Chapter 23

Sunlight. Dawn. My bedroom was never this bright. What was going on?

I cracked an eye open to look at the windows. My drapes were missing. There were more windows than there should have been. And they were angled funny, surrounding the bed.

I opened both eyes and sat up. I wasn’t in my room.

Then I remembered the night before: going to House Volantis, the VIP room, carrying the blonde back to her apartment, and finding Chloe. The rest came back in a flood. I was still at her place.

I looked around. Chloe wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I climbed out of bed to look in the bathroom, but then I smelled coffee.

I relaxed. She was in the kitchen.

I took a deep breath, letting the warm aroma fill me. Then Mother Nature made her demands of me. I went to the bathroom. Sure enough the toilet was in a small room to the left of the entrance. After relieving myself I went to the sinks. I could feel the crust from our mixed fluids on my chest, belly, and crotch. I needed a shower. I wondered if Chloe had already cleaned up or if she was waiting for me to wake up.

I went back out to the double doors leading to the rest of the house. When I pulled it open, I heard voices. Someone was here. I couldn’t hear them very well, but I certainly didn’t want to walk out there in the nude either. For all I knew, it was someone she worked with or something.

I closed the bedroom doors and gathered up my clothes. I couldn’t find my phone. I could ask Chloe about it once I was cleaned and ready to go.

I went back to the bathroom, stacked my clothes on the sink counter, grabbed one of the towels that had fallen to the floor the night before, and stepped into the showers.

After cleaning up and getting dressed, I left the bathroom and went to the double doors. I could still hear voices. There was laughter. Good. At least I wouldn’t be interrupting anything massively important.

I opened the door and stepped out. I spotted Chloe through the archway immediately. She was sitting on a stool in a bath robe. She was smiling and looking at someone in the kitchen that I couldn’t see.

I approached the archway and looked in. Chloe sat up and looked at me. “Good morning, sleepy head.”

Dana popped her head around the corner to look at me. “About time you woke up,” she said.

I stepped into the kitchen and looked her over, biding my time until enlightenment revealed which question to ask first. She was wearing a light beige skirt suit that was only just darker than her skin tone. Under the jacket, she wore a blouse with ruffles around the neck that framed her cleavage very nicely. White stockings and tan shoes completed the outfit.

I couldn’t think of a better place to start than, “How did you find me?”

“Oh,” Chloe said in answer and nodded at the counter. “Your phone was trying to ring itself to death. You wouldn’t wake up, so I answered it.” My phone was next to the coffee maker and plugged in to recharge.

Dana looked me over. “You look freshly scrubbed.”

I nodded. “I didn’t know with whom she was speaking, so I decided to get cleaned up and dressed.”

Chloe pouted. “But I wanted you to scrub my back and ass. After all, you smeared fluids all over me.”

“I did?” I asked, honestly surprised. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Then she looked at Dana. “Is he always like this?”

Dana nodded. “Yes, but once you get him going...”

Chloe’s smile shifted. She inhaled deeply and said, “Yes, I know.” Then she finished her coffee and set down the cup. She hopped off the stool and sidled up to me. “I’ll grab me a shower,” she said. “Since I’ll be alone, I shouldn’t be too long.” Then she pulled my face down for a tonsil-swabbing kiss before slipping past me and disappearing into her bedroom.

I turned to Dana. She had a look on her face that suggested she had heard some fun stuff about me. “I’m sorry I didn’t call.”

She chuckled. “It seems you were too busy to call.”

I stepped over to my phone. It was almost seven-thirty. “It’s early,” I said and looked at Dana. “When did you call?”

“About half an hour ago,” Dana said. “The phone died while we were talking.”

I nodded, grabbed a cup off the tree, and poured myself a cup. “Any word from House Volantis?”

The cheer in Dana’s face sobered. “The officers want to talk to you about what happened.”

“They don’t blame me do they?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” she said. “Which is why I would suggest you call rather than just go over there.”

I nodded and picked up my phone. “Should I call the management offices at the apartment complex or one of the officers directly?”

She closed the distance between us and held up her phone. “I have Sybil Normand’s number.”

I nodded, copied the number from her phone, and dialed it.

It rang a few times and then she answered. “Mr. Connors,” she said, sounding like she was on speaker. “Thank you for calling. Kathy Grossman and Nancy Hadfield are here with me. We have a few questions for you.”

I didn’t recognize the two names. I placed my hand over my phone and looked at Dana.

“More than likely, they were his Stirpi,” she said.

I nodded and pulled my hand from the phone. “First, I want to offer my condolences to you and House Volantis for your loss.”

“Thank you, Mr. Connors,” one of the women said. “We weren’t able to get any information from the police because none of us are directly related to Lord Fanelli. We were hoping you could shed a little more light on what happened last night.”

I hadn’t told Dana any real details, so I understood why they were in the dark. For the next twenty minutes, I described what happened and answered their questions. All three were surprised to find out that there wasn’t one, but two Magi in the area who were free of the Lockdown. They had questions too, most of which were based on my suspicions about what happened between Lord Fanelli and Valory when they spoke. I had to assure them that I would find out exactly what happened and that Valory would face any charges of magical wrongdoing. It was obvious that they were angry, though they all kept level heads as we spoke.

Finally, Ms. Grossman asked, “You said you were with one of our House members when you were attacked. Who was it?”

I looked at Dana. I suddenly didn’t want to answer the question. I didn’t know why I felt that way, but something in my gut said it would be a bad thing. “She was in a state of shock through the entire incident. Not even the police could get her to talk after it was all over. I’m not even sure how much she remembers other than the initial attack.”

“She is one of our House members, Mr. Connors,” said Ms. Hadfield. “You cannot deny us access to her.”

“She is now my Stirpe,” I said, “and an Officer of House Ursae. I will pass on your request to talk and let her decide.”

Dana nodded next to me.

“Very well,” said Ms. Normand. “Can we reach you at this number should we have more questions?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Good,” she said. “Then we wish you a good day, Mr. Connors. And good luck with ending the Lockdown.” Then they ended the call.

I looked at Dana. “Other than their request to talk to Chloe, I thought that went rather well.”

She nodded. “Agreed.”

There were a couple of questions I had for Dana. “Curious, what will happen to his Stirpi?” I asked. “I mean, the power was his. Wouldn’t they be left with nothing with his death?”

She shook her head. “Usually, any Stirpi will retain whatever power they have at the time of a Padrone’s death. If the Padrone takes all of their power and then dies, then yes, but it’s not what you’re thinking exactly. They still have their reservoirs. They just have to refill them.”

“So, then when I’m giving back during the ritual, I’m really giving it back?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said. “It’s something about the act of taking all their power and then giving it back that forges the bond.” She waved at me. “You figured out how to do it, but as everyone has said, it’s only the most experienced Magi who understand the ritual.”

I nodded and didn’t feel quite so cocky about having figured out the spell. “Any idea who they’ll get to replace Lord Fanelli?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Each House has its own methods for choosing a new House Lord or Lady. For the time being, the officers will keep things running for them until a selection can be made.”

I sipped at my coffee. “Why did you come looking for me?” I asked. “I mean, I was almost expecting to find one of my Fonti here.”

“Well, I went by your apartment,” she said. “They were worried because you hadn’t gone home nor called anyone. Vanessa was there. She said something about a rotation?”

I nodded, understanding. Dana didn’t seem to want to know and kept going. “She just wanted to make sure you were okay. She had tried calling too, but apparently not even Chloe was awake yet.”

“Have you already talked to her?” I asked.

“Yes, but she says she’s going to want to talk to you sometime today, even if by phone.”

I looked at my phone. If I was going to get yelled at, then I wanted it over with. I picked it up and sent her a text, “Call me if you’re not driving.”

Two seconds later, my phone rang.

I answered and held it up to my ear. “Hey.”

“Where the Hell have you been?” she asked, sounding half-angry and half-terrified.

“I’m at a friend’s House,” I said. “I wasn’t planning on staying the night, but apparently the ritual to forge the bond between us knocked me out.” I looked at Dana. “Apparently, no one could wake me up either.”

“Oh, thank God.” She said, sounding immensely relieved. “Sheriff Dalton has been trying to reach you. Apparently, there were more shootings last night.”

“Dalton’s out of the hospital?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said. “But, she said the Sheriff’s office has given her a few days off to recuperate. She even threatened to come out here to find you herself if we didn’t hear from you by noon.”

I shook my head. “Give her a call back and let her know that I’m okay. Tell her I was involved in a shooting, but what she taught me saved me and my new friend.”

“Wait? You were what?” she asked.

“Vanessa,” I said. “Relax. I’m okay. My friend is okay. Neither of us were hurt at all. Like the message I just gave you to pass on said, what Dalton taught me really did save us.”

“Does Linda know about the shooting?”

“Yes,” I said. “Though I doubt she’ll tell any of you about that since she’s acting as my lawyer. She’s not going to volunteer anything.”

“She could have told us that you were okay,” she said. “That wouldn’t breach any ethics.”

“Actually, it would if she thought passing on the information would put me in danger,” I said.

Dana looked up next to me and I turned. Chloe came into the kitchen. She was wearing a black dress that hung just off her shoulders and had a split straight up the middle of the front of the skirt, but otherwise enveloped her completely. From the way the light hit the material, I was pretty sure it was velvet. The only color was down between her legs. The inside of the back of the skirt could be seen and it was dark red. She also wore stockings with flowers in the design and black high heels. She set a black hat on the counter that had a wide floppy brim and she pushed her way to the coffee maker.

The dress didn’t offer a view of her cleavage, however, with our height difference, I could see right down the top of her dress as she made herself a cup.

I turned my back to Chloe. I couldn’t afford the distraction at the moment. “Listen, Vanessa, I have another busy day today, but I will make last night up to you, okay?”

“You bet your sweet ass you will,” she said in a low voice and a smile. She was already planning something. I couldn’t let her down.

“Absolutely,” I said, with a glance at Dana. “In the meantime, you take care.” Then I hung up.

I turned to find Chloe watching me over the rim of her coffee cup. “And you wonder why we don’t tell our Fonti about ourselves or let them think we want more than just sex?”

I shook my head. “Once I’ve ended the Lockdown, things will get back to normal.”

Chloe chuckled. Dana said, “Seth, you’re building your House. What you thought was normal has gone out the window.”

I looked from one to the other. “Are you saying that I’m going to be too busy to spend time with my Fonti?”

“Of course not,” Chloe said between sips. “But you are making your life more complicated than necessary.”

I shook my head. “I don’t believe that.”

She shrugged.

I needed to change the subject. I looked at Dana. “Okay, you’re here this early, which means you haven’t visited House Leonis yet?”

She shook her head. “I finished Shondra’s magic item last night before you called though.”

“Is she going to leave House Leonis?” I asked.

She nodded and smiled. “She’s going by Shadowbrook to get an apartment.”

Chloe blinked and then looked up at me. “Why didn’t you invite her to join your House?”

I looked at her. “I live at Shadowbrook,” I said. “I’ve pretty much establishing my House there.” I looked at Dana again. “Let Shondra know that we have openings for Lieutenants if she’s interested.”

Dana nodded. “Should I extend the offer to anyone else in particular?”

“The only other Magi I know are either members to House Lacertae or out of town,” I said and caught the curious look both women gave me. “The Magus out of town left because she was one of the Magi the Syndicate attacked but didn’t kill, Raven. I don’t know whether she’s a member of another House or not.”

Dana nodded. “I know a few individuals who have been looking for the right House to join. They may be persuaded to join yours if you’ll speak with them.”

I nodded. “That’s fine, but I need to end the Lockdown before I can talk to anyone personally about this.” I took a deep breath. “Which means I need to go by Pink Rabbit Tailoring for my next suit.”

Dana shook her head. “I have your other two suits in my car.” Then she looked me over. “But where is your coat?”

Another phone rang back toward the bedroom.

Chloe set her coffee on the counter. “That would be Lizzie.”

I pointed at her as she walked away. “That would be where my coat is.”

Dana frowned at me. “Who’s Lizzie?”

With a smile, I told Dana about helping Lizzie back to her apartment, which led to me meeting Chloe.

We heard laughter coming from the bedroom. Then Chloe came out with her phone held up. “She doesn’t believe me,” she said and then handed the phone to me. “She thinks I pulled some kind of college prank.”

“Who are you talking to?” said a miffed sounding female voice over the phone.

“How’s your head, Lizzie?” I asked out loud.

She was quiet for a second and then said, “Surprisingly, I don’t feel hung-over.”

Chloe and Dana smiled.