Blood Double (God Wars #1)(12)

*

The Line is forty miles north of Lissia. They call it The Line for a reason—it is the farthest any vampire can go without burning in the constant sunlight on that side of the planet. Carefully, I watched to make sure nobody saw me as I slipped over the palace wall.

I'd seen Rathik move faster than the wind. I was vampire, too, and forty miles was nothing to a vampire's speed. This was an easy fix—I didn't want to be vampire; Gavin didn't want a vampire child. None of the palace residents wanted me there—I was a convenience and a very poor one at that. I just hoped it would be over quickly, once I arrived at The Line.

*

"What lessons have you covered?" Merrill and Adam had come to Casino City to check on the Chessman, Adam's casino. Things seemed to be running smoothly, so they'd come to Gavin's office. Drake and Drew had expressed their concerns to Dragon, who then approached Adam and Merrill. Dragon's twins worried about Breanne.

"I haven't had time for lessons. I gave them to her on comp-vid." Gavin growled his answer.

"You could ask someone else to teach her," Adam said. "You know it is oral tradition, and is retained better if the sire passes the information to his child."

"That's not an option. She wears Lissa's face."

"Surely there is someone trustworthy enough," Merrill said.

"Lissa didn't get all her lessons," Gavin pointed out maliciously.

"Lissa received the important ones. At least tell me Breanne has been instructed on the bite and the initial laws." Merrill offered Gavin a hard stare.

"I've already said I don't have time. She's here to stand in for Lissa. That's it. When Lissa returns, find her any sire you want. I'll be happy to get rid of her."

"You should never have made the turn, vampire." Connegar and Reemagar appeared inside Gavin's office. Connegar held Breanne's burned body in his arms.





Chapter 4


"What happened?" Merrill and Adam stood behind the two Larentii as they worked on Breanne's burns.

"It is most fortunate that we placed a tracking device when we altered her appearance," Reemagar said softly. "If we had arrived only a few seconds later, she would be beyond our help."

Adam watched in silence as clothing and burned skin floated away from Breanne's body, leaving red, angry muscle behind. "It looks and smells like burned meat," Adam muttered.

"That is exactly what it is," Reemagar agreed.

"Lissa was worse," Merrill sighed.

"We are cooling her body, and her vampirism will regenerate the skin. At least she did not lose her hair or appendages," Connegar said as more bits of clothing and burned flesh floated away and disappeared. "We have removed the disguise. It is a disservice to her anyway."

"What the hell are we supposed to do in the meantime? There's a Council meeting in the morning," Gavin exploded.

"Fuck the Council," Merrill hissed, his eyes turning red and fangs pricking his lower lip. "If you want, I'll bend time and get her back to your f*cking Council meeting. She needs help. I'll have Karzac contact Kevis."

Gavin cursed in Italian as he flung open the door and slammed it behind him.

"I'm going to Kiarra," Adam growled. "He'll be without his talents soon enough."

"Agreed," Merrill said. "We'll carry her to NorthStar tonight. Kevis can be there in the morning. I'll ask Wlodek and Flavio to remove her from Gavin's care."

"Which of you wishes to give her blood?" Connegar turned to Merrill. "She is dying, even in my care."

"What?" Merrill stepped forward to examine Breanne's body. Her small form had become ashen.

"I'll do it," Adam held his wrist out to Merrill, who sliced it carefully.

"My blood is a gift to you," Adam chanted as he held his bloody wrist over Breanne's mouth.

*

"I need her help with something. Where is she?" Kooper and Trevor had come to the palace. When they hadn't found Breanne in her office, the Queen's office or the Queen's suite, they'd gone to the kitchens. Cheedas was so upset they couldn't get coherent answers from him, so they'd gone looking for Gavin.

*

"Burned. Went to The Line." Gavin was drunk and sitting in a booth at New Fangled, the vampire lounge owned by Flavio.

"You'd better be joking." Trevor had Gavin's jacket in his grip as he snarled in the former assassin's face.

"No. Connegar says that Adam Chessman had to save her. She was turning to ash. Never meant that to happen." Gavin hiccupped.

"What the f*ck did you mean to happen, then?" Kooper was angry and his eyes were going strange.

"Already have a mate. Don't need another," Gavin slurred.

"Where can we find Adam Chessman?" Kooper did his best to hold his anger back. Trevor's claws tore Gavin's jacket as he tossed him away.

"Come on, he's drunk. We'll find Flavio. He can get to Wlodek and Wlodek can get to Adam and Merrill." Trevor pulled Kooper away as he stalked out of New Fangled.

*

"She's all right; she's just sleeping off a draft of Adam's blood, that's all. He says she'll wake in the morning. He has a specialist coming in the morning to talk with her. We need to know why she went to The Line." Flavio nodded at his comesula servant, who'd placed cups of coffee in front of him and Kooper after serving a bottle of blood substitute to Trevor.