Page 26 of Visions in Blood
Rasmussen.
The possibility that this man could be my father felt right, yet I couldn’t put my finger on why.I was positive my mother never mentioned the name.Maybe it had been something I read.I rubbed my temples.Everything was still fuzzy from the last dream, and each time I poked at the edges, a headache threatened.
I shook out my arms, rolled my neck, and poured a cup of coffee.I dropped onto the couch, pulled my legs up under me, and heaved the tome back on my lap.I swallowed two more gulps and opened the book to nowhere in particular.
I snorted when the pages flipped to the House Renaud.Of the four Houses, this one appeared the weakest, at least in regard to skill at battle, which seemed to be of great importance back then.Compared to human history, it wasn’t much different.This particular House specialized in knowledge, building and preserving mass libraries.While this activity was considered crucial by many on the Council, during these early centuries where battles raged, books were of little note by others.
I’d read through several pages and was ready to move back to the Trelane section when something caught my eye.It wasn’t anything special about the sentence, other than the phraseDe første dage.There were several areas within the tome where other languages cropped up and, from what Anna deciphered when I’d shown them to her, were names of villages, other vamps, and the like.I had no idea what language this was.
I flipped to another page where a sticky note had been used as a bookmark and ripped it in half, using one half for the original page and the other for this new page in the Renaud section.When I read over the passage for the fourth time, nerves tingled as if I were standing under high-voltage wires.My excitement grew, I just couldn’t explain why.It was that spark I got, the hairs rising on the back of my neck whenever I found a job.
I was so engrossed in what I’d discovered, I didn’t hear anyone enter until Devon stood in front of me, a dark shadow in my periphery.I dragged my gaze from the pages to glance up.
His hair had been pulled back in a ponytail, the firelight playing off the golden strands.Eyes as warm as the Caribbean sea held humor as he studied the book.
“I told Anna not to tax you with homework.”He poured a cup of coffee and sat in the chair next to the couch.
“She didn’t.I needed something to do, and since the gym was locked…” I let the sentence hang, and while it was obvious it had been his doing, he didn’t respond, nor did he appear the least sorry about it.He could be so stubborn.“So, rather than climb the wall or drapes, I decided to do some reading.”
My excitement grew when he lifted a brow.I took it as a positive sign and jumped in.“I think I found something, though I’m not sure what to make of it.”
“There are probably many things in the House books that would seem odd without a more thorough understanding of our history.It will make more sense as you move farther through the centuries.”
“Maybe.I’m still not done reading about the House Trelane and Venizi, but I happened to find this passage in the section on House Renaud.”With the weight of the tome on my lap, I struggled to unwrap my legs as I scooted to the edge of the sofa.Once I was close enough for him to see, I stabbed at the paragraph that had caught my eye.
Devon leaned over and fingered my odd selection of bookmarks.“What are these?”
“Oh, just pages where I found items of interest.I still need Anna to decipher some of the words or meanings.See this sentence, these words.”I turned the book so he could read them.
After a few moments, he turned to the index of the book and then back to the chapter where all my bookmarks had been placed.“Why are you reviewing this particular chapter?You have dozens of centuries to review before you get to my House.”
“Yes, but after chatting with Anna and knowing my purpose for being here, we decided to skip ahead to the good stuff.I’m dying to know what put your House and Lorenzo’s at odds.”I gave him a wink before pulling the book back to me.
“You can’t possibly put context around what you’re reading without having a basic understanding…”
“Yeah.Yeah.Anna knows that.She just finished giving me a CliffsNotes version of the Council’s origins, then we moved on.”
“That isn’t the proper way to study this.”
I froze, staring at the page until the letters blurred together.He sounded angry.He’d never cared before how Anna went about her lessons.Was he concerned over how I learned about the Houses, or was he just pissed I was digging into his background?I’d truly believed he’d be all right with it.But he probably figured it’d be months before we got to his House, and with luck, my debt would be paid long before then.And the lessons would no longer matter.
“Anna didn’t have an issue with it.”I lifted my head to meet his gaze, not giving him an inch.
His eyes got that icy glow to them, and I steeled myself for a toss across the room as if we were sparring in the gym.
“The relationship between my House and Lorenzo’s is none of your concern.”His voice had risen, and if every vamp in the house wasn’t already listening to our conversation, they were now, whether they wanted to or not.
“So, I can’t learn about your House, but it’s perfectly fine for you to run background checks and stick your nose in my life.And while we’re on the topic, my history with Christopher is none of your business.”My voice was just as steely and equally loud.
“Underwood’s involved in businesses that could impact my mission.”
“And your war with Lorenzo impacts my job and my life.”
That stopped him, and the glow in his eyes vanished.Whether it was uncertainty, concern, or the general realization of the irony of his argument, I couldn’t tell.And frankly, I didn’t give a damn.
I stood and let the book tumble to the couch, unable, even in my anger, to let it fall haphazardly and damage pages.With as much poise as I could muster, I squared my shoulders, gave him a withering a look, and stalked out.
He didn’t say anything.At least, nothing my human ears could pick up.I wasn’t sure why I was crying, but the hot tears streamed down my face, and I kept my head down, dreading running into anyone as I hurried down the hall and raced up the stairs, locking myself in my room.
