"Child?" Wlodek said.
"Father, I received a call from Lissa." There was definitely a smile in Flavio's voice.
"Did you?"
"Yes. Radomir must have given her my number; he was there when she made the call."
"How is she?"
"Quite impish, father. I think I will call her that—Imp. It suits her and after her impertinent and disrespectful treatment of me, well, she deserves that name, I think."
"She was disrespectful?"
"Father, she accused me of dragging around, asked if I were on the cover of vamp GQ every month and wondered if I engaged in flying kites or chasing butterflies."
Charles was snickering now; his mouth covered so he wouldn't make so much noise. "Tell my own disrespectful child that I am not that stuffy," Flavio declared upon hearing Charles's muffled laughter. Charles removed the hand from his mouth and guffawed. Even the corners of Wlodek's mouth were lifting a little. Flavio started laughing. Wlodek's smile widened.
Chapter 6
The dream held me. I was standing in another place, one filled with trees fully leaved and a lightly wafting breeze caused shade and sunlight to dapple a small clearing. I found it quite lovely after remembering that I no longer had allergies or the fear that ticks might crawl up my leg and attach themselves somewhere. The center of the clearing shimmered and glowed while the rest of the area remained in shade and shadow. I saw people appear in the midst of the shimmer and walk away from it, followed by more of their kind. One of them, a boy of perhaps sixteen or so, drew my attention and I struggled for breath, sitting up in bed wide-awake, tearing myself away from the dream. I knew that boy—his face hadn't changed much. Xenides.
Waking during the day was becoming a regular occurrence, and I was thirsty again. I also remembered that I hadn't asked Winkler to get sunglasses for me. I walked out of the bedroom to search for Roff but he wasn't inside the guesthouse. The only way to the main house, if I walked, was through a big patch of sunlight. Deciding not to risk it, I misted through walls instead, flying from one place to another. The sunlight didn't bother me so much that way.
I was rummaging through Winkler's fridge when he came sliding in on the polished tile floor. He'd heard the noise and rushed in immediately to investigate. I shocked the hell out of him when I raised my head above the fridge door—I'd been leaning down to pull out a bottle of water. "Lissa!" he shouted. "What the hell are you doing out of bed? Baby, you'll fry!"
"Whoa, calm down, fuzzy britches," I said as Winkler hauled me over his shoulder, preparing to rush me into a darkened bedroom somewhere. "Put me down and I'll explain," I mumbled against his wide back. "By the way, do you have any extra sunglasses? My eyes water in sunlight."
Winkler let me slide off his shoulder. "You're not frying?" He still wore a stunned expression, his black eyes scanning me for sunburns.
"I have alien technology," I tapped the back of my neck. "They put some sort of shield disc under my skin. It keeps my body from being damaged by the sun," I explained. "It's supposed to last a hundred years."
"Are you kidding?" Winkler put his hands on the back of my neck and rubbed it gently.
"Nope."
"Alien technology?"
That made me laugh. "You should see the alien who put it there." Winkler would probably pee his pants if he saw the Larentii.
"If I hauled you into the yard you wouldn't die?"
"I'd be pissed, maybe uncomfortable and possibly asleep, but I've been assured I won't burn."
"Here," Winkler went to a drawer in one of the kitchen cabinets, pulled it open and drew out one of several pairs of sunglasses. "Lost and found," he informed me, handing the glasses over. At least they were women's sunglasses, even if they weren't what I might have picked for myself. I put them on and breathed a sigh of relief. My eyes stopped watering immediately. "Now, sit down and tell me why you're awake," Winkler ordered.
"Hey, you're not the boss of me," I grumped.
"I used to be," he grinned.
"Yeah, yeah, kiss my ass," I muttered.
"Don't offer. You know I want to," he was still grinning.
"You and a bunch of other people," I retorted. Wait. A bunch of people had. Well, two, anyway. I wondered where Kifirin had gotten himself off to. "I've been dreaming, Winkler. That's why I'm awake," I said, trying to steer him away from the sex subject. I took the top off my water bottle and sipped. The cold water felt really good; I was dry for some reason. Roff walked in with Corinne and Lucas Alford; they'd been out grocery shopping. Roff almost shrieked when he saw me.
"Raona, must I chastise you again?" He was doing his best version of righteous indignation.
"Roff, I'm awake. That's all there is to it," I said and drank more water.
"We were hoping we'd get chicken fried steak later," Winkler was back to grinning. "Roff and the Alfords picked up what you'll need to cook for us."
"Fine," I grumped.
"Come, we will put you in an empty room upstairs," Roff was trying to lead me away.
"If Gavin wakes and doesn't find me in his bed, you do not want to hear the cursing," I said. "Come on, I'll mist us back over." Corinne Alford gasped as I turned Roff and myself to mist and went through a wall.
"Now, must I tell you to go to sleep?" Roff was sliding me under the sheet. He ruined his gripe session by leaning down and giving me a kiss. I closed my eyes and was out in seconds.
* * *
"This is so good," Lucas Alford was helping himself to another plate of food. Roff was happy, too, I could tell. The werewolves, though? I've never seen anyone put food away like they can. Even the females don't have many qualms about eating (except Kellee, and she was just showing off for Winkler). I liked that about them. They had two apple pies waiting for dessert, too. Winkler asked Roff to buy the ingredients.
Thaddeus and Lorenzo had come in at one point while I was cooking, completely shocked that I could and would do this. For werewolves. We talked for a while, but they left before everything was done, going in search of something to amuse themselves. Bill called Tony while I cooked, and I hadn't been privy to that conversation. Bill had a lead he wanted to follow, so we were going out as soon as the wolves finished eating.
The lead turned out to be in Stillwater, sixty miles north of Oklahoma City. Bill arrived at the house to lead the way, Winkler came along with us and Rhett and Dalroy stayed behind with the Alfords. I think Lucas wanted to go but Corinne didn't, so he stayed with her. Bill carried Winkler, Radomir, Tony and René in the car with him while the rest of us followed in the van.