"Someone named Victor. You won't know him; he gave up his life when I was two hundred years old. Victor was old, Lissa. Really old. But he knew so much. Sometimes I thought that if I stared into his eyes long enough, I could see the origins of everything."
I sent mindspeech to Merrill, who was there in a blink. "You never told me Sarita sired a child," I looked up at him. Perhaps it was the Saa Thalarr blood in him that had confused the scent, since he'd be Grant's grandparent, after all. I hadn't known until I'd gone sniffing for it after Grant told me. It was so faint it almost wasn't there but I found it, once I knew what I was looking for.
"She didn't," Merrill started to deny and then went Looking. I saw the confusion on his face after a moment. "She got away from us, there at the end. Wanted time alone, she said. Barely a month later, she gave herself to the sun. The aristocracy was only beginning to meet and come to agreement on the laws and such. The Council had yet to be. Child, Sarita was of my making." He smiled at Grant.
"Someone named Victor raised him," I offered.
"I knew Victor. He was ancient when I knew him. Tired of life after a while and gave it up." Merrill shrugged. "Child, if you need anything, all you have to do is come to me." Merrill nodded to Grant and folded away.
"That's your vampire grandfather," I patted Grant on the back. "He was my surrogate sire for a while. We're practically related."
* * *
Ten days it took. Ten long, worrisome, excruciating days. Roff's wings formed but they looked weak and small to me, pressed tightly against his back. They resembled a new butterfly's wings—soft and moist in appearance. They were a light brown as was his skin, now—almost a latte color. He'd grown taller in the turn, too, but it was difficult to gauge his height as he lay on the bed. A soft moan escaped his lips and I was off my chair swiftly, calling mentally for Flavio and anyone else who could come. Wlodek, Merrill and Flavio answered my call and the worst thing in the world happened. Flavio went to Roff and I was hauled from the room by Merrill and Wlodek.
"But I want to see Roff!" I struggled against their hold.
"Lissa, you cannot. Not for a while. You will confuse him when he does not need to be confused. He needs to focus on his sire and what his sire will be teaching him. You will not interfere with this." Wlodek was laying down the law, just as he'd always done before. Giff was crying in the hallway nearby—Adam and Gavin were holding her back. I started cursing.
"It's a f**king fine time for you to tell me this now!" I jerked out of their hands.
"Lissa, we did not want to upset you any more than you already were. And we must take this argument out of Roff's hearing." I was folded into the kitchen and offered something to eat. I just stood and stared at Wlodek and Merrill.
"Fuck you. Fuck both of you." I didn't bother turning to mist. I went to energy—something I hadn't done for days, and went so far away with that first angry thought it would have taken the fastest starship light-years to navigate back to Le-Ath Veronis.
* * *
"She has been gone four months. We should proceed with the trial." Kifirin had come to the private Council meeting. Only the Heads of the Councils were invited to these meetings and they were not broadcast over the news channel as the others were. Kifirin had made brief appearances after Lissa's disappearance, assured the others that he knew where she was and refused to give further information. Gossip abounded that she was on retreat after the attempt on her life while other whispered rumors speculated she'd been staked and was now dead.
"I'm all for getting this over with," Flavio agreed. Roff had been left behind at Flavio's home; Kyler had come to keep the new vampire company. Not once had Roff asked after Lissa and Flavio knew that fact alone would have broken Lissa's heart. Roff had no memories of her, his children or several others. Many more that he'd known were now only hazy memories in his mind. He was progressing very well, otherwise and Flavio was quite satisfied with his fourth and youngest vampire child.
"Then let us do this, while I am here. Bring the first prisoner forth," Kifirin commanded. Drake and Drew folded to the dungeons and brought the vampire bus driver in.
"I didn't know," the vampire begged Kifirin to understand. "I thought she was a tourist that couldn't get in otherwise."
"And yet you had compulsion available and failed to use it," Kifirin wasn't moved.
The vampire hung his head. "I realized this later. I wasn't thinking at the moment."
Kifirin lifted an eyebrow at the admission. "What do you think your punishment should be?" The vampire raised his head and gazed into Kifirin's dark eyes. Smoke curled from Kifirin's nostrils, making the vampire wonder what Kifirin truly was.
"Five years imprisonment," the vampire hung his head again.
"Two years. And something will be found to occupy your time." Kifirin pronounced judgment. There would be no debate in his court of law. The vampire was returned to the dungeon until something could be found for him to do. Elthine was led forward next.
Gabron was present, as Head of the Refizani Council. He'd returned to the palace after learning of Lissa's disappearance. Hardly anyone spoke to him the few times he came to dinner or breakfast. Mostly he drank blood substitute and spent much time in his suite if he wasn't running his businesses. Those had proven to be wildly successful and he and the other Refizani investors were enjoying the boom the entire planet experienced, but it was a lifeless victory for him.
"You will speak only the truth while you stand before me," Kifirin addressed Elthine and she quailed before him. Stars appeared in Kifirin's eyes while smoke poured from his nostrils. Elthine had no idea what he was, either, but power radiated from him and she was terrified. "Tell me your part in this," Kifirin demanded. Elthine wanted to fall at his feet and beg for her life. She was compelled to tell her story instead.
"We worked for Gabron, on Refizan," Elthine's voice quavered. "Shala and I, well, we liked the vampires. Very much. We became jaded with normal sex—even the more deviant types. We would often beg Gabron for the bite. He would give it to us in exchange for sex. Shala wanted this for herself, all the time. She wanted money. She wanted her own brothel. She even toyed with the idea of staking Gabron at times, but somehow knew she would not gain what she wanted with his death. She thought about going to him and asking if he would set her up and then backed away. She was afraid he would refuse."