"They always do that," I grumped. "It's to intimidate the rest of us." Grace snickered at my comment. "I watched Wlodek fight a truckload of vampires once while dressed in a silk shirt and tailored pants," I added. "Those shoes he was wearing probably cost a fortune, too. He did remove his coat and tie, though."
That made Devin laugh. "Hey, don't laugh, Radomir did the same thing," I added, smiling at the memory. "Russell and Will dressed casually, but then they weren't as old."
I got some juice and went back to my suite to pick out something to wear. I liked Devin and Grace—they were nice and heaven knew I'd not had any female friends the entire time I'd been vampire. Radomir offered to take me to Flavio—although I could have misted there since I knew where I was. Grace explained that Adam, Merrill and Wlodek had purchased miles of land in all directions surrounding Merrill's old home, and kept it in a garden state while the lands past that had gone commercial or were covered in sprawling parts of a now-extended London and its suburbs.
The pants and silk blouse I picked out reminded me of what a 1930s film star might wear. The neck was high with buttons at the side and long, full sleeves cuffed with matching buttons. The blouse itself was in a chocolate brown, the linen-look trousers in a natural oatmeal. Low, dark-brown heels finished everything off except for the earrings. Those were diamond drops. Charles had selected those—at least he remembered what I'd liked. I was beginning to get shaky, too. I didn't think anybody was going to remember me and that made me want to cry again. I was surprised I had any fluid left in my body nowadays.
* * *
"A brief hit, days ago. That's all," Kiarra handed a cup of tea to Dragon. Dragon murmured his thanks and sipped the tea. "Pheligar says none of our shields were detected or compromised, and the Ra'Ak didn't stay long. Probably realized he'd made a mistake coming here and got away as quickly as possible."
"As long as they left no spawn behind," Dragon grumbled.
"I've checked—there's nothing," Kiarra nodded. "But I'll let you know if we detect another hit. I just want to make sure this isn't a reconnaissance mission. They'll be breaking the rules if that's the case, and I'll get Merrill and Adam to help me take care of it."
"Let me know if you want our help," Dragon rose from his seat inside Kiarra's library. "Grace, Devin and I will be happy to assist."
"I will. Take the cup with you—Devin will send it back," Kiarra smiled. Dragon nodded and folded away.
* * *
"I do not understand why we were ordered to come," Gavin muttered, climbing the steps to the Honored One's manor.
"We'll find out, I'm sure," Tony said, attempting to soothe his surrogate sire. Spring had arrived in Kent, and the night sky was unusually clear, with stars twinkling overhead. Gavin followed Tony's gaze and looked up at the stars as well. He blew out a sigh and moved to follow Anthony through the door. Rolfe was there, as always, holding the door to allow both Assassins inside.
"Flavio, Merrill and Wlodek are upstairs waiting for you," Rolfe rumbled.
"What do they want?" Tony sighed.
"Anthony, we will learn this soon enough." Gavin jerked his head toward the stairs leading to the second floor and Flavio's study.
* * *
This wasn't a good idea. I was shaking and felt ill. For the thousandth time I wished I hadn't agreed to allow Radomir and Charles to haul me to Flavio. I wasn't prepared for blank stares and ridicule—from any of them.
"Ready?" Charles and Radomir appeared at the same moment. They'd both dressed well for this, just as they'd done in the past. I suppose Flavio commanded the same sort of respect Wlodek always did. Charles was offering an encouraging smile, but I was too terrified to answer with one of my own.
"Lissa, things will surely work out," Radomir did his best to soothe my nerves; he hadn't failed to notice my shaking hands or unsteady breaths. I watched his hands—they were steady and he wore two rings—one on each ring finger, for each of his wives. He had someone to lean on—two someones, actually. After three hundred years, even if Gavin remembered me, our marriage, as declared by Wlodek, had been over for two centuries. This was a fiasco, no matter how you looked at it. And my rings—the ones Gavin had given me—were missing when I'd come to myself on Kifirin's planet. I had no idea what happened to them. It no longer mattered, more than likely.
* * *
"Charles and Radomir will arrive soon," Flavio offered seats to Tony and Gavin. "I have wine, if you wish it," he added. Merrill and Wlodek were already seated—Flavio had brought in extra seating after Wlodek informed him there would be more coming. Tony accepted a glass of wine; Gavin declined.
"I am also curious as to why we were asked to meet," Flavio nodded as Tony accepted the glass poured out for him. "My sire says it is important—to us and to the race."
"More important than you know," Merrill said softly.
* * *
We didn't bother with the front door—Radomir folded us straight to Wlodek's old study. Only now, it belonged to Flavio. Wlodek's Monet was missing from the wall, as was the portrait of Napoleon I'd given him. Distractedly, I found myself hoping the painting hadn't disappeared, as the memories of me had. Charles placed a hand on my nape as I studied the wide shoulders and dark hair of one of the four sitting before me; Radomir had dropped us behind a row of seats. Gavin's scent hadn't changed, either—it still exerted a power I couldn't name, and I wanted to weep over what I'd lost. He'd turned slightly when we appeared, didn't recognize my scent and kept his gaze focused on Flavio, who sat behind a desk, staring at me in shock.
Still the most beautiful man I'd ever seen walking the Earth, Flavio's nose still worked as well—he knew I was vampire. "Father," he muttered, turning his eyes toward Wlodek, "why have I not been informed of this one?"
"Lissa, come and sit." Merrill rose from his chair and swept his hand toward the three remaining chairs—the ones in the center—right before Flavio's desk. He knew from my silence just how angry I was with him.
"Lissa," Charles took my hand and led me to the center seat. I was numb and Tony watched me with curiosity as Charles and Radomir got me seated and comfortable before taking seats on either side of me. There wasn't a glimmer of recognition from Flavio, Tony or Gavin. Gavin took it a step farther, though, choosing to ignore me while Flavio speculated and Tony stared in wonder.
"My sire informs me that you were here, long ago," Flavio began, his dark eyes searching my face for acknowledgement. I reminded myself that one of my newly discovered nieces was married to him—along with several other husbands, including Dalroy.
"I was." My voice quavered and I cleared my throat. I wanted to weep, but I wasn't about to do it in front of Gavin. I'd seen the severe frown on his face—he had no desire to be where he was. Forcing my thoughts away from what the old Gavin might have done upon seeing me after centuries of absence, I turned my gaze to Tony.
He was more than curious, his clear, gray eyes traveling over me from tip to toe. My clothes were fine; I'd spent more than enough money on my wardrobe, but I was still too thin. I felt unattractive under his scrutiny.
"Anthony, it is impolite to stare," Gavin growled softly. Tony turned away.
"My sire also tells me you are a powerful Queen." There was a vague question in Flavio's words, but he didn't insult his vampire sire by expressing blatant disbelief. Wlodek was feeding mindspeech to Flavio, and Flavio was struggling to keep the shock from his voice.
"My sire says," Flavio hesitated, "you were once married to Gavin."
Those words infuriated me. He might have saved me much embarrassment if he'd kept that to himself. It was more than obvious that Gavin didn't remember me. Tony, too. I wanted no more pain at the hands of these, or their charity, either. Gavin's dark eyes were hard as they bored into mine, and there was nothing but contempt there. He didn't want me. Someone, somewhere, had made sure of that. If their ultimate goal had been to break my heart, well, they'd done a fine job of it.
"I can't kill Xenides again, just to p
rove what I am," I hissed at Flavio. "Fuck you. Fuck all of you." I turned to mist and got the hell away.
* * *
"Honored One, I have never been married," Gavin rose from his seat. "With your permission," Gavin nodded respectfully to Flavio and strode angrily from the study.
"I'll get you home," Radomir motioned for Tony to sit down again—he was prepared to follow his surrogate sire.
"Child, she has always been thus; disregard it," Wlodek calmed Flavio. "She is a Queen, and at times, her tone and her profanity are warranted."
Chapter 8
The night was calm and beautiful, until I interrupted it with a sob. The roof of the villa was my perch as I wiped my cheeks and struggled to get the vision of Gavin's contempt out of my mind. Did I love him? I did. I'd loved him from the moment he'd put his hands on my neck, eons ago, outside a mansion in Oklahoma City. That Gavin had touched me with gentleness, massaging my neck to ease the tension away. I was preparing for another night of hunting Winkler's kidnappers, and I'd been a failure at it up to that point. I would never forget the feeling of weakness that came over me at Gavin's touch. I'd wanted to melt against him and weep my heart out. I hadn't.
Winkler was gone, now, and that made me wipe more tears away. Gavin was just as gone, though he still lived. Why had I been brought back? Why? My last memory before my death was of the late afternoon sky over Veshtul as my mist floated away. Darkness had come quickly afterward.
"Baby, we just got a message from Turtle." Drew appeared on one side, Drake on the other, and both settled in comfortably beside me.
"Who's Turtle?" I wiped my cheeks, hoping the twins wouldn't comment on the tearstains.
"A Falchani Spawn Hunter, like us," Drake wiped away a tear with a thumb, his touch gentle against my cheek. "He still owns a bar on Falchan, in the border town between the Falchani lands and Reldis."
"Turtle's son runs the bar, but since it's on the border, ruffians come in all the time and they always pick a fight," Drew sounded almost happy about that.
"So, quelling a fight is always good therapy if you're upset about something," Drake picked up the story. "Come on, itty bitty pants; let's go crack a few Reldan heads. Don't kill anybody, we're not allowed," he added, grinning.
"Uh-huh," I muttered. I was about to refuse, but the twins folded me away before I could get the words out.
It wasn't a fight—it was a brawl, with most of the bar involved. Even the bartender was wading into the fray as I stood in the doorway of a square building, fashioned of finely sanded wood, with a carefully crafted stone floor beneath our feet. Gouges were cut into the wood wherever a bare space of wall showed—there'd been plenty of fighting with blades inside this bar.
They serve the best noodles here, Drew sent as a body was tossed in our direction. The body in question rose from the floor and tottered back to the battle. Blades and fists were flying throughout the bar, and the entire room was a seething mass of conflict. I'm not sure if the combatants even knew who was friend and who was foe, they merely concentrated on fighting.
You're watching this and thinking about noodles? I sent. I'm sure my incredulity was sent with my words—I was shaking my head at what was going on all around us.
They're really good noodles, Drake weighed in on the mental conversation. Mom and Aunt Gracie like to come here and eat with Dad and Uncle Crane.
And I suppose the fights break out then, too? I questioned Drake.
Yeah. Mom and Aunt Gracie have tossed a few punches and crossed blades a time or two. Dad and Uncle Crane trained them, so they can hold their own. Drake was mentally laughing at me. I shouldn't have been surprised—both women were Saa Thalarr and fought the Ra'Ak. They were warriors, just as the men were.
So, you want noodles, then? I blinked up at Drake's face. His eyes, like his father's were nearly black. I liked them.
We both want noodles. But we can't get any until this is over; Drew nodded toward the continuing battle.
Fine, I sent, and waded into the nearest conflict.
When I was done, a pile of bodies, most unconscious, lay against the far wall of the bar. A neat row of blades were sunk into the thick wood of the bar, most to the hilt. A small crowd of others—those still able to stand, were backed against a wall near the door, nursing split lips, cracked ribs, black eyes and multiple bruises. Drake and Drew were still standing next to the front door, trying very hard not to laugh. The whole thing, start to finish, took maybe ten minutes.
"Can we get noodles, now?" I almost split the bar with my fist as I pounded the scarred wood. The bartender, who was mostly whole and standing behind the bar again, offered me a grin and began preparing noodles.
* * *
"Those really were good noodles," I said as Drake folded us to the villa's kitchen after we'd eaten. The rice wine was good, too—I'd had several cups of that. As a result, I was feeling a bit tipsy.
"Aunt Lissa, thank goodness," Kyler and Cleo greeted me as the twins and I dropped into the kitchen. A man I didn't recognize sat at the island, staring at me.
"Is something wrong?" I handed a worried frown to Kyler.
"Baby, you're covered in blood—not yours," Drake snickered beside me. Only then did I survey the damage to my expensive clothing; the blouse and trousers were ruined.
"She just cleared Turtle's bar on Falchan," Drew chuckled beside me.
"Lissa, we brought Shadow," Cleo was also surveying the clothing disaster. "Are you sure you aren't hurt? I can check you over," she offered.
"She's not hurt—I don't think anybody got a hand on her," Drake said, sounding proud. "Our baby went right in and took care of business."
"Cleo?" A whispered voice came, and I turned swiftly to the male Kyler and Cleo brought with them. "Cleo, I can't get up."
"Just as expected," Kyler muttered cryptically. I watched as Cleo went to the man and put her hands on him. He was handsome, with dark hair, gray eyes and a sensuous mouth.
"Aunt Lissa, this is Shadow Grey, a Master Wizard of Grey House," Kyler took my hand. "I'll take care of the blood," she added. She wasn't kidding about duplicating the Larentii power; the blood and every tiny rip in my clothing disappeared, magically repaired by my niece.
"Wow, remind me to come to you the next time I pull one of my sweaters," I gazed down at my restored outfit.
"He's good to go, now," Cleo announced, and Shadow stood up beside her. What came next shocked the hell out of me. Shadow walked straight toward me, took my face in his hands and kissed me.
* * *
"Aunt Lissa, it's the way M'Fiyahs work," Kyler attempted to calm me. Drake and Drew were working on it as well. "If you remove a M'Fiyah, it can harm both parties."
"Baby, they're not so bad," Drew pulled me against him. "We, ah, bro and I, well," he didn't finish.
"They have them, too," Cleo sighed, nodding toward Drake and Drew. Shadow Grey was sleeping a healing sleep somewhere at the villa—he'd collapsed when I backed away from him after he'd kissed me. Cleo placed the sleep quickly, and she and Kyler moved him to a bed. I was shaking over the incident.
"What am I supposed to do?" I was right back where I'd been before the twins hauled me away to Falchan.
"Baby, we'll go slow, we promise," Drew murmured. "It doesn't have to happen overnight."
I wasn't sure whether it was going to happen at all. I didn't say that, though. What was I supposed to do? Damage all of them, because I wasn't feeling up to anything at the moment? Gavin's empty memory and defection hurt. Winkler's death hurt. Franklin, Greg, Tony—it all hurt.
"Lissa, the monthly family dinner at Grey House is in four days. Why don't you come for that?" Cleo suggested. "Maybe you can get to know Shadow better—before you make a rash decision. Removing a M'Fiyah is for life, and the consequences can affect more than you might think."
I stared at my hands for a moment before lifting my eyes to Drew's. He smiled at me as I gazed into those dark depths. "What do you think about Shadow Grey?" I asked him.
/> "He's a Master Wizard," Drew nuzzled my temple before placing a gentle kiss. "They don't hand that status out to just anybody."
"No, hon, that's not what I meant," I sighed.
"We don't feel jealousy. Can't," Drake nuzzled my other temple. I sat between the twins, in a media room inside the massive villa. "Besides, we like Shadow," Drake went on. "He's in our age group, and achieving Master Wizard status before five hundred is unusual. You have to be very powerful and talented to do it."
"What am I supposed to do?" I tossed a hand helplessly. "I mean, I can think of plenty of people in my past who'd fall in the floor with apoplexy if somebody mentioned multiple mates to them. Didn't seem to matter that human history is filled with multiple wives, or even husbands, in some cases. In their opinion, if a woman goes after more than one man, she's a slut, a trollop and a whore."
"Well," Drew drawled beside me, "the laws are different now, and most of those people are dead. You win."
"Honey, I think I love you," I touched his cheek.
"I know I love you," he said, and kissed my fingers.
* * *
"Aunt Lissa, trust me. I'll place the sleep and you'll feel better in the morning," Cleo promised. "The villa and all of Merrill, Adam and Wlodek's property is warded. Nobody will need your help while you sleep. You're completely safe, here."
I still wasn't sure, but Cleo sounded convincing. Drake and Drew were gone—they'd offered to get Shadow Grey back to Grey House. Master Wizards were busy people, I learned, and their work was highly sought by, well, everybody. Everybody who could afford it, that is. Drake and Drew explained that Cleo's Master Wizard mate, Harvel, made their blades, and they'd cost in the millions. They were spelled against nicks, rust and breaking, and nobody except the owners could pick them up and use them. If anyone else tried, they'd trigger a spell and die. That was freaky, to the eighth power.
"Fine," I grumped. Cleo and Kyler had chased me around my borrowed suite, ordering me into pajamas and waiting patiently while I brushed my teeth.
"Get in bed," Cleo said. "This will be the best sleep you've ever had," she promised.
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