Merrill and I talked again Tuesday night and just as he said, he was gone Wednesday and Thursday. Thursday evening after I showered and fed, I went downstairs to see if Franklin needed help in the kitchen or anything else. He and Lena were already eating but he pointed to a small box on the corner of the island that had a note attached.
"That came for you today," Franklin said. I went over to look at it; the note had only my first name written on it. I opened the box first and inside was a beautiful gold bracelet made of links that looked like tiny hibiscus flowers. A small diamond winked at the center of each flower.
"That's really pretty," Lena said, looking over my shoulder. The envelope and note card were a cream color and expensive, I could tell. Who would be sending me gifts? I wondered as I opened the note.
"Lissa, I wanted you to have this. I miss you.
Gavin."
"You like this?" I held the bracelet out to Lena. "It's yours." I dropped it into her palm and tore the note into pieces, tossing the paper bits into the wastebasket on my way out of the kitchen. I was fuming when I went to the roof that night and I didn't come down until nearly dawn.
* * *
"She gave the bracelet to Lena and tore up the note. I rescued the pieces and taped them together so you could take a look," Franklin passed the note over to Merrill.
"Ask Lena to bring the bracelet to me. I'll get her a replacement," Merrill murmured as he read the note. "This is the one who brought her in," Merrill tapped the note with a finger. "I'll do a little research."
Merrill placed the gold bracelet in his desk drawer and gave Lena money to buy something as a replacement. She was happy with the exchange and Merrill placed compulsion for her to forget about the first one.
* * *
"The second Vampire Rule is protect the race. Obviously, it is tied to the first rule. We generally reveal ourselves by drinking from humans and or killing them in the process," Merrill told me Friday night. "If a human sees what we are, a compulsion must be placed so that they forget."
"Has there ever been a human that we couldn't place compulsion on?" I asked.
"Ah, there's the question, right there," Merrill sounded proud of me for some reason. "Do you know what makes a true vampire Queen? She is not susceptible to any vampire's compulsion, even the strongest ones. She can be either a danger or a blessing. A danger if she decides to break the laws and go rogue, because she must be tracked and destroyed. A blessing if she is the one to uphold the laws, since none can make her deviate from them."
"Are there any Queens alive?"
"None. The last one walked into the sun more than four hundred years ago," Merrill said and shook his head sadly. "Her name was Sarita."
"So, do you know when they're human that they'll be a Queen?"
"At times. If we drink from them and the subsequent compulsion has no effect, there are steps we must take. We are forced to take them with us and detain them until the strongest compulsion may be tried. Failing that, there are only two choices left—attempt to turn her or kill her. This must be done in order to protect the race." Merrill was watching me closely.
"Well, that sucks," I said. "I don't suppose you let the woman decide?"
"No, little one. We do not."
"Crap."
"That is why we should not feed from donors unless we are forced to do so."
"That schmuck, Gavin, let me go on out and feed from the population while he more than likely had a fridge full of blood," I flung out a hand in disgust. "It's like he was just waiting for me to do something to hang myself."
"The fact that you existed without your sire's supervision would have been enough to hang you, little Lissa. If other issues hadn't cropped up, you would be very dead right now."
"Yeah, rub that in a little more," I grumbled.
"On a brighter note, I have petitioned the Council to complete your registration. The paperwork has been submitted. I also have," Merrill pulled open a drawer at the side of his desk, "These." He handed a large envelope over to me. Inside were new U.S. and British driver's licenses, a birth certificate and a passport.
"Wow. Charles wasn't kidding," I breathed, examining my new identification.
"He wants you to purchase a cell phone so you can speak to him from time to time. He also asked if he could take you to see a film sometime soon."
"Gee, dad, can I borrow the car?" I grinned and waved my new licenses.
"Only when I am sure you are capable of driving on the proper side of the road."
"Bummer," I said. Merrill smiled.
* * *
"I don't believe she wishes to see you," Merrill leveled his gaze at Gavin. "She attempted to give away the bracelet and ripped up the note. I now have both in my possession."
"Fuck," Gavin paced and cursed a little. He and Merrill were both inside Wlodek's study. Wlodek had arranged the meeting with Lissa's surrogate at Gavin's request. Gavin had no idea the surrogate would be Merrill. Legends surrounded Merrill and his abilities, and none knew his age or the extent of his strength, although many guessed that it might eclipse Wlodek's.
"I believe you may have been too heavy handed with your compulsion," Merrill went on, ignoring Gavin's outburst. "She is new and fragile. More than likely you placed one so heavy it caused physical pain, not to mention the emotional side of it. You betrayed and humiliated her, Assassin. What do you expect?"
"How was I to know she would live over this?" Gavin was still pacing. "I was ordered to eliminate her. And I would have. That does not mean it wouldn't have killed me to do it."
"Ah," Merrill said. "Well. Perhaps someday, you will learn that love means protecting what you love. I am done, here," Merrill nodded to Wlodek and left the study. Wlodek displayed no emotion as he watched him go.
"He didn't say you couldn't keep trying," Wlodek said after Merrill was out of hearing. Gavin stared at the Head of the Vampire Council.
* * *
Anthony Hancock reviewed the results from the first test of the department's new software. The terrorist had been apprehended in Barcelona, just before he'd boarded a plane for Madrid. The software was a work of genius; it not only had feature recognition but mannerisms as well and that was how they'd made the collar—the terrorist had been heavily disguised. Tony wished he could thank Lissa for this as she'd given his card to William Winkler and suggested he offer the program exclusively to the NSA. It had been worth the exorbitant price tag since they were the only buyer. Winkler could have made a hundred times more money selling it on the open market, but he'd had too many attempts on his life. This option had worked out better for both sides. Tony had very fond memories of Lissa and wondered if he'd ever see her again.