"Is that why Morwin said if trouble comes, to stay close to Kory?" Chloe asked.
"It's one of the reasons, yes," Anita smiled. "Although staying close to Lexsi could also be a good idea—unless she's on fire."
"Huh?" Georgia's eyes widened.
"We'll uh, explain that later," I said.
Much later, Kory sent.
Yeah.
That's when Zaria and the others reappeared. I could see that Mother Rose and her son were much more subdued than when they'd left. Anita had sent mindspeech, telling me that the crew who'd transported Morwin to Earth had been murdered by V'ili.
After he'd gotten information from them, no doubt.
Fucker.
"It wasn't pretty," Zaria said, taking a chair beside mine. Kory sat on my other side, and allowed a curl of smoke to escape his nostrils.
"Did he just breathe smoke?" Sarah whispered.
"He's High Demon. Most of them do that when they're not happy," Zaria explained. "I have a feeling that nobody in Sydney may be safe tonight, because that's where the smuggler's ship dropped Morwin off."
"They're really that vicious?" Jim asked.
"They're worse than that," Opal said. "That fiasco in Peru? That's their doing."
"Great mother of owls," Rose mumbled.
Chapter 5
Wellington, New Zealand
Zaria
We received the news when we docked in Wellington the following day. Six employees were dead in a Sydney hotel.
It was Morwin's hotel, where he'd spent his first night in Australia.
I'd hidden his trail when he boarded the boat, but how long would it take before they began to look for little people across the continent? It wasn't a stretch for them to believe that Morwin could have hidden himself among others who looked as he did. More than likely, they now knew that Morwin traveled to Earth alone, thanks to V'ili's obsession on the Reptilian's crew.
Whatever these hotel employees said hadn't been enough for V'ili, who was now determined to find Morwin at any cost.
Find Morwin; find the Metal Library. It was simple enough to read Morgett's handwriting in this. And, as Mother Rose and her family hadn't hidden their vacation plans from friends and coworkers, it wasn't difficult to place them on the ship.
And place them in terrible danger.
I considered that I could send them elsewhere while this conflict developed, but I couldn't shake the feeling that they had a part to play in all of it.
Plus, with Tamp and Ilya joining us, that meant two more to help protect them if necessary.
I merely had to put them in cabins near Rose's family, so they'd have that extra protection.
Klancy and the others could trade off with them, so they'd get a break. Esme and Yoff were already nearby; that added another layer of shielding for Rose's family.
Then there was Morwin.
He acted as if nothing were wrong—until you saw his mouth tighten and his eyes narrow. He wanted the death of the one who'd killed his father.
That's why I hadn't told him that Deris was the one.
Deris, the sick, powerful fuck whose hands dripped with the blood of too many victims already.
Deris, whose long-term plans included taking the throne of Karathia.
"Those deaths are on my hands." Morwin took a chair across the table. I sat at the back of the boat, outside the buffet in an open space, to soak in sunlight for a while. A cold cup of coffee was at my elbow, which I could warm with a thought if I wanted.
"Morwin, none of those deaths are on your hands," I said. "The evil that began this is responsible. What we have to do is try to stop them before the damage becomes extreme."
"I read the records—what I could get, anyway, on Peru last night after our meeting," he said. "There isn't much, officially. Tell me what I don't know."
"They were after the Metal Library then," I said, warming my coffee and lifting the cup to drink. "The Metal Library relocated itself before they could touch it. Since they're still alive, I have a hunch that this makes them believe they have a righteous cause to keep searching for it. That's how your father became involved. None of this is your fault."
"But there were other events in Peru," Morwin pointed out.
"Yes. Our enemies fell in with a greedy, slightly lesser evil. They played along with that, when they had an ulterior motive for being there the entire time."
"Drakus seed. That filth," Morwin muttered. "It kills, and people are too stupid to acknowledge that."
"They also had N'il Mo'erti. Know what those are?" I asked.
Morwin sat back and stared at me. "Impossible," he hissed.
"No," I shrugged. "Not impossible. The plans were stolen long ago and sold to a member of Morgett's family."
"Ra'Ak. I never thought to challenge one of them," Morwin sighed.
"Honey, that's why Kory and Lexsi are here," I said. "High Demons are their natural enemies. Let those two handle the Ra'Ak, if it comes down to it."
"I want blood-debt for my father."
"I'll do my best to make that happen," I said. "It may take a while, though."
"I care not how long it takes." Morwin's forehead was creased deeply as he considered his father's death and how angry that made him.
"So you're saying that Morgett is not responsible—at least directly—for my father's death."
"Yes."
"I will ask you again sometime who is responsible."
"Ask at the proper time, and I will tell you."
"Larentii can be so vague—or so I've read," Morwin grumbled.
"It's a necessity," I said. "Why don't you get breakfast at the buffet and sit here with me while I soak in sunlight."
"So that part isn't a myth," Morwin rumbled.
"No. Plus, most Larentii have absolutely no shame about nudity, and will lie naked to soak up as much sunlight as possible to feed themselves."
"There you are." Chloe set a breakfast tray on the table beside Morwin. Morwin's shaved eyebrows lifted as he held back a grin.
"I was just going to find food," he told her. "Will you be here when I return?"
"I'll think about it," Chloe teased.
I relaxed. Chloe was just what Morwin needed—and she could distract him from his anger at Mardin's death.
At least until the proper time.
"Go get your tray, Morwin," I reminded him. I think he would have sat there, smiling at Chloe until lunch time if I hadn't verbally nudged him.
"Yes. Food. Certainly. I will return quickly." He slid off his chair and strode toward the buffet.
"I like him." Chloe buttered her toast and crunched into it.
"I believe he likes you—very much," I said.
"Was he really in the military?"
"Yes. Morwin is very adept with knives and blades of any kind," I said. "He also has the highest qualifications with pistols and rifles. He taught incoming troops in all those things for the past two decades."
"That's amazing," Chloe said.
"How's breakfast?" I asked.
"It's good, but there's such a crowd in there right now."
"I hear it's like that most days," I agreed. "It's why I came out here to soak in sunlight, rather than fighting somebody over the last poached egg."
"Why would you do that? Aren't you hungry?"
"Sunlight feeds most Larentii. I'm a special case and can actually ingest regular food, although I don't eat meat."
"That's incredible," Chloe said. "That you can live off sunlight."
"You should hear the discussions Larentii have regarding the taste of yellow, green or red sunlight," I said.
"You're joking."
"I wish I were."
Morwin must have elbowed his way through the buffet, because he was back in record time with a full tray.
Including orange juice and hot tea.
"I see the military taught you well in getting through a chow line," I teased.
"You learn quickly, unless you wish to starve," Morwin set about adding sa
lt and pepper to his eggs.
Lexsi and Kory found us in minutes, setting their trays on my side of the table. Lexsi squinted; the sunlight shone directly on her face.
"Here." I Pulled in a pair of sunglasses and handed them to her.
"That would come in handy," Chloe sighed.
"It's such a beautiful day," Kory leaned around Lexsi and grinned at me. I handed him a pair of sunglasses, too. He laughed and slipped them on his face.
"Are you getting off the ship?" Chloe asked Morwin. I didn't miss the bit of hope in her voice.
"I will, if you'll come with me," he said.
"Yes," Chloe almost danced in her seat. I considered who ought to shadow them as they visited New Zealand's capital city.
"Is there room for us?" Ilya and Tamp arrived with breakfast trays in hand. Trust them to show up when food was available.
"We'll move over," Lexsi said. She and Kory switched sides, allowing Tamp and Ilya to take their seats beside me.
"Want a taste?" Tamp held up a forkful of scrambled eggs.
"Tampirus, stop teasing me," I said.
"Call me Phrinnis and I'll bring another tray for you."
"Not necessary." Ilya spoke as he employed a warlock's power to drop a tray of food in front of me.
Scrambled eggs, toast and jelly. With a glass of cold milk. "You are awesome," I said and grabbed the salt and pepper.
"Showoff," Tamp elbowed Ilya.
They'd become very good friends, and I was grateful. I wasn't looking forward to seeing a war between a pod'l-morph and a warlock, to be honest.
Besides, I think both knew that Val would step in if they didn't get along, and neither wanted that. The threat of withholding energy sex was enough to make anybody back away from an argument.
"Val already took us to our cabin, but we're hoping to switch out with others," Tamp said, spearing a sausage link with his fork and biting into it.
"That's currently the plan," I said.
"Good." Ilya, always a warlock of few words, kept eating.
"Honey, would you place an extra shield around Chloe's family cabins?" I asked him.
"Already done—Val asked first," he said and lifted his cup of tea. If I knew anything at all, the tea was Falchani black and not anything served anywhere on Earth.
"Val's just really handy," I said.
"And we're not? I'm hurt," Tamp grinned at me.
"Are we not full enough of ourselves already?" I asked sweetly. Ilya pounded Tamp's back when he choked on a laugh.
"This is getting good," Chloe whispered to Morwin, who chuckled.
* * *
Anita
"You have the best nose, that's why," I poked Watson in the ribs. He and I were following Morwin and Chloe; Sandra and Mason trailed the rest of Chloe's family from a distance so they wouldn't feel crowded.
Watson wanted to stop and eat on several occasions; Chloe and Morwin were happy enough to wander the sidewalks and talk. Therefore, Watson whined about why he'd been picked for guard duty.
Zaria wanted mindspeech if anything untoward happened, or if Watson got wind of anything that wasn't human.
She, Klancy and several others had a trip planned to a hotel in Sydney, to allow the vamps to pick up what scents they could where the employees had died.
I didn't envy her that job. She'd already seen a bloody smuggler's ship, and I knew she didn't like the sight or the scent of death.
Yes, I remembered her—as the Larentii she was—from long ago.
I and my sisters, who were also my cousins, lay dying on the marble floors of my father's palace. I'll never forget the sky-blue face that hovered over mine as the light dimmed.
"All is not lost," she'd told me while taking away the pain of my death. "Someone will come for you."
Someone had certainly come.
Esme and I—sisters and cousins because brothers married sisters—hunted the one who'd killed us.
V'ili, our brother and cousin, had laughed and walked away as we lay bleeding on the floor. He'd ordered our deaths. His death—I looked forward to it. I cared not how it was accomplished, but given the chance, I'd see to it myself.
"Not another souvenir shop," Watson complained softly as Chloe stopped before a window in the distance. His head jerked up—his acute hearing had caught something.
"Morwin just said they should stop and have lunch," Watson hissed.
You could depend on Watson to hear the word lunch before anything else.
"You're screwed if it's a tiny café," I snapped.
"Not if there's a place to eat across the street."
"Look, go find a raw steak somewhere," I said. "I'll keep an eye on them."
"That's my girl." He gave me a quick kiss and loped away. I watched him go with a sigh.
"May I?" Davis Stone, Jr. appeared beside me and held out an arm for me to take. I gave full credit to Zaria for keeping tabs on Watson if he stepped outside my protective circle.
"Don't mind if I do," I hooked my arm in his and we followed Morwin and Chloe in their search for an intimate restaurant for lunch.
"What the hell?" Watson caught up with us after half an hour—he'd likely wolfed down a huge steak, pun intended, before tracking me.
Davis and I were having coffee at a tiny shop across from the restaurant Morwin and Chloe visited. Trust Watson to have a problem with Davis taking his place for half an hour.
"Zaria said it was important to have someone with tracking skills here," Davis said, standing and stretching. "I'm off."
I watched him stroll down the sidewalk before turning down a narrow alley. Zaria was probably sending him back to California right then.
"Did he?" Watson growled.
"No, and stop being growly," I snapped at him. "Davis is a perfect gentleman. Unlike other werewolves I can name."
"Hmmph."
"I like this place," I looked around me. "Nice. Reasonable temperatures, water nearby—we should visit again, sometime. I'd like to see the Beehive and lots of other things."
"Beehive?"
"It's what they call the executive wing of their Parliament buildings," I said. "Didn't you read the pamphlet they gave us?"
"Hmmph."
"Is that your answer to everything? Please don't say hmmph," I clapped a hand over his mouth.
He answered by kissing my hand and setting it down, but still holding onto it. "I'm sorry," he said. "Next time, just call me an idiot. I promise I'll listen and not leave you alone."
"Wow. Who took Watson and left an alien in his place?" I asked.
"Watson. Here." He tapped his chest.
"Aannnd he's back," I laughed.
* * *
Sandra
Mason's eyes darted in one direction then another, keeping track of our fifteen charges. Mother Rose had been informed that she'd have discreet bodyguards, and to go about enjoying her visit to Wellington as she normally would.
Mason and I stood next to the plate glass windows of a popular T-shirt shop while the family searched for souvenirs.
I love you, his voice sounded in my mind. Anita said it took a very strong mindspeaker to be able to send mindspeech to someone without the talent. Mason obviously had a strong mental voice.
"I know." My hand reached out to touch his. He threaded his finger through mine and continued his watch. "I love you, too," I whispered, knowing his sensitive ears would hear me.
"I can't give you children," he began.
I snorted. "There are other ways to have children," I reminded him.
"Thank you—I was hoping for something like that," he responded. He'd make a wonderful father—there was no doubt in my mind. Whether they were his or someone else's, he'd love and care for them.
I pitied anyone who threatened harm to them, too; Mason was very protective of those he cared for.
I'm going to love you very carefully—and very hard when we return to the ship, he sent.
"That sounds wonderful," I whispered. His hand squeezed mine and refused t
o let go.
* * *
The Rocks, Sydney
Zaria
I'd asked Tibby to come with us; that meant Farin came, too. Kell was keeping an eye on her while Tibby's rat, armed with a tiny, button camera, scoped out the crime scene inside the hotel.
The rest of us, in a rented hotel room across the street, watched what Tibby's camera captured as he traveled through the space.
At least the bodies were removed from this scene, although it was nearly as bloody as the Reptilian.
Fucking V'ili, I sighed. With fucking Deris at his side, if my suppositions were correct. Together, they'd killed six after V'ili questioned them under obsession. Six families were now grieving, for no good reason other than V'ili was disappointed by their answers and he and Deris liked to kill.
My worry for Morwin lessened; my concern for the little people of Australia ramped up. That's enough, Tibby, I sent to him. Bringing you back, now.
I Pulled him away from the crime scene and landed him in the hotel room bath, where his clothes were. While he was dressing, I sent the camera and monitor back to Davis and Thomas in California. I'd borrowed their equipment rather than expose myself to the stench at the crime scene so soon after the Reptilian.
"Did you get what you needed?" Tibby came out of the bathroom buttoning his shirt.
"Yes, and thank you," I said.
"Any time," he shrugged. "May I ask a favor in return?" he asked.
"Sure."
"I would very much like to take Farin through Sydney, if you do not object. Perhaps a meal and a tour?" He turned to Farin with a smile.
"I'd love that," Farin sighed.
"Then get on it," I said, waving them toward the door. "I warn you, though. Cinderella had to leave the ball at midnight. Make sure you're someplace safe at midnight, local time, because I'll be Pulling you back to the ship."
"It will be so," Tibby dipped his head. "Come, my love, Sydney waits for us."
I wish we could do the same, Klancy sent.
Honey, we'll have our chance. At least I hope that remains true, I returned.
Good. I expect a thorough tour of Sydney and every other part of Australia, his mental laugh surprised me.
"Everybody ready?" I asked, once Tibby and Farin were out the door. I folded us back to the ship docked at Wellington's harbor.
* * *
A Demon's Due: Latter Day Demons, Book 3 Page 6
