She chuckled. “There is some truth in a lot of the old legends,” she replied. “He certainly looks the part.”
“Does he carry a quarterstaff?” I asked. I really missed my training with other angels and it had been difficult to find one that would practice with a quarterstaff.
“He has several,” she answered. “Along with bows and arrows and swords, those are his toys. If you like those things, you and he will probably be buddies right off the bat.”
It did give me something to look forward to and took my mind off Jane’s mom. I couldn’t believe how nervous I was I wasn’t used to this sort of thing, this meeting the parent of my girlfriend, especially under the circumstances with this parent.
“Is your real dad still living,” I asked.
“I don’t know,” she replied. “Mom never even told me who he was even when I asked.”
From the station we took a cab to the hotel, Jane paying with a generous tip from the wad of Euros Luca had brought us when Jane had called him to let him know what we were doing. He was the last vamp master left in Winston and would take over both Jane’s group, as well as the group belonging to the other vamp master that had been killed by one of the vigilante mobs.
When we entered, Jane’s friend was waiting for us. He looked just as I imagined from Jane’s description. Big and round, friendly and fatherly. He gave Jane a big hug, they both had some tears as Jane introduced us.
“Is Jade a special friend?” he asked.
“Yes,” Jane said. “She’s the one for me.”
He gave me a hug as well and said Rose Red had called. She had already gotten word from the train station and knew where her daughter was heading. Friar Tuck had our room ready and waiting for us, dawn was less than an hour away and both of us needed some rest.
“She may come and she might not,” he said. “I have never seen her so unsure of what to do. You really threw her for a loop with this one,” he added.
Good,
I thought,
at least she’s not rushing over to kill us or something.
We took a shower together and sat back to front on the bed, naked, as I combed Jane’s hair. I leaned over her shoulder and gave her a kiss as dawn arrived and she grew sleepy. I was ready for sleep as well, the process of shifting left me very tired. At least I was not as nervous as I had been earlier. Things were going according to plan, so far.
Who knows what tonight will bring,
I thought, as I headed into a deep sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“The roses are for you,” Friar Tuck said. He sat with me at the bar, a dozen red roses in a beautiful vase in front of me, a gift from Jane’s mom. Nobody had ever sent me roses before.
“It means she has made a decision,” he continued. “She is going to accept you into the family. I think she really misses Jane and regrets the fight they had when she left.” Next to the roses were two invitations to the chess tournament that started the next night.
“She wants to see both of you at the tournament. Sending you these roses is also a message to Jane, letting her know she wants to reconcile.”
Dinner also sat in front of me, I had woken up about two p.m., Jane was still asleep. Although vamps could be woken up and move about during the day as long as they stayed out of direct sunlight, most preferred to sleep the whole day and wake at sunset. Friar Tuck said he had been woken up at noon to take a call from Rose Red. A steak, espresso, a fine selection of dark chocolates, and a bottle of red wine were in front of me. Friar Tuck said this had been what Rose Red had selected, and they had gone over to a local restaurant called the Cau to get me the biggest steak they had, something called the
tira de ancho
, a large rib-eye supposedly big enough for two people. I could probably eat two of them, but it was a really good steak. I remembered what Jane had said about her mom and how information for her was her primary weapon. I wondered what else she knew about me.
Friar Tuck read me the list of messages I had received. Mostly American-based media requests, a few British, about five calls from the FBI, they all wanted to talk me, I was feeling pretty popular. Jane had a similar list. It had not taken long for them to find out where we were, that had been our intention after all.
“The Winter Queen called,” he said. “She said she tried your cell phone first but you were not answering. First time I have ever talked to a Queen of Faerie in all my years.” He was smiling now. “She left a message saying that the warrant was quashed and that the lawyers had gotten access to all the witnesses. She wanted me to tell you that things were proceeding according to plan, so far. This is the part Rose is unsure about, Jade. Are you fae, a member of the Winter Court? She said that some information she had indicated you were a vampire like us, but you don’t look like a vampire. She said that some of her sources have confirmed that you are a shifter.”
He paused, adding, “I think she is frustrated, being unable to pin down exactly who and what her daughter’s girlfriend is. Then there are the dragon stories. Some reports from that prison are mentioning a few of the witnesses reported seeing a huge, flying dragon. She also spoke to some of her vamps at Stonehenge and they reported something similar.”
I smiled and let my vamp side come out, lowering my fangs. He had his answer on that one.
I remembered what Jill had told me, Friar Tuck was like a father to her. I would give him as much information as I could without compromising all of my secrets, some of which even Jane did not know at this point.
“Summer Court actually,” I said. “I am a member of the Summer Queen’s personal retinue. I was working with the Winter Queen at my Queen’s request. The Winter Queen has become a friend to both me and Jane.”
“And what can you tell me about dragons?” he asked.
“There are many strange, wonderful, terrible creatures in the lands of Faerie,” I replied. “The history of the dragons is one that the fae should be ashamed of. They were used as weapons of war between the Winter and Summer Courts. They had similar problems as the fae do today, difficulty having children and the wars had pretty much wiped them out with just a few left prior to their escape to this side of the divide. The fae sent an army after them and over a period of several decades, killed the last remaining few. They were intelligent, beautiful creatures, and they had their own form of magic. They escaped Faerie through a witch-made portal at Stonehenge, using their own form of magic. They have souls, like you and I, and they were God’s creatures as are we.”
“Some say that vampires don’t have souls. Do I have a soul? I feel like I do. Am I one of God’s creatures?”
Friar Tuck had been a man of God and apparently still believed. “Yes, I replied. I can see your soul clearly, it is one of my talents. You have a kind and generous soul, full of life and purpose.”
I could tell I had managed to sidetrack him as he sat quietly for awhile, thinking, as I finished my dinner. He had been getting close to a few questions I was probably not prepared to answer.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Clack, whack. Clack, clack, whack, clack.
The sound of our two quarterstaff’s hitting each other had drawn a crowd. People and vamps alike were leaning out of windows, over balconies, and some had even come down to the courtyard to watch us practicing. I had talked Friar Tuck into sparring with me and we were both having a blast. We both had difficulties in finding someone familiar with the quarterstaff to practice with. The minute the sun had set we were in the courtyard.
He was good and had more experience with a quarterstaff but I had the edge in strength and possibly a little in speed. I had missed this. Jane was so getting some lessons soon. We had given each other a few whacks and pokes already, great fun. We were both laughing and taunting each other.
“Don’t hurt my girl,” Jane called down from our bedroom balcony.
“It’s not her you should be worried about,” he shouted and I tripped him up with a nifty spin from a counter, striking him behind the knees.
He fell and rolled, like a ball, hardly missing a beat and was back on his feet and back on the attack. The man was pure grace. Just an economy of motion, effortless, no wasted movement whatsoever and his balance was extraordinary.
“We’re dancing, Jade,” Jane called out, reminding me of what she said the minute we had met.
“Okay, okay,” I laughed, lowering my staff and bowing to my partner. We would have to do this again.
“Bring my backpack down,” I yelled up to Jane. Tuck had showed me his collection of weapons and I had promised to show him something special in return.
We retired to the bar, and Tuck ordered up some bottled blood for him and Jane and a glass of red wine for me. Jane joined us, bringing down my backpack.
“Let’s see it,” Tuck said and I pulled out the dagger of darkness, activating it, and the light of heaven spilled forth from it. It was simply beautiful. Neither Jane or Tuck had turned their eyes away from it. Jane had never seen it activated before.
“The dagger of darkness,” Tuck said, sighing. “It really works.”
I handed him the dagger and touching his hand as we exchanged it, I attuned him to it’s magic. He was so close to angelic already, it wasn’t even difficult, the knowledge of how it was done hitting him instinctively. He held it out in front of him, experimenting with it’s activation, turning it on and off.
“And now you know the secret of it as well,” I said. “If something ever happens to me, Jane, I want Friar Tuck to have it.”
“Tell me what it does,” Tuck said.
“It will kill anything immortal,” I responded. “Even zombies, golems, and manifested angels or demons. A cut from it will not heal in the normal fashion, even a shifter or vampire will probably have a scar for a long time.”
“Is that how you got the scar on your cheek?” Jane asked. “I know you shifted recently and yet the scar is still there. Did you somehow manage to cut yourself with it?”
“A different magical blade,” I replied. “I had a bit of a disagreement with the Angel of Death.”
“Who won?” asked Friar Tuck.
“I did,” I replied. I could tell he believed me. Jane was very quiet.
“Who is in charge of the business of death now that the Angel of Death is no more?” Tuck asked.
“I won, but I did not kill him,” I answered. “He had come for Rolfe and I gave Emily time enough to bring him back to life.” I said this looking at Jane. She had gone very still. I was going to keep nothing from her any longer. I had made the decision.
“At one time,” I continued, choking up a bit, “I was the Angel of Death.”
I had tears streaming down my face, I had no idea the telling of it would make me so emotional.
“I promise you, I will tell you the whole story someday.”
They both came over to me and gave me a group hug. Jane kissed me on my forehead and said, “Another time for the rest of your story, then. Tonight we’re dancing.”
Chapter Thirty
Vamp night at the Dusk Guildford. About half of those there were vamps, mostly ones turned fairly recently although for vamp night they threw in some songs from earlier times knowing that even the young looking crowd might actually appreciate some of the older music. Still it was a great variety, constant loud music, constant dancing, and for me lots of red wine. England was a bit more relaxed towards vamps than in America, I saw several vamps feeding, and Jane and I exchanged some blood in the middle of
Lady in Red
, a song she insisted the DJ play. Everybody knew who she was she knew many of them herself.
I had learned that the combination of blood and lots of wine got me tipsy and it didn’t take long tonight. Jane and a couple of her friends had to drag me off the dance floor and out the door. We went to some piano bar and did the time warp, warped yet again, and then again and again. I had pretty much vamped out by this time and was so out of it I kept seeing pianos on the ceiling.
A couple more stops somewhere, Jane’s friends were awesome, just a group of vamp girls on a girls night out, sometimes we would all dance together. Jane wanted to teach me how to play billiards but I kept asking people if they wanted to spar with the sticks. Last stop at some pub called the Three Compasses, Jane got me a steak and some coffee to try to sober me up. It was probably a lost cause at that point. I think I passed out on the way home, I vaguely remember Jane carrying me upstairs and I woke up at noon with a severe headache.
Tuck was already up, I don’t think this vampire ever slept. He gave me a list, I would be in charge of shopping today while Jane slept. Rose had given him a list of clothiers in town giving instructions on the appropriate attire for her tournament, I knew I had to get this right if I was going to make a good first impression. I would be shopping for Jane as well.
It was too much for me, my experience in shopping had amounted to calling Mister Jones and telling him what event I was attending and him just working a miracle. I laid my head down on the bar and cried. I was just not up to speed on this type of thing. I was going to ruin everything. I really missed not having Sarah around to help me with this stuff. “I want a black bra,” I moaned.
That should just about do it,
I thought.
Tuck laughed, saying he knew just the girl who would help me out.