by Claudy Conn
“Is she now?”
“Yes, and Nell, Trusom’s sister said her brother nearly lost his mind when he thought Vidal would kill his mate. He and Nell have pooled their magic and used every known locator spell at their disposal. They even dipped into dark magic to try and find her, with no luck. I feel for the bastard in this. A warlock of Trusom’s nature, his sister said, has imprinted on his panther shifter. She says Trusom could go mad and kill himself without his mate.”
“I didn’t know he had a mate, let alone a shifter mate. So Trusom and his shifter have imprinted?”
“Yeah, there is never telling on whom a shifter will imprint, and though it is usually one of own kind, it doesn’t have to be. Trusom and his black beauty, as his sister described her were only together a few months. She also said that he talked about ending his life when she first went missing and he thought her dead.”
“What does his sister know about Trusom’s mate?”
“Nell says his mate is called, Frida. She gave me a description. The woman is tall, with silky gorgeous chocolate shaded skin, hazel eyes and long black hair. Frida is an immortal panther shifter who Nell says is kind and gentle and who she welcomed into their witch family. She has been working with her coven to help her brother find and rescue Frida who is allergic to but can’t be killed with silver. To date they just don’t have any answers regarding her whereabouts.”
“This changes everything,” Grail said and started pacing.
“I’ll say,” Shags agreed. “Trusom will do anything Vidal tells him to. He won’t risk his mate.”
“Right. That is a fact we have to deal with, but there are other factors and questions. Let me put my first to you; why wouldn’t a powerful warlock, the most powerful in all of New Orleans not be able to find his mate?”
Shags shrugged, “You got me.”
I had been quietly listening and asked, “With the link we discussed, could you find me anywhere?”
“Yes…” he started and stopped. “No. There are obstacles that could obscure and hide you from the link.”
“Such as?” I pursued.
“Iron. Iron has been used to enclose a wayward Fae, but it also works to help hide many supernaturals from one another. It is a powerful but simple tool. If she is being held in an iron cell…even I might be inhibited from finding her and though Trusom is a powerful warlock, he would not be able to find her.”
“You said, most supernaturals. Is iron an infallible tool?”
“No, some can see through iron quite well. Vampires for instance are not affected by it,” he said thoughtfully.
“And you Dark Lord from another realm, are you subject to its properties?”
“No, I am not, and as it happens, only the Deatach in you might be affected. The vampire in you, would mitigate the iron’s effects on you.” All at once he stomped out of the office.
Shags and I jumped to follow him.
“What are you doing?” I called at his back.
Over his shoulder he said, “Now, we have no choice. We must first find his mate, Frida. All our energies must be concentrated on that. Freeing Trusom from Vidal, will make Vidal less potent.”
Sharon had arrived in the main galley just at this moment and had evidently heard this as she said, “I think I can help you with that.”
~ Ten ~
WE ALL STARED AT HER.
“Come on, Grail, take us into your room of realms.”
“Why?” Grail asked frowning.
“You’ll see.”
“But Sharon, I know that Vidal has a castle in Italy, and though it might be heavily fortified and guarded with warrior vamps, I thought we might start our search there. Why are we wasting time?” Grail asked.
“Because I have a theory I would like to pursue,” she said. “I believe you need to connect with your home.”
“Right then.” He turned back to the paneled wall and clicked the button. It opened and he stepped inside. We followed him and waited as he stopped to stand before the midnight blue velvet sky alive and ablaze with stars. I saw that he was staring at one star in particular. I realized in that moment, it was his star, his realm.
“I am the Prince of Cumhacht, son of King Haevin.”
“So you are,” said a feminine voice. “You deserted your post.”
“No, I gave it to my brother who wanted it and was more qualified to be the Regent in Waiting.”
“Ah, I hear the truth in that. What can I help you with, son of Haevin?”
“I need a locator spell that can see through iron,” Grail told the strange genderless voice.
“You have it within your enormous power to do that without my help. Look into your memories. It is there. When you first became a warrior and won your first battle…it is there. You saved your brother from the rebels. You were the one. Remember it…remember that time.”
“Help me then to remember…it was so long ago,” Grail answered.
A light shot out like an arrow and pieced Grail’s forehead. I jumped and nearly pulled Grail away, but Sharon stopped me and held me back. “It is okay,” she whispered.
The room went pitch black for a moment and then returned to its original state. Grail turned, pulled me away from Sharon and held me tight. He looked at Shags and Sharon and said, “Are you ready?”
“Always,” Shags said standing straight.
I marveled that Shags didn’t ask, ‘ready for what’. It was a silent question in my head though I didn’t voice it.
Grail looked at Sharon, “You can sit this out, Sharon…you were right. Frida isn’t being held in Vidal’s Italian stronghold. He has her in his smaller castle in Ireland.”
“Like hell I will sit this out. I have been waiting a long time to be a part of anything that takes Vidal out. He is a plague on this earth.”
Nobody was asking so I couldn’t hold back any longer. “Ready for what?”
Grail smiled down at me and said, “A trip to Ireland.”
“Hell yeah!” I said. “Can we go to Dublin first and visit Trinity and see the Book of Kells and…?”
His laughter interrupted me. “We will do all those things, Smoke…but first, we have to find Trusom’s mate and free her.”
If I were human I would have blushed. I felt the heat sting my cheeks. “Of course,” I said, “I meant only…”
“I know what you meant, baby. You haven’t seen much of the world and that will be one of my goals…to show you the best of it,” Grail said and dropped a light kiss on my lips.
“Do we fly?” I asked, still feeling the heat.
“No, that would take too long.” He said and grinned. “It will take me a few moments to create, but we will portal to his castle. We have the advantage of surprise.”
“Don’t you need to know where his castle is exactly?” Shags asked.
“Oh, but I do,” Grail inclined his head.
He didn’t elaborate but instead excused himself and with another quick kiss to my waiting lips, he led us out of his secret sanctuary and said only before he vanished in his traveling cloud, “Stay here,” He looked at me. “All of you, stay here. I won’t be long. I need a few things.”
* * * * *
“We need a few things. Give me twenty minutes and I’ll be back,” Sharon said and super vamp speed she disobeyed Grail and was gone.
Shags and I regarded one another and went to the main galley. He grinned at me and said, “Coffee?”
At that and I suppose at least on my part, nerves took over and we burst out laughing. I said after a moment, “Is this real? At moments like these I think I must be in a never-ending dream…or a coma somewhere making this all up?”
“If you feel pain or pleasure…it’s real,” Shags said and poured me some coffee.
I looked at the coffee and felt a moment’s nausea. What was that? Sick…all at once, I felt so sick. I grabbed my belly and bent over.
“What’s wrong, Smoke? What is it?” Shags came close…oh, too close.
I fel
t my fangs distend and realized I had gone too long without feeding. I never allow that to happen. I had forgotten about feeding. Control is so much easier when you don’t go over the edge.
“Shags…” I whispered. “Get out of here.”
He studied me, “You need blood.” He offered me his wrist. “Go on.”
“No…I don’t take from a live source, ever, but…to be on the safe side, get away from me,” I told him.
“Your eyes are glowing,” Shags said and he ran a hand through his hair. “You’re in trouble, Smoke and I don’t have any blood handy.” His face lit up and he said, “Wait, I know…I’ll cut myself, I heal quickly, but I’ll be able to drain enough blood into a cup…”
“No!” Grail’s voice hard and sharp as he rushed to my side. “I have what she needs. Come on baby.” He scooped me up and carried me to his office and laid me on his black leather sofa. I watched him as he opened a wall panel to display a small fridge. Inside were packets of blood. He brought me one and said, “Go on baby…drink.”
He disliked vampires. He had told me that when we first met. How could I drink with him watching? I shook my head.
“Go on, or I’ll pour it down your throat,” he snapped. “You’re sick with need.”
I was more than sick, I was desperate. “Turn around,” I told him.
“Drink!” he said, “There is nothing about you that could ever make me turn away.”
I drank it down. He gave me another. I drank that as well.
“Feeling better?” Grail stroked my cheek.
“Thanks, but…where…how…?”
“I have been taking a great deal of your time. I went some days ago to retrieve your blood supplies from your home and saw that those supplies were ransacked and destroyed. I picked up on the scent of the rabid vamp you disposed of today. I realized you would need blood, so, I ….”
I interrupted him, “Where, where did you get this?”
“I used my own blood and have it stored for you. Don’t go so long again,” he said crisply.
“Your own blood?” I was shocked that he would do that for me, and then it happened. As my body, as my heart, my veins adjusted to the blood, I felt a wave of memories flood my brain. Not my memories. His…my Holy Grail’s memories.
They hit me one after the other. His childhood. His family…his brother. I saw him relinquish the throne to his brother not realizing the woman he loved would turn away from him and instead give her hand to his younger brother! She wanted to be the regent kings’ queen. He realized that too late. She wasn’t interested in love…and then, she further broke his heart by trying to bed him after she was his brother’s wife. He couldn’t wouldn’t and vowed never to allow himself to fall in love again!
I gasped and the flashes of his life abruptly stopped. I stared at him, “Grail…?”
“What? What is it?”
“Nothing,” I said but couldn’t stop myself from asking, “Tell me, in all your thousand years…have you never been in love?”
“Where did that come from?”
“Oh, we touched on it here and there, but now I want specifics,” I said.
“Once, when I was no more than twenty-five, I fancied myself in love. She fancied something else. I never allowed another woman to get too close after that. But, another time, a young beauty caught my interest. She was a human and I liked her…perhaps was infatuated with her, but…I was never fulfilled in that relationship. I could have broken her you see…humans are not able to withstand our love-making. In the end, we parted.”
“And no one else? No supernatural ever turned your heart inside-out?”
“No, I suppose I am a hard-case,” he said.
“I see,” I said somewhat deflated.
“Until now, that is…” he said softly, “But you know that and were fishing, weren’t you?” He smiled softly and in his eyes I saw more than affection, more than liking though I was afraid to call it what I hoped it was.
“I don’t know anything and yes I was trying to find where I should stand, where I will stand, in your life.”
“Right beside me,” he said and kissed me long and hard and bit my bottom lip.
Sharon with Shags right behind her burst into the office, “Smokie…you good?”
“Yes, the Dark Lord had some blood stashed for…”
“WHAT?” Sharon shrieked. “You drank his blood? How much?”
“Two packets. Why…what is wrong?” Grail asked.
“Yeah, what is wrong?” I also wanted to know.
“He is a prince of magic. His blood in that quantity mixed with yours…and mine…there is no telling what it will do to you now while everything is all new in your body. Once your body begins to bond with his blood—well there is no telling what it will do.” Sharon was more than a little concerned.
“Too late. Done deal,” I said and sighed. “I’m already a hybrid of sorts, so I’m guessing, this will make me…” and then images started shooting through my head. I saw Vidal slinking in the shadows. His demon moved towards a four walled, windowless cell coated in iron, sprinkled with silver. Inside the cell I heard a woman’s voice moaning in pain.
Everywhere I saw vampire guards…roaming about. There were others…uber vamps I had heard about. Just as I had been told, the ubers were all bald and their fangs were long, so long. Holy shit…but, there were so many!
Even so, and determinedly in my dream or vision, I moved towards the cell with every intention of breaking Frida out when I realized, I was beginning to feel sick, really sick.
The iron? Did it affect me like it did the Fae? My race and the Fae are connected somehow, so…yes, I think it was the iron making me sick. I stepped back and the ill affects ebbed.
All at once, I knew what we had to do. Trusom was there, rushing towards the iron cell and I knew what I had to do to help him, but even as I tried, Vidal blocked my path and snarled as he came at me. Sharon stepped in his way and he overpowered her.
I heard myself scream and then the world started to spin out of control and I saw blood, so much blood, everywhere and bam, I blacked out!
~ Eleven ~
“SMOKE!”
GRAIL’S VOICE WORRIEDLY CALLING my name bounced off the walls in my head.
“What?” I answered and wow, my own voice sounded so far away. Where was I? What happened?
I remember. We were getting ready to travel…I needed blood…he gave me his and then I blacked out.
I scanned the ceiling and then Grail’s face. Past him to Sharon and Shags, both looking anxious. I recognized my surroundings. We were still in Hazard, Grail’s club—in his office.
And then it all came back to me.
I had a vision. More than a vision. It was as though I had lived the vision or was about to and then all at once, everything went blank again.
I blinked and tried to focus. My Holy Grail’s face looked blurry, but it was comforting all the same to have him near. “Hi,” I said.
Shags laughed and said, “She said hi.”
Sharon eyed him and then looked back at me and I almost laughed.
“Baby,” Grail called my attention, “I was so worried.”
“We were all worried,” Sharon added. “Come on blondie, tell us what happened.”
Sharon always called me Blondie when she was concerned about me. I swallowed and tried to put my words in order.
“I drank…the blood and noticed it was unusually good and…had a certain…punch of potency.” I looked at Grail, “Your blood.” I tried to sit up. Grail helped me. “Your blood, Grail…all of a sudden went through me like a thousand little explosions.”
“Oh baby, I’m sorry…I had no idea that would happen.”
“You didn’t think it through. In general, vampires lust after witch’s blood,” She frowned at him, “But you aren’t a warlock—or witch, are you? You aren’t an earthly or even an immortal one. You’re something else, and that something else…that blood mixed with mine in her veins, well, there is
no telling what she is now or will become.”
“Oh hell,” I said.
He didn’t answer Sharon, but turned back to me. “Tell me baby, what do you remember?”
“Just before I what…blanked out?”
“You have been out for more than twenty minutes, kid,” Shags stuck in. “So whatever you saw, whatever you felt…well, it must have been bad.”
“Twenty minutes?” I was astonished.
“Tell me if you can, baby, what do you remember just before you…blacked out?” Grail asked.
“I remember Vidal. He was in a rage and he had these super vamps…crazy looking creatures, and Trusom was there…!” I said low and worriedly. “I remember thinking we were in trouble because we were surrounded.”
“Anything else?” Grail asked.
“Yes, Trusom’s mate…she is locked in a windowless cell coated in iron and sprinkled with silver and…Grail, the iron does affect me. The iron is coated with a magical shield and that is why your magic hasn’t been able to locate her. We need to portal right into his dungeon which puts us all at risk. Those amped-up vamps guarding the place are like zombie blood suckers, but they are slow, at least in my vision, they were slow which gives us some advantage,” I rushed to get my thoughts all out, “And Grail, I couldn’t get close to the iron. It seemed to make me weaker as well as nauseous. So we need to figure a way of breaking through it…without my getting too close.”
“Leave that to me,” a familiar voice said at the office door.
I looked past Grail’s shoulder and was astonished to find Trusom standing there.
* * * * *
Sharon and Shags both took a fighting stance.
Grail, however, stood up and in front of me to say, “Welcome, Trusom. We have had a little setback, but, the portal has been building upon itself and should be ready shortly.”
