Key to Redemption

by Talia Gryphon

  Some sex therapists went for years without actually seeing a patient, which was why the IPPA’s members usually kept up their other specializations and credentials. There just wasn’t a large number in either the Human or the Paramortal world who were willing to admit failure in the lovemaking department. Gillian herself had had only two other opportunities to use that particular skill, though she’d been credentialed for several years. Until now.

  Tanis stopped by the library, which thankfully was deserted, and pulled up the website for the Miller-Jackson Center for Intimacy on the computer, then bellowed for Aleksei, verbally and mentally. “Get your sorry backside in here, brother. I have a bone to pick with you.” The entire castle vibrated a moment with the force of his voice thundering through the passageways, and everyone froze in whatever he or she had been doing, wondering what the hell was going on now.

  Aleksei was rather shocked by Tanis’s attitude so he didn’t reply right away, waiting until he got to the library. As he entered, Tanis, who was across the room, looking out a window at the night sky, turned and waved a hand, crashing the door shut behind him. Aleksei glanced over his shoulder at the door, which was trembling in its resting place from the force of the slam.

  “I take it you are angry with me about something, but must you punish the door?”

  With blurring speed, Tanis was across the room and punched the unprepared Aleksei in the mouth, slamming him back against the already abused door. “What the hell is wrong with you, Aleksei? You have everything you have ever dreamed of: a home you love, a village to protect, a Line to establish and a beautiful, brilliant woman who is strong enough to love you through it all, yet you are ready to throw it all away with an idiotic remark.”

  Aleksei righted himself, the back of his hand going to his mouth and dabbing at the blood from a split lip. He’d heal in minutes so the injury wasn’t the problem. His brother had just “cleaned his clock,” as Gillian would have said, and he was perplexed. Perplexed and getting angry.

  “What the hell was that for?” he shouted, glaring at his brother as though he’d never seen him before. Tanis’s eyes blazed gold and he started forward again but Aleksei held up a hand.

  “First, tell me what we are about to be fighting over, and what has already gotten you this angry.” He straightened to his full height and was eye to eye with his powerful and angry brother.

  “How can you speak disrespectfully to Gillian or about her profession,” Tanis hissed, moving forward slowly and deliberately like a panther stalking its prey. Aleksei didn’t back up but he began circling, mirroring Tanis’s movements.

  “She is about to offer herself up to a disturbed patient for money, Tanis. How can you condone that?”

  Tanis, circling Aleksei right back, offered, “It is her job, brother. She is the woman you love. The reason you love her is for her bravery and compassion. Yet you name her ‘courtesan. ’ I find that to be a very derogatory term for someone whom I love as a friend and once held in high esteem as a lover.” Tanis stopped abruptly and punctuated his sentence by poking Aleksei in the chest.

  Aleksei’s lovely face radiated his confusion. “Of course I do not think of her as a courtesan, Tanis. But if you were still with her, what would your opinion of this situation be?”

  Pain flashed through those icy eyes, all anger gone. He wasn’t being arrogant, Tanis realized. Aleksei was terrified. Specifically of losing Gillian. Too bad he might already have accomplished that.

  “If I were still with her, I would try to remember that the very core of her being is what I love. Not what she does or does not do in the course of her job, but what she does or does not do in the course of our relationship.”

  Tanis regarded his brother, eyes still blazing, arms folded. “She tried to explain this out of courtesy and love for you. She feared you would react badly if this were suddenly sprung on you. You have asked her to confide in you, you have asked her to share things with you, and when she does, how have you reacted?”

  Aleksei raked his hand through his thick, shimmering black hair, a gesture he shared with Gillian when he was agitated. “She trusted me, came to me with this to discuss it. Exactly as I have often asked her to do.” Ding. Elevator to Tact, now arriving.

  Realization filtered through and his face became stricken with fear. Gillian had finally confided in him, and he repaid her by being difficult. Oh yes, and grievously insulting her and her profession. She was never going to speak to him again; of that he was sure.

  It was very sad to watch a normally rational, intelligent Vampire suddenly have an epiphany, which he should have had sometime before he opened his mouth and said something stupid, Tanis decided. “And you very deftly severed that trust, betrayed your confidence in her and made her feel as though you count her value as a person and her love cheaply, unless you have your way.”

  Tanis was still angry enough to turn the screw a little more. “Very interesting indeed, Aleksei. When we first encountered the good doctor, I seem to recall you telling me that my attitude and behavior were antiquated and unfair.” He turned to go, tossing over his shoulder, “Now it is the kettle’s turn to call the pot black,” as he swept out of the room, leaving Aleksei alone with his churning thoughts.

  While Aleksei was receiving the verbal thrashing via Tanis, Gillian was hanging out with the Elf Twins. After the night of the meeting, Gillian made an effort to introduce herself and establish communication directly with those who were in the area. It turned out that Aisling and Gunnolf had heard of Mirrin, the High Elf Prince who had been under her command during their stretch in the USMC, and knew Hierlon, the Golden Elf guide who had brought Mirrin, Trocar and Kimber across the Doorway.

  It was nice to connect with the First People again, as the Elves referred to themselves. They were warm, open, very wise, but retained a freshness and purity about them despite living for millennia, fighting horrific battles, and watching the rise and fall of Human civilizations.

  Among the Elves there was an ancient saying: “When Hope falls, so does the World.” Elves never gave up hope on anything. They believed with every cell of their bodies that even a tragedy of epic proportions would have something good and positive be the ultimate result. Sometimes you just had to look really, really hard for it. Since Gillian was Jewish by heritage, she understood that concept quite well and felt a definite kinship with her First People friends.

  Gillian came away from her visit with them with a more positive perspective. She wasn’t given to sharing normally. Talking to Tanis, Jenna, Pavel and Trocar was out of character for her, but there wasn’t a way she could graciously have avoided it. Aleksei, she evaded deliberately. Archaic prick. Instinctively, she had decided to leave well enough alone. If they were to try and resolve things right now, they would wind up enemies and she knew she didn’t want that. In her heart, through her empathy, she knew he truly didn’t think the worst of her; that didn’t mean his temporary lapse of linguistic judgment hurt any less.

  She dragged herself up to her room close to dawn. Since she’d been on Vampire Standard Time, she was pretty well beat by the time the first streaks of light appeared in the sky. Pausing in the hallway outside the door, she thought about going into what was probably an empty room or, worse, one with Aleksei in it. He had been a constant presence in there for the last few weeks and she didn’t know if he would realize that the last thing in the world she wanted right now was company.

  Well, shit. She needed sleep and didn’t want to talk with Aleksei, let alone fight with him. And there would most definitely be a fight if she opened that door and found him in her bed. There was no way she could assure herself that he wasn’t already in there. She had been avoiding him all night but hadn’t even glimpsed him for the past hour.

  After a few minutes of searching the upper hallways, she managed to locate a linen closet and grabbed a pillow, sheets and a couple of blankets, then headed back downstairs. There was still a bustling of activity with all the new houseguests and campers
. Briefly she wondered where they were going to put the new patients Helmut was escorting to her and how they were going to manage confidentiality and privacy. She opened the massive front door and stepped out into the night. Cezar’s Wolves were on patrol, but they were familiar with her now and didn’t give her so much as a glance as she turned left and headed toward the nearby forest.

  Straight ahead there was a brief flash and she went toward it. As she neared, Trocar stepped out of the trees, crystalline hair all white and sparkly in the night. Gratefully, she went to him. He smiled and took her bedding from her, tucking it under his left arm and her under his right. “Come and be with the Elves tonight, Captain.”

  Elves’ voices were almost on par with a Vampire’s, but Gillian didn’t want to think about that or Aleksei. Still, by addressing her by her former rank, Trocar was unobtrusively inserting a boundary between them for tonight at least, one that he would not cross. He meant for her to join them for comfort and companionship, not sex. Gillian wanted to kiss him for being astute and understanding, but she didn’t.

  He escorted her a little farther into the forest, where she could see a campfire ahead. Aisling and Gunnolf were seated by the fire, as was Dalton, the Fey Prince of the Light Court. They waved at her and she returned it, but didn’t really feel like conversation. Trocar quickly spread her blankets near his, a curiously comforting act to her at the moment. He rose and looked down at her from his six-foot two-inch height. “Rest, Gillyflower. You are among friends and will not be disturbed.”

  Wordlessly, she nodded and lay down, scooting around to keep the bedding beneath her before Trocar, smiling and shaking his head, knelt to rearrange the blankets and tuck her in. She glowered up at him. “I am not a kid, Trocar, knock it off.”

  In response, he turned and dragged his sleeping pallet close to hers. With a swirl of his cape, he removed the garment and laid it next to the bedding, then, with effortless grace, slid into his own bedroll. Gillian yelped when a strong arm pulled her against an even stronger chest and she rolled over to stare at him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “I am comforting you, Gillyflower. Now be still and rest easy. I will watch you this night, as will the others. You must be fresh for your new clients tomorrow.” Trocar’s voice was lovely but she felt like he was mocking her.

  “I know your thoughts, Mellina. I am not making sport of you. You need a friend tonight, and I am that friend.”

  Tears burned in her eyes for a moment and she whispered, “Thanks,” then turned and let him pull her close. Exhaustion took her and she slept.

  Trocar waited until her breathing was level and steady, then adjusted his own position so he could mold around her body more, giving her his warmth, and closed his own eyes. Her scent of sun-kissed clover meadow and snow was in his nostrils.

  “Sleep well, Gillyflower, and pray that your Vampire Lord and I do not have a disagreement anytime soon,” he murmured, half to himself, as he fell asleep.

  Once a Marine, always a Marine. You stand by your Captain and your fellow soldiers. Period. Trocar had been furious with Aleksei’s reaction to Gillian when he had learned of the incident. He afforded her a respect that he gave few others. As his commanding officer, she had never been his lover, though he had wished it, but they had been stalwart friends. There was a Blood Oath between them and they would be friends until their dying day.

  No one insulted Gillian—only he got to do that . . . well, and Kimber . . . and Jenna . . . and Daed . . . but that was beside the point. The team had earned the right to pick on each other. These newcomers had not.

  Aleksei might have been in a bad way tonight if Trocar had been true to his nature. Serving in the USMC had tamed him a little and made him less reactionary than his fellows. Gillian wasn’t letting the insult slide, by any means, but she hadn’t killed Aleksei either. By Trocar’s standard, she had every right to but chose not to do it.

  The Vampire Lord would apologize to her and learn to curb his tongue or Trocar would cut it out. The Vampire would heal. Meanwhile, Trocar would be Gillyflower’s friend and comfort her. He knew what she needed tonight and provided it. His last thought before sleep was that Aleksei should make it his business to develop a better understanding of Gillian—of who and what she was—if he wanted to remain in her life.

  CHAPTER 3

  HELMUT Gerhardt and his charges arrived just when Gillian told him to—right after dusk the following evening. The rented van pulled into the courtyard while the sun hung low on the horizon, like a bloody red ball. Having gotten some sleep, thanks to Trocar, and been fed, thanks to the Elves, Gillian was ready to take on her responsibilities again. Her issues with Aleksei could wait until later; right now she had a job to do.

  As the van came to a stop, she unconsciously shifted into parade rest. It was a leftover defense mechanism from the Service. When she felt she would be evaluated, she became more formal with everything she did: speech, mannerisms and even her stance.

  “Dr. Gerhardt, welcome to Castle Rachlav,” Gillian said with a smile she didn’t really feel as her boss and mentor exited the van. Aleksei would be out in a moment to greet the guests. She had successfully avoided him since their fight and wasn’t looking forward to seeing him now but she couldn’t avoid not being there to greet everyone.

  “Dr. Key, how nice to see you,” Helmut replied, shaking her hand then drawing her into a hug and whispering in her ear, “I have credentials with me that state this is the Rachlav Institute of Paramortal Healing, to keep everything legal and aboveboard. The patients are aware of this and have all signed waivers in case their confidentiality is violated accidentally here.” He pulled back to look into her eyes. “They all specifically requested you, Gillian. Your reputation precedes you.”

  “Indeed it does, Dr. Gerhardt.”

  Shit and double shit. Aleksei. He’d come up while Helmut was whispering to her. Sneaky bastard. Nowhere to run now.

  “Allow me to welcome you to Castle Rachlav.” The tall, breathtaking Vampire glided up to the clinical director of IPPA and shook his hand without giving Gillian so much as a glance. Well, that was just fine with her. Two could play this game.

  “Helmut, if you will introduce me to our patients, I will direct them to their rooms. You can talk to Count Rachlav in a moment about your solution. I am sure he will be most agreeable to anything you have to say.”

  With that, she moved to the van, avoiding Aleksei’s gaze and presence with Helmut following close behind her. She felt the slightest brush on her mind and slammed her barriers shut. That should give him the message. It did. She heard the crunch of his boots on the gravel as he turned away from her and the van. Aleksei could walk without a sound on any surface, so she knew he made noise for her benefit so she’d know he was gone.

  “Dr. Key, may I introduce Samuel Frank.” Helmut opened the van’s door and stepped back to allow an enormous cloaked figure to unfold itself out of the van’s interior to stand next to them. Whoever he was, he was huge. Easily the tallest male of any species that she had ever seen. Well over seven and a half feet tall, his height was only slightly more impressive than the bulk. She couldn’t get a good look, he was completely covered from head to feet by the heavy black hooded cloak, which also obscured his face from view.

  “I’m glad to meet you, Samuel.” Gillian offered her hand and kept the surprise off her face when an enormous gloved hand engulfed hers. His grip was tentative, as if he knew he had great strength and could hurt her. Her empathy flared and she could feel his physical pain and fear. Projecting comforting feelings back was easy. She didn’t want him on edge.

  “Thank you, Dr. Key.”

  Ye gods, the voice emanating from under that spooky hood was deep and thick with a hollow fluid sound. Gillian knew from the file Helmut had faxed her that Mr. Samuel Frank had once hailed from Germany. He was basically the failed experiment of two doctors, Frankenstein and Clerval, who thought they could create life from lifelessness, using lightning
and the sewn-together parts from a number of corpses, over a hundred years before.

  Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, they had been successful. Samuel had been brought unceremoniously and painfully to life. Rumor had it that Viktor Frankenstein had removed Clerval’s brain when his friend died of a heart attack and placed it in Samuel’s skull so his creation would be assured of brilliant intellect.

  When Viktor was arrested, he stated that his friend had ordered him to use the brain, citing scientific intent. The magistrate’s opinion diverged on that issue and Viktor was ordered to stand trial for murder, corpse theft and the desecration of several bodies, including that of his friend, Dr. Clerval. Viktor opted to run for it.

  Having booked passage on a ship going up into the Arctic Circle to hide what remained of the evidence that could put him in prison for the rest of his life, Viktor thought he was safe. Samuel, however, stowed away, intending to see that his remaining creator was brought to justice, one way or another.

  There was an accident with a lantern one night. A sailor who was lubricated against the cold tried to refill an already lit lantern with whale oil. The resulting fire ignited the merchant ship and the crew panicked, abandoning both passengers and vessel, leaving Samuel alone with his nemesis. Both were horribly burned; Samuel from trying to salvage his creator so that justice would be meted out and Viktor from trying to escape both the flames and his creation.

  Despite Samuel’s efforts to save him, Viktor died of his injuries and exposure to the bone-chilling cold soon after. Before the human died, the two of them had a discussion that resolved a few questions Samuel had about the reason for Viktor’s experiments. Samuel was moved enough by his dying creator’s honesty to bestow his forgiveness, letting the past die with the Human.