by M. Cheykota
By the time I dress and allow my nausea to subside, Kayle, Roman, Alex, Christien, Phedora and the kids are already done with breakfast and sitting in the family room. I know I won’t be able to keep anything down that I eat right now so I grab a glass of orange juice and join the group. When I sit down, Kayle is giving us all the details on how his meeting with Devan went yesterday. We listen to him as he continues with the meeting with Lenair. I was aware of the deal about Kayle negotiating with my blood so I wasn’t surprised when he mentions offering her a bag of blood in exchange for Hassan’s location. What I did not expect was Phedora not to be aware of what I am. When Kayle mentions Lenair’s agreement for a pint of blood, Phedora interrupts.
“Why would Lenair agree to give up Hassan’s location for a pint of blood? She has live donors under her protection. What makes this blood so special that she would be willing to give us Hassan?” Phedora looks at Kayle first who stares back at her with a blank expression.
Christien answers her question in a vague way by saying, “The blood is not important Phedora. Focus on the meeting.”
Alex takes the break in the conversation to follow-up on Phedora’s questions. “Maybe if we give her enough blood, she’ll be willing to deliver Hassan to us instead of us going to him.”
“That would not be an ideal option. We should focus on the task, not on the blood.” Anger creeps into Christien’s voice.
“That is a logical assumption. Why do you dismiss the idea so easily?” Phedora asks Christien stubbornly.
Christien gives her a stern look. “The blood is not an option. I do not have enough anyway so do not mention the blood again!”
Phedora immediately senses Christien’s anger towards her and bows in apology. “My apologies master. We will find another way to get to Hassan.”
Alex is about to say something but Roman stops her by resting his hand on her leg. She gives him a questioning look but he only shakes his head. His eyes demand her not to speak so she purses her lips together and keeps her mouth closed.
Christien looks angry. Kayle looks upset. Phedora looks worried. Alex looks irritated and Roman looks tense.
“Enough!” I shout out. Everyone turns his or her attention towards me. Christien immediately comes towards me and I back up and say “No.”
Christien stops moving towards me, but he continues looking at me with a piercing gaze.
“Kayle, I would like to hear the rest of the story but I need to speak to Christien for a minute.” I leave the room and motion for Christien to follow. To stay out of everyone’s earshot, we end up walking outside for privacy.
As soon as we are outside, I ask Christien the question on my mind. “Why don’t you just tell Phedora and Alex about the blood?”
“Phedora is curious by nature. If she finds out that I traded angel blood for Hassan’s location, she will not let it rest until she finds out how I obtained it. Once she finds out where it comes from, I would not be able to trust her around you. I would rather her not know about you at all. As far as Alex goes, she would not understand, without an explanation, what is so important about angel blood to vampires, and I am not comfortable giving that information to someone I do not know well, regardless of how close she is to Roman. In addition, with Alex being human, Phedora would be able to read it off her mind easily. I can handle Phedora’s requests and Roman seems to be able to keep Alex’s requests under control so I would appreciate your confidence in me to keep your existence to the world at a minimum. We will not be here in France much longer so if Alex returns to America with us, you can decide to tell her yourself if you wish.”
Understanding Christien’s logic, I agree to let him handle the knowledge of my existence, as he would see fit. While we are still out of earshot from the others, I inform him that I have brought a suitcase of my blood if he needs it.
Christien’s power flares in uncontrolled anger. “You should have told me before you decided to do such a dangerous action. Later, I will put the blood in a more secure location. For now, I assume it is somewhere hidden in our bedroom?”
I nod. “I didn’t mean to cause you problems. I only thought that you would want to give your vampires here a power up as you did to the vampires in America.”
“I appreciate your thoughts, but I do not think that will be necessary. I would not have agreed to give my vampires in America such a power advantage if it were not necessary at the time.” Christien kisses my hand then guides me back to the group in the family room.
“Thank you for your patience Kayle. Please continue.” I motion to Kayle.
Christien nods in agreement.
Kayle finishes his report and we all begin discussing options and plans in small groups. No one mentions my blood during our planning and I am grateful. Christien makes the decision to go after Hassan using Lenair’s security layout as a guide. We agree to meet this afternoon to finalize the plan. We all disperse from the room going our separate ways. Roman and Alex take the kids back to the guest room for a nap. Kayle, Phedora, and Christien go to the bar and pour themselves a drink. My stomach has settled and is grumbling in hunger so I go to the kitchen to find something to eat.
Christien joins me in the kitchen as I am finishing my sandwich. My meal completed, I yawn as my energy leaves my body. Christien lies with me in bed as I take a nap. When Christien shifts to get out of bed to respond to a knock at the door, my stomach performs its familiar lurch and I run to the bathroom.
Phedora is sitting on the couch in the bedroom talking to Christien when I return. She gives me a curious glance when Christien interrupts her gaze by saying, “Jessica has been struggling with her flight sickness since she has come to France. That is one of the reasons she will not be joining us tonight. Another reason is that Roman has requested Jessica to stay and protect his family. Since this is not his fight and he is lending himself and some wolves for our cause, I feel compelled to honor his request.”
“Vampires do not get sick.” Phedora states suspiciously.
Unable to stop what happens next, I watch in horror and awe as Christien flies across the room and rips Phedora’s throat out in anger. My mouth drops open in surprise as Phedora’s body crumbles to the floor in a small heap.
Christien addresses Phedora. “Do not ever say anything else about Jessica. Do not speak her name or discuss anything about her without my expressed permission. Is that clear Phedora?”
Phedora’s perforated neck mends enough for her to respond with a weak, “Yes master!”
“Now get out of my bedroom!” Christien shouts at her.
My eyes are wide and I am speechless as I watch Phedora drag herself out of Christien’s bedroom, leaving a trail of blood behind.
“Christien?” I whisper.
He holds up a finger as he listens for sounds at the door. When he is certain Phedora is out of hearing range, he says, “I know you are going to scream at me for the way I treated Phedora, but there is a reason I had to be so harsh.”
I sit down and wait quietly for his explanation.
“She is testing me.” He begins. “Phedora should not have challenged my comment regardless of how incredible the story may sound. If she had any questions about you, she should have asked me in private. Her behavior was unacceptable and she needed disciplinary action for her loose tongue. Believe me or not, I actually went easy on her for your sake.”
Noticing how stressed he seems to be, I skip my argument with him and ask. “Is something else bothering you?”
Surprised, he stops pacing the room and sits next to me. “You are not going to argue with me?”
“She is your vampire, so that makes her your responsibility. It’s just that I could never see you treating Kayle so harshly.”
Understanding my confusion, he explains. “Kayle has been around me much more often than Phedora. He knows many of my mannerisms and he knows better than to question me in public. It has been more than 50 years since Phedora has been in my presence. She needs reminding that I am not
weak and that I am her master. If I cannot trust her, I will not leave her in charge when we leave.” Christien frowns. “Did you not break Kayle’s neck to prevent him from inviting the Vampire Council into the house?”
“That is beside the point.” I admit sheepishly. “Really, what is truly bothering you?”
Christien is quiet for a while before responding. “I want you to speak to Kayle before I discuss this issue with you.” There is a knock at the door. “Come in Kayle.”
As Kayle enters the room, Christien leaves.
“Kayle, what is going on?” I ask truly confused by Christien’s secrecy.
Kayle leans against the wall nearest to the door. Why do I keep getting the sudden protective urges that consume me when I am in her presence?
As soon as Christien leaves, Kayle explains how Christien asked him to explain to me his personal thoughts on Lenair's proposal to eliminate Devan. Kayle promptly informs me of the plans he and Roman mentioned to Christien earlier which outline their plan they created last night to eliminate Devan and Hassan. Last, he provides me the proposed outline of an alliance with Lenair.
I listen intently to his reasoning and to his new plans for Roman to eliminate Devan while Christien and his vampires deal with Hassan. Christien will create a strong alliance in France and effectively making a profound foothold in France.
Strategically, it is an easy and smart move if there are no repercussions from the Vampire Council. Since a vampire is not the one that would eliminate Devan, the Council will need to attack the werewolf responsible. The Council would be reluctant to act against a werewolf with a large pack backing him up.
“Why did Christien reject the plan? It sounds very thought out and a very good suggestion. I know Christien is not very ambitious, but he’s about to become a tête de ligne. He needs to have some base of power or other têtes de lignes will come after him.” I understand why Kayle wants Christien to consider the plan.
Kayle responds, “My master does not like blood shed and he definitely does not like to play vampire politics.”
“I’m sure there are vampires in his ranks that would enjoy being his proxy to any vampire politics that come up. He has plenty of vampires that are old enough to manage his territory. Why doesn’t he just delegate to his other vampires?”
“That is an excellent suggestion. I will be pleased to inform him of your thoughts. I am sure Christien will let you know his decision before we leave tonight.” Kayle thanks me for my time and leaves the room.
I find Roman and corner him in a quiet room. We quickly express our concerns on the assault this afternoon and Roman agrees with me to assassinate Devan tonight, therefore securing an alliance with Lenair. We agree not to mention our plans to Christien until necessary. We part ways as Roman prepares for tonight.
I seek out a few blood donors from the willing donors at the estate. A few additional recommendations from them give me enough donors to provide me enough blood to last a little while. Christien bursts inside the room as I finish my last glass of blood.
“What’s wrong?” I ask in a demanding tone.
“You agree with Kayle?” He asks in disbelief.
The humans file out of the room quickly. When we have the room alone, I speak. “Kayle has a valid point and you know it. Christien, you should not be so reluctant to act. We are vampires. It is our nature to be an aggressive race and you are a natural leader. It is time for you to establish roots for our children. The time where you could look at things from the sidelines and not participate is over.” I inform him as firmly as possible.
His eyes soften and he lets out a long sigh. “Very well. We may need to stay in France for a short while but I do not want my child born or raised here. We will only stay as long as necessary.”
“I’m glad you feel that way. I am certain you will make us all proud.” I kiss him gently and push him towards the door. “You should go see to your final preparations for tonight. I will see you before you leave.”
The next few hours go by in a frenzied blur as everyone goes over plans throughout the night. As the time comes close for everyone to leave, Christien pulls Kayle and me aside to speak to us alone while everyone else is packing to leave.
Christien’s guards his voice as he speaks. “Kayle, I want you to stay here with the women while we go after Hassan and Devan.” Before I can interrupt, Christien continues. “I know Jessica is capable of taking care of herself. I just do not trust anyone else to protect my family in case I am not successful. You know who she is, what she means to me and what to do if things go badly for us.” Christien looks at me with sadness in his eyes. “I love you, Jessica. I would not be able to do what I have to do if I left you alone. If somehow I am unsuccessful, you need to leave France. They will come here and kill anyone who is loyal to me. Kayle will keep you safe. Do not argue or defy me in this please. You have the responsibility of keeping our family safe. You wanted me to be more aggressive, this is my price.”
Kayle responds with a shrug. “I suspected I would not be going on the assault tonight. I have already prepared for this change of plans. I knew when you decided to go after Hassan and Devan that either Phedora or I would not be joining you. Since Phedora is not aware of Jess or her condition, I assumed it had to be me you would assign to protect your family. There is no need to worry, master. I will protect your family’s life with my own.”
My heart lurches in my chest. Racked with fear, I tell Christien to be careful and return safely. Reminding him I will be here when he returns, I kiss him gently on the lips. “I love you.”
“Je t’aime, ma chatte petite.” He replies lovingly and walks out the front door.
Roman and his werewolves, Christien and his get all leave as Alex, Kayle and I watch from the front door. Less than a dozen vampires and werewolves stay with us as we make ourselves comfortable for the long wait of their return.
Kayle, Alex and I pass some of the time waiting for news by talking amicably before retiring to our rooms for the night.
It is around midnight, when I hear a sound jarring me awake. At first, I think maybe Christien and Roman have returned so I jump out of bed. Muttering a quick prayer, I stalk through the house listening for the men’s voice. I am almost to the family room when I pick up an unfamiliar vampire’s scent.
Right as I stop, I feel a strong arm around my waist and a hand covers my mouth. The arms lift me and carry me silently into the hallway. The only reason I do not scream or fight is that I recognize Kayle’s scent as I take a breath to scream. Kayle releases me, grabs my twin daggers from his waist then puts them in my hands. Using hand gestures and pointing fingers, he tells me to check on Alex and the kids while he and the vampires check the house. I nod that I understand and we move our separate directions.
I quietly enter the guess room and see Alex and the children are still sleeping. I cautiously wake her up. She is a little startled by my presence, but she stays quiet. I whisper to her what is going on, as she gets dressed. As she is about to pick up the children, I hear a sound outside the bedroom door. The door opens and I have a dagger at Kayle’s throat before Alex is able to blink. When I see Kayle, I lower the dagger and rush him inside the room.
“Did you see anyone?” I ask in a whisper.
“Not yet, but our vampires are still searching the grounds. The unfamiliar scent is all over the house so I want to take you all to the safe room downstairs so I can look more thoroughly for the intruder.” Kayle says as he gently picks up the little girl.
Alex grabs the baby as I lead the way out the door. Kayle points me in the right direction as we swiftly move through the house towards the basement. Alex and the children are ushered into the room and Kayle gives me a pleading look.
“You know it’s not going to happen. I promised to stay here, but I’m not going to sit in a room and hide when they are attacking us here when you can use my help.” I give him a defiant look. “I promise you I’ll be careful.” I give him a bright smile.
&nbs
p; “The master will not be pleased if anything happens to you.” Kayle reminds me.
“Once we determine the threat, we can decide if I need to run and hide. Now stop wasting time and let’s find these intruders.” I let Alex know that we’ll be back after we check the house. Kayle offers Alex a gun with an additional clip before we shut and lock the door. Kayle and I agree that if we hear gunshots, we will come running.
Kayle and I move in tandem as we check every room in the house. We get to the family room and see a figure squatting in a dark corner. My weapons are at the ready when Kayle smoothly pulls his sword.
“It has been a while, has it not Kayle?” The intruder asks, rising from his crouch.
His voice is familiar to me, but I cannot see his obscured face to recognize the man in the corner.
“What are you doing here?” Kayle asks in confusion.
I sense two other vampires flanking us from both sides. I look at Kayle and he nods once in acknowledgement that he senses them too. Kayle gently eases in front of me, blocking me from the figure’s view.
“What are you doing here Hassan?” Kayle asks the vampire.
Hassan! How did he escape Christien’s attack? I clamp my thoughts down and focus on the danger around us.
“Who is this with you?” Hassan asks, trying to peer around Kayle’s body to see me.
“She is not your concern. You should be worried about me.” Kayle states firmly.
Hassan laughs. “And what do you think you can do to me? You are not powerful enough to challenge me!”
“We’ll see.” Kayle says as he lunges at Hassan.
As Kayle moves on Hassan, the two vampires try to attack Kayle from behind and I intercept them in lightening speed. The vampires are not very old so I am able to dispatch one of them quickly. As I am working on the second vampire, I can hear the struggles between Hassan and Kayle, but I’m unable to see what’s going on.