by Honor James
“Well I’m glad,” she said with a happy grin and bumped her shoulder to his. “Now, we will figure out when to do cooking classes later. For now I just want to enjoy this time with both of you. Right now I simply want to just be. If you know what I mean.”
“And fix Lilly,” Kristjan said. “That would be a huge plus after all. She could get on with her life with her mates and her soon to be born kid. And yours likely wouldn’t be under such threat anymore. Especially once everyone knows that your abilities are back in play again. Though we should likely keep that part under wraps at least until you figure them all out.”
“Yes, and fix Lilly.” Luna agreed that it would be a huge plus for everyone if they could get Lilly fixed before their child was born. “I think that we should keep who and what I am completely under wraps as best as possible. There is still someone that wants to kill me from my people, otherwise my brothers wouldn’t have gone to such great lengths to hide me.”
“Very good point,” Volker said and nodded. “And we still need to figure out how to find them too. Which we won’t be able to do if all eyes are on the princess returned from the supposed dead. We need to keep it under wraps as long as possible. We’re not even going to report in to the AEDA that all’s well again with you. And no, Gavriel and Artaxias won’t either, they will keep it all hush-hush until we say otherwise.”
“Crap. Good point.” She had to find her brothers, really had to find them. “Do you think that they are okay?” She was hopeful, so very hopeful. “I’ve already lost my parents, twice, I don’t think that I could survive losing them as well.”
“You said you felt they were alive, right?” he asked. When she nodded he lifted and dropped a hand. “Good enough. They are out there somewhere. The where is going to be the really hard part to figure out. They could have claimed asylum with any of the races on the other side. Or they could be hiding anywhere on Earth. It’s not exactly a small place and with some of the population density in some of the places, they could hide in plain sight should they wish to.”
“We have to draw them to us,” Kristjan said. His tone was thoughtful as he toyed with his coffee cup. “Bring them right to us. Something big though. Something that could be broadcast throughout Earth and into the other worlds. Or something that the rumor mill could pass along quickly and easily.”
“Yeah, but they are going to pop up out of hiding just because they see a broadcast or hear a rumor. I’m sure there have been a few about her over the years and yet.” Volker shrugged. “No sign of the brothers.”
“Which means they have eyes on her,” Kristjan said. “They know exactly what is and what is not rumor. They aren’t going to show up for just anything, especially since they know the AEDA is keeping a close and careful watch on her.”
“So it’s going to be about finding who is watching me for them.” And that was going to be so easy. Not. “It has to be someone inside of the AEDA, and I would imagine that it would be someone in or around a department that interacts with mine often. There are very few departments that come to cryptology on a regular basis so that might be the most helpful way about things?”
“Actually, it could be even more complicated than that,” Volker said quietly. “It could be anyone in security, anyone at the upper levels, any of the agents.” He shrugged. “We all have our ways of finding out information and we don’t have to be there to see anything. Most Vhampire’s have some form of mind reading. Spirytes could cast a spell, a glamor, and walk right up to you as someone you know and you’d never have suspected. Security has cameras all over the place and the upper levels of management have access to all the information any of us put out there. Like I said, not as easy as you are hoping for, love.”
“Wonderful,” Luna grumbled. “I honestly didn’t think that it would be too hard to figure out who was watching me but it seems as if that will just as hard as finding the brothers will be.”
“If they are doing it through the AEDA. Which, admittedly, would make the most sense. But we don’t know for sure. We’ll have to think on this one and see what we can do to pull out either the watchers or your brothers. Really, I’d love to get my hands on the watchers, they’d tell us everything right off.”
Kristjan groaned and rolled his eyes when she looked his way. “He means he’d make them tell us everything. And not by asking nicely either.”
“I don’t think that at this moment I would ask nicely either,” Luna had to admit. “I know that sounds terrible but there it is. I don’t think that I would be very nice to anyone right now either. That’s the truth. I just want to find my brothers and make sure that they are okay. I just want to figure out how we have a life together.”
“And we will,” he said. Reaching out he put a hand over hers and squeezed. “We’ll find them, somehow, and we’ll give you that happy ever after. Plus you’ll have us, so really, it’s a win-win all the way around.”
“There is of course that,” she said with a smirk. “I do have the two of you. I am happy that I have the two of you as well. Then again you have me too so there is that for the two of you. Maybe I was simply put here to torment the two of you?” she teased.
“We did think of that, but you’re sexy enough that we’re letting it slide.”
“I doubt you were put here to torment us,” Volker said. “Your path was laid out to bring you to us. The universes way of putting mates together. Some search for decades without finding the missing piece and others just wait and have the way shown to them. I doubt there’s any right or wrong way about it, but this was definitely providence for us.”
“Well I’m so very glad that whatever put me in your path did so. And yeah, I am pretty sexy aren’t I?” She snorted with her own tease. Lord she was a dork and she knew it. “Well we will plan later. For now eat. For now we will eat and then figure out how to get Lilly to us so that I can deprogram her.”
“We’ll go to her,” he said. At her sharp look he shrugged. “It’s easier for her mates currently if we go to her. She’s also pregnant so let’s not suggest otherwise. Their location is secure, they made it that way for her and is the best place to do something we don’t want anyone knowing that you can do. Besides, it gets us out of here with a very valid excuse should we need one.”
“Good point. I’m sure that they would likely rip anyone’s head off that wanted her to leave the protection of their home right now.” She could understand that as well. “And good. I look forward to having time away from here. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy to have a safe haven here with you but I seriously am going stir crazy.”
“We’ll get ahold of them later today and find out what their schedules look like. Plus we’ll need to ensure that Lilly’s got an all clear for, well, whatever you need to do from her doctor. And we’ll have to make sure to stop for food as well,” Kristjan said. “Ax said it was just safer to always bring food over when visiting. Apparently he came home the one night without something and, well, it nearly didn’t end well.”
Luna laughed. “Well she is growing a baby inside of her. We will have to figure out what it is that she is craving on the day that we go over so that we bring the right thing instead of the wrong thing,” she teased. “Because pregnant women change from day to day on what they are craving.”
“We call the day we go over. In route preferably. That way there is a lot less chance of her changing her mind before we arrive,” Volker said. “Then we have something she wants and she’s happy which makes her mates happy and we all hopefully survive the visit when you do whatever you have to do to her. By the way, any idea what it is you need to do?”
“That’s perfect.” Luna leaned back and nodded. “I have a very good idea what I need to do. It’s in one of the ancient tomes that I have. Remember before I thought that I couldn’t touch electronics because I fried them so I instead read. A lot. Anyway, in one of the books it discusses how to deprogram someone.”
“Really?” Kristjan asked. “Holy hell,” he muttered whe
n she nodded. “Well then. I think we’d better let Ax and Gav know sooner than later. They’ll have to figure out when is best to do this from their end. Not like we have anything really on the books from our end so we can work around them.”
“Sounds good. You let them know and I will find the books that I need. I hope that I brought them with me. If I didn’t then we will need to go by my place. Sorry. I know that sucks and all but I don’t want to go into this without rereading how to do it.”
“Hopefully we don’t need to go by your place,” he said. “Not sure if Byrne put anyone on your place or not but it would be best to go under the radar as much as possible.”
“There are ways to get around even those we work with,” Volker said. “The bonus of having a Vhampire on your side is I can usually get in places no one else can. And without anyone detecting me.”
“See, there we go. I will write down the name of the book and you can get it for me if I don’t have it with me. I know just which book it is so that’s a plus as well.” She would make it as easy on him as she could if he had to go to her place.
“That’ll work, but definitely look through what you brought. I’d hate to go all that way just to find out it’s here and been here the entire time,” he said with a grin. “Might make me cranky and who knows what would result from that.”
Luna smirked at him, she couldn’t seem to help herself. “And what might happen should you become cranky? Would you spank me? Send me to my room? Tie me up?” She was teasing with him, but it felt so good to tease him just to see that sparkle that lit his eyes when she did.
“If I was cranky? No, but I’ll do that any time you want.” He laughed.
“When he gets cranky he tends to take it out on those right there. Nothing big but it’s seriously disconcerting to find yourself in a bathroom with a plunger in hand and have no idea how you got there.”
“The little things amuse me and make me feel better.” Volker shrugged.
Luna snorted in laughter. She couldn’t help it. “Oh god, seriously? In the bathroom with a plunger in hand? Wait. Huh? How did that happened?” She asked as she sobered immediately. “Were you running from him or something? How could you have gone from point A to point B in the blink of an eye?”
“Oh, it wasn’t in a blink of an eye, though I can do that too,” he said. “We actually walked along to the office and then I sent him into the bathroom. I should mention that it was the girls’ room too,” he added with a grin.
“Huh? How? How could you have done that to him? And him not have been a party to the whole thing?” She looked to Kris and then back to Volker. “What am I missing here?” She didn’t know a great deal about Vhampires at all, before or now.
“Vhampires have mind-control abilities. The older they are the stronger that control and the tighter they can keep it. I remember everything about the walk, even waving and chatting with a couple of folks before he had me saunter right on in.” Kristjan shot Volker a dirty look.
“He stole my cookie,” Volker said. “I don’t eat a lot of human food, I don’t require it. But I have a cookie once a month and he stole that cookie.”
“Right, so note to self, don’t steal your cookies,” she teased with a smile. “Don’t worry Volker, I know that you wouldn’t do that to me.” She frowned though and shook her head. “I didn’t know that about them. Even from the ‘before time’ I didn’t know that about Vhampires.”
“It’s pretty much the only common knowledge ability that they have. I think second up would be the rumors about teleportation. And after that likely kinesis. But anything beyond that is so mired in all they did to hide who and what they were that only they know for sure,” Kristjan told her.
“Which makes sense. Most of the races like to have at least a little something that they never show another of the Races. Luhpynes, Ahnjels, Spirytes, Draygon, and so on. We all like to have a little something in the back of our arsenal. right?”
“That is very true,” Volker nodded. “Besides, if you don’t have an ace up your sleeve, how are you going to make them run back to mommy crying?” he asked.
Kristjan shook his head and rolled his eyes. “This from the guy who pretty much breaks down in tears whenever my mother gets within forty miles of him.”
“Hey,” Volker pointed at him. “I told you, I had something in my eye damn it.”
“Uh-huh, sure.” He nodded. Then he looked to her and shook his head.
“This is very true.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “So I have a lifetime of the two of you bickering ahead of me? If so I’m totally good with it, just don’t even run to me and ask me to decide who was right and who was wrong. Please.”
“We’d never do that, we have our ways of settling our disagreements,” Kristjan told her. “Though you may not want to be around when we get really heated. You’d likely have the urged to smack us.”
“Okay, well just make sure that the two of you keep that from me please? I don’t know if I could ever walk away from you.” Sad but true there. “Talking is a good way to work things out though. Just FYI.”
“Yeah, that’s true. But eventually you get tired of talking to the wall and just have to beat on it a little.” He grinned at her. “Trust me, you’ll find that out soon enough I’m sure. He’s a damned stubborn being.”
“Pot, I would like to introduce you to Kettle,” Luna said with a straight face to her men. “Because let me tell you, both of you are stubborn beings. I’ve know you for only a few days and I think that you are stubborn.” And she loved it, but that was her and her weirdness.
“Us,” Volker said, his face portraying shock. “How could you say such a thing. We are not stubborn. We’re just usually right.” He grinned at her. “Unfortunately for Kristjan I’m right all the time and he just can’t handle it.”
“Yeah. I’m sure.” Luna did however grin, she couldn’t seem to help herself. And then, just because she was feeling all kinds of goofy asked him. “Do you think it’s because you are so very much older than he is?”
“Yeah, is it, old man?” Kristjan asked with a smirk. Then his hand jerked up and smacked himself upside the head. “Damn it! I told you to stop that shit, Volker.” He smacked himself again and he growled at the other man.
“I’m just superior in every way,” Volker said, sipping his coffee slowly.
“Superior pain in my ass,” Kristjan muttered and then avoided smacking himself again. “Stop it,” he said but now he was laughing. His hand up before his face, the fingers wiggling and inching closer. “Damn it, Volker.” He laughed harder.
Luna laughed as well. She couldn’t help herself. God she loved these men. “Okay, enough. Stop playing, both of you. I mean it. Volker, leave him alone okay? Just stop doing that so that we can move on with our day, please?”
“I’m not doing anything,” he said, batting his eyelashes at her. “I have no idea to which you are referring to, Luna.”
Kristjan shook his head and picked up his coffee, now that his hand was back in his control apparently. “He’ll never admit one way or another if he did it. But if you didn’t then that means you’re implying I was attempting to frame you.”
“Who says you weren’t, hmm?” he asked.
Bursting out laughing at that Kristjan just shook his head. “You are seriously weird, old man. And you’re trying to get away with not telling her how old you are.”
Luna shrugged. “Age is only a number. All that matters is that I have the two of you in my life now. That’s it. I don’t need to know how old that the two of you are.” Which was the truth. “Especially since the two of you now don’t honestly know how old that I am.” She was far older than she had thought she was, which was very weird.
“One hundred and six,” Volker said. When she looked at him he shrugged. “That’s how old you are in human terms. Not that old overall when you think about it. I’m roughly, give or take a decade or two, just over the millennia mark. Kristjan’s only a century younger, giv
e or take. Age is only a number,” he said, smiling. “Vhampires tend to live long lives if they don’t get killed. Or do something idiotic with their career choices. I’m one of the lucky few. There’s actually only around three to four dozen that are over the four-hundred-year mark.”
“Oh wow,” she said with a frown. “And how did you do that? Figure out how old that I was? I didn’t feel you in my mind at that moment so what the heck?” she asked with her head cocked to the side.
“Missing Spiryte Princess, two Princes who are MIA, not that hard to figure out who you are and the House when you have those pieces. I remember the news feed from the day of your birth. I was on world that day for,” he stopped and frowned. “Something, can’t recall what exactly. Caught a bit of it and it just sort of stuck.”
“I would imagine that it would. Especially since my House is a Matriarchal line.” Hers was one of the odd houses that the power flowed through the women instead of men or chronological order.
“Yeah, you can say that again. They had a huge worldwide party that night. It was absolutely insane and totally counterproductive to whatever the hell I was doing there.” He was frowning harder now. “Fuck, this is really going to bug me now.”
“Getting old sucks, doesn’t it,” Kristjan cheerfully piped up with his two cents.
Luna snickered and shook her head. “Kris you might want to watch it. He’s got sharp teeth and will bite.” That fast her mind went from teasing to horny. Just the thought of Volker biting her had her pussy wet and body aching. Damn hormones.
She watched Volker inhale, his nostrils flaring and he smiled, slowly. Oh yeah, he knew what was going on with her right then. Getting up he took his cup to the sink and then padded out of the kitchen, throwing her a hot look right before he disappeared from sight.
Oh that was so very bad of him. To leave her like that. Grinning she patted Kris’s hand and looked up at him. “How about you hurry up and clean up in here and then come join us in the bedroom? Or hall, or where the hell ever I can get Volker to get me naked at?” Yep, she was a horny one. Damn her hormones.
