Page 24 of Seduction in Blood
There wasn't any way to stop my cheeks from flushing with that remark.
"Only in appearance, of course."
I still couldn't look at him and nodded as I stared into my coffee cup. Would this conversation be easier if he were only half as attractive?
He stood. "Anna will be upset if I take too much of your time. She has quite a lot to teach you today."
I didn't move but also didn't want to be the little mouse. "Thank you for the background. It's helpful."
"I'll see you this afternoon."
I waited until I heard his footsteps retreat down the hall before I let out a breath. Why the hell did I have that dream? This evening was not going to go well.
* * *
When Devon returnedto his office, Sergi was waiting in the antechamber, studying his tablet. He followed Devon and plopped into a chair in front of the desk, scowling at the sun's glare.
"Sorry." Devon touched a pad, and blinds dropped from the ceiling, darkening the room. Devon preferred light in his office, but as an elder vampire, he tolerated it more than most. And though Sergi was almost as old as him, his friend preferred the old ways.
Sergi barely nodded, used to Devon's peculiarities. "I have a surveillance and security plan, but there are gaps. We might need to bring in consultants."
Not what Devon wanted to hear, but nothing he hadn't expected. He had a large family, but it had never been as extensive as Lorenzo's. "Leave it with me, and I'll consider it. I have something else I want you to do."
Sergi tapped his tablet, probably forwarding the plans, before focusing on Devon.
"I want a background check on Cressa." Devon picked up a white crystal he kept on his desk and rubbed its edges.
"Cressa?"
"Pandora is just a code name for our guest."
Sergi typed in his tablet. For someone who preferred the old ways, Sergi had become both adept and passionate about technology. "Last name?"
"She didn't say." When Sergi raised a brow, Devon waved a hand at him.
"I know it might be difficult, but I need as much as you can find, as quickly as you can. And include her family, two generations back if possible."
Devon ignored Sergi's expression when it changed from boredom to curiosity. He had no doubt Sergi wanted to know what scent he'd caught. Time would tell if fate laid a hand upon his shoulder or proved he'd lost all his senses.
"I would prefer you didn't ask The Wolf about her if you can avoid it. She mentioned someone who'd given her the nickname Pandora. Someone by the name of Harlow. If this person knows she's a thief, then he would run in the same circles."
Sergi nodded, pleased with the information. There was no doubt his security expert would build a decent portfolio, but would it be enough for what Devon needed?
His dream had been too realistic. Any other time, he might have considered it nothing more than his own flight of fancy with such an attractive woman in the house. But Cressa's reaction to him at breakfast wasn't what he'd expected. The last he'd seen of her in the training room, she'd been terrified of him. And she should have been. He'd barely been able to control himself, and he could have unintentionally hurt her. But instead of fear this morning, her cheeks had flushed. He needed to know—no—had to know if she was truly human.
ChapterThirteen
The huge sycamoretree I’d noticed from the window the day before was a scant ten yards from the family grave markers. I strolled that way, glad for the sunny skies and warmer temperatures, even if it might only last a day. Spring was like that on the coast.
Anna's session had bored me to numbness, just as Lucas had predicted. Why would any culture have three different etiquette techniques depending on the type of event? Especially a culture raised on drinking blood rather than eating. Perhaps that was the reason in itself—to prove they could be civilized. But it was to the point of overkill.
When Anna confided that the main trick was to watch what everyone else did, I stopped paying attention to her rambling. Based on her short temper before breaking for lunch, I'm positive I failed every point of her lesson.
She was so irritated with me, she claimed to have another task that prevented her from dining with me. With Lucas out on some errand, this was my opportunity to snoop. That was what thieves did, and since everyone in the house knew I was one, shame on them for leaving me alone.
I found Cook washing fresh blueberries. "Ooh, I love blueberries. We had a cook when I was little that made the best blueberry scones." I leaned over to get a better look, and he shooed me away.
"No one gets close to the food until it's prepared," he chided. "So, what brings you to my den?"
