Blood Royal Redux Final Edit 11-14-11 for upload html

by Suttle, Connie

  "Hello, Honored One," I said.

  "You could call me father. You are my youngest and prettiest, after all." Oh, lord.

  "I may be your youngest, but Flavio has the prettiest title all locked up," I replied. That made Wlodek chuckle.

  "I will be sure and tell him this; he has been a bit depressed lately."

  "The most beautiful man on the face of the earth is feeling depressed? Whatever for?" I almost snorted. Almost.

  "He feels responsible for nearly killing a certain little Queen," Wlodek replied. I wanted to refute that statement. I didn't. I couldn't say for sure how Flavio felt since I didn't know him that well. What I did remember is that he and Merrill both had been as tight-lipped as bivalves on the way back to London after the big brouhaha in New Mexico.

  "Then tell him to stop," I said.

  "Perhaps you should tell him yourself. He refuses to listen to me. Radomir has his number if you feel charitable sometime soon."

  "Oh, right, I'm supposed to just call him out of the blue and tell him to stop being depressed because I say so and I mean it?" I asked in disbelief.

  "I think he might appreciate that more than you know," Wlodek replied. "Now, on to other business. Have you been introduced to Anthony's mother, yet?"

  "Yes," my voice was suddenly glum.

  "Is she his mother?"

  My silence for several seconds probably told Wlodek what he wanted to know, but I answered his question verbally anyway. "No, father. She is not." It was Wlodek's turn not to speak for several seconds. More than likely it was because I'd called him father, rather than the other information.

  "Well," he sighed after a moment. "Well. It will not be a good idea to attempt to pry the truth loose at this point, and it may harm Anthony as well, should this information become public. I can trust you to keep this to yourself, my daughter?"

  "Of course you can," I grumbled. I hadn't wanted to tell him, even. Unless he asked me point blank, that is. I think he knew that. We hung up shortly after that so I misted through the roof and into the house, where I went looking for Radomir.

  "Radomir, the Honored One told me that you could give me Flavio's phone number," I said. I'd found him in the hall on the way to his bedroom.

  "Here," I watched as the tall, dark-haired vampire took my phone and added the name and number into my phone book. I glanced at the number briefly when Radomir handed my phone back before hitting the call button. Flavio answered on the third ring. He hadn't recognized the number, I could tell.

  "Bubba," I said tartly, "this is Sissy. You need to get out of that funk right now and I mean it."

  Radomir had a hand over his mouth and he was snickering. "Lissa, is that you?" Flavio was shocked, I could tell. Anyone else might be too, if they were eighteen hundred years old and a member of the Vampire Council. Especially after getting a call like that.

  "Yeah, it's me. Stop dragging around right this minute."

  "Lissa, I was having a glass of wine with Oluwa." I was interrupting a meeting of some sort. I knew Flavio wasn't gay; he didn't have that vibe. Neither was Oluwa, so it wasn't a tryst. Oluwa had likely heard every word I'd just said, too.

  "Then tell Oluwa I owe him a big kiss for the first time I saw him and a kick in the ass for the second time." Yeah, I don't know why I said it, either. It just came out. Radomir was now leaning against a wall and laughing out loud. I know Flavio heard that. Oluwa was laughing as well; it was a booming sound and coming through my phone loud and clear.

  "You are no longer angry?" Flavio pointedly ignored the jocularity occurring all around him.

  "I didn't say I wasn't still pissed. I'm pissed at lots of people, and Gavin's first on that list. You see how we're married now and all. I haven't kicked him out of bed over it." Radomir slid down the wall and was now laughing on the floor. "As far as the list goes," I continued, "I think you're probably tenth or eleventh, but I'll have to write the list down first and see where you fall. There's a separate list for bad guys—at least you're not on that one."

  "Am I supposed to be pleased over that?"

  "You should be, I'm determined to kill those guys," I said. "You're too gorgeous to even think about that."

  "My appearance is keeping me on the good list of people you're angry with?"

  "Nah, your sparkling wit kept you off the bad list," I retorted. "And you're a snappy dresser, too. What is it with you? Is there a vamp GQ somewhere and you're on the cover every month?" Radomir could barely breathe, now, he'd laughed so hard. Oluwa started laughing again over the vamp GQ comment.

  "So, you wish for me to stop feeling depressed?" Flavio asked after a moment.

  "That's why I called. If you were out flying kites or chasing butterflies with a net and wearing a big smile on your face while you did it, you probably wouldn't have heard from me."

  "You suspect that I engage in these activities?"

  "Bubba, I don't know what you like to do. I imagine you could get a kite in the air really fast, though, if you wanted to. And if you decide to fly a kite and have trouble, I'll mist your kite up for you."

  "I think I would like to see that," Flavio said.

  "All you have to do is ask."

  "Perhaps we could have a glass of wine the next time you are in the country."

  "Sure, Bubba."

  "Is that slang for brother?"

  "You know it, dude," I said and hung up.

  * * *

  "She was trying to cheer you up," Oluwa wore a huge grin. He'd been cheered up in the most irreverent fashion imaginable. Flavio smiled.

  * * *

  "Charles, this information is for the private records only," Wlodek offered a meaningful look to his assistant. Charles nodded. There was a special archive that he and Wlodek kept, containing sensitive information on some members of the race. "Anthony Hancock was adopted in some way. Neither of the people who claim to be his parents are his parents. At this time, we are unsure as to whom his natural parents are or if they still live." Charles tapped the information into his computer before removing the flash drive. It would be locked inside Wlodek's personal safe. Charles had compulsion placed long ago not to reveal any information stored within that safe. Charles's phone rang shortly after.

  "Child, may I speak with my father?" It was Flavio, and to Charles's surprise, his sire sounded cheerful. Charles had a puzzled look on his face as he handed the cell phone to Wlodek.

  "Child?" Wlodek said.

  "Father, I received a call from Lissa." There was definitely a smile in Flavio's voice.

  "Did you?"

  "Yes. Radomir must have given her my number; he was there when she made the call."

  "How is she?"

  "Quite impish, father. I think I will call her that—Imp. It suits her and after her impertinent and disrespectful treatment of me, well, she deserves that name, I think."

  "She was disrespectful?"

  "Father, she accused me of dragging around, asked if I were on the cover of vamp GQ every month and wondered if I engaged in flying kites or chasing butterflies."

  Charles was snickering now; his mouth covered so he wouldn't make so much noise. "Tell my own disrespectful child that I am not that stuffy," Flavio declared upon hearing Charles's muffled laughter. Charles removed the hand from his mouth and guffawed. Even the corners of Wlodek's mouth were lifting a little. Flavio started laughing. Wlodek's smile widened.

  Chapter 6

  The dream held me. I was standing in another place, one filled with trees fully leaved and a lightly wafting breeze caused shade and sunlight to dapple a small clearing. I found it quite lovely after remembering that I no longer had allergies or the fear that ticks might crawl up my leg and attach themselves somewhere. The center of the clearing shimmered and glowed while the rest of the area remained in shade and shadow. I saw people appear in the midst of the shimmer and walk away from it, followed by more of their kind. One of them, a boy of perhaps sixteen or so, drew my attention and I struggled for breath, sitting up in bed wid
e-awake, tearing myself away from the dream. I knew that boy—his face hadn't changed much. Xenides.

  Waking during the day was becoming a regular occurrence, and I was thirsty again. I also remembered that I hadn't asked Winkler to get sunglasses for me. I walked out of the bedroom to search for Roff but he wasn't inside the guesthouse. The only way to the main house, if I walked, was through a big patch of sunlight. Deciding not to risk it, I misted through walls instead, flying from one place to another. The sunlight didn't bother me so much that way.

  I was rummaging through Winkler's fridge when he came sliding in on the polished tile floor. He'd heard the noise and rushed in immediately to investigate. I shocked the hell out of him when I raised my head above the fridge door—I'd been leaning down to pull out a bottle of water. "Lissa!" he shouted. "What the hell are you doing out of bed? Baby, you'll fry!"

  "Whoa, calm down, fuzzy britches," I said as Winkler hauled me over his shoulder, preparing to rush me into a darkened bedroom somewhere. "Put me down and I'll explain," I mumbled against his wide back. "By the way, do you have any extra sunglasses? My eyes water in sunlight."

  Winkler let me slide off his shoulder. "You're not frying?" He still wore a stunned expression, his black eyes scanning me for sunburns.

  "I have alien technology," I tapped the back of my neck. "They put some sort of shield disc under my skin. It keeps my body from being damaged by the sun," I explained. "It's supposed to last a hundred years."

  "Are you kidding?" Winkler put his hands on the back of my neck and rubbed it gently.

  "Nope."

  "Alien technology?"

  That made me laugh. "You should see the alien who put it there." Winkler would probably pee his pants if he saw the Larentii.

  "If I hauled you into the yard you wouldn't die?"

  "I'd be pissed, maybe uncomfortable and possibly asleep, but I've been assured I won't burn."

  "Here," Winkler went to a drawer in one of the kitchen cabinets, pulled it open and drew out one of several pairs of sunglasses. "Lost and found," he informed me, handing the glasses over. At least they were women's sunglasses, even if they weren't what I might have picked for myself. I put them on and breathed a sigh of relief. My eyes stopped watering immediately. "Now, sit down and tell me why you're awake," Winkler ordered.

  "Hey, you're not the boss of me," I grumped.

  "I used to be," he grinned.

  "Yeah, yeah, kiss my ass," I muttered.

  "Don't offer. You know I want to," he was still grinning.

  "You and a bunch of other people," I retorted. Wait. A bunch of people had. Well, two, anyway. I wondered where Kifirin had gotten himself off to. "I've been dreaming, Winkler. That's why I'm awake," I said, trying to steer him away from the sex subject. I took the top off my water bottle and sipped. The cold water felt really good; I was dry for some reason. Roff walked in with Corinne and Lucas Alford; they'd been out grocery shopping. Roff almost shrieked when he saw me.

  "Raona, must I chastise you again?" He was doing his best version of righteous indignation.

  "Roff, I'm awake. That's all there is to it," I said and drank more water.

  "We were hoping we'd get chicken fried steak later," Winkler was back to grinning. "Roff and the Alfords picked up what you'll need to cook for us."

  "Fine," I grumped.

  "Come, we will put you in an empty room upstairs," Roff was trying to lead me away.

  "If Gavin wakes and doesn't find me in his bed, you do not want to hear the cursing," I said. "Come on, I'll mist us back over." Corinne Alford gasped as I turned Roff and myself to mist and went through a wall.

  "Now, must I tell you to go to sleep?" Roff was sliding me under the sheet. He ruined his gripe session by leaning down and giving me a kiss. I closed my eyes and was out in seconds.

  * * *

  "This is so good," Lucas Alford was helping himself to another plate of food. Roff was happy, too, I could tell. The werewolves, though? I've never seen anyone put food away like they can. Even the females don't have many qualms about eating (except Kellee, and she was just showing off for Winkler). I liked that about them. They had two apple pies waiting for dessert, too. Winkler asked Roff to buy the ingredients.

  Thaddeus and Lorenzo had come in at one point while I was cooking, completely shocked that I could and would do this. For werewolves. We talked for a while, but they left before everything was done, going in search of something to amuse themselves. Bill called Tony while I cooked, and I hadn't been privy to that conversation. Bill had a lead he wanted to follow, so we were going out as soon as the wolves finished eating.

  The lead turned out to be in Stillwater, sixty miles north of Oklahoma City. Bill arrived at the house to lead the way, Winkler came along with us and Rhett and Dalroy stayed behind with the Alfords. I think Lucas wanted to go but Corinne didn't, so he stayed with her. Bill carried Winkler, Radomir, Tony and René in the car with him while the rest of us followed in the van.

  After driving an hour, we parked outside a farmhouse west of Stillwater. A dirt road ran up to the house, with heat-browned grass growing in the space between tire tracks. The road wasn't used much; the grass stood tall in the center of that narrow track. The farmhouse was neat, though, painted a pale yellow with green shutters. What caught my attention (and Gavin and René's as well), was the window glass was painted black, with thick curtains hung over that. Somebody didn't want light getting in. Not even a little.

  "Let Lissa go in first," Tony ordered when we all piled out of vehicles. Bill wasn't arguing and Gavin only frowned, so I misted inside the house first. Ancient wood floors creaked beneath my feet when I materialized, though my steps were light across them. Cautiously I went to mist again, just to be sure; the entire house was deserted and darker than a tomb. I smelled vampire, just not one of those we hunted. At least not yet—the scent didn't smell evil.

  Did Bill find this during the day? I sent to Tony.

  Tony must have conferred with Bill; it took a few seconds before his reply came. Yes, he said he got a tip on this place, Tony responded.

  There's nobody on the ground floor, but hold on for a moment, I want to check something, I returned, misting right through the floor. I don’t know where the trap door was; I wasn't interested in that. What I found was a male vampire wedged in a tiny space with a human female, and they were terrified. The woman looked to be in her early forties, so this was likely a love match. Visions of Vilmos and his companion flitted through my mind. Heaving a mental sigh, I shot back through the floor into the upper portion of the house and misted outside, materializing next to Gavin.

  "Gavin, please come with me," I said. Turning to mist again, I hauled him a quarter of a mile away before he could protest and jerked my cell phone from a jeans pocket as I solidified. Tony, keep everybody outside the house until we get back, I told him in mindspeech.

  What's going on, Lissy? Tony was very curious and a little worried—I could tell through his mental voice.

  Tony, just hang on for a minute, okay? I tried to reassure him as much as possible while I dialed Charles's number.

  "Lissa?" Charles was probably surprised to hear from me again so soon.

  "Charles, I just found a vampire who's hiding out with a human female," I said, praying that they weren't going to be killed just because I'd found them. "The vampire is about three hundred years old with long blond hair braided down his back. The woman is in her early forties, I think. They're hiding under a house in north central Oklahoma and they're terrified someone will find them."

  Charles was already tapping on his computer and Wlodek, who'd been listening in, took the phone. "Lissa Beth, what have you found?" he demanded.

  "I don't know," I felt like sobbing. "Father, I don’t think they're bad. Please tell me we don't have to kill them." Gavin's eyebrows rose when I called Wlodek father but he didn't say anything. He was frowning, however, over the news that a vampire and his human companion were beneath the house.

  "Probabl
y Winston Byrnett," Charles's voice came over the phone. "The description and the age fit."

  "He disappeared twenty years ago," Wlodek informed me. "He requested the review for his companion and then disappeared with the woman before a decision was reached. His human companion was approved by the Council, but the news was never delivered. We were unable to locate him."

  "So, other than the fact that he's feeding off the population, he's not rogue?" I asked.

  "I would strongly suggest that he begin ordering his meals from the normal sources," Wlodek replied dryly. "If he will send his information to the Council, we will supply the paperwork that he didn't wish to wait for earlier."

  "Okay," I heaved a relieved sigh. "Thanks." I terminated the call. "Come on, you may have to place compulsion while we do some explaining." I grabbed Gavin's arm and we misted back to the house.

  "Just give us a few minutes," I told Bill, Tony and the others when Gavin and I landed beside them. "We'll be back in a bit." I misted Gavin and myself straight into the hidden basement. Gavin placed compulsion the moment we materialized; Winston was set to fight both of us. His companion huddled farther into the small cubbyhole that held a mattress and little else.

  "You will answer all questions truthfully," Gavin added to his initial compulsion not to attack. The blond vampire nodded.

  "Are you Winston Byrnett?" I asked.

  "Yes," the vampire nodded. The woman whimpered and wept.

  "Honey, we're not about to kill him—or you," I reassured her. She peeked out of a small space between her hands; they were covering her face.

  "The Council approved your companion," Gavin took up the conversation. "The Head of the Council says that if you send your request, the approval papers will be forwarded to you. He also suggests that you order your meals from the recommended sources from now on."

  "That's all?" Winston was shocked. "You tracked us all this time just to tell us that?"

  "We weren't tracking you," I said. "We were after someone else, but we got a lead on you instead. That's why we're here now. It might be a good idea to scrape the paint off the windows and move away. Somebody knows something," I added.