Page 54 of Betrayed in Blood
Remus played along, the consummate guest, and didn’t ask any important questions. “How did Venizi know you’d be in Spain?”
“Gregor believes they were on assignment to watch his House, and we might have been a surprise.”
“Do you think they told Venizi?”
“If they did, it would have been before they followed the limo. House Aramburu has a rather deadly policy about strangers on his land.”
He shrugged. “Not so different from shifters. Not nearly as much as in the old days, but you’ll still find that behavior in less populous areas.” When I lifted a brow, he explained, “In the old days, we were hunted. If a vampire found their way onto our land, they didn’t leave.”
“Makes sense when you put it that way.”
“So, what’s new other than that.”
I don’t know why I said it, but the topic was still fresh, and he’d been there from the beginning. “Devon just released me from my debt.”
He sipped his espresso. “I would have expected him to have done it after you saved him from his beast.”
“He might have if I hadn’t been kidnapped the day after he was cleared of the Council’s charges.”
“It did get complicated after that.”
I grinned. “And here I thought it was just another day in the life of vamps and shifters.”
He chuckled. “Now that it’s done, what will you do?”
“And that’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?”
“I imagine you have many options open to you.”
That made me pause. How many did I really have? Before I could answer, which was a blessing since I had no idea what I would have said, multiple voices came from the hall, and the door opened to a string of people. It was like they were coming back to work after a long lunch.
Devon, looking like the House leader he was in a three-piece dark charcoal gray suit, made my heart thump. “Remus, I’m sorry I’m late. I trust Cressa has kept you occupied.”
“As only she can do.” Remus stood, and they met in the middle of the office to shake hands. “I wasn’t sure this day would ever come.”
Colantha had been behind Devon, and she bowed her head to the shifter. “Only the first step in our journey.”
ChapterFifteen
Colantha.Our little Debbie Downer.
Remus frowned. “I hope it won’t be a long journey.”
I was thinking the same thing. It already seemed like we’d been dealing with the book for months.
“That’s why we’re here.” Devon unbuttoned his suit jacket and took a seat at the bar. He waved to the others filing in to find a seat near the fireplace. “We have a solid team to close the gaps before we take our information to the Council.”
The cadre, Ginger, Lyra, and Decker found seats. Colantha’s vamps, always on guard, stood at the door. I assumed Remus’s guards were still outside the door. Once everyone was settled, Devon nodded to Sergi, who turned on the LCD display mounted over the fireplace.
“Other than Colantha, who’s now read the completeDe første dageand was able to put a draft translation together, there are a few of you who have read the first half. As we discovered when Lucas and Ginger brought a copy of it home, the book was written in two languages. The first is old vampiric, and Colantha has confirmed the second half of the book was Drakrotian, an ancient dreamwalker language that hasn’t been used since the purging of their race.
“The complete translation is still being finalized and should be available later this evening. Due to its sensitive nature and a promise made to Philipe Renaud, only one copy will be retained here in the manor. It will be made available to Remus first. In the meantime, Colantha has provided a few notes for us to discuss.”
He nodded at Colantha as Sergi tapped a key that brought up a large image of the dreamwalker medallion, which clearly displayed three images—the Blood Poppy, an ibis, and a dagger.
Colantha, who chose to sit in one of the armchairs near Devon rather than her typical spot on the sofa next to Lyra, smiled at the group. “The medallion that dreamwalkers wear was originally created to channel the power of our constructs. In the days before the Battle of Omar, the medallion reflected the sigils of the various tribes, of which there were seven main ones, with smaller tribes aligned with the larger ones. Not too dissimilar to vampire Houses. When a truce between species was created after the battle, these three images became symbols that reflected the symmetry and connection between our races.”
She nodded at Sergi, who moved to the next slide, which was a closeup of a flower. “The Blood Poppy has become so rare most vampires believe it to be a myth. It’s not.” She smiled at Remus. “I believe the one I gave to Devon is now in one of your labs.”
