Blood Double (God Wars #1)(67)

"They didn't in the beginning. Not on Earth, anyway."

"They do now, and there's a reason for it. I have to go," Tony rose and stretched. He also worked to keep the concern from his expression as he walked away from Gavin. The Gavin he knew was quite strict in most respects, but this—this worried Tony. He'd never seen anything like this before.

*

"I got her to eat a little, but it took an hour and her food was cold by that time," Bill settled onto a chair next to Ashe's desk.

"I appreciate that," Ashe nodded before tapping his comp-vid off. "Bill, that's not why I asked you here."

"Then why did you ask me?"

"Look, Traje is mad enough at me as it is. I don't need you mad at me, too, for the same reason."

"I can't control how I feel about that," Bill huffed, turning his head away.

"Why didn't you say something before now?"

"Because I don't stand a chance against Trajan, that's why."

"Bill, the Alliance—both Alliances—recognize multiple mates. Can't you share with Traje, if it comes to that?"

"He'll have to coax her back to us first, and it doesn't look like that's gonna happen. Now does it?"

"You could go ask."

"Trajan will have to ask, and I believe you may have to grovel, first."

"Look, Bill, I'm sorry. Really sorry. I don't know if inviting her back right now is a good thing. I was worried about Kay when I did the yelling, and we could still mess this up if we're not careful. What if bringing somebody else in ruins our chances with Kay forever? I can't let that happen. If you and Trajan want to see this woman, you should go to her."

"Because she's not welcome here."

"I didn't say that. When Kay is better and we can explain everything," Ashe didn't finish.

"Yeah. I get that. I understand the chain of command and all that." Bill rose from his chair.

"Bill, I didn't say that."

"You don't have to."

"Bill," Ashe covered his face with both hands. "Look, I appreciate what you're doing for me. With Kay. Nobody else can get her to eat. She seems to trust you more than anyone else, here. I wish I could convince Frank to come and stay, but he's running things at NorthStar while the others are gone. If he were here with you, maybe we could bring Kay back from wherever she goes when she's upset. Damn, this is such a mess." Ashe rose abruptly and went to stand at the window-lined southern wall of his study.

Made completely of floor-to-ceiling glass, Ashe gazed through the wide window at miles of gishi trees below. Somewhere at the edge of his vision, lay the city he and Renegar had built for the refugees from Star Cove. Until things were safe for them, they could never leave SouthStar.

"Ashe, we'll get Kay back. I feel it. What I'm not so sure of is ever getting Breanne back."

"Is that her name? Breanne?" Ashe turned back to Bill, whose head was bowed with worry. Ashe knew it wasn't like Bill to allow his emotions to take over like this.

"Yes. Her name is Breanne, and if what I hear is right, she isn't being treated very well."

*

Reah's Journal

"My love, you were having another nightmare."

"I keep dreaming of dying worlds," I muttered, scrubbing my face with a shaking hand. Aurelius held me against him, rocking me gently. He'd convinced me to lie down earlier and sleep until dinner, but I'd ended up having another horrible dream when I'd fallen asleep.

"Reah, you must allow someone else to handle things. You cannot do everything yourself," Aurelius took my hand in his and kissed it carefully.

"Auri, I feel it—the beginning of the God Wars," I closed my eyes against the images I'd seen in my dream.

"Hush, you mustn't dwell on that. Don't upset yourself or your child." Golden-brown eyes gazed into mine and he smiled before lifting my top and leaning down to kiss my slightly swelling belly.

"Has anyone heard from Lissa or Kiarra?" I asked before Aurelius leaned in to kiss me, effectively keeping me from talking. What came next shoved my thoughts away completely.

*

Lissa's Journal

"They're underground. I don't know how they knew to dig, but that's where they are," Merrill sighed. He'd Looked to check on the werewolf population on Harifa Edus. We'd discovered that we couldn't get through a very strong shield, and I wondered at that. Had Ashe done this without telling me? Perhaps it made sense—should any of the Mighty trust any of us, when it came down to so many lives?

Harifa Edus was the most populated of the Dark Worlds, after all. Reah, Weldon, Martin Walters, Winkler and I had worked together the past fifteen years, collecting werewolves from other worlds, much as I'd gathered vampires in the beginning, and now there were nearly two million werewolves on the planet. Most of those who'd come were either being persecuted where they were, or already living on similar worlds. Those who were getting by on technologically advanced worlds generally chose to stay where they were.

"Do you think everything they've built will be destroyed if those shields don't hold?" Merrill stepped up beside me. Somehow, he knew what I was thinking.

"I hope not," I hugged myself to keep from shivering. "It has taken this long for them to lay foundations for their cities and towns. They have a rudimentary government, but if that's destroyed, this will land them right back at the beginning, with very little to work with. The game and their herds might be wiped out, too—and that could be disastrous."