"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."
"And you did not want these things for yourself?"
"Shala said I could be first assistant in her brothel. That appealed to me. I did not want to be in control. That is what Shala wanted. When we heard Gabron was here and looking for employees, Shala wanted to come more than anything. We had been without our vampires for months. This was our chance to be bitten again."
"So, you were anxious for the bite, is that it?" Smoke drifted from Kifirin's nostrils.
"Yes. Gabron hired us right away and we came with the first new employees. Shala wasted no time in enticing Gabron into our bed. We would both please him in exchange for the bite. Shala spoke of her old dream, too, from the beginning. She wanted her own place and a stable of vampires who would bite her whenever she wanted. Gabron would only bite once every two weeks or so. Of course, we convinced others to do this for us in between, although it was against house rules. When Gabron left his ring behind after going to bed with us, Shala fretted and complained, blaming her misfortunes on Gabron's mate—the Queen. She had his ring, however, and devised her plan with my help."
"What were your suggestions to her? Did you try to stop her at any time?"
"I did not try to stop her. I thought this would work out in my best interest as well. I was the one to suggest that she join the tour to the palace and then hide herself until she could get the Queen alone, if she could. Her plan was to offer the ring to the Queen so she would come close enough for the staking."
"So, you were eliminating a rival, is that it?"
"We thought so. The Queen was taking up much of Gabron's time and attention. We had to turn it back to us so he would perhaps offer us a position with him at the palace."
"Shala said before that you both wanted to be concubines to him."
"Or mates, perhaps, if he would agree. He would be mourning his Queen. We could offer comfort."
"All while living in her palace, which I built for her."
"You built this?" Elthine's lower lip trembled.
"I built every city that exists upon this planet, with the exception of the Gambling city and the brothels, which others have built. I built it for the Queen. I did not build it for you or for Gabron or any other vampire that walks upon this world. Had you known what I truly am, you would never have allowed a thought of conspiracy to take root in your mind. Gabron should have recognized the signs of bite addiction in you long ago. Yet he did not. There are two known cures for bite addiction. The first is compulsion and then the recipient must never be bitten again. The second cure is death. You committed treason by conspiring against my Queen. What do you think your sentence is going to be?"
"B-bite addiction? I have never heard that."
"This happens when the humanoid is bitten too often by many vampires. How many times did you lie, just to get another bite? Anemia is the first sign, and then the vampire's saliva begins to work its way into the body's system. It is not the same as receiving vampire blood—that would have killed you in a matter of months. Normally, vampire saliva will heal the fang marks from a bite. Too many times too close together and from more than one vampire results in bite addiction. It affects your brain after a time. Inhibits reasoning. Damages normal thought processes. That is what bite addiction is. You are afflicted with this, as is your coconspirator."
"Then we had no control—"
"I will not accept this as an excuse. You broke house rules long ago to get where you are at this moment. You will receive no sympathy from me, so do not expect it. Who wishes to carry out the death sentence?"
Flavio stood. Gavin stepped forward, Tony right beside him. "We have been given permission," Drake and Drew joined Gavin and Tony. Erland Morphis folded in with Wylend Arden. Reemagar and Connegar folded in. Gardevik came. Rolfe brought Giff in and set her down near the door. He joined Gavin and the others.
"Have mercy," Elthine wept and dropped to the floor.
"I will grant mercy, this time," Kifirin stood. "I will allow the Larentii to do this. I will not be merciful to the one who comes next." Kifirin nodded to Connegar and Reemagar. Reemagar stepped forward and held out his hand. Light formed around it and Elthine's particles separated and floated peacefully away, the final, tiny motes of light winking out within seconds. The High Council watched as this happened. If any of them had not known of the power of the Larentii, they were getting their first vision of it now.
"Bring the other," Kifirin commanded. Shala was brought forward—Drake and Drew had gone to get her.
"I have heard the testimony from the other two and have passed judgment. I grow weary of listening to irrationality," Kifirin growled at Shala.
"Gabron loves me. He will not allow me to die." Shala adjusted her plain cotton shift—she'd struggled in Drake and Drew's grip and was now setting herself to rights.
"Yet you considered staking him, did you not?" Kifirin's eyes narrowed. Shala patted her long blonde hair into place. She regretted that she hadn't been allowed a hairdresser or better clothing for this appearance.
"When he refused to give the bite," Shala pulled her shoulders back so her breasts would be more prominent.
"Your charms have no effect upon me," Kifirin glared at her.
"I can give you the best sex you have ever had," Shala boasted. She attempted to walk forward, to entice Kifirin. She hadn't failed to notice that he was the most attractive male she'd ever seen. An invisible shield prevented her from approaching Kifirin's seat at the front of the meeting hall. She stood still and pouted at him instead.
"I am done with this one. High Demon," Kifirin nodded toward Garde, "I give her to you."
"Ooh," Shala looked at the male approaching her. He was pretty enough. He would do nicely. Except that he changed. Grew taller, darker, more demonic. Gardevik Rath, in full Thifilathi, swept up the female in a huge, clawed hand before she could shriek and twisted her head from her body. Both parts were thrown violently and splattered against the wall where Gabron sat. The High Demon skipped from the room, leaving near-chaos behind.
"I swear I didn't realize they were bite-addicted." Gabron was pacing before Karzac. Karzac had deliberately stayed away from the trials—it was bad enough that Lissa was missing; Grace was now six months pregnant. Women belonging to the Saa Thalarr couldn't use any power past the first trimester or they could lose or damage the child. Any pregnant Saa Thalarr was carefully watched and monitored. Karzac had left Grace in the capable hands of Mack and Justin, two of her mates, so he could have this meeting with Gabron. He now studied the old vampire with a critical eye. Gabron was old as a vampire, but Karzac was older. Six thousand years older.
