Blood Double (God Wars #1)(9)

"How is your new turn?" I took the hand offered to me as the latest meeting was breaking up. No, Gavin hadn't funneled that information to me, but it was in the face of the vampire standing before me. I figured the Queen would know information such as that.

"She is doing very well." He almost beamed at me; he was so pleased to be asked. "She was my donor before, and well, I have hopes that after the probationary period is over, we might marry."

"Then I wish you the very best," I smiled at him.

"Thank you, Raona." He gave the comesuli word for your majesty.

"You're very welcome," I patted his hand.

*

"How did you know about Linder's new turn?" If anyone can make a conversational question surly, Gavin certainly can.

"The palace comesuli gossip all the time," I hedged. They did. If two or more of them congregated, gossip was inevitably exchanged.

"Very well. It was permissible to make note of it this time," Gavin grumbled. We were making our way toward the Queen's suite again after the meeting. I itched to ask for blood substitute to be stocked inside the suite. That way I wouldn't have to go to the kitchen and deal with stony-faced silence or angry mutterings from the comesuli. Realizing that Gavin Montegue had no care for me or my feelings in the matter, I didn't ask.

The following day was off-day, but I rose early and made my way to the small office I'd been given anyway. Requests from the comesuli were piling up and Grant and Heathe had no time to handle any of it. I hadn't seen the Larentii, either, since they'd changed my appearance. The least they could have done was allow me to wear my own face on off-days.

"What are you doing here?" The Queen's Falchani twins stood in the doorway, and Drew spoke to me. I'd only caught glimpses of them at times—from a distance. They were in charge of the Queen's army and saw to the training of elite troops. Comesuli gossip said they were very proficient with the blades they often carried.

"Working." I spared them a glance before going back to my comp-vid. What did I see in their faces? Their loving parents. The Queen they adored. Sons they also loved, who were schooled by a tutor elsewhere. They were nearly grown, those sons.

"How are Travis and Trent?" I asked after their children.

"Dad's sending them to Falchan this summer," Drew grinned; I looked up just to see. "They'll put all that training to work and realize how much they've slacked off in their lessons. Bel wants to go with them, and it looks as if he'll get permission from his father."

"Interesting," I said. "Where is Falchan? Wait, forget I asked." I lowered my eyes. Just for a moment, I'd forgotten my place.

"You should work in the Queen's office instead of this one," Drake said. "Since we're trying so hard to convince everybody she's here."

"I have a hard enough time sleeping in her bed," I muttered.

"Come on, it's not that different. It's just bigger," Drew said. "The bed and the office." He grinned. That grin might have made any other woman grin right back.

With a sigh, I gathered my comp-vid and followed them to the Queen's study. The room was much larger than my small cubicle and priceless paintings and artwork decorated the walls. A vid-screen popped up when Drew hit a button on the desk.

"In case you want some distraction," he grinned again before he and Drake left me alone.

The news-vids were on and the same journalist I'd seen before spoke to a camera crew outside the Casino City jail, where a cuffed Weren Kele was being led, followed by his partner, Shale Parc, who was also in cuffs. "Both were arrested for fraud," the journalist announced as I studied their images. At least somebody wasn't buying Weren Kele's bluster, and it was likely the law-enforcement team from Casino City. "Good for you," I gave them my compliments and turned back to my work.

*

Kooper stared at his hands as he sat in Trevor's office. He and the Sheriff of Casino City had become very good friends over the past two years. They often met to exchange information or discuss open cases. Trevor was as trustworthy as they came, and Kooper knew the old vampire would never divulge sensitive information.

"How did you get the information on Weren Kele?" Trevor asked. A bottle of blood substitute sat at his elbow, half-finished. Kooper had a cup of coffee sitting on a corner of Trevor's desk—the drink had gone cold as they talked.

"An unusual source that I can't reveal at the moment. I'm still not sure how they arrived at the information. It was pure gold, though. My source was right, all the way." Kooper rubbed his chin as he gazed at Trevor.

"Any chance we'll get more information from this source?" Trevor was two-and-a-half thousand years old and looked little more than two-and-a-half decades in age. With nearly black hair and dark eyes, Sheriff Trevor claimed no last name and was often the target of female glances. He ignored them unless they'd committed a crime. That always received his immediate attention.

"No idea. I'll certainly try," Kooper said.

"How's the girl?"

"As well as can be expected," Kooper sighed. "She's unhappy, though. That's easy enough to see."

"They ought to watch her, then. Many of the humanoid females who've made the turn walk into the sun shortly after their turning. It's not an easy adjustment for them, for some reason."