“Why didn’t we question this before?” She asked the million dollar question. “Lorac and I discussed this repeatedly. His acceptance made it easier for me to agree.”

  “That’s what Ghost and I are trying to figure out. He is being unclear on so many things lately. I usually know when to question him and when to keep my mouth shut. This was something he is only now bringing to me. I was more preoccupied with fixing the problem instead of questioning how the problem started. Now, I wish I’d been paying more attention.”

  Arria sat back and went through some things in her mind. She kept her walls up in her mind when around me, which I understood. I knew her well though. I could usually tell how hard she was thinking and could usually pinpoint what topic she was pondering. It was in the set of her jaw and posture that told me she was becoming angry.

  “This could change some things. Maybe a great many things.” She shifted in her seat. The anger was subsiding a little. “Titan, I was going to give you some good news before you asked that. Sabina is giving us a way out.”

  “A way out of what?” I knew but needed to play dumb. Arria wouldn’t like Ares spying on her talks with council members.

  “She is willing to both let you drink her blood if necessary and take the sole blame for it. She knows this will free the council from accusations from the old ones. Ephraim and the others have heard me say it would not be allowed. This might be our answer.” Arria’s beautiful smile told me how much this meant to her.

  I made sure to show my happiness at the news. I didn’t need to worry about looking fake. I really was happy about it. It would give me a chance to fight back.

  “Why would she do this? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for it. She is taking a huge risk though.”

  “I told her I would try to keep any punishment to a minimum but I couldn’t promise. She knows how the council votes. If a majority ruled for her execution, I couldn’t stop it from happening. She understood and restated her willingness to do this.” Arria’s relief was glorious to witness.

  “Part of me still hopes it won’t be necessary. The other part of me wants to drink from her tonight so I would be ready if Cronus does attack.” I admitted.

  “I thought of that too. I asked her as much. She told me to call her when the decision was made. She offered to come tonight if we agreed to it.” Arria as much as said she was willing to agree. I was more hesitant.

  “We should sleep on it before going through with it.” I spoke before I knew what I was going to say.

  “Why? I want to know you will at least have a chance if Cronus does come for you. This could be our answer!” Arria had reason to press the point.

  “Tomorrow will be early enough. Honestly, I don’t know why I am hesitating.” I didn’t. I figured I should tell her Ghost’s plan now. “There is one other plan in the works. Ghost came up with it. I told you I didn’t know why he left with Hermes. I do now. Hermes will be trying to persuade old ones that I should drink from the council.”

  “Wait, really? Why? I mean, I know why. But why does Ghost think this will work?”

  “Hermes is trusted. His opinions carry so much more weight than the other old ones. They know he isn’t trying to fool them or be self-serving. If he is suggesting something, they know he believes it to be the right thing to do. If Hermes is promoting this idea to them, the other old ones will at least give it some thought before dismissing the idea altogether. Some might even be swayed. It is worth the effort. Hermes is willing to try.” I smiled as I finished speaking.

  “We might find a way out of this after all.” Arria’s happiness was a joy to see.

  We sat for some time. I was trying to figure why I was hesitating with Sabina’s plan. Thirty five hundred year old blood would give me a slim chance. Slim was a hell of a lot better than none. Why wasn’t I already drinking from her?

  “I never really asked. I think I know but I need you to clarify if you can. How exactly does the blood thing work? How much will you gain?” Arria asked.

  “You remember when I was turned and could match Cerrus.” I watched her nod her head. “Basically, that means I would need to drink from someone over seven hundred to increase my strength or speed. Consider that my base. If I drank from a two thousand year old, my base would be as a two thousand year old with all the speed and strength gifts lifting me above that level.”

  “I think I see what you are saying.” Arria said. I could see she was still not there.

  “How about if I use Ares as an example. He tells me I may have drank in more strength and speed gifts than he has. The reason he is so powerful is that he drank from a thirty eight hundred year old. If you add the speed and strength gifts to a thirty eight hundred year old, you get where Ares is now.”

  I watched as understanding dawned in Arria’s eyes. She got it.

  “So naturally, drinking my blood would be the best for you since only Cronus is older than me.” She pointed out.

  “Yep.”

  “One question, would it make a difference if you drank from only one of us? Would it make you stronger if you drank from all of us?” Arria asked a question I didn’t have the answer to.

  “I don’t know. I think it only matters about the age of the oldest but I’m not sure. Ares might know. I can ask him the next time I have the chance.”

  “I’m kind of surprised you haven’t drank from Ares.”

  “We actually talked about it. It would only increase my base to twelve hundred though. He seemed sure I wouldn’t get his base as my own. I am still wondering if I would add all his gifts. He seemed to think so.”

  “When was the last time you spoke to him?”

  “About two hours ago. He was sitting where you are now. Everyone else was busy so he came to see me. He is thinking through the Chicago thing too. He was here when Ghost called.” I smiled. “Ares and I are trying to see how long we can keep Ghost from figuring out that Ares is here.”

  Arria laughed.

  “Good luck with that!”

  Chapter 16

  I woke refreshed and invigorated. I would most likely drink from Sabina by the end of the night. I felt the relief showing itself in different ways. I caught myself smiling as I showered. My mind was finally feeling free and not weighed down. There was a pep in my step that hadn’t been there in weeks.

  “You look chipper tonight.” Arria commented. Her smile displayed how happy she was too.

  “It is the relief that I will at least have a chance. I didn’t realize how desperate I’d become.” I admitted.

  “So, can I call Sabina? We can get this done now. I can’t see a reason to wait.” Arria was already reaching for her phone.

  “Absolutely. I still don’t understand why I hesitated last night.” I felt the hesitation coming back now.

  I didn’t understand it. There was no bad in drinking from Sabina as long as she was willing to take the risk. Maybe that was it. She was taking a risk for me. It felt right and would explain things. I hated someone risking themselves for me.

  “Hey, Arria. Is he willing?” Sabina answered her phone sounding excited.

  “Yes. He is so relieved.” Arria’s smile brought my answering smile. I knew I would go through with this if only for Arria’s sake. She’d been so worried.

  “Great, I will be right over.”

  I heard the click signaling Sabina had disconnected.

  “I still wonder at Sabina. Why is she so willing to risk herself?” Arria asked. She was still smiling but questioning, nonetheless.

  It dawned on me then. I remembered being confused by Sabina before. Ghost told me she was in love. Oh no, Sabina might be in love with me. This wouldn’t end well.

  Now comes the second-guessing. Should I drink from her? I let the thought process itself for a moment. Yes, the huge need outweighed the downside. Would this hurt Sabina in the long run? I couldn’t tell.

  Sabina’s knock broke into my thoughts. Arria, as always, opened the door as the knock was being made. They were both wearing smiles as they walked deeper into the suite.

  “Thank you so much for this. I’ve been so worried.” Arria began. I could tell she would have continued her thanks for an hour if given the chance.

  “I could see this would be the best way to give Titan what he needs. I am happy to do it.” I saw the honesty in Sabina’s remarks.

  She looked at me then and I saw it. She was in love with me. I tried to push it out of my mind. Damn it, why did I have to ask Ghost? If I didn’t know she was in love with me this would be easier.

  Then my mind eased up. She knows how much I love Arria. Sabina must know there would never be a chance for anything more. She was doing this of her own free will.

  Sabina walked straight to me and held out her wrist. I drank.

  To say I felt when her strength was added is a mountainous understatement. I grew lightheaded and almost fell to my knees. Arria even took a step to catch me thinking something was wrong. I held up my hand to show her not to worry.

  “Whoa! That is a rush!” It took a few seconds for my vision to return to normal. I was seeing in a hazed blur. Once my mind settled down, I looked to Sabina. “Thank you, Sabina. You may have just saved my life.”

  I didn’t think Arria would mind what I did next. I was still holding Sabina’s wrist. I kissed her hand like I’d seen on so many period movies of the past.

  “It was my pleasure, Titan.” Sabina assured me. I saw her smile linger a little longer before she turned to Arria. “Were you heading to the meeting hall?”

  “Yes. I always go early when I host. I like to make sure I am there if an old one wants to talk.” Arria confirmed.

  “Then let’s head that way.” Sabina turned back to me. “See you later, Titan.”

  “Thanks again, Sabina.” I told her.

  She gave a smile for her response. Together, Sabina and Arria left.

  It took some time for the rush to completely leave. It dawned on me that I was probably even with Ares at this point. That thought was mind blowing. I sat in my chair trying to focus. I was having trouble with that.

  I made a concerted effort to concentrate on the eight dead vampires from Chicago but my mind kept returning to Sabina’s blood.

  The thought of telling Ghost the good news came to mind. I weighed the pros and cons quickly before I picked up the phone.

  “What’s up?” Ghost asked for an answer.

  “You don’t need to push Hermes as hard to convince the old ones. He still needs to do it but it isn’t as important anymore.” I waited.

  “Holy shit! Which one?”

  “Now I understand why you were laughing so hard the other day. Sabina.”

  “You have your chance now. That was the main thing. If it had been any other member of the council, I would have been suspicious of their motives. Love can make you do stupid things.” Ghost’s elation was apparent in his voice.

  “I can’t describe the relief. It might be even harder to describe the rush I got from drinking from her. I’m having trouble focusing right now. I feel as…” I trailed off as a new thought hit me.

  “What? It sounds like it is something good.” Ghost was getting excited.

  “Are you in your room?” I asked.

  “Yes, why?”

  I sprinted from Arria’s suite to Ghost room. He was still holding the phone waiting for me to explain. His startled expression when I opened his door was priceless.

  “I can see that I am faster anyway.” I absentmindedly hung up the phone as I headed for Ghost’s chair.

  Ghost smiled in his shock.

  “I hope no one saw you.” Ghost smirked.

  “Only a few could have.” I said, meaningfully. I saw Ghost realize what I meant.

  “I guess that’s true. Now, what did you realize? Is it the Ephraim thing?”

  “Yes and no. That did cross my mind. We were so locked in because of Ephraim helping Cronus. I didn’t even consider Cronus would have a second helper on the council.”

  Ghost went into headache causing mode. I tried to regain the thought as it hit me before. It wasn’t coming so easily now. It made sense for the briefest moment when it hit me the first time. I needed to get back to that.

  “You may have it. I don’t know which one it would be though.”

  “We can rule out Arria, Lorac, and Sabina. The next most likely to be ruled out is Alexander.” I said. Ghost jerked his head in my direction then. He didn’t say anything. He looked for a second before shrugging and refocusing.

  We sat for some time. My phone interrupted us.

  Ares. Well, it was Sweetie’s number but I felt sure it was Ares calling.

  “I will be back. Keep thinking. This is routine.” I lied. I did it in a way I felt would fool Ghost. I wasn’t entirely sure that was possible but I tried.

  “Hey, Ares. I don’t know about you but we have news.”

  “I might have some as well. You first.”

  “I drank from Sabina.”

  Ares laughter was the happy kind.

  “So love wins out over good sense. I knew I liked her.” Ares was still chuckling.

  “Ghost and I are considering a second council member might be aiding Cronus. We knew about Ephraim. It feels right.” I couldn’t explain it better.

  “That is part of my news. I had already considered that possibility. I spent some time last night spying. I can rule out both Alexander and Sela. I have a very bad thought, Titan. This is something I won’t even discuss until I know more. I hope I am wrong.” Ares sounded bad then.

  I wanted to ask but knew I shouldn’t. Instead, I concentrated on his wording.

  “You said part of your news. What else?” I asked.

  “Cronus is second guessing himself. He called me last night. We talked things through. He is messed up inside from what he has done.” Ares sounded bad with this news as well. I was reminded of his friendship with Cronus. Once again, I felt bad for the situation Ares was in because of me.

  “That is encouraging though. I hate to hear that Cronus is suffering. I know he is singling me out for execution but from every report, yours included, he is a great man. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” I was being honest.

  “As of now, he is going to wait before he does anything.” Ares hesitated. I was about to speak when he added more. “I got the distinct impression he was being pressured by someone. He never spoke of it but it sounded like there was more going on. This would lend credibility to the multiple council members being involved. Ephraim would be helping him but not likely to push Cronus to act.”

  “I can see that point. It makes sense. So, Arria, Sabina, Alexander, and Sela are cleared. We don’t have evidence to support it but I would think Lorac is cleared. Nina would be my obvious next suspect. Dmitriy would be possible but unlikely.” I offered.

  Ares was silent for longer than I expected. I wondered at that for a brief moment. Ghost should be told but I wasn’t sure how to do that without telling him my source. I knew this game of trying to fool Ghost should end when the need outweighed the fun. Still, I wanted to see if we could pull it off.

  “I will be looking into them next. Nina first. I know you must be thinking it but I would still like to try and keep Ghost from finding out I am here.” Ares said. It felt like the humor he ended with was forced.

  “Me too. I was weighing the need against the challenge. I say let’s not tell him.” I was more into Ares’s tone. It sounded like there was something to worry about.

  “Call me if you hear anything.”

  “Same to you. Thanks, Ares.”

  We disconnected.

  I waited a few seconds before heading back into Ghost’s room. I needed to think. For the umpteenth time I wished I was as smart as Ghost. With a sigh, I headed back to his room.

  Chapter 17

  I waited in the arena. Arria and the other old ones were in the viewing area. I came to my usual spot where Arria would sit. She preferred the highest level so no one would be behind her except for me.

  “Should be a long night. Fifteen old ones. I usually hate these events.” Ares commented. He must be across the room since I didn’t feel off from his presence. This was one more sign of how much more powerful I was now. I used to only have a twenty to thirty foot range with my mind reading.

  “I’m the same. I hate to admit how much I liked the fights when I was acting as Darius. Now, I wish I didn’t need to attend.”

  “I spent most of the morning in the meeting hall. Nothing interesting happened. I don’t know if that is good or bad. You realize it might take us a long time to find out the truth.” Ares reminded me. I had come to the same conclusion.

  “I know. Whoever this is, they will be very careful. Maybe we can get lucky.”

  The old ones entered then. Arria wasn’t with them. I knew why. When she was at home, Arria always stayed after the other old ones left to speak to her fighters. It was usually to give encouragement to a tenth level fighter hoping for freedom. Sometimes it was only a few words to help them along.

  “Hey, Titan! Any chance you’ll tell us who to bet on tonight?” Phoenix asked with a huge smile.

  “Sure. I’ll be glad to, Phoenix.” I returned her smile. I missed having these friends treat me well. This was a good thing. The past year of seeing only their anger, hurt.

  “Hey, no cheating unless we all get to win.” Dmitriy laughed.

  The others all filed in to take their seats. I noticed Sabina’s smile was a little brighter than normal.

  Hermes wore a look that made me smile too. Devious didn’t work on him. This was about as underhanded as it got for Hermes. Being a part of a plot that everyone didn’t know about was a new experience. The group attacks last year didn’t count. To him, that wasn’t a plot. It was his duty.

  Arria entered soon after. I stood behind her seat. Lorac sat on her left with Petra on her right. Phoenix sat to the right of Petra. Good, I would be able to give her the signals for which fighter would win.

 

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