Page 30 of Betrayed in Blood
“And what will you do? I’ve already been censured. I’ve broken no Vampiric Law. I’ve done no business with vampires, and there are no rules against doing business with humans or shifters. Will the Council bring me in without charge? If you’re so concerned about civil unrest, what do you think would happen if I were arrested without formal charges?”
“Venizi claims there is evidence to support charges against you and House Trelane.”
He laughed. “If he had proof of any wrongdoing, he’d be parading it in front of the Council, and I’d already be in chains.”
Isabella glanced down, but he caught the twitch of her lips. She knew the Council had nothing on him. All they could do was intimidate him. But they were in a tight spot. After their swift move against House Trelane when Boretsky was murdered and the eventual dropping of all charges, the Council couldn’t make another false move against him without starting the civil war they were attempting to avoid.
He felt like shouting out the list of lies and cover-ups, but he held his restraint. His Father had taught him better than that. After decades as the commander of Guildford’s army, leading thousands of warriors in hundreds of successful battles, he understood patience. He’d studied Sun Tsu and lived by his tenants of war.
He had to bide his time and gather his evidence and allies. Then he’d face the Council and Venizi and shout to the entire vampire society the betrayal committed against them.
Then he’d see where the chips fell.
He gave Isabella a cold stare. “Take this back to the Council. I will not back down. I will not make peace with Venizi. If he comes at me, my House, or my Family, I will retaliate, as is my right under Vampiric Law. This is the time to take sides, Isabella.”
Then he turned and stormed away. The polite thing would have been to wait for Isabella to dismiss him. But they weren’t in Council, so it wasn’t required.
And he was damned tired of being the only one playing nice.
ChapterNine
Once Devon had left,I told the women about the Council summons. Then I went in search of Lucas, following Ginger’s directions to a compact office down the hall that led to the theater.
I tapped lightly on the door, heard a muffled “enter,” then pushed the door open and stuck my head in. “Do you have a minute?”
Lucas glanced up from the papers on his desk and grinned. “Sure.”
He looked as tired as Ginger said he was, yet there was a fire in his gaze I’d never seen in him. Of all the cadre, he was the most relaxed. That didn’t mean he wasn’t fierce, just not as stiff as the rest.
I entered the room and took a moment to look around. It smelled of musty books and a touch of Ginger’s perfume. The scent of books came from the three walls of bookcases, and I walked along them noting that most appeared to be vampire texts.
“This looks like a law library, but instead of books on the State of California or federal legislation, they appear to be on vampire law.”
“That’s right. Although I do keep a few books on state and federal legislation, specifically as it relates to commerce and trade. And one or two of shifter law.”
That made me stop and take a deeper look at the room. The bookcase behind him had an open shelf with knickknacks and several picture frames. One was a black-and-white image of Ginger that appeared to be a candid shot of her. Her head was down, maybe reading, her face angelic. There was another of her and Lucas hugging each other, both laughing, and I was curious who’d taken the picture. A third photo was of a young female sitting in a garden. Her lips and eyes suggested it was his sister, Rosalyn, but it might have been his mother.
“So, this is your office.” I must not have kept the awe out of my voice because Lucas laughed.
“I can’t believe after all the time you’ve lived here, you’ve never visited.”
“That’s because I didn’t realize you had an office. And, yes, I know how stupid that sounds now that I said it.”
He was still smiling. “All the cadre have offices, Cressa. Even some of the other vampires in the Family, depending on their position.”
I shook my head at my own idiocy. Of course, the cadre had offices. It just never occurred to me to visit them. “I know where Sergi’s is, and Simone uses Devon’s office at Oasis. Where’s Bella’s office?”
“It’s down the hall from Sergi’s.”
I’d been through those rooms. They were all storage rooms, but now that she thought about it, there was one that held a desk. “Wait. You’re not talking about the storage room with a desk with a monitor on it?”
He laughed. “That’s the one. It’s not really a storage room. Bella never unpacked when she came to House Trelane. On a good day, there’s only a small mess of papers spread across her desk. Greta keeps it dusted, and Jacques uses it more than Bella.”
I dropped into a chair in front of his desk. “I remember two chairs and a table now. The chairs looked comfy.”
“When they’re between shifts, Bella and Jacques use her office more like a lounge than an office.”
“Devon collected an odd group for his cadre. Yet, you all seem to work well together.”
