“Meaning everyone could, and would more than likely, be put to death but you and me?”

“Precisely.”

“But, why would Martin do this? He’s always been our friend,” Tanda inquired, unknowingly placing her hand on Derek’s.

“I think he believes that her words are true, but many like your Martin have fallen to the ways of a desperate woman,” Cates added, sitting back down and pulling Tammy onto his lap.

“Perhaps I believe that there is a better way than a battle that will end in blood shed,” Martin said, coming into the room.

“Then why haven’t you ever done anything about what’s been going on, you know, brought peace to your kind?” Derek asked, stepping out of a dark corner. “Whose blood are you really afraid of shedding…your own?”

“I will let that comment pass, because you do not know me well enough to judge me. But I would watch that tongue in future statements,” Martin replied, hissing the last.

“We didn’t come here to fight amongst ourselves.” Sydney stood walking around Garvin. “If you have heard what’s been going on, then you know we can’t take the chance of meeting this woman. You weren’t there when Yvette took the love of my life and our dear friend, with her words of good will. It’s you that needs to sit down and hear what we have to say, and not push down our throats what others wish for you to tell.”

“Well said young Sydney, I believe you are coming into your own,” Cates laughed out.

“Then tell me so that I will understand,” Martin replied, and we did just that.

He sat back rubbing his chin as each of us jumped in to tell a piece of the story up to the time that ended with us in the tunnels where we found each other. I kept the lower levels of the Cuba’s estate to myself, and Garvin and Tanda offered nothing in the way of my torture. It was for me to tell in my own time. We spoke of the ones we lost and lives that we took, leaving little out in the way of destruction that we found when we entered a new place of demented hell. He was intrigued throughout, until I told him of finding Johnny on the end of Chin’s golden leash, then explained how it was that my four year old brother suffered the curse of the bloodbreeder. That was the only time that I witnessed him removing a single crimson tear from his cheek. He stayed silent, never asking one single question as we went on into the wee hours of the night.

“So, you see why we cannot, and will not, trust this Angelica, Martin?”

“I do.” Was all that he said, then he stood and left the room.

Chapter Three

We carried on among ourselves; Jacob drawing out on a parchment what he remembered of the four estates that sat on the out skirts of London, one of which, held slavery on the highest of pedestals. As soon as we thought that Martin had gone for the night, he returned with an armful of rolled up maps. They all led from the place where we were at, to each of the places we would soon be visiting.

“These belong to Isa and myself when we once had hopes of doing the very thing you have begun.”

“Isa is a good man and he said to tell you that you were even now,” I smiled, taking a few of the maps from him. “He helped me escape because of the past that you and he had.”

“He helped me in the same way many years ago, but saving you does not make us even,” Martin replied, walking around behind my chair, lightly touching my shoulder. “I owe Isa so much more now.”

“We know of the four main estates that these tunnels lead to, do any of these maps lead to Mistress Angelica’s domain?” Jacob asked, unrolling one of the scroll-like maps.

“To her private resting place, no, but these will show you several different ways to enter the grounds, as well as what station they hold, in order,” Martin replied as he finished walking around my end of the long mahogany desk. “Here, this is the home of Lord Cheree Montclair. He holds the next highest rank in line to Angelica’s lead here on the Isle of England.” Then he reached over and unrolled another one. “This is the home of what is well known in London as Angelica’s sicker half, her twin Inara. It is said that the ancient that fell in love with their beauty, died with one on each side of his neck. She is her sister’s highest rank, and worst nemesis, when competing for trade.”

“I could not help but notice that you live in one of the main estates, Lord Lebrun,” Cates added to the conversation.

“I am the forth,” Martin stood strait. “I took the life of Lord Bastille, he who longed for those who had taken too much abuse. Much like many who live in London.”

“What does that mean?” Sydney asked, leaning up in his chair.

“It means young one, that he would pay the highest price for slaves closest to death, be it breeders, or not,” he explained, reaching for the largest map. “Do you need to know more?”

“No…I get the idea,” Sydney replied, sitting back.

“I wanna know what makes you so popular in this game?” Derek asked, stepping around the end of the desk. “What have you been doing throughout your long slave trading life?”

“You have every reason to have anger in your heart, but you have no reason to place it toward me.” Martin averted his question.

“You didn’t answer, as usual.” Derek slammed his hand down on the desk, causing Martin to freeze like a statue; one hand on the map, the other holding his bent form off the table, and then he slowly rose.

“I have done no worse than you have witnessed, or done yourself for that matter, young one. Tempt me again and we will have to settle our differences in a gentlemanly manner.”

“Time and place old man,” Derek snapped back, leaning into the desk.

“Enough!” I yelled, standing so fast that I knocked the high-back chair to the ground. “I will walk out of here right now and leave the both of you to act like little kids, and the rest of us will figure out what in the Sam’s hell we’re gonna do.”

“Sam’s hell?” Martin asked, turning his head in such a way that it made me smile.

“It’s a phrase I heard,” I blushed. “Can you two please just stop the bull charging? I don’t know why you don’t like him, Derek, but you have to stop trying to pick a fight. And you, Mr. Smooth talker, you have to stop making future challenges with my son, because he will take you up on it. Trust me…he will.”

“Your son?”

“They’re all my little ones; even that big, one-armed, beast over there. Things have changed with us. There’s no higher rank in one or lesser in others because of age, nor does power rank with us. We’re a family.”

“She is my maker, but unlike you, she’s taught me well,” Derek remarked, then walked back over to his corner.

“Not all could be helped, and I can see that she has done well. Many have dreamed of what you are doing, but few have had the courage to do it.” Martin lowered his head.

“Including you,” Derek whispered loud enough to be heard.

“Yes, young Derek, even me.”

The look I gave Derek as he leaned back into the shadow was all that was needed to keep him quiet for the rest of our conversation. It seemed that Angelica was the kinder of the two twins, and took the higher status because of the respect that she had gained throughout the years. It gave her twin even more reason to grow hatred toward her more powerful sister, and in the world of bloodbreeders, power was the key word. Once we began to listen to what Martin was talking about in meeting with Angelica, we began to come up with a more sinister plan of our own. It was Jacob who said to let the two houses fall on one another…with a slight push from us, of course.

We had not only shown Martin that we were a strong family, in strength as well as mind, but we showed him how it would be the wiser to take down Lord Cheree’s estate before we did anything else. First to put the point of fear into the already feuding twins, then secondly have the east side cleared for escape in case that things did not go as planned. Our plan was to hit the tunnels and make our way to Angelica’s sickest, in our minds, because he preyed on the weakest of the weak. Martin had explained that he was much like the man he had killed who once lived in the estate he now owned. Jacob, Cates, and Tammy all agreed that he would be better known as a man into necrophilia than he would be as a pervert torturer, as I kept calling him. To me they were both the same evil.