Page 15 of Seduction in Blood
Lorenzo Venizi had been Devon's enemy since he'd first heard the man's name. With the longevity of immortality, the raw emotions of vengeance and revenge should fade over time, but Lorenzo proved it could grow and fester if nurtured correctly.
The man's lips thinned, and Devon sighed. He didn't have time to play games. Not today. There were too many other things on his mind. He didn't have to pay homage to Council members, certainly not ones he preferred to throttle. He only had to be respectful in the chamber. The rules didn't apply in the halls, so he strode past Lorenzo, ignoring the man's glare. Sergi remained at his back until they exited the building.
When they reached the car and had driven a block, far out of Lorenzo's hearing range, Sergi finally spoke. "How did they know you're up to something?"
Devon stared out the window. "I think we have a tail." But how much did they know? "Take me to Oasis. And call in the team. Call in everyone. Level two alert."
ChapterNine
Anna pulledout the third evening dress, this one a deep jade, and held it up in my horrified direction, looking at the dress and then me, then back to the dress. She seemed satisfied with her assessment and slipped it onto a hanger before carefully hanging it in the closet. I hugged the jeans and a pullover sweater, terrified she might see them and tell me they were a mistake. All the previous boxes of clothing contained dress slacks with matching blouses, sweaters, blazers, casual knee-length dresses, and formal evening gowns.
There were a handful of tank tops and three pairs of workout pants, along with the prerequisite undergarments and nightwear. The stack of shoeboxes was almost as tall as Anna. I stared down at the bed next to me, my eyes glazing over at the little silk bags of jewelry. There was a brooch, and I wondered if the stick pin was long enough to poke my eyes out. Did Trelane really think these were the type of clothes I wore?
"Devon has a good eye, but you still need to try these on. If you don't want to do it with me, you'll need to do it on your own tonight. If we need to exchange anything, we must do so quickly. Your first engagement is tomorrow evening, and you'll be expected to wear one of the evening gowns.
"What?" Other words floated around, but Anna seemed too sensitive a person to hear them.
Anna closed the closet, and relief washed over me that there weren't more boxes to open. "I'm sure Devon will explain when he returns. Maybe we can start with those?" Her gaze wandered to one of the stuffed chairs by the barren fireplace.
Dark slacks, a pink blouse, and a blazer lay across the chair like evil sentinels from my past. A pair of pumps sat on the floor. I hugged my jeans tighter and could only imagine the wild look in my eyes, like someone pulled out of a jungle, abandoned as a child and left to scrape out a meager existence. I snorted. Not too far from the truth, if you could call Santiga Bay a jungle.
Anna sat on the corner of the bed and gave me a conciliatory smile. "I wasn't used to the flurry of gifts when I first arrived, but Devon is quite generous. Is your hesitation because you're not sure of his intentions?" She glanced at the jeans clutched in my hands. "Or maybe you're not used to the style of clothing?"
I must have given some indication of the latter, although I felt frozen to my seat. I'd decided to take Trelane's comment about being his human lover as weird vampire humor.
She nodded. "The slacks and blouse aren't as restrictive as they appear. And we can try a dress a little later, just long enough for me to ensure the size. Then we can put it away until tomorrow. Is that a deal?"
I slid my gaze to the clothes on the chair and then to the closed closet. I knew how foolish this was. They were just clothes. But honestly, I couldn't understand what clothes had to do with stealing something. Or why I was being so stubborn. Was it the clothes, Trelanes's overbearing persistence that I only required one pair of jeans, or the memories the clothes raised from a past I didn't want to remember?
I heaved a sigh, knowing the answer, and let the jeans fall to my lap.
Anna nodded and stood. "I need to check on a couple of things. Why don't you change then meet me in the front foyer? We'll take a stroll around the yard."
"We can go outside?"
Her laugh was a tinkling sound like the chatter of songbirds. I could see why Trelane would like Anna. And that thought put a different spin on the duties of a personal assistant. I instantly gave myself a mental head slap. What did that matter? I pushed any niggling arguments on the topic aside.
Seven days. I could do this.
"Of course, we can go outside. Devon wants you familiar with the grounds. It's been decades since they've had trouble, but anyone who spends more than a day or two here must know the property and all the exits."
He didn't care if I knew the exits? I didn't have to ask about the trouble. The magical world was known for its own brutal rules around territory, perceived slights, and in-house battles. The fact he seemed more concerned for my safety than any attempts I made to escape surprised me. When I thought about it, it made sense. If I escaped, he'd be out nothing. The Wolf would still owe a debt, and I'd be running not just from Sorrento but The Wolf as well.
Before leaving, Anna took the bags of jewelry and placed them on the dresser then reached for a small ornamental box. "I'll find a more suitable box to store your jewelry." She pushed one of the bags to the side. "I suggest wearing these so you can get used to the earrings. Devon noticed you had pierced ears."
She left me to stare at my room with a different eye. There were no bars on the windows, and they all opened. And while I was on the second floor, it wasn't as if that could hold a cat burglar adept at scaling buildings. Maybe Anna was right. Lucas was no longer at the door, though I sensed he was probably close. I let out another long sigh. I wasn't a twelve-year-old anymore, and I needed to stop acting like it. After finding a drawer for the jeans, I ran a hand over them before shutting them away.
Trelane had bought them and the sweatshirt. I glanced at the comfortable workout clothes. He knew I needed something of my own, and instead of bringing me comfort, it grated that he was trying to make me feel welcome. How idiotic was that?
After changing into the new threads, I had to admit they fit well and were more comfortable than I thought. The pants had some stretch to them, and even though I hated pumps, I could run in them if I had to. I bent and twisted, attempting a couple of my more sedate martial arts moves, and found the clothes unrestrictive. I didn't think I could do a full side kick without ripping something, but if I was put in that position, I didn't think a split in my pants, however embarrassing, would be my biggest concern.
Anna waited for me in the foyer with a basket in one hand. She beamed at me. "You look marvelous. The clothes fit well. I told you Devon had a good eye."
I lifted my arm, showing her a bracelet I'd found in one of the bags of jewelry. "What's this?" The bracelet was silver with a black, opal-shaped stone. I pointed at the pyramid symbol, which didn't accurately describe the design. The overall shape was a pyramid, but it was made of three interconnecting triangles—two at the base and one centered on top.
She glanced at it. "It's the House Trelane symbol. You only need to wear it to the functions Devon takes you."
"Does everyone have one?"
