"Tony, if I tell you, then René will know. And then Gavin and Merrill and Wlodek and anybody else they choose to tell." I wiped my cheeks with fingers that trembled slightly. We'd be forced to go inside soon so Tony's skin wouldn't blister.
"Baby, you have to tell somebody, don't you?" He tightened his arm around me.
"I don't think so," I said, betraying myself by sniffling.
"It has to do with dead relatives. And your father. I heard his words, too, baby. It didn't sound like you were a love child. He said he went looking for your mother because the vampires and werewolves were in trouble." If Tony was putting two and two together, then the others probably were, too. Why didn't I just stand on a rooftop somewhere and blubber out my misery for the entire universe to hear? They were going to find out anyway.
"How did you manage to get away from Gavin and René?" I asked instead.
"They asked me to come," he said softly.
"Gavin's not afraid you'll jump me while we're alone together?"
"He was. That's why he asked René to place compulsion. I can hug and kiss you a little, Lissy. I can't go farther than that." The regret for that was thick in his voice.
"Compulsion," I muttered. "The most damning word in the vampire language."
"I'm happy to be vampire and I know you're not," Tony tucked my hair behind an ear. My strawberry blonde curls were long enough to do that, now.
"My husband's grave is that way," I pointed to my left, which was north of where we were. "Now I can't go there because the image of his brother's body lying on top of it will be in my mind. Dead because of me, Tony. Tell me how I'm supposed to live with that. Sara's dead too, whether they killed her or she died of a heart attack or whatever. Who else is going to die because of what I am? My father made me because of what I would become. He knew I'd be turned, Tony. That was the plan, don't you think?"
"I think he might have wanted to save the world, that's what I think." Tony nuzzled my cheek gently.
"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" I rose abruptly. "How was your childhood, Tony?" I looked down at him; he was still sitting. I reached for his arm and pulled him up easily, turning us both to mist. My mental sigh was passed to him as we sank through the roof and then through the upper floor and down to the basement, minutes before the sun rose. René was waiting patiently and Tony was ushered into his bedroom by his sire. I was jealous of that, even.
"Lissa," Gavin's breath was cool on my neck as he placed a kiss. "Come, cara. We will speak of this later." I put my arms around his neck and sobbed once as he lifted me and carried me into our bedroom.
Ken White was there to pick us up at ten the following evening. Gavin and I rode in Agent White's rental car; Gavin in the passenger seat while I sat in the back. I'd slept later than the others before waking sluggishly, and Gavin hadn't forced me out of bed. Roff had been there waiting for me, patiently holding a bag of blood so I could feed. Gavin didn't interfere, either, when Roff crawled onto the bed and let me lean against him as I sipped my meal.
Now we were driving toward a hotel not far away; the person I was supposed to see was there with Agent Townsend. Ken parked the car and we climbed out to walk inside the hotel. Overhead, the sky was a dark, stormy blue and I worried we might get rain. Tall piles of cumulus clouds floated off to the west and I could see lightning. It didn't rain often during August in Oklahoma—usually it was dry and dusty. But if it did storm, it could be a good one.
The elevator dinged when we reached the third floor of the WaterMark Hotel; it was one of the nicest hotels in the city. Agent White led us to a room halfway down the hall, swiped a keycard and opened the door. Chris Townsend was inside, standing beside a man in his late sixties or early seventies, with graying hair that had once been black. Wrinkles lined his face and fading brown eyes studied me with a puzzled expression as I walked in. I went over to get his scent. This man wasn't connected to anyone that I knew.
"Charles is on the phone," Agent Townsend held a cell phone out to me. I blinked at him and Agent White.
"Charles?" I said, taking the phone.
"Lissa? Can you tell anything?"
"Charles, this man isn't connected to anyone I know," I said.
"You're sure?"
"Yeah. I'd know if he was connected to somebody I'd ever scented before. He's not." Charles sighed at my explanation.
"That's Everett Hancock," Charles informed me. "Anthony Hancock's father." Oh, lord.
"Charles, I'm sorry. This man isn't related. He is also completely human, no other bloodline," I added. Charles knew what I was saying. Gavin wasn't surprised by my words either, but Agents White and Townsend sure were.
"Let me talk to Chris again," Charles said. I handed the phone back to Townsend. Charles told him to keep the information to himself about what I could do and instructed that he tell Ken White the same thing. Chris said all right and ended the call.
"We're still going to send him somewhere safe, just in case our friend gets wind of him," Chris said, meaning Everett Hancock. Were we going to tell Tony? I hoped not. I think he had enough on his plate right now. I just shrugged and nodded at Chris instead.
"Mom, the Head of the Council has given permission for you to visit with Tony," Deryn spoke with Corinne Alford on his cell. "It's not something they normally permit, but since we're wolves, they're allowing this and setting a precedent." Deryn was happy to be passing this news off to his mother; she worried that she wouldn't be allowed to see her oldest son again.
"How soon?" Corinne Alford wanted to go to Tony immediately. That wouldn't be possible.
"He's in Oklahoma City," Deryn replied. "The Honored One says you can visit as early as tomorrow. William Winkler is coming up from the Dallas Pack so you won't be alone in a sea of vampires. They'll set up a plane ticket for you as soon as you want to go."
"Can we do it tomorrow?"
"Sure. For dad, too, if he wants to go along. Somebody will meet you at the airport." Corinne agreed and Charles, who was nearby, was already arranging for first class tickets from Denver to Oklahoma City the following evening. Deryn passed the flight information off to his mother and everything was set up before Deryn terminated the call.
"It's a relief actually, to know the old fart isn't Tony's dad after all," Deryn sighed, glancing at Charles. "I only met him twice and he was the biggest, grumpiest old gas bag you've ever seen. Tony only went to him when he had to."
"Was Anthony happy with your father?" Charles asked.
"Absolutely. Dad taught us how to fish and how to box. Dad's a black belt, too, so we learned Karate when we were young. Tony was the one who wanted to study Jiu Jitsu, Aikido, Wing Chun and several other disciplines. Dad drove him to all the classes until Tony was old enough to take himself. Tony won competitions, he was so good. He got his college degree in three years and then went right into the military—special ops, you know. It was no surprise that he kept getting promoted, and when they started looking for a replacement for the Director's job, he accepted but only on the condition that he could make the job hands-on. I hear Agent Jennings made the same arrangement." Deryn was proud of his older brother; Charles could hear it in his voice. "I'm just glad he's not dead right now."
"No, he's definitely not dead. He's been officially registered with the Council. All his papers were completed before he left for the states. He's no longer Anthony Hancock; that name with that face is too recognizable. All vampires change their names. Your brother's ID shows he's Anthony Rockland, now. A variation on his sire's last name, de la Roque."
"He didn't mention it," Deryn said. "It doesn't matter. Everett Hancock can be a memory, now." Charles nodded in agreement.
This was the second time I was awake in daylight. It was better this time—I was more lucid, even if the light did hurt my eyes at first. I'd jumped and gasped awake. Another dream had come, only this time I'd seen a young woman—a very young woman—possibly still in her mid-teens, who was begging someone not to send her away. She was quite pregnant and standing in a field of tall grass. An older woman was shouting at her, telling the girl to take herself and her whelp out of her sight. If that was mom, she needed lessons in parenting, I think. That's when I woke inside the darkened basement, breathing hard and blinking away remnants of a disturbing dream.
"Raona, why are you awake?" Roff stopped chopping vegetables and came to me as soon as I made my way up the stairs and into the kitchen area. Concern clouded his face as he took my hand and led me to a seat at the tiny kitchen table.
"I had another dream," I said, wiping a hand over my face in an attempt to clear away my grogginess. Light was streaming through open blinds in the kitchen window. I squinted at it, attempting to see past the brightness to the day beyond.
Roff went to get a glass of water before I had the opportunity to ask. I gulped it; he'd added a few ice cubes and I thanked him for that. He merely nodded and sat down at the table with me. "Was this a troubling dream?" Roff asked.
"No, I didn't know the people in it," I said. "A mother was sending her pregnant daughter away—that's what the dream was. Jeez, talk about confusing," I set my water down on the table and rubbed my eyes.
"Raona, let me carry you back to bed."
"I can get myself down; you don't have to go lugging me around all the time."
"But I like this," Roff grumbled.
"You can't like hauling me around." Except that he did. And he insisted, so I was carried downstairs and placed carefully back in bed.
"Go back to sleep, my Queen." Roff gave me a careful kiss and pulled the blanket over me. I listened while he made his way up the stairs, hearing the faint thunk of the basement door closing. I snuggled against Gavin's wide back and closed my eyes, falling asleep quickly.
"Child, Dominic is likely in the U.S.," Wlodek informed Radomir over the phone. "Make arrangements for the jet to fly his brothers to Oklahoma City. I would prefer that you go with them, rather than allowing Russell to make the journey. I have another assignment for Russell, and I will feel easier if you are there with Lissa and the others. I will be assured of getting complete information this way."
"Of course, father," Radomir had stepped outside the hotel to take the call, in case his father had sensitive information to impart. "I will make arrangements to leave tomorrow evening."
"Get the address for the safe house from Charles; obviously you will have to move the others and find another place to stay. None of the safe houses in the area are large enough to hold all of you." Wlodek tapped a pen on his antique desk; Radomir recognized the sound and could picture his sire's hands as they toyed with the gold pen.
"I will, father," Radomir said, ending the call. He immediately called the vampire who scheduled the Council's jet as he walked through the hotel entry and took the stairs to his room.
"Russell, call the Honored One, he has another assignment for you," Radomir announced as he strode into the room. Lorenzo and Thaddeus watched Radomir closely; they didn't know what this meant.
"Do not fear, your brother has been spotted in the U.S.," Radomir informed them. "We are flying there tomorrow evening to join others who will help us in our search." Lorenzo breathed a sigh of relief at the news; he worried that the Council would abandon his brother's cause and Dominic would be lost to him and Thaddeus.
"Pack up, brother," Lorenzo slapped Thaddeus on the back. They walked through the connecting door to gather their things.
"Our Raona was up in daylight again," Roff informed Gavin, who'd finished a pint of blood and was tossing the used bag into the compacter.
"What did she do?" Gavin asked, concerned.