeling being a couple and we paused to exchange a kiss on the way around. We were still reading each other pretty well with our new bond and we knew when we were both ready to go back to our room. We had just started back towards the elevator when screams started coming from that direction.
It was Clive, standing in the elevator, and he was a scary sight. No wonder people were screaming, I thought as we raced towards him. People were falling all over each other to get away. He had changed a lot since we last saw him. The demon inside now almost overwhelmed the human he possessed. He was at least six inches taller and maybe a foot wider and it was plain to see the demon underneath with veins of fire running just under the skin and huge muscles bursting through what had been one of Clive’s expensive suits. Small horns were visible coming out of his head. His eyes had turned to black coals with a glimpse of fire within, and ugly red talons dripped blood at the ends of his fingers. He smiled as he saw us, an evil smile that promised our deaths.
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