Blood Love (God Wars, #4)

by Connie Suttle

  The rifles wouldn't fire—I saw to that. It only takes a bit of power to destroy a weapon from the inside, and three humans died while attempting to shoot the blurs that were two vampires.

  Vernon Clark stared—he hadn't expected an attack such as this. He still couldn't believe that Ross Gideon disappeared before his eyes. He'd counted on a huge ransom from James Rome, which would never happen without the intended victim.

  I appeared before Vernon Clark in my smaller Thifilathi, making him squeak in alarm. For anyone who believed that demons might be real and prepared to carry you to a fiery lake for eternal damnation, a High Demon could fill that visual role nicely.

  That's when the godling became spooked. He shouldn't be frightened of a High Demon, and would recognize me as such immediately. Why he fled before he arrived, I may never know. I was prepared to allow him to think he might destroy me; instead, he vanished without a trace.

  That left Vernon Clark with me. He swallowed hard as I stepped toward him, flanked by two vampires who still sported fangs and claws. In his mind, the devil and his minions had arrived to collect his soul and I wasn't about to disillusion him.

  "While I'd love to torture you, for Breanne Hayworth's sake," I held up a hand, "I will remain true to my kind." Vernon Clark's sparks flew toward the ceiling, winking out before arriving at their destination.

  * * *

  Breanne's Journal

  "They're all dead. Ask Breanne why I had to do it." I heard Hank's voice clearly as he spoke to Bill over his cell.

  We still sat at the table at the café, and Bill turned a puzzled look in my direction.

  Obsession, I sent. Bill nodded.

  "The vamps are driving in—I'll meet them outside the café. We'll be there in a minute," Hank added before hanging up.

  Just as he said, Hank and two vampires—Dalroy and Rhett—walked through the café door seconds later. Gavin rose to greet the vampires, Charles right beside him. Dalroy and Rhett showed little signs of wear, with only a smudge or two on their clothing to indicate they'd fought werewolves—and won.

  "Baby," Hank came to me first and leaned in to kiss me before sitting at my side.

  "What happened?" I asked softly.

  "Killed those you saw. The bigger fish got away. Got scared or something and barely showed up before getting the hell out again."

  "You do look scary, honey, at times."

  "That wouldn't have worked with this one. Something's going on and I don't like it."

  "Yeah. This isn't scary or anything," I shivered. Hank put an arm around me and asked Trajan to order coffee for the table.

  * * *

  Calhoun whistled as he studied the identical twins. At least they seemed identical. He knew there were differences. He knew, too, that Acrimus had a hand in this, and that one of the twins was a clone of the original.

  "The Khos'Mirai," Calhoun nodded. "Brilliant. That's how you knew to call me back," he nodded his deference to Acrimus.

  "I saw Vernon Clark's death, just as the quarter-blood seer did, and knew danger lay in your path," the clone shrugged indifferently. "Thank you for restoring me to my brother."

  "I am grateful for this interference," Saxom agreed. "We will do what we can to assist in the defeat of the enemy."

  * * *

  Le-Ath Veronis—present

  Lissa's Journal

  "I need Kooper back, plus ten more like him," Norian grumbled as he paced inside my office. The Frithia thing was wearing him down, as he had no news and no leads. Both Alliances fretted over the lack of information, and this tragedy, following so closely on the heels of killing sandstorms, had everybody on edge and looking for disaster around every corner.

  I'll admit, I was on edge, too. I'd heard from Ashe—Breanne had gone right back into the mess that had caused her death the last time, and here Norian was, asking to get Kooper back.

  "Nori, this is madness. I know you need Kooper. How are you going to convince him that leaving Bree is a good idea?"

  "He has a job," Norian grumbled.

  "And he'd quit in a nanosecond if you threatened him with that," I snapped. "Look, I hear there's a crowd around her as it is, and that in itself may paint a bigger target on all of them. Let me come with you and talk to him. Frankly, I think this Frithia thing is connected and we need to come at this from every stinking angle we can think of."

  "Can I borrow Trevor?" Norian turned begging eyes on me. "He and Kooper work well together. You think I might get one of Teeg's warlocks?"

  "Look, I'll tell Trevor he can do this if he wants, but I warn you, he's still pissed at what you did to Breanne."

  "Then I'll let Kooper ask," Norian tossed up a hand.

  "If you can convince Kooper to come back," I pointed out. "Stellan is with Kooper right now, and they have three reptanoids with them."

  "You think I could borrow them, too?" Norian's voice filled with hope.

  "I think if they agreed to leave Breanne, that she and Reah would beat you into the ground if you mistreated them."

  "You have so little faith in me," Norian grumbled.

  "You haven't done anything to make me feel otherwise," I snapped.

  * * *

  Earth—past

  Breanne's Journal

  Hank and I transported Bill, Jayson and Opal to D.C. so we could deliver Ross Gideon to waiting agents. Bill wanted him held for a few days, and asked that Ross be questioned on his dealings with Rafe and Braden Reynolds.

  Ross would be housed appropriately and kept from wandering away, but he wouldn't be behind bars. At least Bill said no communication between James Rome, Sr. and Ross. Bill planned to tell Mr. Rome personally that his son was safe and in an undisclosed location, as was Ross Gideon.

  "What an asshole," Jayson huffed as we watched Ross Gideon being led away. I just shook my head at the bizarre events of the evening. Ross had not only cost me my privacy, he'd landed me on a hit list and caused Jayson to lose his job.

  "Where's Kathleen?" I turned to Jayson after Ross and his guards disappeared down a long hallway inside a D.C. federal building.

  "Back in Tahoe with Dan, her bodyguard," Jayson said. "I don't like it, but she says she doesn't feel comfortable anywhere, nowadays, so it's just as good as any other place."

  "This is so much crap," I muttered.

  "Ready to go back?" Bill asked.

  "Yeah."

  "Baby, I'll get this," Hank dropped a hand on my shoulder before skipping all of us back to New Mexico.

  * * *

  Hank's hands are amazing. He was simply smoothing hair away from my forehead as he gazed down at me, and it felt wonderful. No surprise—I'd ended up in his bed, my trunks shoved against the wall of his bedroom.

  "How do you feel?" His breath was warm against my neck as he placed a kiss there.

  "Not too bad, but still a little tired. Like I'm stretched too thin," I replied, closing my eyes.

  "Don't push it, baby," he whispered before kissing my collarbone. "If you felt better, I'd skip us to the hot tub."

  "Uh-huh. Actually, hot water sounds good."

  "Does it?" Fingers trailed down the side of my face as he smiled lazily at me. "Ready?" My squeal of surprise was lost as he skipped me to a section of the compound I hadn't seen before.

  "Look who's here." Jayson, Trajan and Kooper were all sitting in bubbling water when Hank landed me there, sans clothing. How he managed that I may never know, and at first I kept my hands moving to cover things up. I then recalled it wouldn't do a damn bit of good anyway and dropped my hands.

  "Hi. Kooper. Trajan. Stellan." I settled between Trajan and Hank, wedging myself between two heavily muscled arms. At least the water covered me above my breasts, with only a clear spot showing between bubbling froth now and then.

  "Well," I said after a while when nobody said anything, "Kooper, Trajan, do you want mindspeech?"

  "Yeah," Trajan drawled. "I was feeling left out. Of lots of things."

  "Oh, boy." I covered my face
with a hand. "You think I don't feel bad about that?" I dropped my hand and turned to him. Trajan's eyes look like black velvet when he's happy and obsidian when he's pissed. They were somewhere in between at the moment.

  "You know what I'd like more than anything?" I said when Trajan didn't speak. "I'd like to be somewhere far away from here with all of you and the others who care for me. I'd prefer not to worry about anything more pressing than what we'll have for breakfast when we get up in the morning. I want to sit with all of you and let you tell me what you like and what you don't. Where you want to go or be, and what you'd like to do. Since I can't read you, I don't know those things like I would with everybody else. Right now, the universe is hanging over my head, and that weight could drop any minute. Do I want to wake up with you in the morning?" I blinked at Trajan. "Yeah. I do. I want to crawl all over that fine body of yours and ask you what you want. The truth is, I wake up most days too tired and worried to consider it. I'm sorry about that. I hope it changes, someday."

  "Baby doll, I didn't mean it to come out like that," Trajan lifted me onto his lap.

  "I know." I settled my head against his shoulder with a sigh before gathering the necessary power to give him mindspeech. I gave it to Kooper and the reptanoids too, while I was at it.

  We can talk in private, now, I informed him.

  Wow, Trajan's smile came through in his silent reply. Have I told you how much I love you, or how often I have to jerk off in the shower? He added.

  Okay, the first part was nice. The last was a little over the top, I replied.

  You're coming to bed with a werewolf tonight, Trajan informed me and stood with me in his arms. I squeaked when he nodded at the others and nearly vaulted out of the hot tub. Werewolves are definitely not modest. Trajan hauled me down the hall toward his bedroom, both of us naked and dripping, and one of us displaying an erection at least the size of a northeastern U.S. state.

  Did it matter that we got the sheets damp? Not to Trajan. Werewolves are all about touch, scent and taste. He was all over me, nipping, licking, tasting, kissing, and then fucking. Lots of fucking. Did he wake up the entire house, howling afterward? Yeah. I'm surprised somebody didn't come in and shoot him for disturbing their sleep.

  * * *

  Baby? Trajan's mindspeech permeated my sleep.

  "Hmm?" It was all I could do to get a sleepy mumble out. My eyes were glued shut and refused to open. All I wanted to do was curl into a ball against Trajan's warmth and go back to sleep. For a week.

  "I'm sorry I wore you out," Trajan breathed against my neck before kissing a tender spot. "We have to get up. I just heard from Hank. People are disappearing from Kansas and Oklahoma."

  * * *

  "Your pet, Vernon Clark, died last night," Acrimus informed V'ili. V'ili sat inside the office cleared out for him, naked and in his natural form.

  "I feel it whenever an obsession I create drops away." One of V'ili's claws slid down Janine's face, leaving a thin trail of blood behind. She whimpered from her position at his feet and leaned closer against his leg. "This was news I already had. Do we know who might be responsible?"

  "Vernon had a meeting with Ross Gideon set up, through the Reynolds brothers. Ross went hunting for Vernon, thinking the Reynolds brothers would take care of him. He had no idea they were werewolf. It appears, however, that Ross had other allies. He has disappeared and the stink of High Demon is all over the building in New Mexico, with the ash from burned werewolves and half-breeds scattered across the floor."

  "Likely the same High Demon who appeared in Tahoe to destroy my chimera," V'ili growled, his voice garbled by anger and sharpened teeth. "I had no idea a High Demon would consent to serve any of these," he indicated Janine with a contemptuous glance.

  "I had no idea any High Demon would condescend to helping these," Acrimus agreed. "It was so convenient—and simple—to wean them away from their duties."

  "Convenient that our god slept and neglected his obligations," V'ili offered Acrimus a toothy grin.

  "Decidedly convenient, but he was never strong enough to hold the Dark Realm anyway. It has been easy, chipping away at the foundations built in the beginning. All are teetering now, and will readily accept the General's offer to rebuild and rule when the others are destroyed."

  "He has already destroyed one," V'ili purred. "Only two remain."

  "True."

  "Have you seen how well our slaves are performing? My pool is filled and our dungeon is nearly finished," V'ili added. "We will celebrate its construction with sacrifices."

  "We won't need all those slaves afterward, anyway," Acrimus agreed.

  * * *

  Breanne's Journal

  Breanne? Lissa's mindspeech sounded tentative, as if she were worried that I wouldn't reply.

  Is everything all right? I sent back.

  Yes and no, she replied. We have a situation on Frithia and Norian, asshole snake that he is, needs Kooper back. He could use Stellan, too, in addition to—in his words, anyway—as many reptanoids and other talented helpers as he can get. He's already commandeered Trevor to help, plus anybody else he can convince to come.

  Yeah, I Looked. I couldn't get to the actual event—all I could get to was the furor in the media about the mass suicide. This is connected, I said immediately, to what we're working on, here. Sirenali are involved, or I'd get a better picture of all this, I explained.

  I was hoping you'd be able to tell me something, Lissa said. And I detected scents from bodies—live bodies—that were taken away.

  Who?

  Little girls.

  Fuck, I said. Any leads?

  This one, Lissa sent a mental image of one I'd seen already—Genley Reith, the Sirenali Norian had asked about.

  This is awful, I said. Has anybody explained to you about Kay—Kalia?

  Ashe told me what he knew, but that was a while back, Lissa said.

  There are new developments, I returned. It's likely the ones involved in selling her as a child sex slave are involved in this, too, right with the Sirenali. That doesn't sit well with me. If the ASD needs help tracking some of those assholes, I'll send Kooper, Stellan and a few others. Can you come here, or do I need to come to you? I asked.

  Can you get away? I don't want to mess anything up by showing up back there again. I hear memories had to be altered the last time.

  Yeah. Look, I just have to tell people I'll be gone for a few, and I'll bring Norian's helpers with me. I hope Norian won't be there with you, because frankly, I want to hit him really, really hard.

  I can bring him in if you want. I wouldn't mind watching you punch him.

  No time for that now. Give me a minute and I'll be there.

  Thanks.

  "Bree, where were you just then?" Bill studied me as I sat at the table, a forkful of cheese omelet halfway to my mouth.

  "Having a conversation. Look, I need to be gone for a little bit. I can't explain exactly where, but I need to take Stellan, Kooper, Chazi, Bekzi and Perzi with me."

  "I'm going," Hank announced. I watched as a thin stream of smoke punctuated his statement.

  "Fine, but that's it. I can't take any others," I pointed out. "This is a sensitive situation, okay?"

  "As long as Hank is with you," Charles sighed. "Are there any biscuits left?"

  * * *

  "Lissa's palace?" Stellan and Kooper both knew where we were when we arrived outside my sister's private study. So did the reptanoids—they'd all been here before.

  Hank remained silent while I knocked softly on Lissa's half-open door.

  "Come in," she said.

  * * *

  Lissa's Journal

  I hid my surprise when Li'Neruh Rath arrived with Breanne. Belen had knelt to him and asked him to make a command when I'd seen him before. He knew I remembered. Keep your silence, he ordered. I will give information to her when the time is right.

  Could I have ignored that command? No way in hell. I recalled Merrill's compulsion when I'd first met
him centuries ago, when I'd been susceptible to compulsion for my first year as a vampire. Back then, Merrill's instruction had felt like thunder and lightning. This was more like the silky feel of polished titanium, holding back the heart of a million nuclear explosions. As you command, I lowered my eyes respectfully.

  * * *

  Breanne's Journal

  "So we have a battle on more than one front," Kooper said. He didn't like it that Norian wanted him back. He liked it less that he'd have to leave me. Stellan felt the same and had already voiced his opinion, but Norian had gone to Tybus, and Tybus had given permission for Stellan to be approached for this assignment.

  Chazi, Perzi and Bekzi were torn between staying with me and going with Kooper, who'd won their loyalty early on.

  "Go with Kooper," I sighed. "I'll miss you, but you may be needed more where he's going. You may have to help track down Hordace Cayetes, and he has Rezil Foculis plus Q'And and Q'Ind Ribalo with him. They all need to be dead and I figure you might be able to get to him when somebody else won't."

  "What about those women—the ones who likely have six little girls, now?" Lissa turned back to me.

  "I really want to make them dead myself, but I think Reah needs to help on that. Can Aurelius and a few of hers tackle that?"

  "Farzi and Nenzi go," Chazi nodded. "They help."

  "I imagine she can put a few people together," Lissa pointed out dryly.

  "There's something I want from Norian," I said. "Because he owes me. For this," I indicated my bunch, "and for what he did before."

  "Agreed. I don't care what it is," Lissa nodded.

  "Good. I want Ranos pistols and rifles for the folks I left behind. And for Hank," I nodded at him. "The kind that accepts their DNA and won't fire for anybody else. The kind that'll self-destruct if anybody messes with them to see how they work."

  "I can arrange that," Lissa agreed grimly. "If Norian won't do it, I'll go to Ildevar myself."

  * * *

  "Don't let anyone else open these and pull them out of their protective sleeve," Kooper warned. "They've only been handled by robots up to this point."

  I stared at the boxes and crates of weapons to be transported to Earth's past. We even had two rocket launchers, and I considered that Hank and Trajan might be the ones to handle those. The cost of the weapons was outrageous, but we needed them. I wasn't going to quibble over it.