Page 53 of Tainted Blood

“Please. If someone doesn’t think this was an attack on all of us here, they need to stand in the sun before they get us all killed,” she growled. “Now, I’ve given you what you want. Get out.”

Alexius nodded politely and left. I cast one more look at Ivanna, who went back to staring at her brother, before following him.

“Two for two cooperating with us,” I said as we went back to the hall. “Sheba, Ka, and Aelia left in this hall, right? And Ramman, of course.”

“Ka and Sheba won’t be able to give their approval until they wake, but we can’t wait for that. Isaiah and I went over the room assignments while you were reviewing the footage.” He pulled out a folded piece of paper and held it out. Taking it and unfolding it, I was happy to see it was exactly what I needed since I didn’t know anyone’s original room assignments. It even included the rooms of the wounded now. “We’re going to let them rest.” He pointed at the door to the suite that held the two ancients as we passed by it.

“So next is Aelia, which means we’ll be talking to Maxwell. We’re not worrying about Ramman, right? He’s unconscious, and he doesn’t get a say since he brought the blood into the mansion.”

Alexius gave an affirmative hum, stopping at the suite that was given to the Romans for Aelia. He knocked before he entered, but he didn’t wait for anyone to answer, just as he hadn’t at the other two suites. Maxwell was coming out of a bedroom as I closed the main door.

“Isaiah promised Aelia wouldn’t be disturbed,” he snarled.

While I was there, and he clearly knew that, his glare was focused on Alexius.

Alexius explained, then made the same request he had twice before.

“You’re not going to disturb my brother’s things,” Maxwell growled. “I won’t have it.”

“That’s not an option. You can join me to make sure I don’t disturb or take anything unrelated, but I will find any foreign blood in this mansion. After the circumstances of the night, we truly can’t afford to give everyone here the lax approach you’ve been afforded for several years. If your brother brought anything, I need to confiscate it before this gets further out of hand.”

“And who is going to protect Aelia while I’m dealing with you?”

“You know Aelia will be safe isolated in this suite. There are only three people with keys to it—you, Isaiah, and one member of the human staff who is currently not in the building. If someone else manages to breach the doors, having you to protect her will probably only buy her time she won’t be able to use.” Alexius was the picture of courteous professionalism, facing down Maxwell’s grief and anger with an unflinching, stoic expression.

“I can stay here,” I offered, looking at Alexius. He shook his head, and I accepted that answer.

“Yes, little girl,youwill be a suitable replacement,” Maxwell sneered. I took it as anger at the circumstances and didn’t let it get to me.

“She was offering so she could reach out in case someone came to kill Aelia, but I don’t care enough about you or Aelia to risk her. If you don’t wish to join Everly and me while we search your room because you need to protect your sire, that is your decision. I will be going into your room, regardless.” Alexius crossed his arms. “You need to decide what’s more important right now. Your brother’s things or maintaining the protection of your sire’s life.”

Maxwell seemed to crumble in front of us, but he remained on his feet. His shoulders sagged, and his eyes lost their fire.

“Is there anything you want to ask before you search?”

“Did you know of anything your brother or sire might have brought with them?”

“Lucas might have brought witch blood,” Maxwell said, leaning against an armchair in the living room. “He had a new girlfriend, a human. I never confirmed she was a witch, but Lucas liked… interesting things and even more interesting people. She had to be some sort of supernatural. She never did magic when I saw her, but I didn’t see her very often. I've only talked to her a handful of times in the last year and most of those conversations were pleasantries before she and Lucas went out for the evening. He was telling me that she gave him a pint of her blood before we left.”

“Enchanted container?” I asked, frowning.

“That’s correct.” Maxwell nodded. “I didn’t bring anything. Whenever I’ve partaken, it’s been from offered samples others brought. Aelia stays away from supernatural blood. Because they can alter the mental state sometimes, she feels they would only distract her from her duties as Mistress.”

“Thank you.” Alexius nodded his head once then turned, guiding me to turn around. I was half-pushed out of the room while Alexius closed Maxwell back in.

“What did I do?” I asked in a hiss.

“I didn’t like his attitude and didn’t want your back to be the first one he could reach,” he explained, not missing a step as he continued his journey down the hall. “It was probably nothing for us to worry about, but we’re only done with the first step. There are still many more vampires who could get violent.”

24

“Why does everyone have enchanted decanters?” I asked when we reached our suite, and he opened a suitcase I hadn’t seen touched yet.

“Because they’re all immensely wealthy. They’re not common outside of the wealthy because they use long-lasting spells. The longer they work, the more expensive they are. Both witches and fae can make them, though they use different techniques.” Alexius pulled out two sheathed short swords. I wasn’t versed in weapons, but they were small, sword-like, and in sheaths, so I assumed they were short swords. “They’re normally only used for gifts like what we’ve heard so far. They keep the blood as hot and fresh as the day it had been drawn from the vein. I don’t know the mechanics of the spells beyond the general result. Some will last only a few weeks, while some, like Ivanna’s, can last hundreds of years.”

I would love something like that. I’d be able to carry a meal with me in case of emergencies without having to worry that it would go bad… Like a weird blood thermos… I’ll ask about it later.

“So… Raphael and Isaiah both mentioned how the cambions were being researched and experimented on in a lab. A lab might want to keep blood samples fresh for a long time, wouldn’t it?”

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