Blood Destiny: Blood Passage Part 8

"I thought you might be interested in the fact that Rene de la Roque is moving to his London home," Merrill said, turning the page of his newspaper.

"No way," I said. "Please tell me he isn't coming because he found out I-you know."

"I think he's past that," Merrill said. "Rene has issued an invitation to visit with him after he arrives."

"And what will Gavin say?" I was trying to wiggle out of the whole thing.

"Why don't you call and ask?"

"I don't want to see Rene," I was whining and I knew it.

"Vampires tend to live a very long time," Merrill reminded me, lowering his newspaper. "It is never wise to offend any of them, as enmity can last as long as the vampire can."

"Now you tell me," I grumbled. "So, I'm supposed to go and make nice, even if he scares me?"

"Especially if he frightens you," Merrill said. "You should learn not to show any weakness."

"Yeah. I've seen the lack of expression," I muttered. Pulling out my cell phone, I dialed Gavin's number. He actually answered.

"First off, I miss you," I said. I didn't want to start the inquisition. "Second, Merrill tells me Rene is moving to his London home and expects us to visit. I don't want to see Rene but Merrill says we should go. He says it's about living a long time and not making enemies or something like that."

"Lissa, you must learn to slow down," Gavin sounded almost happy. "Rene will not harm you and he is quite charming as a host. Merrill is correct-you should go."

"Gavin, you are not helping," I said.

"Lissa, are we going to waste precious time arguing over this?"

"Gavin, I'd really like to make up my own mind once in a while," I was back to whining.

"I know, love. We will talk about this some other time. I must go." He hung up.

"Well, that was useless as phone calls go," I ended the call and stuffed the phone back in my purse.

"Lissa, be patient with us, please," Merrill pleaded. "I know you feel trapped and smothered, most of the time."

"I miss walking in daylight and not worrying that vampires are going to jump out of every closet and dark alley," I said, walking toward the stairs.

"Lissa, you are vampire, and generally we do not jump from closets," Merrill said softly at my back. I just hunched my shoulders and kept walking.

Rene de la Roque's home was not in London proper-it was outside London with stables, a gardener's cottage and various outbuildings. In other words, it was huge. There were even horses in the stables.

"I enjoy riding," Rene said as the human servant ushered us into a den of sorts. Rene didn't do anything in a small way, I discovered. We were introduced to other guests, one of whom I recognized from my thieving trip to France. Merrill suggested I wear something nice and mentioned the black dress he'd purchased for me in Paris. I wore it with a heavy wrap since it was low-cut, front and back. The servant took the wrap and my small purse and carried them away.

"You are stunning," Rene appraised my appearance with a smile. I had to smile back and thank him; that was the proper thing to do. He looked very nice himself; I could see a bit of family resemblance to Gavin in his eyes and the shape of his face. I could also tell by scent that they'd been sired by the same vampire. At least Rene' still had his hair; it was a thick, dark blond, whereas Gavin's was a very dark brown. Gavin's hair was still growing out at the moment.

Rene invited us to sit in a beautiful, museum quality receiving room, decorated in Rene's favorite Louis XIV period. This home was furnished much like his chateau in France and none of the furniture was something I'd want to flop down on to read a book. It all smelled old to me and a little horsey. Probably stuffed with horsehair, no doubt, although the chairs, sofas and settees were covered in silks and damasks. Instead of commenting on the scent of his furniture, I complimented Rene on his excellent taste. He flashed me a dazzling smile. Oh, he was handsome, all right, and he knew it, right down to his little pinky toes. His three other guests consisted of a vampire named Aubrey, along with two other vampires named Devlin and Jacques. Aubrey was the vampire I recognized from France-he was the one who'd gone inside the vault with Rene. I was going to do my best to stay away from him as well; Rene trusted Aubrey enough to show him what he'd stolen. Aubrey had been quite impressed with the tiaras.

I didn't know Devlin and Jacques. They both kissed my hand when I was introduced, and I wasn't sure I was comfortable with that. Merrill was as smooth as could be, talking about this or that with all of them while we were served gla.s.ses of wine by the human servants. Rene entertained us with stories about getting caught inside Louis XIV's court. He'd crashed a ball to dance with someone and ended up befriending the French king. Rene was funny, it was true, and doing his best to make sure I enjoyed myself. He had other things on the agenda, however. While I'd already discovered that Rene was fond of adventure and liked to steal the impossible at times, (the contents of his vault in France attested to that) he also liked to gamble and not in the traditional sense. He was a master strategist, carefully crafting a plot-just to take what he wanted or to steal something from someone else. I learned that night just how devious he could be to achieve his goals.

He invited Merrill to his bedroom to view a painting that, in his words, was not fit for delicate sensibilities (mine), but was attributed to one of the masters. I was left with Aubrey, Jacques and Devlin. Merrill had only been gone a short while when the trap was sprung. Aubrey moved from his seat across from mine and came to sit beside me. Quite close, in fact. He set his winegla.s.s on the table in front of the small sofa where I sat and breathed a cool breath against my cheek.

"You will look fine on Rene's arm," he said. "And you must accept his offer over Gavin's, you know. Rene and the rest of us here know what you did."

He'd made me uncomfortable the moment he sat down and the way he leaned over me was frightening. My cell phone had been taken away inside my purse; I had no idea where it was at the moment. I couldn't send a hasty message to Merrill that way so I attempted mindspeech, begging Merrill to come. He didn't hear and Aubrey kept right on pushing against me, telling me I would regret it if I didn't accept Rene over Gavin and that Wlodek would be happy to make the exchange, one fiance over another. "Come, now, you stole from Rene and you owe him. He is willing to forgive if you accept his offer."

"I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about," I lied, doing my best not to make a face at his closeness. I did try to scoot away from him, but there wasn't much room between me and the delicately carved arm of the sofa.

"Yes you do. You took the tiaras; Rene knows of this. If you know what is good for you, you will do as I say." He was smiling at me but I'm sure my face must have registered my shock. My body began its inevitable shivering. Aubrey's fangs slipped out. "Perhaps I will taste you, just to make sure Rene is getting the best for his efforts."

That had me off the sofa in a flash and racing toward the door. Devlin and Jacques were prepared for such an attempt; both of them had their hands on me before I reached the exit. I fought with both of them, earning a slash across my cheek before pulling out my own claws. They turned me loose amid a little howling and I flew down the hallway, heading for the front door and freedom. Another two vampires had the front entrance blocked so I veered away from their grasp, running to the left. I wasn't familiar at all with Rene's home-I'd only seen the entrance and the hall leading to the sitting room. Blindly I ran through it now until I came to a formal dining room where a very long, heavily carved table took up a great deal of s.p.a.ce. Ornate chairs were lined up along both sides of the dark wood behemoth. Situated in front of the table was a window, constructed of floor to ceiling gla.s.s panes. With five vampires almost on my heels, I did the only thing I knew to do, running headlong through the window and shattering it in my flight, tearing my skin with shards of gla.s.s as I leapt onto the lawn in front of Rene's home.

The ones following me were now shouting and still running after me, which frightened me more. I was gasping and sobbing as I ran, trying to concentrate on becoming mist while I raced over Rene's manicured lawns. I had no idea if misting would work; I was moving as swiftly as I could, frightened out of my wits as I ran. I don't know how far I ran or how fast I changed, but I did change. What I didn't count on, once I'd gone to mist and lifted off the ground, was the fact that it was my intention to escape. Merrill's compulsion kicked in while I was mist and my misty particles were suddenly on fire. Not merely the burning from flames but as if I'd been dipped in acid. I had no mouth to scream but I was screaming mentally as I plummeted to earth. I'd been flying high overhead to escape my pursuers before the agony overcame me. Still in the form of mist, I lay next to the ground, convulsing somehow; even I was aware of that. Somewhere, in some small part of my brain that seemed detached from the pain and horror, I knew that I was suffering. Blackness came after only a few minutes.

Chapter 6.

"I will kill you, Rene, if we do not find her." Wlodek had come, along with Radomir and Ian, another of the Council's Enforcers, as soon as Merrill reported Lissa missing.

"It was meant to be a harmless prank," Rene growled, glaring at Aubrey. Wlodek stood inside Rene's entry while several others were outside, searching the grounds. "We had no idea she would try to run."

"Through a gla.s.s window, Rene? How badly did you frighten her?" Wlodek didn't expect an answer and received none.

"She is here," Griffin knelt down by the small patch of dead flowers at the edge of Rene's property. Lissa had gone as far as she could go before Merrill's compulsion activated, and she'd even traveled a bit beyond that. Merrill knelt down next to his friend. As mist, Lissa was still invisible to Merrill, but not to Griffin's powerfully sharp sight.

"Can you bring her out of this?" Merrill pleaded. Griffin had very strict rules to follow, the strictest of which was that of non-interference.

"I will bring her out, but you will have to take care of the situation past that point," Griffin said, holding his hand over Lissa's mist. A bit of light formed and Lissa's body slowly became solid.

"She's cut to ribbons," Merrill sighed, lifting her up. "Thank you," he nodded at Griffin, who disappeared.

"Mon Dieu," Rene swore when Merrill carried Lissa's unconscious body inside the house. Merrill was so angry he could have taken on every vampire inside the manor.

"As your punishment, Rene," Wlodek was looking at Lissa's body, which was b.l.o.o.d.y, sliced in many places from breaking through the window, "You are going to call your cousin immediately and explain what you did."

"No, Honored One, I beg you," Rene said, his voice barely a whisper. "He will kill me."

"I can't say that I'd stop him," Wlodek grumbled. "Very well, let us table this for a bit. Merrill, what must we do to take care of her?" He nodded toward Lissa.

"We should clean the wounds and a.s.sess the damage," Merrill said. "The rejuvenating sleep may take care of most of this, but if she wakes before dawn, she will be in terrible pain."

"I never meant for this to happen," Rene walked over to Merrill, reaching out a hand to touch Lissa's forehead. "I only meant to frighten her a little."

"Lissa is terrified of you," Merrill's fangs were slipping out, which happened only when he was as angry as he could possibly get. "I was hoping that by bringing her here, she would find her fears unfounded. And what do you do? She will never want to come within sight of you again."

I woke before dawn and my mult.i.tude of cuts and scratches were all an agony. "It will be fine, Lissa, once dawn comes," Merrill was leaning over me with Radomir standing at his shoulder. Under normal circ.u.mstances, I might have told Radomir it was nice to see him. These weren't normal circ.u.mstances. Tears must have fallen; Merrill wiped one away with his thumb. "Rene will not threaten you again," Merrill a.s.sured me.

"Dead?" I asked, unsure how I felt about that.

"No. Not yet anyway. If Gavin decides to kill him when he learns of this, I certainly won't try to stop him." My eyes closed and I didn't know another thing until nightfall.

Rene asked to see me before Merrill ushered me out of his home after nightfall, but I refused. I also told Merrill that Aubrey and the others were now on my s.h.i.t list, only I didn't quite put it in those terms. He nodded and we walked out of the place. They'd have to drug me or place compulsion to get me to come within a mile of Rene's estate again. There were still a few scratches left over from my trip through the window and I had no desire to discuss what the compulsion not to escape had cost me. Neither Merrill nor I wanted to mention that.

Franklin was nearly beside himself when we got home and Lena looked like she'd been crying. "I'm all right," I said to both of them, giving them a hug. Merrill made me soak in the hot tub and we didn't have lessons for three days. Wlodek decided not to tell Gavin what happened until he returned from a.s.signment, which occurred a week after my injuries. Wlodek told the story, I suppose, after calling Gavin into his study. Gavin, as a result, was so angry when he arrived at the house that Merrill sent Franklin to his suite while he and I faced Gavin as he walked through the door.

My ribs may never be the same after being crushed against Gavin's body, which was trembling with rage. He glared over the top of my head at Merrill, who stood steady, the usual expression on his face.

"This happens and no one tells me?" Gavin almost shouted.

"Wlodek's instructions. I'm sure he's already informed you of that," Merrill said. I was glad Wlodek had given the order; I didn't want to be on the other end of the phone when Gavin exploded.

"Wlodek tells me I may not kill Rene," Gavin paced while still holding me in his arms. I wanted to ask him to put me down; my face was held against his chest and my body tight against his. "I tell her he is safe, charming, even, and he does this? He has much to answer for."

"Gavin please put me down." I couldn't stand it anymore-my cheek would more than likely have an imprint from the fabric of his suit.

"Lissa," he shifted me in his arms so he could look at my face, "tell me you are well. That he did no lasting harm."

"I'm still afraid of him, Gavin, but I was afraid of him before." I looked into Gavin's eyes. They were normally such a beautiful brown, but they were clouded with anger, now. Gavin carried me to the island, setting me down there. He stood between my knees, which hung over the edge, pulling me against him. Merrill left us at that point; I heard his footsteps as he walked away. Gavin started kissing me. And he didn't stop kissing me, even while he lifted my top over my head and clipped through my bra with partially formed claws. His teeth and eventually the tips of his fangs against my nipples were doing something to me. Yes, I was afraid. But that wasn't the only thing I was feeling at the moment. Gavin was giving me a different kind of fire; one that made me want to press myself against him. I was completely naked in his arms and he, still fully clothed, floated me through the manor, up the stairs and into my bedroom.

How strange and sensual it is, having someone with centuries of experience love you. Gavin held nothing back. There was no part of me that he failed to explore, kiss or nip. When we joined, his body worshipped mine in sinuous, erotic thrusts, urging my body to twine with his, matching and mirroring his movements. Too bad most human women who've had a lover of the fanged variety don't recall the s.e.x-women everywhere would be hunting vampires just for the multiple o.r.g.a.s.ms. One of the most intense moments came when Gavin sank his teeth into my femoral artery to drink. The climax was incredible. Like a gentleman, he waited for me to regain consciousness before continuing. Gavin was gentle when we joined the second time, punctuating thrusts with kisses until I was nearly mindless as the climax came.

Gavin convince me to drink as much of a pint of blood as I could afterward; he finished off what was left of it and then insisted I bite him. I couldn't take much but his body convulsed against mine. I learned that vampires do indeed e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.e, only it is nearly clear, much like my tears.

"Are we holding back from taking the world apart tonight?" Franklin ventured to ask Gavin when he and I made it downstairs the following evening.

"For now." Gavin pulled me close and nipped my neck a little.

"I see." Franklin went back to his cooking.

Gavin was home for three days before he was sent out again and he wasn't pleased that Wlodek had another a.s.signment for him so quickly. During the three days he was with me, I learned a new term: Vampire l.u.s.t. Gavin's had been held in check for a while and during his three days off, he had me in bed as often as possible (or as often as he could get me to say yes, that is). Merrill explained, (without my asking because it was embarra.s.sing) that it was tied to the need for blood. "Wlodek has always held the theory that it is payment for the blood we take-giving the donor s.e.x of one kind or another, along with intense o.r.g.a.s.ms." He'd smiled slightly while he said it. I wondered about the little blonde in the picture by his bed and was curious if she'd ever gotten the benefit of Merrill's l.u.s.t. No way was I going to ask, though. No way. Merrill never spoke about her so it was a private matter.

Two days after Gavin was called out, Wlodek asked to see me. Merrill drove me over, as usual. Maybe someday, he'd trust me enough to drive myself. That someday wasn't yet. "First, there's this." Wlodek handed a thick, cream-colored envelope across his desk. I rose from my chair to take it. He gestured for me to read it so I pulled the note from the envelope.

"Little rose," the letter began, "it was never my intention to frighten you as I did. Aubrey is my child; he was only following my instructions when he said those things to you. I a.s.sure you that they were only meant in jest, mostly aimed at my cousin, who sometimes needs a bit of a jolt to keep him from complete stuffiness. When I saw your little body brought back into my home in such dire condition, I nearly melted in the floor. You have my apologies and I will continue to send them to you until you pardon my abysmal behavior. Gavin is my cousin and only true family remaining; therefore, you are family as well. I should have realized this before playing my little joke. Please forgive me.

Yours ever, Rene."

I knew two things when I handed the note to Merrill to read-Rene most likely was sincere in his apology, but he was also lying. Aubrey wasn't his. I did know who made Aubrey, and it wasn't Rene. Of course, I couldn't say that and tip my hand. That was a talent I was going to keep to myself if at all possible. Of the three that had been in the room that night, only Devlin was Rene's and Aubrey was Devlin's. The thing was, Aubrey was nearly as old as Devlin, which might mean that Devlin had turned Aubrey before the five-year training period was up. Vampire intrigue, indeed. If Rene knew I held that piece of information, he truly would try to kill me, I think.

"What do you intend to do about this?" Merrill held the note up as he asked the question.

"Do you know how many panes of gla.s.s were in that window and how big they were?" I asked sweetly.

"Why do you wish to know that, child?" Wlodek was curious too, I could tell.

"Because I want to send Rene a gift, along with an acceptance of his apology," I said. "Enough panes of gla.s.s to re-do his window, all taped with an X for the next person to break through."

"I'll handle it," Merrill nodded, pulling out his cell, which was vibrating. "I'll take this outside," he said and walked out the door. Wlodek handed over some very nice stationery he pulled from a desk drawer, I wrote out a quick note to Rene, telling him there was nothing to forgive and noted that I was sending a gift. Wlodek read the note with interest before sealing the envelope and promising to get both items to Rene as soon as Merrill purchased the gla.s.s. Wlodek placed the note in a drawer, picked up his gold pen and gave me a smile. "Thank you for the painting," he indicated the David portrait of Napoleon that now held a place of honor on one of his walls. It replaced a Meissonier, which I didn't like as much.

"I thought of you the minute I saw the photograph of the painting," I smiled back at Wlodek. "I never liked Meissonier as much as I did David."

"You seem to know a little about it."

"I have some hours in art history."

"Merrill has told me as much." I wondered what else Merrill had told him but didn't ask. Who knew what information Wlodek kept inside his head? He was still the oldest vampire I'd met and therefore likely held a great deal of information.

Merrill came back, apologized for the interruption and sat down again. "Now, back to business," Wlodek said. "Weldon Harper has requested that Lissa provide security for him while he performs some of his yearly duties across the United States. He managed to accomplish the European portion while he was here, but now he is scheduled to travel across the U.S. And since his Second's wife is pregnant, the alternate that was here with him will be going. The Grand Master has asked for Lissa as extra security. I have given permission, since she is officially a member of the Pack, as it were."

"Lissa?" Merrill was looking at me. I hadn't said a word.

"I'll go," I said. "I just hope there's no more of," I hesitated, searching for the words to describe what Winkler had done to me, "whatever it was that happened last time," I floundered around a little. What was I supposed to call it? Dry humping? In front of Wlodek? It had only been dry on my part. I wondered what happened to the clothes Gavin ripped off me. Not to mention the total embarra.s.sment of being dragged out of there in only my underwear. Gavin had stripped me in front of the entire Council and the Enforcers. If the observers hadn't been vampire, I imagine that my image would be all over YouTube by now.

"We'll send you tomorrow evening; you'll spend the night in a safe house in New York before making the second leg to Grand Forks," Wlodek said. "Russell and Will are going with you since you don't have the information and codes for the safe house and such."

"How long is this going to take?" I asked.

"Three months," Wlodek said. "With a short break for Thanksgiving and Christmas. If Merrill wishes, you may join him for the holidays."

"I already have other plans," Merrill said. I turned sharply in his direction but didn't say anything. Merrill's face was unreadable, as usual. Franklin had plans to be with Greg, I knew that already. Well, I'd have to make my own plans, looked like.

"Well, then, if Gavin isn't busy," Wlodek smoothed it over. "He is your intended, after all." I didn't want to be the one to tell Wlodek how firmly Gavin had staked his claim, but then Merrill may have already supplied that information.

"Franklin, I'll email you and do my best to get your Christmas card to you," I said as I folded clothing to tuck into one of four bags I was packing.

"You have my phone number and Greg's," Frank said as he watched me pack from a chair beside my bed. I'd gotten Greg's number while he visited earlier, just in case I needed to call him about any other emergency that might crop up with Franklin. Franklin declared that there weren't going to be any other emergencies, but I'd taken the number anyway. "You can come and stay with us during Christmas if you want."

"I hate to interrupt the time with your honey," I said. "But I'll call if everything else falls through. Who knows, I may see how the wolves do the holidays."

"You know if Gavin's available, he won't leave you alone."

"I sort of do know that."

"You still don't trust him."