"Very pleased to meet you," Yosuke shook hands. "I'll show you to the bedrooms; you can make your choices from what's left."
"We'll share," Gina indicated Kent. I wasn't surprised.
"The cots in the wine cellar are for those two, and two others who haven't arrived yet," Cliff leaned his head toward Trey and Grim. "Since they're day sleepers."
"It's the quietest place in the house for that," Yosuke nodded.
"We'll handle the others when they get here, if you'd like to go to bed," Trey offered.
"Fine with me," I said and turned to go back in the house.
"I'll rent office furniture for you and Cliff tomorrow," Jon said. He'd met me in the kitchen, where Daniel and I were discussing where the rock demons and the werewolves would sleep.
"We need to have a talk, Jon," I told him. "You're about to be privy to information most humans will never know."
"Why are you talking about humans like you're not one?" Jon frowned.
"He's not," Cliff set his shaving kit on the kitchen island. "Neither am I."
"But," Jon began.
"Kid, you're not in danger," Cliff gruffed. "You're probably safer with Parke and the rest of us than with the neighbors next door, who are human. What we're about to tell you is the truth, and nothing but. Just bear in mind that without the folks currently in this house, every human in the country would be dead of that foul disease earlier this year."
"I ought to give you this now," Gina walked in and handed me a heavy envelope that bore the crest of the Earth sprite King. "May as well give him the whole picture while you're explaining things, huh?"
"You think Averill just wants more pizza?" Cliff deadpanned. I bit back a laugh.
"Those guys—they're really vampires?" Jon wasn't sure what to do about myths that had suddenly become reality.
"They drink bagged blood. Stop worrying about it," Gina soothed. "I've been around vamps, werewolves, shapeshifters and demons all my life. I'm still in one piece, although I'm only half human."
"The only reason I'm telling you this now is because you have to be careful here, and make sure that you're never alone if you leave the property. Trust me, you're better off if Trey, Cliff or I are with you."
"You have a lock on your bedroom door," Cliff patted his shoulder. "You won't need it, though. You're safe and among friends."
Jon frowned his misgivings, but didn't say anything. "If you need to talk to somebody about this who is human, don't," Cliff added.
"What about my husband?"
"We'll consider him and decide whether we think he can keep secrets. Trust me—you're better off never breathing a word about this to anyone else."
We watched as he walked unsteadily toward his bed. "We're gonna have to place compulsion," Cliff mumbled.
"I'll get Trey," I nodded.
Cassie
Parke was still asleep when I woke; the sun was rising on the Atlanta metro, and I was hungry. I had no idea when he'd come to bed the night before, so I slipped out of bed as quietly as I could and headed for the bathroom.
After going through the usual and throwing on clothes, I found Destiny and Kate in the kitchen, eating scrambled eggs and bacon at the massive island. The cook was cleaning up after making their breakfast. She turned, smiled at me and offered to make more eggs.
"I'll take it, and thank you," I told her. "I'm Cassie," I added.
"Beverly," she smiled at me. "You like your scrambled eggs soft-cooked or all the way done?"
"All the way," I said, liking her already. "Need help? I usually do this for myself."
"Nah—I heard you were recovering from a short illness," she waved a hand. Beverly's teeth were white against dark skin and her smile, with deep dimples, would light up any room. Her hair was pulled back in a tight, coiled braid, and she struck me as the kind of person who should be nominated for sainthood by somebody.
"I'm really okay, now," I told her. "Just a bit scrawnier than before, that's all. I'll pour my own coffee, since you're cooking."
"Help yourself," she said, leaning her head toward the corner counter where a coffee station had been arranged.
"She put cheese in my eggs," Destiny said as I found a mug and lifted the coffee pot to fill it.
"And you liked it," I teased her.
"They were awesome."
"I'm putting a grocery list together," Kate said. "If there's something you want, I'll add it. Beverly says we have an empty fridge and a big freezer in the butler's pantry, so we can fill those up if we want."
"Who's going to the store?" I asked after taking my first sip of coffee heaven.
"Gemma," Beverly said. "She loves shopping of any kind, so that's her job."
"I smell breakfast," Gina shuffled into the kitchen, only half-awake.
"Beverly is making," I told her. "Sit down, I'll bring your coffee."
Beverly didn't blink an eye as she set two plates of eggs and bacon on the island for us; Gina hadn't bothered to hide her spots from anyone. It made me wonder if Trey had been busy already.
"I'll bet you don't like the stares you get when you go out," Beverly set a glass of orange juice in front of Gina. Gina's head slowly rose until her eyes met Beverly's. "Mr. Trey told me things, and I told him some things, too, so he let me be."
"What things?" Gina breathed.
"About you folks, and I told him my brother-in-law is a werewolf. Nice man—my sister loves him more than anything. Gemma, on the other hand," Beverly shrugged. "I figure she won't understand what anybody is talking about, because Trey told her to ignore it."
"Seriously? Your sister married a werewolf?" Jon's steps were hesitant as he walked into the kitchen.
"For twenty years. Let me tell you," Beverly waved her spatula for a moment. "I like Benjamin Stokes more than most humans I know."
"Have a seat, Jon," I told him. "I'll get you coffee. There's no need to treat anybody any different than you did before. We're actually civilized—at least most of us," I teased.
"Some family not included," Destiny pointed out.
"Who?" Jon looked ready to flee.
"Cassie and Destiny's father and grandfather," Kate told him. "Did you overhear any of the conversation about Morton and Dalton King?"
"I heard something, but had no idea what was going on," Jon sighed and settled on a barstool.
"Those two killed our mother and our aunt, I'm sure of it," I replied, setting a fresh cup of coffee near his hand. "They're homicidal ice demons, so stay the hell away from them if you can."
"Are you sure we're safe here?" Jon still wasn't convinced.
"You're as safe here as you can be anywhere," I told him. "We're not helpless, you know."
"Just let it sink in for a while," Beverly advised. "Stop worrying, and figure out how you can help, instead."
"We have video from the golf club the Lieutenant Governor visited before he died," Parke announced. He and Daniel walked in together, both looking rumpled and sleep-deprived.
"What did you find?" Kate asked.
"A woman and a possible dalliance," Daniel slumped onto a barstool and shook his head. "The FBI can't get an ID on the woman, and nobody remembers seeing her. She and the Lieutenant Governor left together, though. We have images from the parking lot, showing them getting in his vehicle together, while the two guards who were with him stayed behind.
"Then, an hour later, they show up again, the Lieutenant Governor drops her off, and he and the guards drive away. The woman walks out of camera range and disappears. All the camera images have been searched, and none of them picked her up again."
"Nobody remembers her being there?" I poured coffee for Daniel and Parke while Beverly fixed breakfast for them.
"The guards with him that day are dead, so they can't tell us anything," Parke grumped before sipping coffee.
"Did she ever touch grass—or the ground?" I asked.
"We're not calling the Earth sprite," Parke's stance was unrelenting.
"He owes us," I mutter
ed and went back to my breakfast, which was getting cold. "They all owe us."
Parke
"I'm only saying that the wizard may be able to identify the woman," Daniel argued. "Cliff and Gina have Rob's number. We could call."
"What will that do to Cassie?" I demanded. "That we contacted the enemy?"
"I can send it to Rob, if you don't want to."
My rock demon wanted out—to smash things. Daniel was right.
And so was I.
Averill's letter, too, weighed on my mind; he promised help, in nearly any form, if it were needed.
Especially if Cassie needed it.
I thought about asking him to pay for her therapy, but discarded that idea. Averill said to contact him through Rob.
Of course.
"Find out where they are and send them the images if they're agreeable." I stalked off, considering where I could go to work out frustrations. The full moon was too close, and my rock demon wasn't pleased with the way things were going.
All I had to do, now, was keep this hidden from Cassie and Cliff; they were the ones most severely betrayed by Rob and Will. Maybe I should ask for another, more suitable Earth sprite to work with us. Rob would be fuming if we passed that message to Averill through him.
Something to think about.
Too bad there wasn't another wizard to work with us—one who actually had a heart instead of a chunk of coal.
Robin
"I didn't expect to hear from you," I said when I answered Daniel's call. If anyone would contact me, I figured it would be Gina.
"We have our own set of problems to deal with," Daniel rumbled. "One of those is identifying a woman that even the FBI can't find."
"You have images, I take it?"
"Yes. We'd like you and the wizard to take a look. We think she may have had something to do with the Lieutenant Governor's death, but we're not sure what or how. If she had the disease, she's likely dead, now, but we really need to know how she got it."
"And where, no doubt," I agreed. "We'll take a look and let you know. Out of curiosity, where did this woman meet with the Lieutenant Governor?"
"A golf resort twenty miles from his cabin," Daniel replied. "Pleasant Hills Country Club," he rattled off the name.
"Not far from where we are," I mused.
"Where are you?"
"At the lake house outside Tuscaloosa. Will says Morton and Dalton were here recently."
"How recently? Did they damage anything?"
"Recently as in last night, and so far, we haven't found signs of damage to the house. The boat house, on the other hand, is a complete loss. Be grateful the groundskeeper is visiting out-of-state relatives after Cliff gave him vacation time. They'd have destroyed him with the boathouse if he'd been there."
"Did they burn it down?"
"They ah, froze inside all the cracks and worked their way outward—I imagine it was to illustrate their displeasure that the rest of you weren't dumb enough to stay there and wait for them."
"How remiss of us. Remind me to pay them back in kind."
"Only if we don't get to them first."
"Sprite, if you can take them down, I will dance at your wedding."
"That may be quite a wait on your part, then. We'll let you know if we determine anything about the woman, and keep you advised as to the continued health of Dalton and Morton King."
"You do that." Daniel ended the call. Seconds later, images showed up on my phone.
"What did he send?" Will stepped to my side to look at the photos of an attractive woman, dressed to lure a man to her side. She'd certainly lured the Lieutenant Governor; I saw the photos of her getting into his car.
"Oh," was all Will said as I thumbed through the images Daniel sent.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.
"Let's just say Shakkor Agdah found a way to drive the knife deeper. Sprite, if we can't find the Kings in the next twenty-four hours, then we need to travel to Atlanta with all haste."
Temperance Acres, Atlanta
Yosuke
The authorities believe the Shakkor Agdah woman to be dead, Zedarius informed me. She likely won't wear the same disguise twice—that would be stupid.
What if there are others? I responded. Several females could cause just as much damage as the infected prisoners.
I sincerely hope that's not the case. Even one female can do enough damage on her own. Vampires and Werewolves may recognize a Shakkor Agdah, but that depends on whether she masks her scent. The sprites may be able to discern one of her kind; an Earth sprite would, should she ever step on grass or ground within range. Air and water may be more helpful, but they need to know about her, first. Fire will only wound her—perhaps enough that one of ours could reach her and deliver her death.
Has Robin contacted Averill?
Yes, and sent images to his King. The distribution of this information must be faster than it has been in the past. If not, we will see masses of outbreaks, and many of those infected can be in very high positions.
Have you informed Daniel?
That's Rob's next call—to let them know what they're dealing with. I'm sure they'll want to go over those security videos again, just to make sure she didn't touch anyone else. If so, we could find more bodies and more people infected.
What about the Kings?
Rob and I plan to track them on the full moon tonight; we want to destroy them before they can do more harm. I have no doubt they are still taking orders from the enemy, and that makes them doubly dangerous.
Let me know if you need help.
How is Cassie doing?
She sounds fine, but there is a haunted look in her eyes at times. Her first appointment with the werewolf therapist is two days after the full moon.
I will carry this guilt the rest of my days. It is one thing to kill a fire demon you barely know. It is another to kill one—or intend to do so, when I not only knew her well, but she showed me kindness I didn't deserve.
I've considered this since we last spoke, Yosuke told me. Without her, your mission would have failed completely.
Yes.
I will watch her carefully. I believe we may see one another sooner than you think. Above all else, we must keep her survival a secret.
The full moon is coming, I began.
Then you understand my warning. Do not underestimate the two you follow. They have not survived so long by being foolish, and they may have other friends they haven't murdered as yet.
Yosuke was right. We didn't know all of Morton or Dalton's contacts, or how easily they could place pressure here or there to get what they wanted—money, information, or a hiding place.
"We need to track the Kings closely, and leave nothing to chance," I turned to my sprite companion. "Yosuke believes they may have contacts, and he worries about Cassie's continued safety."
Rob frowned in concentration. I understood he was having a conversation with his King. "You're right," he nodded after a while. "All it will take is a small slip of the tongue, and Shakkor Agdah will do everything in their power to hunt her down."
"Do we have a list of those who know—or suspect, even?"
"We do not."
"Does the Chancellor have such a list?"
"I'll send a text to Daniel."
Atlanta
Parke
"She's Shakkor Agdah?" I must have repeated that question twice; Daniel didn't bother to answer it again. "This is worse than we imagined."
"He says she can change her appearance and ah, lure many into her trap, infecting all of them." Daniel paced through my study, sounding as if he were about to explode at the news Rob gave him.
"More damage may have been done already, and we won't know until the body count rises," I agreed. "Did he have any suggestions on how to stop this?"
"He didn't send any."
"Fuck. You know this means we have to alert all the Princes and Princesses," I growled. Again, my rock demon wanted out to smash something. I struggl
ed to retain control; this was a rented property, after all.
"I say we let them know after the full moon."
"Yeah. I can see the sense in that. I'll let Trey know when he wakes; he can pass the information to his people. Right now, we need to get the Governor of Alabama on the phone and let him know. He can call the Governors of surrounding states and pull them in on this. Did Rob say anything else?"
"He asked if there was a list of people who knew Cassie is still alive. He says that she'll be in immediate danger if the enemy learns she survived."
"I'm not sure I like the idea of a list," I countered. "A list is something somebody can steal."
"Still, it's not a bad idea," Daniel told me. "Maybe we should put a coded list together, and then manage it as well as we can."
"Include the sprites on that list, then."
"I'll do that before we go out tonight. Are you sure the space is safe enough?"
"Cliff arranged it through the local pack; there's a small creek that runs through the property, with wide, muddy banks on both sides for Cassie if she wants to turn. Mom and Destiny will be on one side of it; we can work on the other side. Cliff says there are some large rocks there the owner wouldn't mind having broken down a bit."
"Smaller is easier to move," Daniel agreed.
"And we can have some fun doing it. I've been wanting to smash something all day."
"I'll just freeze them in the cracks and break them apart."
"Like the Kings did to our boathouse."
"I really want our hands on those two," Daniel clenched his fists.
"Yeah. And not just for the boathouse."
Cassie
I'd only pulled out pajamas and a few things from one suitcase the night before, because I was too tired to unpack everything. At least I felt better now and leaving clothes too long in bags was never a good idea.
Hefting the bags onto the bed, I unzipped them and stared at the contents. Parke or Kate had rolled the pyramid in bubble wrap and stuffed it into a corner of the smaller bag. At least I felt better, knowing it was close and under my control. Aunt Shelby had died to get it to me, after all.
Worth Your While Page 6
