The Thief

by J. R. Ward

  Leaning down to her grandmother, Sola put the rosary in her vovo's hand and spoke in Spanish. "Do not leave me."

  "You marry that man," her vovo said in a weak voice. "You marry him."

  "Okay, Vovo. I will."

  "Promise me?"

  "You're not dying."

  "That is God's will, not mine. I am happy to go home to Him now that I know you have someone to love you."

  Sola swiped her eyes. "You're not going anywhere, Grandmother."

  "You are safe with him. He stares at you...like you are his whole world. This makes me happy--I can die now happy."

  "Stop talking like that. Right now."

  "Child..." Her grandmother seemed to struggle to focus. But then she reached up and touched Sola's face. "I am old. It is my time--I can't live forever. But now...I don't have to worry. He will take care of you. I am...at peace as long as you swear to me now...you will marry him."

  Sola had to wipe her eyes again. This wasn't happening, she told herself. This couldn't possibly be happening. She did not bring her grandmother all this way back north just to have her die.

  Oh, God, I've killed her, she thought.

  "Marisol, swear to me." The voice was weak; the demand was not. "Or I cannot be at peace."

  "I swear to you...I will marry him."

  FORTY-FOUR

  The hardest part of any doctor's job was talking to the families of patients who had died. To look a grieving spouse, child, father, mother, brother, sister, in the eye and have to tell them that, in spite of everything you had learned and all that was at your disposal, you had not been able to keep their loved one alive...was a nightmare.

  But what the hell did you say about something like this? Jane thought as she stared at the mobile surgical unit's empty exam table.

  As the RV slowed and made a fat turn, she sat back down beside Vishous and tried to put the series of events into perspective. Into a rational framework. Into something that could be explained without the use of the word "zombie."

  God in heaven above, she thought. Not for the first time.

  They didn't even have a body anymore.

  "Almost there," Qhuinn said from up front.

  Leaning around V, Jane looked down the surgical unit's interior and through the front windshield. She couldn't see much but evergreens and skeleton trees all covered in snow--no, wait, there was the farmhouse.

  Havers's underground medical facility was located on the far side of the Hudson, deep in a forest, and it was accessible through various entry points, all separated by plenty of distance. The one they were going to use was the faker homestead with the barn out back, the one that appeared to be where peaceable humans resided, the ruse to hide the rest.

  This was where deliveries came in, and also, when sadly applicable, bodies.

  After Qhuinn turned them around in the drive and parked them butt-in to the barn, Jane got out of the RV and took a series of deep breaths. She still had no idea what she was going to say to the civilian's next of kin. Cause of death: cardiac failure due to traumatic injury. Cause of reanimation: no clue. Secondary cause of death: incineration by my mate's hand.

  "Come on," V said as he put an arm around her shoulders.

  She hadn't been aware of just standing there in the cold, but Qhuinn had already opened the side door of the barn and was waiting. Getting with the program, she was all in her head as they checked in with the security monitor, were granted access to the elevator, and descended down to the clinic. As they got off, it was into a warm, well-lit, utterly undecorated corridor that looked exactly like all the ones in human hospitals.

  "Damn it, I always forget which way to go," she muttered.

  Yup, just like St. Francis. Lost and there was no signage.

  "This way," V said.

  After a bunch of turns that she didn't track, they came around a corner and found what looked like almost all of the Brotherhood standing in a clutch. Havers, the race's physician and Marissa's estranged brother, was by them, all college-professor-like with his tortoiseshell glasses and his bow tie.

  Everyone got good and quiet as Jane and her two escorts approached, and she hung back as V and Qhuinn answered a lot of very difficult questions. And answered some more. And...

  "Excuse me," she cut in. "But where is the next of kin? I want to go see him now."

  Havers cleared his throat. "What are you going to tell him?"

  "What I know to be true."

  "Are you certain that is wise?"

  Jane frowned--and before she knew what she was doing, she stepped in tight to the healer. Even though he was taller than she was, she glared right up into those glasses.

  "I'm not going to lie to him, if that's what you're suggesting," she snapped. "He has a right to know everything we do, and if I can't explain something, I'm going to let him know that."

  "There could be larger consequences," Havers hedged. "This could be a threat to the species at large, and one wouldn't want to cause a panic."

  As the healer looked around, seeking backup from the Brothers, she was done. "Not my problem. I'm a physician first, the rest of you can worry about politics. Now where is my dead patient's brother."

  The fact that everyone just stared at Vishous pissed her off. Like she was a problem to be managed by him?

  "She's one hundred percent correct," Vishous said. "She should tell him what she knows and what she doesn't. It's up to us to put it in context. But there will be no lying or subterfuge--and I'm going to make sure no one interferes with what she has to say. Anyone have a problem with that."

  That last one was not phrased like a question and he was pegging Havers with hard eyes as he laid it out there.

  The healer looked to the floor and nodded. "But of course. Right this way."

  Havers led them down the hall even farther and then into a waiting area that was half full with lots of chairs. As they passed through, Jane noted the patients and families who were milling around, or sitting watching the TV, or standing in line at the reception desk. Many of them waved to the healer, smiled at him, greeted him with respect--and he was gracious in return.

  It was a reminder of Havers's complicated nature. He was good to the people who came to him for help, he truly was. It was just outside of that sphere that made you want to smack him sometimes.

  Now there was signage, the overhead plaques with arrows directing people this way and that to things like RADIOLOGY, OUTPATIENT SURGERY, OBSTETRICS, WELLNESS CARE. Eventually, Havers took them down a short hall that had four closed doors, two on each side. Beside them, discreet labels read FAMILY COUNSELING.

  "He is in here," Havers announced as he went to knock on one of the panels. "He is Aarone, son of Stanalas."

  V caught the healer's arm. "She goes in alone. You and I are waiting out here."

  "Actually, Vishous, why don't you and I go in together?" Jane pivoted toward him. "You were there. You might offer some insight I cannot."

  "You got it."

  Jane was the one who knocked, and when there was a quiet "Come in," she opened things up. A very well-dressed young male with blond hair and pale eyes was sitting in one of six chairs. He was obviously nervous, his palms stroking up and down his thighs, his shoulders braced.

  "Hello, Aarone," Jane said as she entered. "I'm Dr. Jane Whitcomb, and this is my mate, Vishous, who has medical training. I'm here to speak with you about your brother--"

  "Half-brother." The male looked at Vishous. Looked back. "He's my half-brother, but we're very close. What's going on? I got this phone call and I came here, but no one's telling me--is Whinnig okay?"

  The words came out in a rush, his anxiety clearly overcoming him.

  "May I have your permission to speak with Vishous present?" When the male nodded, she approached him. "Is it all right for me to sit down next to you?"

  "Yes, of course." Aarone got to his feet and offered his palm for a shake. "Forgive my manners."

  Jane took a seat and waited until he
'd resettled and those pale eyes came back to her. And then she spoke. "I'm so sorry, your brother has gone unto the Fade."

  She used the traditional vampire way of communicating death, out of respect, and the reaction was immediate. The male began to tremble, his eyes glassing over with tears.

  "What--how? He was perfectly healthy. I just had First Meal with him a couple of hours ago. How did this happen?"

  * * *

  --

  Jane handled the sad business like a total professional, and as Vishous stood with his back against the door--in case Havers got any bright ideas--he could only respect his mate even more. She told the male what happened event by event, with a calm, firm voice. And as for the parts that couldn't be explained, she owned up to them and fielded the questions as best she could.

  And then the male looked across at V. "You don't know what it was that attacked him? I don't understand?"

  Vishous cleared his throat. "The only conclusion we can draw at this time is that the Omega is changing its strategy and sending something new out into the field." Even though those entities had not read as part of the evil one, what else could be behind them? "We will get to the bottom of this, though--I promise you."

  The young male burst up and paced around in the tight quarters. "And meanwhile, I have no body to bury. Just a nightmare story and a whole lot of I-don't-knows."

  "I'm sorry," Vishous said remotely.

  Jane handled the anger better than he did. "I realize this is very hard. I lost a sibling myself, and frankly, I'm still not over it. I really wish we had more for you, I truly do."

  The male stopped and faced her. "How do I know that Whinnig made it unto the Fade?"

  "Was he a kind male? A just and kind male?"

  Those tears, the ones that had come before the anger, reemerged. "Whinnig was the best. He was my closest friend. We went everywhere together. We have always been inseparable--especially after all of our parents were...they didn't make it through the raids."

  V closed his eyes in commiseration. So much fucking loss. He fucking hated the Omega, he really did--

  Vishous flipped his lids back open. "Tell me something, did your brother mention where he was going tonight?"

  If they were inseparable, where had Aarone been?

  "He was meeting someone. I don't know who, though." The male looked over. "He never had anything to do with the Lessening Society, if that's where you're going with this."

  "Not at all. I was just wondering."

  At least they had the cell phone that had been used to call for help. V was going to go through that as soon as he could. Look for numbers. Contacts. Although come on, like the Omega was going to reach out and touch people through a goddamn phone call?

  "And it's such bad luck, what with that will," Aarone said.

  "What will?" V asked.

  The young male dragged a hand through his hair. "We had different mahmen, Whinnig and I. He was born first and his mahmen died on the birthing bed. We found out, like a week ago, that his uncle on that side of his family had recently died and left him this huge estate? My brother and I are...we are well off, it is true. But he invited me to go to celebrate this windfall with him. We were going to travel, get out of Caldwell during this winter weather...but that is not going to happen anymore."

  V measured the male again. The clothes were fine, that cashmere coat and those fancy loafers the kind of thing that required cash and taste to afford. And the accent was straight-up glymera, all the way.

  "Who was the uncle?" V said.

  The name given didn't ring any bells. But then the aristocracy's shit was not something he had ever much bothered with.

  Jane spoke up. "I'd like to suggest you speak with a counselor, Aarone. The clinic here has a number of them on staff. They can really help with grief."

  "I don't want to talk to anyone."

  "Just keep it in mind. And if you have any questions, or you want to speak with me again, all you have to do is ask and I'll be here." There was an awkward pause. "Do you have someone who can pick you up? Help you get home?"

  More with the hair dragging. "My girlfriend is at my house. It's our two-year anniversary. She's supposed to be getting something ready for us, and that's the only reason I didn't go out with Whinnig tonight. Bad timing, huh."

  "How about we call her and ask her to come get you?" Jane offered.

  "I'm fine."

  Jane got to her feet and put her hand on the male's shoulder. "I think it would be best for you not to be alone right now. This is a bad shock made so much worse with everything we don't know."

  After a moment, the male stared up at Jane. "Was it a brother or a sister? The one you lost?"

  "It was my little sister, Hannah. She died when she was young, but I remember everything."

  "And you're not over it."

  Jane shook her head. "No. But that doesn't mean I'm not living my life, either. We take our dead with us through our lives, and that's the way it should be. And again, if you believe the good and the just go to the Fade, then your brother is there. Believe in that. How he died doesn't change who he was, do you understand? No matter what happened, it was not his fault and it will not change his afterlife."

  There was another pause, and then the male got to his feet and threw his arms around Jane. As the pair of them stood together, V looked down at the floor out of respect.

  And thought of his mahmen for no good reason.

  FORTY-FIVE

  As Sola stood outside her grandmother's patient room--which was just two doors down from where Assail had been, she decided she never, ever wanted to see the inside of this facility again. Between her experience after the abduction, coming here for Assail...and now this?

  She was beyond done--and praying that the three-strikes-and-you're-out rule applied.

  "He's been in there for so long." She looked over at Assail, who was beside her. "I mean, what are they doing to her?"

  Dr. Manello had been amazing, getting them here in record time, running more tests, checking everything. But it had been hell. Sola hated limbos when they didn't matter. When it was something like this? Having no firm footing was flat-out unbearable.

  As she stared at the closed door, she tried to see through the panel. When the whole X-ray vision thing didn't work, she gave mind reading a shot--and also got nowhere. Finally, in desperation, she attempted to see into the future.

  Total no-go. So much for superpowers.

  "No matter what it is," Assail said softly, "we will deal with it. You are not alone."

  She refocused on him. He was staring at the ground, his face grim, his eyes unblinking. His profile was, as always, so striking, the angles of his cheekbones and his jaw so perfect, his jet-black hair a striking contrast to his skin, his brows an elegant slash.

  Standing shoulder to shoulder with him, she realized that up until now she had always felt alone. Her grandmother was someone to take care of, someone to watch over, not a partner. And Sola's biggest fear, when she had been on the wrong side of the law, had always been what would happen to her vovo if something happened to her. She was all the woman had.

  Sola's own health and safety had been a burden for that reason.

  But now, in the midst of whatever crisis this was, she found that she had backup--and not in the gunfight kind of way. No, she had someone at her six to process decision-making with. To share grief with. To collapse against when she needed a fall-apart before she could keep going.

  She reached over and took his hand. "I'm so glad you're here."

  His eyes, as sad as her own, lifted. "I will not desert you in this."

  If that was not a vow, she didn't know what was.

  Leaning in, she put her hand on the side of his face and brushed his lips with her own. "Thank you--"

  As the door to the patient room opened, she stiffened and tried to read the features of the doctor. "What," she demanded.

  But Dr. Manello didn't seem offended by the rudeness. "We're
looking good. We're looking reaaaaaaal good."

  "Wait--what?" She shook her head. "What are you--wait, what?"

  He smiled. "Her heart's good. Her blood work's fine. There's no evidence of a blood clot or stroke. Her pressure's still a little on the low side, but she hasn't been eating or drinking much so she's dehydrated and she needs to get some rest--"

  "No more cooking!" Sola stamped her foot. "She's been at that goddamn stove since we got out of the car--I've told her to sit down and let us wait on her. She's so stubborn!"

  In spite of its quick onset, her burst of anger burned out quick, and in its wake came a shaky relief that made Sola sag against Assail.

  Dr. Manello nodded his head. "She is a little set in her ways from what I've seen. And listen, going forward, use me. Tell her that she has to behave better or you're calling her doctor in to read the riot act to her."

  Sola put her hand over her pounding heart. "She scared the crap out of us."

  "I think she scared herself. And I want to keep her here for a day or two, just to make sure we're not missing anything."

  "That's a great idea. Keep her as long as you like."

  "Just so you know, she is not happy with this plan."

  "I don't think she would be," Sola muttered. "But it's not her call."

  Dr. Manello gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Go on in there. You guys are welcome to visit anytime, and call me if you have questions. Don't be alarmed at the IV. We're just running fluids into her and some electrolytes. And the monitors are simply there to keep track of things. I'm going to repeat some tests tomorrow at nightfall and we'll see where we're at. But again, a couple of days of observation here would be great for me."

  "Then that is what we're going to do. Thanks, Doc."

  "You are so welcome."

  Sola glanced at Assail. "I'd like to have a moment alone with her? So I can yell at her?"

  He bowed low. "But of course. I shall wait here."

  After she kissed him again, she went for the door like an avenger, opening it wide with every intent to yell--but then she had a sudden wobble as she saw her grandmother so small in the big bed. And she was really glad the doctor had given her a heads-up on the IV and the equipment. If she hadn't known better, she would have been alarmed.

  "Vovo, you're staying here," Sola said before the woman opened her mouth. "Stop with that right now. It's doctor's orders and we are going to do what they say."