"If you want to," he nodded.
"I want to."
"Ashe," I warned.
"I know Bill is here. How about this?" He changed his appearance until he resembled someone I didn't recognize with olive skin, black, slightly curly hair, dark eyes and well-shaped, sensuous lips.
"Who is that?" I asked.
"Somebody we used to call Old Harold. Bill and Trajan never saw him, so I think this disguise is safe."
"You don't look old," Kay offered shyly. He didn't—he looked quite young, with possible Greek ancestry.
"Old Harold was a vampire, sweetheart. Somebody killed him before Bill met him."
"I know you told me not to be afraid of most vampires," Kay began.
"I'm a vampire," I volunteered. "You're not afraid of me, are you?"
"No." Kay lowered her eyes and shook her head. "I won't ever be afraid of you."
"Great. Where are you and Ashe spending the night, again?"
"Bill has the entire floor rented, so pick a room," Hank yawned. "Opal is in the one at the end, and the ones across the hall are taken."
"Opal is here, too?" Ashe sounded shocked.
"You know Opal?"
"Yeah. What the hell is she doing here? That doesn't fit with how I met her in the future."
"Something is fucking with the timeline," Hank snorted. "Haven't you figured that out, yet? Opal is one of Bill's Special Agents. Seems to be good at it. Has an excellent working knowledge of weapons, too."
"This really is screwed up, isn't it?" Ashe raked fingers through dark, curly hair and shook his head.
"More than you know," Hank agreed.
* * *
Ashe's Journal
I chose a room with two queen beds—Kay likely wouldn't appreciate sleeping with me. I still worried about sleeping in a bed across from her and wondered if she'd be unable to sleep with me in the same room. What actually happened surprised me.
"Hank really loves Bree. Doesn't he?" Kay settled gracefully on the end of my bed.
"He does. It's easy to see how much he loves her."
"I really liked it when he told her he was there, after the knock scared her awake."
"You liked that?"
"Yes. And he was so careful with her. Did you see that, too?"
"I did." I didn't know where this was leading, but my hopes were beginning to rise.
"Do other men do that?" she asked innocently.
"Other men do that," I said softly. "May I show you what it's like?"
"I think it would only be like that with someone who loved me," Kay began.
"Sweetheart, I have loved you for a very long time," I responded. "Come here. Let me show you how much you mean to me."
"But," she rose uncertainly, blinking at me with bright-blue eyes that held a tiny amount of trepidation.
I walked to her, instead, and wrapped my arms about her. "Ashe is here, sweetheart," I mumbled against her hair. "You're safe. I'll always keep you safe."
"Really?" She blinked up at me.
"Really." I leaned in and kissed her gently.
* * *
Breanne's Journal
I slept in Hank's arms; he was seemingly afraid I might disappear. I didn't, and slept like a rock once I fell asleep.
"Baby mine, are you gonna wake up, now?" Hank brushed his lips over mine. I woke to find his face hovering over mine and a sliver of morning light peeking between hotel curtains.
"I guess." I stretched beneath Hank and moaned a yawn. "What time is it?"
"Nearly nine. Bill let us sleep late. He was up earlier, talking with the Prez and a bunch of other folks on a conference call."
"Hank, he has to be exhausted," I forced my eyes to open wider.
"I know, but he's not as bad off as you. Come on, I've gotten mindspeech from half a dozen people already, asking if you're ready to go to breakfast."
"You could go without me," I pointed out.
"Nope. You're coming now, in your pajamas if you don't get dressed in the next five minutes. You can shower after we eat. Bill has a couple of leads to follow—one in Arkansas and the other in Colorado."
"All right." Hank took my arm and pulled me to a sitting position. It took a few seconds to work up enough courage to slide off the bed—I just wanted to huddle beneath the blanket and sleep again.
Ten minutes later (I insisted on brushing my teeth) we walked into the hotel café downstairs and found the others waiting for us. Ashe, still in disguise, and Kay were there as well.
"I hear we have help," Bill cut his eyes toward Ashe and Kay.
"Big help," Hank nodded. "They're perfect to chip in."
I struggled not to stare—Ashe stood behind Kay, his arms wrapped around her. She seemed perfectly happy to allow the contact. Deliberately, I refused to read her.
"I'm Ashe—Ashe DeLeon," he held out his hand and shook with Bill and the others. "This is Kay, who is extremely shy and looking for new friends."
"Ashe can do most of the things I can do—without the fangs," I said. "Kay is very talented; you just wouldn't know it by looking at her."
That is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Jayson breathed in my mind. But you're the one I want.
Jayson, you need to tread carefully where Kay is concerned. No kink around her. She was sold as a sex slave at age nine, and she's fucked up because of that and the fact that parts of her are covered in scars where one asshole sadist carved her up while she was chained to a wall.
Are you fucking kidding? he sent back.
Nope. She doesn't need to know what you or Hank are into, I added.
Got it. Haven't been much in the mood lately, anyway. Not since I was outed on the Internet.
Understood.
* * *
"Bree, how tired are you?" Bill asked while we ate.
"Tired but the coffee is helping," I lifted my cup and saluted him. "How about you?"
"I'm tired, too, but I got info from the FBI this morning. There are a couple of sites to check where construction is happening without permits. I need you and Hank to provide transport, if you don't mind."
"No problem," I shrugged. "Where do you want to go first?"
"Arkansas, then Colorado," he said. "I have addresses."
"We'll get you there," Hank said.
* * *
Frithia—present
Lissa's Journal
Norian had Kooper, Stellan, Trevor, three reptanoid brothers and me with him when we walked into the cavernous, empty building. Norian had gotten a tip that our target, Genley Reith, had purchased the building under an alias. The plan was to move his growing congregation to the new location, but they'd turned up dead before that could happen. Obviously, something had changed or orders had come from above, aborting the move.
"We found out about this because he defaulted on the loan," Norian took in the high, vaulted ceilings overhead, the half-built stone altar at the front and construction materials littering the floor.
"It looks as if he were planning to recruit more followers, but got spooked," Trevor observed dryly.
"I was thinking the same thing," I agreed. "Who knows what that was? Norian, do we have any information to go on? Was anything left behind?"
"Nothing has been touched; we're the first ones here," Norian blew out a sigh. "Let's split into teams and investigate. Kooper, take Chazi, Bekzi and Perzi with you to the basement. Trevor, Stellan, see what you can find here in the sanctuary and Lissa and I will check the rooms at the back."
I wasn't sure I wanted to be paired with Norian, but there was no help for it. I followed him through a narrow doorway behind the altar, and into a labyrinth of office spaces and classrooms.
The walls were new—the space had clearly been used for something else before. "Nori, what was this building before it was sold to Reith?" I asked.
"Warehouse. Actually, Tory owned it for a short while—it belonged to Schuul Enterprises, before Reah exposed them. The building has changed hands three times since then, last
time bought as an investment and a few improvements made before Reith took it."
"My son owned this?" I shook my head. Truth really was stranger than fiction.
"It has changed hands three times in the last ten turns, so he didn't own it long. Come on; show me that famous nose and itchy goose bumps. Tell me what we're looking for," Norian coaxed.
"What if there's nothing here?" I countered. "It would be really stupid to leave anything lying around."
"Unless your boss told you to kill everybody and then get the hell out of—Dodge, wasn't it?" Norian wiggled an eyebrow at me, attempting to make me smile.
"Nori, you have a convenient memory, you know that?" I shook my head at him and followed him to the next room. We walked through nine rooms before we came to it, and if I hadn't been with Norian, he'd have walked right into it.
A gate, as incongruous as its existence was, lay inside the ninth room and only one of the Elemaiya or the powerful might see it. None of the Elemaiya were left who might travel through a gate unless—I grabbed Norian's arms and pinched him with barely-formed claws.
"Norian, you almost walked into a trap," I warned him. "You and anybody else who came to investigate this place."
"What are you talking about?" Norian grimaced. I realized then that I'd drawn blood.
"Sorry," I mumbled, taking my hand away. I'd closed all the gates to the Elemaiya, yet here one stood, ready and waiting to transport anyone through it. How could I tell? It was different. Warped. Any creature could disappear through this gate and appear who knows where on the other end. I figured there was a specific destination wired to this unusual gate, and that someone would be waiting on the other end—to welcome allies or to kill enemies.
"Nori, we have to seal off this room, and then we have to call a meeting and discuss this," I said, attempting to keep the quaver out of my voice. This was terrifying on so many levels, and I couldn't even begin to calculate what harm multiple gates such as this might do.
The horrifying part of all this was that there were precious few who might recognize a gate. Too many might disappear before anyone thought to stay away from something they couldn't see or comprehend.
It all made sense, though. I was a Nameless One. So many others were more powerful, and some of them still worked the wrong side of the fence.
* * *
Le-Ath Veronis—present
Lissa's Journal
"You closed the gates," Merrill said.
"Only to the Elemaiya, but this isn't a normal gate. This one has either been manufactured recently, or changed to suit the enemy's purpose. We already know there are more powerful beings than I on the other side who might do that," I said. "This gate is wrong—anybody can go through it. That means it has been set as a trap for the unwary or as a gateway to get an enemy from one place to another if they don't have the ability to fold space."
Norian and I had taken our crew away from Frithia after I sealed off the room with power. At least nobody from the outside could get in. I just worried about what might get out after transporting into that building.
"Do you think there are more of these gates?" Merrill asked.
"It makes sense," I sighed. "And who knows how many are out there? Norian, have there been reports of disappearances from the areas surrounding that building?" I turned to him.
"Many," Norian consulted his comp-vid.
"Besides the powerful, who might recognize these gates?" Rigo asked.
"Only the Elemaiya and a few others could do it in the past," I said. "And I've prevented the Elemaiya from gating," I added.
"Along with taking away their immortality," Drake observed.
"Even though they can no longer gate, can they still recognize one if they see it?" Drew chimed in.
"Good question," I blinked at him. "Very good question. How do we find out? All the Elemaiya are at SouthStar, now. At least all the ones I know about."
"Will they be allowed to leave?" Kiarra asked. She, Adam and Merrill had come together when I sent a call to Merrill to help sort out this mess.
"They'll start aging again if they do," I pointed out. "SouthStar is a haven to those who live there."
"I'll send mindspeech to Ashe," Merrill began.
Be prepared to send it across time, I sent mindspeech. He isn't there, right now.
Can you contact him, then? Hidden gates are nothing but a minefield, and if the enemy built one, then there are likely many others, just as you say. Norian needs to get with the CSD and start gathering information on similar disappearances across both Alliances. Somebody needs to coordinate this, too.
Any suggestions?
What is Torevik doing? I can pair him with Lynx or someone else. He's bored anyway. Lynx, that is.
Saa Thalarr can see gates?
Yes. Your ah, father taught us.
Fuck. I forgot about Griffin. He could be so much help right now, and he's hiding and licking his wounds. Bree should have left him dead.
My darling, do not say that. She knew best—Griffin had to be saved in that time period, no matter how you might think otherwise. You do not know all things connected to him.
I'll defer to your judgment for now, because you know him better than I do, I replied. You didn't see the mangled mess left of my sister after the General was finished with her, though.
No, I didn't, a mental sigh accompanied Merrill's sending. I'm merely glad the Larentii came.
That makes two of us, I declared. I'm still surprised she came back to her body. Do you think the Elemaiya will consent to be our gate hunters? They probably won't do it for me, anyway, since I'm the one who stripped them of their power and immortality.
I'll ask, or get someone else to do it, Merrill said. Franklin has done plenty for Kay, so he may be the one to ask Ashe.
I don't care who asks, just as long as we get some help, I said. And the sooner the better. We need somebody with every investigative team Norian sends out, and the same goes for those Tybus sends out.
Agreed. Let's work on contacting Ashe and see where that gets us.
Yeah. Thanks, honey.
* * *
Earth—past
Ashe's Journal
Merrill? I was surprised to hear from him, especially where and when I was.
We have a problem, he began.
What problem?
The enemy has constructed gates that anyone can travel through. Lissa found one on Frithia, and it's connected to the Sirenali who's behind that mass suicide there. She figures it was a trap, set to capture anyone who inadvertently wandered through it.
This isn't good, I sent. Most people won't see them and can go right through with no warning.
Exactly what we're thinking. Most people won't see them. We figure the Elemaiya will recognize them, however.
Merrill was right, and I figured he and Lissa had already discussed this at length before contacting me about the Elemaiya living at SouthStar. While they might not be willing to help Lissa for obvious reasons, if I or someone else they respected asked, that answer could change.
I know several who will likely help, no questions asked, I said. Because Breanne will save them by taking them through a gate and landing them on Avendor with me in the future.
The half-Elemaiyan children, Merrill acknowledged.
Edward is with Reah, or I'd ask him as well. I'll speak with Breanne about this and we'll get the ball rolling. Tell Lissa I'll contact you when I know more.
Thank you, Merrill said.
This is more than frightening, I said. I have word from another source, too, that one who shouldn't be resurrected may have been.
You're not talking about Saxom, are you?
Not Saxom. His brother, Moxas. The Khos'Mirai. If not the original, then one of his clones, which is just as dangerous.
This is so much worse than I ever imagined, Merrill replied. I'll take this information to Lissa, but she is worried enough as it is.
Understood.
* * *
Le-
Ath Veronis—present
Lissa's Journal
Merrill came to deliver the news himself, without bothering to send mindspeech. I was glad he did.
"Ashe is willing to ask the Elemaiya to help us," he said. "He believes the half-Elemaiyan children from Earth will volunteer, regardless."
"That's wonderful," I said.
"He said he'd let me know when he has a definite answer from the others," Merrill said.
"You don't look happy that some of them might help us," I said.
"That's not the unhappy part," Merrill stated. "Ashe also said he had information on another possible resurrection."
"Oh, no," I muttered, watching his face. Merrill seemed unusually pale to me.
"He says that Moxas may be among the living again. And if not the original, one of his clones."
At first, I didn't recognize the name. Never knew he had a name, actually. The moment Merrill said the word clones, however, I knew. "The Khos'Mirai?" My breaths stilled and I stared at Merrill in alarm.
Chapter 10
Earth—past
Breanne's Journal
I only knew of the Khos'Mirai from reading Lissa. A tragic character, but still capable of creating so much harm. His talents spelled trouble for our side, no doubt about that.
Ashe asked for a brief meeting with Hank and me after he'd gotten the news, so Hank and I were attempting to digest what the Khos'Mirai's reappearance might mean in the long term.
"I believe it is a clone," Hank said. "Nevertheless, the trouble will likely be the same. He can see many things, and we may be helpless to block many of his visions. We have no Sirenali on our side, while they seem to have them in abundance."
"You don't think there were ever any good Sirenali?" I turned to Hank.
"They attacked the Larentii homeworld, in an attempt to control Larentii. Imagine what that act might have accomplished—had they commandeered the most powerful race ever created by the Three."
"That is so messed up," Ashe shook his head. "I suppose it's a good thing Larentii are immune to them."
"Can Larentii see gates?" I asked.
"What?" Ashe stared at me.
"Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? That they might see them?"
"Kalenegar?" Hank said to empty air. Kal appeared in a blink.
Blood Love (God Wars, #4) Page 14
