The Loners Ch. 21

What Liz had said was true, and he stood no chance of winning if he entered battle with half assed resolve.

His thoughts were broken when he heard approaching footsteps, and he turned to see Liz carrying a handful of swords.

"Where...did you get those?" Alan asked.

"This place has an armory, of sorts. Lord Constantine prides himself in being prepared for almost anything, and always keeps weapons close by in case they are needed." Liz explained in her cold voice as she leaned the swords against one of the walls.

Liz's eyes then traveled around the lobby, and sighed in slight irritation. "Looks like your girlfriends haven't returned from their fun time yet. They better not take too long, or else I'll have to force them to an early end. As Lord Constantine had said, we don't have much time, and I want to make as much use of it as possible."

Alan's thoughts then dwelled on Liz for a moment as he stared at her. They did, after all, just have sex. And from Alan's perspective, casual sex was something he wasn't used to.

Liz caught the gaze. "I thought I told you to not get attached. Don't start getting all sappy with me otherwise I'll be forced to beat reality into you."

"B-but..."

Liz rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed grunt. "Just drop it already. The sex meant nothing except just that. Sex."

"Sorry, but I'm just not used to it. I've spent most of my life at least placing sex a little higher then what most do. To me it should have some higher meaning, and not be degraded to a form of entertainment that people just use each other for. And I think you're lying. You said it yourself, you have only had a very few number of lovers. Not only that, but you also willing told me about your past, and I bet that's something that you do often, is it?"

Liz stared at Alan, irritation on her face, then let out another sigh. This sigh, however, was one of defeat.

"Fine. You're right, to an extent. What happened did mean something, just as in most, whether they admit it or not. But, don't let that go to your head. I don't love you if that's what you're thinking. I truly belong to one person, and that is Lord Constantine. At the same time, I am hoping to have sex with you in the future, since you're one of the few that can actually satisfy me in the way that I want. Happy now?" Liz spat irritably.

"Why is it such a big deal? Why is it that everyone seemingly tries to place so little value on sex?" Alan asked, his voice on the verge of shouting. This particular subject is one of the reasons why Alan was frustrated with the world.

Most of his life, he watched from afar, so many different relationships come and go, without having one himself. One of the most common elements of these relationships, especially sexual relationships, is how little value those involved give them.

In Alan's eyes, this is the main reason why these relationships fail and go sour. Yet, it is one of the most common and disgraceful occurrences that Alan has ever witnessed time and time again.

Why he saw things this way and not in a more common way like most other people seem to do, he didn't know. Was he just born with a different mindset? Or maybe it was because it used to happen so rarely to him that he had put it on an unreachable pedestal.

No, that wasn't true, because he still felt strongly about Katie and Rachel, and even though Liz was supposed to be a fling and nothing more, Alan felt something for her as well. For Alan, it just wasn't possible to completely separate sex from his emotions, nor is it something that he felt he should do.

True, he may not love Liz now like he does Katie and Rachel, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't feel some attachment to what would now be the third woman he has ever had sex with.

"You're asking the wrong person." Liz responded to Alan's questions.

"Then maybe what we did was a mistake after all."

"You go ahead and regret all you want, because I don't. Nor do I view it as a mistake. You and I are in open relationships for a reason, and that is because our lovers understand our needs."

"You heard your girlfriends, didn't you? They want you to experience as many people as possible in order to appreciate the two of them more. In my case, Lord Constantine allows me to take the few that I want because I'm a difficult individual to satisfy constantly, and despite Lord Constantine's capabilities in the bedroom, he isn't always able to do so at times, for he can't always be available to me."

"That's just the point! Everyone just sees it as a form of satisfaction, and not as something that bonds people together. That's what pisses me off!"

"And I just told you, didn't I? You and I did bond." Liz admitted again. Alan held his tongue, a little surprised by the way she had very forwardly admitted it, unlike the first time when she seemingly downplayed it.

"Look, I'll give you this. I prefer your way of thinking, it's a much nicer way of looking at things. Whether the world agrees with you or not, I don't know or care. Not only that, we also don't have time to work out our status between the two of us, because we have a lot of work to do."

"On top of all of that, as I said, I have Lord Constantine, and you have your two girlfriends. They didn't mind the two of us having sex and bonding a little, but anything more, and we'll have to include them in the conversation. So, do what I told you to do, and put it from your mind."

Alan and Liz stared at one another for several moments, until finally, Alan acknowledge that she was right. He needed to talk to Rachel and Katie before things got any farther in the first place. Just how did other people manage to juggle these kinds of relationships with what seemed to be ease?

"I do have one last thing to say though." Liz said suddenly, causing Alan to turn back to her.

Liz let out the slightest of smiles, one that Alan wasn't sure he was really seeing, until she spoke.

"I do like you enough to want to have sex with you again, which is even rarer for me. So...you got your wish. You are somewhat special to me, more than almost everyone I have ever met." Liz said, somewhat warmly and with a more subdued voice.

Alan was stunned at hearing that, and gave Liz a brief smile himself before Liz's smile vanished almost faster than lightning.

"Don't, however, think that I'll go easy on you just because of that. I know how to separate my emotions from work, and I will kick your ass as promised while you're here." Liz said, the cold voice returning.

Silence hung in the air after that, which remained until Rachel and Katie returned, finding Alan and Liz waiting for them.

"So, how was it? Enjoy yourself?" Rachel asked, as Katie silently eyed Alan.

"It was..."

"Save it for later." Liz cut him off before he could speak. Rachel and Katie both turned to Liz.

"Also, I'll clear something up so it doesn't come up later. There are some things that were said that I told Alan not to repeat to anyone else. Don't worry, he belongs to you. But, don't get all freaky jealous if there are some things that he doesn't talk about." Liz explained, not wanting drama to start building up and making things complicated.

"One last thing, I may want him again at some point. That won't bother anyone, will it?" Liz asked.

Katie merely stared at Liz, concerned if something was happening, but Rachel shook her head. "No, it's not a big deal. And thanks for the heads up."

"Good, now let's get started." Liz said, turning to Alan. "Before we do anything, I need you to learn to suppress your life force. Right now, you're a shining beacon to nearly all of the supernatural community with the amount of power you have. You're going to need to learn to suppress it if you want to make any movement without being tracked."

*****

It has been a day now. A whole day, and nothing from Lord Hector. Lord Christian had been working closely with Lord Hector to attempt to catch the renegades while they were still out here in the west.

Personally, Lord Christian wanted to pay them back for his humiliation, but it wouldn't be so bad if Lord Hector had caught them. Not only that, but the sooner he found the renegades, the sooner the other Lords will leave the States.

Unfortunately, for some reason, Lord Hector had just vanished, along with his guard that had accompanied him on his search.

Lord Christian watched as, one by one, the other Lords answered his emergency call for a meeting. Everyone, except Lord Hector.

"What's all of the commotion about, Lord Christian? Have you found the renegades?" Lord Constantine asked, though he had a feeling on what this was going to be about. He was curious on how this was going to unfold.

"No, but it's good to see we're all present, so I'll begin."

"Not all of us, Lord Hector hasn't arrived yet." Lord Richter commented.

"That's precisely the issue." Lord Christian said ominously.

"How so?" Lady Pandora asked.

"Lord Hector has been missing for the past 24 hours."

"Missing?" Lady Helen asked, though she knew what was going on, since Lord Constantine had told her everything.

Lord Christian nodded. "At this point, I believe it's safe to assume that he's dead."

"Impossible! If a Lord was dead, we would surely have heard of it by now! Surely someone would have come forth claiming such a victory and asked to be given their rightful place as the new Lord." Lord Issac responded.

"I've been in contact with Lord Hector's lower echelons, and I told them specifically not to say anything until this conference to prevent chaos from unfolding. However, I've been working very closely with Lord Hector to search for the renegades, and I suddenly lost contact with him yesterday with no explanation. Not only that, none of Lord Hector's clan had heard from him either."

"But how? There's no way the renegades could have killed a Lord!" Lady Francine protested.

"I think the renegades were involved, but, I also think one of us was involved." Lord Caleb said suddenly.

Lord Constantine kept his impassive face. Though Lord Caleb was ignorant, he was also swift. Not surprising that he would suspect foul play first, since that was his specialty.

"Allow me to explain. Suppose someone wanted to start a war. Currently, the renegades are a good excuse to come here to America to start such a war. And let's stop beating around the bush at this point, since I'm sure we all know or at least suspect it. Now, if Lord Hector, by chance, had come across the renegades in his search, that would complicate matters for the one who wants war, wouldn't it? Unless, of course, Lord Hector was conveniently removed. This would also work out as well because Lord Hector is also the type who would stand against the party who wishes to start a war. This kind of move would not only prolong the search which is keeping all of us here in the States, but, it also shifts the balance of power in favor of those who intend war."

"Your scenario makes sense, Lord Caleb. However, Lord Hector isn't that big of a fool. I think we all know just how powerful and alert he is, especially when it comes to battle. He would not be so easily taken down, and a fight between Lords would have attracted attention." Lord Richter commented.

"Perhaps, unless he was ambushed in some way. Someone here among us is trying to start a war, and Lord Hector's death further implicates this theory."

"We haven't considered the fact that the two renegades have not been turned yet. This might be a bit of a stretch, but if the two humans had been turned, we wouldn't know anything about them. How can we know just how strong the three of them are together?" Lord Constantine asked.

"No matter how we look at it, none of it bodes well for us. If Lord Caleb is correct, then that means that we can no longer trust one another, and war will come as sure as the sun rises. If Lord Constantine is correct, then we have a very large problem if the renegades are strong enough to take down a Lord." Lord Issac said, his concern for war now growing. At this point, it was now safe to assume that war was inevitable, and it was all dependant on who made the first move, since Lord Constantine's theory was the most far fetched.

"Very well, if war is what is wanted, then that is what I shall prepare for." Lord Issac said grimly, disconnecting himself from the conference.

"Hmph, sad times we live in, when we Lords cannot trust one another. Looks like I'll have to make preparations as well." Lady Francine said next, intentionally aiming the comment at Lord Constantine. She was now weary of the situation. It was one thing to strike against Lord Caleb. However, cooperating with the most wanted criminals in the supernatural world and taking Lord Hector down was not a part of the original plan that she knew of, and she was sure that Lord Constantine had a hand in what was going on.

Lord Richter silently disconnected himself, now intent on simply watching everything from afar if he could. He was probably the least involved in what was going on, and hoped to bank on the opportunity if it presented himself. However, that didn't mean that he would annihilate whoever dared to attack him.

Lady Pandora was annoyed that this had happened without her being told anything, since she too, was sure that Lord Constantine was involved with Lord Hector's disappearance. After all that she done to stick up for him on his behalf, and he carries out this kind of thing without her knowledge? The others were right, he couldn't be trusted.

Lord Christian planned on continuing the search as best he could, but now also had to make preparations for war. He was going to need to form alliances as well, especially with Lord Caleb, sine the war was most likely going to be fought in America.

Lord Caleb had already been preparing this from the start, and was already ready for war. Now it was just a matter of who made the first move.

All that was left was Lord Constantine and Lady Helen.

"That didn't go as well as you thought, did it?" Lady Helen said grimly to Lord Constantine.

"I suspected that this would happen, but I think I also lost both Lady Francine and Lady Pandora's trust. Neither of them looked happy with the situation as a whole." On the bright side, at least they didn't attempt to say anything. However, this also meant that if something happened, they probably won't involve themselves in the affair.

"To be honest, I don't trust you either. I especially wouldn't trust you if you hadn't told me about this ahead of time."

Lord Constantine then smiled. "But this is what the renegades are for. I'm sure everyone's got their eye on me. However, what they won't suspect is the renegades to fight the war for us. Things are much better this way, and we'll have little involvement."

"You really are an untrustworthy son of a bitch aren't you?" But Lady Helen was smiling as well. She wasn't the one being risked, and using people was one of her specialties. After all, she had to use people in similar manners to survive in the intelligence communities the way that she did.

"Eh, we all have our goals. How can we fulfill them if we're not a little underhanded from time to time?"

"How very true."

*****

It had been one week since they arrived here at the mansion. And as promised, Liz was kicking both Rachel and Alan's asses. She worked them hard, and when they flinched or messed up, Liz showed no mercy, and beat them as required.

"Stop paying so much attention to the enemy's sword! That isn't the only weapon that can be used in combat!" Liz admonished Alan, who was currently on the ground, writhing in pain after taking a knee to the balls.

"Hands, knees, the forehead, feet, all of these can be used as well. Just because you fought on par with Lord Hector doesn't mean that he was going all out against you. You happened to get lucky because you gave him a good challenge that he wanted to drag out, and he's the type of person who would hold back in a fight just to enjoy it. Don't expect that kind of mercy from Lord Caleb, who will use any and all means to achieve victory."

Rachel was breathing heavy, and just stood up after taking a beating of her own. Though she didn't make nearly as many mistakes as Alan did since she had experienced combat before, Liz had still managed to point out flaws that Rachel had in her own abilities. Not surprising, since most of Rachel's skills were ones that she had taught herself, and was glad for the opportunity to learn from someone who was more skilled than herself.

Katie, who was watching from the sidelines, found herself wincing constantly at the beatings that Liz gave out. Especially from that latest low blow that dropped Alan to the ground almost instantly. Although Katie's role has been small, she has been doing everything she can to help keep Alan and Rachel in shape, such as attending wounds, making food, or other things to allow them to focus on getting stronger.

Unfortunately, no opportunity to talk to Alan about his issues had come up at all. Firstly, with Liz occupying so much of their time, they barely had a chance to really rest. And secondly, that wasn't a topic that Katie could just bring up out of the blue. Rachel had entrusted the talk to her, and she needed to find a good time and opportunity to do so.

*****

Constantine Steven George the fourth was sick of this island. He had been stuck here for the past four years, all because of a blunder that he had made. George felt that he had been stuck on this island long enough, and it was time to return to the world. But no, instead, he was stuck here.

He had repeatedly requested for a transfer off of this damn place, only to be denied each time. He was sure at this point that someone was out to get him, and keep him and his talents confined here on this tiny island, catering a vacation house that has rarely seen use up until recently.

George, like the other caretakers on the island wondered just who was it that Lord Constantine had brought as guests to this mansion. Even more curious was that Lord Constantine had ordered that no one was to approach the mansion even for maintenance, for that was to be taken care of by Elizabeth.

Unlike the others, however, George wanted to know just who exactly it was. Even though it was the middle of the day, George knew that he could vanish for a little while and none of the others would miss him. Cautiously approaching where he heard not only words, but sword clashes as well, he kept himself hidden within the trees that fluttered the island.

At long last, they came into view, and George's eyes narrowed, not sure exactly who they were. He recognized Elizabeth, having seen her before. However, he did not recognize the two who were with her. One was an attractive woman with long, jet black hair, and the other looked like a simple boy with...wait. There was another one with them, one that George could barely feel, and that was because she was human. The light clicked in George's head.

Who hadn't heard about the renegades that had been the cause of so much recent trouble and news within the vampire community? Especially since they were the prime suspects in the disappearance of Lord Hector? And Lord Constantine was actually harboring and training the renegades?

George also recognized an opportunity, and a way to get himself off of this Godforsaken island. Naturally, there was no way he could fight them, he would lose for sure. But, there was another way. Taking out his phone, George took several pictures of the renegades with Liz, ensuring that the shots were crisp and clear.

Now that he had a bargaining chip, it was time to see if George could finally get off of this island.