Gypsy Designs Ch. 11

I hope everyone liked the edit and re-write on Ch. 10!!

I'm also sorry about the long wait for Ch.11. I'd forgotten what it was like to have the full blown flu let along a house full of people with it.

I had tried writing as soon as I was feeling slightly alive only to realize mentally I was as wiped out as physically... so it took me this time to finally get better. Ch. 12 is already in the works and it's safe to say almost half way done :)

~Shadow~

Chapter 11

Stepping into the hallway, Lucien knew his nosey sister already sensed his approach. Gritting his teeth, he wished he'd be able to speak with her privately instead of with the group he knew he'd find.

"It looks like we're not going to have to wait much longer for an update," he heard her say, her laughter filling the room as he stepped to the kitchen door.

Lucien knew better to have been shocked at anything his twin did but seeing her with waist length white hair, streaked with jet black and hot pink was more than he'd expected even from her.

"You don't like my new look?" Lucinda asked, pretending to be crushed by his obvious reaction. Standing up she whirled around, showing off the skin tight white leather cat suit she wore, with of all things hot pink stiletto boots.

Victor patted Sophie's hand when she sighed, "Let's not start our visit with a confrontation you two," he said with a knowing smile, meeting Lucien's eyes. "I asked your sister to accompany me since she has some information I think you'll find interesting," he explained.

Lucien nodded he understood, smiling at the fact that the recently changed man held the same steel in his voice of his father to stop him in his tracks. "Luci, it's good to see you, even though it'd be hard for a blind man to miss a get up like that." He laughed when she glared at him, hating the nick name he'd always used when he was out to annoy her.

Christian didn't stifle his laugh at all, earning a violent squeeze from Megan under the table at his actions. "Any news on how Gypsy faired after the other night?" he asked carefully, not wanting to alert Megan to the possibility things hadn't gone well.

Nodding his thanks, he turned up the coffee Sophie had handed him. Meeting Phillip then Christian's eyes he knew each suspected something had happened.

"Caydn and Gypsy are both fine," he said carefully, "They're down stairs in my room to hopefully avoid anymore of Barton and Damone's games until she has a chance to digest just how serious this is."

Sophie sat back down between Vince and Victor, "Do you really think Barton now intends to kill her, or was it just anger?" she asked with a frown, concerned about her niece.

"I wish I could tell you one way or the other Sophie, but I'd rather be safe than sorry, so I'm thinking he does mean it," he said seriously.

Lucinda glanced at Victor when Barton's name was mentioned. At his nod she now understood why he'd asked her to join him.

"It seems this name 'Barton'. I'm assuming is Barton Currington, keeps popping up," she said leaning back in her chair when everyone looked at her. "I've been spending the past months having some fun in the underground clubs around Munich, hence the outfit," she said flashing Lucien a smile. "I'd started doing some looking into some unexplained deaths of random newly turned. It seems the name Barton Currington is associated with a company new to the Munich area."

"I called Lucinda after I'd gotten a few disturbing calls, some of the protectors from that same area were found brutally murdered," Victor explained, getting everyone's attention. "The deaths were made to look as if they'd been brutalized by us, even though those of our community knew instantly it was a fraud."

Vince leaned forward, looking at his father, "Why didn't you call me, letting me know so I could start working on some increased security here?" he asked his annoyance obvious.

Phillip leaned back in his chair clearing his throat. "I hate to be the one to end what looks to be a dramatic argument," he laughed. "It's almost dawn, and not all of us have the strength of Lucien and Lucinda," he said nodding toward Megan who covered her yawn sheepishly.

"It would also be better for us to wait until Caydn and Gypsy are here before we discuss everything, so as to not have to repeat it," he explained. "I'm also going to call Jazleen and make arrangements for increased security for her and Angelique. A call to Micah and Samantha wouldn't be out of order since they've been here and possibly seen also," he said looking at Christian who nodded his agreement.

Sophie stood gathering the cups from the table. She noticed her hand trembling just as Megan reached out, taking it giving it a gentle squeeze of assurance all would be fine.

"I opened the other wing of the house when Vince told me you and Lucinda would be arriving. Also some additional staff would be coming in tomorrow morning," she said rinsing the cups placing them in the dishwasher.

Vince wrapped his arm around Sophie's shoulder, before looking around the room. "If you'll excuse us we're going to get some sleep, we've been up almost twenty four hours now ourselves," turning he escorted his concerned wife from the room toward their apartment.

"Have you and Vince discussed your choice yet?" Lucien asked taking the vacant seat beside Victor.

Victor closed his eyes for a minute, shaking his head. "We discussed it over the phone beforehand but not since then," he explained. "I think he and I need to do just that as soon as possible."

Lucinda who'd been silent, observing those around her stood up smoothly, flashing Christian a smile. "Well it seems that since you've found your mate there isn't going to be room enough for me in your bed anymore," she chuckled seeing Megan's eyes flare, glaring at both she and Christian. "That is unless she might be interested in something more than just you," she winked at Megan who almost snarled.

Phillip laughed while Christian groaned. "Luci stop it now!" Lucien said firmly. "We don't have time nor the patience for your games sister dear," he snapped sarcastically. "I suggest you find yourself a room here and leave everyone else alone."

Victor took Lucinda's hand, shaking his head. "Please don't make me regret asking you to join me," he said pulling her from the room behind him.

"Oh this is going to make for some explosive and exciting times," Megan muttered under her breath. "I can just see the fur flying when she and Gypsy meet face to face for the first time," she glanced at Lucien seeing him almost pale at the thought.

"I'll see all of you tomorrow night," he said turning to leave, planning on stopping by Gypsy's room before going back down stairs to his room where she and Caydn slept.

"Phillip if you think it would be better to have Jaz and your daughter here, make the arrangements," he said meeting Phillips eyes. "Force in numbers," he said quietly, seeing his friend's nod of thanks.

Having grabbed some jeans and a sweater he'd found lying in the chair in Gypsy's room, Lucien started back down stairs.

"You've gotten old 'Ien," Lucinda said quietly using the name she'd always called him when they were alone. "What's been happening that has you looking or acting like your actual years?"

Lucien stopped, knowing she'd be waiting for him, thankful for the chance to speak to her alone. "Luc I think for being immortal we all eventually begin to feel time catching up with us," he said looking up to meet her startling green eyes.

"When in the hell did your eyes turn green?" he laughed, feeling some of the tension releasing itself.

She batted her obscenely long lashes at him. "Do you have any idea how tired I get of being asked why I have silver eyes, especially when I have other things on my mind?" she smiled. "Call it vanity, hell or being vane which ever fits," she laughed, leaning against his arm. "It's just nice to relax and pretend you fit in at times, so I have different color contacts to go with my moods."

"That I can relate to," he laughed, sliding down the wall to join her on the floor of the dark hallway. "Now give me a summary of how you got involved and why," he said looking at her seriously. "I know since you stopped working as a guardian you haven't had anything to do with the group. Why all of a sudden?"

Lucinda took a deep breath, "Well as I said I'd gone to spend some time in Munich for a change of scenery," she started to explain when Lucien laughed.

"Mom called me and told me father had given you an ultimatum and your first reaction was to run," he chuckled, "But that's another story for another time," he smiled at her.

"I've had some friends who'd told me things were laid back there so I thought I'd see what was happening. You know how I always do some volunteer work whenever I'm going to be in an area for any length of time," she grinned, flashing her bright green eyes at him.

Lucien laughed nodding his head, "I'm sure if he thinks about it Caydn will thank you for some of your hard work," he shook his head not willing to explain further.

"It wasn't long after I got there I started noticing peoples thoughts were turning dark and dismal, lots of fear and I'm not talking anxiety, I'm talking nightmare type fear in the locals," she leaned her head back against the wall, looking up at him.

"It didn't take long to find some of the weaker who'd begun obsessing," she explained. "They were having nightmares, while awake, about vampires ravaging their cities and killing everyone that lived there. Some people were locking themselves in their homes to supposedly save themselves from this 'plague' that was suddenly in town."

"I can't imagine this thrilled Stephan at all?" he asked with a frown, referring to the dominant Vampire of the area.

"I never even had a chance to contact him before he'd sent some of his men to find me, asking me to come in and talk to him about it. How he knew I was in town, I don't know," she laughed, knowing word of her arrival was never far behind.

"Word from Stephan was that a new investment firm had come into the area, an international conglomerate that seemed to want to take all of Europe by storm. I knew this wasn't the first time one had done this so I thought very little about it. That is until a few weeks later when one of the donors came into the clinic and I noticed she was wearing a security pass from 'CIC' Currington Investment Corp," she said waiting to see if he'd have anything to add.

"This woman's mind was a total mess," she shook her head in disgust. "She was literally a walking dominant nightmare, whose purpose was to scare those around her. Before I had a chance to call Stephan that morning when I left the clinic, there was news on every channel about a series of murders leaving bodies through out the city."

Lucien growled deep in his chest, "You'd said earlier that some of those dead were newly turned, how do you know this or anyone know it?" he asked quietly.

"Well I wanted to see for myself what was going on, so when the clinic was asked to provide blood and help at the local hospitals and clinics, I volunteered to go along in case I could be of help," she smiled at her ingenious plan. "We were held up in traffic near one of the scenes and I got out with one of the nurses to see if we could be of any aid," she explained.

"It only took me a few seconds to realize the two men we'd come up on that had been murdered, were our own," she said softly. "They'd been bound and left to bleed out completely, not just a single cut, but a series of very effective slices along both the carotid and the jugular."

"Newly turned, neither fully functional nor aware of themselves and what they can do yet, I'm sure," he said shaking his head. "Stephan should really do something about those of his own who turn randoms at a whim," he said angrily.

Lucinda nodded her agreement, "I can assure you he and I had that discussion the following night," she said sharply, her intelligence and force obvious in her words. "When I again mentioned the thoughts floating around the people's minds, he handed me a folder with information about 'CIC' the first name I read was Barton Currington," she explained.

"I'd heard the name many times before when Victor would speak to Elliot or Vince, I figured I'd give him a call since I knew he'd be interested in what was happening," she said leaning her head back closing her eyes. "That brother dear is the summary of how I got to be here and involved," she sighed thankful they hadn't gone into rehashing some of her past actions.

"How much about what's been taking place here did Victor fill you in on during the flight?" he asked watching her closely.

She smiled evilly winking at him, "Well what he didn't tell me got filled in when we got here," she laughed. "It might not mean much to the others, but I do know a spell when I hear one and just what that spell contained," she smiled knowingly.

Lucien frowned at her, "I didn't figure it would take you long to begin ferreting out things you'd be better off not knowing," he muttered. "I guess I need to thank you for not educating everyone."

"Oh you'll just owe me," she laughed, moving away when he acted as if he were going to reach for her. "I will give you one piece of advice," she said softly. "Next time I suggest more than a quick shower, since I can still smell her all over you. I guess I should be glad she and Caydn aren't mated and I didn't show up to find pieces of you spread around for touching her," she said seriously. "It really is to bad that I was forty-eight hours to late or your services might not have even been needed," her smile very feline like, her voice purring at the thought of running her hands all over this mysterious young woman's body while Caydn of all people watched.

Lucien chuckled, "I think you're going to find that she's nothing like what you'd think. Even if they were mated I think she's strong willed and minded enough to not bow and scrape to anyone. And I think she's very happy with the male gender so you would've been disappointed," He laughed.

She laughed imagining how Caydn was taking that. "Okay, tell me now so I can prepare myself. How whipped and obsessive is Caydn, following her around like a lost puppy, becoming all domestic and shit?" she said as if in disgust.

Stifling the loud laughter threatening to escape him he shook his head. "I'm not sure if I'm going to enjoy the two of you meeting or damn Victor for bringing you. Get some sleep and I'm going to do the same," he said stopping outside the door to her room. "It's good to see you so far," he laughed when she punched him.

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

Gypsy's mind kept fighting the urge to fall back into it's world of oblivion, letting her go back to sleep, while her internal clock kept screaming it was time to get up.

Stretching she froze, the bed didn't feel like hers or Caydn's. It was firmer and without moving or opening her eyes, it felt like it was ten times the size it should've been. Covering her face with her pillow until she could organize all the thoughts running through her head, she gasped when her foot came into contact with something or someone, and it couldn't be Caydn since he was on her right, his arm thrown causally across her stomach.

Caydn lay perfectly still, he knew if she didn't wake up fully before she remembered the past thirty two hours, she'd be hysterical. He sensed Lucien's wakefulness and hoped he'd be intelligent enough to do the same thing.

"Please tell me I died and everything was just torture for all the things I've done wrong in my life," she said, her voice muffled by the pillow hiding her face. "No better yet don't tell me and just let me believe that," she groaned, shaking her head knowing neither of the men in bed with her would lie to her.

Lucien rolled onto his side, propping himself on his elbow, grinning at Caydn. "Didn't I remember some time or another, the comment 'any woman would give they're life savings to have been in her position?'" He laughed when Caydn frowned at him and Gypsy pulled the pillow tighter as if to smother herself.

"You never knew when to shut up, did you?" Caydn said trying not to laugh, when Gypsy flipped over onto her stomach, grabbing the comforter burying herself beneath it.

Flopping onto his back Lucien sighed dramatically. "I'm sorry my manners seem to elude me when I'm woke up and it's still damn day light," he chuckled.

"I'm sorry I woke you so go back to sleep and just forget I'm here," a tiny muffled voice told them both.

Wrapping his arm around her waist, Caydn pulled her body toward him, covering her legs with his own, before she could kick him. "How in the world could anyone forget you're here when you're so deliciously naked under these covers?" he asked, his voice threatening laughter as Lucien shook his head knowing this would end badly.

Gypsy erupted from beneath the covers, trying to make a speedy get away, hoping she had the direction of the bathroom right in her mind. If not she might very well end up standing naked in a corner wishing she'd die and soak into the thick carpet.

"Whoa," Lucien laughed, catching her as she tried to leap over him and out of the bed. Tightening his hold around her waist, he glanced at Caydn. "I think this might be yours, but hell you always were bad about leaving your things around so who knows," he laughed loudly when Gypsy froze, turning her head to glare daggers at him.

Brushing her hair back from her face she tried once to push against him only to know she was wasting her effort and time doing so.

"Do you get your jollies by constantly reminding me of the 'things' you and Caydn use to do just for 'shits and giggles'? Or is this just form of torture that no one told me about?" she asked in a huff.

Caydn sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, reaching his hand back waiting for Lucien to release her so she could get up.

"Did she really just say, 'shits and giggles'?" Lucien asked with a laugh as she and Caydn both glanced back to glare at him. Lying back down, folding his arms behind his head casually so he could watch them.

She held her breath for a second looking at Caydn. "Who are all the extra people in the house? And why is Aunt Sophie so upset?" she asked quickly suddenly bombarded with all the extra thoughts spinning through her mind.

Lucien nodded at Caydn when he glanced at him. "She's ultra sensitive to everything still," he agreed.

"She's? Hasn't anyone ever told you it isn't polite to speak of someone as if they're not in the room when they're right in front of your damn face?" she snapped, wrapping the comforter around her before getting up to stalk across the room, throwing herself onto the couch.

"I don't know all the details so why don't we let Lucien explain it to us before the two of you draw blood," Caydn said getting up, walking across the room naked looking for his jeans.

"Would you please put some clothes on," she choked, a deep flush covering her cheeks.

"Bitchy to it seems," Lucien muttered, sitting up in his large recently vacated bed. "To answer your question, there are more people here today. Victor arrived last night and these are some people he's been training who are distantly related to you if I'm not mistaken," Lucien flashed her a smile.

"My grandfathers here?" she said shocked, her voice fading as she wished she could simply evaporate never having to face any of her family or friends again.

Caydn walked over sitting on the arm of the couch near her. "Gypsy if I'm reading Lucien right no one knows the spell had any effect on anyone, or even that it was a spell and not just some hallow threat Damon was trying to scare you with," he said softly, trying to assure her everything would be okay.

Lucien could feel not only her eyes on him but also her mind poking at his, trying to see if Caydn was telling the truth or was just saying that to make her feel better. Keeping the information of his conversation with Lucinda locked away; he smiled at her when she took a visible breath before closing her eyes.