Night Rises
Page 8
“Let’s get back to the dispersal of the minty blood. I don’t see how just hitting the infected with water balloons of the stuff will do much good. Aren’t icky shots a better method?”
“That is my good news. Like the witchy lady said, angel blood isn’t easy to come by. I am pretty sure I have used up the stock from her place and a couple of others in my testing. I did find a way to concentrate it, though. I have worked it into an inhalant that can be let free in the air and still do the job we need it to by just being breathed in.”
Again, why that would work is way over my pay grade, so I will have to just take his word for it. I just don’t understand how inhaling the stuff mixes in with the blood.
“We get to gas them?” Phee asks in her excited voice. She gets as happy about weapons as I do, but her enthusiasm carries over to way too many other avenues.
“Essentially, yes. I have made three devices that can be released into the atmosphere and then activated so it spreads through the air.”
“Coverage?” Sebby asks.
“Initial would be around a ten square mile radius, I think. It isn’t something I was able to test and it depends a lot on the wind and other atmospheric conditions.”
“How long before it shows any results? If we take one with us to Scotland, do we find Stevens place and just launch it overhead and a day or two later everything is great for us when we go in to try to kill him?”
“I don’t think you would want to do it days, or even a single day, in advance. The change in attitude is apparent early on and it would more than likely reveal you were in town,” Carl says.
That makes sense. If we only have three chances, we have to make it count. Really, we would only have two because it is only right to leave one behind for the others to use on the Collective proper. I assume that Stevens will have a mess of hybrids in his guard, but you never know. He may be using standard people and we won’t even need to use the doc’s solution.
“I hate to interrupt because it sounds like you are making plans, but I could really use a potty break,” Sophia alerts us.
“That was the baby, right?” Carl asks. He starts staring at Sophia and any previous good will I felt towards him flies out the window. I am well aware of what that look means and the words that are more than likely about to come out of his mouth. “If mommy is giving blood for me to study, can I expect to get baby’s as well.”
“Over my dead body,” is all I am going to say. I don’t want to even start going down the road where Sophia spends the rest of her life being poked and prodded.
I stand up and head towards the door to help with Sophia’s request. I don’t know where a bathroom is other than the one in my room, so that is the direction I take off in. I am going to have to ask Alex to draw me a map with all the potty chair equipped bathrooms.
By the time we finish taking care of business, I am expecting them to be done with their meeting so we can get to work packing. I glance at the clock in the bedroom real quick on my way by and see that we wasted more time in the meeting today than I would have liked. At this rate, we won’t be on a plane until after the next full moon. I think there may be one in a couple of weeks.
Chapter 12
Let's move out
Sophia, in all of her days on this world, will never cease to amaze me. She seriously just went to the bathroom in her miniature toilet, even though her neck muscles are just starting to allow her to be able to control her head wobble. I feel like starting a blog or something just to brag about all the things my baby is capable of doing. I have a feeling later in life she would grow to hate me for posting pictures of her going to the bathroom on the Internet.
I have her back in her onesie and we are trying to figure out how big of a suitcase to grab from my closet. Do I take one big bag for all of her things and mine or should she get a separate one? Just what all really needs to be packed for her? I don’t think dismantling her crib is an option, but what more than clothing, and her potty chair, will she need? Who can I convince to carry a bag full of all her stuff?
“The perplexed look on your face screams you are having an issue involving clothes,” Sebastian says from the doorway.
“I hadn't got that far yet, but if you give me a few minutes you may see that look. Packing for me is one thing. I just grab some clothes, making sure to remember underwear, and throw them in a bag. Now, I need to figure out what Sophia will need as well and how many suitcases it is going to take to haul everything.”
“Let me make it easy on you. I will pack Soph's things and you can just focus on your weapons and whatever clothes you can grab. I will even pack your underwear for you.”
If I owned anything lacy, I would be frightened by that statement, but other than making me go commando, I don't think he can do much harm.
“Fine. Sophia, do you trust Sebastian to pack for you? It is something each girl has to decide for herself.” I don’t think he has started worrying about wrapping her from head-to-toe in burlap so the guys can’t sneak peeks at her girlie curves, but you never know. Some of the conversations I have overheard between him and Alex sound like they are almost to that point.
“I suppose. There are stores in Scotland, right? If he packs a bunch of silly things, we can just send him out to get normal stuff. In a fit of desperation, we could even send Phee. We probably won’t see her again for a week, but it would save us a trip.”
“It would have to be the world is coming to an end kind of desperation to send Phee out, but I guess that is an option. Do we have a time when the plane is taking off yet?”
I grab my medium black duffle and turn to the weapon wall. So many choices and there is no way they will all fit in my bag.
“Would it be easier for you if I took Sophia?”
“She will probably be able to use most of these within a week, so she needs to learn what works best for her little hands.” I doubt she actually needs to learn anything. Somehow, she came preloaded with the brain of an adult. Now that I think about it, her little skull has to be cramped. I don't know how a brain that little can be holding all that information. That must be why she doesn’t have that soft spot I read about human babies having. If anything, she is soon going to have lumps all over her head as her skull adjusts to the massive amount of grey matter inside.
“I am taking her anyway. When you are done, we need to talk.” Sophia vanishes from my arms and starts making little noises as Sebastian tickles her.
“Not nice, Daddy. I cannot fight back.”
I tune them out and try to figure out what I need to take. I will wear my gun holster and all my usual knife sheaths. Aphrodite can serve as my arm’s length weapon. Do I need any axes or pyro? I am expecting the fight to be nasty and any extra ammo will probably be used. I grab a foot long axe and its thigh holster. I have different sizes of flamethrowers and the smallest is the only one that will fit in the bag.
I load up on silver ammunition and set out the knives that I will be wearing on my person. Sebby didn’t say when we are leaving. I hate when people forget to answer my questions.
Half-heartedly I throw in some clothes. Five sets of everything should be enough. I don’t expect to be gone longer than that. I should be good, so I zip the bag up and head out to the bedroom.
I add my bag to the pile already waiting by the door out of the room. “Things are looking promising for us to actually leave still tonight.”
“We are. It will take almost a full day with a short layover in Seville to pick up some artillery from my home there. If I remember right, I also have a scroll somewhere in my collection there that has a wax seal from the ring you are looking for. I know Hilda said something about having a picture too, but I can still check my collection to see if the images match,” Sebastian calls out from Sophia’s room.
“The ring is at the bottom of our priorities, so if it takes longer than a minute to find your hard copy, I say we forget about it,” I say heading to the bathroom to grab some shampoo and my brush.
“My wolf and vampire parts aren’t enough for you? I am finding it a little offensive that you don’t think I am perfect the way I am.” Toiletries in hand, I muscle my way past him. He doesn’t make a very good door.
“I would love you if you were a newt, you know that. Like your father tried to explain to you earlier, we are going to potentially face a lot of pushback from the paranorm community when it is announced we are now mysteriously leaders for any paranorm wandering the streets. If we are able to prove without a doubt that we are the toughest beings on the block, there won't be as much to worry about.”
“You guys were in on the decision weren't you?” I ask like it is a question, but we all recognize I already know it is a fact. I am sure Dad wanted to make sure they were both prepared for our future titles. “I wasn't alive when paranorms kept to their own circles and had their own rulers, but you all seem to want to get back to that point and making it appear like we are controlling everyone is counter intuitive in my mind. I think those in on this decision are overlooking the species that don't turn in to large furry dogs or live off blood. What about the other paranorms out there that we wouldn't really be representing?”
My issue with their decision has developed into being more than just me not wanting the title of liaison with the human world and anyone that thinks me in that position sounds logical really needs to be locked up. Me getting angelfied isn't going to change the fact that in this new system the other were species, witches, demons, Faerie species on this side of the veil, and the handful of other paranorms don't have a say in their leadership.
“In our world, things will only change when you are ready for it. Eventually, Aaron wants to hand things over to us, but he knows he needs to stabilize the backfire from overthrowing the current governing body. The paranorm community will go back to the way it was before the Collective, nothing about that has changed. You are over-analyzing and making it much more complicated than it needs to be. A press release will go out to the human world to let them know of a change in management and using our relationship dynamic to indicate paranorms are a united front is all we are doing.”
No matter who explains it, Dad or Alex, I am still not comfortable with the plan. I do understand it. The human world believes all paranorms magically get along because of the Collective. The fact that I am a walking, talking blend of two of the paranorms they are most familiar with, and I am dating a guy from each side, makes unreality a little more real. One day the different species may just be as united as the outside world thinks, but I don’t see that happening by the end of the week. There will always be resentment for past crimes between those two main groups.
Thinking over Alex's words, they are a bit contradictory. He says the paranorms will know what is going on, but I need to hurry up and become an angel so we don't have a revolt on our hands. I am ready to chalk the whole conversation over to a mental list of items to think about next week. Getting to somewhere in Scotland needs to be my center of attention now.
“Focusing on now is a great idea. The plane is leaving in thirty minutes. We have a full-size plane waiting to transport everyone coming along,” Sebastian says bringing Sophia out of her room in a car seat. “We are taking sixty guards with us and have scores more flying in to meet us.”
“I cannot wait to grow my own wings and be able to fly all on my own. Do you think I could make it all the way to Scotland under my own power?”
Let’s anticipate that wish not coming true until after she is able to walk. God help us if she sprouts wings tomorrow and is able to get around on her own. I am curious to see what color her wings will be. With a daddy that is a full vampire and a mom that has a pinch of vampiness thrown in, I am leaning towards her inheriting the black version of feathers. I really don’t know how the genetics side of things work out, so she could just as likely get some purple wings.
“Wings are a foregone conclusion, but will she have enough wolf in her to also be able to get furry? We may need to get a leash for her to keep her out of trouble, if that is the case.”
I have decided Alex is evil. Why would he make me think about things like that? No one is willing to answer her question about how far she will be able to fly. I am not one hundred percent for sure myself. “If the leash can keep her from flying off, we may have a deal. I am so going to be getting payback for all the tricks I have pulled on the guards to lose them.”
“Don’t worry, I promise to be a good girl,” Sophia says and now I wish that we had a bond like me and Sebby’s and she couldn’t lie to us. Her oh so innocent voice isn’t going to fool anyone.
“We are going to have to have a cage built as soon as the chastity belts are completed. When she gets a certain look in her eye, we will just stick her inside,” Sebastian suggests.
In the human society, I believe that thought would land you in prison, but thankfully, we live outside of those rules because I think the idea sounds brilliant. We will just have to make sure Clyde isn’t able to break her out. I can already tell they are going to be accomplices in making the humanoid grown-ups' lives Hell.
Chapter 13
A world of dreams
We may be flying on a commercial-type plane, but the first-class area is as nice as any of the private jets the guys have sitting around. Only the group that lives in the house is up in this section, but we are large enough that we fill most of the seats.
I am told the plane windows have protection for any of the younger vampires with us, which means Dante. Will is technically the youngest, but he hasn’t even gotten a sunburn from sun testing. Almost everyone back in the normal seating section is a werewolf. I think I only counted five vampires in that group and they were all over the five hundred year mark.
Sophia has her car seat strapped in between Sebastian and I. Alex is sitting directly to the right of me and he is currently drawing circles on my hand with his fingers. I can feel the calm before the storm humming in the atmosphere and it is energizing all of us.
“So, Nyx, when are you and Alex going to finally make your relationship official? Sam and me have been feeling the call all week and couldn’t help but sink our teeth into each other a couple of nights ago,” Phee says opening a line of conversation not appropriate for children. I don’t think it is appropriate to have it in front of my father either.
“Phee, I don’t think Sophia needs to hear that kind of information.” I could do without learning what goes on behind closed doors in the house and I sure as heck don’t feel the need to do any sharing about my bedroom habits.
“I waited until she went to sleep. We have been in the air for hours now and she fell out about thirty minutes ago,” Phee says sighing dramatically. Obviously my mind has been preoccupied with other things.
“It seems like nature isn’t going to force anything on Nyx, which is smart on its side of the equation. We haven’t felt the drive at all and we should have started at least getting hot around each other by now,” Alex says. “I don’t know if the pregnancy changed things, but I am guessing it wasn’t a factor.
“No Wolf Moon?” I ask keeping the surprise out of my voice. When I first met Alex, I would have been elated to find out we weren’t going to be forced into mating. I am still happy there is no forcing going to happen, but I was looking forward to having an excuse to get more intimate with Alex.
“The Mile High Club is an option if you want to claim a sudden burning desire to hide my sausage in your gravy. I am sure everyone will understand. I hear the bathrooms are really roomy.”
“To answer your original question, Phee, I think we will wait until Sophia is a little older. In fact, someone said just yesterday that they wanted to wait a month or two to make sure everything is really back to normal after having a baby.” I dig my elbow into Alex’s side to help him remember. He doesn’t need me to rep
ly to his suggestion because the answer hasn’t changed from the hundred other times he has tried to get freaky with me.
“You know, it is my first time travelling outside of the country. Can we make a few pit stops to take in some of the famous tourist attractions?” Phee asks.
My first thought is that I am thankful it has taken her this many hours to become talkative. If she had been full of questions the whole time, I would have seen how my wings handle jumping out of a plane and following behind it. That thought is followed closely by the desire to find some tape, preferably of the duct variety, and fix the problem before it gets out of hand. I still don’t understand why Sam hasn’t made some kind of muzzle for her.
“After the mission has been determined a success, you can do whatever you want. Sorry, Sam.”
“It would be my pleasure to escort my beautiful mate around cities unknown. I think we could have a lot of adventures as long as I can keep her out of too much trouble. She wouldn’t know most of the languages and I think that works in my favor.” It may work in his favor, but it will frustrate the Hell out of Phee and that may make things interesting.
“Does anyone have any recommendations for places to visit? Paris, Rome, London, Athens, Berlin, Cairo, Tokyo, Dublin, Madrid, Sydney, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro, and Stockholm are all of course on the list.”
I don’t think she just came up with this idea out of the blue. Personally, I couldn’t handle all the people you have to be around playing tourist. For most people there would more than likely be shopping involved because you just have to get souvenir knick knacks. I don’t see how anyone thinks that is a good time. I cannot think of a place that I would enjoy visiting other than some remote location that other people haven’t found yet. I am guessing that limits it to places that are either really hot or cold.
“I am hoping it will take you a few months to properly enjoy all of those cities,” Sebastian says. “To fully take in everything and immerse yourself in the different cultures, I would recommend a couple of months in each location. If you aren’t ready to come home after that, give me a call and I will send you to some amazing places off the beaten path.”