Page 90 of Obsessed in Blood
Devon nodded for me to continue, and I stared at the half glass of wine in my hand.
“The two I’ve had have both come true. One exactly as I dreamed it, the second one—” I pushed the visual of the shifter slaughter back into the dark recesses and cleared my throat. “The second one was close enough.”
“And this recent dream was specific to the island and the recovery of Hamilton?” Braden had been watching me carefully and seemed to be a thoughtful man, similar to Sergi.
I nodded and twisted around so I could see everyone. “The rescue attempt failed shortly after we pulled Hamilton out of the building. We were heading for the docks when Lorenzo’s forces overtook us.”
“And what exactly do you propose that makes the new plan more effective?” Elijah appeared doubtful, and I fidgeted under his dark stare.
“We modified assignments and have devised secondary and tertiary routes to the docks,” Sergi said.
“I suggest the inside teams make every effort to avoid Lorenzo.” I still recalled Lorenzo’s statement of seeing beyond the masks. “We have to remain inconspicuous and shouldn’t rely solely on the masks.”
Devon tapped the small section of beach on the image of the island. “And we’ve been told there is a cave that might provide additional options, but we don’t have a way to validate the information. Hamilton believes he knows where the entrance is, but it’s been decades since he’s seen it. We believe this piece is critical to our success. If we miss this opportunity, it’s impossible to know when we’ll get another.”
Remus rubbed his chin, and the shifters glanced at each other before turning their focus to their leader. “I might know of someone knowledgeable about the island who would know of the cave.”
“Cato,” Braden said the word with reverence.
Remus nodded. “Cato once worked on the island. Not by choice. Long ago, Venizi had the discreet pleasure of owning shifters.”
“The Council banned that practice long before Venizi bought the island,” Sergi said.
“They might have banned it, but there was a time when they turned a blind eye to certain aristocrats who refused to bend to the Council’s rules. Even members of the Council.”
Sergi pushed his tablet aside. “I remember now. This must have been almost two hundred years ago.” He looked to Devon. “When we were in Prussia.
Devon nodded. “When my concerns laid elsewhere at the time. Go on, Remus. What happened to this shifter?”
“Venizi had troubles with a lesser house who decided to strike out. As you can imagine, Venizi hit back hard, and though the lesser house eventually lost, they put up a good fight, weakening Venizi’s defenses. Cato took that moment to stage a rebellion while the bulk of Venizi’s forces were away. They killed most of the vampires that remained on the island. The majority of the men stole ships from the main dock, while the rest led the females and cubs to another ship that was moored on the other side of the island. The only access was through a cave.”
“And is Cato still alive?”
The Wolf sipped his cognac and pulled a cigar out of his pocket. He held it up, and Devon nodded approval. He took his time lighting it, and after a couple of puffs he gave us what we wanted. “He lives in the forest outside Middletown, near Clear Lake. He only leaves his cabin once a week to shop for supplies and doesn’t appreciate visitors.”
“I had no idea shifters lived that long.” I slapped a hand over my mouth, but the shifters laughed.
“We’re not immortal, and our longevity isn’t assured. Many things are fatal to us, but with fewer wars, we survive longer than our ancestors. Most people aren’t aware that Cato still lives. Venizi most of all.”
“Will he be willing to share what he knows of the cave?” Devon asked.
“Normally, I would say it’s doubtful. But you plan a strike against Venizi for the express reason of taking something of value to him. Cato won’t be able to say no.”
“Why haven’t you done something with the information before?” Devon asked.
The Wolf rolled the cigar in his fingers. “It was too much of a risk.”
“And do you think this mission is too risky?”
“We’re planning to remove one individual, not take the island. And this time, it’s not only shifters taking the risk.”
Devon nodded with a cagey smile. “No. It isn’t.”
I leftthe group an hour later as Devon ran the group through the new plan, tweaking it as they went. But it all came down to finding the cave, and it was decided that Devon and Remus would go together in the morning to find Cato. As crazy as it seemed, the group was eager for the mission to proceed, even without knowing the location of the cave. They were self-assured, or too arrogant, to believe they couldn’t find someone who could be mesmerized or otherwise encouraged to divulge the necessary information.
I jogged up to the third floor to Lyra’s room, planning to knock and see if Madame Saldano had arrived to find the door half open. Multiple hushed voices came from deep in the room. I crept in, not wanting to disturb the speakers.
Frederick and Jamison gave me a quick glance from the windows as I approached the living space. The healer sat next to Lyra, who was lying on the sofa. Colantha stood next to them, her eyes closed, her lips moving, and her voice hushed. She spoke in an unfamiliar language and gently swayed.
