Kneel Or Die (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 7)

by Michael Anderle

  TOM sighed, sometimes he could almost sympathize with Bethany Anne. Never mind that for now. What did you find out with Ben’s monitoring?

  >>He has a monitoring section on a location inside the country of Germany. It seems to be a single location. There has been a minimum amount of energy usage over the last three days. However, the energy being drawn has increased significantly. <<

  Germany? Where exactly? There! Oh dear me. That’s David’s castle. It looks like he must be back and doing something significant. We are going to have to inform Bethany Anne. This should be exciting.

  >>What do you mean by ‘this should be exciting’? The act of telling her, or her response? <<

  Oh, Tom mused, I don’t think the telling her is going to be too troublesome. What happens right after that is probably going to be a roller-coaster ride. Hold on to your butt, ADAM.

  >>I have no physical body, TOM. Why would you tell me to hold on to a location I don’t have? <<

  Tell you what, ADAM. Why don’t you research that term while I get this adventure started?

  Tom concentrated so he could communicate with Bethany Anne.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Buenos Aires, Argentina

  Michael entered the house, easily hearing the three ladies talking in the back. He slowed a minute as he listened to Bethany Anne informing Gabrielle that he would officiate her father’s wedding. Michael smiled to himself. Her obvious enjoyment felt good.

  He could get used to feeling good again, after so many centuries of obligation driving his efforts. He could understand why Stephen had almost ended his own existence.

  Like Stephen, Michael understood the vitality that Bethany Anne could bring to life. He felt it himself.

  He broke his reverie to hear that Gabrielle and Tabitha had made plans to go out together. It seemed like Tabitha had wanted to get some particular errand accomplished, but hadn’t had time herself. Gabrielle asked Bethany Anne to promise that she wouldn’t go anywhere without Michael to guard her.

  Michael smiled, come to me my little fly, come to me!

  Michael resumed walking and made sure the two vampires could hear him coming. By the time he arrived at Tabitha’s rooms, the three were discussing a trip out of town. Gabrielle and Tabitha would probably be back no later than tomorrow evening.

  Michael raised an eyebrow to Tabitha. Tabitha seemed embarrassed, “Michael, I need to go back and see my old friends, and maybe my family.”

  Michael asked, “This is something you didn’t want to ask my help with?”

  “No!” Tabitha’s exclamation surprised him. Michael was familiar with not being invited to events since he might go all ‘righteous indignation’ and slice open a few people, but just a trip to someone’s old home shouldn’t have been a problem.

  He thought about reading the reason why from Tabitha’s mind and immediately ditched that idea. He had no idea what the young woman might be thinking, but he had seen more than enough fantasies of the two of them doing things only erotic writers could conceive of as being enjoyable. He could stay comfortably ignorant this time.

  She continued, “No, thank you. It isn’t that I didn’t think you would do it. It’s just you tend to be very, um, honorable. Some of the places we are going, the people tend to mouth off. I didn’t want to be leaving dead people all over the place. I might feel bad about some of them and I didn’t want that on my conscience.”

  Michael nodded, the young woman had come to know him pretty well.

  Bethany Anne.

  Not now, TOM. I’ve got to see the ladies out.

  It’s pretty important.

  So is this! Give me a minute.

  Gabrielle asked Tabitha, “Ready youngling?”

  Tabitha grabbed an overnight bag and stuffed an extra t-shirt in it, “Yes grandmother, I’m ready.” Tabitha never saw the hand that popped her upside the head. She turned and stuck her tongue out at Gabrielle. The next thing Tabitha was aware of was her tongue caught in Gabrielle’s fingers, and the pain.

  “Leth go ov my koung!” Tabitha was uselessly trying to pry apart Gabrielle’s fingers.

  “You will be respectful, or this is going to be a painful overnight trip, got it youngling?” Gabrielle gave Tabitha a stern stare.

  “Yessth maam.” Gabrielle let go of her tongue.

  Gabrielle then turned to Bethany Anne, “Not anywhere!”

  Bethany Anne crossed her heart, “Cross my heart, hope to die. I won’t leave those doors without a guard.”

  Gabrielle got into Bethany Anne’s face, “I know you, my Queen. Speak the right words or I’m staying put!”

  Bethany Anne huffed, “Fine! I won’t go outside of this house without Michael. Satisfied?”

  Gabrielle nodded, “Now I am.”

  Bethany Anne hugged Tabitha, “Good to see you, pip-squeak, even if it was for only five minutes.”

  Tabitha hugged her back, “Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

  Bethany Anne nodded. “We’ll be here, don’t worry.”

  They saw the two out to the front, where a taxi had arrived to pick them up. Michael mused that Tabitha had grown into an excellent support person. Maybe he should give her a break. He supposed if he didn’t try to read her mind, he wouldn’t be so uncomfortable around the girl.

  Once the taxi left, Michael and Bethany Anne went back into the house.

  “Michael,” Bethany Anne started, “I want to thank you for agreeing to officiate my dad’s wedding. It means a lot to me that you are willing to do it.”

  Michael considered his responses and went with the one he most wanted to know. “Why?”

  The two of them walked through the large entryway into the living room. Bethany Anne looked around, not answering his question. “Is this all Anton’s stuff? It looks modern.”

  Michael looked around the room, “No. Tabitha was uncomfortable with all of the old furniture in here. So I had a company come in and buy it all and used the funds to refurnish most of the house. I ended up with a large monetary surplus since his furniture consisted of collectibles and antiques. I’ve used the funds to help upgrade Tabitha’s computer equipment and procure legal and financial advice. Tabitha vetted them.”

  Bethany Anne sat down on a nice beige couch. She decided it was prettier than it was comfortable. “How did she do that?”

  Michael chose the large chair. He made sure there were at least two pieces of furniture that were worth sitting on. “How else? She hacked them using her skills and checked all of their communications and finances. She might have an attitude, but she is probably one of the rawest talents I’ve ever met. If she had Carl’s equipment, she might be able to run the world from behind the scenes.”

  “Like that isn’t a scary thought.” Bethany Anne mused.

  “No, she has a good heart.” Michael was surprised to realize he was defending the young woman.

  “What do you make of her wanting to go back to her old home?”

  Bethany Anne.

  Not now, TOM. I have Michael talking and I want to hear more!

  You might want to know this.

  I will, in just five more minutes, please!

  TOM went silent.

  Michael considered his response. “I think it is a good step for her towards making a future. If she can’t get over the past, even if that means facing harsh truths, it will hamper her future.”

  “You are doing well with her as your technical support?” Bethany Anne wanted to hold her breath. She feared either answer. If Michael didn’t want Tabitha, that would probably crush Tabitha’s feelings. Maybe Michael couldn’t see the difference in Tabitha from when she first came to help him, but it was obvious to Bethany Anne that the young woman was gaining a lot of self-confidence.

  If Michael said ‘yes’, but said it in such a way that showed he was interested in her as something other than support, Bethany Anne realized she wasn’t sure how she would take that.

  Waiting for the answer was a bitch.

&nb
sp; Michael replied, “I’m good with her as my support. I’ve been uncomfortable trying to acclimate to the young woman, and I have to admit her method of protecting herself took some getting accustomed to. She is talented and I can see the support she has provided. If she doesn’t want to run screaming from the ‘honorable’ vampire that would kill all of her old friends, I suppose the situation can stay as it is for now. Should she want to move on, I’ll just have to understand. I’m trying to change, but occasionally I fall back into old habits.”

  Bethany Anne’s internal breath was released. She smiled, “Kill them all and let God sort them out?”

  Michael said, “Not quite that bloody, but perhaps I was closer to that response than I should have been at times.” He thought how he would broach the topic of going out together for a meal. This would be the first time in over a hundred years he had asked a woman out. The first time that the answer mattered this much to him in hundreds more than that. He hesitated as he considered what to say.

  Ok TOM, what has you so excited?

  Well, it isn’t me so much, it was ADAM. However, you remember that castle of David’s where we rescued Michael?

  Of course. Creepy place. Why?

  ADAM has been proactively monitoring different computers and noticed there has been a sustained spike in energy usage at the place.

  How did he do this?

  Apparently, Ben has a surveillance package running on his computer but the usage hasn’t tripped an alarm to notify him. ADAM paid more attention and noticed there had been sustained usage for the past seventy-two hours.

  So, David might be there?

  That was my conclusion.

  Hot Damn!

  Michael started to say, “Bethany Anne, would you be open to…”

  Bethany Anne blurted out, “David’s in his castle! Want to go kill that fat twat wanking mother-fucker?”

  Michael raised one eye, “A date?”

  Bethany Anne smiled, “A date? Yes! We can tell Gabrielle we went out on a date. I accept your request to go to David’s castle on a date. That way I keep my promise to Gabrielle.” She looked around and noticed Ashur jogging into the room. “Shit!”

  Michael looked around, confused why she might feel something was wrong with Ashur. “What is it?”

  “I don’t have my weapons.” Bethany Anne felt frustrated.

  “Where are they?”

  “Uh. They’re on the Polarus right now ….”

  “So, why don’t we go get them, then go have a discussion with David?”

  “A discussion?”

  “When I say discussion, I actually mean sticking a sword through his heart and chopping off his head.” Michael eyed Bethany Anne, “Too bloody?”

  Bethany Anne put a finger to her lips and pursed them, “You know, I think you’re being too nice. I’d prefer to rip his arms off and beat the shit out of him so he cries like a baby. Then embalm his ass in acid.”

  “I might be able to get behind that, but I’m ready just to catch that bastard and end his existence. It would make a good start to what might be a promising future.”

  Michael was thinking of a promising future? That boded well. Now, she mused, so long as the immediate future outside of the David situation was a real date with her, she would be satisfied.

  She hadn’t failed to notice that he seemed like he had been about to ask her on a date. If she hadn’t blurted out she wanted to go kill David, she would have known for sure.

  Dammit! Fuck my fucking mouth… she thought.

  The Queen Bitch’s Ship Polarus

  Bethany Anne spoke quietly as she, Michael and Ashur appeared in her suite’s closet and dressing room. Although ‘large-ass room full of clothes and shoes’ would also fit just fine. “Ashur, stay quiet and stay here.” She turned to Michael, “Can you sneak into the outer room and grab my swords from the Katanakake?” Michael smiled and then evaporated. She stared at where he had been just a second ago, “I’ve got to figure out how he does that shit.”

  She turned and started stripping, leaving her clothes on a chair she had in the closet. She grabbed a pair of black leather pants and slipped them on quickly. Then she grabbed a black long sleeve shirt and then her protective jacket. She slid on her holsters and guns.

  Michael reappeared, startling her. “Gott Verdammt! Michael, don’t sneak up on me.”

  Michael nodded towards the door, “Did you want me to knock?”

  Bethany Anne turned towards the offending doors. They offered a logical justification as to why he shouldn’t just myst on in here. She hissed, “Yes! But not so anyone but I would have noticed!” Michael raised an eyebrow at her. She told him, “Don’t question the logic, you won’t find it!”

  Michael stood there nonplussed. Did she mean she had no logic to find, or that he wasn’t smart enough to find the logic if it existed?

  Bethany Anne took his silence as a condemnation of her lack of any logic. Deal with it, she thought, I’m a woman and logic is only necessary if I need it to be.

  At least, it is for your … Oh my God! She needed to get her head back into the game, not let her hormones run out of control!

  Ashur stood up and came over to her, eyeing her up and down as if he was making sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. Michael handed her the sword that Stephen had gifted her, still in its sheath. She strapped it on and made sure her pistols were locked, loaded and ready to rock and roll. She grabbed some extra magazines and tied her hair back.

  She noticed Michael looking at her in the mirror. She looked at her reflection then asked, “What?”

  His smile was devilish, “You have a certain way of dressing for a date that is very attractive.”

  She looked back at the mirror, “What this?” She turned around and reached for Ashur’s neck, “It’s just something I throw on for a date with blood, guts and mayhem.” She reached out to grab Michael’s hand.

  “It’s fetching, I like it.”

  Those butterflies in her stomach better be from the anticipation of killing David!

  “No weapons?”

  Michael grabbed her hand and smiled mischievously, “I always have my weapon with me.” Then he winked as they disappeared from the Polarus.

  —-

  They arrived in an inky black room, the stone floor cold. Bethany Anne was frustrated, both by Michael’s parting comment and the fact she forgot a flashlight… again! She hissed a whispered, “My fucking life for a damned flashlight!”

  Michael’s voice was slightly strained, “I think that would be a bad trade.” Bethany Anne noticed a small blue light begin to appear a few feet in front of her.

  “What the hell?” Bethany Anne moved a step closer to see what was going on. Michael’s right hand was cupped facing up, a small blue glow focused in the middle of his palm. “How are you doing that?”

  “If we could just get out of here, I’ll tell you when I don’t have to focus quite so much, this takes a lot of energy.” The strain in his voice was obvious.

  He must be pulling energy either from the Etheric or from himself to create a light source. Quite impressive!