Page 11 of Addicted in Blood
After the teamhad settled down, Simone listed out the issues facing the House.The first step was gathering the precedents for a new House leader and preparing for sanction should the eventuality occur.The second was locating Devon and initiating their own investigation into the Council member’s death.One thing hadn’t changed—Devon’s last order for me to go to New Orleans.
Sergi made excellent arguments why the trip should be set aside, but Simone disagreed.She had every expectation the Council would be forced to concede to protocols.Even if they wanted to ignore it, based on Anna’s continued expertise in the area, they would have to call for a change in the ancient texts.The Council would not be able to do that alone.It would require input from other House leaders.A change of such magnitude could result in a civil war, and no one would want that.
Sergi then argued he was the best person to lead the investigation.Fortunately, he’d found Devon’s phone and tablet in his bedroom and a burner was missing.I’d forgotten about them.If they’d been taken, House secrets would have been exposed.Sometimes, less technology was best.
Simone agreed with Sergi’s assessment and made him the lead, giving him two hours to finalize a plan for others to act on.He could monitor the activities from his tablet regardless of where he was located.Simone would act as his second during his absence.
Ginger would remain at the manor until everything was resolved—one way or another.Lucas would be close at hand since he was given the job of preparing the House for both succession and dissolution, with Anna at his side.The cadre was well-schooled at having a plan for every contingency.
When Simone began sorting through tasks and team assignments, I grabbed Ginger and made an early exit.Ginger was still upset, and once back in her room, she cried in earnest.Cook added a sleeping aid to a glass of orange juice, which she drank without question.Then I put her to bed, promising to return soon.
I had another goal.
Since I was going to New Orleans whether I wanted to or not, I refocused my attention on learning about dreamwalkers.While I had my own experiences to draw from, there was one other who might have critical information to add.
From the first day I’d entered the manor, Devon had advised in his best don’t-fuck-with-me tone that the third floor was strictly off-limits.He didn’t have to state there’d be consequences.However, it hadn’t been enough of a threat to stop me from sneaking up there that first week, only to be terrified when the doorknob had turned.It had seemed silly afterward, but I wasn’t sure of my worth to Devon at the time, and fear of being returned to Sorrento had tempered some of my snooping.
Now that I’d met Lyra, and with Devon temporarily away, I refused to consider any other option.The same rules couldn’t possibly still apply.She wasn’t a hidden family secret anymore.The thought made me stop halfway up the stairs.Why was she being kept a secret?She didn’t appear particularly mad or dangerous, but she was a vamp.And I had to remember that.
I straightened my spine that had begun to turn to jelly and marched up the rest of the stairs.After reaching the third floor, my pace slowed until I stood in front of the door.I didn’t think I’d been breathing hard, but her voice was crystal clear behind it.
“Come in, Cressa.I’ve been expecting you.”
That was creepy on several fronts.First, how did she know it was me?There were several humans in the house besides Anna, Ginger, and myself.Second, how did she know anyone was at the door?Humans weren’t the only ones with heartbeats.I’d heard Devon’s heart beat.Maybe it was my breathing, which vamps didn’t do as frequently.The last possibility was one I didn’t want to overthink—that she was in my head even when we weren’t dreaming.It was that thought that kept me staring at the door for another solid minute before I opened it with a trembling hand.I stepped inside and closed the door.Maybe I should have left it open in case I needed a quick escape.
“Come sit over here.I do love watching the ocean, and the sun is at the perfect height to cast the warmest shade of blue.”
I glanced around and realized the expansive room had been two at one time.It was decorated in both old and modern tones, with screens dividing it into smaller areas.I noted two doors that would most likely be the bedroom and maybe a closet.A large hearth held center court with several intimate seating arrangements.Signs of a kitchen could be glimpsed beyond a stained-glass screen.
Off to the side of the west-facing windows, dozens of canvases leaned against a wall.The recognizable scent of paint brushed over my nose along with something more stringent.Maybe turpentine.The mix of scents was rather pleasing.The visible canvases were a collection of landscapes, each including a man.Every painting displayed a variety of backgrounds: a simple splash of color, a boat dock, a beach cove, what looked like an arboretum, and a large tree that bared a striking resemblance to the sycamore outside the window.In every one of them, the same man had been added.Even those where his back was to the viewer, it was obvious it was him.Who was this man, and why did I feel some pull to him?
I shook it off and turned to the two sofas that faced the windows.Lyra sat in the middle of one, her back straight as a board as she stared out to sea.I circled around from the other side, so I wouldn’t interrupt her view, finding a seat on the adjacent sofa.
Lyra’s entire bearing had changed from the single time I’d met her, which had only been the night before.She’d been dressed in what looked like a child’s nightgown and had skipped through the room before eagerly clutching Sergi’s hand.Her voice had even been childlike in tone.
While I still detected the same voice, it had matured.And what she wore today wasn’t anywhere near childlike.Her wide-leg pants appeared to be a soft cotton fabric that had been matched with a high-collared tunic, both a rich cobalt blue.A thickly roped necklace hung over the tunic with a medallion that didn’t surprise me.It was the three-triangled symbol of the House Trelane.
Lyra didn’t take her eyes from the view, and I tapped a finger against my knee.“So, you paint.”I rolled my eyes.I was the worst conversationalist.
Her laugh was still the soft tinkle I’d heard before.“What gave it away?”
I grinned and released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding since first entering.My shoulders relaxed as I leaned back into the sofa.“I haven’t seen anything like them in the house.Why aren’t they hanging in every room?They look amazing from what little I can see.”
“Devon thought someone might recognize them as mine and notice the time differences as the landscape around the yard changed over the years.I agreed with him.”
“Does it matter if anyone recognizes them?”
She turned her gaze to me, and her eyes shimmered.“After the accident, I didn’t do so well.Physically, I was all right, but I couldn’t understand…” She paused and her eyes moved to some point behind me.
It killed me not to turn to see what she was looking at, but in all likelihood, she was simply staring into space.
She closed her eyes for a moment, then continued.“Sorry, I wasn’t sure of the best word for my malady.Let’s just say my mind was attempting to put together a puzzle from fragments of my memories, and I couldn’t quite grasp what the end picture should be or why the pieces didn’t seem to fit.”She leaned over to the tea service I hadn’t given a thought to.She poured a cup for herself and then glanced at me.“It’s green tea.Organic.”
I nodded, not wanting to say anything that might interrupt her story.After I took the cup, she sipped her own, running a hand over her pants leg.
“Devon says I was like that for almost ten years.No one will admit it, but having a crazy person within a House carries a stigma.Devon had already been left a great burden with running the House and holding a seat on the Council.”She smiled as if it was some fond memory.“He refused to send me to a sanitarium.Did you know vampires have their own asylums?What does that say about us?”She glanced back at the ocean, and the silence extended until I thought for sure she’d forgotten I was there.“I’m sorry.I’m still not a hundred percent, though the voices don’t come as often during the day.”
Alrighty then.The new leader of the House Trelane is hearing voices.I shrugged it off as if it was no business of mine.Which it wasn’t, but still.Voices?Of course, I was a dreamwalker, so I didn’t have room to judge.
