“Oh my, I do see the dilemma. There is a thing about you that would drive a great deal around here wild. Why haven’t we met before now? I’m here at least twice a month, it’s the only time I can live as the woman that dies to come out of the lost little boy that I’m forced to live like at my master’s little shanty across the city.”

Before I answered I looked back at the others, who were now watching us.

“They won’t start without us,” he smiled, sitting on a small stool messing with his shoe. “Please, tell me where you and your group came from.”

“We are guests of Lord Vegee Lebrun’s, he has allowed pleasure this night at the invitation of Lord Cheree,” I lied, hoping he would by it.

“Bon, I am in love with Lord Lebrun, and have been for a life time. But, he does not see favor in men. Poo, what can one do? As long as he can play well, does it really matter?” he laughed, standing up. “Come, let us go into the game room, we breeders haven’t the time of the fleshers.”

I had to talk to Jacob before we did anything. I had to find out who Felicia’s maker was. He belongs to one of the other corners of the city, so it had to be Angelica, or her twin sister, Inara. If we killed him, everything that we had planned with Martin would be out the window, if that even mattered after hearing the way Felicia said, ‘as long as he plays well’, because it sent a tidal wave of chills crashing up my spine. As Felicia walked over toward the others, running his hand across Fala’s lower abdomen, I waved like mad for Jacob to come over to me. Instead of having Jacob think I was meaning him, half the group came my way including the leather covered man. Cates caught the look on my face, clasped his arm over Bernard’s shoulder, and brought him into a hug.

“Where be that game room? I’ll be wantin’ to see how hard you can swing a flogger?” Cates growled in his fake voice right down in Bernard’s face, not causing fear, but a reaction that caused the lower part of his leather pants to grow tight.

“You will soon find out, intriguing one,” Bernard replied, running his hand up Cates rippled stomach. “So well built, such a shame you’re not a breeder.”

“And such a shame you are already someone else’s whore,” Felicia interjected, pulling a small chain out of his dress pocket and hooking it to the back of Bernard’s hood. “Now, open the game room door, before I remove another piece of your hide.”

“Well don’t say that, or you’ll never get the damn door open,” Bernard laughed, pushing Cates away and sliding the double door open.

Tammy grabbed Tanda by the shoulders as she stumbled to the side from the shock of seeing all the different devices hanging from the walls, and the many different shaped tables and chairs throughout the room. Candles burned everywhere in red vases that gave the room the appearance of being drenched in blood, just as Felicia had said. While the others were being taken in the room and with their host having plenty to show them, I explained everything to Jacob. Everything but what Felicia had said about Martin. I didn’t want him to be judged until I had a chance to find out, meaning, I would be asking him face to face. Then they could judge him; his reply would be his own defense.

“Then we have to get everyone out of here right now.” Jacob spoke low, looking back into the room at what could very well be our entrance into the main homes.

“How?”

“Hell for damn, I do not know?”

“Well, you better hell for damn think of something before Tammy kills leather boy for touching her man,” I snickered.

“This I well know.” Then we both took off into the room.

Tammy was messing with one of the curved blades on the wall when we walked in; as Cates was sitting Felicia down on one of the ‘S’ shaped lounge chairs. Sydney and Garvin were pretending to chain each other up, pulling their weapons out and holding them at their side. Fala and Tanda we locking Bernard into a square, metal contraption with his arms and legs spread wide. ‘What the hell was going on in here, during the few minutes that Jacob and I were talking’, I thought as I watched them move like the well-trained demons that they were.

“I’m afraid this night runs short and we will have to wait the next, but it has been an honor to make the acquaintance of such a lovely female,” Jacob smiled, giving a slight bow. “Our master bids our return before his day rest, as you can understand, I’m sure.”

“Oh poo, I will tell that old fool that you were with me,” Felicia said, sitting up, as Cates frowned at Jacob and myself.

“It would be a great honor to sneak out and play again, My Lady,” I added, winking at him.

“Do you know Castel Reynar? It belongs to my master, Mistress Inara. She is the true leader of London,” he proudly proclaimed, getting to his feet with Cates standing up beside him.

“Of course,” I replied, not knowing what else to say.

“Look under the gate box out by the entrance tomorrow night. I will leave instructions on how to find my room. And don’t worry, my mistress will be at her sister’s for the next few nights getting things ready for the gala and something about a meeting,” he laughed. “Your master will be there as well, I assume.”

Jacob snapped his fingers, getting everyone to stop what they were truly thinking about finishing, and just walk toward us. Tammy was glaring at me with her mouth held tight. I gave her the best look I could, to please just walk over to me, but she took the curved blade off the wall. I shook my head several times as she brought the blade back. Bernard saw her and began yelling through the gag that Tanda had placed in his mouth. Cates turned just in the nick of time to hit her forearm and send the blade spinning into the back area of the room. She fell into his chest and started crying, in jest of course.

“Was she going to…?” Felicia paused in his asking.

“Nae, she’ll be goin’ fer me again,” Cates replied, still talking in a deep slang tone. “Ye see the hen be thinkin’ she be me own.”

“Is that how you lost your arm?” Felicia asked, calming down a great deal.

“It is, almost lost a wee more that night,” Cates laughed loud, taking Tammy under his arm. “If’in I dennae like the wench I wud have already killed and cleaned her bones meself.”

We used that note to let Felicia and Bernard show us out the back way, pretending we wanted to spend as much time with them as we could. With Felicia being one who fell back into wanting a leadership role around the group of what they still believed to be flesh eaters, we let him take us toward the back door going down the same steps we had just come up. The only thing missing was the room full of nude men. Bernard made the comment that they had moved to the bathhouse and taken the party into the water. However, the bodies of their drained victims remained, some dead and some not.

“How can we just walk out?” Derek asked, stopping and looking down at one of the dead forms.

“Because, we will come back another night,” Jacob replied, gripping his shoulder.

“This is one time that we must all hold our patience for many reasons.”

“Take one with you if you like, no one will care,” Felicia said, looking back from the staircase, overhearing the conversation.

“Thank you…I will,” Derek said, going to the woman that was still breathing.

“Derek?” Jacob said reaching for him, being pushed away, as he leaned down and lifted her up like one would a sleeping child.

Chapter Seven

We continued down the steps, but instead of going into the lower levels back across the kitchen, we went into a hall to the left and out a door that took us to an outside covered walkway that led to the coaches. The very way Felicia had explained that he would lead us to… the main back entrance. We told them good night halfway down the breezeway, as Bernard had called it, so that they wouldn’t see that we didn’t have a driver, much less a coach to crawl into. Felicia gave us all a kiss on the cheek, which Jacob had already warned us was a natural greeting among most of the people from this part of the world. Bernard tried to give Tanda a kiss on the mouth, getting an “accidental” shove from Derek, who grabbed the man around the waist, saying he was sorry that he had tripped.