Out for Blood (25 page)

“Better? I can’t see you at all.” Doc stepped out of the way, not really sure where the shadeux was.

“How’s this?” The voice came from the foyer.

Doc turned. Mortalis was slightly visible now, a faded image that reminded Doc of when Fi had been caught in a death loop. “You look like a freaking ghost.”

Mortalis smiled unsuccessfully. “Speaking of ghosts, how’s Fi taking it?”

“Not well.”

Apprehension crept into his eyes. “And Chrysabelle?”

“She’s—”

Footsteps interrupted him. Fi padded down the stairs, Jerem behind her. “She’s catatonic.” Fi shook her head. “I’ve never seen her like this. I don’t know what to do.”

“Maybe we should take turns sitting with her,” Mortalis offered.

Velimai came out from the kitchen, holding a tray with the tea stuff on it. She nodded at Mortalis.

“You want me to go with you? We can sit the first shift.”

She nodded again, moving past him slowly and up toward Chrysabelle’s room. He followed without further comment.

Jerem shifted uncomfortably. “I’m going to crash for a few hours so I can be awake for her later. I’m in the garage apartment if you need me.”

“Thanks, bro.” Doc grabbed Fi’s hand and led her into the living room as Jerem left. “I need to talk to you.” He took a seat on the couch and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight against him.

“Do you need to suffocate me, too?”

He eased up a little. “Sorry. I just don’t ever want to lose you again. Ever. After watching what happened with Mal… time is short, baby. We have no idea what tomorrow will bring. I’m sorry for what I said. I meant it to protect you, but I know it didn’t come out that way. I’m tired of being separated from you. Tired of wondering every day when I’m going to see you again. When you went missing, it just about killed me.”

She settled into his embrace a little easier. “That still doesn’t fix our problem.”

“I’m working on that. I talked to the council about divorcing Heaven.” He hesitated. There was no way Fi was going to take this well.

Her eyes brightened and she smiled. “That’s awesome!”

“Well, yes and no. There are some… stipulations.”

She frowned. “Like what?”

“In order to keep the alliance between the PC pride and the São Paulo pride, and to allow the São Paulo pride to save face, I must provide them with a bond of allegiance.”

“What’s a bond of allegiance?”

He blew out a long, slow breath. “It means I have to give my firstborn child to the Brazilian pride, to be raised as one of their own.”

“You have to give up a kid?” Her face fell. “I… I don’t even know if I can get pregnant. I’ve been a ghost for so long. I—”

He shook his head. “The child has to belong to the São Paulo pride as much as to the Paradise City pride.”

She squinted at him. “What are you saying?”

“I have to get Heaven pregnant.”

Her squint turned into a stare. “You have to become a sperm donor?”

“Not exactly. It has to happen the old-fashioned way. It’s a last-ditch effort to cement the relationship and keep the couple together.”

Fi took a few long, silent breaths, then, just as quietly, got up and stalked away from him. Doc shook his head. The only thing worse than Fi yelling at him was Fi not saying a word.

This was bad. The kind of bad that made the apocalypse seem like a picnic.

Chapter Twenty-Three

C
reek parked his V-Rod in Chrysabelle’s drive, surprised by the number of cars already there. With an hour left before the sun set, he knew Mal wouldn’t be around, which was good. That was one vampire Creek didn’t want to run into. Mal would probably have some words about the curfew for him.

Odd that Chrysabelle had yet to revoke Creek’s gate privileges. From what he vaguely remembered about the meeting in the mayor’s office, he was sure they’d be gone and she’d have put his name on a list of people never to be allowed on her property, but the guy at the guard shack had checked his ID and waved him through.

The door opened as he walked up. Doc, the leopard-shifter, greeted him.

“If you’ve come to offer your condolences, that’s fine, but don’t plan on staying long. She’s not up for a lot of visitors right now.”

He stopped on the front porch. “Condolences? For what?”

Doc cocked one brow and stared him down. “You live under a rock?”

Not a rock, but he had been pretty tied up with Yahla lately. “Something like that. What happened?”

“Mal’s dead.”

For a brief, hard moment, the air left Creek’s lungs. His mouth hung open and his heart wrenched with sympathy for Chrysabelle. “What… how?”

“Mayor decided to let him meet the sunrise instead of letting him go at six a.m. as promised.”

“That wasn’t the deal.” Or was it? Damn his missing memories. No, he’d never have supported that. He shook his head. “Mayor wasn’t supposed to do that.”

“No kidding.”

“How’s Chrysabelle?”

“How do you think she is?” Doc didn’t budge from the doorway. “So why are you here if you didn’t know about Mal?”

“I have information for her from the Kubai Mata.”

He crossed his arms. “You can tell me.”

“No, I can’t.” Creek held his position. It took a lot more than three hundred pounds of shifter to scare him.

“You must have a real big pair coming here, seeing as how you’re basically responsible for Mal’s death.”

Creek jerked back. “How the hell do you figure that?”

“You work for the mayor now, right? Part of her advisory team? You were at the press conference when she announced the curfew, right there on the platform with her.” He leaned forward a few inches. “And you didn’t do anything to help when I was captured or Mal took my place.”

“Rules are rules,” Creek said.

“Then I have a new one for you. No KM in this house while I’m here.” He started to slam the door.

Creek stuck his foot in it. “I have information about Chrysabelle’s brother.”

Doc pulled the door back open. “What is it?”

“My instructions are to relay the information to her and no one else.” They weren’t, but Doc didn’t know that.

“Let him in.”

At the new male voice, Doc looked over his shoulder, turning slightly. “You sure?”

Behind him stood Mortalis, the shadeux fae. He was transparent, a visual that gave Creek the creeps. “Yes, I’m sure. Chrysabelle could use a little good news right now.” He glanced at Creek. “I’m assuming this is good news?”

“It’s about where her brother is, so yes. I’d think she’d want to know that.”

Mortalis nodded. “Okay.”

Doc stepped aside, eyeing Creek hard as he entered. “Where is she?”

“Out by the pool. Been sitting out there since she woke up an hour ago. Don’t expect a big reaction. She’s not in good shape.”

Creek nodded. “Got it.” He started forward.

Mortalis stopped him, his six fingers planted firmly on Creek’s chest. He peered intently at Creek. His nostrils flared like he was sniffing for something. “You smell like black magic.”

Creek shoved his hand away. “And you reek like the vampire you work for. Get out of my way.”

Mortalis’s left eyelid twitched. “Don’t be long.”

Creek stormed past and out to the pool deck. He pulled the slider shut behind him, not that a little glass would keep most of those inside from eavesdropping if they wanted to. Chrysabelle sat on the chaise at the farthest edge, staring out at the water.

He sat beside her on the tumbled marble tile, facing the same direction. If she noticed his arrival, she made no indication. He dipped his head to see her better. “Hi.”

She blinked but didn’t respond.

“I heard what happened. I’m very sorry.”

She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. “You did this,” she whispered, her voice raw with emotion.

“No, Chrysabelle. It was never my intention—”

“You told me if I didn’t agree to get the vampire baby back, the KM would destroy Mal.”

He swallowed. “The KM had nothing to do with this.”

She whipped her head around, eyes red-rimmed and bruised with pain. “You were in the office with the mayor. You sided with her.” A sob stopped her words for a moment. “And against me.”

He barely remembered being there, but he wasn’t going to admit to his memory lapses to her. “I did what I thought was right.”

“What you thought was
right
?” She lunged toward him. “I could kill you for what you did. You
and
the mayor. If you think I’m not going to make her pay—”

He grabbed her hands before they found his throat, tried to talk her down. “But you won’t. You’re not built like that.” Sorrow made fine lines around her eyes and he wished like hell he knew exactly what had happened in that office. It was so much easier to think when Yahla wasn’t around.

“Yes, I am. You just haven’t seen that side of me.” She jerked out of his grasp, another sob muffled but audible. “Why are you here? There’s no damage left for you to do.”

“I’m not…” He stopped. What was the point? She was going to think what she wanted to think. “The KM found out that Daciana has returned to Corvinestri and taken your brother, Damian, with her. He’s back in Tatiana’s control now, but being held as a prisoner. She’s still using him for blood, though.”

Chrysabelle’s breath hitched. “Damian?”

“Yes.”

A tiny spark of hope lit her eyes. “They have proof he’s my brother?”

“It’s in the file they gave me.”

“Is he all right? How does the KM know he’s my brother?”

“The KM have been protecting him as best they can. As to how they know, they have inside sources. Ways of finding out this stuff.” Creek took out his phone and pulled up the info he’d been given.

She closed her hand over his to hold the phone steady, her touch colder than he remembered it being. He’d loved her once. Maybe not as much as Mal, but enough that he would have willingly given his life for her. Probably still would. But she’d chosen the vampire and Creek had come to terms with that. Didn’t mean he’d ever completely stop caring about her. “Tatiana will take him to
achtice, to the Dominus ball.”

She nodded. “The comarré always travel with their patrons.”

“The KM will give you whatever resources you need to get to
achtice and get your brother back, so long as—”

“I bring the vampire baby back with me.” She let go of the phone and went back to staring at the water.

“Yes.” There was no point in denying it.

“There’s nothing the KM could give me I don’t already have access to. Nothing from them I need.”

He reached for the envelope tucked into his waistband beneath his shirt. “There is one thing.”

She sniffed. “I doubt it.” But she glanced over anyway. “What?”

He held out the envelope. “An invitation to the Dominus ball and maps of the comarré tunnels underneath the estate where the ball will be held.”

“And if I don’t bring the vampire baby back with me? If I only rescue my brother?”

He hadn’t wanted it to come to this. “The KM know what you did with the ring of sorrows. They’ll come after you and…” The KM’s dictates were more than he could stomach at times.