you."
"Werewolves are real?"
"And vampires. Shapeshifters. Fae. Wizards. Warlocks, gods, Elemaiya," I nodded. "Plus lots of other things. You're pure blood Elemaiya, you just don't know it," I added.
"I am?"
"Kalia is, and since this is her body," I floundered for a moment.
"Don't worry, I know she's in there," Kay sighed. "I just don't know how I happened to be in here with her, or how she came to be where she was in the beginning."
"Yeah," I hunched my shoulders uncomfortably. Kalia couldn't recall her parents, or that they'd sold her when she was tiny, for a few credits. I didn't want to upset Kay with that information. It was hard enough for her to deal with the memories she had.
"Look, don't worry about it, all right? We're having breakfast," I said as brightly as I could. Bill set a plate in front of Kay first—bacon, eggs, fruit and a potato pancake.
"Honey, do I get a potato pancake, too?" I smiled at Bill.
"You're the reason we made them," he leaned in for a kiss. "Fes is bringing yours."
"Here you go," Fes set a plate in front of me. I had scrambled eggs, soy sausage, fruit and a potato pancake.
"This looks amazing," I said.
"It amazing," Chazi agreed. He, Perzi, Bekzi, Trace and Kooper were handing out more plates to those around us.
"Did you eat already?" I teased Chazi.
"We eat. We eat again, if we hungry again."
I laughed; he was teasing right back.
"Get kiss?" he grinned at me.
"Yeah." I touched his cheek as he leaned in. I not only got a nice kiss, I got a nose rub, too.
"Bree, we're going to a cookout at NorthStar tonight," Trajan said.
"Huh?"
"We go, too," Chazi said before moving away.
"Perfect," I mumbled. "I hate parties."
* * *
Earth—past
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures," Charles sighed as he set a cup of coffee on the kitchen island and studied Trajan. "I gave him blood before he went to bed earlier. We'll see if the effect can be passed on."
"Before now, I'd have said giving Gavin a dose of anything so he could walk in daylight was a scary thing," Trajan pointed out. "But you're right—it's difficult to make this investigation work if he's asleep during the most important parts of it. You think Bree's blood was that powerful?"
"I think her blood is amazing," Charles sighed. "I tasted it, remember?" He lifted his cup and sipped coffee. "Did Bill get any new intel on Mr. Clark, the werewolf and shifter killer?"
"He, Opal, Hank and Jayson are questioning Clark's closest neighbors, to see if they know anything. I hope we have a lead when they get back."
"Any kind of lead would be better than sitting here," Charles grumped.
"I like your accent," Trajan offered Charles a tired grin. Except Gavin, none of them had gotten any sleep.
"It evolved over the past three centuries," Charles said. "It used to be an 'orrible mess."
"I definitely like the newer version," Trajan snickered.
"If I still talked like that, Wlodek would order me beheaded, I think. My sire taught me right away how to speak properly."
"What did you do—before?" Trajan asked.
"I was an acrobat—in a circus," Charles smiled mischievously.
"Seriously? Maybe you ought to ask Hank to teach you Krav Maga. As a vampire, you'd be more than lethal."
"I read about it, just never had the opportunity to practice it," Charles agreed. "I know all the investigative techniques the Assassins and Enforcers use, too; I've just never been in the field, so to speak. Until now."
"Do you like it?"
"I like the mystery and discovery of it, I just hadn't considered the seriousness of the situation before," Charles sighed. "I was always on the other end, disseminating information and making arrangements. It's quite different on this side of things."
"And the fact that we don't have Bree and Trina really sucks," Trajan muttered. "If I weren't so tired, I'd go hit something."
"I believe the uncertainty over Bree is more damaging than anything else," Charles pointed out.
"I hear that," Trajan
"Werewolves are real?"
"And vampires. Shapeshifters. Fae. Wizards. Warlocks, gods, Elemaiya," I nodded. "Plus lots of other things. You're pure blood Elemaiya, you just don't know it," I added.
"I am?"
"Kalia is, and since this is her body," I floundered for a moment.
"Don't worry, I know she's in there," Kay sighed. "I just don't know how I happened to be in here with her, or how she came to be where she was in the beginning."
"Yeah," I hunched my shoulders uncomfortably. Kalia couldn't recall her parents, or that they'd sold her when she was tiny, for a few credits. I didn't want to upset Kay with that information. It was hard enough for her to deal with the memories she had.
"Look, don't worry about it, all right? We're having breakfast," I said as brightly as I could. Bill set a plate in front of Kay first—bacon, eggs, fruit and a potato pancake.
"Honey, do I get a potato pancake, too?" I smiled at Bill.
"You're the reason we made them," he leaned in for a kiss. "Fes is bringing yours."
"Here you go," Fes set a plate in front of me. I had scrambled eggs, soy sausage, fruit and a potato pancake.
"This looks amazing," I said.
"It amazing," Chazi agreed. He, Perzi, Bekzi, Trace and Kooper were handing out more plates to those around us.
"Did you eat already?" I teased Chazi.
"We eat. We eat again, if we hungry again."
I laughed; he was teasing right back.
"Get kiss?" he grinned at me.
"Yeah." I touched his cheek as he leaned in. I not only got a nice kiss, I got a nose rub, too.
"Bree, we're going to a cookout at NorthStar tonight," Trajan said.
"Huh?"
"We go, too," Chazi said before moving away.
"Perfect," I mumbled. "I hate parties."
* * *
Earth—past
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures," Charles sighed as he set a cup of coffee on the kitchen island and studied Trajan. "I gave him blood before he went to bed earlier. We'll see if the effect can be passed on."
"Before now, I'd have said giving Gavin a dose of anything so he could walk in daylight was a scary thing," Trajan pointed out. "But you're right—it's difficult to make this investigation work if he's asleep during the most important parts of it. You think Bree's blood was that powerful?"
"I think her blood is amazing," Charles sighed. "I tasted it, remember?" He lifted his cup and sipped coffee. "Did Bill get any new intel on Mr. Clark, the werewolf and shifter killer?"
"He, Opal, Hank and Jayson are questioning Clark's closest neighbors, to see if they know anything. I hope we have a lead when they get back."
"Any kind of lead would be better than sitting here," Charles grumped.
"I like your accent," Trajan offered Charles a tired grin. Except Gavin, none of them had gotten any sleep.
"It evolved over the past three centuries," Charles said. "It used to be an 'orrible mess."
"I definitely like the newer version," Trajan snickered.
"If I still talked like that, Wlodek would order me beheaded, I think. My sire taught me right away how to speak properly."
"What did you do—before?" Trajan asked.
"I was an acrobat—in a circus," Charles smiled mischievously.
"Seriously? Maybe you ought to ask Hank to teach you Krav Maga. As a vampire, you'd be more than lethal."
"I read about it, just never had the opportunity to practice it," Charles agreed. "I know all the investigative techniques the Assassins and Enforcers use, too; I've just never been in the field, so to speak. Until now."
"Do you like it?"
"I like the mystery and discovery of it, I just hadn't considered the seriousness of the situation before," Charles sighed. "I was always on the other end, disseminating information and making arrangements. It's quite different on this side of things."
"And the fact that we don't have Bree and Trina really sucks," Trajan muttered. "If I weren't so tired, I'd go hit something."
"I believe the uncertainty over Bree is more damaging than anything else," Charles pointed out.
"I hear that," Trajan
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