Damian's Oracle Part 27

"Wouldn't recommend Europe," Jule said with a snort. "You still coming to help me clean up?"

"Wouldn't miss it. Dusty, can you run the evac and clean-up ops for Arizona?"

"Gladly."

"How 'bout Australia for the next HQ site?" Jule asked.

"Come to Florida," Dusty suggested. "We can be neighbors. I'll help you keep your woman in line."

"I'll be left out again," Jule complained.

"I'm going back to Europe with you, aren't I?" Damian asked, amused. "And I'll stay until the issue is fixed."

"Even if your oracle remains in Florida?" Dusty challenged.

"I trust you to take care of her," Damian a.s.sured him.

"See how that works, Dusty?" Jule said with a laugh. "I think you just picked up oracle babysitting duty."

Dusty pursed his lips, and Damian smiled. He trusted Sofia to either of the two men before him and knew Dusty was the more likely of the two to shoot first and ask questions later if she was threatened.

"So we evac tomorrow and set up HQ in Florida," he summarized. "Dusty, can you pick a site and relay it to us? I've got parish calls to make this evening. I'm going to deliver the order to rendezvous here at 0800 in the morning for evacuations. Jule, we'll leave for the European front tomorrow."

"Awesome," Jule agreed.

"I need your computer," Dusty said.

"Like you can use one," Jule said.

"f.u.c.k you, Jule."

Damian smiled and tossed his head towards his computer, straightening. His thoughts drifted to Sofia. He'd likely be away with Jule for quite awhile. If it weren't so unsafe, he'd take her with him.

"I'm heading out to the Sector," he said. "Make yourselves at home."

Jule flipped open his phone, and Dusty sat in front of his computer. He transported himself to his room to change. As he pulled on the last of his clothes and crossed to his armory, a small, black velvet box nestled between two daggers drew his attention. He opened it, surprised to see a ring bearing the White G.o.d's seal. He'd tucked away the necklace thousands of years after finding it among the pieces of his brother's body. He'd never been able to bring himself to wear it.

He gazed at the ring, touched. He didn't know how the little oracle knew just how to affect him. Dark memories crossed his mind, along with his resolve to finally let his brother's memory rest in the peace it deserved. With Claire's death, he'd avenged his brother, righted the wrong made thousands of years ago. He no longer needed to feel as if he still dwelt in the shadow of Darian's death. He was the king now in his own right.

He removed the ring from the box, smiling as he saw his name engraved in the interior. He transported himself to the library, where he knew she'd be hiding out.

"Did you do this?" he demanded, holding up the ring like a piece of dirty underwear.

She jerked at his voice and twisted to face him, observing him coolly before turning away.

"Are you going out?"

"I am."

Aggravated by her second display of defiance in one night, he crossed to her and planted his hands on either side of her chair, demanding her attention. She looked up at him.

"Do you like it?" she asked, unease and desire crossing her features at his nearness.

"Yes."

"In your home videos, you're always thinking about the symbol."

"Home videos?" he echoed.

"Your memories."

Her two-toned eyes were still, her head resting on the back of the chair as she looked up at him. The s.e.xual awareness killed him more and more lately, and he started to think going to the European front was a good thing. She'd have time and s.p.a.ce to adjust without the added confusion of him.

"You shouldn't be afraid to wear it anymore."

"You see too much, Sofia," he replied gruffly.

"You keep telling me who I am. This is who you are, Damian."

There was tenderness in the way she looked at him that amazed him. He felt her deep confusion of the world around her and marveled again at how selfless she still managed to be.

"Thank you, Sofia," he whispered.

She smiled at the genuine note in his voice, and he leaned forward, kissing her. If only he didn't have to tour the Sector tonight!

"We'll come back to this, kiri," he promised, grudgingly withdrawing.

Her eyes swirled with arousal, and her parted, plump lips threatened his resolve. She touched his face. He kissed her hand and pushed away. He left the library and transported himself to one of the remaining, undiscovered safe houses at the base of one of the mountains. He placed the ring on his finger, body buzzing with l.u.s.t and antic.i.p.ation.

There'd been no hesitancy in her kiss, none of her previous reserve. Maybe, just maybe - "h.e.l.lo, Damian."

He whirled, aware he'd been too lost in thought to heed his instincts. Czerno stood before him. Before he could react, a charge of electricity flew threw him, carrying with it an invasive liquid that paralyzed him. He dropped to the floor with a roar, his eyes blurring as more fire and liquid tore through him. He struggled to free his arms from the invisible bonds, his eyesight darkening until he dropped into unconsciousness.

The sense of danger jarred her, and she sat up straight, heart pounding hard. She looked around.

Something was wrong.

Damian.

She shot out of her seat and to the door, wrenching it open. She pulled out the cell he'd given her and called the only number in it.

"Jule."

"What happened?"

"Sweetheart, I'll call you later. Stay put for now, ok?"

He hung up, but there was urgency in his voice. Jule wasn't the type of man who worried about anything, and fear slid through her.

"Pierre!" she called. For the first time, he wasn't lingering in the shadows. "Dustin!"

She s.n.a.t.c.hed her satchel and dug out Linda and Traci's numbers. She dialed each of them, distressed when both calls went to voicemail. She stopped and closed her eyes, seeking the home videos that normally streamed.

Nothing. Coldness filled her.

She went to the key locker and chose one of Damian's sports cars, her instincts urging her to go somewhere, though she didn't know where. Within minutes, she was on the road. It'd been only a week and a half since she ventured into this new world, but she felt strangely exposed without Pierre with her.

Her phone rang, and she s.n.a.t.c.hed it.

"Did you call?" Traci asked.

"Where's Rainy?"

"I'm not supposed to say anything."

"Please, Traci, it's important."

"Come to the Sector."

Sofia arrived half an hour later and found Traci alone with the man she recognized as Ving. He looked past her as he opened the door.

"Where's your bodyguard?" he demanded.

"I don't know."

He stared at her. She edged past him.

"Traci?"

The model appeared, looking tired but awake.

"Ving, we're going to the site," she told him.

"h.e.l.l no."

"You can take us, or I can go alone," Sofia said.

"Neither of you will go anywhere."

She exchanged a look with Traci.

"Very well. I'll wait for Pierre to catch up," she said, going to the living room.

Ving eyed her, waiting until Traci followed before accompanying them. Sofia put her purse down and tucked her phone into her jeans.

"You hungry?" Traci asked. "I was just making a midnight snack. I can't stop eating."

"You're eating for three," Ving reminded her.

"I know, I know," Traci grated. "As long as I don't look it!"

"No, thanks," Sofia said, pretending to be interested in the football game on TV. Traci disappeared around the corner to the kitchen. Sofia waited a minute, then called. "You need help?"

"Sure, if you want."

She felt Ving's gaze on her as she walked. There was no backdoor in the kitchen, but Traci had wedged the window over the sink open. She rolled her eyes before ducking through it. Sofia followed.

"And now we run like h.e.l.l," Traci said, closing the window softly.

They circled the hacienda to Sofia's car and dove into it just as the front door wrenched open. She tore away from the curb, heart pounding as she watched Ving's furious form grow smaller in the rearview mirror.

"I'm in so much trouble right now," Traci said. "Rainy's gonna be p.i.s.sed."

"Me, too, I'm sure. Where are we going?"

"One of their safehouses was. .h.i.t earlier. Rainy called to say he'd be there for awhile cleaning up the mess. I've been there twice to check for signs of vamp surveillance."

"That doesn't sound good."

Her phone rang. Jule's number flashed. She suspected Ving had made a couple of hurried phone calls and let the call go to voicemail.

"This feels weird," Traci said. "I'm used to one of them following me around like a puppy."

"Yeah, I noticed that, too. It feels good to get out, though."

They were quiet. She drove fast with Traci's directions guiding her. As dawn broke, they reached the safehouse, a low, adobe structure hidden between the foothills of the Tucson Mountains. The destruction was visible long before they reached the building. Dead vamps lined the driveway. Several cars were on fire, and black smoke spiraled towards the sky. Deep holes in the ground, rimmed with black, pockmarked the shallow valley. A dozen vehicles were parked near the structure, itself the size of a small warehouse. At least one of Damian's Guardians lay slain among the scores of vamps.

The adobe structure was guarded by several more Guardians, and she stopped the car before reaching them. The death around her disturbed her, and danger hung in the air. She closed her eyes, waiting. A faint memory began to play. She hesitated and moved away from the car.

"Sofia," Traci called, fear in her voice.

Sofia stopped at the edge of the driveway, horrified by the bloodied and broken bodies spread across the expansive area in front of her. It looked like a warzone and smelled like a cesspool. Her chest was tight and her breath short, but she knew there was one way to find out what happened to Damian.

"Come with me," she whispered. She grabbed Traci's hand, and she picked her way through the death until she found the vamp she sought.

"Sofia!" Dustin's voice was filled with fury.

She knelt beside the vamp. While he looked dead, he was alive enough for his memories to reach her. She braced herself and touched him. The night's battle lit up her thoughts, and what she saw made her gasp.

Czerno himself had been there for the well-timed ambush that overwhelmed the two Guardians a.s.signed to the safehouse. Damian appeared and destroyed nearly a hundred vamps before facing Czerno and Czerno's secret weapon, the one that made the vamp believe they'd win before he'd been shot down. The vamp before her went down before she saw the outcome, but she knew what happened.

Damian had been kidnapped.

Dustin wrenched her to her feet.

"What the f.u.c.k are you doing here?"

"Dusty," Jule cautioned, placing a hand on his shoulder.