"I would be happy to do so," Casimir agreed. "At times, constant darkness becomes irritating."
"I knew you'd see it my way," Trajan grinned.
* * *
Earth—past
Breanne's Journal
"Here's the list—and the order to visit them," Bill passed a sheet of paper down the table. We'd settled on an Italian restaurant for dinner, so we could all get something we wanted. It was a family style restaurant, so Trajan ordered a plate of spaghetti meant to serve four, plus a steak. He ate all of it, with a salad and garlic bread.
Kay watched, wide-eyed, as he devoured a large piece of coconut cake for dessert.
"Sweetheart, he's a werewolf," Ashe hugged her close. Charles snickered.
* * *
"Kooper, I'm handing the reins to you and Lendill," Ildevar sighed. "You'll both share Director's duties."
"I prefer it this way—the Alliance is a big place," Lendill agreed. "My father said you might choose this path. Kooper is a trusted associate."
"I know you grieve for Norian," Ildevar told Lendill. "Do not allow your grief to dictate foolish actions. The enemy is a terrible one."
"I keep hearing that from my father," Lendill nodded. "Koop, what are your thoughts?"
"I'd like to talk with Breanne about this," Kooper sighed.
"Do you think we might convince her to visit?" Ildevar suddenly looked hopeful.
"I don't know. We can try. I'll put a message out."
* * *
Earth—past
Breanne's Journal
"Kooper wants to talk to you." That message was relayed by Kalenegar, who'd received mindspeech from Graegar, through Connegar, from Lissa, who'd been contacted by Kooper.
"Where is he?" I asked. Hank didn't like that I was prepared to go talk to Kooper, since we'd had a long, exhausting day already.
"With Ildevar Wyyld," Kal replied. "I will accompany you, as will Hank, if I read his smoke patterns correctly."
"Fine. Let's make this a short trip." I was ready to drop and Hank knew that. Kal likely did, too.
Hank let Kal bend time and fold space and we were ushered into Ildevar's presence, where Kooper and Lendill Schaff waited for us.
"Bree," Kooper stepped forward quickly and leaned in for a kiss.
"Kooper, what do you need?" I asked.
"Advice," he sighed.
"I'm not sure my advice is any better than someone else's right now," I said.
"Do you think we ought to keep looking for these gates?" Kooper asked. "The truth, Bree. Please."
"Yeah, but I think your agents should listen to their Larentii and Elemaiya helpers," I pointed out. I'd dropped my shields to read Lendill Schaff, and knew he and Kooper were now in charge of the ASD. Ildevar had chosen wisely, to make the transition of power as smooth as possible.
"I have a suggestion, too, if you need another reliable agent," I added.
"Who?"
"Bill Jennings—the one currently at SouthStar."
"Extremely competent," Hank agreed. "A wise choice, and one who'd need no training. He is familiar with the Elemaiya working with you, and they'd be comfortable together."
"I agree," Kooper nodded. "Can you get him here so I can put him to work?"
"We'll have to get Ashe," I said.
"I will go." Kal disappeared.
* * *
Kal was back in a few seconds, with Ashe and Bill from SouthStar. Bill was certainly excited, and had a comp-vid full of information to offer Kooper.
"What's this?" Kooper took the comp-vid Bill handed over.
"A listing of all new religions in both Alliances, with information and research on all of them. The ones most likely to be associated with the Sirenali or the ones that may have had undue influence from outside sources have been flagged for investigation. They have been cross-referenced, too, with unexplained disappearances near their facilities, and those are the ones I feel we should target first."
"Are you kidding?" Lendill walked to Kooper's side and stared at the information on the comp-vid.
"Ashe, Trajan and I discussed this days ago, and Trajan and I have been working on it ever since," Bill shrugged modestly.
"This is so much better than what we have," Lendill breathed while sorting through information on Kooper's comp-vid. "Can I pass this to my team and let them make a map for our investigations?"
"Kooper, why don't you introduce me to all your people involved with this—just in case," I suggested. He'd know what I meant—I wanted to make sure none of them had been obsessed.
"I can do that, but we'll have to get to headquarters on Le-Ath Veronis."
"I wish to come with you," Ildevar Wyyld spoke for the first time.
"Of course, Deonus," Kooper nodded respectfully.
That's how we ended up at ASD Headquarters, and I ended up walking through the entire place, checking for obsessed employees. We found three, but they were low-level employees and hadn't managed to get any important information.
"We'll sequester them on Wyyld," Ildevar said. "I don't want to kill them unless it becomes necessary."
I lowered my shields to read Ildevar. I couldn't. Read him, that is. That made me sigh. I'd have to ask Lissa about him, because I felt there was something I needed to know.
"Breanne," Ildevar approached me and lifted my hand to his lips. I thought he might kiss it. He held my wrist against his cheek instead, and closed his eyes as if he found the touch of my skin blissful to him.
Yes, I definitely needed to talk to Lissa.
Chapter 13
Earth—past
Breanne's Journal
"Breanne, Ildevar Wyyld is an ancient Ra'Ak," Hank informed me as he lifted my top over my head. I'd begun undressing myself the moment we made it back to our shared bedroom, but Hank stepped in and took the matter out of my hands.
"He doesn't kiss," Hank added, "because it is dangerous for any Ra'Ak to kiss a humanoid. Their appetite might get the better of their senses if they did. Ildevar will never harm someone he cares for. I believe he cares for you."
"Hank, I'm too tired to even think about that right now," I pouted.
"Ashe has shields around the hotel, and Bill says we can sleep until nine. We have interviews to do after that," Hank informed me.
"Okay." My eyes were closed and I was practically asleep on my feet as Hank pulled my jeans down.
"Step out, baby." Hank's breath was warm against my ear.
"Okay."
"I like it when you do what I ask," he leaned in to kiss my neck.
"Can I go to bed now?" I whined.
"Yeah. I'm gonna hold you tonight, and you'll sleep."
"I'm ready," I mumbled. I don't remember anything past that.
* * *
"These are our interviews today," Bill handed a list of names down the table. "I want to be there for all of them, and I want Breanne with me. I may need a little compulsion laid afterward so they won't think it strange that I was in so many parts of the country in such a short amount of time."
We had an interview in South Carolina, one in Mississippi, another in Texas, then two in California and the last one of the day in Ohio.
"They know we're coming?" Charles studied the paper when it came to him.
"Yeah. Dan Kelsey set it up for us."
"Could be dangerous," Charles observed, handing the paper to Gavin.
"I know that," Bill said. "How else can we get this done?"
"Good question," Charles replied.
"What are we going to do if Sirenali are there?" Opal asked.
"I'll entertain suggestions for that now," Bill replied.
* * *
Wyyld—present
"Chazi come with you," Chazi nodded at Bill. "Protect."
"I'll take all the help I can get," Bill agreed.
"I will also come with you," Reemagar offered.
"Don't forget—I have mindspeech," Kooper nodded to Bill. "Notify me if you find anything."
"One of
us will contact you," Reemagar said.
"Do you have your weapons? Are they charged and ready?" Kooper checked his sidearm as he asked the question.
"Ready," Bill said.
"Lendill has already taken his teams out," Kooper said. "Jerigar, are you ready to transport me? Reemagar can take Bill and Chazi."
"Ready," Jerigar said.
"Perzi, Bekzi—ready?" Kooper grinned at the two reptanoids staying with him.
"We ready," both grinned back at Kooper. Jerigar and Reemagar folded passengers to their targets.
* * *
Bill studied his surroundings carefully. They'd landed in a park-like setting on Kleeg. The wide, grassy area was surrounded by trees and flowerbeds, while birds sang or called in the trees. A fountain stood in the middle, with sheets of water cascading down the sides of piled, natural stones. A huge temple lay in the background, and it, like its surroundings, seemed perfectly benign.
"What made you choose this?" Reemagar asked. "This is a well-established temple for the god of air and light."
"I know. But Trajan and I noticed some changes in their purchases lately," Bill said. "You see there's no activity outside the temple, too? Usually this is prayer time for the priests and acolytes, and they'd all be outside chanting prayers in the sun."
"What they buy?" Chazi asked.
"Weapons," Bill replied grimly. "That, combined with a few unexplained disappearances in the area certainly drew my interest."
"A recent excavation has been made beneath the temple," Reemagar said.
"All the more reason to get inside," Bill drew his weapon. "I wish Breanne was here—she could mist us inside."
"I will call Lissa," Reemagar said.
* * *
Le-Ath Veronis—present
Lissa's Journal
Reemagar sent mindspeech as I was going over reports in my study. He sounded worried, and that wasn't like my Larentii mate. I folded space to Kleeg quickly.
"Bill?" I was surprised to find him, Chazi and Reemagar about a quarter mile from a temple dedicated to the god of light and air. We stood in a grassy park; not surprising as it was the usual setting for this type of temple.
"Lissa, good to see you," Bill nodded to me. "There's something going on inside that temple, and we need to find out what it is."
I already knew Reemagar found it troublesome—I'd read that in his mindspeech. He wouldn't come out and express those worries to Bill, but I knew.
"Need mist," Chazi said.
"I can do that," I said, studying the temple. Made of pure white marble, it gleamed in the early morning light on Kleeg. Devotees of the god of light and air liked tall, wide domes and spires. This temple was covered in domes and spires.
"Watch out for rogue-engineered gates, too," Bill cautioned.
"This is turning into a mess, and we haven't even gone inside," I pointed out.
"Then let's take care of that now," Bill muttered. "Everybody ready?"
* * *
Earth—past
Breanne's Journal
The minister in South Carolina wasn't obsessed, had no dungeon beneath his church and ruined any innocence he might have in my mind when he said that all other religions would "burn in hell."
He also seemed to think that he had God on speed-dial. In his less than normal mind, maybe they had breakfast together on Saturday mornings, too.
Poor Bill had to listen to an almost-sermon after asking whether the minister had been approached by anyone recently who might want to use his church building. After ten minutes, Gavin took over, laid compulsion and we were on our way to Mississippi.
* * *
Kleeg—present
Lissa's Journal
Weapons, many of them not legal in either Alliance, filled two rooms inside the temple. In the rectory, tables were shoved aside so some could practice firing those weapons. Weapons masters had been brought in and they were busy training the temple residents to kill living targets.
What we found in the oval sanctuary was more frightening than that. Genley Reith had taken over the temple. If I hadn't seen his image before and known that he was Sirenali, I would have imagined him a normal member of the population.
Genley stood at the edge of a huge, indoor pool that was nearly finished, watching while former priests and acolytes applied a coat of pale-blue paint to the structure before filling it with water. His new army was as busy as an anthill, making sure their new master would have a comfortable saltwater pool in which to swim.
I knew Genley was using a Sirenali's talent for disguise to hide his true nature, but the thing that worried me most was that all the people inside the temple were likely obsessed. Those dedicated to the god of light and air would never be tempted to purchase or use weapons otherwise.
I'll have to set you down somewhere, so I can attempt to get him to remove his obsessions, I sent to my passengers.
Set me down in those rafters over the sanctuary, Bill said. I can cover you from there.
I will keep Chazi and myself shielded on the floor, in case our help is needed, Reemagar said.
Good enough, I agreed. Bill, don't hesitate to shoot if things don't go well.
I won't, don't worry about that, Bill replied.
I misted Bill onto a broad beam in the rafters over the pool, where he'd have a clean shot at Genley if things didn't go as planned on the ground. I dropped Reemagar and Chazi onto the narrow space between the pool's edge and a wall, where someone was least likely to walk into Reemagar's shield.
Remaining mist for a few seconds, I pondered what needed to be done. If Genley didn't respond to threats, then he and everyone else in the temple would have to be killed. I hated doing that. The residents weren't acting on their own accord, but who knew the extent of what they'd been instructed to do? Those instructions would outlive Genley if he failed to remove them.
"Hello, Genley," I purred as I appeared before him and held the tip of a deadly claw beneath his chin.
* * *
Earth—past
Breanne's Journal
The minister in Mississippi bore an obsession. I felt itchy about the whole thing, so I'd asked Bill to let me go inside the church as mist before he walked in for the meeting. He and Hank insisted on riding in my mist with me. We hovered before the minister, who had gray hair, cloudy green eyes and a permanent frown.
He's obsessed, I sent to my passengers. They could see for themselves the piles of explosives in the minister's study.
He's waiting for us to get here, so he can kill us the minute we walk in. Bill's mindspeech was a low growl.
Let's check the basement, but if my hunch is correct, the rats have already deserted this ship, I returned.
Check the basement by all means, but I believe we should destroy the explosives and take the minister in, Hank suggested.
Bree? Bill sent. I destroyed the explosives by turning them into harmless sparks while the minister leapt from his chair in terror. His shriek was cut off as he was swallowed inside my mist.
The basement, enlarged and modified to hold a dungeon, had been vacated and all equipment removed. Charles was right—letting them know we were coming was a mistake. Chances were, too, that Bill was still on their list of targets. Who knew what—or who—might be waiting for him at the other facilities?
We'd seen enough, and as there were no others inside the church, I misted toward the parking lot outside. I warned Opal, Jayson and Trajan that I was dropping a prisoner and dumped a frightened and obsessed minister at their feet. How thankful was I that I'd supplied everybody with Ranos technology? Very thankful, when two Blackhawk helicopters flew over our heads and opened fire.
* * *
Kleeg—present
Lissa's Journal
I should have known better. I should have. Isn't that how hindsight always works—you figure you should have known what might happen before the fact? Genley had been instructed on what to do, should he find himself in this situation. He changed to his natural for
m and fought me, knowing he'd either die or hurt me in some way. Both those things happened.
* * *
Bill couldn't get a clear shot at Genley Reith as he and Lissa fought, the Sirenali's dark scales gleaming dully in the light filtering through high windows as he struck at Lissa with sharp claws. Lissa's movements were swifter than the eye could follow, and Genley's body was covered in superficial cuts. Bill knew Lissa wanted the obsessions removed and that's why the Sirenali still lived.
Temple residents were moving in on the fight, their weapons drawn and pointing toward the combatants. Bill jerked as a weapon discharged. Blood sprayed from Lissa's left arm. Bill fired at the one who'd wounded her, killing him quickly. Chazi's lion snake, escaping Reemagar's shield, began whipping through the humanoids surrounding the fight and biting any who carried weapons. They began dropping quickly.
"Hello," hands jerked Bill's pistol away. Bill turned to find someone grasping the adjoining rafter with sharp, dark claws. Before he could stop himself, he was mesmerized by the eyes of a second Sirenali. "You'll do everything I tell you to do from now on," the female Sirenali purred. Bill didn't want to, but found himself nodding anyway.
* * *
Lissa's Journal
If Reemagar hadn't noticed, who knows what might have happened? He also released the particles of the female Sirenali, but it was already too late—she'd managed to obsess Bill. That's when I went into hyperdrive, killed Genley with barely a thought and turned nearly two hundred humanoids to sparks. I stood next to Genley's pool afterward, panting and holding my bleeding left arm. Chazi came back to himself and stood naked nearby, watching as Bill was transported from the rafters by Reemagar.
Who knew what he'd been instructed to do? If Breanne couldn't see it, the rest of us couldn't, either.
* * *
Earth—past
Breanne's Journal
Ashe and I were inside the FBI offices, discussing the remaining churches on Bill's list and working out which of us would mist through them and whom we'd carry with us when Graegar and Barrigar appeared inside the room with us.
Bill, Opal and Jayson had escorted the minister to a holding cell—he'd have to be held until we could determine whether his condition was permanent. If we couldn't find the Sirenali or the Sirenali died, we couldn't let the man live.
Blood Love (God Wars, #4) Page 19
