I opened Tanda’s door calling out her name, but got no reply. I did the same thing across the hall in Tammy and Cates’ room, finding it just as empty. Making my way to the foyer I could hear laughter, and the closer that I got I could hear Martin telling the others some story that I was about to interrupt. “Where’s Fala?” I asked, stepping out onto the front porch where they all were.

“I’m here, My Lady,” he said, sitting on one of the rounded back, wicker chairs to my left.

“You look good,” I smiled, walking over to him, as Martin began where he left off with his story.

“Tammy has the gift to heal. It is rare among women,” he claimed, touching the side of his face.

“Thank ya sweetie, but to someone like me that’s seen a lot of battle wounds, it’s just wise to clean them out. Nothing special, really, just years of knowledge.” Tammy turned around on the step in front of him, to look at him while she spoke. “It was your will to survive that brought you out of the sleep that the poison had you in.”

“I saw my tribes people around the fire, dancing to the healing songs of our forefathers,” he explained then stopped, because the group around Martin burst out laughing.

I never asked about what he had told them, and truly couldn’t believe he knew how I felt and was trying to get closer to ‘my’ people. Fala continued to tell Tammy and I about the shaman of his tribe telling him to wake. He said it was then that he woke to Tammy giving him a bath in the same tub with her, while Cates helped wash his body. Tammy just shrugged her shoulders because she already knew that I knew her being nude around people was no big deal. Tanda came walking over with Derek behind her. He lowered his head, touching the side of his face that now looked like sewed up ground beef.

“Burned like hell when I took a shower, but it may make me look tougher,” he grinned.

“How’s the rest of ya?” I asked, remembering his body slamming into the statue.

“My legs are sore, but nothing that won’t feel fine by tomorrow night.”

“At least you two have a few days to heal before we go visit Felicia and Bernard…”

“You what?” Martin interrupted.

“You heard me just fine.”

“I thought you were going to do your little thing at Lord Cheree’s first?” he said, getting to his feet.

“My little thing?” I asked spinning around. “Is that what we do y’all? Just go out and have a little thing, then come back and relax?”

“That is not what I meant,” he stuttered.

“You say a lot of shit you don’t mean, don’t you, Martin?”

“Things have changed since we met Inara’s servants. We have to rethink our plans, period,” Jacob explained, taking control of the conversation.

“And for your information, we’re going there to get all the knowledge that we can about Angelica’s place, as well as her sister, because when all this goes down it’s going to hit the barn, so to speak,” I smirked, crossing my arms, raising one brow.

              “I should tell you, all of you, that there will be no meeting either. One of Angelica’s slaves, a girl that has listened to the stories that her mistress has been telling of the demon woman, that not even the elders have been able to stop, is coming. She knows she is coming to do the same here as she has done in her own country.  This demon and her dominion has every slave trading breeder in the United States packing for foreign countries,” he paused, taking a minute to look around at the group of us. “Carmen said she overheard her mistress tell one of the guards to ready the men for a fight if the demons choose to be defiant.”

“Yet, you stayed knowing this, huh?” I smugly asked.

“Only to find out what her plans were, Renee. Why do you have to be so judgmental? I was merely trying to protect you and your people from walking into a trap.” Then he got up and went into the house.

“He told me in private that Angelica was going to imprison us at the meeting, then turn us over to the elders for a higher seat in London. He told her that he hadn’t seen us yet, but would let her know as soon as he had. It may be why he was so worried about us going to see Felicia,” Jacob explained, taking the chair next to Fala.

“So, he told you what happened tonight?” I asked, feeling uncomfortable knowing that he told Jacob and not me, but also realized that I was being hateful thinking the worst about Martin.

“He claimed it was not right to keep it to himself and could not discuss it with you until you calmed down,” he replied, reclining, and raising one brow.

“Don’t look at me like that, Jacob. I just don’t see any reason why he would have to put his hands on her,” I admitted, feeling the heat rush to my cheeks.

“It wasn’t he who was doing the touching. It was Martin, that was trying to keep the hands off of himself.”

“So he says, and why do you believe him anyway?”

“Because, it has always been a gift of mine to know when I am being lied to, and he was telling the truth,” he smiled, showing he was overly pleased with himself.

“Time to hit the hay,” Derek broke in, stretching his arms over his head. “I’ll be glad when I can find an ancient to drain.”

“Why is that?” Garvin asked, shivering at the mere thought.

“Because, I can stay up longer,” he replied, making most of us laugh.

“I think I would rather sleep and wait until my age depicts my draw to the coming dawn,” Garvin added.

“I have to agree,” Tanda said, helping Fala to his feet. “It’s the things that go along with draining those who have killed an ancient, or the ancient themselves. I care not for any of it.”

Everyone found their way to their rooms, while Jacob and I stayed on the porch watching the sky change to its purplish haze. We spoke little on the subject of Martin, and more on why it bothered me so much that he had tried to help us. The only thing that I could say was to admit that it made me jealous, causing him to nod as if he already had that figured out; perhaps they all had. We talked about getting the note the next night as he and I went inside, closing up the heavy wooden doors behind us, locking out the coming day. He took my arm and turned me to face him.

“I will make no judgment on how your heart feels for your maker. I, too, have loved once and lost her to the way of my actions. Rest well this night.” Then he leaned in and kissed my forehead, just as I had seen him kiss Jessica’s many times. “Tomorrow night will come soon enough.”

“You’re more like a brother to me than any friend, Jacob.”

“And you think that I do not know this? Jessica and I are blessed to have a little sister to watch over, and before you say anything…to watch over us as well,” he smiled, smoothing my hair behind my ear. “But, I will have to admit with me it is more like a father teaching and watching his daughter.”

“And I have to admit, that that statement coming from the face of someone that looks younger than myself is just a little strange.  I love ya for it anyway.” I reached out and took his hand and began walking toward the bedrooms.

“So, now that we are alone, what do you think of Derek and Tanda’s new fondness of one another?” he asked, wrapping my arm around his.

“I think it’s wonderful. She’s bringing him back to us.”

“Here you are My Lady, your room awaits,” he said, opening my door for me.

“Thanks, for everything…Dad,” I chuckled at my own statement.

He simply bowed at the waist and smiled, then turned and headed for his own room. I walked in, kicked my slippers off, glanced at the dresser and the first thing I saw was the ring missing from the little dish I had placed it in. There was a folded note under the dish, and I knew at that moment who had taken it. I waited until I undressed and had one of the long sleeping gowns on, before I braved picking it up. I took the note over by the fireplace that was burning brightly, no doubt thanks to Martin, and unfolded it.