Page 69 of Obsessed in Blood
She nodded and waved to the chair next to her. “I am Colantha, Heiress to the Seven Tribes, daughter of Adelice, and holder of the Seven Veils.”
I stared at her. She never told me any of that. Was she making this shit up? But when I glanced at Hamilton, he stared in awe before bowing his head and dropping into the chair.
“I’ve only heard of the Seven Tribes through rumors and our small resistance group.”
“It must be kept secret.”
He looked horrified. “Then you shouldn’t have told me. He might not visit me often, but he can pull information from me. I’ve been able to control how much I give him, and in small nuggets that mean nothing on their own. I’m still a puzzle he can’t figure out.”
“Which I imagine is why you’re still alive after all this time. He has no idea what you are or what you’re capable of. If he did, he’d be terrified.”
I was grateful Devon and Lyra weren’t in the construct with us. Devon was already irritated by Colantha’s power to drag a vamp into a construct against their will. Whatever her version of terrified might be, it wasn’t something he needed to hear.
Hamilton chuckled, but it turned bitter. “I assume I need my medallion for that.”
“Does Lorenzo have it?” I blurted it out without thinking.
“No. But he’d seen me wear it. I’m not sure when. In the first days, it was all he could talk about. He kept asking where it was, how he could get to it, but I refused to tell him, which only made him angrier.”
Colantha touched his knee. “Don’t let that trouble you. Those days are behind you. You’re with us now.”
Somehow, her words settled him, and his anger lessened until his features softened, and he gazed at her with a reverence that made me uncomfortable. I thought it a bit much, but after she rambled off all those titles, I wondered if I hadn’t been giving her enough respect.
She continued on, holding his gaze. “I can typically hear when another dreamwalker is in peril, but only if they are wearing their medallion. If not, they have to be close for me to hear their call. I imagine the dreamwalkers who could hear you were either unable to help or assumed you were one of many others who live in asylums, untrained and unaware of their abilities. They will sometimes call out during their dreams, unaware of what they’re doing.”
He leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. His eyes closed, and Colantha waited. Maybe giving him time to assimilate everything he’d been told. “I was foolish and impatient.”
“None of that. We must focus on the here and now.” Her gaze roamed the room. “Do you know this place?”
He opened his eyes and glanced around. “It’s Guildford Trelane’s study. He’s dead, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
He hung his head. “My fault.”
Colantha’s slap was so quick, I jumped. Hamilton touched his face, at first startled, and then anger burned in his gaze.
She stood and stared down at him. “I won’t say this again, so it would be best you paid attention.” Even from where I stood near the bookcase, her raw power rolled over me.
Where I would have been cowering, Hamilton straightened in his chair, his attention focused. Apparently, Colantha could play good cop and bad cop all at the same time.
“Bringing the truth to light is an act of bravery. Our truth has been hidden for far too long, and while you might have acted prematurely, it’s not your actions that are in question. Although the result created great tragedy within House Trelane, it is due to one vampire. And one day soon, he’ll pay for that.”
She turned to me, and I gulped. I’d been perfectly fine being kept out of this conversation. My head was already spinning.
“It was written long ago that dreamwalkers would live through a long period of dark times, but that a Trinity would awaken and bring us into the light.”
Hamilton nodded. “Yes, but the book—”
“Is not of your concern now. Your only task is being freed from your incarceration. And we need your help for that.”
He nodded, and he fell back against the chair.
“You’re tired. We all need rest. Sleep, Hamilton, and we’ll call you back soon. There are others you must meet in order for us to be successful. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” He was already fading.
“We are real, Hamilton. We will return.”
