Page 39 of Lucas
She glanced at Jacques, who shrugged. Great. This was on her whether to divulge the information. Devon said they were atwar, and the book was a critical part of his plan. When Devon returned from his trip to Spain, he would call on his allies. It was a risk divulging the name of the book, and Jacques’s words played in her head. Was Lucas unbiased enough to see his friend for who he was? It surprised her how quickly the answer came without any hesitation. She trusted Lucas with her life, as she did with Jacques and each of the cadre.
“De første dage.”
Romero remained still as a frozen lake, but the beast showed itself with an instant flash of yellow. She hit paydirt, but would Romero play along or play dumb?
He called his bodyguards back. “I have three more appointments. I’d prefer to discuss your request in a more private location. Is your hotel room suitable?”
It was Bella’s turn to be surprised, and she did her best to hold it in. “Of course.” She gave him the name of the hotel and their suite number.
“Would one a.m. be too late?”
She gave him a wicked grin. “Is it ever for a vampire?” When he returned her smile with a lusty one of his own, she stood. “Until then.” She bowed her head in deference to Romero’s status and strode out of the restaurant, Jacques following two steps behind.
Once they were a couple of blocks away, Jacques said, “It appears your gamble paid off.”
“We’ll soon see.”
“You don’t have high hopes for it?”
“I’m hoping he has useful information to share rather than use the time for his own fishing expedition.”
Chapter Fifteen
Lucas woke and glanced around.Same motel room, and from the slow breathing of the warm body next to him, Ginger was asleep at his side.
They’d had a horrible fight after they’d shared their family stories. He needed blood, and Ginger, dagger in hand, was ready to bleed for him. He refused on general principle though he was quite aware she was his only viable blood source. But he’d taken enough from her already.
After fifteen minutes of back-and-forth arguing, she grabbed her purse and stormed out. He heard a car door slam before it screeched out of the parking lot.
If she meant to make a point, it worked. He didn’t like being left defenseless in the room with no idea when she’d return. Worse, she was alone with no backup.
She returned thirty minutes later, still pissed off. Her silent glare was enough for him to wait for her to speak first.
He wasn’t sure if he should have been irritated or fascinated by her rationalization as she lectured him.
“I feel fine. I’m not lightheaded. My brain is functioning at top speed, and I’ve bought everything I need to keep it that way. I have plenty of water, orange juice, cookies, and the makings fora simple spinach and tuna salad. I can give you more blood. And you know you need it. Where else are you going to get it from? You can’t even stand.”
She towered over him with a fist resting on her hip. Her dagger was still gripped in her other hand, and she tapped it against the side of her leg in a steady rhythm.
He was too tired to continue their argument. His healing was primary, regardless of his growing irritation. “Bring me your am.”
She gave him a suspicious look. They didn’t argue often, and when they did, she rarely gave in easily, but she also knew when to back off. He expected part of the issue was her revelation about her debt, but if he brought it up, it would only make things worse, so he gave her a weak smile.
“There’s no reason to keep cutting yourself. Let me feed directly from your wrist. It won’t hurt as much.”
“Oh.” She sheathed her dagger and extended her arm to his mouth.
His pierce was quick, and though she flinched for an instant, she leaned into him after the first two pulls. Her blood was heavenly nectar, and if he allowed the beast to rise as it struggled for survival, it could drain her too far. The beast liked her taste as much as he did, which was why he’d relented to take her blood. He had to build his strength and remain in control.
He took more than he should have, reasoning that it was best to get a large dose to complete the healing. In a few hours, maybe less, they could be back on the road. With a decent organic meal and one or two more small blood donations, he’d be back to fighting strength.
After giving him her blood, Ginger had curled up next to him, her arm slung over his stomach, and slept.
Now, several hours later, relief flooded him as he bent one leg and then the other. His first thought was to wake Ginger,but she needed the rest. He was surprised she hadn’t collapsed from exhaustion before now. Preferring the warmth of her next to him, he remained where he was and turned his attention to their next steps.
He didn’t agree with getting rid of the rental. Not yet. It would take days for Sergi to find where Lucas had rented the last one, and he had all their aliases. If Sergi hadn’t found them, no one else had a chance. Not through the rental agencies. And since they weren’t visiting libraries or other Houses, they were as close to invisible as they could get.
The next issue was Sergi. He hadn’t been updated for three days by Lucas’s calculation. He would call the rental companies because he believed in following a strict process, but he wouldn’t rely on that alone. Lucas had told him they were in Maryland in his last report. From there, Sergi would guess their route and send someone south. He might assume they’d go to Hazel Green in search of Fiona.
