Page 41 of Seduction in Blood
He shook his head. "You get the day off tomorrow, as well as the rest of today. Let your muscles heal." He paused and glanced toward the ocean. "Lucas can take you to your apartment to pick up anything you might need. Or anywhere else you might want to stop."
I pushed my hair back with both hands as I studied him. "Why?"
He shook his head. "You're not a prisoner here, Cressa. I've told you that. But I also can't have you running all over town until the mission is completed. That doesn't mean you have to hide. Although, I'd rather not have anyone who knows you as Pandora discover you're posing as my Blood Ward."
I thought about that and nodded. "I get it. I wouldn't mind seeing Ginger. Make sure she's okay."
He hesitated. "No one else?"
"No." I said it so fast it wasn't until after it was out of my mouth that I wondered if he thought there was another man. Would it have been better to let him believe there was? Would the dreams stop? I decided the best policy was honesty. Once the lies started, they'd be hard to keep track of. If he touched on a topic I didn't want to talk about, I'd let him know. Easy enough.
Tired of his penetrating stare, I shifted my gaze toward the ocean and then glanced up at the house. Drapes fluttered in the third-floor window. "Who lives in that third-floor room?"
His gaze flew to the house, but his answer was slow and practiced. "No one."
I snorted. "The drapes just moved."
"Even empty rooms collect dust. Letty sends a girl around to all the empty rooms to keep them clean in case I have unexpected guests."
His answer made sense. My mother always had staff cleaning empty rooms as if someone had thrown a party and left invisible filth behind. But I'd distinctly remembered the door handle moving. If it had been a housekeeper, they would have come out. But if I asked about it, he'd know I'd been snooping after he'd clearly told me to stay away from the third floor.
Then another thought came to mind after sneaking around Gruber's house. "Can Lucas drive me by my supplier?"
His lips rose into a half-smile. "You're not using, are you, Cressa?"
I rolled my eyes, thankful he was going to make this easy. "He's the best security man in the business."
He studied me with that watchful look that suggested he knew more than I thought he did. But I might be imagining it, too overcome between the dreams and the thrill of having my lockpicks. I had to admit I wasn't the average woman.
He disengaged from the tree and walked toward me, stopping long enough to stare down at me. His hand brushed over my hair before he brought my chin up to meet his gaze. "Be careful, Cressa, of whatever games you're playing. I guarantee I play better than most." He scraped his thumb over my lips, zapping a flash to my core that heated my cheeks. Then he walked away.
Dangerous games, indeed.
ChapterTwenty
The stress drained awaywhen Devon drove past the gates of Oasis. This was his true home, unknown to all but his vampire family and most loyal friends and staff. The Council and the rest of vampire society assumed his home was the dreary coastal mansion that had been his childhood residence, filled with memories best kept buried. Yet he was still tied to the relic, thought he would be forever until Cressa came into his life. She was the single person who could free him from the place, but only if he uncovered her secrets.
After driving along a winding driveway, he crested a knoll that looked down on the two-hundred-acre estate. A lake, partially hidden behind trees, lay some distance behind the main house. Smaller bungalows were strewn along the wandering paths, providing additional guest quarters for his family. Every room on the estate would be filled to overflowing.
Devon spent months designing the house built of wood, stone, and glass. Its modern design had the feel of a massive two-story bungalow that blended with the natural environment of forest and meadows. A home more in tune with an alpha shifter than a vampire. But that was part of his future plans, something only a handful of his closest allies were aware of—vampires and shifters whose political leanings were his own.
He parked the car in front of the broad veranda with tall wood columns and an open porch that skirted the front and sides of the house, eventually drawing people to the tiered back patio. He tossed the keys to a vampire on his security team and ran up the steps, eager to be home. One of the two hand-carved front doors opened before he reached them, and standing inside the cream-colored foyer was his administrator—a six-foot-tall vampire who ran the house in his absence.
"Simone." Devon reached out, and the two hugged. He gave her a tight squeeze before pulling back to arm's length, his hands resting on her broad, powerful shoulders. "You look wonderful, ma chérie."
Her smile showed perfect white teeth and a bit of fang. Of Somalian heritage, she carried the stature of royalty, the lean, powerful body of a fighter, and the sultry beauty of a runway model. She'd spent the last two decades in Milan, Tokyo, and New York and dressed like it. Her hair was kept short and was currently dyed white, matching her flowing caftan suit.
Devon moved to rest a palm on her cheek. "It's so good to see you. It's been too long."
Simone's eyes shimmered with what Devon knew to be tears, but his favorite vampire merely blinked them away. "Your house welcomes you home, Father."
Devon's lips twitched at the reverence. "Really, Simone. I'd expected something less formal from you."
She turned to walk with him, their arms entwined as they strolled to the main living room off the foyer, the one usually used for greeting guests. Two large sitting areas filled the space, sharing a large, circular fireplace set in the middle of the room and floor-to-ceiling windows that showed off the tiered patio. During the day, automatic blinds lowered from the ceiling. The shades filtered varying levels of light, depending on the sensitivity of the occupants. At night, outdoor lighting displayed the stunning beauty of the backyard all the way to the woods. Today, Simone had left the blinds at fifty percent, enough for most vampires to feel comfortable and adequate light to make Devon happy.
"Wasn't it you who said I needed to hold my emotions in check?" Simone led him to the bar and poured two drinks. They sat near the unlit fireplace, her in the comfortable, dark-leather chair, and Devon on the matching sofa to her right.
"Not all the time. And certainly not with family." He sipped the scotch while studying his administrator and most cherished friend.
