Page 45 of Addicted in Blood
I hesitated.“Do you have a healer around here?”
She gave me an odd look.“We have several.Why?”
I hesitated, not wanting to remember the loss of control when someone else invaded my body, leaving me in a psychic coma.
“Ah, you’re worried about your first experience.”She nodded toward the medallion.“Put it on.”
I blew out a breath, and with shaking hands, slipped the chain over my head.
She held out her hand, and I took it.It was the first time we’d touched.Her skin was soft and warm.“Come, child.Should another entity try to take over, I’ll be there to keep them out.”
She led me back to the pit but this time she stepped inside.The circle was barely large enough for us both, and we sat cross-legged, our knees touching.Fredrick placed three more candles around us so all four sat at north, south, east, and west points.Then he lit them.
“For protection.”
Before I had the chance to ask what that meant, she took my hands, and the room slipped away.
ChapterTwenty-Three
The following day,Simone entered Devon’s office to find Lyra and the cadre reviewing perimeter defenses around the manor.She’d gotten home late after her meeting with Gaius, taking the scenic route while replaying the afternoon and trying to figure out who she’d just had a pleasant, and—if she was honest with herself—all too brief meeting.
What had happened to the monster she remembered?And how long had it been since he’d changed?Assuming the man she’d just met was truly different and hadn’t learned the art of well-practiced facades.
It required three meditation sessions to quiet her mind long enough to sleep, and then she found it impossible to wake.She’d eaten breakfast in her room, and Lyra had been kind enough to push their meeting to before lunch.
Lyra had taken a seat in front of the hearth and was leaning over the coffee table to review a map of the manor.The cadre pointed out where existing guards patrolled and reviewed the updates they wanted to make.Simone had been apprised before she left for San Francisco and didn’t have any additional changes other than what she’d already suggested.She trusted the cadre would lead Lyra to the correct decisions.
If she had to guess, Lyra was interested but had no intention of second-guessing them.When Simone inched closer, she reviewed the open seating.She wasn’t in the mood to coddle Lyra and was relieved when Lyra smiled but didn’t wave her over.Simone took a seat on one of the stools and propped an elbow on the bar, mostly so she could lean her head against her fist and wait for the pounding to stop.
Lucas snapped his fingers to get the attention of a man she hadn’t noticed sitting in a cushioned chair on the other side of the room.He was human, and when he approached, she recognized him as one of the new blood donors from Oasis.
She was tempted to refuse.But when he neared she felt the beast rise.If she waited any longer, she would be putting a blood donor at risk.Her bite was swift, and he never flinched.When she took enough rejuvenating sips, she helped him to a chair.The amount of blood during a normal feeding was similar to what a human donated at a blood center, but the exchange was a powerful connection between the two and tended to zap a human’s strength.The new blood immediately energized her.
She’d been weak.Maybe that explained why she’d been swayed by Gaius’s attempt at an apology for years of pain and torture.Maybe she was spending too much time thinking about it.
“Are you feeling better now?”Lyra’s musical voice was tinged with concern.
Simone nodded before facing her House leader.“Much.”
“Sergi says they’ll be home tomorrow evening.He’ll contact us when they leave New Orleans.I thought we should put together an updated report for his return.”
Lucas made a couple marks on the map then scratched one out before writing something else.“I reported three of Underwood’s associates through the police’s anonymous tip line.The finances for several projects look suspect, and though I don’t think the men had anything to do with Underwood’s death, it should keep the police occupied while untangling the transfers.The security team at Oasis is following police bands to see if any APBs go out on Cressa or Ginger, and Jacques checked in with Bulldog.The cops won’t be bothering him anymore.”
Lyra smiled.“And perhaps with the earlier information they received about Ginger going to Seattle, they’ll turn their search northward.”
“Sergi will want to contact his friend in the department,” Simone offered.
Lyra sat back and sipped from her cup of tea.“I’ll make it one of his first priorities.What of Devon’s defense?”
“I’ve got an address for Gheata.I don’t know where it will lead, but it feels right.”Simone gave a recap of her meeting with Gaius, leaving out everything but the information he shared about Boris.
“Can you trust this vampire?”Lucas asked.
She didn’t hesitate.“Yes.It’s been some time since I’ve seen him.”She considered her response then answered as honestly as she could.“While he’s changed in some ways, the vampire I knew centuries ago remains.He would never align with Lorenzo.And it will be simple enough to know if I’ve been deceived.”
Lyra glanced to Lucas and Bella.
“I think it’s worth checking out.”Bella, who’d been distracted by the perimeter map, sat back, her leg bouncing with pent-up energy.“A surveillance?”
