Page 17 of Lucas
“Yes.” The pause was brief. “Are you sure? Yes, of course.” She hung up and heaved a breath before turning toward them. “This might sound strange, but my grandfather wishes to speak with you.”
Now it was Lucas’s curiosity that rose. “I’m sorry. I thought your grandfather had died some time ago.”
“No. He’s still with us. Please, come this way.” She led them toward the back of the house, then turned down a hall that ended at a set of double doors. After removing a key from her pocket, she inserted it into a panel to the left of the doors. The doors slid sideways to reveal an elevator.
He took Ginger’s arm as they entered. When he turned around, Carmen waited outside. “Aren’t you coming?”
“He’ll want to speak with you alone.”
And the doors closed.
“Areyou sure this is a good idea?” Ginger asked, her gaze hitting every part of the elevator. She squeezed her purse against her chest.
“I don’t think they plan on attacking and holding us hostage.” Lucas grinned. She’d stoically faced two vampires a mere twenty-four hours ago and helped him dump their bodies in the Hudson River. But she was nervous about seeing an ancient.
He could understand her trepidation, but it was hard to get past his own curiosity. Old man Beall was supposed to be dead and buried based on everything he’d heard. And that information was close to a century old.
A bell chimed as the doors opened, and he blinked. The elevator had brought them to a library. And it wasn’t a cozy one with paneled walls, darkly upholstered furniture, a hearth with glowing embers, and stuffed bookcases that lined the walls. Though there were plenty of bookcases.
This room stretched for a good hundred yards and was as wide as the house. The bookshelves ran floor-to-ceiling, and there were several rows of them in addition to those that lined the walls, only leaving space for long, thin windows to brighten the immense room. Lucas spotted three rolling library ladders, and there didn’t seem to be an empty slot on a single shelf.
Statues and ferns filled the spaces around multiple seating areas, each adorned with a sofa and two side chairs in a variety of colors. This was the most elaborate home library he’d seen outside of the Renauds’, and it would take a lifetime to go through all the books.
A male voice came out of nowhere. “Please continue through the library and take your first hall to the left. My room is at the end.”
Ginger jumped and scanned the ceilings for the speakers. Lucas didn’t see those, but he found the cameras. There must have been a similar setup in the sitting room, where the old man had seen and, most likely, listened to their conversation with Carmen.
Lucas pulled Ginger’s arm through his and guided her according to the given directions. When they reached the door, Lucas knocked.
“Come. Come.”
The voice was deep and commanding. Lucas had been expecting something wispier from an ancient who was supposed to be dead.
When they entered, Lucas had to force himself not to shy away from the vampire in front of him. He knew Beall was an ancient of at least a thousand years. But that didn’t explain his shriveled appearance. Lucas focused on the eyes, which were such a deep brown they were almost black, filled with a sharp intelligence that belied the body that held them hostage.
“Sit on the sofa over here. It’s difficult for me to get around when I’m not in my wheelchair, and sometimes I just need to get out of the damn thing.” He gave Ginger a long perusal. “Blood Ward. Come here, girl.”
Ginger seemed glued to the floor, but after a short pause, she gave Lucas a sidelong glance before moving toward Beall. Lucas took the opportunity to follow behind her to get to the couch.
“Give me your hands.” His were an odd shade of ivory with long, bony fingers that ended in perfectly manicured nails. “I’m not contagious.”
That seemed to wake her up, and she gripped his hands. “I’m sorry. That was rude. It’s just that I haven’t seen a true ancient before.”
His laugh was coarse, and he choked a bit before his voice returned to its normal timber. “I’ll tell you a secret. Most of them look more like your young vampire here. Now, squeeze my hands. Harder. That’s it. And let me look in your eyes, and don’t worry, I’m not mesmerizing you.”
He stared at Ginger for some time, then released her hands and waved for her to take a seat. His voice took on a teasing note. “An interesting choice for a Blood Ward. She seems more suited for battle.”
Ginger sat straighter at the comment, and Lucas chuckled. “You’re not far off.”
The old man slammed a fist on his chair with more strength than Lucas expected for his fragile state. “I thought so.”
Then he turned serious as he stared at Lucas. “I’ll ask that you keep this conversation confidential. As far as the world knows, as you stated earlier, I’m almost a century dead now. The truth of the matter is that I have the wasting blood disease that impacts our species. As you know, there’s no cure, only a long, slow death as my own blood eats away at me. Doesn’t matter how many humans share their blood with me or what type it is, it immediately turns my own blood against me. Not even the beast can help. I’d rather no one knows. It’s not heritable, but should someone discover the reason for the reduction in our fertility rates, I don’t want Carmen living under what many would call a curse.”
“They’ll never hear it from us.”
The old vampire seemed appeased. His gaze became unfocused for a long moment before he turned his dark eyes on Lucas. “You’re searching for theDe første dage.”
Lucas blinked. “Yes. How do you know about it?”
