by Jackie Ivie
“Yeah. The hair is a dead giveaway, Nigel.”
“Guys. Guys. It’s Paul Henry. Remember? Brother. Somebody check in with Daniel. See how much noise we made.”
“On it.”
“And while we’re waiting, I’ll just stand here. And pretend Cherish and her mate are all alone. Since that’s what they’re doing.”
“I can’t believe you’re real.”
Samson bent his head to whisper it in her ear. The slightest hint of breath touched her neck where the wig wasn’t covering. A shiver raced her skin. It was pleasant. Perfect.
“Actually. I’m going to have a lot of trouble believing any of this. Vampires. You. This psycho hunter camp. Am I being rescued?”
“Yes,” Cherish nodded.
“Sweet. I’m in, then. I’ll work on all the other unbelievable stuff later. Much later. Deal?”
“Yes.”
“And there we go with the yes and no answers again.”
Nigel cleared his throat behind them. Samson turned toward him. Cherish followed.
“I hate to interrupt you two, but Daniel called. No sign of any trouble outside. Nothing happening. So. It’s time to go. Oh. We gotta tie the doctor up again. Apologies. You’ll be behind me and the ladies. Just for the walk to the car. But, hey. At least, your view will be nice.”
“You will never change, Nigel Beethan,” Darryl shook his head.
“Paul Henry! Geez. And the old man thought I’d be the uncertain factor in this plan.”
Samson moved to the rope, started working at the knots. Hiccupped loudly. Grimaced. “Well? What are we waiting for? Tie me up someone. Let’s get the heck out of here. You don’t know these guys. They’re morons. They actually believe in—.”
He stopped. Looked from one to the other until he reached her. That’s when he shook his head. And chuckled.
“Oh. Never mind.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Good morning Ethelstone! And Athlerod! How are you this fine morn?”
“You’re back. Good.”
“Is something wrong?”
The portcullis of Tirgoviste Castle Number 2 rolled into place behind them. The sound of heavy wooden doors moving along their oiled slots came next. Nigel kept his eyes on the back of Akron’s cloak.
“It’s that woman.”
“What woman?”
“The one you left in charge. She is tough. Worse than our mother.”
“We didn’t have the same mother, Rasshole. You are the product of a swine. While I? My mother was the goddess of beauty, Freya herself.”
“Liar!”
The twin Icelandic men lunged for each other and began grappling for position. Since they were exactly the same size and weight, it was impossible to decipher a winner. In any contest between them. Akron shook his head.
“Ah. I see. Lizbeth was obviously been practicing discipline in my absence. Step aside, you two. Go argue this on the ground floor. Where you won’t do as much damage. Nigel?”
Akron stepped around the wrestling mass of bodies on the floor. Nigel followed.
“Come. We need to relieve the poor girl. She’s been at the desk all night and into the morning. Even for a half-turned human, that’s a lengthy assignment. She’ll be suffering fatigue. Remember that. Human frailties are often the reason things do not go as planned.”
“Lizbeth has a frailty? That will be the day.”
“All humans suffer them, even the ones who pretend otherwise. It does feel good to be back. Right, Nigel?”
“I guess.”
“Do a sense a bit of reticence in that remark?”
“It was a lot of fun being Paul Henry. Having others obey me. You know...lead.”
“I realized you had it in you the entire time, Nigel my boy. I am very impressed with your performance. Very. You passed the test.”
“I knew there was something fishy about the massacre idea.”
“What massacre idea?” Akron asked.
“Oh. Uh. Nothing.”
“Ah. I see there was another portion of the assignment where you stepped up and assumed leadership. Again. Excellent. You make me proud. You really do.”
“Wow. Thank you, Sir. You think Cherish will be okay?”
“Of course. She’s found her mate. He appears just as smitten. That was an excellent idea to use our Lopp Lagoon base for their new home. There are plenty of eagles and other raptors for him to study, and right now, they have the benefit of some long winter dark hours. We’ll just let them get to know each other, and check in...maybe this summer.”
“You think he’ll believe in us by then?”
“He’s probably already on the way to that state, Nigel. There is one thing that trumps scientific skepticism. And Cherish has it.”
“This should be good. What?”
“The facts. It is a fact that Doctor Reid is already half-turned. Yes? As such, he’ll have trouble with sunlight. He now craves blood. And he can’t deny the fact that she has fangs. I’m sure he’ll appreciate those every time they consummate their union.”
“Must you?” Nigel asked.
“Must I what?”
“Describe it with such detail. I...was almost to the point I could ignore it.”
“Ignore what?”
“The burning pain...where my heart should be.”
Nigel blinked quicker. The urge to sob slowly faded. Their office portal loomed out of the misted corridor, recessed so far into the rock, it created a shadowed enclave. Quiet. Private. Akron stopped at the outside of the door and turned back.
“I see you’re progressing, Nigel. Acceptance is the final destination on any journey through grief. But, even then, it is a heavy burden to bear. Sometimes too heavy. I’ve found there is one thing that keeps it bearable, however. You listening?”
“Avidly.”
“Good. The only thing that I’ve found of value is staying occupied. Ready?”
Nigel nodded. Akron opened the door. All kinds of light and noise spilled out. Lizbeth was speaking into her head gear, while adjusting volume and settings. And the background music was a din of mixed classical music from several different sources.
Nigel folded his arms and soaked in the scene. Lizbeth and chaos. He would never have put the two together. It was rather amusing to know she really wasn’t perfect. Akron lifted a hand. The electronics all turned off. The instantaneous quiet was almost as loud. He entered the room, Nigel at his heels.
“Good morning, Lizbeth. Are we under attack or something?”
“Oh! Sir! You’re finally here. It’s Takeshi.”
“Really?” Akron asked.
“The ninja is calling? Wow. Wonder what he wants. Didn’t he just find his mate? And aren’t they having an extended honeymoon in his Himalayan retreat?”
“Yes, Nigel. It’s that Takeshi. We only have one of them,” Lizbeth replied. “And I can’t tell you what he wants because he won’t tell me. This is his third call since you left St. Louis...and—oh no! You just cut him off!”
“He’ll call back. Or, I’ll ring him. My first concern is right here. And now. I didn’t know you were so fond of classical music, Lizbeth. Did you, Nigel?”
“Well, yeah. She doesn’t keep it secret. I’m into head-banging, 70’s, heavy metal, as you know. So, we’ve...had words. I didn’t know she liked her music so loud, though. Nor so many selections all at once. I think we may have some common ground after all, Lizbeth,” Nigel replied.
“Oh, stop. There are some strange anomalies in this desk unit of yours. I touched the wrong combination of keys and every sound generator in the place turned on. I was going to work on that after I handled Takeshi’s call. And then...oh. Forget it. You’re here to relieve me. Yes?”
“In a word,” Akron replied.
“Thank you. As for you, Nigel Beethan. Don’t even say it.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything.”
“Good. Just make sure you don’t.”
She walked past him with her head h
igh. Considering she was over a foot shorter than him, it was hard to hide his smile. And then Akron spoke, wiping the expression completely off his features.
“I see we’ll need to work a bit more on your leadership skills, Nigel.”
“We will?”
The familiar buzz of an incoming call came next. Akron turned to the desk. “That will be Takeshi. See to it. I’ll take it in my study.”
Nigel slid into the seat, grabbed the headset and connected the call. He didn’t even get to answer it before Takeshi Asourah was speaking.
“Listen! I need to speak with Akron-San.”
“Takki! How’s it going?”
“Ah. Nigel-San. You are back? That means Akron has also returned? Oh! That is good. I must speak with him. It is very important.”
“All right. Connecting you now.”
“Good evening, Takeshi,” Akron said.
“Evening?” Nigel spoke up.
“Time difference, lad. Keep up.”
“I have trouble, Akron-San. I do not know what to do. Where to go next.”
“What is it?”
“It is Christine. She was taking tests. She had two positive readings and two negative. This is concerning her greatly. And that concerns me.”
“Has she told you what she’s testing for?”
“Yes. She was testing for human chorionic gonadotrophin hormone.”
“Well. This is interesting. Did you look that up?”
“Yes, Akron-San. I am...overwhelmed. This is why I called you.”
“I see. Has Christine received your blood?”
“Yes, Akron-San.”
“But she isn’t fully changed?”
“Exactly.”
“Please tell her for me, that no test for human hormone will be accurate. I’m surprised she’s getting any reading.”
“But I don’t know what to do!” Takeshi’s voice rose.
“Whoa. Is that our ninja?” Nigel asked.
“I believe he’s behaving admirably in the circumstances, Nigel. Do you know what human chorionic gonadotrophin hormone is?”
“I’m looking it up now.”
“Let me know what you find. Takeshi? Listen carefully. If this was any other associate, I’d be dragging you here and keeping you under lock and key for about...nine months. You do know that, yes?”
“You would?” Nigel inserted.
“I’d have no choice. Changing a human stops the progression of time. Removes any infirmities. Grants perfect health. Can’t have that happening in this event. You do understand, Takeshi? There is to be no blood exchange between you. The risk of changing is too high. You hear me? None.”
“Yes, Akron-San.”
“Good. You are probably the lone one with enough discipline for this. And Nigel? Why are you on the line? I thought you were researching.”
“I’m multi-tasking.”
“Oh. Do it quietly, then. Does Christine have any signs, Takeshi?”
“Uh. Yes. She says she is late. And she is never late. She also speaks of body issues, although I believe she is perfection itself.”
“I see.”
“Whoa! No way! Is this what I think it is, Sir?”
“Ah Nigel. I see you’ve discovered what Christine is checking for.”
“She’s...going to have a baby? Oh. Wow. Oh wow! That’s. That’s. That’s. I’m speechless.”
Akron started laughing. Nigel yanked the headphone off before it hurt. And then held one earpiece to an ear.
“Akron-San! This is not helping.”
“Forgive us, Takeshi. I’m just enjoying listening to Nigel sputter. What can I do to help?”
“Tell me. Is there another test she can take? Something that will set her mind at ease?”
“Afraid not.”
“How can we be sure, then?”
“Is this even possible?” Nigel asked.
“I can answer both of those questions. If Christine is expecting your baby, Takeshi, then it will be obvious in a few weeks. Maybe less. And if that happens, then it is definitely possible, Nigel.”
“We have to wait?” Both Nigel and Takeshi asked in tandem.
“Well, yes. Everyone will.”
“We’re going to have a VAL baby? It can’t be. It’s. It’s. It’s. Oh wow. I’m speechless again,” Nigel said.
“Might be having a baby. That is the operative word at present, gentlemen. And buck up, both of you. It isn’t like we don’t have a precedent for this type of thing.”
“We have a VAL baby?” Nigel asked.
“Not exactly. What we have is Garrick Von Holstaad. You just finished the assignment with him. Garrick was changed in the womb, before birth. And, as you could see, he grew just fine. Aged naturally. Until Angelique changed him, of course.”
“Oh! This is so cool!”
“Well. It certainly will be...if Christine is pregnant. Takeshi? You still there?”
“It is possible? I might be...a father?”
“Well. If I was a betting man, I’d have to say...you might want to start planning a nursery. Stock up on cigars. That sort of thing.”
“Oh! I. We. Oh.”
Dual thud sounds came through the speaker. And then nothing. Akron disconnected the call before peeking around the corner. Then he started laughing again. Nigel didn’t hear a thing.
o0o
About the Author
Jackie Ivie lives in the enormous state of Alaska with her husband and three very spoiled pets. She started her writing career writing hot highland historical romances for Kensington Publishing. There are now ten “Clans series” books, available in seven languages. Keeping her head in the clouds most of the time, Jackie now spends her time researching, developing, and writing her paranormal series – the Vampire Assassin League, as well as her other historical line – the Brocade Collection.
Jackie loves hearing from fans, who can contact her at www.jackieivie.com or www.VampireAssassinLeague.com
Want to keep up with the assassins of the Vampire Assassin League? Consider joining the Assassin Street Team at http://www.facebook.com/groups/379151425455048/
AND TO CHERISH is the 23rd installment of the Vampire Assassin League. Check out all the assassins in the VAL, available singly, in 4-book bundles, a ten-story mega pack and in print as 2-packs.
