Blood Royal

The lead turned out to be in Stillwater, sixty miles north of Oklahoma City. Bill arrived at the house to lead the way, Winkler came along with us and Rhett and Dalroy stayed behind with the Alfords. I think Lucas wanted to go but Corinne didn't, so he stayed with her. Bill carried Winkler, Radomir, Tony and René in the car with him while the rest of us followed in the van.



After driving an hour, we parked outside a farmhouse west of Stillwater. A dirt road ran up to the house, with heat-browned grass growing in the space between tire tracks. The road wasn't used much; the grass stood tall in the center of that narrow track. The farmhouse was neat, though, painted a pale yellow with green shutters. What caught my attention (and Gavin and René's as well), was the window glass was painted black, with thick curtains hung over that. Somebody didn't want light getting in. Not even a little.



"Let Lissa go in first," Tony ordered when we all piled out of vehicles. Bill wasn't arguing and Gavin only frowned, so I misted inside the house first. Ancient wood floors creaked beneath my feet when I materialized, though my steps were light across them. Cautiously I went to mist again, just to be sure; the entire house was deserted and darker than a tomb. I smelled vampire, just not one of those we hunted. At least not yet—the scent didn't smell evil.



Did Bill find this during the day? I sent to Tony.



Tony must have conferred with Bill; it took a few seconds before his reply came. Yes, he said he got a tip on this place, Tony responded.



There's nobody on the ground floor, but hold on for a moment, I want to check something, I returned, misting right through the floor. I don’t know where the trap door was; I wasn't interested in that. What I found was a male vampire wedged in a tiny space with a human female, and they were terrified. The woman looked to be in her early forties, so this was likely a love match. Visions of Vilmos and his companion flitted through my mind. Heaving a mental sigh, I shot back through the floor into the upper portion of the house and misted outside, materializing next to Gavin.



"Gavin, please come with me," I said. Turning to mist again, I hauled him a quarter of a mile away before he could protest and jerked my cell phone from a jeans pocket as I solidified. Tony, keep everybody outside the house until we get back, I told him in mindspeech.



What's going on, Lissy? Tony was very curious and a little worried—I could tell through his mental voice.



Tony, just hang on for a minute, okay? I tried to reassure him as much as possible while I dialed Charles's number.



"Lissa?" Charles was probably surprised to hear from me again so soon.



"Charles, I just found a vampire who's hiding out with a human female," I said, praying that they weren't going to be killed just because I'd found them. "The vampire is about three hundred years old with long blond hair braided down his back. The woman is in her early forties, I think. They're hiding under a house in north central Oklahoma and they're terrified someone will find them."



Charles was already tapping on his computer and Wlodek, who'd been listening in, took the phone. "Lissa Beth, what have you found?" he demanded.



"I don't know," I felt like sobbing. "Father, I don’t think they're bad. Please tell me we don't have to kill them." Gavin's eyebrows rose when I called Wlodek father but he didn't say anything. He was frowning, however, over the news that a vampire and his human companion were beneath the house.



"Probably Winston Byrnett," Charles's voice came over the phone. "The description and the age fit."



"He disappeared twenty years ago," Wlodek informed me. "He requested the review for his companion and then disappeared with the woman before a decision was reached. His human companion was approved by the Council, but the news was never delivered. We were unable to locate him."



"So, other than the fact that he's feeding off the population, he's not rogue?" I asked.



"I would strongly suggest that he begin ordering his meals from the normal sources," Wlodek replied dryly. "If he will send his information to the Council, we will supply the paperwork that he didn't wish to wait for earlier."



"Okay," I heaved a relieved sigh. "Thanks." I terminated the call. "Come on, you may have to place compulsion while we do some explaining." I grabbed Gavin's arm and we misted back to the house.



"Just give us a few minutes," I told Bill, Tony and the others when Gavin and I landed beside them. "We'll be back in a bit." I misted Gavin and myself straight into the hidden basement. Gavin placed compulsion the moment we materialized; Winston was set to fight both of us. His companion huddled farther into the small cubbyhole that held a mattress and little else.



"You will answer all questions truthfully," Gavin added to his initial compulsion not to attack. The blond vampire nodded.



"Are you Winston Byrnett?" I asked.



"Yes," the vampire nodded. The woman whimpered and wept.



"Honey, we're not about to kill him—or you," I reassured her. She peeked out of a small space between her hands; they were covering her face.



"The Council approved your companion," Gavin took up the conversation. "The Head of the Council says that if you send your request, the approval papers will be forwarded to you. He also suggests that you order your meals from the recommended sources from now on."



"That's all?" Winston was shocked. "You tracked us all this time just to tell us that?"



"We weren't tracking you," I said. "We were after someone else, but we got a lead on you instead. That's why we're here now. It might be a good idea to scrape the paint off the windows and move away. Somebody knows something," I added.



"We will," Winston nodded.



"Here," I pulled the cash I had with me from my jeans pocket. "Go spend the night in a hotel in Oklahoma City. Have your lady," I nodded toward the woman, "check on other property for you. I don’t think coming back here is a good idea." I handed the money to the vampire.



"I haven't touched my bank accounts in nearly twenty years; I was afraid the Council would track me," Winston muttered, handing the folded cash to his human companion. She accepted it, crumpling it in her hands in confusion. I probably had three hundred with me—I hadn't taken time to count it before we'd left Oklahoma City. It was enough for them to spend the night somewhere and buy the woman a meal.



"The Council isn't after you, Mr. Byrnett," I said. "But somebody tipped us off and my guess is they weren't vampire. I think you should gather your valuables and get out tonight." I'd seen an old truck under the carport beside the house. The woman nodded and Winston turned to help her off the mattress.



It didn't take long for them to gather what little they couldn't do without, and Tony and the others were shocked when Gavin and I walked out with the couple. Winston had a small safe he hefted into the back of the truck; the woman had clothes, photographs and a few other belongings. They were loaded up in no time.



"These people aren't connected to Xenides," I informed Bill and the others, who now stood by, watching as the truck was loaded up.



"Did you say Xenides?" The woman came over to us.



"Yes. What do you know?" Tony exercised compulsion. I swatted his arm; compulsion wasn't needed.



"Someone came to the door today and told me that an old friend of Winston's was coming to visit us tomorrow evening. When I asked who the old friend was, the girl called him Xenides. Winston says he doesn't know of anyone by that name."



Winston walked over to join the conversation. "I've never heard of Xenides," he said.



"She said that if we knew what was good for us, we'd wait until he arrived," the woman went on. "I didn't like her attitude, and Winston said since she was human, he wasn't really worried. Until you showed up tonight, that is." She raked a hand through dark brown curls, her blue eyes concerned. "We thought the Council was here to kill us," she muttered softly.



"What about Catulus?" Gavin asked. "Have you heard that name?" Wlodek had mentioned that name; Xenides had used it before.



"Fuck," Winston cursed. "You don't want to get anywhere near that one. He'll kill you and steal your women."



"How do you know this?" Gavin demanded.



"My sire knew him. Catulus killed him, along with my older brother. I was out; that's the only reason he didn't kill me as well. Catulus wanted my older brother's female and he wouldn't give her up. My sire and my brother tried to fight Catulus off but he was older and stronger."



"Then maybe you should keep on hiding until we can get rid of him," I said. "We'll let the Head of the Council know. Go on, get as far away from here as you can," I said.



"Here," Bill handed the keys to his car to Winston. "Let's transfer their things," he said. "Just let me know where you left the car," he added, "and we'll pick it up." He handed over a card, much like the one I'd gotten from Tony the first time I'd met him. Winston's eyebrows rose considerably. "We'll let Xenides think you're still here," Bill jerked his head toward the old truck beneath the carport.



"Will do," Winston nodded. "Sweetheart, have you ever lived in Texas?" he asked the woman, placing an arm around her shoulders.



"No, hon," she said. "Is that where we're going?" She looked up at him with a trembling smile.



"Maybe," Winston smiled at her.



"Here," Gavin pulled out his money clip and emptied it; there had to be at least a thousand dollars in it. He handed that to the woman. "For moving expenses," he said. The woman smiled at him and took the additional money. Bill got them inside the car; Tony and René moved their things. We watched as they drove away, turning east onto Highway 51.



"We'll all have to squeeze into the van," Bill sighed.



"We'll make it work," Winkler grinned. Roff, who'd been standing by watching everything, was completely fascinated.



"I will ride in the back, like luggage," he offered.



"Are you sure?" I asked. He grinned.



"Of course," he replied. "I have been in smaller spaces."



Gavin held me on his lap while Winkler drove. René, Tony and Lorenzo were in the seat behind us; Radomir, Thaddeus and Bill were in the seat behind them and Roff was folded up in the back. I was glad we didn't have anyone else; they wouldn't have fit. We were packed so tightly inside the van, I felt as if we were riding in a vampire clown car.



"Are we going to stake out that place tomorrow?" René asked.



"Oh, yes," Gavin replied.



"Xenides is really old. We'll have to surprise him," I said.



"If he comes himself, he'll get a surprise," Gavin muttered.



Gav is worried about you, Tony sent. He wants to strangle the bastard while he removes his head.



Tony, I want to strangle the bastard while Gavin removes his head, I returned.



You may both have to wait; René wants Xenides' death so bad he can taste it, Tony replied.



"I was hoping to find evidence of my brother," Lorenzo offered timidly, breaking up the mindspeech with Tony.



"It was a long shot, but if he's with Xenides, we still may be able to get him back tomorrow. Providing Xenides sends him, or comes himself," Tony said.



"Why is Xenides interested in Winston Byrnett?" I asked. Nobody had an answer.



We ended up staying the night at a motel in Stillwater. Gavin plunked down an impressive credit card and paid for several rooms. He and Radomir wanted to be as close to Winston's home as possible, in order to get there as quickly after sundown as we could. Bill was on his cell, calling for other agents to watch the place during the day.



"Wait," I said to Bill before he hung up. "I have an idea."