Page 85 of Obsessed in Blood
The next twodays were a whirlwind of activity similar to when the House had been threatened with sanctions. In addition to their duties for the mission, Devon tasked Lucas with the additional task of preparing for a siege at the manor. It was a great deal of effort, but with each stab he gave Lorenzo, the more likely a retaliation.
Cook was busy creating frozen meals, while the pantry, infirmary, and armory were restocked. These preparations weren’t required for rescuing Hamilton, but for Lorenzo’s retaliation when he discovered Devon had stolen his prize prisoner.
Drills and reviews of the mission became a constant. Harlow brought Trudy and Roxie by once a day to join them in going over the plan, offering suggestions where warranted. Their role might be small, but it was crucial for success as well as dangerous. Cressa had been surprised when Harlow agreed to it, but the amount Devon was willing to pay for their help was difficult to walk away from.
Devon had driven to Oasis earlier that morning, meeting with Simone to review last-minute preparations for a possible siege at his private estate. All housing on the property was being made ready as a safe house for the Family and shifters requiring assistance.
Rather than using the main drive to the estate, which could expose their location, he wanted to make the two back entrances available, but he faced opposition.
“You put all of Oasis at risk by revealing our exits.” Simone, who wasn’t a pacer, proved she was rather good at it as she walked along the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the back of the property.
“We have to trust our allies. And increased traffic through the front gates will be too suspicious.” Devon understood her concern. It was one thing to trust your allies, but the more shifters and vampires became aware of Oasis, the more difficult to control the information flow, leaving a weakness for the primary emergency exits.
“It’s too great a risk. We should make changes to the safe houses to accommodate extra casualties. We could also open one of the other properties.”
“We won’t have time to increase the security. They weren’t planned as safe houses.”
“This is only our first strike against Lorenzo. It will become more difficult after this. It’s time for more than one safe house.”
He couldn’t argue her logic, and he’d been thinking along the same lines. There was too much to do and very little time to do it.
“Select one of the properties to prepare as a safe house in time for this mission. Then, add two others to be upgraded once this mission is complete. Share the details with me and the cadre, but you have my permission to begin on the first site immediately. Do you have one in mind?”
She nodded and went to the table where they’d started their meeting. After scrolling through her tablet, she pushed it toward him. He smiled, anticipating this would be the one she’d pick. It was an old apartment complex at the edge of an even older industrial section just south of the Hollows. It was accessible from various routes, there weren’t many homes in the area, and even less traffic.
It had been their first safe house twenty years ago and was still maintained. It was where Devon gave rogue vampires a roof when they came to town before they decided whether they were interested in joining the Family or living alone, assuming Devon approved it. It looked like crap from the outside, but three units were upscale and comfortable with all the modern conveniences. The other apartments had minimal features but were more than comfortable. The lobby had been retrofitted with state-of-the-art surveillance and security systems that protected the complex, including a fifty-foot perimeter. But it would require additional cameras and monitors to be considered an official safe house again.
“I agree with your choice, but I’d still like one of the entrances to Oasis cleared for this mission.” He held up his hands. “We’ll provide a diversionary access point. Arrange for unmarked and varying types of vans at pickup locations. We’ll keep the entrances secret. Let’s use the buildings farthest from the main house for anyone not part of the Family. Will that meet your concerns?”
“Yes. I’ll contact Sergi to help with the selection of pickup points and the teams.”
Once he was back at the manor, there was a string of vampires waiting to discuss problems. He farmed a few to Sergi, others to Lucas, and a couple to Bella, and then worked through issues with the remaining handful before going up to check on Lyra and Colantha.
Devon and the cadre were included in one construct a day so they would be more comfortable, but contact with Hamilton was left to the two of them. Lyra slept between constructs, and he always expected her to be weaker each day, but she appeared to be healthy. He shouldn’t have doubted Colantha’s training techniques.
Jamison and Frederick had developed a fondness for Lyra and became overly protective when others came into the room, including the cadre. While it was odd, Devon allowed it. Should they face a siege, he knew Colantha and Lyra would be in good hands.
He checked in with Cook, ordered a pot of coffee and a meal to be brought to his office, then checked on Sergi before shutting his office door. Delicious scents overwhelmed his senses, letting him know Cook had already delivered the meal. In need of some time alone, he locked the door.
A smile lit his lips when the back of his office chair slowly turned to reveal Cressa.
“There you are.” Her dazzling smile breathed energy back into him. “Everywhere I looked for you, someone said you’d just left.”
“Yet somehow you arrived here before me.”
She shrugged and stood, patting the chair in invitation. “I ran into Cook, who was headed this way. You must have made a detour somewhere.”
Devon strolled around the desk, eyeing the food that had caught his attention when he’d first walked in. Then he put an arm around Cressa and gave her a kiss. He sat and welcomed the soft leather comfort. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
The soft scent of her perfume further relaxed him as she stepped behind the chair.
“You’re tired.” Her hands caressed his temples.
“I just need some food.”
“What you need is blood.” She trailed a hand over his shoulders as she moved around him. Then she was in his lap, and his arm instinctively wrapped around her waist. “Why won’t you take my blood?”
His eyes popped open. There was hurt in her gaze, and he shook his head. “It’s not what you think. If it was just me on my own, I’d risk it to see what happened when the beast was asleep. But I’m not alone. I have the House to think of—my Family. We’re heading into dangerous times, and I can’t risk my mental faculties.”
