Charles had disappeared sometime during the night, but he'd left me comfortable and covered up in bed before he left. He was right—I had been exhausted. I wandered toward the kitchen, knowing that Trina would never be there, waiting for any of us again. Forcing more tears back, I went looking for something to eat. Nobody had pointed it out, but I hadn't eaten anything the day before, and my body wasn't reacting well to that fact.
Bill didn't say anything when he walked in—he merely went to the coffeepot and poured a cup of coffee. Winkler, Weldon and Trajan were out on the deck having their coffee, and as I didn't want to disturb them by walking away from Bill, I stayed where I was and kept eating my bowl of cereal.
Bill fixed eggs and bacon for a small army (I sure wasn't about to offer) and ate in silence. Kathleen shuffled in. He served her, then took his seat again. Hank and Jayson arrived, and I could tell they'd been beating on one another in the exercise room. They put plates together and sat down to eat.
My bowl went into the dishwasher; I found a notepad hanging on the refrigerator door, found a pen in a drawer, wrote out a note, slapped it in front of Bill and disappeared.
* * *
"Where the fuck did she go?" Jayson snarled, coming off his seat.
"Grocery shopping," Hank held up the note.
"Fuck," Bill grumbled.
"We told her she had to tell us. We didn't tell her we had to approve it," Hank sighed.
"You think she went to that store in Port A?" Bill asked.
"Probably not. She's pissed enough to go to China," Hank moaned. "And since she can speak the language, we'll probably have squid in the fridge when she gets back."
* * *
Breanne's Journal
I'd had to mist to my house in San Rafael and dig through my sock drawer for the cash I kept there, but I had money. No, I'd never asked Bill for the numbers to the accounts he'd set up, and I sure wasn't going to ask him now. I had several thousand dollars in my pockets, and I could buy wherever I wanted. I went shopping in France, because I hadn't had good cheese in a while.
I bought enough fruit for an army, too, along with vegetables, canned goods, prosciutto, all cuts of meat for the carnivores, cookies, bread, and anything else I thought we might need. I'd had to stop at a bank to get Euro, but everything was easy after that.
Thankfully, I was able to get help carrying bags out of the market, then placed compulsion before gathering everything in my mist and folding back to Texas. Yes, I'd bent time, so only ten minutes had passed for those still eating at the kitchen island. I busied myself, putting everything away.
"All of this is in French," Opal observed. She'd walked in halfway through my restocking episode and started reading labels.
"I went to Paris," I informed her.
"No squid," Jayson high-fived Hank. I had no idea why.
"Have a seat, I'll make an omelette for you," I told Opal.
"If you'll eat half," Opal offered.
"Sure." I made an omelette, put prosciutto in Opal's half and served it up a few minutes later.
"This is really good," Opal said around a mouthful.
"Prosciutto. I understand it's really good. I've never had any," I said, cutting into my veggie half of the meal. "It's Italian, but the market I went to seemed liberal enough."
"Cheese in this is awesome," Opal sipped her coffee.
"Yeah. I like French cheeses. Swiss cheese. Some Irish cheese. Stilton. Gruyere, if it's made with vegetable rennet. All of that with fruit. And crackers."
"Are you sure you're getting enough protein?" Kathleen asked.
"I got some protein drinks and bars," I said. "I'm not fond of them, but they serve their purpose. I didn't get to eat yesterday, so I'm hungry today."
Hank cleared his throat but didn't say anything. Score.
"How about some milk with that omelette, then?" Charles walked in, making my eyes almost pop from my head.
"What the hell?" I stared at him.
"I learned from Hank, there, that your blood may have interesting properties," Charles grinned. "I woke the day after I took from you, and didn't fry when I peeked outside. Two days later, I went to London during the day and ate two baskets of fish and chips at a pub. You have no idea how good it tasted."
"You've been talking to Hank?" I frowned at Charles.
"I got tired of listening to Gavin's phone ring so I answered," Hank shrugged.
"Oh, we're talking now?" I stared at him.
"I'm talking to Charles," Hank said.
"Go on," Charles nodded.
"Anyway, you asked me what the hell was going on with Breanne, so I told you."
"Oh, like Wlodek won't get his underwear in a knot if he finds out," I snapped.
"Wlodek won't ever know unless you tell him," Charles soothed. "He never asks me questions like that. I'm completely safe with the information."
"I don't believe this," I slapped a hand over my eyes. "All I need is for every vampire on Earth to think I ought to be killed."
"They'll have to kill me, too," Charles declared. "Because I'll stand beside you."
"Honey, that's sweet, but there's no way I'll let you do that." I went to the fridge to get eggs and prosciutto to make an omelette for him. He got his food fifteen minutes later.
"This is so good," Charles sighed after eating half the omelette in record time. "I didn't remember what real food tasted like before."
"Charles, please pace yourself. I don't want you to get a stomach ache," I said.
"Come here, sweetheart," Charles motioned me toward him. I went. "Here," he leaned in to kiss me. "That's for this, and making it so I can eat it," he grinned.
"What are we going to do about Trina's funeral?" Jayson asked.
"I've already sent her family a note, offering to pay," Kathleen said. "They said they'd let me know when the service will be held."
"This is all so wrong, it reeks," I muttered, stuffing dirty dishes in the dishwasher. I started cursing in French, then moved to Italian. Went to German after that, and then Russian. I ended up with the High Demon language, which made Hank raise his eyebrows in alarm. "Stupid, fucking difiks," I ended my diatribe and slammed the dishwasher door shut.
"All right, I call a truce," Bill muttered. "I can't handle this, sweetheart. Not talking to you when you're right in front of me. Refusing to comfort you, when I know you're upset. Telling you how grateful I am that you care about me at all."
"Bill, I love you. I don't care who knows it. Anybody who sees something wrong with that can kiss my posterior. Charles, I'm sorry you walked into the middle of all this. Has Hank given you the multiple mate speech? Because he seems really good at doing that behind my back. Jayson, on the other hand, just wants to hit me."
"Hey," Jayson protested.
"It's like this—if both parties want it, it's all fine and hunky-dory. If one doesn't want it, it's abuse. Right?" I stalked out of the kitchen, leaving them behind to discuss my snit.
* * *
"Yesterday was a test," Hank sat heavily beside me. I'd chosen a covered swing on the deck and tucked my legs under me to continue staring at the gulf.
"Some women seem to like the spanking," he said. "If you offer it often enough, and they learn they're really not getting hurt. Usually the swats are filled with a whole lot of fondling in between. Maybe some kissing, too."
"Sure." I refused to look at him.
"Look, we were mad. And upset. Still are, actually. Bree, why should we expect you to do something about Trina? None of us are helpless. We should have gone to the store with her and Jimmy. We didn't. We weren't doing our job, yesterday, and since you left us behind, we grabbed a convenient scapegoat when you got back."
"And nobody won," I muttered.
"Yeah. Nobody won. You're right about that."
"Is Charles recovering after the multiple mate thing was served up with breakfast?" I asked.
"He was completely cool with that when I told him three days ago."
"No surpris
e," I said.
"Bill wants you to come with us to D.C."
"Fine."
"You need to get cleaned up and dress nicer," Hank said.
"I'll go do that right now." I let my feet fall to the deck.
"Breanne?" Hank's hand brushed mine as I stood.
"What?" I didn't turn to look at him.
"I love you. I've never loved anyone so much."
"You have a strange way of showing it at times," I said and walked away from him.
* * *
"I've never been here," Charles grinned. Well, he was in D.C. now. And not only was he in D.C., he was sitting in a room just outside a meeting with Bill, the President and the Joint Chiefs. Hank, Jayson and Opal were with us, too, and all three were armed to the eyebrows.
Charles and I were armed to the fangs, I guess, with claws and enhanced strength. The Secret Service guys were in the room with the President, and they were loaded for whatever might come their way, too.
"How long will this take?" Jayson asked Opal.
"They could be in there for hours, it just depends," she shrugged.
"Aren't you tired?" I asked Charles.
"Nah. I'll sleep better tonight," he grinned. Charles smiled more than any vampire I'd ever met.
"Bill may want dinner afterward," Opal said. "A couple of restaurants he likes are nearby. He may want to drop by his house, too."
"I can do that," I said. I could take Bill anywhere he wanted to go, even if it was off-planet. Jeez, why hadn't I thought of that sooner? I could have taken Trina and Kathleen to Le-Ath Veronis. Nobody would bother them at the palace, as long as Lissa was there.
It was too late for that—at least for Trina. I wanted to cry again, and couldn't. That took me back to Corent, and why he hadn't been affected by my tears. It made absolutely no sense at all. I also wondered about Tybus, and how he was getting along. He wouldn't have a moment to himself, to attempt a recovery after what he'd been through. With a sigh, I sent Love to him again.
* * *
Lissa's Journal
"How are you feeling?" I asked. It was so hard for me to see his face—he looked exactly like Gavril. I'd had Drake and Drew check, and somehow, my sister had even changed his fingerprints to match my son's.
My son was dead. I had to keep reminding myself. And there could be no funeral or public mourning for his passing. Reah had come the night before—after I'd given Tybus my blood—and we'd had a long talk.
There was no need to let anyone think Tybus was anything other than Teeg San Gerxon, she'd said. She was waiting, too, to speak with him and offer to keep up appearances. The problem, however, would be Garwin Wyatt. Granted he was at school, but what would happen when he came home in two months for his holiday?
"I feel good. Very good." Tybus blinked dark eyes at me. "I received another infusion of whatever it was that Breanne provided yesterday. I can't begin to explain how healing and invigorating that is."
"I think you're one of the few who's gotten that from her," I said. Honestly, she probably didn't realize how much that simple act might accomplish. She'd done it for me, too, and for Gavin. Somehow, it made Gavril's death easier for us to bear.
"Are you ready to move to San Gerxon Palace?" I asked. "Dee will be here shortly, with all four warlocks. How strong are my son's memories?"
"Very strong. I recognize those he knew easily. I believe what love he had left in him was reserved for his son, and I feel that residual emotion."
"Thank goodness," I muttered. "Look, I checked earlier, and whether you were before, you're a King Vampire now."
"I was before," he inclined his head.
"You also have misting ability," I said. "Plus mindspeech."
"That will be most helpful," he said. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me. Breanne did that for you. All you needed was my blood, and I think she knew that in some way. You have my blood now. Just as Gavril had it before." I wiped tears from my face before folding away.
* * *
Breanne's Journal
The meeting lasted more than four hours and darkness was falling outside. Charles had already left a message for Gavin, telling him he was with us. Obviously, he'd told Gavin he could now walk in daylight.
That concerned me. Wlodek might learn of this, and I didn't want to guess what his reaction might be. Worse, vampires who learned of my "special blood," might line up to get it, and let's face it—humans needed daylight to put distance between themselves and a lot of vamps.
Regardless, I sort of liked my blood where it was—inside my body. The thought of a strange vampire sucking on my neck terrified me in ways I couldn't begin to describe.
"Sweetheart, you just went pale." Bill's arm folded me against him for a tight hug. We sat in a round booth in a corner of one of his favorite twenty-four-hour restaurants. We'd been served drinks and waited for our meals to arrive. I'd been lost in thought once I ordered and the others talked.
"Yeah." I leaned my head on his shoulder.
What's wrong with my girl? Shockingly enough, that came from Jayson. Sure, he'd been introduced to the President earlier as Matt Michaels, Bill's newest agent, but to me he would always be Jayson Rome, occasional asshat. Yeah, he knew how to deliver on what he considered vanilla sex, but I could never deliver on what he really liked.
I know what you're thinking, and you need to stop, Jayson informed me. Hell, not all subs are alike, either. Some want to be beaten. Others want light taps. I understand now that you don't need any of that. Bree, most of what I do I do because they beg for it. You saw that fucking video. That's what Belinda likes. If you came over and asked me to kiss your ass again, I'd do it. Although I'll admit I like the begging. A lot.
His last statement came through with a cheeky, mental grin. I knew he was teasing me. I also felt he was doing his best not to grieve in public for Trina. I felt we were all trying to do the same.
"Bill, are we going to Trina's funeral?" I asked.
"Sweetheart, someone may be looking to trap us there. They know she was Jayson's employee, and the notice has already been put in the newspapers and has been reported on a couple of news stations. I managed to get the place of death listed as Dallas since that's where her family thought she was, but that's the best I could do."
"This sucks so bad," I sighed before lifting my head. Well, was I who I was or what? I already knew somebody who could help.
"Bill, do you have to be anywhere for the next two hours?" I asked.
"No, sweetheart."
"Good. There's a place I want to go after dinner."
"Anywhere you want."
"Great. Remember you said that," I said.
* * *
"Breanne left nothing to chance, as I understand it," Dee sighed. "You even smell the same."
Tybus nodded at Dee, whose given name was Dormas. "I've only met a few vampires close to my age," Tybus said. He knew by scent that Dee was more than ten thousand years old.
"Your age from before?" Dee queried.
"Yes. I suppose I must refrain from thinking in those terms."
"Definitely. You were from the Le-Ath Veronis of old, before the fall?" Dee was aware of the history—he'd heard it from Lissa.
"Yes. I was comesula before I was vampire, too, just as all the vampires were from that age. The Queen offered me a place on Kifirin—she felt that the High Demons would accept me when they refused all others, because I'd designed their palace. I wouldn't allow her to ask, and fought by her side at the end."
"Why did you refuse? Were you mated to her?" Dee's dark eyes studied Tybus carefully.
"No. She was my child—my only child, before I was made vampire."
"Would it interest you to know, then, that Lissa is the former Queen—reincarnated?"
Tybus' hands shook suddenly. "Yes," he whispered. "That interests me very much."
* * *
Breanne's Journal
"Graegar, thank you for doing this for me." I smiled up at him. Jayson stared (as d
id Opal) at the tall, blue Larentii Wise One, and at his taller (and bluer) Larentii Protector, Barrigar.
"My mate will be most happy to see you," Graegar smiled back. "She said you might make a request. I am happy to provide transportation."
"Where are we going?" Bill asked.
"As well you should ask," Graegar replied. "We will pay a visit to your friend—you can say your farewells," he said and ferried us away from Bill's house.
"Hello," Conner said the moment we were settled inside a spacious, private library. A large painting of Conner graced one wall, and it had been beautifully executed.
"This is my mate, Conner," Graegar introduced her. "She is known as the Guardian, and holds a key to the curtain separating this world from the next."
"What?" Jayson mouthed at me.
"We're here to see Trina," I said.
"What?" Jayson repeated. He was the one to turn pale, this time.
"There is nothing to fear," Conner said. "Come."
It felt as if we didn't move, but our surroundings changed and we stood in a beautiful meadow, filled with the brightest and most fragrant roses. "She is coming," Conner's eyes went bright as she spoke.
"Bree," Hank's hands settled on my shoulders as a figure, hazy at first, walked toward us.
"It's Trina," Opal wept.
"There is one more who should be here," Conner said, her eyes going brighter. Jimmy appeared at her side. Conner took his hand to keep him from turning werewolf after he was drawn from one place to another.
"Trina's coming," Bill told Jimmy. "This is our chance to say good-bye." At least Bill grasped our reason for being where we were. Bill Jennings was a very smart man.
"Look who's here," Trina flashed us a smile as the last of the haze dropped away from her and we could see her clearly.
"Trina," Jimmy reached a hand toward her.
"Jimmy, someday we'll be together," Trina said, reaching out to touch his fingers. "I promise. They already told me that. They just said we have to be patient."
"Baby, I'll look forward to that day," Jimmy's voice trembled with emotion. "You don't blame me, do you?" I could see that this worry troubled Jimmy a lot.
"No. Don't ever take the blame for this. Not your fault. Never your fault," Trina said gently. "It won't be long before we're together," she added.
Blood Revolution (God Wars, #3) Page 23
