BXBX NOVEL Chapter 221: New Destination
He ran his hand through her fiery red hair, his eyes wandering the dimly lit room. The curtains were drawn tightly across the windows, shielding them from both the light of the sun and any prying eyes.
His wives had all gotten his ability to walk under the sun through the soul bond but that didn\'t mean they should do all things under the light of the sun. The room was illuminated by a pair of bedside lamps which casted a warm glow over the bed.
"Wait a minute." Red spoke, breaking the comfortable silence. "Didn\'t you come for something?"
"Oh, yeah." Ezra slapped himself on the forehead, shaking his head at the situation. He\'d totally forgotten after he\'d seen Red\'s beautiful, bountiful breasts.
"The weirdest thing happened to me at the meeting." Ezra said. "Helena apologized to me."
"Wait, what?" Red asked in disbelief, pulling away and propping herself up on one elbow. "Helena apologized?"
"Yes. And get this. She wants to meet with you and apologize in person." He watched Red closely, gauging her reaction to the news.
Red\'s eyebrows raised skeptically, her lips pursing in a thin line. "Apologize?" she asked, the disbelief still evident in her tone. "Now, why would Helena want to do something like that?"
"To soothe her guilty conscience? For some twisted kind of pleasure?" Ezra chuckled. "Whatever it is, she wants to discuss it in person at the Old Museum."
Red shook her head slowly, her hair fanning out behind her. "That sounds like a plan to me." She murmured as she laid back down, her gaze drifting towards the ceiling, lost in thought.
After a moment, she sat up, the movement fluid and graceful, her eyes now sharp and clear. "Ezra, I know Helena just as much as I know myself. I have history with her and we both know it\'s not exactly filled with trust and warm feelings."
Ezra nodded. "I know. That\'s why I brought the message to you. It\'s your call, Red. Whatever you want to do, I\'m fully behind you."
Red sighed, her fingers finding his own and tightening around it. "Thank you, Ezra. I appreciate that." She said, her voice softening. "But I think it\'s best if I decline. Meeting Helena could open up more than just old wounds. It might give her the opportunity to weave new schemes and that\'s something I\'ll never do again.
Help her in any way."
Ezra nodded. "I agree." He said, his voice firm. "We should focus on what\'s coming and not what we\'re leaving behind. Besides, the risk isn\'t worth the rewards."
Red snuggled closer to Ezra, her head resting against his chest. "It\'s not just about the risk, Ezra." She tilted her head up to smile sadly at him. "It\'s about not giving her the satisfaction of thinking she can just waltz back into my life with an apology and expect everything to be fine. Whether the apology is even sincere is another matter."
Ezra\'s arms wrapped around her, holding her close. "It\'s okay." He murmured, kissing the top of her head gently. "I\'ll let her know you won\'t be meeting with her."
They lay together in silence for a few moments, each one thinking about their past. Red\'s hand traced idle patterns on Ezra\'s chest, her mind going through the possible consequences of their choices.
"Do you think she\'ll take it badly?" Red finally asked, her voice quiet but curious.
Ezra considered the question, his hand stroking her hair softly. "Maybe." He admitted. "But Helena is a strategist. She\'ll move on to her next plan soon enough. We just need to be ready for whatever that might be."
Red nodded, her fingers pausing in their tracing. "We always are." She said with a small smile, lifting her head to meet his gaze. "Together."
"Of course." Ezra smiled back. His smile widened as Red\'s hand went lower. "Another round?" He asked. Red answered him with a deep kiss, their tongues mingling together.
**********
Ezra picked his watch up off the dressing table, wearing it. He took a moment to check his appearance in the mirror, nodding approvingly. He walked out of the room, heading straight to the dining room where his wives sat waiting.
He took his place at the head of the table, where the high-backed chair looked almost like a throne. "It\'s time for us to discuss our next steps." He began, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table, hands clasped together.
Olivia, sitting to his right, nodded slightly, her eyes focused on him. "What do you have in mind?" She asked, her voice carrying a note of readiness.
"First, we strike at the Necromancer\'s resources in Westside." Ezra turned to Red who sat to his left. "Red, I need you to contact our people in the Investigation Bureau. Pass them the documents they\'ll need to freeze and seize all of Griffin\'s assets. His death hasn\'t been registered yet which means that the Necromancer is using his image."
"We\'ll cut off the Necromancer\'s access to Westside\'s resources, keeping him occupied with trying to keep the mortals off his back."
Red leaned back in her chair, her red hair cascading over her shoulders. She picked up a pen and began jotting down notes on a pad in front of her. "Consider it done," she said without looking up, her tone all business.
Ezra then turned his attention to the rest of the table. "Prepare, ladies. Our next city will be Faewall." He announced, watching for their reactions.
Genesis yawned where she slumped against the chair while Red raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Faewall? Why there?" She asked, her curiosity piqued. Olivia sat, her expression calm. If one didn\'t know her intimately, one would think she\'d known about it beforehand.
Ezra leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "It\'s a gut feeling," he admitted, crossing his arms over his chest.
"There\'s something there. I don\'t know what it is but my gut is sending us there." He said simply. "We need to trust our instincts. Faewall might just be where the next play is."
Gen sat up straight. "You know, this has to be destiny or something." She chuckled. "I\'m from Faewall."
"Really?" Red asked, exchanging glances with Olivia. "So, you have information on the vampire community there? And the City Lord?"
"Yup." Gen grinned, popping the p. "I\'ve got some people to kill living there. All you need to know is that Faewall is filled with a significant amount of assholes who happen to be vampires. The City Lord, James Harlow, is known for being neutral, which... I guess is in our favor."
"That\'s fortunate." Ezra smiled. He then turned his attention back to Olivia. "I want you to work with Gen and start establishing contacts in Faewall through the farmer\'s market network. This way, our arrival in Faewall would go smoothly when we finally move in that direction."
Olivia nodded, already working something out on her tablet. "I\'ll reach out to our traders and merchants. If we weave our presence into the market scene, we\'ll have eyes and ears on the ground before we even step foot in the city."
"Good. As for Gen and I," Ezra continued, shifting his gaze to Gen who was all keen energy and eager anticipation, "we\'ll be out of the loop for a bit. We\'re due for new tattoos."
"Hell yeah!" Gen\'s eyes lit up at this, the prospect of enhancing her abilities always a point of excitement. "Finally! I know what I\'m getting. What are you getting?" She asked him.
"You\'ll see." He smiled mysteriously.
"I guess I will." Gen grinned, materializing a throwing knife in one hand. "For now, I\'m hungry. What are we having for dinner?" She asked olivia.
"Don\'t ask me." A hint of a smile appeared on Olivia\'s face. "Red\'s in charge of dinner today."
"You can cook?" Gen turned to Red in surprise.
"Of course." Red crossed her arms under her breasts, grinning proudly. "In fact, I already cooked."
"And what are we waiting for?" Gen asked and all eyes turned to Ezra.
"Let\'s eat." He said, chuckling.
As dinner was served, the conversation lightened, shifting to less strategic topics. As they discussed, his mind went to his coming tattoo.
His hand trembled minutely as he remembered the being from the abyss that had reached within him, searching. He would become that being to his enemies. Someone whose presence is feared. He needed to be that strong to claim the throne.
The clinking of silverware and the murmur of their voices filled the room, bringing Ezra back to the present. Time was running out and the ropes holding earth to the abyss were fraying. He needed all the power he could get.