Blood Double (God Wars #1)(35)

*

Lissa's Journal

"What the hell is causing this?" I shook my head at Kiarra. She, Merrill, Adam and I sat around a small table inside a tent. The planet we were on belonged to the centaurs. A Dark World, it had been devoured by the Ra'Ak ninety thousand years in the past.

In addition to placing the adult centaurs here who'd helped in the Great Battle, Reah had put things in motion so that more centaurs would develop again, as they had so long ago. Something had gone wrong. The tiny, sea-bound forerunners to the centaur race kept dying, and there was no reason for it. They were alive and healthy when Reah placed them. A sustainable food source was available and they had no natural enemies. The adults, too, had died in some unexplainable way, leaving only bleaching bones behind.

"It wouldn't worry me so much if the same thing weren't happening on the other worlds, too." Merrill raked a hand through black-as-midnight hair. Belen had sent these three to help me find an underlying cause, but we could find nothing. Reah would have come herself, but she was pregnant again—by Tory. Tory was doing now what he should have done in the beginning—hovering around Reah to make sure she was happy and cared for. Edward, too, was making sure that Reah was carefully watched, and Aurelius had moved into EastStar to help.

"Seventeen worlds, all in their infancy, and they're all dead, now." Adam sighed.

"How's Breanne?" I asked.

"We haven't told you, because, well," Kiarra stood and walked away, stopping at the tent flap and staring at the surrounding forest.

"Something's wrong," Adam said, causing me to stare at him in shock.

"Wrong? What's wrong? Belen had somebody pick her up, didn't he? What happened?"

"Oh, they picked her up, all right," Adam growled.

"Let me shorten this story," Merrill jumped in. "She was handed duties as assigned, she was blamed for a murder she didn't commit, one of Norian's * agents tried to kill her, Gavin turned her and now he's got his elbow on her neck. She can't blink without his being displeased about it."

"What?" I stood and pounded my fist on the table, causing the fragile thing to collapse at my feet.

"We feel something's wrong there, obviously, but we couldn't get a grip on it. I was hoping Belen would come and straighten this out, but he's unreachable at the moment." Kiarra lifted the table pieces with power and reconstructed it, setting it down with a thump right where it had been seconds earlier.

"Breanne tried to kill herself," Adam muttered. "I had to give her blood. The Larentii were losing her."

"This just gets better and better," I growled. "If I could leave right now," I didn't finish my sentence. "Why is Gavin being such an ass over this? I asked Belen to do this so Le-Ath Veronis wouldn't feel my absence while we're trying to sort this out. He said Breanne would be the best choice, and I agreed."

"It may only be a miscommunication, but things are certainly unsettled where that poor woman is concerned."

"So Breanne is your half-child, now," I studied Adam's face for a moment.

"Yes. When I get back, I'll make sure she's taken care of."

"When I get back, I'll make sure she's taken care of," I snapped.

"Don't want to argue with you, Lissa, but she's my half-child. Vampire law will support my claim."

I said a few words. Fuck may have been one of them. "Adam, we'll work it out," I said, flopping onto my seat again.

"We're still no closer to figuring out our problem here, and we can't go back until we get it sorted out," Kiarra reminded all of us.

"Yeah," I muttered, covering my eyes with my hands. "Now, where were we?"

*

Breanne's Journal

I'd landed next to a thick, stone wall and wobbled dangerously, trying to keep myself standing upright. The wall was icy when I touched it to keep my balance. Being wet from my previous location didn't help—my clothing was freezing, my hair was freezing, I was freezing. Dogs began to bark, and that meant people lived nearby. I climbed the wall to check out my surroundings, which turned out to be a mistake. A bullet whizzed past my ear. Obviously, people here shot frozen vampire trespassers. I folded space again.

*

"How much? It'll have to be enough to keep me for the rest of my life outside both Alliances. I'll be hunted by the ASD and the CSD forever. Killing the Founder of the Reth Alliance will carry a heavy bounty. I'll need transportation away from here, too, once it's done." Fasil Bow toyed with his disposable cup. He'd met Skel Hawer at a tea shop in Gedes, the capital city on Wyyld. Fasil knew Skel through Erithia Cordan, and both worshipped the Pheridian woman. Something about her captivated both men.

"Twenty million in bullion, plus Erithia's undying gratitude," Skel grinned. "I can get you into the palace, no problem. Nall will provide transportation and a place to live outside the Alliances afterward."

"Do you have anyone lined up to take down San Gerxon? I hear the first attempt failed."

"Only a minor setback. We're getting someone set up now to get rid of him. Then, in the middle of the ensuing power struggles in both Alliances, we'll take over with no trouble."

"You have the firepower to do that?"