"I will see to it that he tolerates me and will not be jealous," Kifirin nuzzled the top of my head, the ever-present curl of smoke emanating from his nostrils. "The Saa Thalarr also cannot experience jealousy. It is removed from them when they are turned."
"I heard Dragon say something about that—about what he was before," I said.
"My brothers who watch over the lighter worlds select good candidates and they are remade," Kifirin informed me. "There are seven Saa Thalarr and six healers."
"That doesn't sound like a lot."
"More will come. The Ra'Ak are becoming restless, and the rules set down will be ignored by those most disobedient children. Had their black cousins not allowed their copper relatives to exterminate their race, they might have been held in check. Treachery and deceit have become second nature to the copper ones, however," Kifirin sighed.
"I killed one, earlier," I said.
"I know this," Kifirin smiled at me. "I might have come, had you needed me. You did not."
I mulled his words over a little. He'd said he might have come. What did that mean? I shook my head a little.
* * *
Tony stared around him. He doubted that many humans had stepped inside Wlodek's mansion and if they had, they might not have walked out again. Yet here he was—an invited guest, along with Deryn and Paul. Merrill, who was there, had greeted Paul politely, saying very little to Tony at the same time. Tony's fingers itched while he examined the books in the bookcases lining the walls of Wlodek's study.
"We appreciate your assistance with Julius and Quentin," Wlodek remarked. Tony couldn't believe he was seeing Wlodek in the flesh. He looked to be of Greek origin, although his name said otherwise. His face could have graced any one of a number of ancient coins. The suit he wore cost in the thousands and had never seen a rack in its life. An authentic Monet, one of the artist's many paintings of water lilies, covered the wall opposite the bookcases. Another painting that also looked to be expensive—a portrait of Napoleon—hung in the short space between bookcases.
"It's a David," Wlodek caught Tony looking. "It was a gift." Wlodek didn't elaborate past that. "Now," Wlodek turned to business. "While we are still incensed over your treatment of Lissa, we are offering an olive branch of sorts. We wish to combine our efforts to search out Xenides. We will also include your terrorist, Rahim Alif, in our search. We do this in good faith, since you have provided us with valuable information thus far. It is imperative that we bring this traitorous vampire down. He desires to kill all of us; not just the humans, as previously thought."
"Then I have a favor to ask," Tony smiled slowly.
* * *
"Merrill," Daniel Carey met him on the corner, away from the small hotel where he and Admiral Hafer were staying. Anthony Hancock had asked Wlodek if there was any way that Admiral Hafer could be removed from the equation, with the use of compulsion.
"Hello, Daniel. It is quite a pleasure to see you again," Merrill held out his hand and Daniel took it. "What must we do with our decorated officer?"
"Not only does he want Lissa for his own purposes, he wants to bring several people down, including Anthony Hancock and the President," Daniel explained. "We can't afford the chaos this will cause; we have enough trouble as it is." Merrill nodded in understanding. The economy everywhere was in crisis. Something like this could cause worldwide panic.
"I believe I can help with that," Merrill smiled. "Lead the way, friend," he nodded toward the hotel. Daniel pulled out his key and headed for the door.
* * *
"It must be the Karathian Warlocks; they are powerful enough and willing enough—if the price is right," the Ra'Ak was back and pacing before his Prince.
"And there we thought all along it would be the High Demons who'd step in and hinder our progress," the Prince grumbled. He thought about going to serpent form and killing his subordinate, simply because he was angered.
"I always heard that the one who made us committed an error, placing Karathia on the boundary between the Light and Dark Universes—half light and half dark, as it were," the Ra'Ak continued his pacing. "Now, the local government is pressuring my priests to leave the planet. And things were going so well, too."
"We can overpower these sorcerers, when the time comes," the Prince replied. "Take two more with you. There can't be more than a handful of the sorcerers on the planet, there won't have been enough money to pay them, otherwise. Five of you should be sufficient."
"Thank you, my Prince." The Ra'Ak bowed gratefully and made his way quickly out of the Prince's study.
* * *
"My child may not have died in vain," Gabron said. Grief still bound him but he was grasping hope where he found it. "The authorities have pulled legislation together formally condemning Solar Red and are drafting a bill to outlaw their presence. Of course, this may not happen soon enough, little Queen." Gabron had me in the crook of his arm on the sofa. I'd barely managed to get away from Kifirin earlier; he wanted to neck a little more. Gabron would settle for necking period.
"Honey, maybe we should do something as a memorial. What do people normally do when someone dies here?"
"Not much—just a simple service. They no longer bury the dead; they are cremated."
"Where I come from they sing, and someone, perhaps several people, talk about the person's life," I said. "And they place flowers as a memorial."
"They place flowers?"
"They do."
"There is a flower market, not far away." Gabron rose from his seat. "Will you take me there, little Queen?" He went to a table nearby, opening a drawer. "We seldom use coinage now, but it is still good, and accepted," he said, pulling a heavy bag from a drawer. "Get me inside the flower shop, Lissa."
We went to the flower shop, Gabron guiding me with mindspeech, and we misted right through the door. Gabron indicated the flowers he wanted, and we ended up with half the shop, I think. I allowed the bag of money to drop onto the counter; it didn't even set off the alarm as we misted away. The streets were deserted in front of Blue Desire when we landed and materialized; Gabron and I placed the flowers, scattering them around the doorway.
"Should we write something?" I asked. There was a wide expanse of sidewalk in front of the business.
"What do you suggest?" Gabron asked.
"Here," I said, pulling out a claw and scraping a message on the sidewalk.
"I like this," Gabron said when I finished. The quote was off the cuff but heartfelt all the same—I will hold your name in my heart as I strike down your enemies, I'd written. I reached down, pulled one of the blossoms off a bouquet, and handed it to Gabron, giving him a kiss. "Come on, honey," I said, and misted both of us away.
Chapter 10
"I don't suppose you know anything about that?" Karzac pointed at the video screen, where a news crew had recorded images of the flowers and the message I'd scratched into the pavement.
"It was a moment of weakness. It won't happen again," I promised.
"Probably for the best," Karzac nodded and went to find something for dinner. "Need to make a trip to the market," he grumbled, looking inside the fridge.
"If you'll write out a list, I'll get it on my way home tonight," I offered. Karzac seemed quite happy with that suggestion and went to find a pen and paper.
* * *
"Please don't let any more Ra'Ak in the door tonight," Dragon said, reminding me to lock the door behind him when he left.
"Will do, boss," I agreed, locking and bolting the door after he left. The dojo was a mess; dirty towels were all over the locker room so I ran those through the washer and dryer while I cleaned everything else. Kifirin appeared as I was finishing up. It seems he was planning on coming to the market with me afterward, so I took a quick shower before we left.
"I like these," he pulled a package of cookies off a shelf.
"Are we buying for you?" I asked, grabbing the box of cereal that Karzac asked for.
"I could hope so," he smiled beautifully.
"All right," I took the cookies from him and tossed them into the cart. Several women were inside the store even though it was late, and they were all staring at Kifirin. He didn't dress like the locals at all—he had on dark pants in a raw silk, with a white knit shirt that had an open collar. For shoes, he wore black leather boots. He wasn't far off from Earth fashion, to be honest. And he looked really good, of course, on top of that. His smile alone could cause most females and a few males to experience orgasms and lose consciousness, I think.
Several other Kifirin-related items went into the basket and he helped me carry it all back to the apartment after we paid, shocking the hell out of Dragon and Karzac as he waltzed right in and helped me put everything away.
"Uh, Dragon, Karzac, this is Kifirin," I introduced him.
"Saa Thalarr," he nodded at Dragon. "Healer." He took Karzac's hand and shook. "Have no fear; your secrets will remain safe. My silence will protect Lissa as much as it will protect you."
Dragon wore an inscrutable look on his face as he nodded slightly to Kifirin. "Now, if you will excuse us," Kifirin took my hand and folded us away.
"Hey, I didn't see you take those," he held the cookie package in his hands and was munching away. He laughed at me and offered me a bite.
"You know I can't eat it," I grumbled. He hugged me instead, one hand draped around my shoulders, the other shoving the rest of a cookie in his mouth.
* * *
"I have learned my lesson," René lied casually. He and Bartholomew sat at a table in an upscale London restaurant. Few knew that Bartholomew still lived and René was one of those few. He just hadn't bothered to inform anyone before of this fact. He'd sent a text message to Gavin, however, when Bartholomew agreed to meet him for a drink at the usual place.
"So, Xenides has nothing to fear?" Bartholomew secretly thought it laughable that René imagined he might take Xenides down to begin with.
"Yes. I have no desire to end up like my dear, sweet child."
"Aubrey was never a good turn to begin with," Bartholomew snorted softly. René schooled his expression so that Bartholomew wouldn't know the contempt in his soul for the black-hearted bastard. Bartholomew's heart was as evil as Xenides', but he lacked Xenides' creativity and focus. René had done some thieving for Bartholomew in the past; the reward at the time had been too great to refuse. Now René knew that those excursions on the wrong side of the law had been funded by Xenides and possibly by Saxom himself. Gavin had given important information after René had taken Devlin home a few nights earlier. René had called him and they'd had a lengthy chat.
"Aubrey's death has certainly curtailed further thoughts of revenge," René offered smoothly. "I hope this hasn't damaged our business relationship. I would still like to work with you in the future. It has definitely proven lucrative in the past."
"Of course not, René. Your talents in that area are most formidable," Bartholomew smiled and sipped his wine.
They talked for perhaps another half hour before Bartholomew rose to leave. "Don't worry about it, I'll get this," René sipped his wine and waved off Bartholomew's offer to pay. "Don't forget to contact me, my friend, for future business."
"I knew you'd see things my way," Bartholomew said before leaving the table. He pulled out his cell as he was about to exit the restaurant, hitting a number on speed dial. It was answered quickly.
"He has called off the hunt in favor of future business prospects," Bartholomew informed the vampire on the other end before terminating the call. He was slipping the phone inside his suit coat pocket as he was snatched away from the door of the restaurant and compulsion was laid a bare second later.
* * *
"Back from the dead?" Will grinned as he placed chains on Bartholomew inside Merrill's Range Rover. He, Gavin and Merrill had gone after Bartholomew when René informed his cousin of Bartholomew's whereabouts. Gavin had taken Bartholomew's cell phone first thing; he'd turn it over to Wlodek. Merrill placed compulsion; Wlodek hadn't wanted to take any chances with the rogue vampire.
Bartholomew didn't enjoy the ride to the holding facility. He'd been given permission to blink but that was all. Gavin glared at him the entire time, as if he'd like to execute him right then without waiting for the Council to pass judgment. Gavin's cell rang. It was René, so he answered.
"We have him, thanks to you, cousin," Gavin said. René's sigh of relief was heard by every vampire inside the Range Rover.
"Thank you, cousin," René returned. "If you need anything else, let me know." Gavin ended the call and continued glaring at the prisoner.
Wlodek, Charles and Radomir were waiting when Bartholomew was unloaded and forced inside the underground bunker that housed the holding facility. "The reports of your death are greatly exaggerated, are they not?" Wlodek watched while Will and Gavin pushed Bartholomew into a seat inside the office. Wlodek had read Mark Twain, along with a great many other authors one might not expect.
"You will answer everything any vampire in the room asks you," Merrill commanded. If Bartholomew could still sweat, he would have. He could only nod and he did.
"First, tell me how you managed to make everyone believe you walked into the sun," Wlodek commanded. "Whose ashes were those?"
"Lucius," Bartholomew replied sullenly. "He wanted to turn us in." Wlodek's eyes became red; Lucius was a friend and had disappeared suddenly. Wlodek was afraid that Lucius' human lover had staked him at the time, but he'd never found the girl either, after Lucius' disappearance.
"Did you kill him and Jovana?"
"No," Bartholomew smiled a little. "Jovana staked him. I used his ashes and wrote the note."
"Where is Jovana now? What happened to her?" Wlodek always worried about her but Lucius was in love with the human female and she'd been approved by the companion vote—his and Oluwa's had been the only dissenting votes.
Bartholomew almost laughed. "Saxom turned her," he said.
Wlodek cursed in Greek. "Is she enslaved to Xenides, now?"
"No," Bartholomew was smiling. His answer caused Merrill to stand swiftly. Lissa had said something not long ago, about the possibility of Saxom turning females, along with the fact that Saxom had known what to look for as far as misters and the like had been concerned.
"Is she a Queen?" Merrill demanded.
"Oh, yes," Bartholomew smirked. "You don't want to meet up with her. Even Xenides is afraid of her. Why do you think he wants your little princess so badly? Jovana has become a bit of a problem for Xenides and he wishes to be rid of her."
"So, Saxom was the only one who could control her?" Wlodek asked.
"Yes. A shame isn't it, that you managed to kill my sire?"
"That's a matter of opinion," Wlodek snorted. "Do you have any idea what he was planning, or with whom he had allied himself, there at the end?"
"He promised us that we would all be kings," Bartholomew hissed.
"You would have been dead," Wlodek replied. "There was no room in his plans for any of you. He only made you to be his pawns, to get him what he wanted or to take his revenge, should he die. It's too bad you can't see that for yourself."
Bartholomew growled a little but Merrill's barked command kept the disrespect behind his teeth. "How many children did Saxom make?" Merrill demanded.
"I only know of forty-seven, but Xenides always hinted there were more. He wouldn't give me the information when I asked."
"Give me names. Immediately," Wlodek snapped. Bartholomew began ticking off names.
* * *
"This Queen business worries me. Where is she?" Merrill paced restlessly. He'd never met Jovana; he only had Wlodek's account of her. According to him, she was self-serving in the extreme, in addition to being beautiful with thick, platinum blonde hair and a fair complexion. Lucius had been smitten, no doubt about that.
"She made me gag every time I saw her and she was in her forties the last I saw of her, shortly before Lucius disappeared." Wlodek sat in the office at the holding facility. Gavin and M
errill were the only ones remaining; he'd sent the others home after settling Bartholomew in a cell next to Llewellyn.
"Then Saxom had a hand in all that; he could have overridden Lucius' compulsion easily," Merrill observed. "And if Bartholomew is correct, she can turn to mist and use mindspeech, in addition to being immune to compulsion."
"At least we know what she looks like, but who will we send after her?"
"I'm the only option," Merrill sighed.
"I wish to settle the dilemma of Lissa," Wlodek said. "Xenides and Saxom's turns present a terrible fate for her, if they get their hands on her. I know," he held up a hand when Merrill started to speak. "But you and I both know that there may be ways around your compulsion. Therefore, I have taken the liberty of presenting this option to the Council, with the exception of Ilaisaane, of course. Their opinions coincide with mine. We feel that her marriage to Gavin should take place as soon as she returns and then she will be confined and placed under the strictest of compulsions unless she can be of assistance to you, Gavin or one of the Enforcers. Then we will allow her to work in controlled circumstances. Her susceptibility to compulsion is a glaring weakness, as you both know. Otherwise, there is nothing we could do to control her. Our enemies know this too, now, thanks to Ilaisaane."
"You know what this will do to her, Wlodek. Lissa will walk into the sun the first chance she gets." Merrill wasn't happy with Wlodek's and the Council's decision.
"That will be the first compulsion I place," Gavin growled. He knew what this would do to Lissa as well, but he couldn't deal with the sight of her blackened body again. The attempted suicide earlier in the year had left a terrible mark on his soul.
"That is what I hoped for, and you know the Council will loosen the law for a spouse's compulsion," Wlodek nodded. "That is why we wish to move the marriage up."
"Then why wait?" Merrill tossed a hand in the air. "We can do it now, in absentia. Honestly, I have no desire to stand here and watch her weep while you force this on her."
"Merrill, this is for her own good," Wlodek declared. "And for the good of the race, as well. Tell me this is not so."
Blood Domination (Blood Destiny #4) Page 17