Page 10 of Betrayed in Blood
Gregor nodded. “Dreamwalkers weren’t as commonplace even then, and for the most part, they kept to themselves, preferring to live in communes or small villages. This was one reason the Council thought it would be easy to eliminate what they considered to be a threat to our race.” He laughed, but it wasn’t a nice one. And it was the first time I witnessed what a formidable man he could quickly become. “That was when dreamwalkers ran from their homes, scattering into the wind.”
“Except for here,” Devon said.
I glanced at Devon. My mouth had to be gaping open. I turned my attention to the Aramburus next, their focus completely on Devon and his reactions. It hadn’t occurred to me how long dreamwalkers might have lived here. I’d assumed the two who’d pulled me into the construct were the only ones at El Recinto. That they somehow sensed me and, being curious, pulled me in.
“The village was a dreamwalker community before the purge.” Sonja took up the conversation. “I only learned the story from my mother and grandmother. Once they heard about the Council’s ruling, they were packing, preparing to run.”
“It was my mother who talked them into staying.” Alejandro sat straighter, his eyes shiny with memory. “She had developed a strong connection with the village and understood what the dreamwalkers brought to vampire society.” His tone turned angry. “Things the Council knew but—to use a human euphemism—decided to roll the dice on our future.”
“Alejandro, let’s step back a bit.” Gregor’s rebuke was gentle. “My son is passionate. Sorry, all my sons are.” He lifted his glass toward them. “All you need to understand is that I agreed with my wife. A deep resentment toward the Council had been building long before their fatal decision. But even as powerful as my House was, I could only save the dreamwalkers in the village. So, I sent my army to protect them while I built the walls.”
“How did you know about Cressa?” Devon asked.
I don’t know why he changed the subject to me, but I’d been wondering the same thing. Had the two dreamwalkers reached out to me by accident or on purpose?
“We suspected.” Gregor’s warm smile touched on me.
I turned to Erik and Ulrik, who were still savoring their dessert. I wasn’t sure if they were even listening. When the conversation quieted, they glanced up, unsure why Devon and I were looking at them.
“It wasn’t them.” Sonja’s words refocused our gaze on her. “They were sent to monitor Devon, Venizi, and the Council. But when they met Cressa, they knew she was special, they just didn’t understand why.”
“Then how did you know about me?”
“Are you familiar with the Nexus?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Not a lot, but my understanding is that our power to create constructs is through our connection to the Nexus that allows us to turn psychic energy into mass… Wait.” Sonja’s earlier words caught up with me. “You said your mother and grandmother were ready to run. That means they were dreamwalkers.”
Sonja unbuttoned the top button on her silk blouse, revealing a silver medallion. “Just like me.”
I pacedalong the windows of our suite, too wired to settle down. Sonja, Aramburu’s wife, was a dreamwalker. The wife of a House leader was a dreamwalker. If I said it a thousand times, I wasn’t sure it would sink in.
Devon stopped me and pulled me into his arms. “How about an evening swim?”
“My brain won’t stop racing through all the possibilities, all the questions of who these dreamwalkers are. Does Colantha know about them? If so, why didn’t she say anything when she knew where we were going?”
He chuckled and tightened his grip, no doubt feeling my erratic energy. “I’m guessing this is why Gregor suggested we retire for the evening rather than allowing you to bombard Sonja with all your questions.”
I snorted. “I guess that’s why he’s a powerful House leader, even hidden away in the Extremadura region of Spain.”
“And we also know why he walked away and closed his House on vampire society.”
I squeezed his waist and stepped away, though I didn’t return to my pacing. “Can you imagine keeping this secret for centuries?”
“It explains his no-questions-asked policy and a quick dispatch of interlopers.”
I shuddered. He was right. If even one word had gotten out. “What do you think the Council would have done if they discovered this?”
Devon’s features hardened. “It would have caused a war and possibly a divide among the vampires, depending on which century it was discovered. Questions would be asked, but by then, it might have been too late for Aramburu and the dreamwalkers.”
That blew the steam out of me. I dropped into a chair and stared out at the garden. “I wonder if they’ve ever felt safe in their own home.”
Strong hands kneaded my shoulders, and I leaned into them. “I don’t think the Oslo twins are his only eyes and ears. And as the decades have gone by, I assume he’s built quite the arsenal. From what I’ve heard of his tech businesses, he can probably do deeper monitoring from here.”
“You think he has other hackers besides Ernesto?”
“Yes. The downside is that the Council keeps a closed network. They can download information, like what the Sentinels did when they accessed the drop box Roxie set up with Gheata’s files that cleared me of Boretsky’s death. But they would transfer the data to their internal network. It prevents hacking unless you had access to their network within Council headquarters.”
“So how would Gregor know if the Council was planning anything?”
