Dante (Blood Brothers Book 5) (3 page)

“It was around that time I had a chance meeting with
a vampire by the name of Copperhead.
I was smitten. He told me he admired my bravery and that I was beautiful. For someone who hadn’t heard a kind word in years, I ate all his attention up. He was my first lover and I felt safe with him. I knew he did bad things but in my mind I justified it because he protected me. We were
together for nearly a year before he introduced me to his crew.
They weren’t very welcoming toward me because I’m not a vampire
, but
after a while, I started to gain their trust
.
”

“How? You didn’t kill innocents
,
did you?”

“No. But my hands aren’t completely clean. I delivered messages, and was the lookout for some of their jobs and I even got into a few tussles when they needed a little extra muscle. By then
,
I’d become pretty
good
at defending myself. After hanging out with them for a while,
I caught the eye of Black Adder, the leader.
And I know this sounds awful
,
but I was felt that if I was with the leader
,
it would secure my place in the crew. I didn’t want to be alone again.”

“So you dumped Copperhead
,
just like that? Wasn’t he hurt?”

“It wasn’t quite like that. Once Black Adder stated his interest in me, it was basically a done deal. Copperhead kind of just stepped aside and I allowed Black Adder to claim
me
for the reasons I already stated.”

“Copperhead didn’t
,
at least
,
put up a fight or even seem a little upset?”

“If he was angry over it, he didn’t really show it. Besides, he replaced me within days.”

“And how did that make you feel
?”

Isis nibbled her
bottom
lip as she conjured up the memories from her past. “I was surprised, but to be honest, I wasn’t in love with him and I don’t believe he was in love with me
,
either. Don’t get me wrong, I was grateful toward him for his companionship and
his
literally giving me a home. But I didn’t kid myself into believing we had some grand love affair. I knew he saw other women behind my back and I turned a blind eye to it because I didn’t want to be on my own again.”

“
Did you care for Black Adder beyond his position in the gang?”

Isis shifted on the chaise to make her position more comfortable. “Yes. Honestly, I’d always been intrigued by him but never dared say anything about it.
He wasn’t as
classically
handsome as Copperhead, but he had that certain something about him that would make any girl look twice.
Besides being incredibly sexy,
he excited
me in way Copperhead never did
.
He had such a forceful personality, and said and did whatever he wanted. He was a bit of an anarchist and being that I had come from such a strict background
,
it gave me a secret thrill to be in his presence.
So once we became lovers,
he had some kind of hold on me I couldn’t quite explain. Anything he would ask me to do
,
I’d do it like some devoted puppy.
I was basically an unofficial member of their gang
rather than just a hanger-on
.
I graduated from being a look out to more sinister tasks.
I won’t go into the gory details, but let’s just say I did some things that weren’t good.”

Persephone frowned. “It’s hard to reconcile what you’re telling me. I know what the Serpent Gang is capable of, but I just don’t see you involved in any of it.”

Isis couldn’t believe it herself. It made her shudder when she remembered some of
the
things she’d done.
“
I look back at that time with Black Adder and the Serpent Gang as just a bad dream. I’ve worked very hard to not be the woman I once was
.”

“Why did you finally distance yourself from them
? Or did Black Adder end things with you? From the way you describe him
,
he doesn’t seem like the type to let someone go unless it’s his decision.”

“
And you’d be right about that, but I had to get away from them. They’d started dabbling in black magic. Somehow
,
they got
mixed up with some vampire named
Il Demonio
, who promised them power beyond their wildest imaginings. He told them they’d practically be unstoppable.”

Persephone tapped her chin appearing to be in deep contemplation before she finally replied.
“
Il Demonio
? That name sounds familiar. I believe I overheard my father and Dante mention it. He might be the one who’s behind the disappearance of the Grimaldi children.”

Isis hopped to her feet.
“
That’s it!
That’s how they’re connected.”

“Tell me what you know about the association with
Il Demonio
and the Serpent Gang.”

“As I already explained, I broke things off with Black Adder shortly after his gang
got involved with this particular vampire. I remember meeting him once and he made me extremely uneasy. By chance
,
I stumbled upon
a strange ritual performed by a woman in a hooded cape
but I couldn’t make out her face.
Actually, I didn’t see much because someone noticed my spying. I wasn’t supposed to be there, you see. Black Adder was careful to keep me away from all the mysterious dealings with this woman and
Il Demonio
. But
,
you know me. My curiosity was piqued and I had to find out what was going on because
Black Adder had started acting strange
.”

“In what way?”

“Have you ever seen a human addicted to drugs?”

“Not up close and personal, but I
’ve seen movie depictions of it
. He was like that?”

Isis nodded. “I was concerned
for
him. After he got involved with
Il Demonio
, he changed
. He started to shut me out and he was no longer interested in sex and he started having these wild unpredictable mood swings. But
,
he’d be perfectly fine after one of these mysterious meetings. The longer he went between each gathering
,
the more violent he became
.
His eyes would turn bloodshot red, and anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path was either
killed or beaten to the point where they wished for death.”

“So what happened when they caught you spying?”

“Two of the members grabbed me and the woman suddenly appeared in front of me, like magic.”

“She must have been a witch.”

“I guess so, but she didn’t seem like she was. I didn’t sense she was a true immortal, yet the power radiating from her was
like nothing I’d ever felt
. Black Adder stood by, not lifting a finger to help me as I tried to break free. In fact, I got the feeling he wanted harm to come to me. That’s when things got weird. She touched my face and started to caress it. To say I was freaked out would have been the understatement of the century. She made strange comments about my looks and how I was perfect. For what, I’m not certain, but I didn’t stick around to find out. I kicked her with all my might and she went flying across the room. I shifted and got the hell out of there. They chased me, of course, but I ran and didn’t stop until I was sure they were no longer on my heels. I knew then I was alone again.
But this time, I had actually managed to squirrel away some money I collected while I was with Black Adder. I had invested most of it and had managed to make myself enough to live modestly. I never did settle down in one place out of fear that I’d run into the
Serpent
Gang again. I’ve been roaming the world ever since.
That was
nearly fifteen
years ago.”

Persephone nodded.
“That
was around the time we met.”

“Yes, I was just starting to get my life back together, and you came along at a time when I really needed a friend.”

Persephone slid off
the chaise,
walked over to Isis, and gave her a hug. “Sweetheart, I’m not going to stop being friends with you because of your past, but I’m not the one you should be worried about.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you meet up with Dante again, he might not be as forgiving about your past activities as me. You have to keep in mind, this rogue you mentioned has been tormenting the Grimaldi family for centuries.”

Isis groaned
inwardly
.
She had
,
of course
,
heard of Dante Grimaldi long before she’d met him. Most immortals had. He was a legend
.
However,
she’d been disappointed so many times in her life, she didn’t think anyone could possibly live up to
the
stories she’d heard about him. When they finally met however, not only did Dante meet her expectations, he exceeded him. He was every bit as handsome and charming as she’d been told he’d be.

What Isis hadn’t been prepared for was
the
strong pull
she felt
toward him, it was stronger than anything she’d experienced before. Stronger than what she’d had with Copperhead, Black Adder or the random lovers she’d taken over the years. She wasn’t sure what this meant but
her
pulse raced and her heart sped to
a
pace that would kill most humans when she was within a few feet of him. There were moments when she was certain he returned the attraction.

There had been one moment when she found herself in his arms but before anything could happen
,
they’d been interrupted. After that, he’d maintained his distance. Isis understood he was dealing with some unresolved issues and that the time to have even the briefest of affairs wasn’t in the cards for them. But she could
n’t
help but think about what could happen between them once things had settled down. Isis felt her inside
s
twist as she imagined the contempt he’d probably have for her if he discovered her past association.

“
That’s all I’ve thought about lately.
This is why he can never know. But in the meantime, I can’t sit back and do nothing when I can offer my assistance. I know things about the Serpent Gang that may be useful
in
finding the Grimaldi children.”

“How do you propose to help without drawing suspicion? They’ll probably want to know how you came across
your information.”

“I’ll figure something out. For now, I need to catch up with your father before he leaves. I’m going to Manhattan one way or another.” Isis would not be deterred. Though helping find the children was her priority, she couldn’t help being excited at the thought of seeing Dante again.

Chapter Two

“I don’t see why we can’t kill the brats, especially the
baby. All it does is cry. And one of those little fuckers bit me.”

The sound of low-pitched voices roused Jagger Grimaldi from what felt like a deep sleep
. His head pounded like a son of a bitch and his muscles contracted in pain.
He lay face down and every single muscle in his body ached and he felt restrained. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, he noticed, two shadowy figures standing in the corner of his room. Their backs were to him. He closed his eyes and feigned sleep so he wouldn’t draw attention to himself.

“The
boy?”
The owner of the second voice chuckled
. “He kicked me when I brought food. He demanded I take him to his sister.”

“You
almost sound like you admire the child,” the first one snarled.
“He’s a human, a lesser being. They’re no better than animals.”

“
I agree but the kid has balls. I’d take that over some sniveling nonsense. One thing I haven’t been able to figure out is why
a powerful vampire family like the Grimaldis would
raise the creatures as their own.”

“
Who the fuck cares? The Grimaldis aren’t as powerful as everyone says they are. They’re weak and their downfall is at hand. When they come for their offspring, they’ll
be
defeated and forced to watch as we kill the children one at a time.”

“What about this one over there
? He’s been unconscious since we captured him.”

It took a concerted amount of effort to remain still as Jagger eavesdropped on the conversation
.
He hoped they stuck around long enough for him to discover their exact plans.

“He lost most of his blood in t
he scuffle. He’s young, so it’
ll probably take him a while to heal. Plus, he’s been
put under a
sleeping spell to make him easier to transport. There’s no telling when that will wear off.”

“Are you sure those charmed cuffs he’s wearing will bind his powers?
I heard he’s related to the Romanov’s. If he even has half their powers—
”

“
Quit worrying. You’re starting to sound like a scared little bitch. Anything this guy can dish out, we can more than handle it. Besides, we’ve been assured the cuff
s
will work. Even if he does wake, he’ll be as helpless as those human children and that baby.”

For the first time since he came to, Jagger realized
why he couldn’t move his arms. They were bound behind his back. His muscled screamed for relief but none came.
He
wanted to open his eyes again to get a look at their faces but anymore movement would probably draw their unwanted attention.

“Well, he seems like he’ll be out for a little while longer. Let’s go check on the others.
The baby probably needs to be fed again
.” The rogue’s voice was full of disgust. “
I wish
we
could just starve it
but we have orders to keep them alive and healthy…for now. When I see Sidewinder again,
maybe I
’m
going to tell him to find another fucking babysitter.”

The second rogue chuckled.
“You won’t stand up to him and we both know it.”

“Shut up, Viper.
You and I both know this assignment is bullshit.
I should be Black Adder’s second-in-command
.”

The voices grew distant as they walked
out the room and closed
the door behind them. Once Jagger was sure they were gone
and a good distance from the room
, he rolled over to his back and sat up. The immediate blood rush made his head spin, sending him crashing to a supine position once again.

Jagger groaned as he allowed his body to recover
from the
shock of his sudden movement.
The next time he
attempted
to sit up
,
he did it slowly, careful not to make any
jarring
movements. It was tricky with his arms behind his back. Jagger
slowly
swung his legs over the side of the cot and stood on trembling limbs before surveying his surroundings.

The room was bare except for the cot
he’d been lying on
and a bucket in the corner. The big door was solid wood with metal bars in the center like some medieval prison. He attempted to break the restraints, but they wouldn’t budge.
Regular handcuffs were no match for his strength. Jagger channeled his ability to manipulate metal but that too failed him.

He
,
then
,
remembered
what one of the rogues had said; these cuffs were charmed. He
plopped back on
the cot with a frustrated sigh.
Jagger had never felt so helpless in his life but he had to do something or the children were as good as dead.

Shaking his head to clear the fog surrounding it, he tried to r
ecall
how he’d come to be here. Slowly, the memories came flooding back. Camryn! Finally, she’d declared her love for him, a love he’d fought hard to earn. After a night of making love, they’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms.

Later that night, he’d woken up full of
energy ready to make love to his Camryn again, but her side of the bed was empty. Her scent had clung to the sheets and his cock was rock hard. He figured she might have gone to use the bathroom but when she still hadn’t returned after several minutes, Jagger decided to seek her out. He donned his discarded clothing and was headed out the room when Camryn walked in but instead of acknowledging him, she brushed past him without a word and lay on the bed. Her eyes were open but something definitely
was
n’t
right.

“Camryn?”

There was no answer.

He moved to her side and gently shook her. “What’s the matter? Are you not feeling well?”

She was ice cold. If he didn’t notice the slow rise and fall of her chest to indicate she was breathing, Jagger would have assumed the worst. Nonetheless, he began to panic because clearly, she was no okay.

“
Her eyes may be open, but she’s in very deep trance. She won’t wake up for at least a few hours.
”

Jagger
whirled around to
locate
the unfamiliar voice
, yet he and Camryn were the only ones in the room.
The
timbre of the voice made it hard for him to determine the gender of its owner.
“
Where are you
?”
Who are you?”
he demanded
.

A chuckle, loud and menacing
echoed against the walls
. Jagger twitched
with
power as he readied himself to
face
the intruder.

“I’m the one who’
ll see you and your family in hell. You can make this easy for yourself and give up or we can do this the hard way. In e
ither instance, make no mistake—you’re coming with us. But if you give me too hard a time, I’ll make the little ones suffer.”

Jagger’s blood chilled as cold as ice water
at the reference to his young cousins
. “Leave t
hem alone!” he roared. “They’re
innocent.”

Again, the owner of the raspy voice laughed. “It’s too late, Ni
kolai Grimaldi. For them and
you.” Out of the darkness, three red-eyed rogues
materialized from the wall
, followed by a small, hooded figure. “I see
you chose to do things the hard way
.”
The voice belonged to the one in the cloak. Being in closer proximity, Jagger could now tell it was a woman. But who was she?

It didn’t matter. They’d done something to Camryn and were threatening his family.
Producing a large energy ball in his palm, he shot it toward the closest rogue. Instead of the expected result, the charge bounced off the vampire and slammed into Jagger’s che
st, sending him flying backward. H
e hit the wall with a thud.

The very fact that no one had yet to come to his rescue with a houseful of relatives told Jagger that the house had to be enchanted in some way. His family was still alive, otherwise he would have felt the loss of their connection.

Using every spell in his arsenal he could think of, he fought the three rogues off
as best as he could but he was no match for the red-eyed creatures. These rogues were different from any he’d ever faced. They had somehow managed to turn all his attacks against him.
Still
,
he refused to give up if for nothing else than to protect Camryn who lay helplessly in bed.

When the figure in the cloak whispered some indiscernible command, all three vampires jumped on him, biting and clawing and tearing into his flesh.
The more he struggled, the more vicious they grew. Miraculously
,
they hadn’t killed him.
Instead, the woman
stepped
forward and
pulled her hood
back to reveal a
young woman.
There was something familiar about the intensity of her eyes and striking coloring, but he didn’t have time to dwell on who she reminded him of because s
he raised her hands heavenward and lifted
him off the ground with a telekinetic surge.

She then tossed him against the wall, over and over again.
Jagger lost count of how many times before he blacked out.
It brought him to the predicament he now found himself in. Obviously
,
he wouldn’t be able to use his powers anytime soon and even if he could
,
he wasn’t sure if he could best the rogues who probably guarded this place. But
unless he f
igured a way out of this mess,
he and the children were doomed.

<><><>

“Absolutely not, Maggie. You’re
staying behind with
Sasha and Christine,” Marco
stated firmly.

Maggie
shot from her chair, nostrils flaring and
eyes blazing
. “If you haven’t forgotten,
Gianna is my daughter
,
too. And need I
mention
,
Camryn has been in hysterics since she woke up to find all that blood.
I made a promise to her that I’d help in bringing her little sister and Jagger home safely and I’m not going to back down from that vow.
I need you to understand my position.
I have a child who’s missing, and as her mother, I
refuse to sit back and
do nothing.
”

Marco folded his arms across his chest.
“Nico is fully capable of finding his son
.”

Maggie glared. “Do you have any idea how insulting that sounds? He has two parents, you know.
You don’t get to dictate that the womenfolk stay home just because we have vaginas. Our children were taken by some psychopath and I
,
for one
,
don’t give a damn if you forbid me from going or not. I’m going!”

“And so am I,” Christine chimed in, looking every bit as determined as Maggie.

Romeo shook his head. “Don’t start, Christine. You’ll be safer with the other women. Sasha’s powers will protect you from harm.”

A gleam of triumph entered Maggie’s dark eyes. “Exactly. So why can’t we go with you? I’m not human anymore. Nei
ther is Christine, and as you just
pointed out, Sasha is a powerful witch. I may not be an ancient like the rest of you, but when any of my children are in harm’s way, I’ll fight to the death.”

“Which is what I’m trying to prevent. I can’t lose you
,
too.” Marco cupped his mate’s face between his hands and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

Maggie turned her head to the side and pushed him away. “And I can’t lose Gianna.”

“Maggie—
”

Dante could take no more of this conversation. He pushed himself off the wall and moved to the center of the room.
“Enough!” For the past hour
,
he’d been listening to this back and forth between his brothers and their mates when they should have been discussing strategy. “I suggest you six work this out among yourselves, but in the meantime, the children are out there and
there’s no telling what’s being done to them. Our time would be better severed if we stop wasting time arguing
.”

He paced the living room floor of his Manhattan penthouse.
Secretly, he agreed with his brothers. Dante didn’t doubt Maggie and Christine would prove to be fine allies. However, they were young vampires, each of them under a year old. Sasha, on the other hand, was probably the only one of his brothers’ mates who could hold her own
against these super rogues they were likely to face.
But
it was best Sasha stay with Maggie and Christine to keep them safe.

Sasha
crossed the room to stand with her sisters-in-law
. “He’s probably right. There are forces working against us we haven’t gotten a proper handle on. My brothers will be able to communicate with me and let us know exactly what’s going on. We won’t be completely out of the loop.” She patted Maggie’s hand reassuringly.

Steel Romanov nodded. “
Da
. We’
ll
maintain
contact Sasha. You have no need to worry.”

Maggie
opened her mouth as if she wanted to say more
, but was forestalled when the doorbell rang.

Grateful for the brief intervention, Dante hurried to answer it.
It was Paris and Aries. He was
touched to know
he could count on his friends
in his family’s time of need and they could use all the reinforcements they could get. “Paris, Aries, come in,” he beckoned. Two more members of Pack Kyriakis followed, and to his surprise, so did Isis
Vasquez
.

Dante
barely
managed to tear his gaze away from the dark-haired beauty long enough to greet his friends properly. “Everyone is in the living room. My brothers are trying to calm their mates down.”

Paris raised a brow. “Ah. Dissension in the Grimaldi clan?”

“Nothing we can’t resolve. You have no idea how much
it means to me to have you here, especially
with your pack’s current difficulties
.”

Paris
offered him a tilted smile
. “You’ve been there for my pack on
numerous
occasions. I wouldn’t dream of missing out on this. Besides, Constantine is keeping an eye on
pack affairs
in my absence and he’ll have his mate to keep him company.
This is as good a time as any for him to practice for when he becomes Alpha.
”

Dante
shook Paris’s hand. “I’m still very grateful that you’ve come
. And it’s good to see you as well, Aries.”

The younger shifter grinned, revealing his sharpened incisors. “You couldn’t keep me away. I never miss out on the opportunity to bust some heads.”

Paris rolled his eyes skyward. “My nephew so
metimes speaks before he thinks, but please know, he understands the gravity of the situation.” He eyed his nephew.
“
The objective is to find the children, Aries.”

Aries nodded solemnly
. “
Of course, Uncle, finding the children is our priority but if we can take out as many rogues as possible in the process, that would be a plus.”

Dante
smiled in approval
.
“I agree.”
Aries Kyriakis reminded him a lot of Romeo.

Paris gestured to the other three in his entourage. “You remember George and Theo?”

Dante nodded. “
Yes, thank you for coming
.”

“And of course, Isis, Persephone’s friend.” Paris wasn’t so gracious in his introduction of her; in fact, Dante got the distinct impression his friend didn’t approve of
her presence.

“Yes, how could I forget?”

She
glanced
at
him with that beautiful gaze that he found captivating. She bit her full bottom lip almost seeming uncertain. Since their last meeting
,
he’d thought about her often
,
wondering what would have happened had they met in different circumstances. At the time, he’d been battling the internal struggle of his feelings for his brother’s mate. Being face to face with her now, however, reminded him of how much he’d enjoyed spending time with her. Unfortunately, his current situation was no better than the last, yet something inside of him was very pleased she was here.

Dante took her hand and
placed
a light kiss on the back of it. “I was sure our paths would cross again one day, but I didn’t know how soon.”

A faint tinge of red colored her golden brown cheeks. “I hope I can be of some assistance to you and your family.”

“She in
sisted she come with us,” Paris spoke abruptly, almost as if her presence was a nuisance to him
.

The look of uncertainty entered her eyes again.

Dante winked in her direction to show her that he was happy to see her.
“
Well
,
I’m glad she did.
Paris, why don’t you and your pack
join my family? I’ll be with you in a moment.”

The group of shifters headed toward the group already assembled
but as Isis moved
past
Dante, he grabbed her by the wrist, halting her progress.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Shouldn’t we be joining the others?”

Dante shook his head. “In a minute. What are you doing here?”

Dark,
winged brows flew together. “I wanted to help. You just said you were happy I was here. Didn’t you mean it?”

He did
. More than he cared to admit. In fact, that was the very reason why she shouldn’t be
here
. At their last encounter,
they’d nearly kissed and probably would have fucked had they not been interrupted. She was a distraction he didn’t need.

For the past several centuries his world had revolved around his brothers, and now that they all had mates and families of their own, the identity he’d carefully built for himself had shattered.
He was no longer their protector or the one they leaned on
. Several weeks ago, when
this revelation hit him coupled with his confusing feeling
s
toward Maggie, he had
decided to get away to clear his head.

Dante had sought refuge
at his
friend Paris Kyriakis
’s home
, where he met Isis.
She was quite possibly one of the most beautiful women he’d laid his eyes on. The first time they’d met, he found himself momentarily speechless. She’d seemed unreal to him.

W
ith her long, thick wavy brown hair that cascaded past her shoulders and ended at the small of her back, and sinfully full lips
,
Isis Vasquez had the kind o
f beauty that made people stare
.
The first thing he’d noticed about her
,
however,
was her large blue-gray eyes, which served as
a breath-taking
foil to the dark gold skin that
hinted at her Latin and Bengali
heritage.
She was tall, at least six feet, with curves that would tempt a saint.
But
,
it wasn’t her looks that drew him to her.
S
he exuded a confidence and
intelligence
he found extremely sexy.

Her presence would complicate things. She would be a distraction and that was something he couldn’t afford on so important a mission
. “Of course
,
I’m happy to see you,
but I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation. All of us
are
going into this know
ing
that not everyone is coming out alive. It’s dangerous and while I appreciate your offer of help
,
I can’
t in
good conscience
allow you to come with us
, knowing something could happen to you.”

Isis
took
a
step backward
, crossing her arms over her ample breasts. “And
you doubt my ability to handle myself?
I’m nearly two hundred years old, Dante, and
the majority of that
time,
I’ve been without the protection of a pack. I
didn’t survive on my own by not being able to take
care of myself. I can help. Besides, I have information that could be vital to your mission.”

“Like what?”

Uncertainty flashed in her eyes but just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.
She raised her chin and connected her gaze with his. “I know about the Serpent Gang. Their hide outs and how they operate.
”

At the mention of the crew they’d recently scoured the world to find, he grew tense. The Underground had managed to take out a number of the lower ranks of the gangs, but the most dangerous
ones
of the lot still eluded them. Dante
grasped
Isis
by the forearms. “
How
do you know of them?”

“If you’ll let me go,” she began calmly, “I’ll tell you.”

“Sorry.
”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “Everyone has been on edge since the children were taken, including myself. If you know something, I need you tell me now.”

She jerked her thumb toward the area where the rest of the group had assembled.
“I
think I
should fill the others in at the same time
so I don’t have to repeat myself
.
”

He
had probably imagined
it
but
Isis almost seemed evasive. Why she needed to be
,
he wasn’t sure
.
Had she not come with Paris, whom Dante trusted with his life, he might have second guessed her motives.
“Okay. Let’s join the others.” Placing his hand against the small of her back, he led her to where the rest of the group
assembled
.

Among the motley crew of immortals were his brothers, their mates,
Steel, Cutter, and Blade
Romanov,
Wolf Wagner, Paris, and
three others from Pack Kyriakis
. These people would have his life in their hands, and they in his, over the course of the next several days.