"Not that the face isn't a giveaway or anything," I nodded. "I'd prefer to have my own, actually."
"How do you like being vampire?"
"I don't."
"You can't let your present circumstances upset you." I stared into dark eyes as he spoke; the light from the Queen's bedroom glittered in their depths. Sheriff Trevor was a handsome man—there was no doubt.
"What should I do about my present circumstances, then?" I turned my head away once more. His eyes were begging for something from me, and I couldn't tell what that something was. Normally, I would have known right away—my curse would make sure of it. Since I couldn't read him, I had no idea what he wanted.
"Just go the distance. It can't last forever, can it? Lissa will come back and you'll be free."
"Not for another five years," I pointed out. Gavin had me under his thumb for that length of time, and who knew what he'd demand of me, once the Queen returned. I'd probably be stuffed inside my windowless office, dealing with comesuli difficulties until the end of time.
"How is your sire treating you?"
"He's absent, most of the time. Shows up when he wants something. That's how he is. He wants to be my sire as little as I want to be vampire."
"I'm asking you now to contact me if things become unbearable." Trevor handed a small card to me. Hardly anyone used any kind of paper on Le-Ath Veronis. It was unusual that he had a card. It bore his name, title and a comp-vid code.
"I'll keep this," I nodded to him. "Thank you."
"If you didn't look as you do, I'd take you to Casino City and show you around."
"That would be nice—if I didn't look this way," I said. "I haven't been outside the palace since I arrived."
"That in itself is criminal," Trevor said. "And Skel Hawer deserves to be eaten by lions."
"Yeah," I shrugged. Trevor rose from his seat.
"I have to get back to work. Call if you need anything." He walked through the open French doors leading into the Queen's suite and disappeared. I watched until I couldn't see him anymore.
* * *
My next off-day was a repeat of the previous one, except for one thing—another photograph had been sent by a machinery repair crew from the agricultural city of New Veshtul. One face out of forty caught my attention, and I knew I had to act quickly before the unthinkable happened.
* * *
"Breanne, why are you calling me on off-day?" I hadn't been able to reach Grant, but Heathe answered the call.
"Because I want to visit Roff's winery," I said. "How do I arrange for transportation? There isn't any information on my comp-vid."
"Just call Radomir. His code is in your comp-vid directory. If he can't take you, he'll find someone who can."
"All right. Thank you." I ended the communication and looked up Radomir's number.
"I'll have a driver at the side door in ten minutes." Radomir seemed to be a decent person. He'd certainly been polite when I asked for a car or whatever they had.
I walked through the side door less than ten minutes later, where a solar-powered vehicle waited outside. What I wasn't expecting to find was Cheedas, sitting in the back seat.
"I need three cases of oxberry wine for a reception next week, so I'm coming along," he said. He hadn't even bothered to ask if he could come—he'd just shown up instead. I didn't answer him; I climbed into the back seat and huddled as close to the door as I could so he wouldn't come in contact with me. He hated that I wore the Queen's face. He hated that she was away from the planet. In other words, he may as well have hated me. I could see it in his face.
* * *
I was treated as the Queen I resembled as I was led to Roff's office. Once the door closed and we were alone, however, I knew how he felt about me, too. "It wasn't my choice. Any of it," I said, refusing to apologized for something I had no hand in. "And I hope you won't take your anger and prejudice out on this one," I pulled the comp-vid from my jacket pocket and showed Roff the photograph I'd received.
"What do you expect me to do?" His voice and honey-brown eyes held a bit of frost.
"I see two futures for this one," I tapped the face in question. "One, she comes to work for you in the tasting room. The other, she dies and her child suffers."
"You must be joking? You expect me to believe this?" Roff's gaze raked my face, betraying his incredulity.
"I was hoping you'd take the chance that I'd be right. I see now how foolish that was. Thank you for your time." I pulled my comp-vid away and slipped it into my pocket.
"What is the name?" he sighed, turning away and staring at the wall. A strong hand combed through black hair as he waited for my answer.
"Croft. Her name is Croft. She works for the machinery repair crew in New Veshtul. If you hire her, it has to happen in the next two weeks. After that, it will be too late."
"For curiosity's sake, why is she in danger?" Roff asked, turning his eyes on me again. At least he was considering my request. Gavin would have sent me away and likely have cursed while he did it.
"They're bullying her, because she isn't as strong as the others. Thank you for seeing me." I nodded to Roff and walked out his door.
* * *
After loading silently into the vehicle for the return trip to the palace, Cheedas decided to speak. "How do you like being a vampire?" he asked.
"I don't."
"Gavin can be somewhat abrupt."
I wanted to snort at his comment. I'd settle for abrupt. Hell, I'd settle for his presence now and then, if only to answer the questions he promised he'd answer. Well, he'd lied. No surprise.
"My sire is Oluwa, and he is the best father anyone could ask for. Many years have passed since my turning, and I can still ask for his time and advice."
"That sounds nice," I said. It did sound nice, and it only aggravated the chasm that existed between Gavin and me. "I believe Gavin doesn't like me," I said. "And he didn't want a vampire child."
"Oluwa assured me from the beginning that I was the child he'd waited for. He has only turned two, you know. My elder vampire sibling died in the race war on Earth."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"I never met him. Oluwa still misses him. He was his first child."
"It must be difficult to lose a child."
"He loves me. My sire, that is."
"I'm happy for you."
Cheedas couldn't have planned his attack better if he'd had months to plot. I'd never had parents of any kind. Now I didn't have a sire, either. I had Gavin Montegue, who never wanted a vampire child.
"Do you need help with you cases of wine?" The vehicle pulled to a stop outside the palace, and offering to help was the polite thing to do as I opened my door.
"No, I'll have some of the comesuli carry it in," Cheedas waved away my offer. I got myself out of the car and walked inside the palace.
Later, I flipped the card Trevor had given me in my fingers before laying it on the bedside table. Striding into the Queen's closet, I sorted through more clothing than anyone ought to own in a lifetime before settling on jeans and what looked to be an older shirt. I found a pair of shoes that didn't look new and stuffed my feet into them after dressing in the outfit I'd selected. Squaring my shoulders, I walked out to the Queen's balcony and lowered myself over the side.
* * *
The Line is forty miles north of Lissia. They call it The Line for a reason—it is the farthest any vampire can go without burning in the constant sunlight on that side of the planet. Carefully, I watched to make sure nobody saw me as I slipped over the palace wall.
I'd seen Rathik move faster than the wind. I was vampire, too, and forty miles was nothing to a vampire's speed. This was an easy fix—I didn't want to be vampire; Gavin didn't want a vampire child. None of the palace residents wanted me there—I was a convenience and a very poor one at that. I just hoped it would be over quickly, once I arrived at The Line.
* * *
"What lessons have you covered?" Merrill and Adam had come to Casino City to check o
n the Chessman, Adam's casino. Things seemed to be running smoothly, so they'd come to Gavin's office. Drake and Drew had expressed their concerns to Dragon, who then approached Adam and Merrill. Dragon's twins worried about Breanne.
"I haven't had time for lessons. I gave them to her on comp-vid." Gavin growled his answer.
"You could ask someone else to teach her," Adam said. "You know it is oral tradition, and is retained better if the sire passes the information to his child."
"That's not an option. She wears Lissa's face."
"Surely there is someone trustworthy enough," Merrill said.
"Lissa didn't get all her lessons," Gavin pointed out maliciously.
"Lissa received the important ones. At least tell me Breanne has been instructed on the bite and the initial laws." Merrill offered Gavin a hard stare.
"I've already said I don't have time. She's here to stand in for Lissa. That's it. When Lissa returns, find her any sire you want. I'll be happy to get rid of her."
"You should never have made the turn, vampire." Connegar and Reemagar appeared inside Gavin's office. Connegar held Breanne's burned body in his arms.
Chapter 4
"What happened?" Merrill and Adam stood behind the two Larentii as they worked on Breanne's burns.
"It is most fortunate that we placed a tracking device when we altered her appearance," Reemagar said softly. "If we had arrived only a few seconds later, she would be beyond our help."
Adam watched in silence as clothing and burned skin floated away from Breanne's body, leaving red, angry muscle behind. "It looks and smells like burned meat," Adam muttered.
"That is exactly what it is," Reemagar agreed.
"Lissa was worse," Merrill sighed.
"We are cooling her body, and her vampirism will regenerate the skin. At least she did not lose her hair or appendages," Connegar said as more bits of clothing and burned flesh floated away and disappeared. "We have removed the disguise. It is a disservice to her anyway."
"What the hell are we supposed to do in the meantime? There's a Council meeting in the morning," Gavin exploded.
"Fuck the Council," Merrill hissed, his eyes turning red and fangs pricking his lower lip. "If you want, I'll bend time and get her back to your fucking Council meeting. She needs help. I'll have Karzac contact Kevis."
Gavin cursed in Italian as he flung open the door and slammed it behind him.
"I'm going to Kiarra," Adam growled. "He'll be without his talents soon enough."
"Agreed," Merrill said. "We'll carry her to NorthStar tonight. Kevis can be there in the morning. I'll ask Wlodek and Flavio to remove her from Gavin's care."
"Which of you wishes to give her blood?" Connegar turned to Merrill. "She is dying, even in my care."
"What?" Merrill stepped forward to examine Breanne's body. Her small form had become ashen.
"I'll do it," Adam held his wrist out to Merrill, who sliced it carefully.
"My blood is a gift to you," Adam chanted as he held his bloody wrist over Breanne's mouth.
* * *
"I need her help with something. Where is she?" Kooper and Trevor had come to the palace. When they hadn't found Breanne in her office, the Queen's office or the Queen's suite, they'd gone to the kitchens. Cheedas was so upset they couldn't get coherent answers from him, so they'd gone looking for Gavin.
* * *
"Burned. Went to The Line." Gavin was drunk and sitting in a booth at New Fangled, the vampire lounge owned by Flavio.
"You'd better be joking." Trevor had Gavin's jacket in his grip as he snarled in the former assassin's face.
"No. Connegar says that Adam Chessman had to save her. She was turning to ash. Never meant that to happen." Gavin hiccupped.
"What the fuck did you mean to happen, then?" Kooper was angry and his eyes were going strange.
"Already have a mate. Don't need another," Gavin slurred.
"Where can we find Adam Chessman?" Kooper did his best to hold his anger back. Trevor's claws tore Gavin's jacket as he tossed him away.
"Come on, he's drunk. We'll find Flavio. He can get to Wlodek and Wlodek can get to Adam and Merrill." Trevor pulled Kooper away as he stalked out of New Fangled.
* * *
"She's all right; she's just sleeping off a draft of Adam's blood, that's all. He says she'll wake in the morning. He has a specialist coming in the morning to talk with her. We need to know why she went to The Line." Flavio nodded at his comesula servant, who'd placed cups of coffee in front of him and Kooper after serving a bottle of blood substitute to Trevor.
"How does he know that?" Kooper stared at Trevor.
"Mindspeech," Trevor took a drink from his bottle.
"I contacted my sire, who sent the message to Adam Chessman. He is watching over her carefully, as her first sire should have done," Flavio explained.
"Gavin should have been watching when she got away and went to The Line," Kooper growled.
"Not to worry," Flavio's smile was almost blinding. "Adam's blood will ensure that sunlight will no longer harm her."
"Must be pretty damn special, then," Kooper drank from his cup.
"It is," Flavio agreed. "Why is it that you need her help?"
"This." Kooper pulled a comp-vid from his pocket. "Teeg San Gerxon captured this one a few hours ago. They can't get him to talk, and that's unusual. Those warlocks Teeg has can convince just about anybody to talk."
"Teeg can convince them to talk," Trevor muttered. "Most of the time."
"How can Breanne help with this?" Flavio was extremely curious.
"She led me straight to Weren Kele and his partner, Shale Parc. I have a feeling she can tell these things, somehow, without asking any questions."
"That would be a useful talent," Flavio agreed. "Father?" Flavio said the last word to empty air. Wlodek appeared in a blink.
"What is it, child?" Wlodek asked.
"These two need to see Breanne, as soon as she wakes."
"She won't wake until tomorrow morning. That eliminates our vampire Sheriff from being there."
"No," Trevor shook his head. "I know about the blood thing. The Queen gave me hers years ago. Said I might need it to track scum on the light side of Le-Ath Veronis. I can go."
"How did you manage to keep that secret?" Flavio's dark eyes studied Trevor with guarded interest.
"Nobody important enough asked before." Trevor grinned as he rose from his seat. "When and where do you want me tomorrow morning? Kooper and I have a date with a sick friend."
"Meet here at eight bells. I'll take you," Wlodek said.
"Good enough. Thank you, Honored One." Trevor inclined his head respectfully to Wlodek.
* * *
"Has he said anything?" Teeg San Gerxon leaned against the wall opposite the prisoner's cell.
"Not a word, boss." Stellan Starr shook his head. He couldn't understand it, either. They had a rogue warlock sitting in the cell—they knew that much at least, but he refused to talk and neither Teeg's compulsion nor anything the Starr brothers had attempted could bring a word to this one's lips.
"If we hadn't intercepted that ship, we wouldn't have him, either. Any word on its destination?"
"No, boss. Just found drugs on board, and only a few boxes of that. I get the idea that information was the most important cargo they transported; that's why he won't—or can't—talk." Stellan nodded toward their prisoner.
Their captive didn't look capable of holding anything back; Stellan thought him rather weak as a warlock, otherwise he might have escaped his captors, who were regular CSD—Campiaan Security Detail. Instead, the agents had received a few burns from feeble fireblasts before they'd managed to knock him unconscious with a laser tazer. They'd hauled him to Campiaa for questioning afterward.
"We can hold him two days for questioning on the drugs, but we have to let him post bond after that," Teeg sighed. "Kooper Griff says he has somebody who might help, but tomorrow morning is the earliest they can arrive."
"I hope whomever he has can tell us something. There's a problem here, I can smell it," Stellan grumbled.
"Yeah. Me, too, Stell. Me, too."
* * *
Breanne's Journal
"Sweetheart, people are waiting for you to wake."
I blinked at the face hovering near mine. Oddly enough, Adam Chessman's gray eyes were filled with concern. I blinked a few more times, just to bring his face into focus. I knew all sorts of things about him when my vision finally cleared. Yes, he'd been vampire. Yes, he'd killed. And finally, yes, he was a kind soul. I wanted to weep at the last revelation. Not only was he a kind soul, but some of that kindness was pointed in my direction.
"Who's waiting?" I touched my forehead—my brain felt fragile for some reason. It hit me, then. Sunlight filtered through an unfamiliar window beside my bed and I wasn't frying. I remembered my suicide attempt in the sun on Le-Ath Veronis—I'd barely kept the screams of agony behind my teeth as natural light melted my skin.
Adam smiled gently at me. "Well, Trevor and Kooper say what they have can't wait, and then Kevis wants to speak with you when you're done with those two," Adam interrupted my thoughts. He was a handsome man—there was no doubt of that. He was also mated to a beautiful woman; I'd seen her in my reading of Adam. I even had her name and the names of her two other mates.
"I'll walk you to the kitchen so you can have breakfast and listen to what Kooper and Trevor have to say." Adam smiled gently at me as he helped me off the bed.
"How am I still alive in daylight?" I wobbled precariously as I stood.
"We had to perform a second turn last night, after you went to The Line," Adam said, slipping my hand through his elbow to steady me. "My blood has something extra in it." I already knew he was special, as were the others I'd seen in his reading.
"So I won't cook when I go to The Line again?"
"I don't want you to go back to The Line. In fact, I'm begging you to never consider it again." He was speaking metaphorically—we both knew that.
"A second turn. That means I'm a half-child, doesn't it?" I looked up into clearly concerned gray eyes.
"Yes. I'm surprised you knew that."
"Gavin gave me information on a comp-vid and told me to read all of it. Half-children are only mentioned once in all of that. It said they're rare."
Blood Double Page 4
