Page 29 of Betrayed in Blood
This rang déjà vu bells from several months ago when he met Isabella Stanton under similar circumstances. That time had been a Council warning regarding his actions to clear his censure, which had been unsubstantiated rumors from Venizi.
Sergi and the security team followed Devon as the page led him to the solarium, taking positions on both sides of the door as he entered. The solarium, like so many other things with the Council, hadn’t changed in centuries. The room was filled with giant ferns, various other potted plants, and a mass array of orchid species. The page had left him at the door, so he wandered down a path that curved through the lush garden and stopped at an eight-foot-tall palm tree.
Isabella stood next to a wicker chair with a high oval back that would give the impression of her sitting on a throne. It wasn’t unwarranted for the most powerful vampire on the Council and, up to now, a friend.
She wore a gossamer emerald-green gown that flowed to an inch above the tips of her shoes. Her dark hair was drawn back in a single braid that hung over her shoulder and down to her waist. She was misting an orchid, her fingers softly brushing the tips of its leaves as if she were embracing it.
He waited for her, knowing she was quite aware of his presence. She set the mister down and picked up snippers to cut off a dead leaf. After she dropped it onto the side table, she placed the snippers next to the mister.
She turned to him. “You’re late.”
He bowed his head. “Apologies. I’d been in a meeting when they called, and it took a while to organize my motorcade.”
She lifted a lip in disgust before settling into her chair. “Yes, I heard House Trelane was on lockdown.”
It was his turn to sneer. “News travels fast.”
Her mouth relaxed into a tentative smile, but with her sitting in the shadows of the sunlit room, it was difficult to see much more. She’d always been sensitive to light, preferring, like many of the ancients, the darkness. She wore light-colored shades, which made it difficult to read her true expression. But he knew her eyes were the color of soft caramel—an arresting color against her black hair and ivory skin.
“Perhaps if a House didn’t raid another, such a dire action wouldn’t have to be taken.” She ran a hand down her gown and brushed off debris that might or might not have been there.
“And in these current times, a House shouldn’t be driven to such actions to take back something stolen from them.”
Her brow lifted just enough for him to know that whatever Venizi had been telling the Council wasn’t the full story. What a surprise.
“This conflict between House Trelane and House Venizi has been going on for generations. Long before either you or Lorenzo were the House leaders. The Council, as you know, stays out of House conflicts, but actions on both sides are now becoming dangerously close to human notice. The other Houses are becoming distressed over the situation to the point it appears Houses are beginning to take sides. This is not the vampire society we have strived for.”
He used to know what type of society the Council hoped to embrace, but now it was murky with deception. “I’m guessing the aristocracy was upset at the interruption of Lorenzo’s fantasy ball.”
Her eyes flashed with the yellow glow of her beast, dimmed behind her glasses, then it was gone. No one on the Council wanted the aristocracy upset. No one wanted to rock the boat. “The Council simply wants the tension within the Houses to ease. It would be to everyone’s benefit if the two Houses would simply call a truce.”
“A truce? You want House Trelane to forgive and forget everything House Venizi does to keep my censure in place? You want House Trelane to forgive and forget House Venizi’s kidnapping of my Blood Ward? You want House Trelane to forgive and forget the imprisonment of a member of my Family for the last century? That is a difficult, and in my mind, an unreasonable request of the Council, who prides itself on remaining neutral in House conflicts.”
Isabella gripped the arms of her chair, and for a moment, Devon thought she might crush the wicker. Then she took a deep breath and turned her focus on her orchids. The events he’d shared seemed to have surprised her, and he was curious about what other stories Venizi had been telling the Council.
He didn’t envy Isabella. It didn’t matter what she thought. There wasn’t a specific leader in the Council. She presided over the meetings because she’d been on the Council longer than any other. She might have the last vote, but rarely was it the deciding one.
The Council had simply used her to deliver their message because they were aware of Devon’s long friendship with her. One that might end up destroyed over the actions Devon was planning.
“Will you make peace with Venizi?”
“No.”
She appeared weary. Whether it was with the Council, this never-ending topic, or the knowledge of how far this could still go, he didn’t know. “You must see this can’t continue to escalate. If tension between the Houses continues, the Council might have no other course of action than to add to your censure.”
He snorted. “Add to my censure. What about Venizi? Will the Council simply take his word for our dispute without even listening to my side?”
Her gaze shifted away. “You know the word of a Council member tends to be taken more seriously than one who’s been censured.”
His laugh was cruel. “Oh, I’m quite aware that once a Council member has been censured, it’s almost impossible to have it removed for that very reason. But I’m as weary as you. Tired of Venizi steering the Council to the old ways. Of conveniently doing one thing while telling the Council something different, never concerned about restrictions being placed on his House or Council seat.”
“You have a successful House with profitable businesses. You’re a leader in your community. Can’t you leave well enough alone?”
He’d had enough of this cat-and-mouse game, and though his next words wouldn’t help him, he could no longer hold them back. She must know the truth, maybe not all of it, but she’d been on the Council for a long time. His tone was brusque.
“Don’t you see, Isabella? This Council and those before them have betrayed us.”
“Watch your words, Trelane.”
