"You may have to explain your terms," Gabron said. "What do you mean by sucking up?"
"Flattering them," I muttered. "Convincing them they're more wonderful than they are, or even wonderful to begin with. I don't like being coerced," I added.
"Neither do I," Gabron agreed. "Nevertheless, it may keep them happy and give us needed numbers when the ritual takes place. I cannot command you to do this, Lissa, but it will be better for all of us if you accept the invitation. I will make sure they realize that sex is out of the question."
"Please do," I said dryly. No way I wanted to rub against somebody I didn't know. Not to mention what Gavin would think about it. I almost wished he were with me, just to keep the others away.
"If you will come at fourteenth bell tomorrow evening, I will take you to the location," Gabron interrupted my thoughts. "There is also something else I'd like to ask you, little Queen."
"What is that?" I watched his face; he was curious about something and desperate to learn the answer, I think.
"How much Elemaiyan blood do you have? I have an eighth, but that only allows me strong compulsion and mindspeech. I greatly desire to know if you are full Elemaiyan, or nearly so."
As questions go, that one was completely unexpected, bordering on shocking. "What are you talking about?" I blurted. Elemaiyan? I'd never heard that word before.
Gabron was almost as surprised as I was. "You did not know? Only vampires of Elemaiyan descent are able to mist or mindspeak. Others of that race have been reported to have additional gifts as well, but I have not seen these myself; they are only legends here. Obviously, you belong to the Bright Elemaiyan race; the Dark Elemaiya always have black hearts and become criminals when they are turned. I have not seen any of those in a very long time."
"How can you tell the difference?" I asked, becoming a little frightened over Gabron's descriptions.
"You can't; both races have the same coloring and features. It is only in their actions that you may tell, once they become vampire." I stared at Gabron for several minutes, sure that somehow the two must have different scents or some other way to tell the difference. And why hadn't I heard of them before?
"Where are they from and how do they become vampire?" Those were the next questions on my list.
"They are known as Travelers on many worlds, or Elves, even, although that label is very wrong. The only known race of Elves keeps to themselves and do not wander as these races do. The Elemaiya have the talent for world-walking through gates that they can sense between the worlds. They prefer worlds that are not technologically advanced—they have a power of their own and choose to rely on that."
"And you're saying that I have their blood?" I was skeptical, to say the least.
"You must, your talents indicate this," Gabron's eyes were hooded, now. "And you were not aware of this?"
"This is the first I've heard of it," I said. I wasn't sure I should believe any part of this, anyway.
"The Elemaiyan race is a strange one, although our ancestry rests there," Gabron steepled his fingers and watched me as he spoke. "They are capable of reproducing with the humanoid races, as you can see. However, if the child is less than half Elemaiya, the race will not acknowledge it, turning the child out after it is grown."
"So, if one of the parents is half and has a child with a human, then that child is forced to leave? That sounds a little harsh," I said, still not sure I accepted any of Gabron's tale.
"My mother was turned out at age sixteen," Gabron nodded. "She was a quarter as you may have deduced, and her own mother forced her to go. She never recovered from that rejection."
"How long do the Elemaiya live?" I asked.
"They are one of the immortal races," Gabron said softly. "That, in my opinion, explains why they turn vampire so easily; something in the blood accepts it more readily than the other races. I can see that I may have shocked and upset you with this information. Nevertheless, it is true, little Queen. Think on it for a time and if you have questions, please come to me. My mother taught me much about the race."
"All right," I nodded. "I will be here tomorrow evening at fourteenth bell. What should I wear?"
"Wear whatever you like, this is an informal gathering," Gabron informed me. "It was good seeing you again. Would you like me to walk you out or will you leave in the same manner as last time?" He was smiling now, I noticed.
"I'll get myself out," I replied and misted away from him and Blue Desire.
* * *
"This is where the perimeter lies," Tony held a GPS locator in his hand; he and his brother Deryn had traveled into Luddesdown and gone past it, following the signal on Tony's small device. "Every signal we received stops here. There were tags in her luggage; I placed them myself and not all of them should have stopped working at once."
"You're serious about this, aren't you?" Deryn watched his half-brother's face as Tony frowned at the GPS screen. Tony had never been involved with anyone before, except casually. He was always too tied up with his work; he gave that his full attention always.
"I want her, bro. Not only for me, but because I think she has the best chance against these terrorists we're hunting." Tony placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "She's a vampire, Deryn. And not just any vampire. Weldon Harper calls her Pack and she's a member of the Sacramento Pack, too. Now do you know who I'm talking about?"
Deryn's eyes widened as he stared at his brother. Now he knew why they were out in the middle of the English countryside in the dark. They wouldn't find a vampire awake during the daytime and it would be dangerous to move one anyway, during that time. No wonder he'd seen a body bag in the trunk of the rental Tony was driving.
"Bro, you can't be serious; we can't kidnap a vampire—they'd shred us. And if it's the one dad was telling mom and me about, she'd really shred us." Deryn figured he would have to convince Tony to forget this mission.
"All we need to do is find where she is, just before dawn. Then, when she falls asleep, we'll just take her with us. I don't think she'll hurt us, she's not that way," Tony said, climbing inside the car. "Here," Tony tossed his cell phone over when Deryn slipped into the passenger seat. "Find a hotel or bed and breakfast someplace close."
* * *
Xenides observed the member of the Vampire Council carefully. Saxom had pointed this one out to his eldest vampire child, telling him to approach her if assistance was ever needed. This particular member hadn't been on the Council at the time—she was selected to take Saxom's seat when he'd been eliminated. All the better for me, Xenides snorted softly. He and the others now had a mole on the inside.