Page 72 of Betrayed in Blood
Now what?
He stormed through the door, which provided the results he’d hoped for. Everyone shut up, and a few seemed chagrined, which surprised him. The cadre was positioned around his desk as usual. Decker was at the bar, smiling as if he’d been enjoying the fray. Jacques sat in a corner as if wanting to separate himself from whatever disagreement had been in full throttle.
Cressa, Ginger, Lyra, and Colantha were grouped together by the fireplace. It only took a second to scan the women, whose defiant look told Devon where the battle lines had been drawn.
He sighed, wanting nothing more than to drop onto the sofa next to Cressa, give her a warm kiss, and let someone else finish whatever discussion had created such an uproar. But he couldn’t show sides, and more’s the pity for that.
He took his obligatory seat at his desk and turned to readjust the shades to let in more light. Then he turned and picked up the white crystal from his desk. This time there was no question he was using it as a security blanket, shielding him from whatever news he was about to hear. After some consideration, he decided to take another approach, hoping to calm the emotions still stirring tension in the room.
“I have excellent news to report from Oasis.” He was satisfied when some appeared relieved by the change in topic while he received irritated glances from others. Sergi was the only one who seemed to be interested in Oasis, which undoubtedly had to do with his role as head of security.
His shoulders relaxed as he reviewed the updates Simone had made since the attack.
“I’ve vetted twelve of the shifters from the local pack to add to your security.” Decker had been pleased to hear about the shifters’ willingness to help with the fences. “I think Simone has begun her interviews.”
Devon nodded. “She’s approved four, and they’ll be incorporated into the patrol schedule by the end of the week after a day of training. The rest of the interviews should be completed by the end of next week.”
“May I ask a question, vampire?” Colantha hadn’t seemed interested in the report, so her request surprised him.
“Of course.”
“Where are these shifters housed at Oasis? Do they have a single house? A building of their own?”
He wasn’t sure why she asked or what she hoped to learn. If he had to guess, it was a test of how his House treated shifters. He gave her the truth as he knew it.
“Actually, it’s an interesting topic.” He returned the crystal to his desk and, leaning back, looked at Lucas. “I could use an espresso if you don’t mind.”
“Absolutely.” He jumped up, receiving a couple of requests from others.
“As you know from your brief visit to Oasis, there are several houses and bungalows spread around the manor. The houses are meant to house several vampires or shifters. The bungalows are smaller, some grouped together, while others are spread out for privacy. We also house many within the manor itself.
“From what Simone has reported, the first ten shifters selected a house not far from the security building, but of those, one has recently moved into the manor, taking a room close to the kitchen. Turns out, he’s a rather good cook, and when he’s not on shift, he’s been working in the kitchen with Lucia. Another one, well, he wasn’t comfortable in a house full of other shifters.”
“That must be Laslo,” Decker added. “I wasn’t sure he’d make the cut. He’s got some issues and needs his space.”
“Yes, Simone wasn’t sure, either, and had given him a short probationary time. Once he confided he required more space, she assigned him one of the private bungalows closer to the lake. That seems to have resolved the issue, and he’s been removed from his probation period. I believe the others are happy with their assigned housing.” He gave Colantha a smile. “Does that answer your question?”
Instead of answering, her next question was to Decker. “And do you believe the shifters to be happy with this new arrangement?”
Decker didn’t hesitate. “If they’re offering to assist with building the fences in addition to their patrol shifts, that’s answer enough for me. But I’ve spoken with a few. They’re well-housed, well-fed, and given plenty of room to run. There was a brief period of wariness with the vampires, but now that they’re training together, they seem comfortable with their assignment.”
“I know we’ve begun to add shifters to the safe houses, but we should add a couple here at the coastal manor,” Sergi suggested. “They bring a different form of security and build up our numbers.”
Devon nodded. “That’s an excellent idea. Can you work with Remus or Braden, his beta?”
When Sergi agreed, Devon looked to Colantha and waited for her to answer his question. Her grin was predatory, but he was used to it. She’d been testing him. To what end, he didn’t know.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Okay, so that brings us to what the uproar was about when I walked in.”
ChapterTwenty-One
I watchedDevon from the moment he walked into his office. A tic played along his jaw. He was either bothered by his trip to Oasis or by the loud voices coming from his office. He’d given me a glance, testing the waters, and I smiled. I couldn’t help it.
He’d texted the night before to tell me he’d be home in the morning. Then texted again when his motorcade had been held up by a legitimate accident. He was trying to keep me included, and I had to give him points. We still had so much to talk about.
It didn’t surprise me, and it certainly didn’t surprise the cadre, that he would run his own meeting and not play into the heated discussion we’d been in before his arrival. The question was, once we got to the topic, would he be as irritated with me as Sergi had been?
