Chapter Twenty-four

Mac awoke with a jerk; she’d been dreaming again. Jon’s arms tightened around her, but she could still hear the deep even breathing that signaled he was still asleep. Carefully, she eased out of his arms and the bed and padded softly to the bathroom. Closing the door quietly, she flipped on the light switch. Blinded briefly by the quick change from darkness, she blinked several times at her reflection in the mirror.

She giggled softly at the woman in the mirror. Standing there in nothing but the waistband of her sweat pants, the strings still tangled in a mess of knots. While she stood there, she replayed the events of the dream in her mind. Since she was a small child, she had dreamed of other people, strangers really, from different times. Dreams of the past. That’s what she’d always called them, but she wasn’t sure who the people were or why she dreamed of them. But, tonight the dream had been slightly different. She had dreamed about this particular woman before, but tonight the woman and the others in the dream had been speaking Italian. The strange thing was that Mac had understood every word they had spoken, just as if they had been speaking English. The only words of Italian that Mac knew were the few endearments Jon had used, well the ones he’d translated for her, anyway.

"Mac? Are you okay," she heard Jon’s voice from the other side of the door.

"Yeah," she answered, "I’ll be right out."

She put the puzzle of her dream away for another time, used the bathroom and washed her hands, splashing a bit of cold water on her face before she left the room.

"Come back to bed, moglie mia," Jon’s voice met her when she walked back into the bedroom.

"I’m sorry that I woke you," she told him softly, as she climbed back into bed with him.

"Don’t worry about it," he said sleepily, as he pulled her back into his arms. He quickly fell back to sleep with his chin resting on the top of her head.


*************************


The next morning, Mac awoke to Jon’s voice in the other room, apparently he was on the phone. She could tell by the few words she could make out that it was a business call. She stretched lazily and let out a big yawn.

Good morning, tesoro mia, Jon’s voice sounded in her head.

He had linked their minds when he woke up, but he’d went about his morning business calls maintaining the link. He’d sensed her beginning to wake up and had waited until she was fully awake to talk to her.

Do you have to be so cheerful? she responded.

No, I guess I could be a morning grump too, he joked.

Aren’t you in the middle of a business call? she asked.

Yeah, but they can wait a sec while I say good morning to my beautiful life mate, he told her.

G’morning, she answered. I don’t suppose you could back off and give me a minute alone, huh?

I guess I could, he sounded disappointed, we’ll talk later.

Mac felt him go. Did he think everything was okay between them just because he’d told her he loved her and convinced her to feed last night? Apparently so. But, Mac still wasn’t sure she was comfortable with just how much her life was about to change. She had realized last night after he’d left her locked in her room just how big a change this was going to cause. She was going to have to quit her job that she loved, because she couldn’t go off chasing a story and be gone from Jon, since she needed his blood to survive. Also, Mac realized that close friendships would be hard from now on, because after a few years people would wonder why she didn’t age, but she supposed that Jon could teach her how to mask that the way he did. What had he called it? Oh, yeah. A glamour. She’d have to remember to ask him to show her how to do that.

Sandy. Her friend’s name popped into her head. She hadn’t talked to her in days, and this wasn’t exactly something she could tell her over the phone, but she would have to tell her friend. Oh, damn. Her parents. How was she going to tell her parents?

She tossed off the covers and went into the bathroom to shower and start her day. When she came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her, she found Jon leaning against the door leading into the sitting room. He had a can of Dr. Pepper in his hand and a huge smile on his face. Mac decided he must be proud of himself for remembering to get her some caffeine.

"I take it that’s for me?" she asked.

"Only if I get a reward," he answered, softly, with a small smirk on his face.

"Ah," she nodded in understanding, "it’s a bribe then."

"Call it whatever you want, as long as I get a kiss outta the deal," he laughed.

She walked over to him and stood on tip-toes to drop a light kiss on the tip of his nose. Mac snatched the can of soda from his hand, and tossed, "Thank you," over her shoulder as she turned to walk away.

"You call that a kiss?" he asked, grabbing her hand and pulling her into his arms.

She looked up at him and replied with a serious tone, "Yeah, look up ‘kiss’ in a dictionary."

"This is a kiss," he told her, just before he bent his golden head to touch his lips to hers.

When their mouths met, she relaxed against him, and he deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue past the barrier of her lips to rub it eagerly against her own. Mac wasn’t prepared for the assault on her senses. Her unanswered questions and problems still bounced around in her head. Suddenly, the icy coldness of the can in her hand put an evil idea in her head. She slid her empty hand up his chest to caress the heated skin, and just as he leaned into her caress she stuck the cold can to his chest. Yelping in surprise, he released her and jumped back.

She spun away from him and ran to the bathroom. "That’ll teach you to hold my caffeine hostage," she called out over her shoulder, right before she slammed the bathroom door in his face.

"Witch," he muttered.

She peeped out the bathroom door. "And don’t you forget it," she laughed, before slamming the door again.

Jon just laughed at her and went to find a t-shirt. In a minute, he reached out to her mind. I’m going to the hotel gym to workout, Mac. I’ll be back in about an hour, he told her. When I get back, do you want to go to sound check with me?

No, she answered, I’m going to put the finishing touches on my article and email it to my boss. She realized then that she needed to contact Joseph and hand in her resignation.

Jon heard that thought as it flashed across her mind. When we finish with the show here in Vegas, I’ll go with you to Dallas so you can do it in person, he told her softly. If that’s what you really wanna do.

I don’t see how I could continue to work, and be with you so that I can feed every night, she responded.

Jon could feel her frustration and anger. We could try to come up with something, moglie mia, he said gently.

I don’t wanna talk about this now, Jon, she replied tartly.

Okay, he said, I love you, Mac. He didn’t wait to see if she would respond in kind; he just withdrew from her mind and left the hotel room.


*************************


While Jon was gone, Mac looked at the tour itinerary that she had been given. Tonight’s show was the last one on this leg of the tour. After doing a lot of pacing, she decided that she would let Jon go with her to Dallas, and she would speak to Joseph. She would have to see Sandy while she was there and tell her, but Mac really didn’t want to tell her parents just yet. She still had no idea how she was going to break the news to them that their beloved tenth generation witch daughter was now a blood sucking vamp.

That night’s show went off without a hitch. Jon took the time to feed, after catching a couple of groupies hanging out by the door to the backstage area. He fed from both, knowing he needed the extra blood so that he could feed Mac.

He wasn’t sure what was wrong with Mac, but when he’d returned from his workout, they had talked and she had seemed remote and distant. He’d read her finished article, because he had only agreed to it on the condition that he had final approval before anything was printed about the band, not because he had any doubts what she might have put in it.

She was still determined to hand in her resignation when they flew to Dallas. He knew she didn’t want to quit her job, but he hadn’t come up with any other good ideas. Maybe he should present this latest problem to Richie. One of his friend’s occasional flashes of brilliance would come in handy about now.

The two of them went to bed that night with plans to take the private jet to Dallas the next day. The other band members were all booked on commercial flights. Richie was flying out to L.A. and Tico to Florida. David and Hugh were on the same flight out.

Mac woke up to Areosmith’s Walk This Way, and it took her a second to realize it was Jon’s cell phone ringing from the night stand. "Jon,"she said sleepily, and shook his shoulder gently.

"Wake up, your cell is ringing."

"What?" he asked, groggily, but then realized for himself what she was trying to tell him. Jerking up his phone, he answered it with, "This better be good. What the hell time is it?"

"Just after 4 am," Mac answered him softly.

Jon had went completely silent when he heard the commanding tone of the person on the other end of the line. "Hold on just a second," he said into the phone. Then to Mac, "Go back to sleep, moglie mia. I’ll go in the other room."

Once the door clicked softly and he was in the other room, he said into the phone, "Okay, I’m alone now."

Kristoff began speaking quickly in Russian.

"English, please, Kris," Jon requested, "I want to make sure I get every word of this."

In heavily accented English, Kristoff began again. "I’m calling to warn you my friend. Caleb arrived at my home last evening. He...how do you say? Ah yes, spilled his guts. He demanded that I convene the Council. He will stand accused of," here the Russian paused, "Uh, I’m not sure of the English word, Giovanni. But, he will stand accused of taking your lifemate against hers and your wishes."

"And you’re calling to tell me that I’m being called as a witness against him?" Jon asked softly. He didn’t want to wake Mac again.

"Not only that, my friend," Kristoff told him, solemnly. "When the first Council member arrived here this morning, Caleb not only told his story again, but he added the detail that you had changed your lifemate against her wishes."

Jon had been pacing the floor as he talked to his friend, but now he fell into a chair and raked his fingers through his hair in frustration.

At his silence, Kristoff continued, "And now, the Council’s emissary is on his way to your home to bring you to stand trial before the Council."

"Fuck," Jon swore softly.

"Are you guilty of the crime of turning a human against their wishes, Giovanni?" Kristoff asked, concerned.

"Yes," Jon admitted.

Kristoff swore violently in Russian. "Giovanni, why would you do this?" he finally asked.

"She was dying in my arms, Kris," Jon told him, "I couldn’t stand by and watch her die, not when I could save her."

"I understand," Kristoff replied quickly, "she is your lifemate, the light to your darkness. I would have done the same."

"That’s not the only reason I did it," Jon explained, "I love her, Kris. I didn’t want to lose her."

"I understand," the Russian told him.

"Kris, why did you risk yourself this way to warn me? Why didn’t you just let the emissary tell me the news?" Jon asked him.

"Because if you were guilty, my friend, I wanted you to have the chance to run," Kristoff answered him, his tone grave.

"I appreciate that, Kris, I really do," Jon told him, "but I wouldn’t do that to you. The Council would surely know that you had warned me and take action."

"Giovanni, that is not all I called to tell you. The Council has also demanded that your lifemate and your friend, Richie present testimony," he paused meaningfully, "for the prosecution."

"Richie will refuse," Jon told him quickly. Knowing his friend like he did, Jon knew that Richie would refuse to testify against him.

"You must explain the penalty to you if he does," Kristoff told him. "Surely, he would not risk that."

"No," Jon agreed with Kristoff, "but he won’t like it."

"He doesn’t have to like it," the Russian replied, "he must only come or you will face the consequences."

"I’ll make him see how important it is," Jon assured his friend.

"Good," Kristoff responded, "I must go now, Giovanni, before I’m caught talking to you. Just know that I will help you however I can."

"As long as you don’t put yourself and Maria at risk," Jon told him. "I’ll see you soon, but Kris, I’m not going straight home. My lifemate has business to attend to and I must accompany her."

"Da," Kristoff told him, "be careful, Giovanni. And be safe."

Jon closed his cell, disconnecting the call. This was bad. Really, really bad. He stood up, and began to pace again. Quickly, he began to make a mental list of all the things he had to do. There was no way he would get back to sleep, but he would let Richie sleep a little longer before he woke him with the news that he wasn’t going home after all. He would have to go to Russia with Jon and Mac.