Part Three

A/n: Again, names you might want to know.

Susannah Fulller - Mimi
William White - Jack
Rose Standish - Allegra
John Carver - Lawrence


New York

The bartender eyed Mimi Force skeptically as he put away bottles of liquor on the back wall. His arctic blue eyes stole quick glances every time he thought she wasn't looking—probably gauging how much longer it would take before she fell flat on her face drunk. Lucky for her, alcohol hardly affected her Blue Blooded genetics.

Mimi wasn't hiding out at one of Soho's popular Red Blooded sports bar for a social call. She simply couldn't go anywhere else without running into a Blue Blood.

When she had first sullenly taken her seat at the bar, the attractive male bartender attempted to hit on her. After four beers and only single-worded replies to his advances, he gave up and moved on. It was good effort, she had to admit. The guy was definitely a charmer—in a friendly, approachable sort-of way. Maybe she'll tip him extra when she closed her tab.

With a flick of her hand, she beckoned him forth and muttered another order of beer. It wasn't her drink of choice, but she wanted to blend in.

"Are you waiting for someone?" The bartender asked with what looked like concern.

And here she thought he was only out to make tips, "Nope. I just wanted to be alone." She raised her bottle and tipped it up in the air mockingly.

He was resilient, smiling and flashing a boyish grin. "Hiding then?"

"You can say that, not that it's any of your business." She watched him move to the tap, grabbing a glass and filling it up, her suspicions rising as she heard him laugh.

"I'm just curious by nature." He stepped back in front of her and placed the glass down, filled with clear, bubbly liquid. "Here, this is on me."

Mimi glanced at the glass and back up at him, annoyed. "Still doesn't make it any of your business and you can't bribe me with..."

She didn't know what it was and something just didn't feel right about him.

"Sprite," He answered her, amusement lighting up his eyes, which she only noticed now were obscured by locks of dark-brown bangs. "I figured you might want to switch over to something less…alcoholic."

He jerked his head, shaking his loose bangs away from his eyes. And that's when it hit her. His dark-brown locks, his piercing blue eyes. The way he nonchalantly flirted with her was alarmingly familiar…her breath was beginning to catch and her heart started to race.

Mimi risked a glance up at him again, blood pounding in her ears.

Standing vividly in front of her was the ghost of someone she wished she had never met and longed to see again.

Kingsley.

Her hands slapped against the bar top as she leaned over and fought to keep her breathing even. When he lightly grabbed her wrist, she jerked away from him.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine, "She bit out before running to the back of the bar, dashing into ladies room, needing to escape from the illusion.

Once inside the washroom, Mimi undid her ponytail, feeling the beginnings of a headache creeping up on her. She rushed to the sink and stared at herself in the mirror. Her reflection showed no signs of trouble. Mimi frowned at herself, wondering if she should be worried.


Plymouth

She stalked after him, increasing her pace in order to keep up with him, her calves burning from the action. "You listen to me, William. There is nothing out there and if you follow them into the woods I will never forgive you."

"You're being unreasonable," He retorted, still heading for the underbrush.

"William, stop!" She grabbed him by the arm, desperate for him change his mind.

He raised a brow at her, "Worried for my well-being?"

She quickly let him go, as if his sleeve burned her. "No, I just wish you would stop acting like an insane person."

A gust of wind blew past them, shaking the trees at the edge of the forest. John Carver and Rose Standish were already deep inside the woods, searching for the phantom Silver Bloods they claimed still existed.

And for the last few weeks, Susannah had to watch her soon-to-be Blood Bound slowly becoming engrossed with the search, obsessing over the idea that the Silver Bloods had returned.

It was a heartbreaking sight, he was an embarrassment. On more than one occasions, she had the displeasure of overhearing others badmouthing him and his new paranoid associates. And if it wasn't for him, she would have easily joined in on the gossip.

She had been watching him all morning. He had been behaving oddly, pacing back and forth from the windows, as if waiting for something. And when it neared noon, he abruptly skipped out the back door, heading over to the edge of the woods.

It didn't take long for her to deduce what he was up to. And so, she threw on her cloak and raced after him, determined to stop his behavior once and for all.

"Please, stop," She pleaded and was hurt when he turned away from her.

"I don't expect you to understand, Susannah."

"Understand what! That the Silver Bloods are responsible for the disappearances? That's completely absurd and you know it."

"You don't believe they can be back?"

"No. Believing that would mean believing they were not wiped out of existence in the first place. Is that what you believe William? That we failed our mission in Rome?" It was a double-edged sword. And no one wanted to admit they had failed.

"So you're just going turn a blind eye...I won't stand for that." He sounded angry as he stepped away from her.

Where was he getting this ridiculous notion from? Since when did he care? She crossed her arms and closed the distance between them. "Do not even try to imply I am not protecting our people. It is Red Bloods who are disappearing—"

"And what about Thomas, are you not alarmed he vanished?" He cut her off.

"Coincidence," She answered him matter-of-factly.

Her twin actually at the nerve to snort at her and start to walk away, shaking his head. It was no use, when William had made up his mind, there was no changing it. She turned and left him to his wild goose chase.

And when he returned later that night empty handed, she said nothing and ignored him.


New York

For the third weekend in a row Mimi Force found herself reentering the sports bar down in Soho. Perhaps it was becoming a safe haven from the coven. Maybe it was the cute bartender that she couldn't help but feel drawn to. Chris, she had learned was his name, was quite the talker.

Mimi grabbed a seat at the end of the bar. It didn't take long for Chris to notice her as he poured a draft beer for another patron.

"Hey," He called out to her, surprise in the tone of his voice. He probably thought she wasn't going to show. "Be right with you!"

She smiled politely and looked away, feeling uncomfortable. But there wasn't time contemplate when a voice sounded behind her.

"Fancy seeing you here," announced the voice and her stomach dropped. There wasn't a single place safe from her coven!

Upon first glance, the Blue Blood would have looked like any average thirty-something-year-old New Yorker hanging out at a sports bar on a Friday night.

"Sullivan," Mimi nodded guardedly. Of course, that was his last name and what he normally went by these days. His first name was Craig in this life cycle if Mimi recalled correctly. She also knew him best as Augustus, back in their days in Rome.

"I'm taking you're not happy to see me?" He held out his arms, as if waiting for a hug they both knew would never happen.

"I'm not happy to see any Blue Bloods tonight. Don't be offended." She hopped off her seat. "Or do." She could really care less.

"Oh come on, we're practically family. At least, let me buy you a drink."

She contemplated leaving the bar all together, but then she saw the look in his eyes. He was on the outside like her nowadays—maybe more so than she was.

His bond mate, Ava, perished five years ago, slain during the second Silver Blood war. Cassiopeia was Blue Blood's alias back in Rome. Word was they were bonded and lived in London before the war. But after Ava was killed, Sullivan decided to move back to New York.

"I'll take a dirty martini." She muttered, stealing a glance at Chris before following Sullivan to a booth near the back wall, walking past a group of Red Bloods playing darts.

Not a moment after they took opposite seats in the booth, a waitress appeared to take their orders.

"Jack and coke, and a dirty martini for the lady." Sullivan ordered. He turned back to Mimi, "How are you holding up?"

Mimi threw him a dirty look. If one more Blue Blood asked her that again, she'll throw a fit.

"Understandable." He nodded sheepishly and quickly changed the subject. "Sarah dragged me out here tonight."

Mimi followed his gaze over to a pretty looking brunette, his familiar she assumed. "Associating with Red Bloods these days?" She sneered.

"Hm," Sullivan grunted forlornly. "They certainly are less dramatic than us."

Mimi scoffed. She highly doubted that, having gone to a high school with Red Bloods. The waitress arrived with their drinks and they waited until she left again. Mimi sipped on her martini before leaning back in her seat. When one lost their bond mate in their world, the vampire's worth was almost considered less because of it.

Only those of higher status had a better chance to move past it, like Charles or Lawrence, or Trinity by association. Craig Sullivan, or Augustus, was not so lucky.

He took her silence as a negative judgment, "I don't hate being a Blue Blood. I'm just sick of the lifestyle."

Sullivan had a point, but he was most likely talking about high society in general and that part Mimi would never get tired of. Maybe she could temporarily move to the Los Angeles and ignore her duties for awhile. "I can agree with that, maybe a vacation is in order."

Sullivan lightly chuckled, "I wouldn't blame you. Everyone's talking about your bond breaking and the Jack proposing to the Half Blood. He's got a lot of nerve."

Mimi internally winced, having already schooled her expression to stay impassive at the mention or thought of Jack or their broken bond.

"You're not taking any action anymore. That's noble of you." Sullivan looked down at his drink.

"Oh, I still want to," The blonde Blue Blood couldn't help but sound childish. "But what good will that do?"

"A millennium ago, we'd be rallying behind you." Sullivan took a gulp of his drink, "But we're all so obsessed with ass-kissing these days. No one wants to step on anyone's toes by making some political faux pas."

"It's not merely that. There's no use killing off one of the strongest members of our coven, when we just survived a second civil war." Her gaze went out to the rest of the bar, finding Chris busying himself with a patron.

"Point taken. Well, our world is naught but a game of chess…" Sullivan raised his glass to her, "…to being pawns."

Mimi always thought he had a way with words. She shook her head disapprovingly and clinked her glass with his. Someone suddenly slid into the booth next to her. Without so much as a sip, her arm was jostled and spilled the dirty martini over her lap and table.

"Shit, I'm sorry," The intruder shifted away from her.

"Russell can be such a klutz, excuse him," Sarah, the Red Blood, apologized with a bit more grace in her seat next to Sullivan.

Mimi murmured a curse under her breath and began sponging the vodka-olive-juice concoction with a napkin on her thighs. When she looked up again, she found Sullivan staring at her.

"You hungry?"

She glanced around her and found Sarah eyeing Russell. Mimi turned back to Sullivan unimpressed, "Do you every Red Blood you know in on our little secret Craig Sullivan?"

"Russell's my younger brother. We used to be Conduits to the Frosts, before they were killed. We do work for the repository now." Sarah corrected.

"Well damn, you're that—"

"Sarah, Russell, this is Mimi Force." Sullivan cut the Red Blood off.

"—thought you'd be long gone by now." Russell finished.

"Shut up Russell," Sarah glared at her brother. "You should be privileged that a Force would even sit next to you, let alone go near your neck."

"Privileged?" Russell nearly choked on his laugh. "You're joking."

"I would be careful with the next words you choose Red Blood," Sullivan spoke the very same words Mimi was about to seethe.

"What?" Russell shrugged innocently, the alcohol disabling the common courtesy filter in his brain. "No offense, but you just got astronomically dumped by your own twin. I'd rather be someone's familiar, even if you're an Elder."

Mimi kept her tone even, "I am, in fact, a Conclave elder under the reigning Regis…and yet you still don't hold your tongue."

She moved to gather her hair up into a ponytail, hoping the Red Blood was smart enough to know what's best for his health.

Russell eyed her as she fixed her hair and snickered, "You're hot. But I think I can do better."

In a flash, Mimi's hand pushed out and she sent Russell flying out of the booth, skidding across the floor, his head knocking into several chair legs as he flew. The tumble caught the attention from everyone else in the bar.

"Oh my god!" Sarah shied away from Sullivan and Mimi, intimidated by the display violence before running over to her brother.

Mimi slid out of the booth and the entire bar lulled into dead silence. She rolled her neck, feeling it crack in several places. She took a step away from the booth and murmured under her breath, "Dormi."

Over on the side of the bar, Sarah tensed up and then her body slumped over her brothers. Any surrounding bar patrons around the siblings also fell unconscious from the spell.

"Dormi." Mimi repeated with more force, compelling the rest of the bar, save Sullivan, into slumber.

With the task complete, the blonde Blue Blood headed for the exit as Sullivan slid out of his seat, staring disbelievingly at the scene before him.

"Have fun cleaning this up," Mimi looked at him pointedly.

Sullivan nodded, his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. Mimi stomped out of the bar, leaving him to tend to the two dozen or so Red Bloods.


to be continued...