It had been month’s since Gabriel and her had escaped the rockfall that had apparently, according to the news, been caused by a slight tremor on a fault line that ran though the hills that encompassed Cascadia. Her once daily phonecalls to him to ask if he had made any progress on excavating the site had gradually drifted to weekly. He was of course besides himself with grief at his loss, but she gave him no words of comfort, they would have fallen on deaf ears because noone wants to listen to false sympathy.

As far as she was concerned she had been robbed of her right to end Sorenti’s life, or rather the chance to try, no doubt she would have met her end in the process, but it would have been worth it.
According to Gabriel they had excavated all that they could and found nothing of real interest, a few scraps of his shirt but nothing more.

Rea looked out of the parapet of her haven...so was he dead....or alive, the question kept going around in her head and nothing she did could dispel the growing feeling of unease that seemed to be spreading around her haven, as if it was waiting for something to happen. Rea turned and walked back into the room.
The glowing fire that normally gave her comfort kept flickering and hissing as if it was starved of air, its thin tendrils reaching up weakly as it tried to grow strong again.
Jacob lay sleeping on the sofa and she picked him up tenderly and carried him upstairs into her bedroom, his fingers twining with her hair as he breathed softly in his sleep.
[i:0463eddff6]” oh no you don’t little man, I have things to do and you need your nap”[/i:0463eddff6] carefully she uncurled his fingers and covered him up with the quilt.

Her eyes drifted over the email from the adoption service.........ring to make an appointment....damn it she muttered , didn’t they realise that she kept totally different hours than they did.
Rea had however managed to keep Kavnos off her back for awhile, a false travel itinerary , with Jacob’s name on it, had sent one of his clan on a wild goose chase across Australia.
The uneasy feeling was still there and she got up restlessly from the desk and padded across to the drink’s cabinet. As she poured a glass of Chardonnay something caught her eye and picking up the glass she walked to the balcony, the long dress she wore clung to her like a second skin as the wind blew against her and the deep blue was a stark contrast against her white skin.

Through the gaps in the trees she could she headlights approaching...Gabriel perhaps....he always called first though. As she continued to watch they drew closer and the wind stopped, not gradually it just stopped, as if someone had flicked a switch.

Kavnos...........Jacob......Rea ran upstairs to her room and picked the sleeping child up , wrapping him in her quilt she ran back downstairs with him and sped into the kitchen.

[i:0463eddff6]” Paula....I need you to not ask questions but do as I say ok?...I want you to take Jacob and go to the old haven....If you dont hear from me in 12 hours you must ring Mr.Gabriel O’Brien, he will know what to do”[/i:0463eddff6]

The newly acquired ghoul.....partly for the benefit of Jacob ‘s welfare, simply nodded and took the child in her arms.

Rea opened the back door of the church and led them to the car.

[i:0463eddff6]” Take the back road, but dont put the lights on till your round the bend then stop for no-one....I’ll talk to you soon”[/i:0463eddff6]

[i:0463eddff6]” Yes Mistress”[/i:0463eddff6]

Paula was not one for words which suited Rea and she was excellent with Jacob, which was her main role.
As the car left Rea could hear another one approaching the front of her haven.

Sorenti cursed the right hand drive, manual car as he negotiated the last corner one handed, his mobile phone glued to one ear..

"So you'll do it then?........well?" he urged

"It's such a lot to ask, I mean I just can't go around doing whatever I feel like and this is so out of the blue..." came the voice on the other end

"I don't care what you aren't SUPPOSED to do, it's been a long time, but you owe me and now I am calling it in! Will you do it, or do I have to collect the debt in body parts? personally!"

"Oh...errr....."

"Well? I don't have all night to listen to you making excuses!" Sorenti spat into the phone

"Alright....Alright!!! I'll do it, I swear, I will, I promise! There's no need for you to trouble yourself coming all the way down here and I like my body parts exactly where they are!" replied the nervous voice

"Tonight then! You have precisely one hour to burn that damn blood contract or I will write my own contract in YOUR blood!"

Sorenti snapped the phone shut and pocketed it as he pulled up in front of the house. No time for stealth and surprise here he thought as he slammed the car door and ran towards the door of the house, hitting the bell and the remote to lock the car at the same time. His jacket curled behind him and he pulled it close, more to hide some of the other items he carried than to hide La Magra which most Kindred in Cascadia knew he carried. He waited patiently at the door and listened for sounds inside, he knew she was there, he could feel her.

Reannag watched as the black lotus carlton approached the front of her haven at speed then brake suddenly, its tyres sending up fragments of earth as it came to a stop. As the door opened and he stepped out of the car she gasped involuntarliy....Sorenti.....so her instincts had been right he was still alive.

She watched him as he ran to the door, his coat flapping in the wind that had curiously returned and saw the familar outline of la Magra. A thin wicked smile broke her impassive face and her tongue ran lazily over her white fangs. her body had been tensed up for a meeting with Kavnos,each sinew in her body ready for a fight....to the death if need be to protect Jacob, but this....this was a new twist and one that she would meet head on....this confrontation and been a long time coming.

The doorbell rang again and she walked slowly down the stairs and into the entrance vestibule of the chapel.
[i:48ad616a9f]"patience Sorenti......you still don't possess any it seems"[/i:48ad616a9f]

At one time Reannag would have been terrified of a meeting with him, the looks he could give her would make her want to cringe away from him and hide.....not any more...she had grown stronger and wiser, and vengeance was running through her body as she slid back the bolts on the door.

[i:48ad616a9f]" Rea.....I know your in there....let me in ......please....we have to talk"[/i:48ad616a9f]

Rea stopped as his voice drifted to her and she felt like a bolt of electricity had run through her body....flashbacks ran through her head in quick succession, their courtship, their arguments, and finally the betrayal.

Her fingers dug into her arm to bring herself back to present time.

[i:48ad616a9f]" Don't let him get under your skin...not now..."[/i:48ad616a9f] she whispered as she pushed the final bolt back and stepped away from the door.