The limo driver and the pilots were loading our bags onto the plane while we had our little standoff. "The President wants you to have this," Tony held out a small case and an envelope.
"Keep it," I said.
"Lissa, it's the Medal of Freedom," Tony said softly.
"Set it on the ground and back away," Merrill said. Tony slowly bent down, set both items on the tarmac and then retreated. Merrill walked forward and picked them up before returning to my side.
"Lissa, I didn't mean to hurt you," Tony said. "I'm sorry."
"That and a buck will get you a pack of gum at 7-11," I said. "I can't trust you. Ever. Leave me alone and keep your apologies to yourself."
"The lady has spoken," Merrill said. "Now I have words for you. Cease your experiments immediately. It is very important that you do as I say. Wlodek will call you in two nights and explain why." Merrill touched my arm gently and nodded toward the jet. Gavin kept me by his side as we walked toward it.
* * *
"Director, I know you're my boss, at least for the time being," vampire agent Ken White told Tony. "But I don't think you know who you were talking to, just then." Ken was driving away from the airport, Tony in the passenger seat.
"Who was I talking to?" Tony turned listlessly to agent White.
"Merrill is a legend among my race," Ken said. "The rumors are that he's the most powerful vampire that exists. The other one that Lissa is engaged to? That's Gavin, the Council's elite Assassin. Wlodek is Head of the Council, as you know. You've managed to piss off three of the most powerful vampires ever. And if you throw Lissa into that mix, because I have to tell you, she can do things I've never seen or heard of before, well, I wouldn't be looking for favors from any of my kind. In fact, depending on how Wlodek reacts and what he says in that phone call you're going to get, he may pull all the vamps out of the Department."
"He can't do that," Tony huffed.
"He can. And if we want to keep on living, we'll do as he says," Ken added. "And since it's Lissa, all she has to do is make a call to the Grand Master and your wolves will be gone, too. You f**ked up, boss."
"Yeah. I won't argue with you over that." Tony rubbed a hand over his face.
* * *
"This apartment belongs to a friend," Merrill said as we made our way into the beautiful London flat. It was tastefully decorated and furnished with what I called jewel tones. Reds, greens, dark purples, golds; all muted, of course. The windows had been blacked out somehow; it belonged to a vampire. "We'll go to the Council meeting tomorrow evening from here and then we're to go back to Wlodek's so he can make the call to Anthony Hancock. Wlodek wants you there, Lissa, when he tells Mr. Hancock how much of a mistake he made." I nodded. It was nearly dawn on the twenty-fourth, now. Gavin and Merrill only had one small bag each so the bulk of the luggage was mine. I insisted on carrying my share and we piled it into the huge master bedroom. Merrill was taking the smaller second bedroom. There was a large walk-in closet in the master bedroom, filled with men's designer suits and a scent that I would recognize if I ever smelled it again.
"Are you hungry, cara? I wish to feed you before you sleep if you are," Gavin said, lifting my chin in his fingers. I looked up at his face; he was worried about me.
"Honey, you have the nicest brown eyes," I said. "I've always been partial to brown eyes."
"You like them?" The corners of his mouth lifted just a little.
"Of course I do."
"Your hair is growing out." He ran fingers through my short, spiky hair.
"Maybe I'll put mousse in it and make it all stand up," I said.
"You will frighten Wlodek."
"We can't have that, I guess." Gavin and I shared a unit of blood before we went to bed.
* * *
"Lissa, we have someone we suspect of being Saxom's turn that Trevor brought in at Wlodek's request," Merrill informed me as Brock drove us to the meeting cave the evening of the twenty-fifth. "If you smell the taint on him, I want you to tug on my sleeve, all right?" I nodded at Merrill's request.
"Sebastian will also be there," Merrill said. "For reasons that you have already suspected. I am sorry we did not pay more attention to you earlier, sweetheart." I sat in the back of Merrill's Rolls; Brock had driven it to pick us up and I was wedged in the back seat between Merrill and Gavin. Neither seemed to mind that I was so close against them. I didn't care about Sebastian, now. At least no more children would die at Sebastian's hands.
"What set him off, do you know?" I was curious about that.
"Wlodek thinks it was the baby," Merrill said softly. "For those of us who have never drank such innocent blood, we cannot say for certain, but I have listened to other vampires who were brought before the Council for sentencing on such a crime and they all say the blood is sweet and addicting."
"Dear God," I said, reaching out to grab Gavin's hand.
The Council chamber looked just the same as Merrill led the way into the dim interior. Gavin was right behind me with Brock following him. Both prisoners were already inside the chamber; Sebastian was over to the side, the other prisoner was close by and I got his scent the moment I walked inside the cave. I tugged on Merrill's sleeve as we lined up in our customary spot against the cave wall.
Wlodek turned to look at Merrill as he had the first prisoner brought forward, and I saw Merrill incline his head in the barest of nods. Wlodek turned back to the prisoner and began his questioning. One of the questions involved Xenides.
"Are you familiar with Xenides?" Wlodek asked. This vampire wasn't as old as Wlodek and was compelled to answer his questions without Merrill's assistance.
"Yes. He was my contact when I dealt with Saxom Meletius."
"Has he ever asked you to engage in acts of terrorism?"
"I have placed compulsion at his request. Twice in Pakistan. Once in Afghanistan."
"What compulsions did you place?"
"To carry out attacks or assassinations at Xenides' request," the prisoner replied. This was beginning to frighten me horribly. Wlodek asked a few more questions but there was nothing as consequential as that answer. The vote was taken; Charles was doing his job efficiently, tapping away on his laptop. The guilty verdict was unanimous—how could it be otherwise? Trevor, the Assassin I hadn't seen before, performed the duty of removing the prisoner's head. Sebastian was brought forward then. He looked insane to me, his heavy brow lower than I remembered and a wild look clouding his eyes. Wlodek placed compulsion but Sebastian's answers were rambling. I got the idea that he'd rewritten and forged Wlodek's signature on the final documents delivered to Vilmos, leading him to believe that he had more time. Vilmos turned over documents to Sebastian at that time, requesting a lengthy extension for his human companion until the baby was older. Vilmos planned an attempt to turn his companion after that. Sebastian never delivered those documents to Wlodek. When the Council ordered Vilmos' death, along with that of his female companion, Sebastian had come on them unaware, murdering them and taking the baby. It was too horrible to think about. The judge I'd worked for in Oklahoma had been in juvenile court and we seldom saw acts this violent or heinous. Mostly it was thefts, robberies, drugs and fights. I shivered a little.