"He was moved," I said. I kept going in the same direction, picking up more scent evidence as I went along until we were well away from the hotel property and into an alleyway behind. Actual drops of blood were there and they were Tony's, even if they were days old. His scent was there and I was picking it up. Deryn and Paul followed along behind, puzzled looks on their faces until they detected Tony's blood scent as well. The scent and the blood drops stopped abruptly at the back wall of a nearby building.
"Did they just go through the wall?" I muttered to myself. As far as I knew, I was the only one who could do that. Deryn and Paul were now sniffing around the last drops of blood that I'd pointed out to them. Both werewolves were now looking at me expectantly. I shrugged.
"I don't know," I said, shaking my head uncertainly. "He was carried away but it was right here that they just vanished or flew away or something." I walked around a little, making sure I hadn't missed anything; any turns or veering off to go in another direction. I went back and picked up the trail once more, following it again right to the edge of the building.
"Crap," I grumped. "It's as if they just jumped the building or something."
"Did they climb it?" Deryn came to stand beside me. That caused me to look up.
"Are you afraid of heights?" I asked.
"No. Why?"
"How about you, Paul?" I looked at him; he was walking over to us.
"Not afraid of heights, no," he said.
"Good," I said and turned all three of us to mist. We sailed right to the top of the six-story building and landed on the edge of it, corresponding to the spot where the blood spatters had ended. We found more drops there, and I also found something else.
"Oh, my God," I said. My legs wouldn't hold me up any longer and my butt hit the rooftop with a dusty little thump.
"What is it?" Paul asked.
"We need to stop looking for Tony right now and concentrate on Xenides and Rahim Alif," I said. I knew Tony had been on top of this building and that he'd bled on the roof, not far from where I was sitting. I also knew who else had been on that roof and it wasn't Rahim or Xenides. Tony might still be alive, at least in some sense of the word.
"Someone told us earlier today that Xenides and Rahim have been inside a room at a nearby hotel," Deryn offered. "Probably where they planned all this," he jerked his head toward the rubble below while pulling me to my feet.
"Which hotel?" I asked.
"You can see it from here," Paul said, pointing off to our right. There was a tall building not far away and it was one of the nicest hotels in Paris. Well, nothing but the best for fanged terrorists, I guess.
"Either of you uncomfortable with being mist earlier?" I asked.
"Was that what it was? I just felt weightless for a few," Paul smiled slightly.
"Yeah, you were mist with me," I said. "Want to go again?"
"I'm game," he replied. Deryn nodded; he was ready, too. We sailed over rooftops, going right through the designated hotel itself. The man wandering around his room in the nude might have been quite surprised if he'd known we'd zipped right past him. He might have felt a slight breeze, but that's all.
Two werewolves and a female vampire stepping out of the ladies' powder room on the first floor might have caused a stir if anyone had actually seen us—who cared, anyway. The people there just turned their heads away and minded their own business. Maybe we would have raised more eyebrows if they'd known what we were. They didn't.
"The room is on the fourth floor and may still be cordoned off," Paul informed me quietly as we made our way toward the elevators.
The elevator dinged pleasantly as we got off on the fourth floor and walked silently down the hallway, the carpet nice and thick beneath our feet. Paul was correct; the room had notices hung on the door. I looked around carefully, making sure there were no witnesses or security cameras before turning all of us to mist again and going right through the locked door.
Paul and Deryn most likely thought I'd lost my mind as I rushed them out of the room, much faster than we'd gone in. They were dropped once more in the ladies' room on the first floor.
"There's a mister inside that room!" I hissed. "Go back to your hotel, now. I have to deal with this!" I turned to mist and left both of them gaping after me as I disappeared, flying right back to the suite on the fourth floor.
The mister was hovering near the ceiling, and I can only imagine he was waiting for me or perhaps Henri or Gervais; they were the only others who might be in danger from this one. Definitely one with Dark Elemaiyan blood; his mist was a purplish gray, just like others of his kind. Henri or Gervais would be a greenish mist, if it were one of the Enforcers. Knowing that I would have to do this sooner or later, prepared or not, I materialized inside the room. Looking around and scenting everything, I could barely detect Xenides' scent and even less of Rahim Alif. Yes, I knew Rahim's scent—he'd been inside the house in Georgia that I'd searched with Tony. And yes, I was still a little angry with Tony, but I was terrified for him, too. Shoving those thoughts aside, I turned back to the scents inside the room. Rahim Alif and Xenides' scents notwithstanding, there was another scent there and it was likely my mister. I was also doing my best to tick off seconds in my mind, knowing that the mister would take at least a couple of minutes to become solid. I was correct, but a couple of minutes, closer to three, to be exact, was what it did take. Much to my surprise, however, the vampire wasn't male, and that was the greatest shock, perhaps, in my career as a vampire.
* * *
"You're not going after her now?" Merrill was fidgeting a little and he never did that. He was usually the cool and collected vampire, even when Wlodek lost his temper.
Griffin sat at the kitchen island, eating spaghetti that Franklin reheated for him. Griffin loved Italian. "There's something she has to do, first, before we go," Griffin gave his friend a small smile. Gavin was standing in a corner of the kitchen, glowering over the entire delay. He wanted to touch Lissa; he'd only seen her briefly inside Wlodek's office and now he had groveling to do. The sooner the better, too.
"Things will happen when they happen," Griffin turned to Gavin. "I am more than a hundred thousand years old and have learned this during my long life. And you are not the only one with groveling to do, sir vampire. My little girl will not be happy in the least when I try to explain that as her father, I could not help her or her mother when she was young."
"Explain that to me," Merrill said.
"When Lissa's mother became pregnant, my direct supervisor, Thorsten, discovered it and declared that I had interfered. Of course, there was punishment and my punishment was that Lissa and her mother were hidden from me. I couldn't find them to check on them. It was as if they didn't exist for me. I didn't know what was happening or I might have committed other infractions. As it was, she ended up in your care, my friend, and when you called out to me the first time she became ill, I knew immediately who it was. Therefore, it was easy for me to check on her after that, although I was still prevented from doing anything other than the smallest of things for her. I got around the punishment because of you, my friend, and the help you rendered long ago. I am allowed to reciprocate, as you know." Griffin took a moment to drink a bit of the red wine Franklin served.
"However," Griffin continued, "when I convinced Thorsten to allow her to help Dragon, things came to the attention of Thorsten's supervisor, Belen. And Belen, after hearing everything I had to say, has determined that having a child is not interfering. The punishment was lifted. I cannot go back and change Lissa's past; that he forbade. I am now free to act as her father from this point forward; to tell her who I am and why I was prevented from seeing her when she was younger. We will see whether she accepts me or not." Griffin sounded a little wistful. "Amara already wishes to meet her; she has always wanted a child and desires very much for Lissa to accept both of us. We will see how that turns out."
"Amara is your mate? And she has no trouble accepting that you produced a child with a
nother woman?" Gavin couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Our kind cannot experience jealousy, Gavin, and if you expect to keep my Lissa, you will have to set it aside as well." Merrill's head jerked around at Griffin's statement.
* * *
"So, it's Wlodek's little bitch." She was pretty—really pretty, with long, platinum blonde hair, had the stink of Saxom and the Dark Elemaiya about her and seemed nasty as hell—in temperament, anyway. Otherwise, she was dressed quite fashionably in designer clothing that had probably cost a fortune. I wondered who was footing the bill for her wardrobe.
"Well, Saxom's bitch, right back at ya," I snorted, squaring off across the hotel suite with her. It was as if we were sizing each other up or something. The fact that I'd known who made her surprised her a little, I think.
"You think you can come against me?" She laughed. "I am a true Queen, not a little pretender." Well, she was taller than I was, by about eight inches. Certainly dressed better, if that meant anything. But she'd only heard what everyone else thought they knew about me. I just shrugged at her statement.
"Guess we'll have to find out, now, won't we?" I said. We were still circling carefully; I'm sure she'd seen me materialize in a blink and wanted to catch me before I could go to mist again so her opportunity to place compulsion wouldn't be lost. She cursed a little in German as she bumped into a chair. I understood her words, though, which made me smile.
"Why are you smiling?" she asked.
I couldn't resist. "Because I know something you don't," I said.
"And that is?"
I smiled wider, turned to mist in a blink right in front of her and in another blink I had her turned to mist with me, screaming out to anyone that could hear me for help.
* * *
"The first vampire rule is never kill your donor, or any human, unless they present a threat to you," René was teaching Tony, who was quite happy to be vampire and curious as hell about the rules. René realized that he would have to present his newest turn with an accelerated course; Tony wasn't slow or stupid and was learning everything quite rapidly, in addition to watching all the news programs concerning world events. René knew Tony was used to getting his reports directly from the source and was now displaying mild impatience with what the news agencies were reporting. Tony was just about to ask questions when he received Lissa's mindspeech.
"René, I can hear Lissa." Tony was on his feet in an instant. "She's shouting for help."
"Our little rose is nearby?" René was on his feet as well. "Can you contact her? She will hear you?"
"She always has before," Tony nodded.
"Then ask what she requires," René's voice held urgency.
* * *
Lissy? René says to ask you what you need. I received unexpected mindspeech from Tony and could have wept with relief.
Tony, I have someone who needs to be kept in a secure room until the Council can decide what to do with her, I sent. Where are you? Please tell me you're at René's chateau.
We are, came the reply. Why?
Because René has an underground vault that would be perfect for this, I replied.
* * *
Tony swiftly informed René of Lissa's problem. "Tell her to come, does she remember the way?" René asked as he motioned for Tony to follow him. Tony relayed the message, receiving the affirmative from Lissa.
"She says she remembers," Tony assured his sire.
"Good. Tell her to come as quickly as possible. In the meantime, you and I have much moving to do." René unlocked the door to his basement, leading Tony down a flight of steps.
* * *
Tell René to leave the door locked, I instructed. I was getting close; I recognized the road leading to René's chateau. I no longer had to get inside using the kitchen vent; I could go straight through the walls and the Queen Vampire I had inside my mist was quite angry as I carried her along. She wasn't used to being manhandled, poor thing. She wanted to kill me, too; that vibe came in loud and clear.
We're ready, Tony's voice came back. I imagined that he and René had been doing some rapid transfers; I didn't think René wanted his priceless collection of stolen artifacts to be touched by a prisoner inside his vault. The Queen Vampire gave a mental shriek as we misted right through the walls of René's home and then through the floor and into the basement. René and Tony were standing outside the locked door of René's vault; piled all around them were boxes and containers with jewelry, artifacts and other priceless treasures inside. I went through the door of the vault—it was tighter than a drum when René close it off—dumped my prisoner in the floor and misted out again. I materialized away from all of René's objets d'art.
"Lissy!" Tony was weeping, he was so happy to see me. He grabbed me up and nearly cracked my ribs, he hugged me so hard.
"Hey, stop that!" I was pounding on his back; I could barely breathe.
"Child, you are stronger than you were," René reminded him pleasantly. Tony set me down, held my face in his hands and kissed me. Gavin was going to hear about that. For sure.
"Lissy, I'm so sorry. So sorry, baby," Tony gave me another smack.
"Tony, René is Gavin's cousin," I mumbled dryly when he came up for air.
"Really? Does that mean I'm related to Gavin now?" Tony's eyebrows drew together in a frown as he pulled me against him again.
"Stop that, you schmuck," I swatted at him. "And that's for making me think you were dead."
"Merrill and Gavin did not inform you?" René asked.
"There may not have been time." I was only now recalling that I might be getting René in trouble, just by being in his home. Well, I was going to get into trouble anyway. Pulling my cell from a pocket of my jeans, I hit Merrill's number on speed dial.
* * *
Griffin finished his meal and was placing his dishes inside the dishwasher when Merrill's cell phone rang. Merrill checked the ID. "It's Lissa," he said, and answered the call. "Sweetheart, you're not in trouble," Merrill didn't bother with a greeting. He wanted Lissa to know the important information right away.
"Really?" She sounded so surprised. Griffin and Gavin both were listening in on the conversation.
"Of course not, sweetheart. I think Wlodek is quite upset, mostly with himself for not discovering this earlier, but that will smooth over with time. Where are you? We will come to get you and bring you home."
* * *
I was shocked at Merrill's words. "I'm really not in trouble? Are you telling me the truth or just trying to trap me?" They could be—how was I to know?
"I'm telling the truth. Where are you, sweetheart? We will be there right away."
"That might be a little hard to do," I replied. "I'm in France right now. Merrill, listen carefully, I need your help with this. I went to a hotel room in Paris because that's where they said Xenides and Rahim had been before Tony's hotel got bombed. I wanted to check it over for scents, but I found another mister inside. Merrill, if I'm mist, I can see other misters who are mist. I knew this wasn't one of ours—Henri and Gervais are a greenish mist. The others, the ones with Dark Elemaiyan blood, are a purplish gray color. I thought it was just another one of the usual, like the ones I've already killed. Merrill, I was wrong. This was a female, and she calls herself a Queen."
I think Tony and René heard the gasps from Merrill and Gavin; I now knew that Gavin was there with Merrill. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I wanted to beat on him with my fists, to be honest.
"Lissa, that one is very dangerous. Where is she now? You didn't try to fight her, did you?" Merrill sounded worried.
"There wasn't time for her to fight me," I said. "I turned her to mist before she could blink and now she's inside the airtight vault at René's chateau."
"You captured her?" Merrill sounded surprised. Honestly, his and Wlodek's opinion of my abilities underwhelmed me, most of the time.
"Yes, I captured her," I had to hold myself back from mimicking him. "That's why I need your help. You're the only one w
ho might be able to take care of this situation, I think."
"Lissa, my compulsion won't work on her any better than anyone else's." Merrill warned.
"Mine will." Kifirin was there beside me, causing René and Tony to have fangs and claws out in a blink. I truly wasn't prepared to see Tony with fangs and claws. "There is nothing to fear," Kifirin informed both vampires. The claws and fangs disappeared immediately.
"Who is there with you?" Merrill demanded.
"René, Tony and Kifirin," I replied.
"Tell your sire and the others to come. We will deal with this. That one inside the vault is threatening my little Queen," Kifirin said. I guess he had good hearing, just like the rest of us.
* * *
"Now we can go," Griffin stood, smiling a little.
"Who is Kifirin?" Gavin demanded. He'd heard the my little Queen statement, just like everyone else.
"The one you have to lose your jealousy over," Griffin replied. "I warn you, do not threaten or anger him in any way. He knows you care for Lissa and that will keep you alive unless you attack him." Merrill was listening to the exchange in alarm. He also was wondering who—and what—Kifirin was. Griffin folded the three of them to René's basement in France.
"Quite the collection, René," Merrill remarked dryly, glancing around at the contents that had previously graced René's vault. "Mr. Hancock." Merrill nodded at Tony. Tony was seeing Gavin up close for the first time and now saw two rivals for Lissa's affection. Both would be something to contend with.
"Saa Thalarr," Kifirin nodded to Griffin.
"High Lord," Griffin nodded back.
"Will someone be so kind as to introduce all of us," René demanded.
"I am Griffin, now retired from the Saa Thalarr," Griffin held out his hand and René took it. "This is Kifirin, High Lord of the Dark Realm," Griffin introduced Kifirin. Kifirin smiled slightly and a bit of smoke escaped his nostrils.
Chapter 14
Well, now I was hearing Kifirin's title and it didn't reassure me at all. High Lord of the Dark Realm? That sounded like a god of some sort. Griffin smiled. Was he reading my thoughts again?
Blood Domination (Blood Destiny #4) Page 23
