Dragon placed it on the desk. “I can’t miss the Academy’s summons.”
Jade’s life hung in the balance, and he wouldn’t sacrifice the only chance he had to save her. The Academy would never grant him a second appointment. As it was, only Gabriel’s influence as the Celestian High Lord had made it possible. And only because the Academy intended to collect a favor in exchange for being magnanimous.
The Academy was above the law, and without a physical address, no government could hold them accountable and force the institution to follow the rules.
“We’ll find Lauren first,” Dragon said, not seeing an alternative.
23
What did I do? Who is the father? What am I going to do? Jade’s mind fired the questions, one after the other, repeating them in a loop.
A child. Her child.
Past-Jade had screwed her big time, literally.
“You need to decide if you want to terminate your pregnancy.” Rikes echoed Lady Lisandra’s question from a moment ago, but his words sounded harsher.
Jade’s heart jumped to her throat.
The medicus and Lady Lisandra stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to say something, but she couldn’t. How could she answer if she wanted to keep a baby she hadn’t known existed until a moment ago? The room was still spinning all around her, and she gasped for air.
“Can you remember when your last cycle was?” Rikes moved across the room.
Focusing on the medicus’ question, Jade tried to answer, but there was a huge black hole where two months of her life had disappeared. “I’m not sure,” she finally said. “It’s usually just a trickle, and it lasts less than two days.”
“Nanites,” the medicus murmured.
“They sound like something I could use,” Lady Lisandra commented, eyeing Jade with interest before turning to the medicus and canting her head to the side. “You don’t have any of those nanites handy, do you?”
“I don’t deal with experimental drugs.” Rikes shook his head in censure, and his jowls still danced when he added, “Well, it would’ve been easier if she knew the date of conception. We need to determine how far along she is.”
Among Jade’s erased memories there was that knowledge too, now lost forever, but neither the medicus nor Lady Lisandra needed to know that. Exposing her vulnerability wasn’t a smart idea, especially because she didn’t know whom she could trust. And as a practical rule of thumb, assassins trusted nobody.
“Maybe a month ago,” Jade said. “But it could be more.”
“Two months?” The medicus gave her a pointed look.
“You really have such a light period that you don’t remember?” Lady Lisandra studied Jade as if she had sprouted three heads all of a sudden.
“Assassins can’t be slowed down by cramps. My body has all the functions yours has; it is just more efficient,” Jade said.
“I’d say.” Lady Lisandra turned her attention to the medicus. “Are we sure that we can’t bend those strict rules of yours, Rikes?” At the man’s arched brow, she asked, “Just this one time?”
“Could it be three months by any chance?” the medicus asked Jade, ignoring Lady Lisandra’s request.
Triggered by the man’s question, a memory surfaced among the chaotic soup that was Jade’s brain. A week or two before she left for her last mission, her monthlies had started. “It could be almost three months,” she said.
“Then, as I was saying, if you want to terminate your pregnancy, you must do it now.” Rikes picked up his medicus bag and stepped toward the door. “Take a day or two to decide, but don’t tarry any longer.” He nodded toward Lady Lisandra, then left them alone, gently closing the door behind him.
Two days to decide if she wanted to keep the little being growing in her belly. Jade couldn’t wrap her mind around that notion, but her hand pressed against her stomach as if her body knew what to do. Her eyes cut to the container with the pink liquid the medicus had left on her nightstand. She was really with child. This wasn’t a dream but the strangest of realities. How could that be?
“So? What are you going to do?” Lady Lisandra asked.
A bout of nausea saved Jade from having to answer.
24
After yet another sleepless night, and at the first pink light of Coral, Dragon gave up altogether on the concept of rest and opted for a jog instead.
Martelli Manor was silent but for the little birds that had taken residence amid the rubble. Nature had a way of turning destruction into life, and with the Fifth Moon rising in a few days, the mating season would start on Celestia. Rebirth was in the air.
Even Dragon could appreciate the uplifting message displayed before his eyes. He needed to believe that everything would work out for the best in the end. The present was still dark, but the future was anything he made of it. And his future contained Jade. Any other outcome didn’t matter, so he ignored his deepest fears and trudged ahead, dodging the obstacles fate placed in his path.
Running through the house at the crack of dawn when nobody was around appeased Dragon, because it was the only time he was alone with his thoughts. During the day, and often late at night as well, crews of workers roamed the manor, repairing, building, hauling, cleaning. A constant buzz filled the place. In the span of a week, most of the ceiling had been patched, and the majority of the rooms could be inhabited again. Gabriel’s people had worked in self-imposed, grueling six-hour shifts for seven days straight, without complaining, eating and sleeping little. Their devotion to Martelli House was moving, and it made the betrayal from one of them all the more horrifying a possibility.
The cold dew of the new day covered Dragon, invigorating him as he ran across the garden. Ahead of him, he could see the newly-built columns bearing the portion of the roof that covered the old guest wing. Massive and yet elegant, each of the pillars was carved from a single piece of wood. A master carpenter had flown all the way from Celestia City to offer his services to the vampire High Lord when rumors of the attack spread.
Dragon stopped by one of the columns, admiring the craftsmanship. He caressed the polished wood, following the spiral pattern the master had painstakingly etched on the surface. Three pillars lay unfinished on the ground, waiting for the chisel to unveil the inner beauty of the coarse material.
Coral was rising fast, and the pink sky became orange with streaks of deep red. The columns cast shadows on the ground, creating a pleasant design that highlighted what lay in the grooves of the marble floor. As Dragon resumed his run, a glimmer caught his eye. Nothing more than a shimmer the morning light unveiled, but it looked out of place amidst the pile of garbage pushed to the corner for the morning crew to dispose of.
Curious, Dragon bent to pick up the small object, and frowned when he recognized it. It was Lauren’s pocket watch. Something was stuck under its lid. He opened it and found a piece of paper that he immediately unfolded. The discovery was chilling.
Steps echoed from far away, startling Dragon. Closing his hand around the paper, he turned to see Valerian approaching. He waved at his friend, motioning for him to hurry.
“You couldn’t sleep either,” Valerian started, but immediately asked, “What’s wrong?” when he saw Dragon’s expression.
Dragon opened his hand.
“What’s that?” Valerian gave the piece of paper one good glance and cursed. “It’s Lauren’s, isn’t it?” He swore again. “The woman always had that pocket watch on her.”
As Valerian blathered, Dragon remained silent, anger consuming him. Even though the idea had passed through his mind, now that the proof was in his hand, he couldn’t believe Lauren had betrayed him.
On that note inside the pocket watch there was a message that could only be from the Front Pro Humanity.
Stay strong. Everything’s as planned. Create diversion. Wait by the water.
Bitterness rose up Dragon’s throat. “She fooled me.” His hand tightened around the piece of paper, crunching it.
“She fooled
all of us,” Valerian said.
25
What am I going to do? Jade asked herself for what seemed like the hundredth time. Her fingers skimmed her flat stomach.
A child was growing inside her.
Damn it, Jade. What did you do?
She couldn’t help but laugh at her words. She knew exactly what Past-Jade had done to put her in this situation, but it still didn’t make any sense. She needed to talk to someone who could answer her question, and Rikes looked too straight a medicus to be that person. On the other hand, Vivaldi’s loose morals made him the kind of practitioner she needed.
“Jewel?” Lady Lisandra stared at her, waving her hand in front of Jade’s face. “Are you here?”
Blinking, Jade took in the small room she called her own at the brothel. “I need to see someone.” She jumped off the bed before remembering to be careful, and her vision filled with white dots as blood rushed to her head.
“Is he the baby’s father?” Lady Lisandra’s strong hand grabbed Jade by her elbow, keeping her upright.
“Gods no,” Jade sputtered. She rode the wave of dizziness to its completion before adding, “Absolutely not.”
It can’t be him, can it? she thought, panic fast settling in her chest.
The man dealt with medical experiments that were often unethical. What if he had used her as an unwilling guinea pig? No, he couldn’t have.
She wasn’t thinking straight. Her visit to Vivaldi’s clinic dated only a handful of days. There had not been enough time for him to do anything that would leave her with child. She was probably two months pregnant, maybe slightly longer than that. But what if this wasn’t her first visit to Belarus?
Not knowing for sure was a terrible sensation. In addition to the rumbling stomach and the crippling nausea, a dreadful heaviness took possession of her chest. Pressing her palm against her sternum, Jade gasped for breath. “It’s just a person who has experience with enhanced people like me.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Lady Lisandra held the bathroom’s door open for Jade.
“No, thank you. I can take care of myself.”
Lady Lisandra shook her head. “I know that, but do you want company?”
“There’s no need. Thank you, though.”
As Jade refreshed herself, Lisandra exited the room only to come back a few minutes later with a tray of food.
“Let’s have breakfast together.” Lady Lisandra straightened the duvet on Jade’s bed, placing the tray down. “Just a morsel or two.”
The nausea still wreaked havoc on her senses, but Jade needed the sustenance, and she accepted a small tartelette. The tangy flavor of purple berries exploded in her mouth, tickling her tongue. After a few tentative bites that safely made it to her stomach and stayed there, she finished the rest of the breakfast. She only took a sip from the tea, though, because at the smell of freshly-brewed red lavender, her stomach churned like a dinghy on turbulent waters.
Jade waited a moment to make sure she wouldn’t need to make a mad dash for the bathroom, then walked out of her room, followed by Lady Lisandra.
“I’ll be back before my shift starts,” she told Lady Lisandra when they reached the servants’ door.
“I hope you find your answers.” The woman hugged Jade, surprising her.
She would have seen a dagger coming from hundreds of meters away. Yet, it was beyond her capabilities to expect an affectionate gesture. For a moment, Jade stood there without knowing what to do, rigid in the woman’s embrace.
Lady Lisandra stepped back before Jade reciprocated. “Take care, Jewel.”
At hearing her fake name, Jade felt a twinge of regret. A life of deceit grew tiresome when the people surrounding you were kind.
An hour later, she was banging at Vivaldi & Sons’ corrugated cardboard door.
“Master Assassin,” Vivaldi greeted her nervously, his eyes cutting over her shoulder before inviting her inside. “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.” One hand held open the door, the other motioning Jade to step into the small foyer, he gave her a good look before saying, “You don’t look well.”
“It’s why I’m here.”
Vivaldi raised an eyebrow. “If it’s side effects from the erasion, you signed a waver—”
“I’m pregnant,” she said.
He crossed his arms and tilted his head. “Not my doing.”
Jade let out a sigh of relief that provoked a frown from the tall medicus.
“Not sure what you were worried about, but I feel slighted by whatever you assumed.”
She didn’t have time to soothe his wounded ego. “Never mind that. Tell me how I could get with child.”
Again, Vivaldi looked beyond Jade as if expecting someone to burst into the clinic. “Not here.” He turned and walked to the hatch door.
Once inside the clinic proper, safely ensconced by reinforced metal walls, the medicus led her into one of the empty cubicles reserved for his patients. The space was dark and only large enough to contain a narrow pallet. With the two of them standing on either side of the metal frame, there was barely room to breathe.
Vivaldi held a finger before him when she opened her mouth to speak. His eyes cut to the wall behind Jade, and he mouthed, “Not alone.” Reaching over her side, he switched a lever on the wall. A low hum filled the cubicle, and he nodded that she could speak.
“What is it with all the paranoia?” Jade spat, her nerves stretched too thin already to play Vivaldi’s cloak-and-dagger games.
“Lower your voice,” he said. “Three nights ago, someone entered the clinic. A few of my smaller machines were stolen—”
“The Badlands have a reputation. Did you forget where you work?”
“Whoever entered left the most expensive items behind, even those that were easy to transport.”
“They didn’t come to steal,” Jade said.
“No, they didn’t. I must assume they came to plant something in my clinic. So, you’ll forgive my caution.”
“You didn’t check whether I was pregnant,” Jade finally said, having had enough of chitchatting.
“Not standard procedure with an assassin, and you were in a hurry.” Even shrouded in darkness, Vivaldi’s eyes shone with curiosity. “Are you sure you are with child?”
“A medicus tested me earlier this morning, and I’ve been vomiting my guts out for the last few days.”
“Do you mind if I repeat the test?”
“Go ahead.” Jade followed him out into the hallway and into one of the labs.
As soon as he entered the room, he closed the glass door and switched a lever to turn on the hum.
“Remember to keep your voice low,” he said, his gaze anxiously looking behind Jade.
She grabbed the plastic cup he handed to her and used the small lavatory attached to the lab. Her emotions ran the entire gamut from disappointment to relief as she watched for the second time that day as the clear liquid of the reacting agent become pink. She was too confused by her reaction to try to understand her feelings but looked up at the medicus for answers.
“Remarkable,” Vivaldi said, looking at the test tube with fascination. “You are indeed carrying a child.”
“How?” Jade asked. “My body isn’t good for it.” She waved her hand in distress.
“Not entirely true.” Vivaldi leaned against the edge of the surgical table in the middle of the lab. “The nanites in your system have altered you to a point where you are the next step in evolution. You can still be killed, but your artificially-extended life span makes you practically immortal. You are an improved version of an engineered bride. Theoretically, shifter semen would be strong enough to fertilize your eggs.”
Jade lowered her hand to her stomach as dizziness overtook her. “What are you saying?”
“That your child’s father isn’t human.”
26
Dragon gave the incriminating message in his hand one last look.
“Wake up Gage and resume the search
for Lyra,” he said to Valerian, who immediately left.
Alone with his thoughts, he tried to make sense of the situation and prioritize what to do next. His friends wouldn’t be happy to see him early in the morning after they had been all working late the night before, but they needed to talk strategy.
“Dragon?” Gabriel answered at the third knock, peeking out from the door. He didn’t wear a stitch on him and kept his lower body behind the panel.
Behind him, framed between his shoulder and the door, three women lay naked on a large makeshift bed. One of them pouted at Dragon, while another made a come-hither gesture and smiled, turning on her stomach and displaying her luscious curves. The third winked at him, caressing her breast.
Gabriel noticed Dragon’s wandering gaze and looked over his shoulder. “Behave, girls. He’s taken.” With a chuckle, he turned to Dragon. “Don’t mind them.”
“Sorry to interrupt.” Dragon showed Gabriel the message. “It was inside Lauren’s pocket watch.”
After scanning the content, Gabriel swore. “Valentine must be informed,” he said, walking inside the room where he grabbed some clothes. “See you later tonight, girls.” Disappointed sighs accompanied him outside.
Dragon briefed Gabriel on their way to his studio, still occupied by Valentine and his family.
“This better be important,” Valentine growled, stepping outside wearing a sheet around his waist. It had only taken one soft knock for him to appear at the entrance. “Valemir has finally fallen asleep, and I had Mirella all to myself.” He closed the door behind him with great care and gave first Dragon, then Gabriel a long stare. “Whatever it is, couldn’t it wait an hour longer?”
“I’m sorry, but it can’t,” Dragon said, holding the note in front of Valentine. “Lauren is working with the terrorists.”
The werewolf shook his head slowly, disappointment showing on his face. “So, it was her feeding information to the enemy.” Valentine held the sheet with one hand as he used the other to scratch at his chin. He looked over his shoulder. “Give me a second.” He went inside and emerged a few moments later, stark naked and holding a pair of black leather pants. Hopping into the pants, he said, “Let’s take a walk so that Mirella can nap.”
The Fifth Moon's Assassin (The Fifth Moon's Tales Book 5) Page 11
