Page 66 of Lucas
I blinked. Her words were unexpected, and I wasn’t sure what to say. I blinked a couple more times before saying the first thing I could put words to. “I know you think everything I did was because of the personal relationship we share. But I would have done the same for any of you.” I didn’t want to, but I gave Lucas a quick side-glance, and he nodded with a slight grin. I breathed a sigh that I hadn’t said anything stupid.
“We believe you.” Her smile should have been comforting. “As your reward, Sergi will be expecting a full report of the incident on his desk first thing in the morning. You should have a copy of the current report format on your phone.”
“Great.” I gave her an extra wide smile. “I appreciate it.” Inside, I was dying. I’d never had to fill out a report before. So much for a fun evening alone with Lucas.
“Now, on to business.” Simone turned to Lucas. “Give us the highlights, and please tell us you have good news.”
Lucas spent the next hour reviewing our steps from the moment we left Santiga Bay to when we returned, including our visit to House Bertrand to visit his sister. I filled in the days he was wounded and unconscious. He ended his report by placing the book on Devon’s desk.
Everyone stared at it. Lyra walked as if in a trance to stand next to Bella. It was a small book, no larger than a paperback you’d buy at the grocery store and about half as thick. Sergiopened the cover and gingerly turned each page, even though they’d been told it was a copy.
“Old vampiric.” Sergi turned a few more pages, then looked at Lucas. “Will you be able to read this?”
“It will take a few pages to get comfortable with it, but it shouldn’t be a problem. But I’d appreciate any assistance.”
“I’d like to read it when you’re done.” Sergi jumped toward the back of the book, and his eyes squinted. “I don’t recognize this language.”
Lucas nodded. “We think it might be a language of the dreamwalkers. I was hoping Colantha could take a look.”
“Colantha and Hamilton returned to New Orleans when Devon and Cressa left for Spain.” Simone made notes on her tablet.
“Why did she leave?” Lucas asked.
“I’m afraid that was my doing.” Lyra returned to her seat, seeming satisfied with the close-up look. “Colantha believed I was too much of a distraction for Hamilton. Everything was fine the first couple of days, but it was apparent he wasn’t assimilating as well as he should. We think it was too much stimuli. She promised to return when Devon and Cressa are home.” Lyra looked sad, and I reached for her hand. “I don’t know if Hamilton will return. It depends on how much progress they make.”
“That’s a good thing,” I said. “We were lucky he kept it together long enough to save himself. He was locked away for a long time. But he has Colantha, and he knows you’re waiting for him. It won’t be too long. But I know how difficult this must be.”
“Can we get back to business?” Simone asked.
Lyra snorted. I wasn’t sure if she meant to, but everyone laughed. I glanced at Simone, who was doing her best to hold back her grin.
Simone cleared her throat. “Decker. I imagine Remus will want to see the book. How’s his old vampiric?”
Decker scratched his head. “I’m not sure. He can probably read it, but wouldn’t it be best to have it translated so everyone can read it.”
“That’s my objective.” Lucas picked up the book and laid it in his lap. “I’ll read through it once, then I’ll go back and translate it.”
“I can help with that,” I offered. Simone and Sergi looked skeptical. “One of my many short-lived jobs was converting speech to text for a finance company.” When the only response was silent stares, I rolled my eyes for effect. “This was before there was technology to do it. I’m a fairly fast typer. If Lucas is comfortable with it, he just speaks the words out loud as he translates, and I’ll type it. He can review the pages as we go to make sure they’re accurate. Even with his review, it should save a lot of time. Or you can buy software to do it.”
Simone considered it. “Lucas?”
“I should have thought of it myself. Whether Ginger or someone else, I agree it would greatly reduce my effort to complete the work. I’d rather not use the software for this.”
“Good. Once you’re done, we can copy the translation.” Simone closed her tablet.
“No.” Lucas’s jaw stiffened. This was something he wouldn’t back down from. He’d made a promise to Philipe.
“What do you mean?” Simone’s tone came with an edge.
“I made a commitment. Even without it, I would still insist. This book has been hidden for centuries. Vampires are willing to kill to keep it that way. We need to know what the book says—in both languages—before we can share it with anyone. Until then, or until Devon says otherwise, the copy of the book, the translation, and a saved backup should be stored together in asingle location only known to Devon and the cadre. We’ll destroy the hard drive on the computer to ensure the files are deleted.”
“That seems obsessive,” Simone said.
“I agree with Lucas.” Sergi laid down his tablet and strode to the window. He stared out at who knew what, but it was more than a minute before he spoke. “I have to admit, I was beginning to believe the book was a myth after all. That the whispers of reunification were nothing more than a ruse to keep the myth alive. But now we have the building blocks of truth.”
He turned back to the room. “Lucas is right. We should have sent backup with them. You had vampires follow you in Los Angeles when you and Cressa searched for the book. Based on what Philipe confirmed, the book has something to do with dreamwalkers. We need to tread carefully. The cadre—” He turned and glanced at everyone. “Actually, everyone in this room should read the translated copy. As mentioned earlier, Devon will want Remus to read it. But only one copy, one reader at a time. And I think Remus should read it here. Nothing related to the book leaves the manor.”
Simone considered his words. She seemed to struggle with the whole dreamwalker thing, but in the end, she nodded. “Let’s get the translation completed. That will be Lucas’s and Ginger’s primary task. The rest of us will continue with security details and training. Devon should be back in the next few days. We’re adjourned for now. Decker, can you stay? I’d like to update you on the rogues at Oasis.”
