Running in Fear: Ghost Warrior (9 page)

“All of our men are very attractive, but don’t you think what’s inside is more important than outside? I mean I’d hate to be stuck with a total jerk who knew he was good looking, no?” Cecil pulled out a chair, and nodded to Leda.

“Of course, you are right.” Leda frowned and glanced down at her lap as she sat down. “My fiancé was such a man, until something took him away. I might enjoy looking at Cecil, but I would never do anything. I’m here to do a job, and then I’ll go back to my children.”

Lissa glared at Cecil, and patted her friends arm. “Why don’t you and I go eat out on the porch? We can catch up on old times? Plus, you have to tell me about your children. I’ve missed so much.” Lissa glanced up at Nikola, and he saw the tear slip down her face.

His stomach tightened, as he made it to her side, and kissed her cheek, wiping the tear away. “We would all love to hear about the outside, and what is going on. We have a lot to discus, Lissa. It’s just going to take time for all of us to get to know each other.”

He turned and squeezed Leda’s shoulder. “I am very sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine what it is like to lose someone you love, and to raise a child without help. Please tell us what is going on in Washington.” Nikola helped Lissa sit, as everyone sat down. While everyone started to fill their plates, the conversation continued.

Nikola sat down next to Lissa and Adonis, who nodded to him. “Leda, let us explain to you who and what everyone is. That way it will be easier for you to conduct the interviews.”

Lissa sat there chewing her food, but it had no taste. She watched as each person introduced themselves and what they were to Leda, while Leda took notes and ate. Every once in a while she would glance at her, and Lissa would smile, encouraging her to ask whatever she wanted. Yet at the same time, she wanted to drag Leda out of the dining room, and protect her from the truths that were being unveiled for her.

Pierre’s deep baritone voice drew her attention, and out of her fog. He was introducing himself and explaining what he was. A piece of carrot cake was placed in front of her, when she glanced up to see Cecil there. “I’m sorry Lissa, I didn’t mean to come off as if I was attacking your friend. Do you forgive me?”

She stared down at the carrot cake and grinned. “If you keep making carrot cakes, honey, I’ll forgive anything.” Lissa laughed, and patted her hand.

“I think with everything going on, Cecil, we’re all on edge. Every time we turn the corner, something new is being thrown at us. I guess it’s getting to us all.”

Cecil hissed, her forked tongue snaked out. “You can say that again. I would have liked to find out I was caring our children the normal way, not announced in the middle of the room.” Cecil rubbed her stomach as Clayton moved in behind her and hugged her.

Leda turned in her chair and looked at the both of them. “Okay question. If this island is going to be some new realm, and all of you are going to be part of it, why help the rest of us who are stuck here? Because I can promise you right now everyone is going to be asking this. I mean to leave behind the fighting and the deaths. Who wouldn’t.”

Pierre picked Lissa up and sat down in her seat with her on top of his lap. “That’s easy, we’ve lived here all our lives Leda. Our families and friends are here, how could we not help protect them. Plus, if I’m not mistaken, part of your world will be coming with us, at least this is what I believe. No one is for sure on anything right now.” Pierre cut the cake and fed her a bite of it. The cake literally melted in her mouth. The taste of the cream cheese frosting and carrots lit up her taste buds, and Lissa moaned.

“Damn Cecil, this is the best. Okay for birthdays, anniversaries, anything, let it be known that Cecil’s carrot cake is what I want.” She grabbed the fork from Pierre, and scooped up a piece for Leda, offering her a bite.

Leda leaned over taking the bite, closing her eyes. “Okay, forget the guys. Honey, if you bake like this all the time, I’ll be your best friend for life.” Leda tried to take another piece, but Lissa pulled her cake away.

“Get your own.” Lissa teased, when Cecil put a piece in front of Leda.

Cecil laughed. “Here we go again with the moaning. I swear you guys act like you have never tasted anything before. First it’s Jaycee and Shelly now you three.” She nodded to Suzanne who was also making all sorts of noises.

A dark shadow, passed over the house, blocking what little light that was coming from the windows. Everyone stopped and glanced up as a bright flame could be seen through the window. Lissa glanced to Dominic. His chair flew backwards, his gaze landed on her, then he was gone, running through the room as Blair, and Granger followed.

Lissa hugged herself. “Why do I have the strangest feeling I’m about to get served to a dragon, with a big fat apple stuffed in my mouth?” She pushed the cake away from her, all of a sudden very scared.

Pierre held onto her tightly, as Adonis moved up to them, and squeezed her shoulders. “Nothing is going to happen to you. We don’t know who it is, but remember Dominic is King of the Vampires. He won’t let anything happen to you.”

Lissa had her doubts, but didn’t say them. She knew Kimberly’s family would want revenge, perhaps to drag in the other kings.

Nikola and Castor had left the room after Dominic, so she knew it wasn’t good. A trembling hand touched her arm, and she turned to see Leda as nervous as she was. Lissa took a deep breath and patted her arm.

“Everything is going to be fine. Why don’t I show you to your room, and we can talk, while everyone greets our new guests.”

Leda nodded, pushing away her cake, as Pierre and Adonis followed them towards their quarters. Leda would be staying in their wing since she was close friends with Lissa. Already her things had been delivered to the room assigned to her.

Lissa grabbed onto Leda’s hand, as they walked down the hallway with Pierre and Adonis following them. “So, tell me how your parents are? I know they have to be getting up there in age. Also I want to know about your little ones, and this mystery man I didn’t get to meet.”

Leda grinned and squeezed her hand. “Dad and mom are doing well, but I’m afraid I had to hire a couple of nurses to help with them. Oh mom can get around and so can dad, but they are both close to their 80’s. The nurses also help with the twins.” She sighed.

“While searching for you, I met a sergeant at the local police station. He always kept me informed of anything. We knew the Bloods were involved, but didn’t know where they had taken you.” Lissa stopped and her face turned a light shade of pink.

“I’m sorry Lissa, but I had to tell him something about you, other than mom and dad, and I trusted him. It was the only way I could explain how you would survive.”

Lissa sighed, “Hey, don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter anymore anyway. So, how did this man take your news about me?” Lissa asked once more moving Leda towards her room.

“Actually, he wasn’t surprised. He worked for a special team in the police force that dealt with the other races. That is one of the reasons we became so close. Matter of fact, his team is having a hell of a time with all of the recent activity going on. His best friend Diamond, called me just before you did, and informed me that a number of his sources were now in hiding, that something big was about to happen, and that everyone better get ready. But his sources wouldn’t let on what was going to happen, just that something big was going to happen.”

Leda moved through the door to her room, and she stopped in the middle of the room, gapping.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Shit, Lissa two of my apartments could fit in here.” She squealed when she noticed the small kitchen off to the right side. “I even have my own kitchen? Oh honey, if I didn’t know what we were up against, I swear I’d gone to the most exclusive spa ever.”

Lissa laughed, nodding to the large garden tub. “That tub will hold up to six full size men. Just thought I would let you know.”

Sure enough Leda’s face turned a bright pink again, and she laughed. “You are so bad. Like I’m going to have six men up here, please, I’d be lucky to have one. Where you are small and curvy, I’m tall and a whale, still with the baby fat from having my twins.”

Adonis and Pierre snorted from the chairs they were now sitting in. “The both of you are gorgeous, and I don’t see why women are never satisfied with their appearance.” Adonis grumbled.

Leda turned to her and shook her head. “You have a keeper there. Adonis in our human world, I don’t know about your world, but in ours, men have a habit of forgetting to tell us this and some earth men prefer the skinny woman.”

Lissa moved over to Adonis and curled up on his lap. “Thank you, that meant a lot to me.” She kissed his lips and patted his chest.

“But Leda is right, even in our world; men forget to say those little things. We might act all tough on the outside, but inside we are just as unsure as anyone else. We want to know that you find us attractive and desirable. If we put on a new dress, we most likely bought it for our man. We want to know he likes it, that he appreciates our efforts to please him.”

Leda sat down on the sofa next to Pierre. “I have to say every day Martin would wake me up before he went off to work, tell me how beautiful I was, and that he loved me. Even at lunch time he would take time to call and tell me. When I got pregnant with the twins…” Leda glanced down at her hands.

“It was as if I was giving him the world. Every day for two months, he would bring home little gifts for me personally, and for the babies too. Of course then, we didn’t know I was having twins.” Leda got up and moved to the window looking outside.

Leda moved off Adonis’s lap, and went to Lissa, hugging her. “He never knew, did he?”

She shook her head. “He was killed the day before my ultrasound. They say he died instantly, but you know what’s weird, Lissa?” She turned towards her, tears running down her face.

“I knew the instant he died. It was as if he came to say good-bye. He even told me to take care of our babies.”

Lissa hugged her friend. “I have a feeling your Martin was a little more than human himself, don’t you?” Leda pulled away, a frown on her face, as she thought about Lissa said.

“You know something, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if it were true. He always knew things ahead of time. I kept yelling at him, because he would spoil surprises, and sometimes freak me out.” She laughed.

“Now that I think of it, it would explain a few things. You see, little things have been appearing in my son’s cribs, and I couldn’t figure out how, till I saw a bottle move in the air just before I came here.”

Both of them moved towards the chairs and sofa, when Nikola and Castor stepped into the room. Lissa froze at the look on Nikola’s and Castor’s face.

“Her parents have called an enquiry into Kimberly’s death, and they’ve called in another king to preside over the hearing. They don’t believe Dominic can be a fair judge, since he was there,” Nikola stated, his face blank, but Lissa could see the anger flashing in the pupils of his eyes.

“So why are all three of the other kings here?” Lissa asked, but no one said a word.

* * * *

Lissa grabbed the side of the chair as she stared at him. “When are they going to hold the trial?”

Her friend Leda wrapped her arm around Lissa, obviously knowing something was wrong. “What the hell is going on? And why would you have a trial in the middle of all this, when you’re trying to save our world?” Leda yelled, frightened.

“I killed Castor’s ex-wife, yesterday or today, whenever. It seems her parents aren’t too pleased with me.” Lissa shot Castor a glance.

“Are you okay? Are her parents here, on the island?”

“I’m fine.” Castor was by her side in two strides. “She wasn’t my wife, Lissa. We were never married in your ways. We had a blood bond, but that was all. I wanted it to be more, and I thought it was more, but the more I look back, I see there was nothing there. Just wishful thinking on my part, but I know now what a true blood mate is, and I’m not letting anything happen to you. None of us will.”

“I’m afraid they are waiting for you in the dining room, Lissa. They want to meet with you before the trail starts tomorrow.” Nikola offered his hand to her, and she smiled, but her hand shook.

Her best friend grabbed her sweater, and started to put it on, but he shook his head. “I’m sorry Leda, but you can’t come, only Lissa, Castor and I will be allowed in the room. Even Pierre and Adonis will not be allowed, but you can wait outside the room with them, if it makes you feel better.”

Adonis and Pierre both snarled, and glared at him. “Why are we not allowed to be with our mate?” Adonis demanded, as all of them made their way down the hallway.

“It seems all four kings are now here. Kimberly’s parents contacted the other three earlier today, and they have all flown here. King Christopher St. John, King Randle Val Burn, and King Jared Fourfold. But I have a feeling it is more of a meeting with Dominic, since he is the true Vampire king. I think this trial thing is a rouse, to meet with him without letting the outsiders know what is going on.” Nikola grabbed onto the dining room door, and turned to Adonis squeezing his shoulder.

“I expect the both of you to let no one in. I have a feeling Kimberly’s parents might try to come in, but I don’t want Lissa to have to deal with them tonight.” He nodded to Leda.

“She will be protected, and no one will enter that room unless I have been told otherwise.” Adonis pulled Lissa into his arms and nuzzled her neck.

“You do know that you can shift to a wolf, now. Maybe tonight we’ll all go running?” he kissed her eyes and nose. “We’ll be right out here if you need us.”

Lissa laid her head on his chest and squeezed him. “I’ll be alright, and I would love to run tonight, to be outside with the plants.” She glanced up at him, and kissed his lips. “I better get going.”

She moved into Pierre’s arms. “Take care of Leda. She’ll try and storm in, if I know her.” Lissa grinned, when she heard Leda snort behind her.

“You’re damn right. If I hear you yell once, I’m so through those doors, damn the trouble I’ll get into. I just found you, I’ll be damn if I lose you, sister.”

Lissa grabbed onto Leda, hugging her after Pierre kissed Lissa hard, and slapped her ass. “I’ll be fine. Do you really think Nikola and Castor are going to let anyone hurt me?”

Castor snarled and Nikola let his anger show a little to her friend. She gasped and her hand flew to her throat. “Remind me never to get Nikola mad. Damn that man is scary when he’s angry.”

Lissa slapped his arm. “Did you really have to do that? Now that’s all she is going to remember about you, jeez.”

The dining room door opened, and Dominic stood as a small bout of smoke rose out of his mouth. Leda couldn’t help it, and laughed, but caught herself. “Umm, sorry, but you, I just remembered that song, ‘
Puff The Magic Dragon’
.”

Nikola cracked a smile, as Lissa busted out laughing. Dominic shook his head. “Come on, let’s get this over with for tonight.”

King Jarred came up to stand next to Dominic. “Are we ready?” His gaze landed on Leda, and Lissa stepped in front of her. All he wanted to do was drag her to his living quarters, but he knew he couldn’t.

“I am ready.” Lissa held up her chin, and both men stepped aside as she marched inside the dining room, where the other kings waited.

The door closed behind them as he and Castor stood at Lissa’s side. Dominic sat at the head of the table, while the other three kings sat next to him.

King Christopher tapped his fingers on the table and stared at Lissa. “So you have the powers to control plants. Why would you use this in front of an enemy? You have to know the other side now knows of your powers. Didn’t you think they would come after you full force knowing you had this power?” His voice held a whip of contempt towards Lissa.