Bella Vita (61 page)

“
Well, after we eat, I
suggest everyone rest a little more and then gather their gear. We
leave here around one thirty.” I went back to eating the pile of
food I didn't really want to eat, but knew I needed to.

I left the dining room and sat on my bed. I
looked at the things that surrounded me. It was nothing like my
room back in the US, or even at the DeDominico's. The room was
meant to feel regal. I decided that if I made it through this
ordeal then that was going to change. My space would reflect who I
was as a person, not the position I now held.

I went through the systematic motions of
laying out my outfit and gear. My body moved, but my mind felt
detached. I wanted to be somewhere else, and not have all this
horrible shit in my life. I took a deep breath.

“
You asked for this, Emma.”
I said to my room.

“
True, but I never thought
it'd be so damn dangerous!” I felt exasperated even with
myself.

“
Most things are never what
we think they're going to be.” My thoughts drifted over my
relationships with Dominic, Michael, and Leland- I wasn't even sure
what I had with any of these men.

“
Well, enough of that.” I
dusted my hands together and focused my thoughts back on the task
at hand.

I pulled on a sheer body
stocking that had been fabricated not to show, but to protect the
heck out of me- it was almost impenetrable. My black loose soft
leather pants went on next. I slipped my red rip apart riding skirt
over them. My black leather vest went on and hugged my breasts to
my chest- it also added a slightly plated armor to me. The boots
were the easiest to get on from so much wear. The well worn soft
leather molded to my foot and cupped my calves. The thin
daggers
shinged
out when I tapped the hidden switch. I double tapped the
switch and back they slid, like the silent predators they
were.

Next came my hair. I pulled it into a high
ponytail and then braided it down my back. I had seen enough movies
to know that as cool as swishing hair looks, it's the first thing
that people grab in a close fight. I wrapped the braid around the
band until I had a very simple braided bun. I slipped the two pins
in to make it look like they held it all together. They glittered
like eyes in my hair.

I stuck an emerald stud in each lobe. My
usual hoops would be a target to get yanked out. I slipped on the
bracelet that would coil for me and crack through skulls if need
be. The last item I added was the brooch- part of me really hoped I
wouldn't have to use any of this stuff.

My make-up was done striking. My eyes were
lined with a rich black, elongating the lines. My lids were shaded
until my eyes were shadowed by a darkness that drew out the green
of my eyes. My lips I painted blood red- my white teeth shone like
stars against the color.

The final look was frightening. I looked
like I was ready for a battle, but also an afternoon ride. It was
easily something a queen could wear without anyone suspecting
anything. I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew that I could make it
pass their security.

When one o'clock chimed on
my small mantel clock, I walked with my head high and shoulders
back out to the front of the house. Two black SUVs waited for us.
Kelly had agreed to meet us at my hotel. I was very grateful that
she decided to come. Dom followed next. He was dressed similar to
me, but he managed to look like a rueful boy rather than a
threatening man. The Boys, Harold and Georgie, came next. They were
armed and definitely looked the part of bodyguards. Leland came out
wearing something similar to Dom, but he wore nothing black, only
red. It reminded me of the royal guard in
Star Wars.
I tried hard not to
snicker. Derrick came out last. He was dressed in the darkest black
I had ever seen. His pale green eyes were shocking against the
effect. The only caramel skin left to be seen was on his face, but
I knew that had a protective coat of something on it. All the men
that thought they would fight, were basically covered from head to
foot in a clear coating that had been sprayed on their
skin.

Okay, then.
Our silent communication would work best for
this, so I started off with it.

We're ready, Your
Majesty.
The Boys, Derrick, and Leland
formally bowed to me.

Dom, you good too?
I didn't want any doubt present.

Yes,
mia bella
. We shall win this fight,
one way or another.
His words were icy in
my mind.

Then let's move out.
I let Derrick open my door.

Dom and I were to ride in separate cars. The
Boys would ride with him, Leland and Derrick with me. The
atmosphere didn't change just because there were less bodies in the
car. I could feel the tension roll around the car like waves on the
sea. It made me want to cringe and vomit. I had to fight both
desires. The airport came without incident, and I could tell that
Dom had a similar car ride.

Let's load up and get in
the air.
I had everyone grab a bag from
the trunks of each car.

Each person had the same contents in each
bag. Loose black linens, first aid kit, a small set of bathroom
necessities, and a copy of a letter should something happen to
anyone. I carried two- an extra for Kelly. Dom carried the extra
for Issy. We had the intent of coming away with her... and all of
us unharmed. But we were also prepared in case something went
terribly wrong.

The bags were stored, Dom and I retired to
the bedroom compartment, and each of the others took a bench seat
to lay across. We all knew we had to rest for the next three
hours.

The three hours flew by and we all managed
to sleep. I had everyone have a shot of werewolf blood.

This isn't up for debate.
It makes us stronger, heals our wounds, and will help us keep
clearer minds.
My voice was solid- I
wouldn't be budged on this.

Everyone nodded.

We landed on the gentle strip of green where
I had landed on my small vacation. My thoughts drifted back to my
time in Ireland. My face flushed slightly as I remembered my blood
ceremony with Mike- nothing like my wedding to Dom, or the ceremony
that bound Leland to my service.

I shook off my memories like a fog.

We unloaded and packed our gear on the backs
of the motorcycles that had been stored. How they had managed to
fit six bikes in the cargo hold I had no clue, but I wasn't going
to argue either.

The small road flew by in a soft hum of
green. I knew that the circle of protection had been taken down
when we passed the spot and no one reacted.

They've kept their side of
the deal so far. No vamp warding.
I
informed everyone once we were in the wolves' territory.

Good. Let's hope that
they'll keep to justice as well.
Dom's
thoughts were clouded in darkness.

They will. This will all
turn out well.
I pushed my brightness into
his mind, and spread it to the others.

The hotel's exterior looked exactly the same
when I had came across it before. I could smell that other vampires
had been through here. A smile crept across my face despite the
situation.

Moira came out holding a small bundle of
joy. Her face beamed when she saw me.

“
Dia dhuit, Emma, Cad é mar
a tá tú?
” Moira's smile was bright and
cheery.

“
Dia is Muire duit, Moira. Tá mé go maith.
I see the little one is looking quite fine.” I tickled the
child's chin.

“
I know
that we're just yer stop off point, but I do hope that yah'll come
in fer some tea?” She took in each of us with her knowing
eyes.

“
I think
that would be most pleasant. We truly appreciate this. This area
will be spelled once we leave. No one will know that we stopped
here.” I tried not to worry the new mother.

“
Emma, I
know what's been happenin' up at that ol' school. They took one of
yers. Whether we're spelled or not, they'll find out about this
place one way or another.
Fillean
meal ar an meallaire
.
” She spit on the ground.

“
True, I
hope they get what's coming to them.” I tried to suppress my
chuckle.

“
Well,
then come in. Rest yerselves before yah go up gallivanting there
catchin' yer death of cold. Oh, and yer friend left a note for yah
about meeting ya up there.” She shuffled back into the cozy
atmosphere of the inn.

We spent a few hours enjoying proof of the
living. It was a way to remind us why we were fighting all these
wars. The importance of family was evident- we needed to save our
family- including Isabella. When we left Moira and her beautiful
baby Agnus, our hearts were a little fuller and weighed a little
more.

The ground was covered in a gentle creeping
mist. It masked our movements, but also made it hard to see the
school properly. All chances of us finding an alternative way out
became bleak as the mist turned into a thick fog.

How will they know when the
moon rises if you can't even see it?
Leland scowled at the grayish goop.

The same way any true
creature of the night does. It's natural. I'm sure they can look up
local information about the moon cycles too. They'll do this by the
book, so we have two hours until we're expected to present
ourselves before the Wolfen Court.
I
really didn't want to present myself anywhere- I just wanted to get
Issy out and go home.

Let's not waste those two
hours. I'll do some scouting.
Leland said
as he seemed to disappear into the fog- his red clothes completely
vanished.

What the hell?
Derrick mumbled.

One of Leland's gifts is
invisibility. As long as he is stealthy, the wolves won't notice
him if he gets near the building... also they won't smell him
because of the blood he ingested.
I didn't
want to sound smug- but one of the side effects of taking werewolf
blood was that it masked the vampire scent with a wolf
one.

It seems that our Queen is
very wise and doesn't always reveal her hand. Your Majesty has
dealt our hand in our favor.
Dom bowed to
me.

Stubbornness and being
unwilling to use all the tools available to us will not help us get
Issy back. I was merely willing to make the choice for you,
especially if it would help us.
I wasn't
going to apologize for not telling them everything.

Mistress Emma, is there
anything else that the wolf blood will do for us?
Georgie asked, his eyes big with
wonder.

The wolf that donated the
blood will feel a little more connected to the vampires that he has
given it to. Should anything fatal happen to us, he'll feel it
physically. I hear it would be quite painful.
I smiled.

Who was the wolf?
Dom's eyes were luminous orbs of fiery
green.

Mike and Acacia, I also
believe one of their closest men. They're all high on the scale of
importance. It would be unwise of them to let anything happen to
us. They know what would happen to them if that occurs.
I kept my face blank.

You're very smart, Mistress
Emma.
Harold smiled at me with a big
toothy grin.

Thank you. Now let's see
what Leland can bring us back in terms of intel.
I let the conversation lag out.

It took him an hour to come back to us. I
sensed him and turned. He faded back to us out of the mist.

Holy hell!
Derrick mumbled with a start.

What do you have for
us?
I giggled slightly as I
asked.

I'm glad to see a smile on
your face, darl. What I learned was that there appear to be three
entrances to these caverns. One is the main one, there are two
offshoots hidden amongst the tree line. One is disguised as a tree
trunk, and the other a large stone. There are gates just on the
insides of the entrances. There are a lot of guards at the main
entrance, I counted fifteen, but I believe there will be more once
the time draws closer to our arrival. There are guards on patrol
around the place too. It makes a high security prison look like a
cakewalk, darl. Aye, it's gonna be a hard one. I didn't see any
people posted at these alternate routes, but I don't know if that
will change once the tribunal starts. That's all I got.
He stared at them.

Very good, Leland. At least
that gives us hope for a backup plan. Georgie and Harold, if we
need to, do you think you could break down a gate?
I looked at them.

Yes, Your Majesty. Strength
is one of our gifts.
They beamed at
me.

Excellent. Now, Leland
while you were walking about them, did you notice what sort of
weapons we're up against?
I wanted as much
information as possible.

Most just look like they're
carrying basic guard weapons- a gun, some clips, maybe a throwing
knife or two. But there are some that are clearly specially trained
in unique weaponry. I think I saw a device used to rip the heart
out. There were a few flame throwers. Oh, and several people
walking around with serious swords. What the weapons or defenses
are inside, I'm not sure.
Leland's face
was pale.