Page 32 of Lured

“Get a little rest for now, if you want. Or I can answer some questions. Whichever you would prefer. I'll wake you if I want you.”

I exhaled, grateful for the respite and wondering which I would prefer. I wasn't short of questions for him. Given that the outside world knew so little of the true-bloods and their abilities and life, I had a lot of questions just about that, but I also had other questions about who and why he had been sent to investigate Ludis.

While there were a lot of them in my head, I didn't utter them, however. I didn't believe that any of them were pressing and the more cozy and settled I became, the more I just wanted to sleep for a while.

“I would like to bombard you with questions at some point, but are you okay if I sleep for a bit first?” I said eventually.

“Sure. I offered you the choice.” He glanced at me before stroking some stray strands of hair out of my face.

“I don't know what you are thinking of waking me for, but would you mind giving me a little extra time to ask questions when you do?” I asked, knowing it was a little cheeky of me to ask that of him, but he smirked and nodded.

“Yes. You have behaved well enough to get to have both. Rest. You're going to need it when we get to our destination.”

Although I nodded, I considered the one question I still had burning a hole in my brain. I had no idea where we were going. The moment I thought it, I knew it would have to wait, however.

I'd just told him there wouldn't be any questions for now and while I was stuck on a plane and I had agreed to this, there was little point in knowing where I was going. It would be better to embrace the surprise of it.

Hoping that this would all get easier, and knowing rest would help me cope with it either way, I let myself drift off, on the comfiest flight I'd ever been on.

Chapter 14

True to his word, Leo woke me about three hours before we were due to land. I hadn't slept as much as I'd have liked for one night. Or day. But I knew it would help.

I had no idea if Leo had slept or if I was supposed to have done anything else. The seat was so much more comfortable than other flights I'd been on that I had slipped into sleep and stayed that way without problem.

While Leo gave me a moment to wake up, I glanced around. At some point the stewards must have come through because he'd put aside a glass of water for me and he handed it over now.

“Thought you might appreciate it. They'll bring breakfast around in about an hour or so as well.”

“Thank you,” I said, knowing I was uttering those two words a lot. He smiled at me saying those words again, but handed me the water glass without drawing any more attention to it.

“So, what are all these many questions you have for me?” he asked.

I considered the first one I wanted to ask very carefully, knowing I was unlikely to have time for all of them. What would benefit me the most to know?

“Who asked you to investigate Ludis? Surely he's your Brethren.”

“That's where you want to start?” Leo asked, lifting an eyebrow.

I nodded, not sure it was exactly, but unable to think of a better option. “I want to know who exactly I am allying with on this. I'm not beyond calling in favors if this goes well.”

Although I was making a sort of joke, Leo nodded as if that explained the best approach or at least a semi decent one. I let him think and drank and munched on the spare candy bar I had as I did. I probably shouldn't have been eating chocolate for breakfast, but after being awake all night and then in the air I had lost track of what time of day it truly was and I was just consuming what I needed and sleeping when I could at this point.

“How much do you know of the twelve original vampire Brethren?” Leo asked after a while.

“I didn't know there were twelve even, let alone what they have to do with Ludis.” I shrugged. There was little information anywhere on the true-blood race and I didn't exactly have anyone I could ask.

“There were twelve clans a long time ago. For a while the world seemed to be getting an idea of us existing, many hundreds of years ago.” He folded his arms and frowned as he considered the story he was telling me. “They decided that it was important for us not to make humans so scared that they hunted us into extinction.”

“Makes sense. You don't want to die just like we don't.”

“They agreed to split up our power, the territories we controlled and to police our kind.” Leo paused and sighed. “Each one of the twelve clans put some of their power into a dagger. The heads have changed several times over the centuries, but the daggers remain, passed on between Brethren. I belong to the clan that has the amethyst dagger. My sire, in more ways than one, wields it.”

“Your father?” I asked, aware of the weight that might put on his shoulders.

“No, my uncle. My father bore it and died in its service.”

I swallowed, not sure what to say to such a revelation. He was a lot more powerful and important than I had realized. My parents had told me that the true vampires had a different system of governance and said that it was good to know whose territory you were in. I assumed that they fought over them.

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