Dragon Queen (Avery Rome Book 3) Read online

  Leslie smiled. It was just a bit sad.

  “The trip idea sounds fun. Even if we can’t go, you and I should spend some time together. I know that… Well, this is a very difficult situation. For both of us. I was gone from your life for so long, but it isn’t too late for me to be your mother. I have a duty to you.” Her words were soft and meek sounding, instead of bubbly and energetic like Leslie nearly always was at school.

  Then, she’d probably gotten orders to seem that way all the time, from her master. At least in public.

  “We should do that? I’m a bit busy, but you know about that. The new show and taking messages around. Also sewing for the Alede. They have some seamstress work to do, if you want to get a job with them? If it’s allowed, I mean. They’re nice enough people.” A little touchy-feely, but that was just part of their nature.

  Thinking of that reminded her to get with Val soon, as well. After all, she might just need to get home, herself. The Alede Ambassador was still probably away in New Zealand. With Marty Hagman and Cherise. That meant she needed to find Kait as well, soon.

  There were things to plan.

  Her mother frowned a bit, then nodded.

  “That might actually go over pretty well. I can ask permission for it. It’s common for Human children to be given work during their summers, isn’t it?” She seemed as if she actually didn’t know the answer, but that wasn’t the honest truth.

  There had been discussions at lunch for the last week about what different people had planned for their break. A few had planned to try and find work, but that was far from assured. Most weren’t even bothering to try, since there were simply no jobs for those who were too youthful.

  Worse, two of their friends had been murdered in the attack that had taken place. That had left a depression to settle over the entire school, for the rest of the year. At least in their group of friends. Avery had felt it, but the Human kids had nearly seemed ready to die over it. Allison and Ann had pretended to care about things, even though they weren’t honestly that concerned. If they had been, then people would have been dying already over the loss.

  That would be happening, eventually, of course. Even if Avery had to take action herself that way. She had the skills, after all.

  It occurred to her that her mother didn’t know what to say to her exactly, so was trying to make small talk.

  “I think so. I know that Phillip has been looking. I got him a position with Eve and Edom at Yoghurt World. We need to do something for Debbie. The events…”

  The girl had been kidnapped, then all of the other people with her had died, having their throats slit by other Humans. One of their friends, Linc, had hidden her under him as he lay dying. That had left the teen girl, the only survivor out of all the people taken, shaken in a way that Avery didn’t know if she could recover from. Not really. On the outside she was handling things well, but Allison had let slip that her mind wasn’t all that well any longer.

  The words got a slow nod from Leslie.

  “Very good. I can get with her and insist she come with us. We’re friends, so it should work. If not… I don’t know how to help her. Having her whole world threatened like that. I’ve known loss, but you lived. Even those that died that night… They were the attackers, so it’s easier to let them go. Poor Debbie lost people that were nearly as close, but in a way that… I don’t know if I can explain it really. It was probably closer to what you had to go through, than my own troubles.” She stopped, then reached out and hugged Avery for a bit. “By the way, did I mention how proud I am of you? After the wickedness that was done to you, you turned around and became this marvelous person. That isn’t what everyone would do, given the same forces being brought on them.”

  “Hmph. I had to survive, that was all. I still feel… Like I’m evil. As if there is a darkness inside of me, that will taint the world in my passing. Each time I hold a friend or bump into someone in the hallway at school, I feel a wave a guilt wash over me. I know that Shifters aren’t truly the Elect, but I don’t really know that, inside my heart. I don’t know if I ever will.”

  It wasn’t something she felt at ease to share with everyone in her life. Really, there were only a few people that might really understand what she was talking about if she did. Leslie was a good bet that way, having lived even longer in the same life. Edom seemed to understand her plight that way as well. No one else she knew really got her point, she didn’t think.

  Her mother, looking too young for that position, closed her eyes.

  “I know that one. Well indeed. We have to simply trust in our new friends and act as well as we can to not push away those who come to us with open hands and offers of help. Some of the things that Ann has made me do…” She shuddered a bit, then actually let her face lighten up a lot. “The thing there is that most of them weren’t bad or evil. She merely insisted that I not let bigotry guide me any longer. I can’t claim it was easy, or that I’m truly part of this outer world now. It’s better than living with hatred in my heart though.”

  They didn’t have to keep going on the uncomfortable topic of their shared prejudice against good beings, since a small crowd of sleepy looking people came out of the large house. Calley was being half carried by Eve, but there were three others. Two of whom Avery didn’t know at all.

  Still, it wasn’t that big of an issue to get them to where they wanted to go. She’d offered it to everyone after all. Or at least someone had. Eve didn’t take anyone around though, since they weren’t paying her for it. Also, Eve didn’t really take people for hire like that very often. She worked directly for the Vampire Council. They had three line walkers, but hadn’t set up a business to run as a challenge for Zack and his concern.

  It was an interesting thing, but Avery realized that she, the young school girl, had more freedom to do what she wanted than Eve did. Not that it was a total thing at all. She had people to answer to, after all. Edom, for instance.

  It wasn’t hard to find him, since he was working already at the embassy for his people at Westfield that day. Actually watching the front counter, wearing a green and white apron with the shop logo on it, over his nice suit jacket. His dark skin didn’t shine, but was very clear and smooth. His teeth looked normal as he smiled hugely.

  “There are my girls! Did you get President Hale settled into her new position? That’s an impressive step up for her. A good thing for us, since we have people that get along with her personally here at our location.” He glanced at Leslie, but didn’t stare too hard. “Would you like something to eat? I… You’re Leslie, correct?”

  That got a nod from Avery, but Leslie was the one who spoke.

  “That’s right. Avery’s mother. I don’t know if that was mentioned to you? I hear that you’ve been acting as her father, in my absence. Thank you. I’d take the burden from you now, being my own. Unfortunately, I am enslaved to The Rotted. I fear that bringing my daughter to me would be to entrap her as well…”

  Edom stood still for a second, but seemed to understand the slightly strange sounding speech well enough.

  “Avery is welcome with me for as long as she needs. Past that, if she wishes. She’s a very good girl. Now, food? I don’t want to starve my friends after all.” He sounded happy, if a little forced.

  Two treats came quickly, and they all settled into a booth, with Edom joining them, while Eve moved behind the counter.

  Avery had a peanut butter swirl, which was her favorite. Her mother had chocolate. It was plain, though she seemed to savor the frozen treat anyway. The red plastic spoon moved slowly, since it wasn’t a thing to simply fuel her. It was a pleasure. A thing that, among The Gray, hadn’t been forbidden, but had been doled out only in line with religious celebrations.

  After she was halfway through her own frozen bit of fluff and sugar, Avery sat up straight in the booth they were all sharing.

  “It was suggested that myself and some of my school friends might go on vacation together? I have about a week before I
need to report to my new duty station, shooting the show with Krista Hall. I need to ask if it would be allowed, but I was thinking that we could go camping and sightseeing in a different world? I have work there anyway, in the one I was thinking of. Is that something I can do? I mean, would you allow it?” She looked down and away, suddenly feeling shy. Leslie did much the same thing.

  Edom was a man, after all, so his word was law.

  He didn’t speak, or tell her that she didn’t need his permission for something like that. What he did however was think it seemed, and finally looked over at Eve.

  “Who would be going with you? How long would you be gone and what plans do you have while you’re there?”

  She froze, since those were all great questions. She just didn't know half the answers.

  “So far mother, Rebekah and Scotty Laird, plus Mark from school. They, Mark and Leslie, already have permission from The Rotted. I plan to ask Debbie as well, and Phillip.” Her boyfriend. She didn’t try to sneak that one in, since it would be foolish to do with Edom.

  Phillip was in the Vampire training program, to eventually transition, once he was older. The Ambassador for that kind could easily forbid him from going. For that matter, he might have the power to do that with the other Vampires as well. She hadn’t thought about that before that moment. They were famous, but he was a powerful government official for their kind.

  “As to what we have planned, while that might change, since I have to make certain that my plans won’t be seen as an invasion or attack… I was thinking that we could camp out, and see different sights. I can take people there and back, so the cost will be low that way. We’ll need to take food and gear, but that would be any mission we undertook.”

  From across the room there was a laugh. It was gentle, however, and came from Eve.

  “Vacation. Not a mission. Those are different things, I hear.”

  Apparently, that decided Edom, since he reached out and patted her hand.

  “Set that up and let me know if things change? It isn’t healthy for people to be held too close all the time. I’ll get with Mrs. Hart and see if I can arrange for Phillip to go with you? You are taking ample adult supervision, including your own mother, so it should be doable. He won’t be missing work for this, will he? Or training?”

  That was addressed to her, but Eve answered.

  “He’s going to be working here. It was part of a deal I made with Avery to do all the grunt work for the next week, running messages around. Oh, we’re invited to a meeting, in a different reality. We’re sending our girl here to do parts of that for us. She robbed me of millions and a promise to get her sweetie trained up here. Front and back room stuff. He’s good for it. Honestly, I was going to see about setting that up anyway. We can start when they get back. They can go for two weeks there and be gone less than two days our time, so it’s a good use of time that way.”

  The man stood up, his face pleasant.

  “Interesting then. I need to go and make some phone calls, if you ladies will excuse me?”

  He didn’t wait to see if they were going to really do that, since he was in charge there. That one was both a Vampire thing and a Shifter one. When you were in command, others waited on you, not the other way around. Avery was pretty certain that Humans had the same basic rule that way as well. At least she was expected to hop-to the rules and commands of her instructors at school. It made sense, so she didn’t mind it, but that kind of thing felt like a near constant in her world.

  Rather than wait, since she had things to see to herself, Avery finished her treat, then stood up. Leslie wasn’t done yet, but she moved to dump the remains of her treat as well, proving that she wasn’t being greedy. Avery hadn’t done that, because she really was, as far as food went. It was a bit embarrassing, eating so much each day. Even for a Shifter she put away a lot of food.

  “We should go and see about the Alede next, then… Well, I need to go and visit with Bente, so you need someplace to stay while I do that. I’m not going to visit a Greater Demon with an easy target in tow. She’d have to abuse you, just to prove to me how simple it was for her to do.” Also, to show how much better she needed to be about protecting her people. Doing that would probably have Ann after her as well.

  Which was a thing that Leslie seemed to understand. She’d been a slave for long enough to understand secret and hidden rules that others might not get.

  There was no pick up needed for Val yet, according to the note pad in the back room, by the phone, though Roberta moved over to her in a straight line, smiling seductively.

  “Miss Rome! You brought a friend as well? What can we do for you today?” It was kind of clear that her mind wasn’t on sex, even though the nicely dressed lady was an Alede. Robert and Roberta were the same person, and both of them were among the most controlled of their kind. Kait could pull that off too, when she wanted. The thing there was that she didn’t seem to wish to bother where Avery was concerned.

  Roberta touched her arm, but didn’t pet her or fondle her for any length of time.

  She looked over at Leslie then.

  “This is my mother. Leslie Rome. I’m going to be working on the television show soon, so thought that you might have room for someone to take in seams and do some sewing here? She’s a slave to The Rotted, but it might be allowed. I’ll check, but didn’t want to pressure you if you don’t have need of something like that.”

  There was a pause in action, but then a small hug for Leslie.

  “That must be horrifying! We… Yes, you can come here, if it’s allowed. We do have plenty of things to do. I can keep up with it, but it detracts from the rest of my work. Assistant Ambassador here for the Alede. I… For some reason, I didn’t know that Avery had a mother. My mistake, I’m certain.” That part seemed to trouble her, for some reason.

  “I’d thought she was dead. Murdered by our clan for being mother to a Death Serpent. It was a bit of a shock when I worked things out.”

  That got a nod, and oddly, Leslie to look at the work station. Then she moved in to establish that she knew what to do. She was, interestingly, not as good as Avery was now. Really, it wasn’t even close. Several months of being tutored by the fashion demon had actually helped her skills that way a lot. The point however was that she was more than good enough to do the work needed at the plus sized ladies fancy undergarment shop.

  Roberta, eyes glowing a bit, if only with pleasure, moved to get three or four days of work from the bins behind her. With a chuckle.

  “If you can start now, I’ll be your new girlfriend. Or boyfriend? Both, if you want.” There was teasing to the words, as well as flirting.

  Avery decided to ignore it, since it wasn’t her business. Her mother, the version in her head, was very different than what the woman in front of her had become. It was probably just that she always had been different, instead of anything else.

  “I can do that? Avery needs to go and talk to some people, which I gather I won’t be welcome to attend with her. I could stay here and do this for the day? It’s early still.”

  Avery wrinkled her nose then.

  “Is it? I can’t tell. I thought we might be nearing evening. It’s hard to keep track. Um, it’s a Dragon thing, I think?”

  That got ignored, since it was a strange thing to say. Leslie just started working, while Roberta seemed content enough. That meant Avery could rush back home, and finally change. That would take at least an hour, if she focused hard and really hurried. She thought.

  Pushing, she tried to do all of that as fast and as well as possible. Anything less would be a poor plan, given who was about to be involved in her day.

  Bente, her mentor.

  Chapter eight

  In order to meet up with Bente, Avery had to travel to Italy. Her mentor lived there in a very fine house, in an area of the country which was decently crowded with people. Her territory was larger than just a city though, being the entire country and some of the space on either side.
r />   No one challenged her, even if her main gift was looking nice and helping others to do the same thing. Even the insane Greater Demons tried to be friends with her, in the main. That had transferred over to Avery a tiny bit, she thought. At least none of the Greater Demons had actively tried to get her directly. That could be that she simply wasn’t worth the effort of course.

  When she rang the bell of the place, she fixed her clothing a bit, even if it didn’t need it. A very pretty girl, Janie, came to the door, her face looking a bit stuck up at first, as she took in who was standing there. Avery was doing all right, looks wise, she thought. Which was why the girl in front of her stiffened, then spoke in Italian.

  “What do you want?” The girl was being annoying on purpose, even though Bente had told her that Avery would be by on occasion, being her trainee. That hadn’t been expanded on, but the Tarsus in her head explained that the girl was merely afraid that Avery would be taking her place. As the new top model for Bente’s fashion lines.

  As if being rude to her would get her to go away. She spoke in the same language, even if her accent wasn’t perfect yet. She applied the new trick that Fram had suggested to her, which really did seem to help, even if it was just a mental trick.

  “Hello. I was hoping that Bente would be in? I have a trip coming up and she asked me to keep her informed if I was doing anything like that.”

  The girl, clearly wondering if she could be sent away without seeing the boss, narrowed her eyes.

  “I will see if she wishes to be bothered with you. Stay here. Or leave. Whichever pleases you.” Spinning, she vanished back into the house. Leaving the door side open, even though Avery hadn’t been asked inside.

  It was, she guessed, a crude kind of trap. She hadn’t been invited in, and if she followed or even tried, the girl would be able to throw a fit over it. Even if leaving the door standing open would be taken by many as an invitation. Waiting was a better plan, given that.