Laws of the Blood 4: Deceptions: Deceptions (34 page)
Read Laws of the Blood 4: Deceptions: Deceptions Online
Authors: Susan Sizemore
“If I’ve been granted immortality I want to do something worthwhile with it,” was his earnest answer.
The worshipful look on Sara’s face shining in the dappled moonlight almost made Olympias gag. Had she been that in love with Orpheus? Or Philip? She glanced at the reincarnation guy’s corpse. Had she really killed Philip for a second time? Was she destined to be haunted by him for eternity?
Nah.
“Besides, who cares?” Right now she was in love with Colonel Mike Falconer. Lovers came and went. The trick was to appreciate them while they were there. She’d only been trying to avoid that survival trick, maybe out of nostalgia. Live for the moment or go senile, that was the vampire creed. Maybe it should be a law.
“Fine,” she said to Sara and Andrew. “Do whatever you want. Get us a bigger house,” she ordered Sara. “Maybe we’ll all move into Rosie’s place. And get the park cleaned up before the mortal cops show up. And—get out of my sight.”
“You’re going to let us live?” Sara asked, while Andrew gave her a steady, grateful look.
“Go,” Olympias said. “Before I change my mind.”
Andrew picked up Bentencourt’s corpse and shepherded his companion back up the ravine. Olympias heard Sara talking to someone on her cell phone as they went.
Falconer said, “What about us?”
“Want to go home and have some nookie?”
“Yeah, if my ribs don’t give out,” he said.
“I’ll be careful.”
He put his big, warm hands on her shoulders, though he winced from the broken wrist when he did it. “But what about us?”
“Can the discussion wait until tomorrow night?”
“What about my people?”
“I owe them,” she answered. “They’ll be safe.”
“Define safe.”
“I don’t know!” She didn’t want to think anymore tonight. “You’ll resign your commission. People will forget that the Walker Project ever existed. Maybe we’ll introduce your loons to my two new nestlings—we’ll do something where nobody gets killed. But tomorrow.”
He gave her a long, hard look that reminded her annoyingly of his father. “Fair enough,” he agreed. “What about us?”
He put his arm around her and led her toward the exit to the park. She could have moved a lot faster without him being there, but she loved being surrounded by his very large presence. Tall as she was, his size made her feel safe and protected, emotionally at least. Bitch padded along beside them.
“What about us? After tonight? I don’t know,” Olympias admitted. “I’m not going to bite you until you ask me too. I like us the way we are for now.”
She sensed that he was not at all insecure about this, or in the least bit frightened. He was willing to play it as it came. “We could use some time alone to get to know each other. How about we get out of town for a while once things settle down?”
Olympias thought about this for a moment, then said. “Actually, I have been planning on being away for a few days with Bitch while the werewolves are in town.”
“Don’t you mean Timberwolves?”
“I’m not talking basketball, Mike. You ever been to Las Vegas?” she asked before she was called upon to explain about the controversy involving werewolves and hellhounds.
“Not for a long time,” he answered.
“I’ve never been there. Why don’t we take a long driving trip out there?” she suggested. “I’d like to see all the lights and fancy hotels along the strip.”
She’d especially like to know if there were any monsters roaming the streets of Las Vegas and find out what
had happened to the city’s Enforcer. She’d probably get a report on the situation long before she and Mike arrived in town, but if she didn’t, she didn’t think Mike Falconer would object to a working vacation. He was an action kind of guy who’d been working at a desk too long. So was she.
And Bitch was just going to have to get used to sleeping on the floor.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s Imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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