Page 67 of Seduction in Blood
Glancing around and up to the crowd that had mostly dispersed, Devon slid her dress to the side until he found the pouch connected to the garter. He opened it and found the letter. His heart clutched. She'd found it and wanted to complete her mission rather than worry over her near-death experience. Maybe she didn't understand how close to death she'd come.
Maybe she'd seen something past her last vision. Something he wasn't part of. His chest clenched at the thought.
"You are an excellent thief." He kept his tone light.
"Told you." She opened her eyes and looked around, attempting to sit up before Devon restrained her. "I had a plan."
He grimaced. "Let's not do that again."
She glanced up to the broken window and then down at her bloody dress. "The dress is ruined."
"It's not important."
"But it was the only one I liked."
He smiled, catching her head as it fell back. Her face contorted as her body convulsed. The healing had begun. She screamed, and his eyes shot to her leg, which began to move. He laid her back so he could place a hand above and below her damaged knee. With her next breath, he shifted the leg into the correct position as another scream ripped from her. He had to get her out of there.
As if he'd mentally asked for it, Sergi handed him a blanket.
ChapterThirty-One
I staredout the window at the gravesite below. Unable to sleep, I'd gotten up in the middle of the night and opened the window. The mystery woman had returned. With the long, wispy robe, it was obvious the figure was a woman. She must be freezing with the chill of the ocean air, yet she stood quietly, arms hanging by her side as she stared down at the headstones.
Several minutes later, she walked away from the house, which made me question whether this person was the one I believed to be camped out on the third floor. A riddle that would never be solved, since I'd be going home soon. I returned to bed, tossing over the events since the ball, wondering if a dream would come.
A few hours later, I stared at the ceiling, dream-free and restless. It had only been a day since the ball, and I was lucky to be walking, but something felt off, my body not quite my own.
After my fall from the second-story window, I'd woken in a bedroom at Oasis. After searching the first floor and not finding Devon, I made my way to the dining room. I'd just finished a healthy breakfast, amazed at how hungry I'd been, when I spotted Simone in the hall. It required all the heated anger I could muster before Simone relented in telling me anything. The only thing she would divulge was that I needed a safe place to recuperate while Devon was out with Sergi and Lucas. If I wanted any more information, it would have to wait for Devon.
It was useless to argue with Simone, and after delivering her two-second response, she left me standing in the empty hall. I'd remembered little after crashing through the stained-glass window—the pain, Devon's voice. I'd woken mid-morning feeling better than I had in ages. With energy to spare, I'd crawled the walls until Lucas picked me up and returned us to the coastal mansion. He refused to answer questions and asked that I be patient for another day.
I'd eaten dinner alone in my room after a two-hour workout in the gym. I was somewhat spent from the physical activity, but I was wired again this morning and sighed when I noticed the silver tray on the dresser. Someone, most likely Anna, had brought me breakfast.
After devouring the croissant and fruit, I sipped coffee, mulling over my current status. I wasn't sure why I hadn't been allowed to go home, but I imagined Devon wanted to confirm we weren't suspected of the theft, assuming Raul had discovered it. I replayed the evening and what had gone wrong. Everything had gone like clockwork until I got to the stairs. I was minutes from being in the clear, but I had jumped the gun, thinking the yelling had been about me. But with the timing, what else could it have been? Everything went hazy after the fall. Bits and pieces had returned since then, leaving the evening a patchwork of images.
I remembered the coolness of the air on my skin and the prickle of sharp needles piercing my flesh. I glanced down at my arms. Not a scratch. In fact, the small childhood scar on my right wrist wasn’t gone, but it had faded. I was sure of it.
The pain had been intense. All I could do was stare into the sky. Hard, pointy bits shoved against my back. I shivered and tasted my own blood. That wasn't a good sign. If I ignored the pain and turned my head slightly to the side, I could see the people staring down at me.
I should be dead. I heard the confirmation from the myriad of voices. Could see it through my fuzzy vision.
Then Devon was there. His fingers brushed back my hair as he whispered to me. He dropped something into my mouth. My eyes widened with the shock of it. I touched my lips. Blood. Had he given me his blood?
All I remembered was the rich taste—sweet as honey, thick as melted caramel, and filled with promises of erotic pleasures.
Devon had saved my life.
I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Another image flashed. He'd found the letter from my hidden pouch. Why had he bothered saving me if he had what he wanted?
Before I could hazard a guess, a hurried pounding broke my reverie.
"Cressa. Devon has called a meeting in his office. Five minutes." Lucas didn't wait for a response, not bothering to be discreet as he raced down the hall.
Everyone from that evening waited for me in Devon's office, including Bella, the driver of the limo, who perched near the door. A man I'd never seen before slouched by the bar, but there was an alertness in his gaze that contradicted his posture. Simone sat next to the stranger and ignored my entrance. She'd been avoiding me since that evening.
I turned to Devon, and a bolt of electricity hit me. I caught the erotic warmth of his blue gaze before it evaporated like a hallucination. Had it been an illusion? With an even expression, he extended an arm toward the couch where Sergi and Lucas sat. Though there was plenty of room with the two vamps hovering at each end, it felt claustrophobic when I sat between them, perching on the edge like Bella in case someone screamed fire.
"Cressa, thank you for coming. This is Decker." Devon nodded to the man by the bar. "He's an old friend who will be working with us."
