I raised the other hand to rub my forehead, surprised that my limbs were actually obeying me. Somehow, I couldn't remember having any control over them for a while.
"Sweetheart, your fingers and toes are regenerating. It will take another two weeks or so for them to be normal." That was Merrill speaking. I went still at his words. Slowly I lifted my hand away from my face and saw that my fingers were missing from the last joint down. I had no fingernails; the part of my fingers that held them was missing. Covering my eyes with what remained of my hand, I asked the question.
"What else is missing? And why didn't you leave me on the roof? I should be dead now and far away from all of you." Now I remembered the beating. Merrill had no idea how hard it had been for me to stand there and take that. I'd sworn to myself long ago that nobody would beat me again. Yet here I was and that's exactly what had happened.
"Because of selfishness," Franklin said, kissing my hand. "Our selfishness. We didn't want to be without you, little girl. I can't face that pain. I'm sorry." Franklin wasn't alone in that; I wasn't sure I could face the pain again either. Bearing the agony of the burning as the sun crisped my skin had been almost unendurable. I might not be able to do it a second time. "And your hair, eyebrows and eyelashes are gone, baby Lissa, but they'll grow back, too."
My hand was still over my eyes as I muttered, "Great. I'm a freak."
"Your skin is fine and as beautiful as it ever was," Gavin said. "Those other things will come soon. Just be patient with your body. And with us."
That caused me to snort. Patient with them? When had they been patient with me? "Lissa, I know what you're thinking," Merrill replied. "And you are correct, up to a point."
"Oh, so suddenly you're a mind reader?" That came out with a little more sarcasm than I'd intended.
"As you know already, I am quite old and have been dealing with people and vampires for all of that time." Yeah. I knew he was old, all right.
"Did you know the vampire that came after me at the hotel in New Mexico was older than you and Wlodek?" That statement had Gavin drawing in a breath and Merrill laying compulsion.
"Gavin, you will not be telling anyone that our little one here has this talent," Merrill commanded sternly.
"I would not have done so, even without your instruction," Gavin grumbled. "That is both dangerous and highly useful at the same time, as well as something that I had already guessed at. She told me Nyles Abernathy was older than I when we faced him in Florida. I already knew that but she surprised me by telling me so."
"The vampire's scent at the hotel was also tainted," I said. Yeah, I was letting the cat partly out of the bag. "All of the bad vampires there that night had the same tainted scent."
"Christ," Merrill muttered. "And you could tell this?" His bright blue eyes held a worry that I couldn't define.
I removed the hand from my forehead and gazed levelly at him. "Yes, Merrill, I could tell that. Tate's mother was with the first vampire, as was Kevin's mom. The other female werewolf I didn't know and she didn't identify herself. I killed all four of them."
Merrill pulled out his cell, turned his back to us and waited for someone to answer his call. Wlodek responded with a greeting—my ears were still good, I guess. Lifting what remained of my fingers, I attempted to see if I still had ears and earlobes left. "Merrill says you hair protected your ears for a while; they were covered and your fingers and toes weren't," Franklin was reading my mind.
"Honored One," Merrill said after Wlodek greeted him, "Lissa can smell the taint on Saxom's get."
That statement earned silence on the other end for several seconds. "Then bring her tomorrow evening," Wlodek replied, his voice as smooth as water over river stones. Merrill agreed and ended the call.
"Is there anything we can get for you?" Franklin asked me.
"I want an iPhone," I said tartly. So far, someone else had picked out my phones and Merrill had taken away my last one. Now I wanted what I wanted and an iPhone would allow me to pick up my email messages a lot easier than the other phones I'd had.
Franklin laughed and it was a good sound. He probably hadn't done that for days. "Well, little girl, since I haven't gotten you anything for Christmas yet as I didn't know what you wanted, I will take myself out tomorrow morning and buy one."
"Franklin, you don't need to spend that much money," I said. "There's money inside an envelope in my computer case if you can get Merrill to give it up."
"That money is inside my safe," Merrill announced. Great. He had my backup stash. "Where did it come from, anyway?"
Gavin knew the answer. "Winkler paid her for saving his life and tracking the three that almost killed him last year. She hasn't used much of it at all."
"There hasn't been any opportunity to use much of it," I grumbled. And since when did he keep up with my finances?
"Winkler should have paid her more," Gavin did his own grumbling.
"I'm a cheap date, I guess," I said. "Can I get up or is it against the vampire law or something?" At least I was dressed in pajamas; somebody had bothered and it was most likely Franklin.
"You may get up and bathe and do whatever you have the energy to do, but Derlin suggests that you don't do anything strenuous until your fingers and toes regenerate completely," Merrill said. "You may wander about the house and aggravate anyone inside it as much as you want." I was ready to tell him that I'd tried my best not to be an aggravation to anyone when he smiled and I knew he was teasing.
"You may not go to the roof unless someone accompanies you," Gavin was back to laying down the law.
"Gavin, do not make that light die in her eyes," Franklin turned and lectured Gavin. Gavin actually looked apologetic. "Come on, little girl," Franklin was still holding one of my hands. He helped me sit up in bed and then helped me slide my legs over the edge. That gave me the first glimpse of my toes—they were just little nubs now and I wondered if I could even walk. Franklin was wondering the same thing; he just didn't say what he was thinking and held my hand tightly as I slipped off the bed. Yeah, toes are pretty important to walking, I discovered. Franklin helped me as I gimped along to the bathroom.
"Bath or shower?" Franklin asked as I stood unsteadily on my feet inside the bathroom, the Italian marble tile cold beneath my soles. The bathtub would be better in one respect; I could sit and get clean. The shower would be easier to climb out of afterward.
"Lissa, will you allow me to help you?" Gavin came in to stand right behind Franklin, his beautiful brown eyes pleading with me. Heaving a sigh, I considered it. So far, I'd managed to keep my back to the mirror. I was afraid to look at my image; too terrified to see the damage a few seconds in the sun had cost me. Now, Gavin was asking if he could help. Well, he'd probably seen me worse the last few days.
"All right," I agreed. Might as well get it all over with at once. Grabbing Franklin's hand to balance myself, I turned toward the mirror. The skin was intact, looked as fine as it ever did and I was thankful I still had eyelids to be honest, even though I had no eyelashes and was completely bald.
"I look like a bald girl in one of those sci-fi movies," I grumped, lifting my stubby little fingers to touch my head.
"You do not," Gavin said, stepping behind me. "You are more beautiful." His big hands gripped my shoulders as he leaned down to nuzzle my neck before placing a kiss.
"Honey, I don't feel very beautiful, right now." I pulled my gaze away from my reflection and hobbled toward the shower. Franklin made a graceful exit, leaving Gavin to take care of things. Gavin undressed me first and then undressed himself before lifting me off the sink. He allowed me to lean against him while I did my best to bathe. I had no idea how much that would tire me out so he helped dry me off and got us both dressed afterward. My clothes were quite loose. Gavin tried to convince me to drink as much blood as I could, but I couldn't get past the amount I normally consume. He also carried me downstairs and that's when I learned that Merrill had given Lena time off with pay. Who knows what excuse he'd fa
bricated to accomplish that?
I sat on the kitchen island and watched Franklin put steak marinade together for his and Greg's meal the following day. "How long will it be before I have fingernails again?" I glanced up at Gavin, who was standing beside me.
"The physician says two weeks, perhaps, but these are tiny fingers," he lifted one of my hands and kissed it. "It should not take so much time to recreate them."
"Will I gain weight back?" I could put one hand inside the waistband of the jeans I wore and they felt baggy.
"Lissa, you lost mass," Gavin informed me. "I have heard of this happening in severe cases before when the vampire survived. Derlin supports this. Even your bones are slightly smaller, now. It's like a second turn and that consumes a part of you to complete. I have never heard of a vampire gaining weight."
"Great. Now all my clothes are too big."
"We can fix that as soon as you're able to shop," Franklin grinned at me. He was placing the steaks in the fridge.
"How long is Greg staying?" I asked.
"At least two weeks." Franklin was happy, I could tell.
"Good for you, Frankie," I said and smiled back at him.
"Frankie?" Gavin lifted an eyebrow at me.
"It's a nickname, honey," I patted Gavin's cheek.
"I like the nickname." Frank busied himself around the stove. "Besides, Lissa can call me anything she likes, because I love her." Franklin didn't look at me when he made his announcement.
"I love you, too, Frankie," I said. Gavin looked as if he'd like to hear the same words aimed in his direction. I didn't offer them. He kissed my hand again and sighed.
* * *
Sunday, March seventh was a better day. My fingers and toes were a millimeter longer, I think. Gavin still had to help me in the shower, but I managed to dress myself and he and Merrill got me out to one of the cars. Gavin carried me to the garage, settling me in the back seat of the Range Rover and buckling my seat belt. My little finger stubs were a bit on the clumsy side. I was also the proud owner of a new iPhone; Franklin had picked it up after he went to the airport to collect Greg. I'd gotten a kiss from Greg when I made it downstairs, along with a promise for the lecture when there was time. Franklin had winked at me as Gavin hauled me out the door.
The road we took eventually looked familiar; I realized we were heading toward the holding cells where I'd been imprisoned when Gavin first brought me into the country. The scents were also familiar when Gavin lifted me out of my seat and carried me in. Wlodek, Charles and Radomir were standing in an office of sorts not far inside the door. I'd never been inside the office; I'd been escorted straight down the hall and tossed inside a cell instead. Those weren't good memories. Gavin must have read my thoughts—he gave me a little squeeze while he held me. My feet were encased in socks since none of my shoes fit at the moment and my white cotton socks stuck out against the dark denim of my jeans.
Charles was bursting to say something but held it back, I could tell. Wlodek's face looked a little gray to be honest, but he didn't say much either. Radomir stood behind him and never said a word. The schmuck was wearing the cufflinks I'd given him for Christmas, though. Just see if I ever sent these guys another thing. Ever.
"The Prisoner is being brought," Wlodek said and motioned for Gavin to set me down in a chair off to the side. "Lissa, please remain silent while the prisoner is here. We will ask questions, which he will attempt to refuse to answer," Wlodek instructed. I nodded. No way was I talking to him if I could help it.
I almost disobeyed Wlodek when the prisoner was brought in. One of the two vampires who escorted him was Sebastian. My hiss barely stayed behind my teeth when he arrived, one of the prisoner's arms gripped tightly in his huge hands. Stephan was on the prisoner's other side. The vampire prisoner had the taint on him, all right; I knew that right away. He stared at me, once he'd managed to do a little sniffing of his own.
"A little Queen," he grinned at me maliciously. Stephan cuffed him.
"Now, Claremont," Wlodek began, "please tell me why you are not registered with the Council and why drained bodies seem to turn up everywhere around you?"
"No," Claremont grinned nastily at Wlodek. I'd already determined that he was slightly older than the Head of the Council.
Wlodek turned to Merrill and nodded slightly.
"You will tell me, though, won't you?" Merrill commanded. Claremont's eyes went blank. Yeah, Merrill has the mojo, all right, where compulsion is concerned.
"My sire said it was not necessary for me to be registered," Claremont replied haughtily.
"And what was his name?" Merrill continued his questioning.
"He called himself Meletius," Claremont replied.
"Did he teach you not to kill humans?"
"He taught me to kill them without detection," Claremont said. Ugh. This guy was a piece of work.
"Do you have any siblings?"
"I do not know of any, but my master left me after two years."
"How old are you?" Merrill asked. Now I was going to get a true gauge on my age detecting skills, I hoped.
"Two thousand, eight hundred ninety-two," Claremont mumbled.
Jeez, the guy was nearly twenty-nine hundred years old and was Saxom's child. How old had Saxom been? Wlodek came close to this one's age but he wasn't that old. How could they not have known that Saxom was bad? This one smelled evil to me, just like the others. Tainted. Corrupt. And according to the information Tony had, Saxom had been on the Council. For how long? Since the beginning, maybe, and these guys never suspected? Jeez.
Merrill grilled Claremont at length as Wlodek supplied questions. Charles dutifully recorded all of Claremont's replies with Radomir, Sebastian and Stephan as witnesses. Sebastian never glanced at Gavin or me. Just as well. If he and I were ever in a room alone, one of us might die. Sebastian and Stephan eventually took the prisoner away and Wlodek leveled his gaze on me.
"He's the same as the others," I replied before the question was ever spoken.
"You are sure?" Wlodek gave me a searching look.
"Absolutely," I said. "I'll never get that scent out of my nose." My words made Charles stop tapping on his laptop for a second. He continued after a sharp "Charles," from Wlodek.
"Bring her to the Council meeting tomorrow evening," Wlodek instructed. "Charles will get this additional information to the others tonight." Charles nodded at Wlodek's command and tapped out a few last words on his computer before closing it.
Fucking great—Wlodek wanted me at the Council meeting. I was going to be paraded in front of the other assholes who'd had me beaten. That made me feel special. "Lissa, you will remain with Gavin and Merrill off to the side during the Council meeting and you will not speak unless the Council requests it, do you hear?" Wlodek laid compulsion. I nodded. The compulsion didn't work but my fear certainly did.
* * *
"She didn't even say hello," Charles grumbled after Gavin carried Lissa from the room, closely followed by Merrill.
"Young Charles," Wlodek laid a hand on Charles's shoulder, "our little girl has much to forgive first. It is my hope she will come around, given time. She will not be as angry with you as the rest of us, I think." Wlodek glanced at Radomir; the message had been meant for him as well. He nodded slightly. They prepared to leave, waiting for only a moment while Charles slid his laptop inside its case. Charles had to get the information to the remainder of the Council so judgment could be passed on Claremont the following evening. Wlodek sighed, lifted his jacket from a chair and slipped it on.
* * *
There was a question that Merrill and Wlodek hadn't asked and the answer made many other questions pop into my head, depending on what the answer was. I stewed about it on the way home until I couldn't hold it any longer. "Merrill?" I asked. He was driving and I didn't want to distract him that much.
"What, sweetheart?"
"When Claremont said his sire left him after two years, when did his sire tell him he didn't need to be registere
d with the Council? His making was long before the Council came into existence so his sire had to have contact with him after the Council was formed."
Merrill skidded the Range Rover to a stop on the side of the road. "Christ," he muttered. "Holy Christ," Merrill said before pulling onto the road again. Claremont had gotten around Merrill's compulsion. It was all in the wording of the questions and the carefully crafted answers. "Lissa," Merrill said after a while, "if you were making a guess, what would it be?"
"That some of Saxom's get might have known about each other, or found each other later and that Saxom may have been pulling all their strings, separately or together, to do collective harm." Merrill might have considered skidding to a second stop but he kept driving.
"Love, you have no way of knowing this," Gavin said over the back of his seat.
"No. I don't. All I have is a feeling." I couldn't tell him how my skin sometimes itched when I knew trouble was coming. The Council already had that information. They'd completely ignored it, too, as far as I could tell.
It was March in England and a light rain was falling when we got home. I could see swirling droplets in the glow of the headlights as we pulled into the garage. It was a little cold, too; my ears were freezing when we walked inside the house. Maybe I needed a woolly hat. It would keep my ears warmer and cover my baldness at the same time.
Franklin and Greg were still up and in the kitchen sharing a cup of tea. "I need a woolly hat," I said, sitting next to Greg at the kitchen island. "My ears are cold."
Greg reached out and touched one of my ears. "They are cold," he acknowledged. "But aren't you guys always cold?" He grinned when he said it.
"I may let you live," I teased him back. Franklin threw back his head and laughed.
Blood Sense (Blood Destiny #3) Page 2