Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns it all.
Rated M for several reasons.
Chpt 35 Hook, Line and Sinker
Ksenyia's problem turns out to be quite severe. One of Cezar's cohorts has a gift similar to Alec's an' every attempt they've made to deal with it themselves has ended in losses. Ksenyia is at her wits end an' desperately wants our help. The humans are convinced they have a serial killer with a tendency towards extreme vandalism on their hands. The Russian press are all over it.
We're in Jasper's office, Ksenyia sat before us with her head bowed.
"I'm sorry." She murmurs. "I don't know what else to do. My coven, my family, they are everything to me. Cezar has already killed five. I know Raisa wasn't quite right but if we still had her we would have had a chance to deal with this ourselves."
Jasper looks at me an' I nod.
"Demetri, you know this Cezar." He says. "What do you recommend?"
"The one with the gift, Ivan I suspect, he is much weaker than Alec, if I take enough men I believe we can deal with him without needing to involve the Mistress."
I have absolutely no desire to go to Romania. But.
"Are you sure?" I ask him. "I value my coven too, I don't want any lives wasted."
"They will not be Mistress." He answers, staring me directly in the eye, voice oozing confidence. "Ten will be enough. With a good plan and Ksenyia's assistance we should find it easy to subdue them."
I chew my lip an' Jasper takes my hand.
"You had better be correct Demetri." I snap.
"Mistress." He bows lightly.
"Are you satisfied Ksenyia?" Jasper asks.
"Yes Master." She responds, smiling broadly. "Thank you."
"Then unless we need to see you again at the audience tonight I will leave you in the care of Simon." He dismisses her. "He will confirm the arrangements for Demetri an' his men to return home with you."
"Thank you." She says again, rising an' giving me a big grin.
When she's gone Pete lounges against Jasper's desk with his arms folded.
"Well?" Jasper asks.
"I believe it to be quite straightforward Master." Demetri offers.
I snort. I can't help it. I think Ksenyia an' I understand each other but after the last couple of years that doesn't mean shit. If anything happens to Demetri I'll squish her, one limb at a time. Maybe I should tell her that before they leave . . . .
"I can't feel any deception in her." Jasper says. "But that's not infallible."
No. Gus an' Jonathan sure managed to hoodwink us.
"It is the right thing to do." Simon intones. "It will send a strong message of what we stand for."
"An' if it's a trap?" I have to ask.
"Mistress." Simon says calmly. "If it is a trap Demetri will spring it on its creator. He is very good at it."
Demetri smirks at me.
I sigh in resignation, testosterone wins.
"Very well." Jasper laughs. "Since my wife is in agreement you may go ahead Demetri, but if anyone is injured I will do my best to ensure that it isn't me she crushes."
Everyone laughs.
Ha-de-ha. Like I wouldn't do it.
The meeting breaks up an' Simon drifts over to me.
"You will need a new outfit for tonight." He informs me. "I believe they have recently stocked the very thing in the boutique in town."
"Let me guess." I growl. "The local supermodel clientele have been havin' a strange effect on their selection."
"Naturally Mistress." He chuckles. "The proprietor is very amenable. We will need to leave as soon as it is light."
"Fine." I sigh. "But I'm drivin'."
He winces slightly but nods. "Of course Mistress. If you will excuse me I had better attend to My Lady Ksenyia."
I sidle up to Jasper, laying my hand on his new scar.
"I need to borrow one of your cars."
"Darlin'." He whispers. "You can have anythin' you ask for."
"Wow. That was easy."
"Make the most of it." Pete chimes in. "Hot markin' sex will only get you so far."
Jasper growls, saving me the bother.
Frivolity over we settle down to catch up on what's been happening while we were away. Nothin' major it seems. Evans has been after me, I'll call him in the morning. One of the Guard was accosted on patrol, much to the ultimate surprise of his attackers who are currently languishing in one of our cells awaiting the audience later. Apparently stupidity didn't die out with Rutilio's fighting ring.
When it's time for Demetri an' Ksenyia to leave we follow them out onto the steps where a small fleet of SUVs are waiting.
Goodbyes are said an' everyone except Demetri piles in.
Jasper stands behind me an' wraps his arms around my torso as Demetri an' I face off.
"Mistress . . . ."
"Bella." I growl.
I sense Jasper nod.
"Bella. We will be fine." Demetri assures me.
"You'd better be. We're due a talk." My voice is gruff.
His eyes flick up to Jasper's an' I don't know what passes between them but when they move back to mine he is smiling softly.
"I promise."
"Alright. Off you go then." I order.
"Yes ma'am." He drawls in an accurate parody of Pete.
"Pig." I mutter at his retreating back.
He laughs as he folds himself into the car.
Jasper gives me a squeeze an' draws me back indoors.
Pete still wants to bore us to death going over the plans for later tonight.
The discussion takes several hours, putting a serious pout on Simon's face when it eats into his shopping time.
It boils down to three things. Behave, no PDAs whilst 'on duty' an' no sneaking off for a quick one, what does he think we are? No crushing, for boredom or any other reasons. No Majors, we're supposed to be seen to be dispensing reasonable justice, not frightening the crap out of everybody.
Duly informed of our responsibilities Jasper an' I sneak off for a quick one.
Which is how Simon finds us emerging from the shrubbery an' straightening our clothes.
As Jasper is with me he can't roll his eyes or plaster that irritating 'you have let me down Mistress' look on his face so he has content himself with informing me waspishly that we need to leave in at least ten minutes if we are to make the boutique an' return in time to get ready.
Doing rapid vampire math on his timings I realise that he's planning on going overboard with my hair an' makeup again. Oh well, I probably do need to make a good impression after last time, vampires are terrible gossips an' news of my crush an' run has apparently already done the rounds.
Jasper kisses the top of my head an' strolls into his office to get some work done while I nip in the shower.
In the driveway Simon is sitting in the passenger seat of Jasper's 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback, I listened, with his arms folded across his chest the very picture of boredom.
"You drive." I sigh theatrically. "I can't be bothered.
"Aha!" He exclaims hopping over to the driver's seat. "Someone wants to talk."
"Bodyguard, shrink or friend?" I ask as I slide in next to him.
Before I've even shut the door he's roared off down the drive in a cloud of tyre smoke. Jasper will have a fit.
"Friend." He laughs excitedly. "With free shrinkage if required."
I really want to talk about the shield stuff but first there is something I need to get off my chest.
"About Demetri . . . ."
"Ah." He says, slowing down some.
"I'm worried about him." I admit.
"Worried that oaf Cezar will kill him? " He enquires. "Worried that he's miserable living here with you and the Master? Or worried that you like him more than you think you should?"
"Um. All three."
"Well at least you're normal." He drawls. "Number one. Demetri and his men will have absolutely no trouble with the Romanians whatsoever, he's every bit as tough as he thinks he is. If Ksenyia is plotting a trap, which I doubt, it will be the last thing she ever does.
Number two. Demetri is an extremely honourable man. A rampant lady's man. But honourable. He would rather be here with all of us, and you, than anywhere else. Does it hurt him to see you with the Master? I do not know. He will not tell me. Does it ease his soul to know that you are happy? Definitely. Perhaps if you and he had previously been in a relationship it would be different. But you were the Master's when he met you and so nothing has changed for him. You are now, and have always been, the Master's. Mistress in truth I do not even know if he would wish things to be different. Demetri has dodged commitment like a bee dodges raindrops. On some level it may satisfy him to be linked to a woman he can never be with. That is not to say Mistress that he is not committed to you, he is, to all intents and purposes mated to you and so he needs to be near you."
I shift uncomfortably in my seat, the parallel obvious.
He laughs.
"If you tell me you knew . . . ." I threaten uselessly.
"I did not Mistress." He answers, reigning in his amusement. "I promise. However, on reflection I can see that believing in the loss of your bond for a period has done a great deal for both the strength of your relationship an' your own confidence.
I did not for one moment guess what had really happened but neither did I ever believe that evil blonde stereotype had actually broken your bond."
"That's great." I huff. "So now everything's rosy except I don't know how to reverse, stop, whatever the fuck it is I did."
"You bit him?" He asks somewhat delicately.
I nod.
"And, um, was it, um, as to be expected?"
"Oh yes Simon." I gush evilly. "I bit him an' he . . . ."
"Please, Mistress." He practically howls. "The Master is a very attractive man but I do not wish to have to bleach my brain!"
"Pussy." I giggle.
"Whatever." He waves his hand airily. "So, the mating bond must still be there, and as you say, shielded somehow. How do you know the shield is still there?"
"I don't." I sigh. "That's the problem, I didn't know it was in the first place."
Patiently he takes me through everything that' happened since Chelsea entered our lives. Every thought, feeling an' sensation. Then he starts on my gift an' the Bellas, even though I still feel like a freak talking about the way my shields work.
Finally the inquisition draws to an end and Simon falls silent.
"I think Mistress." He concludes finally. "That there are three options. One. The shield is already down, released when your subconscious self felt secure enough in the Master's affections.
Two. The bite and subsequent, ahem, might have ripped the shield away. Some aspect of the primal act of sharing your venom with him having overpowered it.
Three. We will need to invest in a good leather psychiatrist's couch and some serious analysis of Hidden Bella."
I sigh. Why do I have a feeling there will be some painful couch shopping in my future? Only for Jasper, is Simon poking around in my head.
"But for now." He interrupts my thoughts by screeching to a halt in front of a parade of shops. "You need a dress."
CPOV
Every few minutes he rubs his new scar distractedly. Bless him. I knew he'd be chuffed to bits when she finally marked him.
I just wish we knew that her shield has gone an' they're proper mates again. An' I can't say I'm not a little scared about it. She's been away from him for several hours an' he hasn't once mentioned feelin' her. Not that he'd probably notice anyway, hunched over the reports Demetri, Simon an' Pete left for him. He ain't looked up once since she left. Men.
I sigh. When will they get a break? Pete an' I haven't exactly had a quiet life but once we escaped Maria we at least got to spend many good years together before shit got serious. I don't really count the occasional tussle with the more cerebrally challenged kinda vampire as serious, more of a workout really. Hell I ain't no lady, I enjoy a good scrap as much as Petey does.
Speaking of whom, he's keepin' a low profile since he calmly informed me his BFF's givin' him grief. He doesn't know why, 'it's not a precise science'. Sometimes, as much as I love him, I can't help thinkin' that man's a complete waste of a set of testicles. He can't even put up a shelf without knockin' a wall down in the process. An' his foot's in his mouth so often I'm surprised he can get around. He keeps ribbin' J about Bella an' at some point he's gonna get his damn fool head ripped off. J's only got a limited sense of humour where she's concerned, especially since that bitch Chelsea.
An' I'm back to worryin' again. I firmly believe they're mates. Maybe spendin' some time with Sponge Bob Shrink Pants today will help, if it's in her head that nosey fucker will probably be able to dig it out eventually. Gettin' away obviously did them both good, they're pretty much back to their old selves. Christmas is in a couple of months, maybe we should pack 'em off skiing, I think they'd both cope better with all this rulin' crap if they get regular breaks to just be together an' be 'emselves.
"J." I ask. "Do you know if Bella can ski?"
"You'll have to ask her." He responds absently, still engrossed in Demetri's report. "She'll be back in a minute, she's about two miles out.
A wide grin spreads over my face bringin' an instant, welcome, ache to my cheeks.
Come on J, wakey wakey.
His head pops up suddenly like a big ole golden meerkat.
In the next instant he's knocked his chair over an' disappeared though the French windows. I wish he'd opened them first, but what can you do?
Still grinnin' I follow him outside. He's long gone.
"Pete!" I shout. "I need you. Now!"
Two miles is still close enough to feel the backlash, might as well ride the waves.
God I love my brother!
BPOV
I stare out of the window, feeling a bit sad as I mull over Simon's words. Right now I just want to get back to Jasper. I've no idea what we bought in the boutique, it could have been a sack for all I noticed.
I check my phone for the thousandth time. Surely, if he'd felt anything he'd have at least rung me? Couch time approaching.
I can feel him, just a few miles away now, pulling me home like he's got me on a piece of string.
Reeling me in like one of Charlie's poor fish.
Faster an' faster.
Closer an' closer.
I squeal, Char is my sister, an' Simon rubs his ears pointedly, steering with his knees.
"Incomin'!" I shout, bouncing up an' down in my seat.
"Incoming what?" He enquires dryly.
"Incomin' mate!" I scream. "Stop the car! Stop the car!"
He obeys, slamming on the brakes an' I'm out of the door before we've stopped rolling.
Before he can ask another question a large golden blur hoves into view. Bearing down on us with supernatural speed it grabs me round the waist an' carries me off into the trees.
"I will lay the dress out on the bed Mistress." Simon's shout fades behind me. "Please at least return in time for a shower."