"Please, come with us," Erland smiled pleasantly at the three. When one tried to bolt, Rigo had a hand on his shoulder and claws digging in. He came along quietly after that. A room was provided by casino management for questioning—the owner knew Erland well. He also knew better than to interfere.
"Now, you will tell us everything," Aryn placed compulsion. The three gulped and nodded.
* * *
"Will you tell Griffin?" Wylend was saying good-bye, so I asked him to pass the news of Davan's death along—Davan was his brother, after all. Yes, I knew what Griffin had done. To me and to Roff. I had no idea whether there was a way to restore Roff's memories completely or if their restoration would only cause further grief at this point. Roff had come to me somehow, whether he remembered or not. I was still trying to decide if I wished to speak to my natural father from now on. I did have one other request, however.
"Tell him I'd like Roff's ring back," I added. That caused Wylend's eyebrows to lift a little. "Don't pretend you don't know, Em-pah," I sighed. I was tired. I'd just lost another person I cared about and wondered if I had any male family members left who truly loved me. I think Kyler and Cleo might be in my corner most of the time, but I didn't know where they stood on Griffin or if they even knew what he'd done to keep Wyatt away from the Green Fae.
"Granddaughter, I didn't know until it was over," Wylend said. "And I'd like to brush that tear away, but I don't think you'd let me touch you right now."
"I don't know that I'll let any male relative touch me again," I said and turned away.
* * *
"You know about Davan." Wylend studied his son's face—Griffin had been waiting for him when he arrived on Karathia.
"Yes. This is going to hurt Jeral."
"It hurt your daughter. She knows, Brenten. She wants you to give Roff's ring back."
"I was afraid to
Look
," Griffin nodded, refusing to meet Wylend's gaze.
"Child, I hope you are done harming her emotionally," Wylend went on. "I would like to repair what little relationship I have with her."
"I thought I was done harming her," Griffin said. "Until Wyatt came along, causing things to shift."
"Do you love her at all?"
"She does not love me."
"That is not the question I asked. Or has your son taken up all the love you might have for a child, now, and Lissa has become disposable?"
"Lissa shouldn't have been disposable," Griffin replied. "But her stepfather made her distrustful of any father figure. I had an uphill climb with her, every step of the way."
"And when you set her down in front of thousands of Ra'Ak and told her people would die if she didn't do something about it, that didn't improve things, did it? Especially since you'd admitted to her that she'd been the answer to the problems you were seeing and that you deliberately went looking for her mother, merely to produce the solution to those problems. That makes any child thankful for their life." Wylend didn't employ sarcasm often, but he used it now. "Child, look at me and tell me that you would still speak to me if I'd used you so grievously," Wylend tilted Griffin's face up with a finger.
"I wouldn't. I wouldn't forgive you, either."
"I know."
* * *
Kiarra had come with her three mates—Merrill, Adam and Pheligar stood with her. My two Larentii were there as well when I explained to Jeral, as best I could, what happened to Davan.
"At least I know you loved him," Jeral wiped his eyes. I was crying, too, and Roff was beside me, offering tissues.
"I did." I almost didn't get the words out; my voice broke. Cleo had to put Grant under and Heathe was sleeping, too. Davan had become such friends with both of them that I didn't know how they were going to deal with his death. "We can do a memorial in a day or two, if you want."
"I would like that," Jeral sighed. Davan was his brother, in addition to being his youngest vampire child.
"Jeral, come with us," Kiarra was urging him away; I was about to break down completely. Roff, Connegar, Reemagar and I left my study and Gavin, Tony, Drake and Drew were waiting outside. Karzac folded in as soon as we reached my suite.
"I will stay with Lissa," Roff announced as Karzac came toward me, fingers heading toward my forehead.
"Nice to see you, too, honey," I said before he touched me and I was out like a light.
* * *
"Get her undressed and put her to bed," Karzac ordered. Gavin was holding her up; she'd collapsed when Karzac placed the healing sleep.
"We will assist Roff; the others here need sleep, they are weary from killing spawn," Reemagar said. Connegar herded everyone else from the bedroom—they'd cleared quite a bit of spawn from a planet light-years away and were exhausted. The news of Davan's death hadn't helped, or the fact that Lissa had been attacked while they were away.
* * *
"I am required to notify the Alliance that we're holding them," Thurlow said, as the three men were locked inside the palace dungeons. They'd admitted under compulsion that they'd planned to take the Queen down, only they'd hired others to do it for them. Vampires seemed to be the logical choice, and they'd offered half of Black Mist's reward for evidence of the Queen's death.
They thought their plan couldn't fail. They'd hidden their tracks (or so they'd thought), and meant to collect the entire reward after their hired vampires killed the Queen. They'd counted on the Queen's guards tracking and killing the vampires involved afterward, never suspecting that a single vampire might live over it.
Geratt was in a cell separated from the others, so they couldn't reach or speak with one another. Geratt wore the cuffs to contain a vampire. Cell bars did well enough for the others.
"Do what you have to do, Thurlow, but remember these have conspired to kill the Queen. We won't be sending these back to the Alliance. This justice is ours," Garde snorted as he glared at the three humanoids.
"As the law allows," Thurlow agreed. A lesser crime would have sent the perpetrators home to their own world's justice. Murder or conspiracy to commit murder allowed the world on which the crime was committed to pass sentence.
"What are we going to do about the three vampires who are missing?" Rigo asked. They'd learned from Geratt that he'd hired nineteen vampires for the attack on Lissa. Only sixteen were accounted for.
"We'll send someone out," Garde said. "Trevor, perhaps, and a crew of handpicked vampires."
"Is Lissa still awake?" Garde asked. They'd left the dungeon behind and now walked through a side door leading into the palace, after Garde entered a security code on the keypad outside. Two vampire guards inside the door nodded them through—they were recognized.
"The Queen is sleeping," Dmitri heard the door open from the grand hall and went to double check, making sure the ones entering the palace were authorized to do so.
"Can you get a message to Trevor?" Garde asked. Trevor was a former assassin for the Council on Earth. Now he worked as Sheriff for Casino City.
"Of course. What should I say?"
"That we have three rogues loose. They were among the nineteen hired to attack Lissa today. Only sixteen were killed. We have the masterminds in the dungeon."
"Did any other Council members from New Hesperia know anything about this?" Dmitri asked.
"The Council members didn't. I intend to question some of the other citizens of New Hesperia to see if they knew anything or failed to come forward with information. I am quite angry over this." Garde proved it by blowing smoke. "I will check on Lissa before going home."
"I'll come with you," Erland said. Rigo and Thurlow refused to be left behind, and Aryn went, too, since the others were going. All walked swiftly and determinedly toward Lissa's suite.
"Roff, I only wish to check on Lissa," Garde opened the door halfway. Roff was in the Queen's bed, with Lissa tucked against him.
"Come ahead, her healer-mate placed her in a healing sleep. She will not wake." Roff turned on a bedside lamp.
"There's my girl," Erland breathed, sitting on the side of the bed and reaching out to touch Lissa's cheek.
"Did you find the ones in Casino City?" Roff asked quietly.
"We did. They're in the dungeons now," Garde replied. "But there are three other rogues who escaped. We have vampires hunting them now. I want to take Lissa to Kifirin with me, but I think I'd have a fight on my hands at the moment," he added. "The breaching of the walls and the attempts on her life worry me. Dmitri has an extra shift on guard duty. If you need me to take her out of here, get someone to send mindspeech."
"I can take her to Karathia just as easily," Erland murmured. He hadn't informed the others, but Wylend was sending out Warlocks. There would be dead Solar Red, Black Mist and Red Hand by morning.
Rigo watched enviously as the little Queen, a bare shoulder peeking from beneath the sheet, slept against the winged vampire's chest. Thurlow watched Rigo, Roff, Erland and Garde, but held his face expressionless, as always.
Garde led them from Lissa's suite after a while, and Roff tilted his head to kiss the top of Lissa's head, mumbling words of love to her. Roff hadn't failed to notice that he'd been the first one Lissa had turned to mist earlier in the day, making sure he was safe from the arrows. The others had followed swiftly, but Heathe and Davan had walked too far ahead, preventing Lissa from getting to them sooner. Davan had paid for the trust he'd displayed with his life.
"I know you love me," Roff said softly, stroking a cheek. "And I know you loved my child. Both my children. I do not know of any other comesuli who can say as much." Roff leaned over and turned off the lamp. He hadn't needed the light to begin with—it was only a courtesy to their visitors.
* * *
"Gardevik, how is Lissa?" Glinda watched Garde's face as he sat at the kitchen island, a sandwich on a plate in front of him. He was tired and hungry—he hadn't eaten since early morning.
"Not that well—you know about her uncle who was killed." Garde bit into his sandwich. At least their cooks and kitchen help were very good, now.
"Yes. And I heard that Roff was with her when this happened. How is he?"
"Better than Lissa. She told him about Toff not long ago. He still has not gained his full memory, but he feels the betrayal anyway."
"Poor Toff. If someone did that to my girls," Glinda was as close to blowing smoke as Garde had ever seen her. She went Thifilatha when she turned—Glinda was the only female High Demon who'd ever done it. Female High Demons didn't turn as a rule. Garde wondered about her daughters, though, and if they might grow up with that ability.
"Anyone else would have killed over that," Garde agreed.
* * *
We held the memorial two days later and everyone in the palace went. They'd all liked Davan. He'd been shy and self-effacing, much of the time. Grant and Heath both spoke about what a good friend he'd been. Then it was my turn.
"I knew the moment I met him, that we were related," I said. "He bore the scent of my grandmother, whom I'd just met. Kifirin and I found him and the others—most turned as a convenience for the state of Beliphar. Most of you have no idea what I would give to have my uncle back again." I couldn't go past that—if I did, I'd break down.
Davan's ashes had been gathered and Jeral received them. He planned to take them to the light side of the planet, because Davan wanted to see the sun again. Since Jeral had been made Spawn Hunter, he could go wherever he pleased.
Griffin and Amara had come and they sat in the back, holding little Wyatt. My little brother. Well, he'd be kept away from me, more than likely. No justice in telling him what his continued existence with his natural parents had cost others. Of course, Griffin wouldn't be taking that chance. He and Amara folded away immediately after the service—they didn't even try to talk to me.
I went to find Kyler and Cleo afterward. "I want to take a little trip to the past," I told them. "I want to see my sister."
"I've been putting it off," Cleo nodded. "I'll feel better if you're both with me." Well, she'd never met her mother, either. She'd been taken by Griffin while still a baby in the hospital on Cemdris, and moved to Earth. She'd grown up with adoptive parents there, while Griffin removed the memory from his daughter that she'd birthed twins. Did my father have the talent to fuck up lives or what?
"Then we'll go," Kyler said, pulling me away from my thoughts. She was the one to bend time and fold space.
It was a spring day on Cemdris and we found ourselves in a park. Children were running and playing here and there in the warm afternoon sun. A woman sat on a bench nearby, watching a dark-haired child playing on the swings. She was tall, as Griffin was, and bore his brown hair and gold-flecked brown eyes. I stared at my sister Ardith, who'd been dead for centuries. She looked very much like my grandfather, the King of Karathia, and it made my heart weep—for myself and for Wylend. We'd never been allowed to know her.
"That's me on the swing," Kyler said softly. She stood between Cleo and me as we watched a seven-year-old Kyler playing. Griffin wouldn't be out and about—not during the day. He was vampire at the time.