Page 5 of Betrayed in Blood
The men shook hands then Gregor’s focused gaze turned on me. His smile was as warm as his hands. “So, this is the lovely Cressa that Erik and Ulrik talk so much about.”
I blushed. What else could I do? Everyone was staring at me. “It’s nice to meet you, but I’m sure they’ve exaggerated whatever tall tales they’ve shared.”
“If my own guards didn’t watch you eliminate the threat to my land upon your arrival…” He turned and spat, “Vermin.” Then his smile returned. “Perhaps I could believe your self-deprecation. But let’s not talk of that unpleasantness. I’m sure you would both like to get settled, though I prefer to give you a quick tour of El Recinto. By then your luggage will be taken to your suite. Your weapons will be stored down the hall from your room, though you won’t need them here.”
“I’m eager to hear more about your estate.” Devon turned to scan the yard. “I do all of my business at my coastal manor, but I have a second discreet location that isn’t nearly the size of yours. I’m working to make it as secure, though.”
We followed Gregor down the steps with Alejandro bringing up the rear. A golf cart that accommodated six pulled up in front of the steps. The driver got out, and Gregor climbed into the driver’s seat. Devon took the seat next to him while I climbed into the second row next to Alejandro.
Erik and Ulrik waved as the golf cart took off.
“I’m sorry my wife wasn’t here to meet you, but she’ll be back in time for an early dinner along with my other children. El Recinto is approximately nine hundred square miles—or five hundred thousand acres, give or take. The walls took four decades to complete.”
“It encompasses the entirety of El Recinto?” Devon asked.
“About half. We’ll discuss this more at dinner, but I’d seen firsthand the corruption building in the Council and decided the only way to protect my House was to build a fortress. Of course, this was many centuries ago, and no one questioned one more stronghold.”
“You own an incredible amount of land. Have you never had problems with the government?”
Gregor laughed. A deep belly laugh that made me smile. “Oh, sí. But even the most incorruptible government doesn’t say no to compensation. It’s a simple matter of negotiation. It doesn’t hurt to have a few vampires scattered within all levels of government to ensure we’re left alone.
“We’re fairly self-efficient here. This was a village several centuries ago. Then it grew to be the Family’s sanctuary. We have several businesses within the tech industry. The corporate office is in Madrid, mostly to keep up appearances, but all the work is done here. Most of the people within our walls work for the company and make good money.”
“Does no one leave here?” I asked.
“Most of the population are indigenous Spaniards who tend to stay close to home. For those who have the desire to leave, either for holiday or permanently, or those who travel for business, we have procedures in place to ensure the privacy of El Recinto.” He glanced over his shoulder and gave me a warm smile. “Everyone here is a value to the community, and we have rigorous induction training for new members, though it’s not often we welcome new vampires or humans.”
Gregor drove through the village that boasted several businesses—a general market, a hardware store, two small restaurants, two bars, a movie theater playing a current movie, and a laundromat. On the other side of the village, Gregor pointed out the modern medical center and attached two-story hospital.
He drove on through pastures with more cattle and sheep and fields planted with various crops—some I recognized, others I didn’t. Where there had been many houses surrounding the village, the farther we drove, the sparser the homes.
Gregor Aramburu and Devon fell into a discussion about business as my mind wandered. Alejandro contributed occasionally to the conversation while I focused my curiosity on what incident, or combination of them, had forced Gregor to isolate their family. They seemed a long way from the rulings of the Council, but I was never patient enough to listen to Anna’s deep history lessons to understand how the Council worked centuries earlier before they moved to the States. From the information I’d read regarding House Aramburu, it had been a warrior House like so many others of those times. Now it seemed the Family had embraced technology.
Out of the blue, a stabbing pain pierced my head. I clutched the seat in front of me as I doubled over. Multiple voices slammed into me, most speaking Spanish, a few in English, not that I could make sense of any of it.
I wasn’t in the golf cart anymore.
The table was in the middle of a quaint restaurant. My stomach grumbled at the scent of cooking fish and a savory dish, perhaps paella. I was wearing the same sundress and sandals. The other tables were filled with customers eating and those closest to me were speaking in Spanish. No one appeared to notice me.
I searched the room for the dreamwalker who’d brought me there. My first inclination was to force them into one of my own constructs, but my automatic defenses kicked in. This wasn’t the time to show my hand.
Was someone testing me?
If it had been Colantha, she wouldn’t be playing games. It was impossible to tell how strong the construct was without pushing back. I glanced around and realized the people looked similar to the locals in the village we’d just driven through.
Then it hit me.
Gregor had a dreamwalker.
They were somewhere close. I gave in to my curiosity and reached out to test the boundaries—but not too much. A Goldilocks approach to test how hot the porridge was.
Then I spotted him.
He was trying to ignore me. So was the woman he was sitting with. He was young—younger than me—with thin, straight dark hair that could use a comb, a flat nose, and a round face.
The woman was much older, based on the few wrinkles I could see from her profile. Her aquiline nose and sharp chin made me think the two weren’t related, but it was only a guess. A long braid of silver hair trailed down her back to her hips. Her dress was similar to those around her—colorful and plain at the same time.
“Who are you?” I asked.
