Page 19 of Addicted in Blood
“I’m sorry.Mr.Renaud retired from that position some time ago.He moved his residence and, from my understanding, does a lot of traveling.”
“Ah.I thought it might be for naught, but I had to ask.”
If I wasn’t in the room, staring at the man, I would never have thought this was Sergi.He could actually act like a normal person.It must be killing him.
“It’s quite all right.I’d ask if you’d like to see Lynette Renaud, the current curator, but I’m afraid the monthly trustee meeting is this week.”
Once the custodian was out of earshot, Sergi hustled me to the car.
“What’s the rush?”I stood on tiptoes before I got into the car to see if Lafitte’s limo was still there.
“He’s still here.Get in.”
“The custodian was lying about something.”
“It was more that she was manipulating the truth.She knows I’d sense if she was lying, but I agree she’s hiding something.”
“You could have pushed more.”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t have gotten anything more than suspicion.If the trustees are in town, there’s someone else we can speak with, but they won’t be available until later.We’ll go back to the hotel room.You could use more sleep; we’ll most likely be up late tonight.And I have several things to check on.”
“And Colantha?”
“It’s not even noon yet.They’ll make their play to meet with you this evening.”
“Great.”I stared out the window.Back to the waiting game.
When we reached the valet at the hotel, Sergi took my arm as we walked through the foyer.When the elevator doors opened, he released me but didn’t follow me in.
“Meet me at four-o-clock in the executive lounge.And wear something appropriate for an exclusive tea house.”
ChapterEleven
If anyone had been upat the early predawn hour, they might have taken a second look at the large scruffy dog running down the street, sticking to the shadows, pausing every few feet to lift its nose to the air.They might have turned and run if they’d recognized the creature as a wolf and not a dog.
The wolf circled the block, trotting into vacant buildings then moving on until it found another building it liked.On and on it went for almost an hour before it turned and headed for the outskirts of town, which was a mere half-mile away from the industrial area of Santiga Bay.
The city streets quickly disappeared into a forest wilderness, and after several hundred yards, the wolf stopped in a clearing.Birds that had just begun to wake, quieted until silence descended over the area.The wolf laid down in the soft fir-needle bedding and whined.It was a long and soulful song as the wolf began to morph from beast to man.The process took ten minutes, and the man’s face was scrunched in pain as the last of the transfiguration completed.
He rolled to his back and stared through the trees to witness the morning twilight.There wasn’t much time.He stood and brushed away the forest debris.His tall frame still carried lean muscle, but time and heartache had taken its toll.He wasn’t as fast as he used to be, and he tired quicker, but purpose spurred him on.After another quarter mile through the thickest part of the forest, he fell to his knees within sight of the massive cedar and caught his breath.
He lifted his nose, sniffed the air, and listened.After a full five minutes, aware of how close he was cutting it, he rushed to a grouping of three fir trees and found his duffel.He dressed quickly and quietly, swung the duffel over his shoulder, and approached the backside of the cedar where the land met a rock formation.Next to the rocks was a large hole—the entrance to the den.
He squatted and peered in.Seeing nothing but smelling his prey, he knelt and crawled a few feet until an icy-blue glow stared back at him.
“Hey, Devon.It’s time to move.”Decker backed out until he was a few feet from the entrance and stayed in a squat position while he waited.
He’d tracked down Devon’s first den the day before along with the discarded deer carcass he’d been feeding from.One that had been laced with Magic Poppy.He’d burned it, then threw fresh meat into the den.
Once a vampire’s beast took over, blood alone wasn’t enough to survive.Many turned to fresh meat to feed the beast and keep it happy.Whoever had dosed Devon had followed him to his den and was prepared to keep him doped.Vampires were decent trackers, but not as good as shifters.
Having been hunted for centuries by vampires, shifters had adapted.They became stealthy at hiding their tracks and scent.And right now, he was the only one capable of saving Devon from further decline into the Poppy while evading the Eliminators.They weren’t supposed to be hunting him yet, but Decker had spotted a couple of them spending time in the alley where Devon kept returning to.
Decker’s plan was simple.Move Devon to a new location but keep Devon’s scent fresh in the alley.Urine and a bit of blood was all it took, and after the first six attempts at getting Devon’s beast to understand and comply, he got what he needed and used it sparingly.That tussle had left Decker with a slice to his thigh so deep, Sabrina had stitched it in the back room of The Den to speed up the healing shifter magic.
After a few minutes, the icy-blue glow grew closer as the beast moved to the entrance and stared out at the breaking dawn.He studied Decker, who held his position until he was sure Devon, or what was left of him, showed recognition.The beast crawled out of the den and stood, his full height reduced by the slight hunch in his shoulders.
The beast lifted his nose, and Decker threw him a piece of meat.He’d wrapped it the night before until he could no longer smell it, satisfied it would be safe in the duffel he’d hidden.The beast devoured it in seconds, then stared at Decker—waiting.
