Bliss (The Custos) (30 page)

It had been a long time since I had seen Preacher loose his composure this bad, roaring as loud as he could, his voice distorted and his big body trembling. I stood from my chair and met him shout for shout. "You are not my Sire, not my Dominus and certainly not the man who loves her so back off."

A look of shock on his face made me step back. "You do love her don’t you? That’s what this is about. You’re in love with her?" I stood my ground a level stare between us, both waiting to see who would throw the first punch.

"Sod off with that bullshit. I love her but not like you do. You insult me and the friendship between us with such a hateful petty accusation."

"Then explain why you’re so pissed about my actions when it's my decision?" I waited, on guard and on point.

"Because it wasn’t yours to make! When this all comes to a head and we find that fucker Conlin you'll see I'm right."

"What the fuck Preacher? Do I have to give you a god damned order? Stay out of it!"

Classic tit for tat and for the first time in almost a century I heard some of what he was thinking. Color me surprised because the good father wanted a fight. "Oh you think you want to throw some blows huh?" I asked and kicked the chair as I stepped up into his face, nose to nose we stood, the anger between the two of us had the floor vibrating and Leushus standing to intervene.

Preacher stormed out the broken door, I didn’t know where he was going but in that moment I was glad to see him go. We both needed separate corners and all the space we could get or we would draw blood. Leushus who had sat silently through all of this finally spoke.

"He doesn’t love her, not like that anyways."

Great now Leushus to.

I sat back down, tired. "I know.....fuck I know that."

"Then why be so foolish?" He walked to the sink, looking at Preachers mug like he felt as bad about that as I did.

"I can’t think right now, clearly anyways. I'm so fucking close to losing it Leush." My voice was barely a whisper and for the first time in all my years I let the pressure I was under out. Leushus took it in stride and smiled.

"I wondered when this day would come. All Custos have a moment like this Cacius and they get passed it...." He paused and sat again next to me. "If you keep the memory from her you will be responsible for the consequence, you know that right?"

"What consequence?" I asked not sure what I was even asking.

"Every decision has a consequence Cacius, no matter how small. By making the choice to keep her from this, you accept the outcome and consequence fully on your own."

"And what will the consequence be?" I asked not sure if he had the power to know the answer.

"I can read thoughts Cash, but not the future. I don’t know what it will be, but history with this type of shit.... It won’t be good."

"What would you do?" I asked but he didn’t answer because in walked Klem.

"I found your boy Stupor, he was...colorful to say the least. I sent him with Red and Fred to feed he was in some bad shape my friend. He sent me with a gift for you though." He looked at Leushus with mild disgust and no problem hiding the fact. "Leushus the great, tell me are you here to help your men out or spout your useless dreadful bullshit like always?"

Yeah
Nex
hated Leushus more than they hated us.

Leushus smirked at the bitter comment. "Klem, don’t you have a bar full of souls to corrupt?"

"They'll be there when I get back, they always are." He said and looked at me. "He's on the porch..." He smiled a smile that made me sick. Klem really was one of the bad guys, why he was helping was beyond me but I would take the favors as they came. "He's a little....sore for lack of a better term."

I stood and walked out the door, on the steps was a mangled body of a
Nex
, well three quarters of a Nex. He was missing a leg. I let the night out on him, blow by blow I would have beat him to death had it been possible.

Leushus finally stopped me and I took him to the prison in the basement where three Nex lingered battered and bloodied waiting for death and I was the dealer. If Conlin wasn’t playing fair than neither was I.

This ended tonight.

*

London

I went to bed alone as usual. I had gotten up around four AM and went to go down to the kitchen for a glass of water when I realized Cash had locked me in. I had told him that I would leave and he took me serious. I wouldn’t have left had I known I had the option, taking it from me made me want to act out just to act out. I was so sick of being managed by the men in my life.

Unable or unwilling to cope with all the shit going on in my head I went back to bed and willed my eyes to close. I wasn’t sure if I was asleep or dreaming but I heard the lock disengage and open. Light from the hall filtered in and the shadow of a large man entered. Closing my eyes not in the mood to talk to Cash I pretended to be asleep.

It was definitely a dream because when I felt the bed dip and a hand nudge my shoulder it was Leushus I heard. "Wake for a moment London."

I opened my eyes and dream me seemed to be surrounded by fog, though in Cash's bedroom I felt like I were laying on a bed of clouds not black satin. "Leushus?" Dream me asked and my voice sounded like bell chimes. Funny I would have thought I would sound irritated, I hated being woke up, or was I awake? It was all so confusing.

"I will need to find you and answer you one day, and it is sooner than I thought. You need to drink from me London and never tell a soul."

"Cash will kill us both." I said remembering his reaction to me offering to feed Preacher a while back.

Dream Leushus laughed and I wondered what was funny. "London, he would sooner kill himself than mess a hair on your pretty head. He may want to kill me but since I'll be saving you he will get over it." He slit his wrist and instinct wanted to scream and say no, but as he cut he didn’t bleed.

"Where’s your blood?" I asked and reached for his wrist.

"I'll will it when you’re ready."

I lowered my head in difference because his words had me terrified. "They are going to get me huh?"

He nodded and I seen his blood pool at the wound. "Drink London."

The minute my lips touched his skin I froze and felt so much power and worry and love and...everything roll into me. It was like every emotion at once and I wanted to cry. There was so much sadness and pain and I knew it was what was inside of him, like he took these emotions off the people around him and suffered for them. He was darkness but he was light too.

I felt him pull back and cup my cheek. I wanted to ask him why he did what he did but then as if I were torn from sleep I jackknifed up in bed, my heart pounding and my body slick with sweat. I couldn’t remember what I was dreaming but whatever it was had me rushing to the bathroom.

I felt such darkness in me, I was going to puke, had to, and whatever was in me was dark and hateful and terrifying. I puked for hours, or minutes I’m not sure but finally sleep came and it came in the bathroom, I was scared that whatever was in my sleep still lurked in that bed and I would not go back there tonight.

*

Cash

With every punch my knuckles split, only to heal again before I dealt the Next blow. I had Simon the Nex who gave London Bliss, the Nex who almost killed her and the Nex who was now short both legs, all strapped to chairs in a cell below my house.

Leushus left to check on Preacher, but Bastian had shown up with some serious leads, and of course Klem stayed to enjoy the fight.

I used a bloody hand to wipe the
Nex
blood from my forehead. It had been a century at least since I had unleashed a fury like I did tonight. I looked at Bastian who stood back watching the beating same as Klem. "So what happened?"

I walked to a nearby weapons chest and dropped my daggers on top of it. I would need to burn them, they were covered in blood to deep to clean and I refused to use warped wood like Preacher and his former cross he converted into a stake.

"Turns out a whorehouse opened about two months ago in Elko. Our friend Conlin uses it as a beard to distribute Bliss. Half the whores in the place are hooked and most the clientele is
Nex
. The women are beat and raped and used to feed." He looked away from the three bloody
Nex
as if the sight of them turned his stomach as bad as they did mine. He wanted to kill them I knew it by the look in his eye. Go ahead. I thought but then figured it was a bad call, they would have info I needed.

"Looks like you boys are the three luckiest Nex to meet me."

They said nothing which was smart. I was over the edge and I only needed a reason. I hated these fuckers simply because of association, but to come after my mate, my Princess? It took every ounce of dignity I had to keep from landing a death blow to each one. "The waitress from the PALMS escaped, barely and has been hiding out since then."

I locked the cell back up and headed for the stairs with Bastian and Klem in tow. "Where’s she hiding?" I asked as we reached the top of the stairs and I headed into the half bath by the kitchen to wash up.

"All over. I called Leush, he says’ when he's done with Preach he'll take her to the victim’s sanctuary in Greece. She'll be safe there till we can place her somewhere else."

"Nice." I walked into my office, otherwise known as a room with a computer and a whole fuck load of weapons. I waited for the internet to boot and went right to map quest. "What’s the place called?"

"You won’t believe this but Bliss."

He was right. It was so easy and simple that I wouldn’t think anyone that stupid. It spoke volumes on the
Nex
intelligence. I typed it in and searched Elko. Sure enough, right off the freeway in the middle of nowhere. I printed the map and address before going for my coat. "I'll be back before sunlight but stay here with London. I'm only scoping the place tonight and see if I can sense how many we are going to be dealing with."

"You'll never get there before sunrise and going alone even to scope is dumb as hell." Bastian said and blocked my way.

"Not anymore. I figured out how to
shift
tonight and I won’t get close enough to be in danger. Besides, if you haven’t noticed I’ve lost my fucking mind and my backup, I have to go alone." I didn’t wait for an answer, I
shifted
right there and found myself standing in an empty field five hundred yard away from a packed whorehouse. The faint smell of Stetson hung in the air and I knew who it was. I was a football field away from Conlin Freebold, and I wasn’t leaving without him.

*

London

I woke curled in a ball on the cold bathroom tile. I remembered getting sick but I couldn’t remember why. I must have fallen asleep in the throes of vomiting. Glad that nobody was there to see me in all my green glory I stood and expected to feel like shit, but I felt great, better than great. It was clarity that came over me and I knew what I had to do. I showered quickly and dressed before going over to the door. I knew it was locked but Cash was seriously under estimating me. I had snuck out of alarmed doors and windows that made his simple lock seem stupid. It was, a bobby pin and a library card did the trick and I smiled as I slipped, tip toeing down stairs. I crept into the kitchen and opened the basement door.

"London can I help you."

Busted again damit!

"Hey Bastian." I shrugged my shoulders and caught sight of the clock on the microwave. "Is it really only 4:22 in the morning?" I woke at four when I got sick. I felt like I slept for hours, apparently not.