Blood Love (God Wars, #4)

by Connie Suttle

  He'd been instructed to kill Bill and anyone with him; he'd shouted that often enough after Hank and Jayson shot down the helicopters from the church parking lot. Kal had shielded us from their bullets, and they'd flown low enough that Ranos pistols destroyed them easily. Graegar's appearance worried me greatly, however.

  "Dearest," Graegar began, "we have terrible news."

  * * *

  Le-Ath Veronis—present

  Lissa's Journal

  Connegar and Reemagar held a shield around Bill, who sat quietly inside my study. Reemagar sent a message to Graegar through channels, and he'd been informed of Bill's obsession. Graegar sent a reply, saying he was going to Breanne.

  I waited for her to arrive. This might upset her greatly or destroy her—she loved Bill. Drake, Drew and Gavin walked in to wait with me. It wasn't long before Graegar, Barrigar, Breanne, Hank, Ashe and Ashe's mate, Kay, appeared.

  Bill's obsession wasn't difficult to determine once Breanne arrived—he went from docile to terrifying in a blink, and if my Larentii hadn't kept him behind strong shields, he'd have attacked my sister.

  She'd come as herself, dropping her disguise, but I felt it didn't matter—Bill knew who she was in either guise.

  "Bill," Ashe pulled Breanne behind him—Bree looked ready to cry.

  "Ashe?" Bill turned to the Mighty Hand. The obsession centered on Breanne; that much was obvious. Hank pulled Breanne away and settled her on a chair in a corner of my study.

  "Bill, tell me what happened. As much as you remember." Ashe motioned for Bill to sit. Bill sat and stared at the Mighty Hand.

  "That woman jerked my gun away. She couldn't fire it—Ranos pistol tuned to my DNA," Bill said. "She said something to me, but I can't—I can't say what it was." Bill offered Ashe a puzzled frown.

  "Bill, we may have to sequester you for a while," Ashe sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry."

  * * *

  Breanne's Journal

  Was I upset? Upset couldn't begin to describe how I felt. That word was too tiny and insignificant. Bill wanted to kill me, and the Sirenali responsible for this travesty was dead. All sorts of things went through my mind, but primarily I wanted to Change What Was, bring that bitch back to life, force her to remove the obsession and then kill her slowly.

  "Breanne," Hank breathed a warning against my ear. He knew—perhaps from my rapid breathing and the trembling of my body, exactly what I was considering. It was either that or scream my grief for all to hear. Bill, in this time frame, was dead to me. With the obsession he carried, he wanted to kill me. He'd keep trying, too, if I didn't Change What Was.

  "Ashe?" Kay's voice was timid.

  "What is it, sweetheart?" Ashe asked, turning to her and holding out his hand. Shyly, she went to him and he pulled her close.

  "I can see Bill's lines," Kay said.

  "What?" Ashe asked, puzzled. I struggled out of Hank's grip and stared at Kay. Hank, following my lead, stared too.

  "I saw them before, too," Kay went on. I held my breath.

  "I know what's different now," Kay said. "I can try to change it, if you want."

  "Oh. My. God. Please try, Kay. Please," I begged.

  "Breanne, come here," Ashe beckoned me toward him. "I'll shield you so Bill won't see."

  "What do you want me to do?" I asked.

  "Connect with Kay. See through her eyes. I'll do the same—I don't want Kay placed in danger."

  "Yeah." I knew he didn't want Kay placed in danger. I didn't matter so much, but I didn't want Kay harmed, either.

  Ashe surprised me by putting his free arm about me when I went to him. I did as instructed and connected with Kay so I could see through her eyes. With the talent I had, I could see Bill's aura lines just as easily as Kay could, and knew without having to ask which ones were different. If Kay could do this for Bill, then she could do it for others who didn't deserve to die. I wanted to whimper with fear—and hope. Ashe's arm tightened about me.

  Don't be afraid, love, his voice filtered into my mind. I felt that message was meant for Kay, and I'd heard it since I was connected to her.

  I think Ashe and I both held our breath as Kay reached out with her talent and turned graying lines back to their natural colors. I was afraid to hope as Bill's lines glowed with soft, healthy color instead of the drabness they'd held after the obsession was laid.

  It gave insight, too, into what the Sirenali were capable of doing and how their obsessions were accomplished. Kay's talent was almost a mirror image of theirs, and I wondered at the complexity of it.

  "There, all done," Kay sighed and sagged against Ashe. What she'd done had worn her out.

  "Where am I?" Bill stood and looked around him, as if he'd wakened from a deep sleep.

  * * *

  I'd always been able to read Bill, and I was grateful for that fact now. He was back to himself, but what I saw in him was more than disturbing. I saw the Sirenali through his eyes, and she'd pulled the knowledge that I was alive straight from his mind. She'd likely passed that knowledge up the chain of command immediately, so the enemy knew everything.

  Then, not only had she instructed Bill to kill me when he saw me again, but to send mindspeech that he'd accomplished that deed to her—and to others. They knew now that he could mindspeak, and were also aware of his other talents. That was terrifying.

  Ashe, they know—the enemy, I said. When she placed the obsession, she pulled all of it from Bill's mind. They know I'm still alive and what I look like, through him.

  Ashe cursed himself softly. I didn't think my compulsion was necessary not to reveal your identity, Ashe returned. This is a horrible turn of events. I don't want Bill to feel worse than he already does, he added.

  Me either, I agreed.

  "The Sirenali can read talents in those who don't hold a lot of power." I said aloud and shivered in Hank's arms. The Larentii had removed their shields since Bill was back to himself, and he'd given us information we never thought to get from any victim of obsession. Once Kay worked her magic, he could remember and talk coherently about the experience.

  "I felt dirty," Bill, unaware of my silent conversation with Ashe, shook his head in disgust. "Bree, I'm really sorry. There's no way I'd ever do anything like that when I'm normal," he added.

  "Don't worry about it—I know what happened," I said. My heart was still beating faster than it should, and I felt more than grateful that Kay had pulled him away from an obsession that could have destroyed both of us, although sensitive information had fallen into enemy hands.

  "Will you come to me, sweetheart?" Bill asked.

  "Yeah." Hank let me go and I walked to Bill. He pulled me onto the chair with him.

  "Baby you're shaking. You're not afraid of me now, are you?"

  "No. I was so scared I wouldn't get you back." I struggled not to cry. Bill didn't need to read everybody after touching my tears. Graegar said only those I couldn't read would be unaffected.

  "What if," Hank began, "we pretended that Bill accomplished his task?" I jerked around and stared at him. "The Sirenali obviously still think you're alive, and that information is now everywhere, unless I miss my guess."

  Ashe and I should have included Hank in our mental conversation—that was apparent—but he had the beginnings of a good idea.

  "You're saying that Bill ought to send mindspeech, to draw them out?" Lissa broke in.

  "Yes, but we have to plan this carefully. We can't rush this or they'll suspect, don't you think?"

  "Yes. There's no valid reason that he should see her for a few days, at least. They'll believe the obsession is still active, I think, since the one who placed it is dead and can't tell them otherwise." Kalenegar appeared inside Lissa's study, his well-muscled arms crossed tightly over his chest. I guessed that Graegar and Barrigar had included him in the conversation through a mindlink, and he'd chosen to show up so he could talk with us.

  "Meanwhile, one hundred seventy-nine obsessed people died in the temple on Kleeg," Lissa mo
aned and dropped her face in her hands. She'd attempted to convince Genley Reith to remove his obsessions, but it was likely that he could only remove about half of them. The others were probably placed by Bill's Sirenali attacker.

  "I think we should all ponder this and meet here again in two weeks to make suggestions," Ashe said. "If we work this out carefully, there's no reason we can't lay a trap for anybody who shows up to check on Bill's handiwork."

  "I don't want Breanne placed in danger," Hank blew a cloud of smoke. "So plan carefully if you intend to include her."

  The idea that I might be included in the plans frightened me, and that shouldn't be. My beating and subsequent death at the hands of the General had taken a greater toll than I wanted to admit. If he showed up a second time, I could be too terrified to do anything about it.

  Baby, I'll do everything I can to protect you, Hank sent. I can tell you're worried. We still have to go back and help Bill in the past. Hold your chin up, Avilepha. We have much to do.

  I gave a slight nod in reply—I felt ill and didn't want Hank to sense that in my mindspeech. Ashe had both arms wrapped around Kay, I noticed, and I knew she was tired and shaky after healing Bill's tainted aura lines.

  "Ashe, why don't you take Kay to Southstar?" I said, my voice wobbling only a little. "She's tired and hungry."

  "I think I will," Ashe said. "We'll catch up with you and Hank later." Ashe folded Kay away from Lissa's study.

  "Now," I said, shivering against Hank, "Kay just became one of the most valuable people in either Alliance. The Sirenali think their obsessions are infallible. Kay proved that wrong earlier. What can we do to protect that knowledge from the enemy?"

  Chapter 14

  Earth—past

  Breanne's Journal

  Ashe explained that his compulsion overrode anything anybody else might do, and even a Sirenali couldn't get to information if Ashe commanded that it not be shared or released with anyone. Once he'd arrived on Earth again with Kay, he set about placing cautionary compulsion on everyone before telling them what Kay could do.

  At least Kay would be protected in the future, if anyone who knew of her talents encountered a Sirenali.

  It was decided, too, to leave the two obsessed people we had in custody as they were, so as not to tire Kay. After all, if we found someone more important who'd been obsessed, her energy would be better spent there.

  Kalenegar then explained what had happened in the future—up to a point. He didn't tell Bill that he'd been the one obsessed. He merely said that Kay had managed to heal the one obsessed and left it at that.

  I, on the other hand, still felt shaky and had no way to combat that feeling. In my experience, it was a runaway horse that you had to ride until it ran its course. Meanwhile, the terror of the ride could threaten to overwhelm at times.

  "How many more churches?" I asked.

  "Three, sweetheart," Bill said.

  "I'll take two, if you'll stay with Kay," Ashe told Kalenegar.

  "I will," he agreed.

  "That leaves the one in Ohio for you, baby," Hank said. "Bill, Opal and Jayson can come with us."

  Charles, Gavin and Trajan went with Ashe to the two churches in California, but I was worried. So far, only the church in Mississippi had held a Sirenali at one point, and that meant there was likely three more at churches somewhere. I didn't think those three were the ones we traveled to now; the odds were against it. It didn't keep me from thinking that one or more of them could be booby-trapped, just as the one in Mississippi had been.

  * * *

  "I suppose they're more difficult to kill than I originally thought," the General grumbled.

  "I think you did kill her. I don't know what wizardry they employed to bring her back. At least the one our Sirenali read believes it to be her."

  "If it is a doppelgänger to make us believe we didn't kill her, then I will reward the one who brings me confirmation of this. How is the obsessed one doing?"

  "The Sirenali who placed the obsession was killed, but that only means the obsession cannot be removed. He was instructed to notify us should his target be eliminated. Then we may determine whether it is an impostor."

  "Very good," The General nodded. "I greatly anticipate this news."

  * * *

  Breanne's Journal

  The church was in a suburb on the outskirts of Akron; a tidy, white frame church nestled in a neighborhood. That sent warning signals through me immediately the moment I set my passengers down outside the building. Bill, I sent, I don't feel good about this one.

  Bree, are you being overly cautious? Hank asked. He and Bill were both staring at me while Jayson and Opal cautiously drew their Ranos pistols.

  Honey, I don't know, I returned. I just feel shaky right now. I started to say something else when prescience kicked in. When the entire community of Delvano, Ohio exploded in a huge fireball, I already had my passengers hundreds of miles away.

  * * *

  "I think they didn't want us to take any more of their slaves as prisoners. Something set off their alarms the moment we landed outside that church," Hank paced and blew smoke. We were in Bill's D.C. office—that's where I'd taken them when I'd fled the Akron area. Bill sat behind his desk, Jayson and Opal stood near the door as self-appointed guards, and I sat in one of Bill's guest chairs.

  "What set them off? Sight? Sound?" Opal asked.

  "Could be anything," Hank shrugged. "Bree, what kind of shield did you have up?"

  "Just one to keep bullets or something like that from passing through." My shakiness hadn't subsided—in fact, it was getting worse. I knew I was close to a panic attack; too many things had happened and it frightened me that Bill had been a target twice. It terrified me that the enemy knew I was still alive as well, and that they were aware of my disguise.

  "Hey," Jayson knelt in front of me and took my hands in his. "What's wrong with my girl?"

  "She's had a long, bad day," Hank rumbled, kneeling beside Jayson. "Baby, do you need to lie down? Something more than that, maybe?"

  "Bree?" Bill rose from his seat and walked around his desk quickly.

  "Baby, tell me what you need," Hank pleaded.

  I blinked at Hank, struggling to keep his handsome face in focus. "What happened?" A new voice joined the others. Kevis had arrived.

  * * *

  Hank's Journal

  Nearly four thousand people died in Ohio. That, coupled with Bill's obsession in the future, the knowledge that the enemy knew she was alive and the destruction of the church in Mississippi on the same day triggered Breanne's PTSD. I was forced to call Graegar, who transported Kevis to us.

  "I worry continuously about this," Graegar shook his head at me as we watched Breanne sleep. If she'd been awake, she might have been frightened by the number of people inside her room. Kalenegar glowered in a corner while the rest of us—Graegar, Barrigar, Jayson, Trajan, Charles, Bill and I, either sat or stood and watched Breanne after Kevis placed a healing sleep.

  "We're placing temporary patches on a leaking boat and hoping they hold until we don't need it anymore," Kevis grumbled. That's when I knew he loved her, too. Graegar offered a sly smile as that realization hit me.

  "Kay's asleep. How's Bree?" Ashe folded in beside me and asked the question we all wanted to ask.

  "We're hoping she's better when she wakes," Barrigar spoke for the first time. Graegar's Protector had sat in silence, watching Breanne carefully. I knew Trevor, Kooper and the reptanoids would be worried, too, if they knew about this. The last person I might have suspected showed up as I was considering all this—Ildevar Wyyld.

  "I have my sources," Ildevar sighed as he stared at Breanne.

  I didn't miss the gesture when he nodded slightly at Kalenegar, however. Somehow, those two knew one another.

  "How long will she sleep?" Trajan asked.

  "Four more hours, then I'll get her up and see if she wants to eat. We'll assess the damage then," Kevis replied.

  "Damage?" Traja
n sounded lost.

  "Just a figure of speech," Kevis soothed, patting the werewolf on the shoulder. I could tell Kevis was worried, though.

  "Look, why don't we get dinner and leave the Larentii here with Breanne?" Charles suggested.

  "That sounds good," Kevis steered Trajan away from the bed. The suggestion was sound—Kevis was considering what the rest of us needed while Breanne was down, and talking about it over dinner was a wise idea.

  * * *

  Breanne's Journal

  Disorientation clouded my vision when I woke and for a moment, I had no idea where or when I was. "Lara'Kayan, you are safe with us," Kalenegar soothed. A large hand covered my heart, convincing it to slow its pace to a more natural rhythm. I found myself surrounded by Larentii; Barrigar, Graegar, Kalenegar, Renegar, Garegar and Pheligar stood around the bed, all of them studying me with interest.

  "Hey," I held out my hand and grasped Pheligar's hand in mine. Actually, I was only able to hold a couple of fingers, but he smiled at me anyway.

  "Much better," another Larentii, one I didn't recognize, walked into view.

  "Breanne, this is Lenigar," Graegar introduced the newcomer. "He and Renegar are our finest healers."

  "Really?" I stared at Renegar, who was Pheligar's son and Graegar's father. He was also Garegar's grandfather, so I had four generations of Larentii at my bedside. I kept my shield up and didn't read Lenigar—I figured it was only polite to ask before reading most Larentii.

  "Yes." Lenigar smiled at me, too. "We have done what Kevis said and placed a patch on a leaking boat," his smile widened.

  "Okay, what does that mean?" I asked.

  "It means that some of your memories have been muted," Renegar replied. "Until a time comes when you might deal with them a little better. Muting certain memories places time and distance between you and them, so they cannot do too much harm."

  At first I didn't believe him, but when I dredged up the memory of Bill's obsession (it took some work to do it) it seemed as if it had taken place long in the past and no longer frightened me so much.