"Well, Saxom's bitch, right back at ya," I snorted, squaring off across the hotel suite with her. It was as if we were sizing each other up or something. The fact that I'd known who made her surprised her a little, I think.

"You think you can come against me?" She laughed. "I am a true Queen, not a little pretender." Well, she was taller than I was, by about eight inches. Certainly dressed better, if that meant anything. But she'd only heard what everyone else thought they knew about me. I just shrugged at her statement.

"Guess we'll have to find out, now, won't we?" I said. We were still circling carefully; I'm sure she'd seen me materialize in a blink and wanted to catch me before I could go to mist again so her opportunity to place compulsion wouldn't be lost. She cursed a little in German as she bumped into a chair. I understood her words, though, which made me smile.

"Why are you smiling?" she asked.

I couldn't resist. "Because I know something you don't," I said.

"And that is?"

I smiled wider, turned to mist in a blink right in front of her and in another blink I had her turned to mist with me, screaming out to anyone that could hear me for help.

* * *

"The first vampire rule is never kill your donor, or any human, unless they present a threat to you," René was teaching Tony, who was quite happy to be vampire and curious as hell about the rules. René realized that he would have to present his newest turn with an accelerated course; Tony wasn't slow or stupid and was learning everything quite rapidly, in addition to watching all the news programs concerning world events. René knew Tony was used to getting his reports directly from the source and was now displaying mild impatience with what the news agencies were reporting. Tony was just about to ask questions when he received Lissa's mindspeech.

"René, I can hear Lissa." Tony was on his feet in an instant. "She's shouting for help."

"Our little rose is nearby?" René was on his feet as well. "Can you contact her? She will hear you?"

"She always has before," Tony nodded.

"Then ask what she requires," René's voice held urgency.

* * *

Lissy? René says to ask you what you need. I received unexpected mindspeech from Tony and could have wept with relief.

Tony, I have someone who needs to be kept in a secure room until the Council can decide what to do with her, I sent. Where are you? Please tell me you're at René's chateau.

We are, came the reply. Why?

Because René has an underground vault that would be perfect for this, I replied.

* * *

Tony swiftly informed René of Lissa's problem. "Tell her to come, does she remember the way?" René asked as he motioned for Tony to follow him. Tony relayed the message, receiving the affirmative from Lissa.

"She says she remembers," Tony assured his sire.

"Good. Tell her to come as quickly as possible. In the meantime, you and I have much moving to do." René unlocked the door to his basement, leading Tony down a flight of steps.

* * *

Tell René to leave the door locked, I instructed. I was getting close; I recognized the road leading to René's chateau. I no longer had to get inside using the kitchen vent; I could go straight through the walls and the Queen Vampire I had inside my mist was quite angry as I carried her along. She wasn't used to being manhandled, poor thing. She wanted to kill me, too; that vibe came in loud and clear.

We're ready, Tony's voice came back. I imagined that he and René had been doing some rapid transfers; I didn't think René wanted his priceless collection of stolen artifacts to be touched by a prisoner inside his vault. The Queen Vampire gave a mental shriek as we misted right through the walls of René's home and then through the floor and into the basement. René and Tony were standing outside the locked door of René's vault; piled all around them were boxes and containers with jewelry, artifacts and other priceless treasures inside. I went through the door of the vault—it was tighter than a drum when René close it off—dumped my prisoner in the floor and misted out again. I materialized away from all of René's objets d'art.

"Lissy!" Tony was weeping, he was so happy to see me. He grabbed me up and nearly cracked my ribs, he hugged me so hard.

"Hey, stop that!" I was pounding on his back; I could barely breathe.

"Child, you are stronger than you were," René reminded him pleasantly. Tony set me down, held my face in his hands and kissed me. Gavin was going to hear about that. For sure.

"Lissy, I'm so sorry. So sorry, baby," Tony gave me another smack.

"Tony, René is Gavin's cousin," I mumbled dryly when he came up for air.

"Really? Does that mean I'm related to Gavin now?" Tony's eyebrows drew together in a frown as he pulled me against him again.

"Stop that, you schmuck," I swatted at him. "And that's for making me think you were dead."

"Merrill and Gavin did not inform you?" René asked.

"There may not have been time." I was only now recalling that I might be getting René in trouble, just by being in his home. Well, I was going to get into trouble anyway. Pulling my cell from a pocket of my jeans, I hit Merrill's number on speed dial.

* * *

Griffin finished his meal and was placing his dishes inside the dishwasher when Merrill's cell phone rang. Merrill checked the ID. "It's Lissa," he said, and answered the call. "Sweetheart, you're not in trouble," Merrill didn't bother with a greeting. He wanted Lissa to know the important information right away.

"Really?" She sounded so surprised. Griffin and Gavin both were listening in on the conversation.

"Of course not, sweetheart. I think Wlodek is quite upset, mostly with himself for not discovering this earlier, but that will smooth over with time. Where are you? We will come to get you and bring you home."

* * *

I was shocked at Merrill's words. "I'm really not in trouble? Are you telling me the truth or just trying to trap me?" They could be—how was I to know?

"I'm telling the truth. Where are you, sweetheart? We will be there right away."

"That might be a little hard to do," I replied. "I'm in France right now. Merrill, listen carefully, I need your help with this. I went to a hotel room in Paris because that's where they said Xenides and Rahim had been before Tony's hotel got bombed. I wanted to check it over for scents, but I found another mister inside. Merrill, if I'm mist, I can see other misters who are mist. I knew this wasn't one of ours—Henri and Gervais are a greenish mist. The others, the ones with Dark Elemaiyan blood, are a purplish gray color. I thought it was just another one of the usual, like the ones I've already killed. Merrill, I was wrong. This was a female, and she calls herself a Queen."




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