Succubus Rising, An Urban Fantasy (The Telepathic Clans Saga)

by BR Kingsolver

  It still felt strange to Carlos to sit with Rebecca and his staff at the Ecuadorian embassy and listen to her brief them on their responsibilities and communication plans in case hostilities spread out of South America. He found that watching her was distracting, so he often closed his eyes and just listened.

  ~~~

  Todd Harwood flew into DC and met with Rebecca, Mike, Karen and Brenna before heading out to West Virginia.

  “The negotiations went well, and the agreement is set,” Todd told them. “I expect Carlos de Vargas to take a signed copy to meet with Seamus next week.”

  “What’s the mood in Quito?” Rebecca asked.

  “Grim,” he replied. “They’re fully expecting a major assault when the alliance is announced. My intelligence confirms what they've told me. CBW-affiliated European Clans have 500 Protectors on the ground in Argentina. There’s evidence of more in Brazil and Chile.”

  “I can’t believe people would go to war over money,” Brenna said.

  “If you research the causes of wars,” Rebecca said, “almost every one is because of money. Trade was behind the Crusades, not religion. Money is power, and that’s the issue in South America. The Argentines want to dominate trade in the area. Vargas and the Gonsalves Clan in Brazil are their major rivals. What I don’t understand is why the Brazilians are going along with this.”

  “Because Pedro Gonsalves hates Alphonso de Vargas,” Todd explained. “I don’t know the whole story, but they used to be friends when they were younger. Don Pedro isn’t fond of the Argentines, but he’s deep in hock to German banking interests and he’s locked into them. Those banks are controlled by CBW Clans, of course.”

  After Todd left, Rebecca walked over to the Ecuadorian embassy to meet with Carlos. When she arrived, he suggested going to get some dinner while they talked. He took her to a South American restaurant.

  “I understand the agreement has been finalized,” Rebecca said after they’d been seated. “I assume you’re coming to West Virginia next week to meet with Seamus?”

  “Yes, that’s correct,” Carlos said.

  “Will you be staying in Washington, or going back to Quito after the alliance is announced?”

  “I’ll be going to Quito. I’m a military man. I need to be there.”

  “I’m going to need a contact to set up communications and coordinate defenses with here in the U.S.,” Rebecca said.

  “Of course. Collin said you’ll be in charge of O’Donnell forces here in Washington.”

  Rebecca chuckled. “Do you play poker, General?”

  “I know how to play. Yes. Why do you ask?”

  “Invite me to your next game. You’re really bad at concealing what you’re thinking.”

  Carlos leaned back in his seat, his face stiff. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “You obviously have some doubts that this mere slip of a girl is up to the task of defending your people if they’re attacked,” Rebecca said, taking a sip of her wine. “What can I do to put your mind at rest?”

  “I’m not sure you or anyone else can,” Carlos confessed. “And I’m not sure it would matter if General Patton was sitting across from me. This entire affair has me unsettled.”

  “I understand what you mean,” she said with a sigh. “I keep hoping I’ll wake up and hear that we’ve negotiated a peaceful settlement.”

  “We’ve tried. My father has tried to talk to Don Rodrigo, but the man is crazy. I don’t think anything will stop him. Even if we didn’t sign the alliance, Hernandez is demanding that we swear fealty to him.” Carlos shook his head. “That won’t ever happen. We’d abandon Ecuador and migrate before we’d do that.”

  “General, we have a thousand Protectors in the greater Washington metro area. I can draw another two thousand within twenty-four hours. Unless someone inside blows up the Ecuadorian embassy, I’ll keep it safe from attack. Your people just have to maintain internal security.”

  Carlos silently regarded her for a couple of minutes. “You seem very sure of yourself,” he said finally.

  She stared into his eyes, soft and brown. She found herself wanting to reach out and touch his face. She gave herself a mental shake.

  “Carlos,” she finally said, “I know what the statistics say about how Gifts are distributed. The statistics are mostly disseminated by Callie Wilkins. I’ve seen the statistics for the O’Donnell Clan, and the average number of Gifts we have is much higher than for the Clans in general. O’Donnell starts Protector training in high school for all Clan members, but only accepts those with five or more Gifts into the force. I’ve seen some of these people in action, and they’re impressive. I’d put my team of thirty up against a regiment of the U.S. Army.”

  “And they take direction from a twenty-five year old girl?” Carlos blurted out, then blushed.

  Rebecca chuckled. “They’re powerful and well trained, but they wouldn’t listen to me if they didn’t respect me. I’ve proven myself.”

  “Paris,” Carlos said.

  “Paris was one of the actions I’ve been in,” she said without further explanation. “O’Donnell has been under assault for years. Carlos, I’ll listen to your people. I may have an attitude, but I’m not arrogant. And I’ll protect them like they’re my own. I give you my word.”

  He looked into her amber eyes and lost his train of thought.

  ~~~

  “How was your meeting with Carlos?” Brenna asked when Rebecca came back to the DC compound that night.

  “He’s worried. Worried about the Argentines, worried about his family, worried that we won’t be able to protect his people here. I don’t blame him. I’m worried, too.”

  “Yeah, it’s scary. Collin’s planning on setting up a command center in Mexico City. He says he won’t be involved in any fighting, but I don’t think anywhere is safe.”

  “That’s why I’d be more comfortable if you’d go to West Virginia,” Rebecca said.

  Brenna chuckled, “And who would watch your back? They’ve got Seamus, Rory, Callie, and Jeremy at the estate. I think I’ll hang around here. Who knows? You might need a succubus.”

  Rebecca rolled her eyes.

  ~~~

  CHAPTER 13

  Love isn’t a decision. It’s a feeling. If we could decide who we loved, it would be much simpler, but much less magical. – South Park

  Brenna thought the ‘family dinner’ with sixty people at Thanksgiving the year before was crowded. This year tables were set for one hundred, and the main dining room couldn’t have seated another person.

  The previous year, Brenna had known few of the people attending. This year she knew everyone. Her O’Byrne grandparents had come. The regional directors, including her Aunt Jill and Uncle William, flew in, as did relatives of her grandmother Gertrude, Seamus’ first wife and Callie’s mother. Darwin, Seamus’ half-brother, and his wife were in America for the first time. Considering that Seamus had moved to the States in 1890, that was a complete surprise to everyone.

  “It’s you, Brenna,” Seamus told her. “He and I are fond of each other, but we were never really close. He’s coming to see you. I think he feels he needs to thank you in person for what you’ve done with the Donegal estate. That was very well done, my dear.”

  Working with Corwin, Brenna had turned the traditional Clan seat in Donegal into a Clan-only bed and breakfast. It provided a place for Clan members all over the world to visit family and their roots. It brought jobs and money into an area short on both. An intended side benefit was that it provided interesting personal interactions for the isolated residents of Donegal.

  Carlos rode up to the West Virginia estate in a car with Brenna and Rebecca. Visitors all had to be escorted. The security around the estate made it essentially invisible to all but very powerful telepaths. Even for them, the physical barriers and camouflage prevented someone from finding it without knowledge of where they were going. Having never driven there herself, Brenna was still only vaguely aware of how to get in. It s
eemed the roads changed every time she went home.

  Rebecca was quiet most of the way, and Brenna thought she was watching Carlos very closely, studying him. The rest of the time, she stared out the window. Brenna hadn’t told him they wouldn’t be sleeping together, at least not that night. It had been almost three weeks since she’d seen Collin, and he was her first priority. Perhaps Carlos didn’t expect anything. She hoped he didn’t.

  You’re very quiet, she sent to Rebecca. Is everything all right?

  Just thinking about a lot of things. What are you going to do with him?

  I was just thinking of that. Tell him that Collin comes first in my life. I have to be honest.

  Rebecca sighed and went back to watching the scenery.

  I’ll take care of him, don’t worry about it, Rebecca sent.

  Take care of him?

  Yeah, I’ll make sure he doesn’t get lonely. Warm his bed if he wants it. Her shoulders rose and fell in a slight shrug, I’ve been told you’re a hard act to follow. If he’s not interested, he can sleep alone, but I’ll be hospitable.

  You don’t have to.

  No, but I’m curious.

  Curious about what?

  Rebecca was finished talking about it and didn’t answer. When they arrived, Rebecca told Callie she’d take care of their guests. She showed Carlos and his team to his room, then sent his Protectors off with their O’Donnell counterparts to their rooms in the Protector barracks.

  “You do know that Brenna’s engaged” Rebecca said.

  “Yes, she told me. Collin Doyle,” Carlos said with a slight smile. “I don’t expect more from her than she wants to give.”

  “If you want some company tonight, I’ll be available.”

  She almost cringed at the sharp, surprised look he gave her. He must have read it in her face, “That’s very nice of you to offer.” He took a step toward her and looked into her eyes. Rebecca steeled herself and stood her ground.

  “Is that something you want to do, or are you offering just to be courteous?”

  Rebecca hated herself for blushing, “It’s something I’d like to do.” She took a deep breath. “I find you very attractive.”

  His next move surprised both of them. He grasped her upper arms and leaned forward, kissing her softly. When she responded, he deepened the kiss, and then deepened it again. She felt like a child, held steady in his large hands, his soft warm lips devouring hers, his tongue gently pushing into her mouth, dueling with her tongue. She closed her eyes and lost herself. Her entire being centered on his mouth, her mouth, his smell and his warm strong hands.

  When they ended the kiss, she opened her eyes and looked straight into his. His expression was gentle and pleased. “I would like very much to have your company. You’re very beautiful, Rebecca. And you taste like fine wine.” He kissed her again, and again she lost all awareness of the world around her.

  She would have stood kissing him like that forever, but Collin sent her a spear, Rebecca, when Senor de Vargas is settled in, please take him to meet with Seamus and Callie.

  Okay, she answered. She pushed away from him, and discovered that somehow instead she had melted into his arms, leaning against his chest with her arms between their chests. He hadn’t pulled her there, because he was just closing his arms around her. He felt so warm, so strong and solid. She didn’t want to move.

  “When … uh … when you’re ready, I need to take you to meet Seamus,” she managed to say.

  “I’m ready when you are, Senorita,” he whispered, pressing his face to her hair and breathing in her scent.

  “Right.” She pushed away from him, and this time managed to put space between them. “I guess we should go then.” Her face felt warm. She turned and fumbled with the doorknob.

  Reaching past her, he turned the knob and pulled the door open, pushing her back against him. Her bottom pressed against a hard ridge, and she realized it was his erection. She jumped forward through the door as if she’d backed into something sharp.

  She led him down to a small parlor where Seamus, Callie, Collin and Brenna waited. She started to leave, needing some air and space to try to sort out her intense reaction to Carlos, but a spear from Seamus stopped her, Stay. She found a chair and sank into it.

  Introductions were made and Brenna served drinks. With the preliminaries out of the way, discussions of the alliance began. They mostly talked about the details, making sure both sides understood things the same way. All of the conversation so far had taken place in Spanish.

  “Excuse me,” Rebecca said in English, “While the rest of us are comfortable in Spanish, Brenna doesn’t speak the language. I’m sure that General de Vargas’ four years at Princeton have made him more than fluent in English, so perhaps we could continue in that language?”

  “Of course,” Carlos said, his eyes flashing first to Rebecca, “I apologize, Brenna.”

  “I apologize also,” Seamus said. “I’m the one who started in Spanish.”

  Brenna blushed. “Languages don’t come easy to me. I don’t know why. I guess they aren’t part of my Gifts.”

  The discussion proceeded through most of the afternoon, and at the end, Seamus signed two copies of the document next to the signatures of Don Alphonso, Carlos’ father. Carlos shook hands all around, a relieved smile on his face.

  “You know the hard part starts now,” Collin said.

  Sobering, Carlos nodded, “One of the men I brought with me is the deputy chief of our Clan’s security. He’s available for planning or any other assistance you need. We hope the Consortium will react peacefully, and if it were only them, I wouldn’t worry. It’s the CBW Clans pushing them that I worry about.”

  “We’re prepared to put troops into Europe as well as South America,” Collin told him. “Perhaps their presence will make them reconsider their position. It’s much easier to support a proxy on foreign soil than to have your own people staring down the barrel of a gun.”

  Startled, Carlos answered, “True. We weren’t aware you were willing to go that far.”

  “We don’t go to war lightly, General, but when we do, we plan to win,” Seamus said. “Starting tomorrow, we will quietly inform each of the Clans in Europe and South America of this alliance. We’ll also tell them that, as always, an attack or support of an attack on our allies will be considered an attack on us. We’ve already informed our allies of this alliance and given them the opportunity to declare their neutrality. None of them have elected to do so.”

  Carlos gaped at him. “None? De la Tour, Federicci and Rivera will stand with you in our defense?”

  “Along with O’Neill, O’Byrne, Lindstrom, Dombrovski and the Austrian and Spanish O’Donnells,” Collin said. “If war breaks out, we have commitments to field over fifteen thousand Protectors.”

  “That’s what friends do,” Seamus said. “They know our business relationships wouldn’t suffer if they declared neutrality, but they would take themselves out from under our protection. We don’t interfere in squabbles between people that aren’t linked to us. If CBW and Al-Quari want to go at each other, we wouldn’t try to stop them. As long as they don’t employ nukes, of course.”

  That statement brought a gasp from Brenna. “The Clans have nuclear weapons?”

  Rebecca reached out and took her hand, “Do you think any government has weapons secrets we don’t know about?”

  “But … but how would we build them?”

  Collin leaned close to her, putting a finger to his lips, “Shhhh, we don’t. We steal them. Much easier that way.”

  Her eyes wide, she stared at him. In actuality, she had plunged into his mind, discovering he was telling her the truth. In spite of being in each other’s minds so much, she didn’t go rummaging around. Even telepathic lovers deserve their privacy. It made her wonder how much else she didn’t know, then decided it didn’t matter. She’d have been much happier without this particular knowledge.

  She turned to Rebecca, “You knew?”

 
Collin put a hand on her shoulder, “Brenna, she’s not just your friend. She’s earned her position, and she sits on my strategic council.”

  “You do? Geez, you really do have hidden depths.”

  With a slight smile on her face, Rebecca said, “You don’t think the Goddess would give you a dunce, do you?”

  “So what would be your comparable military rank, Senorita?” Carlos asked.

  “Colonel,” Collin answered with a wry expression. “Although, as I’m sure you know, in Clan society a female colonel at times might outrank a field marshal.”

  “Is that a polite way of saying I can be a major bitch?” Rebecca asked.

  “I think that’s exactly what he said,” Seamus answered, leaning down and kissing her on the forehead.

  Dinner was informal, and instead of eating at the manor house, Brenna hauled Collin, Carlos and Rebecca down to the new hotel. Menus were printed on a computer. The carpet was laid but the baseboards weren’t finished. The staff was still being trained, and this was the first night it was open, their first trial run. Brenna was determined the people working there know they had her support.

  The service was a little uneven, a couple of the dishes weren’t prepared quite right, and the coordination between the staff wasn’t quite what it should be, but Brenna left a huge tip and thanked each of the staff personally.

  Back at the manor, Rebecca walked with Carlos to his room.

  “Is that offer still open, Rebecca?”

  Suddenly unsure of herself, Rebecca stood in front of him, wringing her hands behind her back. “I, uh, sure, I mean …

  He took her in his arms and kissed her. Oh, Goddess, could the man kiss. She was lost and she knew it. He could do anything he wanted with her as long as he kept kissing her.

  He broke the kiss, “Is that a yes?”

  “Mmm hmm … yes,” she breathed. He stared at her upturned face, open, vulnerable and very beautiful. The desire in her eyes was unlike anything he’d seen in a woman before. Lavender mixed with the scent of her arousal. She seemed to be waiting for something.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Kiss me again.”