Blood Love (God Wars, #4)

by Connie Suttle

"Ready to go back?" Ashe asked when he appeared inside my bathroom. Kevis had helped me up and left me alone to brush my teeth.

  "I'm hungry," I muttered. "Sorry."

  "I know, there's no need to apologize. What do you want?"

  "A hummus sandwich," I said.

  "I'll take you," he offered. "Kay may want something, too. We ate four hours ago and she napped afterward, so we should be ready to help Bill when we get back."

  "All right," I shrugged. Night had fallen on SouthStar, and I knew Trajan and Bill had gone to bed where I was. Trajan and Bill in the past were waiting to start their workday.

  * * *

  Earth—past

  Hank's Journal

  I knew they'd been gone several hours, although only a few minutes of time passed on Earth. Breanne still looked exhausted. Ashe explained that she'd Changed What Was for five half-Elemaiyans. Two of those five had been ghosts. They lived, now, thanks to Bree.

  "Baby," I pulled her against me, "You feeling all right?"

  "Yeah." She hunched her shoulders.

  "Come on, I'll be transportation today," I said. I nodded to Trajan and Kalenegar—they'd help keep an eye on her. I just hoped we'd get through the rest of the day without her dropping.

  * * *

  Breanne's Journal

  If I were honest, I only wanted to snuggle against Hank and sleep again. We had to go to Arkansas, first, and then to Colorado. Charles approached when Hank let me go and placed a latte in my hand.

  "Thanks," I offered him a smile and sipped the coffee drink. "Mmm, real sugar and half-and-half," I sighed blissfully. "You are awesome," I nodded at Charles.

  "At times," he grinned at me.

  "Ready?" Bill turned to Hank.

  "Ready," Hank nodded. He skipped us to Arkansas.

  * * *

  "You some of them from the government?" The man held a rifle, the barrel (thankfully) pointed downward as we stood outside a gate leading into mostly wilderness. Tall grasses grew around the barbed-wire fence and at least three parakeet-sized grasshoppers jumped out of our way when we walked up.

  "I'm from the government," Bill pulled out his ID.

  "You're not gettin' in," the man declared.

  "You will not only let us in, you will politely show us around," Gavin growled.

  "Yep. Come on in. We're buildin' a retreat for like-minded folks," The man stood aside and waved us through the gate.

  I think that means the huntin', shootin' kind, Jayson's voice filtered into my mind. I smothered my snicker against Hank's shoulder.

  With the gun now draped lazily over his shoulder, the man, dressed in denim pants, a sleeveless checkered shirt and frayed baseball cap, led us past the construction. Buildings were going up, and wooden frames were everywhere. The sound of saws and hammering echoed throughout the peaceful woodland.

  After dropping my shields and reading the workers, I knew none of them were obsessed. They'd volunteered for the work and none had been taken unwillingly from anywhere else.

  No building permit aside, I sent to Bill and the others, all these people want to be here.

  I detect no underground construction, Kal offered.

  They'll get flooded in the spring, Ashe added. They're building too close to that creek.

  Three strikes, Bill's sending was dry. This isn't our target.

  "We've seen enough, thank you," Bill called out. "Good luck with your facility," he added.

  The man stood and watched as we headed toward the gate. Hank skipped us away the moment we were out of sight.

  * * *

  "The apocalypse is upon us," the woman in Colorado spoke gruffly. "Our operation is secret. How did you find our hidden compound?" Another gate stood before us, on grassy public land with a lake and mountains in the distance.

  "Spy satellites," Jayson lied with a grin.

  "I knew something was going on. Are there aliens with you?"

  "Yes. Definitely," Bill agreed. "Why?"

  "They're taking over," the woman whispered. "Didn't you know? Why did you let them come along?"

  "I am an alien to you," Kal stepped forward. "I mean no harm, but there are others who are not so benign."

  Kal, she's crazy, I sent.

  I know this, but as they say in your culture, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

  He was correct up to a point, only it was rogue gods attempting a takeover and employing a few aliens to aid in their cause.

  "We will examine your construction, to make sure it will withstand alien scans," Jayson said. How he said that with a straight face, I'll never know.

  Without anyone laying compulsion, the woman let us through the gate.

  These buildings weren't wood—they resembled concrete bunkers. We walked between square, cinderblock constructions and around scattered piles of roofing material. Only a few workers labored here, and the ones I read had other jobs; they were doing this on their days off.

  Some underground construction, but it is small, Kal reported. I believe it is to be used for emergency purposes only.

  No obsessions, I added.

  This is on public land, Bill snorted mentally. It'll have to be torn down.

  I'm not telling her that, Jayson said.

  We'll let her live her fantasy for a little while longer, Bill agreed. However, this leaves us where we started—with no leads.

  * * *

  Frithia—present

  Lissa's Journal

  "Are you sure?" Norian had to lean his head back to study Connegar's face.

  "While I have no experience with the enemy, these have always worked in the past," Connegar replied.

  I couldn't see them at all, even by Looking. I have no idea how the Larentii had created this magic, but they had. Connegar held a small sphere in his hand, which, according to him, held six microscopic cameras. They'd operate at his command and would send sound and images back to a monitor the Larentii had installed in Norian's office.

  Connegar intended to release the cameras into the gate, and I'd come to Frithia to mist Norian inside the walled-up room. He'd decided to do this the night before the investigative teams were set to go to work, just to see if we could detect anything.

  "Then let them go," Norian nodded at Connegar and stepped aside. The sphere in Connegar's hand melted away as he turned toward the gate. I had to watch him—I couldn't see anything.

  "They are traveling," Connegar said. "Now we go back to Le-Ath Veronis and wait."

  "Are Drake and Drew set up to watch the monitors?" Norian asked.

  "Yeah."

  "Then get us out of here."

  * * *

  "We haven't been away from SouthStar since we got here," Macy picked at her meal.

  "I know, Mace, and these aren't the most ideal circumstances," Luanne nodded. "Let's just hope we can help. Maybe this is the reason we survived, when so many others didn't."

  "I think about them sometimes—the ones who died. We never got to meet them."

  "I know."

  Chapter 11

  Earth—past

  Breanne's Journal

  "At least we know where they're not," Dan Kelsey raked fingers through his hair in frustration. Bill asked Hank to transport us from Colorado to D.C., to meet with the FBI Director. We'd been ushered into a private meeting the moment we arrived.

  "I'll have the squatters removed in Colorado next week," Dan added with a sigh.

  "We're back where we started," Bill agreed. "Nothing new coming in?"

  "Not really. I've got people checking out foreign countries, but there's nothing showing up there, either."

  "No reports of burning buildings that were difficult to put out?" Hank asked.

  "Not recently, or the fires were attributed to rational causes," Dan shook his head. "Just the disappearances, as previously reported, and the theory that they're building something."

  "Lying low and plotting," Bill muttered.

  * * *

  "The traps are waiting, General," Acrimu
s bowed respectfully. "Any sensory devices sent through will merely show blackness. They will send their investigators anyway, without knowing that the gate will expand once they pass a certain point, sucking them inside." Acrimus attempted a laugh. It sounded like a cough.

  "It was a wise move to place the first as a non-expandable gate," the General nodded to Acrimus. "They will approach the others just the same and spring the trap. We will have them, and you may do whatever you wish with them once they are transported through."

  "Oh, I have plans," Acrimus gloated. "I certainly have plans."

  * * *

  Le-Ath Veronis—present

  Lissa's Journal

  "There's nothing. At least we can't see anything, and Connegar says the cameras will pick up even the tiniest speck of light," Drew said. He and Drake sat before the Larentii-supplied monitor, watching a black screen.

  "Are you sure it's working?" I asked, staring at the monitor.

  "Yeah, it was checked before Connegar gathered the cameras for Frithia. It worked fine."

  "This isn't good," I muttered. "What if they're doing this on purpose?"

  "That's what I think," Drake agreed. "They've blocked light around the exit point, leaving us in the dark."

  "So we won't know what's waiting on the other side," I blew out a sigh. "I guess it's a good thing we have people assigned to those teams who can see the gates."

  "I don't think it's a good idea to get too close," Drew muttered.

  "Yeah, but how close is too close?" I asked. None of us had an answer.

  * * *

  Earth—past

  Breanne's Journal

  I didn't think the day would end so soon, or with no information. We had nothing. Taking out Vernon Clark had seemed so simple. Now, my skin itched and I felt as if we were walking into a trap.

  "Kay, you look tired," I reached out to give her a hug. She'd followed Ashe during our trips and never said a word.

  "So do you," she pointed out.

  "Did you see anything unusual today?" I asked. "In anybody's aura?"

  "Just the mental impairment of the woman in Colorado," Kay sighed. "She's not dangerous, she's just afraid."

  "I saw pretty much the same when I read her," I agreed.

  "Are we hungry?" Opal walked up to us and asked. We'd arrived back at the hotel, and the others were discussing places to eat.

  "An army marches on its stomach," I nodded. "I'd really like something better than French fries and a salad," I added.

  "How about the West Coast?" Bill asked. "I haven't had time to talk with Jayson's dad, so we can eat and pay Rome Enterprises a visit."

  "Ross still in the hoosegow?" I asked.

  "For all practical purposes," Bill nodded. "I handed him over to Dan Kelsey. Dan's investigating a few things. Looks like Ross may have used less than legal channels to get in and out of the country a few times," Bill chuckled.

  "Bill, Jayson," I said. Something had been worrying me for a while, and I wanted to take care of it before something else came along and drove it from my mind.

  "Huh?" Jayson turned to me.

  "I want to move your mom," I said.

  "Bree?" Hank lifted an eyebrow.

  "To Le-Ath Veronis," I shrugged. "I think she'll be as safe there as anywhere."

  "What's that—Lee what?" Jayson asked.

  "Don't worry about it, Rome. Bree's right. Too many know where your mother might be and let's face it; we don't need a kidnapping as a distraction."

  "Her bodyguard has family in California, so we can send him home with pay," Jayson sighed.

  "Great. We'll do it," I said.

  "Mom will have the final say," Jayson pointed out.

  "Agreed," I nodded.

  * * *

  Before it was over, we'd stopped to pick up Kathleen so she could have dinner with us in Los Angeles. She was overjoyed to see Jayson, and kept hugging him while we waited for a large enough table at an upscale restaurant.

  "Bree, is that really you?" Kathleen whispered across the table after we were seated.

  "Yeah," I nodded.

  "I recognize your voice, but this—you look beautiful, but you're so beautiful already."

  "Necessary evil," Hank sighed. "Too many recognize her the other way."

  "I understand that all too well." She studied Jayson before lifting her menu.

  * * *

  Kathleen insisted on visiting James Rome, Sr. after our meal. We'd discussed taking her elsewhere, and instead of Le-Ath Veronis, Ashe ended up offering SouthStar as a refuge. Kathleen accepted. Kay seemed to like Kathleen very much, so I doubted there'd be any friction later.

  Bill, Kathleen, Hank, Jayson and I rode the elevator to the top of the Rome Enterprises building. Kathleen shocked everybody by her appearance and that, in itself, paved our way to the penthouse.

  We were shown directly into James Rome's office by a shaking assistant, who asked Kathleen immediately if she needed anything. Kathleen declined. Once the office door was closed behind us, I dropped Jayson's and my disguises. Let James Rome Sr. stew in that sauce for a while.

  "Kathleen, what are you doing here and why?" James Rome began. He stared at Jayson—and then at me.

  "I came to tell you I want a divorce," Kathleen snapped. "Jayson's here to show you he's all right without your stupid job, Breanne is here to call you a pig, and Director Jennings is here to tell you that Ross is being held by the FBI for collaborating with known criminals in less than legal dealings."

  "That is not true," the elder Rome blustered. "Ross has never involved himself."

  "With Rafe and Braden Reynolds?" Bill asked. "I can assure you they're involved in criminal activities. In fact, they were ready to sell Ross back to you—in pieces. You see, they've been on Vernon Clark's payroll for a while. They only worked for Ross—and you—because you paid cash."

  "Now see here," James huffed.

  "Don't pretend to be outraged, James. Director Jennings is right," Kathleen said. "If some of his agents hadn't arrived when they did, Ross would probably be dead and you'd likely be out a lot of money for his ransom."

  "That can't be true," James Rome sat heavily behind his desk, the soft leather creaking slightly beneath his tall frame.

  "It's true, Dad. I've seen the evidence myself," Jayson said. "Rafe and Braden are dead, as is Vernon Clark and four others who tried to kidnap Ross."

  "I don't believe this," James rubbed his forehead.

  "It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not," Hank said. "Ross Gideon is currently being held by the FBI, and they aren't allowing him to communicate with anyone for several days. If I were you, when you hear from him, I'd watch what you do from this point forward. I'm sure your name came up a few times during the questioning."

  * * *

  "I'm glad that's over," Kathleen declared when we left the Rome building behind and met up with the others at Kathleen's house in Tahoe. I'd restored Jayson's and my disguise, and now we were ready to transport Kathleen to SouthStar.

  "You'll be fine, Mom," Jayson reassured her. Someone, likely Ashe, had placed all her clothing in trunks for the trip.

  "Who's coming to see me off?" her voice quavered.

  "I'll come," I said.

  "I will," Hank nodded.

  * * *

  "This is beautiful," Kathleen declared when Ashe landed us in a suite on the first floor of his palace. "What are those trees?"

  "Gishi trees. The fruit is the best you'll ever eat," Ashe said. "I've alerted a few to your presence. Don't be surprised when you see them," he added. "We need to go back soon."

  "All right. Bree, give me a hug," Kathleen smiled a trembling smile. I did. I hugged her and sent her Love. She wiped tears away afterward. Ashe transported us away before I started blubbering myself.

  * * *

  "Kathleen?" Trajan and Bill stole into her suite. "Ashe said you were here."

  "What? Director Jennings?" Kathleen stared at him and at Trajan.

  "Don't worry, yo
u're about four hundred years in the future," Bill grinned. "After you spend a month here, you'll look twenty-five, guaranteed."

  "Are you joking?" Kathleen stared at Bill, who did look much younger now than he had only a few minutes earlier.

  "Not at all," Bill laughed. "Come on, we'll find a glass of wine for you and we'll talk."

  * * *

  "Here's where she is." Ashe pulled a comp-vid from his pocket and showed Jayson an image of Kathleen, with wide windows behind her and gishi groves beyond that.

  "That's amazing," Jayson breathed.

  "SouthStar is amazing," I agreed. "The best place for her, actually."

  * * *

  Le-Ath Veronis—present

  Lissa's Journal

  As requested, I ferried five half-Elemaiya to their assignments. Jett nodded respectfully to me when I appeared in his office with Luanne, Philip and Elizabeth. Serrigar and Valegar were already there, waiting.

  "I have unexpected allies," Jett smiled and nodded toward Lynx, who'd arrived with Tiger, another retired Saa Thalarr. "I was having difficulty putting a fifth team together, when they appeared and made my life easier."

  "So, two big cats," I nodded to both.

  "Can't hurt," Lynx shrugged with an attractive, careless grin. He was mated to Conner, and I could see why. Tiger, on the other hand, was mated to a still-active Saa Thalarr—Mavrillek, a hellcat. I'd never seen him change; I'd only heard rumors of how dangerous he was. Not something you wanted to meet if he were in an angry mood, that's for sure.

  Tiger was six feet tall, and Lynx was barely an inch or two taller. I imagined that Tiger and her mate would be vicious if they fought together.

  "I'm Luanne," Luanne held out her hand. Jett took it with a nod. "This is Philip, and this is Elizabeth."

  "I'll leave you now, let me know if you need anything," I said.

  "We will be fine," Jett assured me.

  I folded away.

  * * *

  Earth—past

  Breanne's Journal

  "I'm glad that's taken care of," I sighed as I leaned against Hank.

  "I'm glad you're not worrying about it anymore," Hank nuzzled my neck.

  "Yeah."

  "Bree?"

  "What?"

  "I want to fuck you. Fuck you good. Fuck you until you fall asleep in my arms," Hank mumbled, pulling me backward onto the bed. "Just relax and let me make you come."