Disclaimer: I don't own them.
Chapter Eleven
(Cassie's POV)
"Just where the Hell have you been?"
I sigh. Imagine if I'd shifted back to the same time lapse I'd spent with Pritkin. As it was based on my time sense—or whatever the hell you'd call it; I'd been gone roughly two days. When for me it was really two weeks.
But I didn't think mentioning that fact was likely to get his gladiator sized panties out of a bunch.
"Hello to you to Marco." I flopped down on to the bed, staring at him. Because what else was I going to do? Marco was in a mood; a really foul one judging by the look of things. And if there was one I'd learned over the last few months it was that when Marco had something to say; you were damn well going to hear it. Trying to walk away from him in his current state would get me nowhere; and I was too exhausted and upset to shift right this second, I needed a moment—probably a few hours at least. Especially knowing what kind of a mess I was headed back to having already lived it once before.
That was one of the nice things about being a Master Vampire I mused with I'll admit quite a bit of jealousy; when you had something to say people listened.
Being roughly six foot five and a built like a mac truck didn't hurt either. Presence Marco had in spades. And right now he also had volume; a lot of it.
"Two days, Two Fucking Days! And you pop back in; no explanation; nothing to say but 'Hi Marco?'"
"Technically I said Hello," And maybe that wasn't the right approach right now…
Marco scoffs crossing his tree trunk sized arms over an equally barrel sized chest layered with too much muscle he didn't need because hello, vampire. "That's great, that's just great. I've been getting my ass chewed out by everyone for the last two days and you've got sarcasm!"
I rub a hand over my eyes. "Gee, I'm sorry that my need to do my job is such an inconvenience for you."
Marco stares at me. "So that was Pythia business? Because Jonas knew nothing about where you'd been; Caleb called round asking to speak to you—"
"Caleb called?" I sit up cutting him off mid tirade.
"—And no one at the Senate or anywhere else knew what you were up to; the Master's been livid for two days, practically climbing the walls; chewing my butt off every five seconds for letting you pop out of here while he's stuck trying to keep this treaty together and then you just pop back in without any explanation, smelling like that damn war-mage—"
"He's my Bodyguard. Sworn by oath to protect my life; I'm supposed to be with him." I reminded Marco for the umpteenth time. But Marco wasn't listening; big surprise.
"—which is just great because now the Master's gonna know that too because I know it and that's going to do great things for his mood. And speaking of the Blonde Brit why is it no one has seen him for the last three months? But you've obviously just been with him—"
"Marco. Drop it. It's my business not anyone else's."
"Tell that to Mircea, tell it to Jonas, tell it to the Senate…"
"I Don't Answer to the God Damn Senate! Or Mircea, or You! Or Anyone else! Not when it comes to doing my Job!" Marco leans back at my shout not exactly wincing. "I'm not a toy, or a pawn in your games! If Mircea has a problem with me doing my job then he can just get over it, because it's not going to change!"
Marco sighs. "Look, I know that okay; and I get that you're kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place…."
"You don't know crap." I snarl.
"But maybe if you hadn't thrown him through a Fucking Wall the last time he was here—"
"He needs to learn his place."
And didn't that just shut Marco up like I'd never seen happen before; closed lipped on orders; usually given by Mircea; and usually over keeping information from me—like who they were keeping me from seeing; or barring Pritkin from my suite or hey scheduling my coronation without telling me. But this wasn't closed lipped, just the opposite. Marco's mouth was hanging open like what I'd said just didn't make sense; like it was still rolling around somewhere between his ears and maybe it was because nobody told a Master Vampire like Mircea what to do except maybe the Senate leader—and even then I don't think she'd have phrased it quite like that.
But I was tired, and Angry and just Sick of their games.
"Cassie…"
"Don't Marco, Just don't." Because whatever argument or placating bullshit he was going to try to feed me; I'd heard it all. And I wasn't buying it. "All my life," my voice has gone quiet, but Marco still hasn't said anything. "My whole god damn life has been one chess move after another and I'm tired of being someone else's pawn, he left me with a Monster, who killed my parents, placed a geis on me so that he could keep me away from everyone in the hopes that I'd become Pythia and then he marks me without even Fucking Asking!"
Marco is just staring at me, wide eyed. "Look you gotta…"
"Take it up with him?!" I cut him off. "What's the point?! He's Never Here! And even when he is he doesn't Listen! No one Listens! I'm not a pet, or a toy or his God Damn Whore waiting for him to suddenly remember I exist only when it's convenient and he needs something!" I'm yelling, suddenly overwhelmed with a rush of heat like I'm standing in too near a bonfire. Marco yelps eyes going a bit wide leaping backwards almost comically the same second I curse and stagger backwards because it's not just a sensation.
Turns out I accidently set the rug on fire with my last outburst; no doubt thanks to Pritkin's stolen mage magic still flooding my system. I stumble all the way back into the wall no idea how I just did that or how to put it out and damn I really needed to talk Caleb. Cause Pritkin didn't need to deal with this mess on top of everything else. Marco is still standing stone still looking about as shocked as I feel; though why I don't know.
He's already seen me throw Mircea through a few walls when he overstepped his bounds bringing up Pritkin, and four weeks ago I sent two second level Masters who were annoying me straight to the Senate leaders hotel suite; without using the elevator or the stairs.
One minute they were pissing me off and saying I should take it up with the Senate if I didn't like their assignment and then next, Poof. Gone. Because I was done being nice. Nice got me nowhere; nice got me thrown out of my own coronation and patted on the head and told to be a good little girl and let everyone else figure things out. And screw that.
I hadn't stuck around for that phone call either, and I'm sure there was one. Marco had been getting a lot of phone calls about me over the last three months, none of them good. And I could count on one hand the number of times Mircea had even bothered to ask for me; he couldn't even be bothered to speak to me on the god damn phone, but he wants to issue orders like I'm some call girl?
Not that Mircea's avoiding me, or sending a couple of pompous asshats a few weeks ago up to management was my biggest problem right now because the rug was still burning, and it was spreading. And I didn't know if maybe it was some kind of special mage fire and how much of the suite it might eat before we could get someone like Caleb out here to deal with it.
But at least somebody in the suite still had some damn sense to try the simple stuff first because a second later there's a white cloud of heavy foam spraying down the rug and Fred is staring at me more than a little wide eyed, red fire extinguisher still clutched in his hands the nozzle pointed suspiciously at my feet.
"You guys about through or should I hold onto this thing a little longer?" Marco shoots a rather unfriendly look at Fred. He's looking ready to start in on him to, and I don't want to hear it.
"Get out of my room." And to my utter disbelief; they both do. Not by me shifting them out either; though maybe after my little outburst they thought that might be the next step because they both turn on their heels and leave; pulling the door to my bedroom shut behind them with a soft click.
Wonder of wonders. Maybe I should set things on fire more often. I cross to the desk, pick up the phone and punch in the number I need since I have no idea where my cell phone is; it might be in England…I think that's where I left it.
He answer's on the second ring, his gruff opening bark so like Pritkin's I can't help but feel my lips twist into an almost smile.
"Caleb, it's Cassie. No, no crisis; but I do need a favor."
to be continued...
