Blood Double (God Wars #1)(61)

*

Lissa's Journal

"Norian, would you shut the hell up and listen to me for a change?" He blathered about something I didn't want to hear while I attempted to get access to his resources—I had to find out if there were any warnings in any of his electronic measuring gadgets that heralded one of the mysterious sandstorms.

"Lissa, you're the only one I know who might be able to finagle permission to get into SouthStar. I want to question that girl again. She has ties to Hordace Cayetes," Norian mumbled, still attempting to ignore me. I was taking a chance, asking him about the sandstorms without Belen's permission—because Belen was still missing and hadn't answered Kiarra's mindspeech.

"Did you need something?" Lendill wandered into Norian's office at Ildevar's palace. I'd risked going to Wyyld—I wouldn't have gone to Le-Ath Veronis. Too much might happen (and all of it wrong) if I'd gone there.

"Lendill, thank goodness," I sighed, handing him the star maps Pheligar had created for me. "Would you run this through all your databases and see if any anomalies pop up?"

"Sure. What seems to be the problem?" His dark eyes studied me while Norian frowned at both of us.

"I can't say for now—just check and send mindspeech if you find something, all right? It may or may not be important."

"Lissa, at least send a message to SouthStar for me. If they're having problems with that girl, then I'll ask Q'And Ribalo to have a look at her. He's provided therapy to crime victims before." Norian was still pressing his case.

"Norian, you and I both know that Q'And has moved at your command in those cases, just to get information from victims that others might not get."

"I merely wanted the information first. Please, Lissa. We do what you want, you at least try this for us. Nobody else can get to SouthStar like you can," Norian wheedled. Yes, I should have thought this through a little better, but my mind was filled with my own troubles and I couldn't let anyone else know that I'd come back, even for such a short amount of time.

"All right, but you have to keep your mouths shut that I was even here. Deal?" I lifted an eyebrow at my lion snake shapeshifter mate and his second-in-command.

"Done," Norian grinned happily. I shook my head at his apparent joy.

"Nori, I have to go. Don't tell anyone you saw me—remember?" I sent mindspeech to Ashe as I folded away.

*

"What was that about?" Norian stared at Lendill, who scanned a star map with his comp-vid.

*

Breanne's Journal

"Was the problem dealt with successfully?" Gavin lifted an eyebrow in Shadow's direction after he'd folded both of us to Gavin's study in the Queen's palace.

"The problem is no longer a problem," Shadow smiled widely at Gavin. I understood from reading both men that an uneasy truce existed between them and neither was accustomed to smiling at the other. Gavin, too, was doing the usual—ignoring me as if I weren't in the room.

"You seem happy enough," Gavin growled.

"More than happy. There'll be a celebration on Grey Planet very soon. Might we invite Breanne?"

"Breanne is still being punished. I only lent her to you because it was work. She will not get to play as a result of her disobedience." The smile disappeared on Shadow's face at Gavin's words.

"Vampire, someday karma, as Lissa is so fond of saying, is going to not only bite your ass, it will chew a sizable hole in it." Shadow disappeared, leaving me alone with my angry sire.

*

"What am I doing here?" Kifirin demanded, as he walked beside Li'Neruh Rath. Li'Neruh had experienced difficulty in getting past layers of shields, but he'd managed it. He wished to protect the werewolves, just as the one who'd placed the shields did. Kifirin tactlessly questioned the actions.

"You shall do what I instruct you to do," Li'Neruh muttered, gazing across an empty field on Harifa Edus. "Call the werewolves who live nearby. We will deliver a warning."

*

Breanne's Journal

I was exhausted, but that didn't matter when Teeg San Gerxon arrived just before I was ready to retire for the night. I was already dressed for bed, I know that much, when Gavin and his only son barged into the Queen's bedroom, demanding that I get dressed and go with Teeg. I knew, however, that Teeg was more frightened than I'd ever seen him up to that point—Dee, his foster-father and assistant, was missing.

*

"Boss, I don't like this. Not even a little." Trajan watched as Ashe paced.

"I owe Lissa," Ashe muttered. "And if this guy can get through to Kay, all the better. I can't stand much more of this. All she does is shake and cry when I get close to her."

"I still don't like it. When do you plan to do this?"

"Two days, at NorthStar. Frank and Shane have agreed to be there, in case this therapist upsets Kay for any reason. They don't like this any more than you do, and I have no idea what Kevis Halivar might say. He hasn't been able to reach Kay either, so I'm willing to try anything."

"I hope you don't end up regretting it," Trajan muttered.

*

Breanne's Journal

"Read all of them. Dee may have seen or talked to all these people before he disappeared." Teeg had gathered a roomful of people at the San Gerxon Casino, and most of them had no idea why they'd been ordered to come.