Karzac brought my cup of tea and settled down with a cup for himself. Dragon got his favorite darker blend; I recognized the scent. Karzac and I got our usual.
* * *
"Several bodies are still missing," a reporter for the BBC stated, microphone in hand as she stood roughly a block away from the pile of rubble left after the hotel bombing in Paris. "The explosion and fire may have completely destroyed some victims and there is now little hope in their recovery. Among the missing is Anthony Hancock, an American who was Director for the National Security Agency and Homeland Security Joint Office," the female journalist went on. "The American President has ordered all flags flown at half-staff to honor their fallen hero, who, according to sources, was once a special operative for U.S. Intelligence."
If Wlodek hadn't already informed Merrill and Gavin of what had truly happened to Anthony Hancock, Merrill might have been upset. He could only imagine what the news might have done to Lissa. As it was, Griffin had informed him that she would be home the following day. Franklin and Greg had returned from their trip to Las Vegas and although the trip had been good for them, Merrill could see that Greg was weakening. The chemotherapy had already resumed earlier that day. Merrill worried over his human child Franklin; he wasn't saying anything, but Greg's illness was taking its toll on him as well. Merrill was going to wait a bit before making his offer again.
Merrill was also concerned for Lissa; Wlodek instructed that she be brought to him in two nights so he could inform her of her marriage to Gavin while she was absent. He also planned to tell her that she was now going to live under Gavin's thumb for the rest of her days. Merrill wished to ask his sire just how he intended to break the news to her, but was too afraid of the answer to ask the question. They would all find out together. Gavin promised to stay at his London apartment until Lissa was informed; Merrill didn't want the news to come to her sooner than necessary.
Gavin was restless himself; he would be taking over Lissa's teaching, although she would still be living with Merrill. Merrill had accomplished that, at least. He'd argued with Wlodek that Lissa did better when she was around Franklin and perhaps helping to care for Greg would take her mind off the fact that she was a captive and would never be otherwise.
Griffin, when he'd come to give the information to Merrill of Lissa's impending return, had been curiously tight-lipped over where Lissa had been or if she'd been any help at all to Dragon. Merrill shrugged it off; he'd ceased any attempts to decipher Griffin's actions long ago. If Merrill was destined to know, he would be informed. If not, then Griffin had his reasons.
"Father, try this," Franklin was suddenly at Merrill's elbow, offering a small slice of cake to him. "They served this at the French restaurant at the hotel," Franklin added. Merrill lifted the fork and dipped up a little of the cake.
"This is very good," he replied, taking the plate from Franklin and cutting off another piece of the dessert.
* * *
"There is nothing to fear," René was there when Tony took his first breath as vampire. Tony had his own bedroom inside René's chateau; Aubrey's had been closed away and neither René nor Devlin could bear to go inside it. "Here, child; you are hungry, I know." René handed over the bag of blood, showing Tony how to clip off the tube at the top to drink. Tony accepted the bag with shaking hands and René rubbed his back soothingly as Anthony Hancock drank his first blood meal as a vampire.
* * *
Deryn had given up hope of finding Tony and was trying to explain to his weeping mother over the phone that Tony's body most likely had disintegrated in the blast. The restaurant had been near the front of the hotel, after all, and that's where Tony was seen last. Not for the first time did Deryn curse the full moon that had taken him and Paul away. They hadn't learned of the bombing until nearly dawn, when they made their way back to the hotel, finding the area surrounding it blocked off and ambulances and fire trucks everywhere. He and Paul had gotten around the police; they were werewolves, after all, and had sniffed around, finding nothing. Nothing alive, anyway. There was plenty of blood and bits and pieces of bodies, which they didn't touch.
The authorities received notice that Rahim Alif's group was responsible, which led Deryn and Paul to believe that Tony was their intended target. Deryn also informed the Grand Master, since Paul was there at his request. Weldon hadn't been happy with the news. Deryn and Paul were now determined to hunt down Rahim and had taken steps toward that goal. They'd already examined the remains of the van the suicide bombers had driven, but Alif's scent wasn't in it. Tony would have been the one to have that sort of thing on file, Deryn knew, but that option was no longer open to them. Deryn finished the call to his mother; she'd become too upset to talk and Lucas, Deryn's father had come on the line, saying a few words to his son before hanging up to take care of Deryn's mother.
Deryn and Paul checked into another hotel—they'd had to buy clothing and such to replace what was lost in the blast. Deryn fluctuated between anger and depression much of the time. Paul was doing his best to keep the younger werewolf focused and moving.
* * *
Gavin sat at his ancient kitchen table, fingering the wedding ring he'd bought with Lissa's engagement ring. It was a simple gold band, thin and shaped to fit around the other ring she wore. He had mixed feelings about the whole thing—excited, because Lissa would truly be his—concerned, because she would be upset. Until he placed compulsion, Lissa would most likely be angry and weeping. There was a way through this—there had to be. She would come around and be happy; he would see to it. They would stay with Merrill, at least for a while, until things settled down and she accepted what was.
Gavin also heard from his cousin René. René informed Gavin that Anthony Hancock's turn was successful. He'd wakened and had been fed the first time. Gavin almost warned René to keep his new child away from Lissa, but that would be another blow to her; he knew she would be upset if she watched the news and learned of his apparent death. Hancock was newly turned; he would be easily controlled. Only a slight compulsion would be needed to warn him away if his feelings for Lissa survived the turning.
* * *
"This is a gift for Lissa, because she saved us," Karzac informed the other healer as they made their way through the National Naval Medical Center, located in Bethesda, Maryland. Both were dressed as physicians, with official nametags and other necessary ID. The rooms holding six agents infected with vampire blood were close together, making it easier for the two healers to do their work.