Blood Wager (Blood Destiny #1)

by Connie Suttle

  The drive took nearly an hour (as close as I could reckon it, given my emotional state of mind). When Gavin opened my door and ordered me out of the car, I found myself in a park-like area with trees dotting the landscape. I had no idea where I was and I wasn’t going to find out, in all likelihood. "Sleep," Gavin commanded. I dropped bonelessly to the ground.

  * * *

  Wlodek twirled a gold pen in his hands as he watched the two captives closely. Edward Desmarais and Sergio Velenci stood at the side of the cave chamber, compulsion keeping them quiet and subdued. Sergio had done the actual turning; that was his crime but at the suggestion and with the complicity of Edward. Despicable, the both of them. Charles was sitting beside Wlodek, busily hooking up the portable power supply to his laptop. Wlodek knew the machine was very efficient but he missed the days of a pen scratching on paper, along with the occasional dip into an inkbottle. He also knew how upset Charles actually was. The younger vampire was tight-lipped and uncommunicative, going about his business and refusing to make eye contact. Charles had been that way ever since Wlodek informed him (barely two hours earlier) that the female would be tried along with the others. Now the entire Council was assembled, waiting patiently for Gavin and the remaining prisoner to arrive.

  Gavin carried Lissa as he strode inside the tunnel entrance, finding Stephan and Will guarding it. Will looked Gavin's burden over before turning his head away. It wasn't hard to see what Will thought of the whole thing. Stephan's mouth tightened but he also didn't speak. Russell and Radomir were inside guarding Wlodek, along with any other Enforcers who might be in London at the moment.

  The cave where the Council met was a part of the Chislehurst caves, but this particular cave was separate from the portions the public visited, with its own carefully guarded entrance. Most of the caves were man-made; flint and chalk had been mined there in the past. This cave was natural and had stalactites hanging in the back, with the occasional plink of moisture dripping off them. Gavin walked down the long tunnel that led to the cave, carrying the unconscious Lissa. No vampire other than Council members, Enforcers, Assassins, and the occasional invited guest was allowed to see the entrance. Prisoners were either blindfolded and led in or carried in unconscious. Lissa was one of the latter.

  Wlodek watched as Gavin brought the girl in. She was small. At times, it was difficult to determine from a photograph or an image on television just how large or small someone was. He was only now seeing the reality. Gavin lowered the girl until her feet were nearly touching the floor of the cave. "Wake," he said. The girl woke and shrank back immediately.

  * * *

  There was dim lighting inside the cave where I woke. A horseshoe-shaped stone table stood before me, with a group of vampires sitting behind it. The smell almost overwhelmed me at first and my skin automatically began to quiver. I knew that smell; had finally worked it out. The older the vampire, the spicier and more exotic the scent, and here were some very old vampires. The one sitting in the center of the table frowned and I couldn't help it, I shrank back a little. Gavin pushed me forward again, not gently, and then backed away. I still wore my manacles as I stared straight ahead—I hadn't been instructed to do otherwise.

  "She is under your compulsion?" The oldest vampire, the one sitting in the center of the stone table, asked. He appeared young, as did all the others in the room. His hair was dark, his eyes almost black and he had old-world, ruggedly handsome features.

  "Yes, Honored One." Gavin's voice, from behind me.

  "I will place my own so that you may remove yours," he said.

  "Of course, Honored One."

  "Lissa Beth Workman," the vampire looked me in the eye and if I'd thought Gavin's voice was midnight, this was the blackest of velvet that held steel underneath. "You will do as I say from this point forward," he went on. "When Gavin removes his compulsion, you will be under my control only."

  Gavin came around to face me. "You are no longer under my control," he said. Part of the blanket over my brain fell away. The other remained, however. I was still held immobile, unable to do anything unless the old one said.

  "You may blink," the old one told me. I blinked.

  "First, we will deal with Sergio Velenci and Edward Desmarais," the old one said. "All of you have the records before you, and have taken the opportunity to question these prisoners, prior to this meeting?"

  Paper shuffled around the table, but I was staring straight ahead and could only see a bit off to each side with my peripheral vision. It was hard to make out features of the Council members; the dim light came from behind them, casting their faces in shadow. The vampire sitting next to the old one though—he was not old. He had light brown hair, hazel eyes and seemed completely out of place among the others inside the cave. His scent was much lighter than theirs and he was tapping quietly away on a laptop. Vampires had joined the electronic age.

  "Are there any questions or comments concerning these two before we pass judgment?" the old one was asking. I couldn't see either of the vampires who'd changed my life forever, sitting in a bar making a wager. They were likely under compulsion as well and had to stand there, staring straight ahead.

  "The reason or purpose of the turning?" One voice, male, from the right.

  "Shall we ask?" the old one spoke as the younger one tapped away on the computer. "Sergio Velenci," the old one commanded. "Give us the reason you made the turn."

  "A wager, Honored One."

  That caused a lot of paper shuffling around the table and furious tapping at the computer.

  "What was this wager?" the old one asked.

  "Edward bet me that the woman would take at least nine days to turn."

  "And the amount and type of the wager?"

  "One million pounds," Sergio replied. His voice was empty, emotionless.

  "So, you made a wager with Edward that the woman would take less than nine days—that was your part in this, other than the turning?"

  "Yes, Honored One."

  "Very well. Does that satisfy your curiosity, Cecil?"

  "Yes, Honored One."

  "Any further comments or questions, before sentence is passed?"

  "It is in my opinion, although it no longer has bearing on the case, that Edward lost the bet." Another voice—female this time.

  There was a snicker or two. "Ilaisaane, while I appreciate the humor, it has no place in these proceedings."

  "As you say, Honored One."

  "Any further comments or questions before sentence is passed?" Several minutes went by while nobody said anything. "Very well," the old one sighed. "We will pass judgment. In the matter of Sergio Velenci, what say you?"

  "Guilty." A voice at the far left.

  "Guilty." A voice right next to that one. Calls of Guilty continued until eight voices had expressed that opinion.

  "I also vote guilty," the old one said. "It is unanimous; let the record reflect the vote." The younger one tapped away. "Russell, move the female over to the side, please."

  A vampire to my left (I hadn't been able to see him before) came and took my arm, moving me over to the side. I was now facing the center of the room and could see quite a bit more than I could earlier. I stood there, immobile, blinking like an owl.

  "Bring Sergio forward." Another vampire brought Sergio forward. I recognized him, all right—the dark good looks and cruel mouth I'd seen outside my car door in the parking lot of a bar. If I could have moved or spoken, I imagine I would have rushed forward to slap him and curse him while I did it. As it was I watched, frightened out of my wits. I was seeing what would happen to me in only a few moments.

  "Gavin, would you like to perform this service?" the old one asked.

  "With pleasure," Gavin snarled, pacing forward. I saw something then that I hadn't known was possible. Gavin's eyes went red—as red as blood—and his fangs descended. Then, very lengthy claws formed on his fingers and with one slicing blow, he decapitated Sergio Velenci.

  Sergio's head rolled away and his
body dropped to the floor. That was when I saw what happens to a vampire when they die. The clothing was intact but the body began to flake away until something like gray ash formed. It was only a matter of minutes until the entire body was completely decomposed, bones and all. Another vampire came forward and lifted the clothing away, carrying it toward the cave entrance. I didn't see what he did with it.

  "Now," the old one said. "In the matter of Edward Desmarais, what say you?"

  Once more, the vote passed from left to right with every vote guilty. "Very well, the vote is unanimous. Let the record reflect the vote. Bring Edward forward." Edward was brought over and stood amid Sergio's ashes. "Gavin?" Gavin, who hadn't changed his appearance one bit, sliced the head from Edward Desmarais. He, like his partner in crime Sergio, flaked away while I stared in horror. Edward's clothing was removed, just as Sergio's was before. If Gavin thought to frighten me by leaving claws and fangs out, he was doing an excellent job. I was scared witless just by looking at him.

  "Now, let us turn to the matter of Lissa Beth Workman. Russell." Not even a gasp or a pause came as two lives were snuffed out. Russell led me back to the center of the room and now I was standing within the ashes of Edward and Sergio. Would Gavin take pleasure in my death as he had the others? I hoped mine would be as swift as he'd made theirs. I wanted to cry again but that would show weakness. I didn't belong there. I belonged in a small town in Oklahoma where I might have mourned my husband in peace, gone back to my job at the courthouse and had lunch with my co-workers now and then. Instead, here I was, in something so far removed from my previous reality I might as well have been on another planet.

  "Now," the old one said, "I originally sent Gavin to terminate this one, since she had been turned in complete disregard of protocol, with no legitimate sire or instruction. She managed to offer her services to William Winkler, who hired her as a bodyguard." There were a few indrawn breaths around the room; they all recognized Winkler's name. "As you know, I, as well as many others in this room, was dreading the completion of the software he was creating because it would give any potential enemy the tools to recognize us and hunt us down, should we be exposed. That we could not have. Therefore, I sent Gavin in as a spy of sorts, to wait this thing out and see how it progressed. His job was two-fold—to watch this one," he nodded toward me, "and to report on the software being developed by William Winkler. Gavin has performed admirably in both respects." At that moment, I think I wanted to kill Gavin. He'd sold Winkler and me both down the river.

  "However," the old one continued, "things often change, once we become involved in them. Gavin watched while this one learned how to feed herself properly. And then used every bit of talent and logic she had to find William Winkler where he'd been buried in a wheat field. After that, she was sent to protect the Grand Master of the werewolves, Weldon Harper. I wish to hear this story in her own words. Please bear with me before we pass sentence."

  "Now," he looked at me, his eyes hard, "you will tell me what transpired when you rescued Weldon Harper from the challenge. You will only speak the truth and you will answer every question asked inside this chamber. Do you understand? Speak now."

  I hadn't spoken any words in ten days. My voice was raspy as a result when I began. "I was sent to Grand Forks, North Dakota, to protect the Grand Master while he met with Packmasters from across the United States," I said.

  * * *

  "So, you had a bad feeling?" one of the Council members asked. I couldn't explain it any better. My skin had been crawling.

  "My skin was crawling," I explained. They probably wouldn't accept that any more than the bad feeling, but that's what I had.

  "Let us move on," the old one said. "You went after Weldon Harper. Where was he?"

  "About five miles away and the wolves were beginning to turn. I hovered over them, waiting for them to run. I intended to follow along from above, to watch over the Grand Master."

  "Wait. What did you just say?" a Council member to the left asked.

  "I give you permission to turn your head," the old one said. I turned to look at the Council member who'd asked the question. He was a tall black man. "Which part do you want me to repeat?" I asked him.

  "You said you hovered, is that the correct term?"

  "Yes, sir. I hovered over them. I intended to follow along, overhead." There was rustling now, along with muted conversation.

  The old one was now interested. "How were you hovering overhead?"

  "I turned to mist before I got to the wolves," I said simply. "It was the easiest way to do it. I can't imagine that I could have just walked into five hundred werewolves, they would probably have torn me apart."

  "You turned to mist." The old one was repeating my words.

  "Yes, sir."

  "Can you turn to mist now? I wish to see this."

  Feeling as if I'd made a gaffe of some sort, I concentrated. They could all probably turn to mist in a matter of seconds. For me, it took about four or five minutes, to the best of my calculations. My feet turned first, I could see them disappearing, and then my hands, followed by the rest of my body. I heard Gavin's swift intake of breath behind me and had no idea why. The compulsion held me in place so I couldn't escape or go anywhere. I imagined myself flying free, however. Soaring through the entrance to the cave and far away, where I could spend my last night in freedom before walking into the sun. It might not be as swift as Gavin's decapitation, but at least the choice would be mine.

  "Very well, turn back, now," the old one commanded. I turned back, taking another four or five minutes to make the change.

  "So." The old one shuffled his papers a little. "Tell us what happened next."

  I explained how I'd descended at an angle so I could make the change on the way, landing next to the wolves that attacked Weldon. I went over how I'd thrown him over my shoulder after telling Daryl to wade into the main body of Wolves to protect himself. I then described how I'd taken Weldon up a tree and left him, dropping back down to lead the attackers away from the Grand Master and toward the river.

  "I stood in the river and turned to mist again, before going back to the tree. With Weldon over my shoulder, I climbed down and rushed him to his home to get help. Fifteen more werewolves followed us. I fought them off until only six were left and then three Wolves came to assist."

  "And this nearly killed you?"

  "Yes, sir. I was covered in bites. I almost died. I wish I had died. That would save you the trouble, here and now."

  "It might interest you to know what I have here, under my hand," the old one informed me, lifting a paper. "This came from the Grand Master. According to the Peace Agreement, we do not interfere with the punishment of werewolves and they do not interfere with the punishment of vampires. The Grand Master believes you dead already, so he sent this to me. This, in itself, is unprecedented. I will read it to you."

  "Be it herewith known among the Werewolf Race now residing upon the Earth, that the following name shall be added to our registers and be forthwith recognized as a member of the Pack from this day forward. And therefore, whether the recipient be living or dead, they will have all honor bestowed upon them, for services rendered to the Werewolf Race."

  "Your name, in full, is written here," the old one turned the paper for me to see.

  "It is signed by the Grand Master himself, also by his son, Daryl, along with Packmasters Martin Walters and Thomas Williams Jr. As far as I know, no vampire has ever received this honor. What do you make of that?"

  Chapter 15

  "I suppose it's good he wrote living or dead on it."

  "Yes, I suppose it is," the old one agreed. "Now, Gavin here tells me you were able to contact him through mindspeech. Is this correct?"

  "I wasn't sure he heard me," I said.

  "Robert, will you come forward?" The old one motioned for a vampire at the back of the room to approach. "Robert can use mindspeech, along with his brother. I would like for you to listen and see if you can hear what he is s
ending."

  A vampire came forward and stood near me. What is your favorite color? He sent.

  Blue, I sent back to him.

  "Honored one, she just answered my question," Robert said.

  "Ask her this question," the old one wrote something on a piece of paper with a gold pen and handed it to Robert.

  He wants to know what your mother's first name was.

  "My mother's first name was Harriett," I said.

  "I am convinced," the old one said.

  I had no idea why I was jumping through these hoops. They were just going to kill me. Maybe it was the cat, toying with the mouse before they ate it. They'd had Sergio and Edward for a while, it seems, and questioned them. I was the new toy.

  "Now," the old one continued, "I would like to hear you ask for your life. Tell me why you deserve to live before we pass sentence."

  Frantically searching my mind, I failed to come up with any answer. What did the old one want from me? Did he want me to fall to my knees and beg? My tears hadn't moved Gavin or any of the others. Would they become impatient while I tried to defend myself and my actions? Would it make any difference? Finally, I realized that I had no answer. "I can't," I said, taking a shaky breath. "How can I say I deserve to live, instead of somebody else? Who's to say they're deserving? Maybe deserving over this one, but not that one. Am I a saint? I don't think the Pope has my name on a list. Am I the scum of the earth? That answer is no as well. There's nothing that separates me from most people, except that now I don't get to walk in daylight. I tried that and got burned. I took on a pack of werewolves and almost got bitten to death. I stood in front of a young werewolf and took three bullets in the back because I didn't think he deserved to die. I sent desperate mindspeech to someone I considered a friend because terrorists were about to blast their way through a wall and I was afraid he'd get hit. I misted behind a man who was trying to murder people inside a house and killed him, because the people in the house were the only friends I had. I stand before you now because two morons who belonged to your race decided to have some fun at an old woman's expense on the day her husband died. I have no idea why I deserve to live. Do you?"