Vengeance in Blood (Book 2): Tribulations (12 page)

“I told you he was a first-class ass,” Tiffany reminded her. Glancing over, Tiffany saw disappointment on Besseta’s face. “It was a mistake, Besseta. Everyone makes them. You didn’t make the same mistake, so let it go.”

A grin slowly came to Besseta’s face. “Kenneth is great, isn’t he?” she asked.

Tiffany chuckled. “Yes, he is,” she answered. “I didn’t tell him he was an ass when I met him, did I?”

Images of Bereno’s face and reaction to the first time Tiffany met him as she called him a jackass popped in Besseta’s mind, making her laugh. “Bereno didn’t take that very well, did he?” she noted.

“I was hoping he would attack so I could save you some anguish down the road,” Tiffany admitted. “My only worry with Kenneth is he really sees you as a woman. Not that that is a bad thing, but I’m sure you two aren’t going to set up house. I know without a doubt he will put himself in unnecessary danger trying to protect you.”

As fast as laugher found Besseta, it disappeared and was replaced with worry. “I know, but he won’t listen. He treats me like I’m made of china glass. If he got hurt trying to foolishly protect me, I think I would die,” Besseta told Tiffany in a low voice.

“That is true love, Besseta. Don’t take this the wrong way, but it amazes me a human could show that commitment to one of us for only the purpose of love. I’ve seen some humans do it for the chance to turn, hoping for our extended life. But not Kenneth; he is willing to die protecting you just because he loves you,” Tiffany tried to explain to Besseta and herself.

Since she had thought the same thing, Besseta nodded. “I know. Sometimes, I wish he would at least be open to the change in case he did get hurt.”

“You know I talked to him about the change, right?” Tiffany asked. “I’m sorry, but I wanted to see his reaction. It didn’t make sense to me since the only family he has, really, is you. I’m not going to lie; if I’d had a choice, I wouldn’t have agreed to the change. I can see his point of view; living forever has downsides.”

Propping her arm on the door, Besseta moved in the seat to get more comfortable. “Yes, he told me you two talked,” Besseta replied, “and I’m not going to lie. If I had been given the choice before the turn, I would’ve taken it, but going through the centuries without family changed my perspective. Knowing what I know now, until I met Kenneth, I would rather have just lived my life.”

“Try going several millennia,” Tiffany said in a low voice. “At one time, I cherished the time I had with Herotho, but now, without him, I’m not sure it has been worth it.”

Glancing over, Besseta asked, “You aren’t going to leave me, are you?”

A sparkle jumped in Tiffany’s eyes as a smile filled her face. “No, killing one’s self is a crime against nature. Life has and is a purpose. I have you now, and though I may not have always been beside you, I was never far,” Tiffany told her.

“Not saying you didn’t, but how could you keep track of me?” Besseta asked with curiosity. “Your house is several thousand miles away.”

“You were on the west coast is why I was there,” Tiffany replied, shocking Besseta. “I had just found out you were at your home and was getting ready to move to another house closer.”

“How?” Besseta asked, worried she was making a mistake that others could use to track her.

“I know you, Besseta, and your style. It isn’t hard to find an area where criminals are dying. As far as you coming home, there is a family that lives on the property next to you that get in touch with me when the house is occupied,” Tiffany explained. “I have to say when you go to less-developed countries, it is harder to keep track of you. I’m usually able to pinpoint you in a week after you move.”

Besseta was shocked. “I think you can give Kenneth a run for his money as a detective.”

“Hardly,” Tiffany smirked.

Satisfied her movements weren’t easily followed, Besseta just stared at the road as they drove in silence for some time. Finally breaking the quiet, she asked, “You think Kenneth will change his mind about turning?”

Letting the question hang in the air, Tiffany thought for a few minutes before answering, “No. Kenneth doesn’t see time as an enemy and blames himself for his family’s death. He wants to see them again, and if he turned, that would break the natural order for him.” Tiffany tried to explain how she perceived Kenneth’s point of view.

“Yeah, that’s what I see as well,” Besseta admitted. “I’m his family now though. Shouldn’t he want to stay with me?”

“He is,” Tiffany replied, “just not eons.”

Besseta took a deep breath. “Then how could he leave me and hurt me?” she asked with a sense of pain and anger.

“You’re thinking like a vampire, not a human,” Tiffany informed her. “He is willing to live his entire life with you, putting you before all and even willing to die for you. Can you really ask for more?”

Feeling ashamed, Besseta mumbled, “No. I just don’t want to be without him.”

“Unless Kenneth kills himself, ending your time together, you can’t hold his choice against him. He will never leave you, so death will be his only release from you,” Tiffany said with a catch in her voice.

It was in that instant Besseta saw Tiffany resented her husband for leaving her by taking his own life. Quickly thinking of something to ask to get Tiffany’s mind off her husband, Besseta was shocked as Tiffany turned to her smiling. “You only need to look at Kenneth’s body to see what he’s willing to do for you,” Tiffany chuckled. “He wears those bruises with pride.”

Besseta’s face instantly turned red. “I…uh…” she stuttered. “I really try not to hurt him,” she finally got out.

Laughter erupted from Tiffany. “I’m surprised you can control yourself that much in the throes of passion.”

Besseta turned her face away. “Shit you have no idea,” she confessed, trying to hide her blush. “When he…well never mind. I almost broke his neck and—” she stopped as the blush crept down her neck. “When I hurt him when…well you know. It makes me feel bad.”

Tiffany only lowered the sound of her laughter as Besseta spoke then started laughing harder. “I don’t know about you, but when I’m in the throes of ecstasy, I can’t control my body. I once threw Herotho through a wall,” she howled.

Hearing that, Besseta started laughing. “I almost had to stitch Kenneth’s back up the first time. It wasn’t until we paused we realized he was bleeding. I started freaking out, but he got a second wind and kept going. I had to throw the sheets and blankets away.”

Laughing so hard Tiffany slid down in her seat under the seatbelt, she held her sides and shouted, “If Herotho had been human the first time, I would’ve broke his hips wrapping my legs around him!”

“I almost did that,” Besseta admitted, making Tiffany laugh harder. Tiffany tried to bend and curl up, but the seatbelt was catching her neck.

Pushing back up, Tiffany undid the seatbelt, holding her sides. “Well, from the looks of Kenneth, he makes you happy in bed,” Tiffany whimpered between laughs.

“Shit, last night, I had an orgasm so big I convulsed off the bed through the overhead canopy. When I landed on the floor, Kenneth just moved off the bed,” Besseta laughed.

They laughed for a while then slowly caught their breath. “You are a more restrained person than I,” Tiffany admitted, wiping tears off her face.

“I’m restrained by necessity. I don’t want to break him,” Besseta sighed.

Reaching over, Tiffany patted Besseta’s leg. “You won’t break him,” she assured her. “You treat him like he does you: china glass.”

“He hasn’t put marks on me,” Besseta objected.

“If you were human, I can guarantee you, Besseta, you would be sore,” Tiffany stated confidently, still smiling. Thinking of Kenneth, Besseta just smiled as she drove.

“Besseta,” Tiffany broke the silence, “may I ask you now how you became stronger?”

“How about on the way home?” Besseta offered, glancing over at Tiffany. “I know Maliki can see into the mind, and I don’t know who he’s going to bring. I don’t want to put you in unnecessary danger.”

Burning with curiosity, Tiffany sighed. “Maliki is fair with his abilities, but I know how to handle him.”

“I would say Maliki is more than fair. I can only hear what people are actively thinking. He can do that and hear memories,” Besseta mumbled.

Getting comfortable in her seat, Tiffany put her seatbelt back on. “No, I’ve seen others who can touch someone, and it’s like they copy the memories in a split second. Maliki’s advantage is he doesn’t have to touch, but both kinds of telepaths can be blocked though those with touch are harder.”

Besseta turned to Tiffany. “You are studying the powers of others?”

“Yes, I have since I turned. A surprising number of us have some ability. I would say half, maybe as many as three quarters,” Tiffany told her.

“What have you noticed about me?” Besseta asked.

“Well for one, you are three times faster than the last time I saw you and at least twice as strong. You used to have to feed much more often. I’ve been able to gradually make that change, but I think you can go longer than I can now. I don’t think you would waste the time to train yourself to do that since you feed on your quest,” Tiffany told Besseta, who was impressed that Tiffany had observed so much.

She gave a nod. “Not bad observations.”

Tiffany looked at Besseta for a minute then turned away. “Somehow, you developed an ability very similar to William’s. If you have been exposed to someone’s scent, you can link yourself telepathically and know relatively where they are.”

Astonished, Besseta almost shouted, “How the hell did you figure that out?”

Tiffany grinned. “The map you have down in the basement you and Kenneth have been tracking where several members of the League are. I know the League wouldn’t make the mistake of being tracked electronically because they would change modes of transportation. Even if you could, they wouldn’t make contact every day, so that only leaves a special ability. I’ve met one who could concentrate and locate someone she had met. I’ve noticed the pin marking their locations only move after you go outside. I’m making a leap, but I think you have found out how to develop abilities of others,” Tiffany finished.

“Whoa,” Besseta gasped, very impressed. “I promise when we leave the meeting, I will tell you. You might be a little shocked and disappointed with me,” she warned.

“Nonsense,” Tiffany scoffed.

Hoping Tiffany was right, Besseta shrugged. “Do you think humans will be able to make the virus less lethal?” Besseta asked.

“No,” Tiffany replied immediately.

Relieved and surprised that Tiffany answered so quickly, Besseta said, “Well, you sound certain.”

“Oh I am,” Tiffany said without doubt. “I’ve tried. The virus for one must stay in living blood. When the blood cells die, so does the virus.”

“Wow, you really have studied the virus,” Besseta said.

Tiffany nodded. “I set up a lab in northern Canada. It’s very remote. The closest road is a logging road two hundred miles to the east. It did take some time to get all the equipment there and set  up,” she explained.

“Why did you go through all that effort?” Besseta asked.

“I wanted to understand the virus for one, and for that, I had to study. Second, I wanted to see if I could help mankind,” Tiffany admitted.

Besseta smiled at her friend. “I think you would’ve made an excellent doctor.”

“No, a scientist.”

Seeing a longing on Tiffany’s face, Besseta asked again, “So the virus can’t be made less lethal?”

“Like I said, no,” Tiffany repeated. “It is the most complicated virus ever. That is what makes it so lethal. It is nothing like any virus known. In fact, it really needs its own classification.”

Feeling much better about that, Besseta settled in her seat. “Tiffany,” she said in a low voice. “You seem to know better than most who can survive the change,” Besseta stated.

“I studied the effects of the virus long before technology allowed me to study the actual virus,” Tiffany told her.

Ashamed of what she was about to ask, Besseta turned her face away. “Do you think Kenneth would survive the change?”

Knowing it took a lot for Besseta to even ask, Tiffany reached over, grasping Besseta’s shoulder in a gentle grip. “From what I’ve gathered from him and my observations, Kenneth would stand a very good chance of surviving, but do you think he would forgive the one who did it?” she asked.

Not able to answer, Besseta just drove in silence.

Chapter 8

It was after midnight when they reached Chicago. Besseta drove them to the hotel, and Tiffany was speechless at the opulence. “Besseta, we could find a more subdued inn,” Tiffany suggested.

“I’m not in the mood to go through several inns to find one that’s neat and clean,” Besseta replied as Tiffany looked out the widow over the city.

Just staring at the urban sprawl before her, Tiffany shook her head at how much it had changed. “You do realize dirt and germs don’t really apply to you, right?” Tiffany asked.

“Maybe, but if I can avoid it, I refuse to stay in squalor. I’ve done that and don’t plan on repeating it unless I have to,” Besseta stated, looking down at her phone. “We need to go to the restaurant. Your IDs are here.”

Tiffany gave a big sigh. “Very well,” she said, turning away from the window. “That is the only downfall of advancement of civilization; it gets harder to move around.”

They left the room and headed for the elevator. “Yes, but it also makes it easier to find those that prey on the weak,” Besseta said, pushing the button for the ground floor.

“Besseta,” Tiffany whispered. “I’ve been thinking. Maybe we need to move further from your home before contacting Maliki.”

Thinking about that, Besseta said, “Tiffany, I’ve always contacted him hundreds of miles away from home.”

“I was just thinking in case someone is tracking if we showed up a thousand miles away, it would seem your locations are more random and less likely connected to staying close to an area like the big lakes,” Tiffany offered. “Kenneth seems to put a lot of concern in the Strong Hands’ ability to monitor for stuff like that.”

As the elevator stopped, they walked out, and Besseta continued to think about what Tiffany had said. Walking into the restaurant, Besseta told the hostess the name of her party. After checking the registry, the hostess led them to a table.

An older man was sitting there. Besseta and Tiffany each took seats as the hostess put down menus and left. “The sun has been awful bright lately,” the man said, looking out the window at the night sky.

“It’s always bright for me,” Besseta answered, letting the man know she was the one he was looking for.

Nodding, the man turned to the chair beside him and pulled out a small leather satchel and passed it over. “You lost this,” he said.

“I’ve been looking for it.” Besseta smiled, taking the satchel.

Pushing his chair back, the man stood up. “You seem a little young for this,” the man told her. “You be careful,” he said and looked at Tiffany, acknowledged her with a nod, then walked off.

When the man was gone, Tiffany leaned over. “He seemed rather odd,” she whispered.

Besseta shook her head. “No, he is just a private eye that my law firm hired to deliver this. He doesn’t know what he delivered. He thinks it’s drugs.” She smiled. “I’ve been thinking about what you said about contacting Maliki from further away, and it couldn’t really hurt.”

“I just don’t want anyone to locate your home,” Tiffany said. She wasn’t about to suggest her fears, which she kept buried in her mind, that they would find the home with Kenneth alone. Tiffany had lived around Besseta enough to know how to keep the thoughts she wanted private, buried.

Digging in her pocket, Besseta pulled out a hundred-dollar bill and placed it on the table as she stood. “Let’s go and check these out, then I’ll call Kenneth and talk to him about that. Then, we will get you outfitted.”

“Okay,” Tiffany said without enthusiasm.

Besseta carefully inspected all the IDs for Tiffany and explained what to look for. Satisfied and amazed that Besseta knew as much as she did, Tiffany took one as Besseta called Kenneth. After talking with him, he agreed it wouldn’t hurt anything to contact Maliki further away. Hearing Kenneth’s voice, Besseta almost ran home but noticed the sky was getting brighter.

“I love you, baby,” Besseta said.

“Love you too,” Kenneth said. “I miss you.”

“I know. I really want to run back home, but I can’t make it there before the sun rises,” Besseta admitted.

Kenneth laughed. “You have to help Tiffany shop, baby. Otherwise, she will buy those druid dresses.”

“I heard that, Kenneth,” Tiffany said from across the room.

Laughing harder, he said, “Hey, tell her it was meant as a compliment, but the druids aren’t around anymore, so she would stand out. Not that she isn’t pretty enough to stand out on her own.”

Tiffany stood. “Tell him thank you.” She smiled. “How are Bonnie and Clyde?” she asked.

“Tell Tiffany, Bonnie and Clyde are fine and waiting on you two to get home,” Kenneth said.

“She heard, baby. Like me, Tiffany’s hearing is really good.” Besseta giggled. “What are you going to do while we are gone?”

“Get some work done around here.”

Feeling apprehensive, Besseta almost begged, “Just don’t do anything that could hurt you.”

“Hey, you are the one that needs to be careful, but I won’t be doing anything major,” Kenneth assured her.

Besseta sighed with relief. “Thank you.”

“I love and miss you. If you need me, just call.”

“I will, and I love and miss you more,” Besseta replied.

“No, I’m bigger; that means I can generate more love, and you’re smaller, so my love for you is more concentrated, leaving my heart longing for more, so I win,” Kenneth explained.

Flabbergasted and unsure how to respond, Besseta was left speechless. “Somehow, that doesn’t make sense,” she finally said, sending Kenneth into a fit of laughter.

“All I know is you’re my everything,” he finally said when he quit laughing.

“As you’re mine,” Besseta replied, “always.”

“Always,” Kenneth responded.

When Besseta hung up, Tiffany sat down next to her. “You two have it bad.”

Besseta gave a gentle smile. “Yeah we do,” she acknowledged. “I just wish I could’ve outdone him on the, ‘I love you more,’ part. His reasoning caught me way off guard.”

Tiffany laughed. “Oh, I can give you some good ones for that.”

Thankful, Besseta leaned over and hugged Tiffany. “I would appreciate that.”

Returning the hug, Tiffany said, “Six hundred years of marriage taught me much that I’m willing to share.”

Besseta leaned back. “Just because my husband thinks you’re hot, don’t try and steal him.” She grinned.

Tiffany grinned back. “I just want Bonnie and Clyde.”

“Well, you’re already their aunt,” Besseta pointed out.

“Well, then I’m happy.” Tiffany smiled.

The two left and spent the day shopping. Late that afternoon, they were both carrying an armload of stuff from the last store. All through the day, Besseta had the stores deliver what was bought to the motel. What they couldn’t get in the car, Besseta was going to have delivered to the house.

When they walked in the room, they found stacks of the shopping spree around it. Tiffany dropped her load on the bed. “My God, Besseta,” she declared. “I can only wear one outfit at a time. You bought me more clothes in one day then I think I’ve owned in my entire life.”

Grabbing the stuff on hangers, Besseta started hanging them in the closet. “I’ve noticed humans remember clothes more than a person’s face. Whenever we do something we might be remembered for, we destroy the clothes. I’ve always tried to destroy what I was wearing when I attacked my targets,” Besseta explained.

Thinking about that, Tiffany nodded, impressed. “Okay, I can understand that.”

“At least you don’t complain about the money,” Besseta huffed.

“Did you spend a lot today?” Tiffany asked. “I have gold nearby and can pay you back.”

“Please,” Besseta exclaimed, waving her hand at Tiffany.

“So do I need to get some gold for you?” Tiffany asked. “I’ll get you enough for what you bought Kenneth as well.”

“No you’re not,” Besseta snapped. “It wasn’t that much.”

“So I can tell Kenneth how much we bought?” she asked with an evil grin.

With a small gasp, Besseta’s eyes got wide. “You better not,” she almost begged. “He doesn’t understand it’s just money, and I have a lot of it. Money doesn’t do me any good just sitting there.”

Walking over, Tiffany hugged Besseta. “I won’t say anything, but I like to help,” Tiffany explained.

“Well, the next shopping trip, you can buy stuff,” Besseta offered.

“Deal,” Tiffany grinned.

When the closet was full, Besseta looked at Tiffany. “Get two changes of clothes, and put them in your pack. Also one pair of hiking boots,” Besseta told her.

“I’m wearing hiking boots now,” Tiffany said, holding up one leg and pointing at her foot.

“I know, but we’re going to feed before leaving, and if we get messy, we might need to change,” Besseta explained.

“Messy?” Tiffany asked, almost offended. “I don’t dismember before, after, or during when I feed.”

Shoving her clothes in her small pack, Besseta paused. “Well yeah, I forget if you don’t pull arms off, there’s very little blood,” she admitted.

“I take it you already have targets since you were just in Chicago?” Tiffany asked.

Putting her pack on her back, Besseta couldn’t help but be impressed. “Yes, I left four.”

Tiffany grabbed her small pack and started going through clothes. “Well, I’ve helped in your quest before. I can do it again.”

Laughing, Besseta walked over and helped Tiffany choose the clothes. “Just don’t try to explain the errors of their ways before you feed,” Besseta advised.

“I just wanted them to know why they had to die,” Tiffany answered. Besseta just laughed, pulling tags off the clothes before handing them to Tiffany.

The sun was setting as they walked out of the hotel. They took a cab to the house Besseta didn’t get to visit before leaving. She forgot how easy it was to hunt with Tiffany. When someone could open a door and lock everyone up with their thoughts, it made hunting effortless, almost like cheating.

It wasn’t long before they were underway, running down roads in a blur. Besseta had to keep a slow pace so Tiffany could keep up. What Besseta considered a slow pace was an all-out sprint for Tiffany.

Three hours later, when Besseta stopped at the Kentucky state line, Tiffany stopped beside her, leaning over and gasping for air. “My word, Besseta, I know you want to get back to Kenneth, but can you slow down some?” she panted.

“Sorry, I thought I was running at a normal pace,” Besseta apologized.

Brushing the apology off with her hand, Tiffany stood up. “I have to say I really like running on roads much better than through forest.”

Besseta nodded. “Yes, I’ve hit more trees than I hate to admit.”

“I hit a boulder one time so hard it exploded. I still don’t know how long I was knocked unconscious,” Tiffany told her.

“In the Alps, I cleared a tree line and found a ravine in front of me. I tried to stop but fell in,” Besseta recalled. “I fell almost a thousand feet. I made a two-foot-deep hole where I landed. Like you, I don’t know how long I was out, but I know I had to wait a day for my bones to heal so I could leave.”

“Like I said, I am very fond of roads,” Tiffany stated with her breathing back to normal.

Smiling, Besseta pulled out a phone and started the phone tag. It was an hour later when Maliki’s voice answered, “Little Besseta.”

“Maliki, we need to talk face to face,” Besseta said. “I need to send you something. Do you have an e-mail you can receive fast and never go back to?”

“Of course,” he said and gave it to her.

Pulling the phone away from her face, Besseta tapped the screen, sending the file to Maliki. “Call this number in one hour, and let me know if you got the file,” Besseta said and gave him the number. “We have to move,” she finished before Maliki could answer and hung up the phone.

Tiffany laughed. “I bet he doesn’t like to be led along.”

“Shit, I don’t care,” Besseta replied, putting the phone up. “I want this war over before it becomes more violent.”

The laughter left Tiffany’s face. “Besseta, don’t give in to false hopes,” she warned. “This war will last until it’s won by one side or the other. There will be no surrender for either side. Servitude for us and humans if they win and death for all of them if we win.”

“I know; I just don’t want to spend what time I have with Kenneth fighting this war,” Besseta explained.

Understanding, Tiffany reached over and held her hand. “Then we shall attack them relentlessly so you can put more bruises on Kenneth.”

Stomping her little foot, Besseta whined, “I really try not to.”

Laughing, Tiffany squeezed Besseta’s hand. “Are we still heading to Nashville for the phone call?” she asked.

“Yes, would you like to lead?” Besseta smiled.

“Please,” Tiffany said, letting Besseta’s hand go and disappearing in a blur down the road. The vehicles on the road just saw a fleeting image dart past them in the darkness.

Unlike those in the vehicles, Besseta could follow Tiffany easily with her eyes. “Wow, I can run fast,” Besseta admitted and took off after Tiffany. Just outside of Nashville, Tiffany stopped and walked off the highway, sitting down in the grass as Besseta appeared in front of her. “I’m surprised you kept up with me out of Chicago,” Besseta said, walking over and taking out the phone.