Page 9 of Lucas
I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “Just a bit of a nap.”
She tiptoed around the clothing and other items strewn around the floor and glanced at the book on the bed. “A nap? Or did the reading bore you to sleep?”
I grinned, jumped out of bed to stretch, and grimaced from stiffened muscles. “Maybe a bit of both. The book isn’t really boring, just difficult to read with the older style of English and cramped writing. I guess paper was precious a thousand years ago or whenever it was written.”
“Are you focusing on House Renaud?”
“Yeah. I mean, that’s where we’ll be spending most of our time. It makes sense I should know as much as I can about them.” I glanced out the window. “Did I miss dinner?”
“I was coming to get you before I headed downstairs. Lucas thought you might have passed out from the extended training.” She quirked her lips. “And Sergi wants a word with you.”
I rolled my eyes as I scrounged for a dress. I picked a cobalt-blue sundress from a chair, sniffed it, then shook it out. “What’s his complaint this time?”
“Actually, I think he wants to commend you.”
I was removing my leggings when her words hit me, and I lost my balance, managing to fall into a nearby chair. “Stop joking. What does he really want?”
“I’m serious. Anna asked him if he would continue the defensive training you’ve been teaching her. Actually, she asked if the training could be made available to any human that’s interested.”
“What?”
“I guess he and Devon never heard about the deal you struck with her. Simone was irritated for about a nanosecond and then considered the coming war. The three of them thought it was an excellent idea.”
My cheeks grew warm. It was great they wanted to do that for the staff, but I didn’t want the attention. “It was just a way to give Anna something to do. She seems out of her element here.”
“Sergi wants to observe your next training so he can understand what you’ve been teaching.”
“That’s a nerve-racking thought. But, yeah. If it helps everyone, I’m game.”
I pulled the sundress over my head then zipped up the side. After I checked my hair and added a bit of mascara, I linked my arm with Cressa’s as we exited the room. “Are you excited about going to Spain? I mean, is Devon going to let you do some sightseeing?”
“So he says, assuming he believes we’re safe, and Gregor Aramburu, the House leader, says it’s okay. I’m hoping he does. I’ve always wanted to see Madrid.”
“Really?”
“Okay, maybe not Madrid specifically, but definitely Europe. And before I forget, can you leave the book with Anna after you leave? She’s using other material for reviewing Aramburu, but I’d like to reread their section of the tome at least once.”
“I’ll be sure to leave it in the library. But it would be easier to just grab it from my room since I’ll be sleeping with it for the next two nights.”
We laughed as we made our way to dinner. Before we made it to the dining room, Devon and Lucas met us in the hallway.
“Just the women we were looking for,” Devon said. He waved us down a different hallway. “Let’s talk in one of the studios.”
Lucas gave me a nod and followed behind us. Cressa seemed more curious than concerned, so I relaxed the shoulders that had been creeping up my neck.
Devon directed us to chairs that circled a small coffee table with a lovely sculpture of what I guessed to be a wood nymph. “I thought we should talk before dinner. There’s a change to your itinerary, and before we go over it, I want to assure you that I trust every member of the Family. But, in speaking with Lucas, Colantha, and Sergi, we want to keep the reason for your trip confidential. If what we suspect is truly in the book, Lorenzo might still be monitoring it.”
“We were also thinking about the custodian Lyra remembers seeing the day before her accident. The one she thought was having an affair with Philipe.” Lucas hadn’t taken a seat. He leaned against a wall, hands in his pockets.
“Has she remembered her name?” I asked.
“No,” Devon replied. “And considering the not-so-friendly welcome Lucas received from the curator in San Francisco, we don’t think she’ll be willing to share the name.”
Lucas nodded his agreement. “With the curator being new to that location, it’s possible she’s not aware of her or herrelationship with Philipe. And we don’t want to draw unwanted attention to the custodian.”
“So, how do we find her?” Cressa asked.
“There’s one possibility.” Lucas ran a hand through his hair and glanced at me. I wasn’t sure why, but I nodded and gave him a smile. “The custodian I spoke with at the annex might be willing to help me out. I got the sense he was concerned by the information the curator gave us. Like he knew she was lying. He might have worked there in 1925 or has access to the names of the custodians at the time.”
