Amy Sumida - Blood Bound (Book 16 in The Godhunter Series) Read online

  Having five men whose egos where placated by my lioness magic made me sometimes forget that they could be jealous or even possessive. I'd seen Arach act this way before but it had been awhile since Kirill had shown this kind of aggression.

  “I...” I gave a little laugh and shook my head. “I didn't expect you to feel that way.”

  “Because of vhat I said vhen you loved Toby?” He lifted a brow.

  “Yes, exactly,” I recalled his words. “You said you only cared about my happiness.”

  “I also said zat once you love, it's forever. Forbidding you to love someone vould make you suffer and so I vould suffer,” he added and then narrowed his eyes on me. “Do you love him?”

  “No,” I said immediately and then nodded as I saw his point. “It's almost like with Toby. I have memories of loving him but not the emotion itself. I love him as a friend only.”

  “Zen he is enemy,” Kirill nodded decisively.

  “He's not our enemy,” I groaned.

  “You told him you don't love him?” Kirill asked with a penetrating stare.

  “I...” I swallowed hard when he frowned at me. “It didn't come up,” I felt my cheeks heat as I remembered what had come up between us.

  “He told you he dreamed of you but he didn't ask if you loved him?” Kirill snarled. “Vhat does zis say to you?”

  “He asked if there were more than dreams between us,” I admitted. “I told him that there wasn't but then he knew that nickname. I told you all of this already.”

  “And tell me again vhat he said vhen you denied it,” Kirill demanded.

  “He said he didn't believe me,” I whispered.

  “Zat is not all of it,” Kirill's voice went deadly quiet. “I heard it, Vervain.”

  “He said there would be something between us,” I admitted.

  “Zat is declaration of var,” Kirill said calmly.

  “It's not a declaration of war,” I growled, getting frustrated.

  “To me it is,” Kirill insisted, “and I zink ze rest vill agree.”

  “What are you going to do?” I asked as a tremor of unease worked through my belly.

  “I'm going to have vords vith him,” Kirill said calmly and I started to relax. But then he continued, “And if zat doesn't vork, I vill continue conversation vith my fists.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  I argued with Kirill until my other men came home and then I'd argued with them too. Finally, they all agreed to let me speak to Re first and if that didn't work, they would get their chance. Kirill had been right, They all saw Re's refusal to give up as a threat to our relationships. I guess it was one thing for me to fall in love by chance and ask them to accept a new lover, and quite another for a man to simply want me and pursue me despite the fact that I was more than taken. I did see their point but those memories of Re were haunting and my heart wasn't so clear about whether or not it actually loved Re.

  I finally decided that it didn't matter whether I had those kind of feelings for Re or not. Bringing him into my life would take away his chance of having a normal relationship with a woman who he didn't have to share. The men I was with all had their reasons for being with me and accepting my situation but Re didn't have to and I didn't want that for him. And I really didn't want to piss off my lovers.

  So I would go and tell him so. I'd tell Re to enjoy the dreams he'd had and then forget them, move on. They were just dreams after all, he hadn't really experienced those things. Neither of us had. It was all illusion, a thread from a different future which had been cut away like the mistake it was. Our relationship had been a part of that wrong thread and as much as he tempted me, we were not meant for each other. I'd just have to make him understand that... later.

  Not because I was procrastinating but because Eztli hadn't given up on her plan for drinking a baby's blood cocktail.

  “Sons of Anarchy!” I swore as Fallon reported that six of my Intare had disappeared in the Human Realm.

  “It might not be her,” Torrent offered innocently. He was back from spending time with Artemis in her territory but I didn't think he'd be in Pride Palace for long. I'd be willing to bet that he'd be moving in with Artie before Rian was born.

  “Of course it's her,” Trevor growled. “Who else would be abducting Intare?”

  “Off the top of my head,” Torrent mused, “Zeus, Freyr, or Balder. Maybe Balder escaped Niflheim. And wasn't there a Chinese goddess who you pissed off?”

  “Xi Wang Mu,” I whispered as we all stared at Torrent in shock. Then I looked to the others. “It's not Xi, she's not mad at me anymore and last I checked, she's living happily with Kuan Ti. Do you think it could be Zeus?”

  “Doubtful,” Odin said but he looked concerned.

  “It's most likely Eztli,” Torrent continued. “I'm just saying that there are other possibilities.”

  “Great, thanks for reminding me that I have so many enemies,” I grimaced.

  “Oh, and then there's that faerie queen, Aalish,” Torr added helpfully.

  “Torrent,” Trevor growled.

  “Yes?” Torrent looked to Trevor with wide eyes.

  “Shut up.”

  “Oh, right,” Torrent blinked. “Sorry about that.”

  I tried to ignore the echo of enemies past and focus instead on what I was going to do about Blue's ex-girlfriend. I never should have let my compassion interfere with protecting my child. She had threatened Rian's life and I should have killed her for it. Now it looked like my Intare were paying the price and that was unacceptable. Perhaps the solution to saving Blue's life wasn't encouraging him to keep loving Eztli, it was killing the bitch. I'm all for pre-emptive strikes.

  “Tima, Trevor and I vill take some Intare and track her,” Kirill said as he sat beside me. “You can use your bonds to our lions to find them.”

  “My bonds,” I whispered and looked inward to find the six cords which connected me to my missing Intare. I followed them off into the distance... where they trailed away into nothing. “I can't see them. She's warded them, I think.”

  “We can still figure out a way to track them,” Trevor reassured me.

  “I can go too,” Torrent piped up. “In case you need to follow her through the Aether and into the God Realm.”

  “I don't think we will,” I said in a deceptively calm voice. “She's doing all of this so she can become powerful enough to create her own territory. So I think we can safely assume that she doesn't have a place to go in the God Realm.”

  “Oh,” Torrent's face fell.

  “Thank you for offering to help, Torr,” I spared him a quick smile and he perked up a bit. “How are things with Artie?”

  “Oh, fantastic,” he grinned and the barest hint of pink colored his cheeks.

  “That good, huh?” I smiled at his blush and the color deepened. “I'm happy for you, Torrent.”

  “Thanks, V. I just wish I could help you with this,” he sighed. “I want your child safe.”

  “So do I,” I nodded. “I'll definitely let you know if I think of a way you can help.”

  “Maybe there is something,” Odin mused and everyone turned to him expectantly.

  He gave a little start of surprise and I realized that we hadn't given him the same amount of respect after Griffin had taken over. The more Odin had become Griffin, the less he seemed to offer intellectually, and I guess we had treated him in a more blasé manner. Now that he was himself again, we'd immediately begun to give him the attention and respect he deserved.

  “Go on,” I prompted.

  “Know your enemy,” Odin's low timbre rolled over me and I smiled to hear the strength in it. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed the real him until I had him back.

  “That's why I went to Blue,” I nodded. “Well, one of the reasons.”

  “But Blue only knows the old Eztli,” Odin said shrewdly. “Centuries have passed. Millennia. This is not the same woman he saved with his own blood.”

  “Good point,” I agreed, “but
where does Torr come in?”

  “With his Inter Realm of course,” Odin shrugged and gave me a smug smile. “If Eztli couldn't create a home for herself in the God Realm, then she must have created one in the Human Realm and-”

  “The Human Realm loves its paperwork,” I laughed as I finished his thought.

  “Yes,” Odin smiled indulgently. “There will no doubt be electronic traces of her.”

  “But all we have is a first name,” I started to frown.

  “She probably isn't using her real name but we have a description,” Torrent said with a smile. “You know what she looks like and I can narrow my search with that information. Then I can bring you images to identify so we can be certain we've found her.”

  “You can really do that?” I asked in surprise.

  “V, you've rode the web with me,” Torrent laughed. “You know it's not like using a computer. I can feel for her, delve deeper and more thoroughly than any hacker. I even have access to satellite surveillance.”

  “That's even better than Odin's Santa TV,” I grinned.

  Torrent's delighted smile spread across face and I wondered what Iktomi would think if he could see his child now. Would he be a proud papa, like Geppetto was when Pinocchio became a real boy, or would he be furious that his little puppet had cut his strings and become stronger than his father?

  I guess it didn't matter. Iktomi was dead and Torrent thrived. That was what was important. The opinions of dead gods didn't make a difference unless they were brought back to life. I looked over to Odin and smiled. But he was gaping at me.

  “What?” I blinked.

  “My Santa TV,” he whispered. “I mean, Hlidskjalf. I completely forgot about it. We can use it to find her.”

  “Then you don't need me,” Torrent deflated.

  “It would still be a good idea to research her,” Odin protested. “Just in case she escapes, it would be nice to know where she might be running to. I can only see her current location... and only if she is somewhere unwarded.”

  “And I'd like to know as much about her as possible,” I added. “Any tidbit of information might make a difference. Looks like we do need your help, Torrent.”

  “Oh, okay, then,” Torrent beamed.

  “Shall we go and watch some Santa TV?” Odin stood and offered me his hand.

  “I thought you'd never ask,” I grinned.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Through the combined efforts of Torrent and Odin, we found Eztli's location. Torrent also brought us all the information the Internet could offer on her. Once Odin located her on his magic TV, Torrent was able to get a good look and researching her became easy. She had indeed changed her name. She was known as Tilly Fortuna. Fortuna, as in fate, how appropriate.

  It appeared that Eztli had become quite a little entrepreneur and owned businesses all over the world. The internet trail she'd left was complicated and extensive but Torrent sifted through it all in mere moments. I didn't notify Blue, mainly because I was worried Eztli would find a way to kill him, despite my interference. The thing was; I hadn't expected to be left out as well.

  My men wanted me to remain safe at Pride Palace while they hunted Eztli. I understood their motivations and I even appreciated the emotions behind them, but I wasn't about to be left behind when the future could hinge on what happened. So I reminded them of how badly it went the last time they left me behind, and went off to rescue Constantine from Hanuman on their own. In the end, I got my way and we all traced to Romania together.

  Yep, Romania and not just anywhere in Romania but Bran. Why is Bran so special, you might ask? Because it's the village surrounding the famous Bran Castle, also known as Castle Dracula. I know, I rolled my eyes too. Could she be any more cliché?

  “Eztli owns an underground club. It's this way,” Trevor said as he led me, Kirill, Odin, Azrael, and several Intare through the quaint streets of Bran.

  “Underground as in secret or as in literally under the ground?” Azrael asked.

  “Both,” Trevor shot a look back at him.

  “Please tell me it isn't called the Titty Twister,” I begged.

  “It would have to be in Mexico to be called that,” Trevor grinned.

  “True,” I huffed. “She doesn't live in Castle Dracula does she?”

  “No,” Trevor frowned. “At least I don't think so. From what Torrent found, she owns several properties both here and in nearby Transylvania but Bran Castle isn't one of them.”

  “Too expensive,” Kirill huffed.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “It's for sale but zey vant one-hundred zirty-five million for it,” he glanced over his shoulder at me.

  “Dollars?” I specified.

  “Nyet; chickens,” Kirill said with absolute seriousness.

  “Excuse me?” I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

  “Of course, dollars,” Kirill laughed as he turned to face me. “Vhat else?”

  “I don't know; euros maybe? Whatever the hell the currency is in Romania,” I grimaced at him. “That wasn't a stupid question.”

  “You're right, I apologize,” Kirill said contritely but his lips were twitching when he turned back around.

  “Woo hoo,” Azrael chuckled. “Owning a piece of horror history doesn't come cheap.”

  I glanced around the clean streets, pleasantly surprised by Bran's warm, medieval atmosphere. I'd been to Romania before, Bucharest to be precise, and had hated it. It had just felt old to me and not in a good way, in a worn out way. This place was old in a good way. It annoyed me that Eztli lived there.

  “Do you think maybe the legend is true?” Aidan asked, flipping an errant ebony curl out of his matching eyes.

  “What legend?” I nodded to a passerby; an old lady who gave us all a curious look.

  “The Dracula legend,” Aidan said offhandedly.

  “Great Scott,” I stopped abruptly and turned to face Aidan. “Do you think she made Dracula?”

  “Dracula is a story,” Odin chuckled. “Fiction. The real man wasn't a vampire, just a very dramatic killer.”

  “How do you know?” I asked Odin and he too stopped to stare at us.

  “I guess I don't, not for certain. I just know what I've read about Vlad Tepes. I didn't pay too much attention to the man when he lived. That war was none of my doing,” Odin frowned and the Intare I'd brought, all twelve of them, stood around us in thoughtful silence.

  “Then, Eztli could be Dracula's mommy,” I whispered.

  “Oh for the sake of the sweet moon,” Trevor grumbled and turned around, stomping back over to us with Kirill and Azrael trailing behind him. “She is not Dracula's mother. She may have possibly been the source of the vampire rumors in this region but it doesn't matter. We're here to get our lions back and if we have to kill her to do it, we will.”

  “Did you consider consulting me first?” Blue's voice startled us all and we jerked around to see him leaning against a white plaster wall.

  “Blue!” I nearly shrieked. “Uh, well, you didn't seem up to killing her and she has my lions. I needed to make a tough call. Sorry about that.”

  “Vervain, didn't it occur to you that I could help with the negotiations?” Blue asked reasonably.

  “Well, no,” I gave him a sympathetic smile. “Because last I heard, she doesn't like you much and last we decided, there wasn't going to be any negotiations. We're going to find my men and take them back. Period.”

  “And if you can't?” Blue asked.

  “Um, why wouldn't I be able to take back my men from a bunch of vampires?” I frowned.

  “Because she has about three-hundred vampires with her,” Blue nodded in the direction of the door we'd been heading to, just about twenty feet down the road.

  “Three-hundred?” I blinked. “Okay,” I cleared my throat. “I guess we need to trace home and grab the rest of the Intare.”

  “Or Kirill and I will sneak in and find the lions,” Trevor offered. “We grab them and get o
ut.”

  “They will know you're there,” Blue shook his head. “It's not a public night club. It's her private establishment where vampires go to relax, worship her, and have their dinner,” Blue rolled his jade eyes.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” I grumbled. “Now I'm in a Blade film and I'm not sure which one. I'm pretty sure he goes to Europe in one of them.”

  “Must everything revolve around movies for you?” Blue sighed.

  “Movies are the cultural representations of our times,” I huffed. “They're like the stories that used to be passed down orally through the generations, stories like the ones about vampires. They have useful knowledge hidden within them.”

  “And what is the useful knowledge you received from this bladed film?” Blue lifted a black brow and looked down his Aztec nose at me.

  “It's called Blade, not Bladed, and when did you get so stuffy? It's like you've regressed,” I observed. “You're not going crazy again, are you?”

  “My apologies,” Blue's breath left him in a long exhale, dropping his shoulders a bit. “Eztli has disturbed my equilibrium. No, I shall not go crazy.”

  “No problem,” I went over and gave him a pat on his shoulder. “I get it. And by the way, I learned the power of UV lights from Blade,” I pulled a rectangular, battery powered, UV flashlight from my bag to show him.

  “I take it back,” he looked at the light with wide, blinking eyes. “Movies are most helpful.”

  “But this won't work against her, right?” I asked him. “She said she's been able to withstand sunlight for centuries now.”

  “Yes, I would imagine so,” Blue nodded. “All of my priests have the ability, as well as several other vampires I know of. She preceded their creation so I'm sure she is immune.”

  “The question is, how many other vampires in there are immune?” Azrael shifted his backpack on his shoulder. It was full of UV lights.

  “That's a good question,” I looked down at my flashlight dubiously.

  “You're not going in there, Vervain,” Trevor stated brusquely. “She's after you, taking you in there is giving her exactly what she wants.”