Blood Double by Connie Suttle Read Free Book Online

carefully.
    "My blood is a gift to you," Adam chanted as he held his bloody wrist over Breanne's mouth.
    * * *
    "I need her help with something. Where is she?" Kooper and Trevor had come to the palace. When they hadn't found Breanne in her office, the Queen's office or the Queen's suite, they'd gone to the kitchens. Cheedas was so upset they couldn't get coherent answers from him, so they'd gone looking for Gavin.
    * * *
    "Burned. Went to The Line." Gavin was drunk and sitting in a booth at New Fangled, the vampire lounge owned by Flavio.
    "You'd better be joking." Trevor had Gavin's jacket in his grip as he snarled in the former assassin's face.
    "No. Connegar says that Adam Chessman had to save her. She was turning to ash. Never meant that to happen." Gavin hiccupped.
    "What the fuck did you mean to happen, then?" Kooper was angry and his eyes were going strange.
    "Already have a mate. Don't need another," Gavin slurred.
    "Where can we find Adam Chessman?" Kooper did his best to hold his anger back. Trevor's claws tore Gavin's jacket as he tossed him away.
    "Come on, he's drunk. We'll find Flavio. He can get to Wlodek and Wlodek can get to Adam and Merrill." Trevor pulled Kooper away as he stalked out of New Fangled.
    * * *
    "She's all right; she's just sleeping off a draft of Adam's blood, that's all. He says she'll wake in the morning. He has a specialist coming in the morning to talk with her. We need to know why she went to The Line." Flavio nodded at his comesula servant, who'd placed cups of coffee in front of him and Kooper after serving a bottle of blood substitute to Trevor.
    "How does he know that?" Kooper stared at Trevor.
    "Mindspeech," Trevor took a drink from his bottle.
    "I contacted my sire, who sent the message to Adam Chessman. He is watching over her carefully, as her first sire should have done," Flavio explained.
    "Gavin should have been watching when she got away and went to The Line," Kooper growled.
    "Not to worry," Flavio's smile was almost blinding. "Adam's blood will ensure that sunlight will no longer harm her."
    "Must be pretty damn special, then," Kooper drank from his cup.
    "It is," Flavio agreed. "Why is it that you need her help?"
    "This." Kooper pulled a comp-vid from his pocket. "Teeg San Gerxon captured this one a few hours ago. They can't get him to talk, and that's unusual. Those warlocks Teeg has can convince just about anybody to talk."
    "Teeg can convince them to talk," Trevor muttered. "Most of the time."
    "How can Breanne help with this?" Flavio was extremely curious.
    "She led me straight to Weren Kele and his partner, Shale Parc. I have a feeling she can tell these things, somehow, without asking any questions."
    "That would be a useful talent," Flavio agreed. "Father?" Flavio said the last word to empty air. Wlodek appeared in a blink.
    "What is it, child?" Wlodek asked.
    "These two need to see Breanne, as soon as she wakes."
    "She won't wake until tomorrow morning. That eliminates our vampire Sheriff from being there."
    "No," Trevor shook his head. "I know about the blood thing. The Queen gave me hers years ago. Said I might need it to track scum on the light side of Le-Ath Veronis. I can go."
    "How did you manage to keep that secret?" Flavio's dark eyes studied Trevor with guarded interest.
    "Nobody important enough asked before." Trevor grinned as he rose from his seat. "When and where do you want me tomorrow morning? Kooper and I have a date with a sick friend."
    "Meet here at eight bells. I'll take you," Wlodek said.
    "Good enough. Thank you, Honored One." Trevor inclined his head respectfully to Wlodek.
    * * *
    "Has he said anything?" Teeg San Gerxon leaned against the wall opposite the prisoner's cell.
    "Not a word, boss." Stellan Starr shook his head. He couldn't understand it, either. They had a rogue warlock sitting in the cell—they knew that much at least, but he refused to talk and neither Teeg's compulsion nor anything the Starr brothers had attempted could bring a