Page 66 of Betrayed in Blood
“Standard lockdown protocols, and while I don’t like using the copter any more than necessary, I’m taking advantage this time. I don’t know if I’ll return tonight or tomorrow morning. I’ll call you once I know my plans. Until then—” He glanced at the others. “Sergi and Lucas are in residence should you need anything. Dinner should keep you busy the rest of the night.”
He turned back to Cressa. “I assume there’s been no response to your text.”
She shook her head. “Do you want me to call if I get one?”
He considered it. “Show it to Sergi first, then call me. Until then, let’s not worry. This evening is a break from your hard work and to replenish your energy.”
Before leaving, he stopped next to Colantha. “I feel as if I’ve not been the best host.”
“Nonsense, vampire. I’ve been too busy to give you a thought.” Her smile was the same predatory one she’d given him the first time he’d met her in New Orleans, waiting in his hotel room with her magic red powder.
He chuckled, seeing the humor dancing in her bright gaze. “Then I’ll take my leave. Have a good evening.”
He was halfway to the stairs when Cressa caught up to him.
“Don’t you want me to go with you?”
Her question tugged at his heart. He turned, and when she got close enough, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Of course. But you need to be here until we know more about the text. I won’t take a chance of you leaving the manor unless it’s for a mission or in response to a raid. Even then, I worry.”
“Then why are you going?”
“I can’t monitor the security updates from here. Besides, I need to speak with Simone.”
Cressa bit her lip as she considered that. Then she nodded. “There’s something up with her.”
“You noticed it, too?”
“I assumed it was just being too close to Colantha, but now I’m not so sure.”
“That’s what I hope to find out, but it will be difficult enough to get her to talk to me. As close as the two of you have become, I don’t think she’ll open up to anyone but me.”
“Better you than me. But I want you to be careful.”
“Don’t worry. I have a six-vampire security detail going with me, and once we’re in the air, it will be fine.”
She put a hand on his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. It was tender, and he matched it until a fire built that he couldn’t control. When he finally pulled away, her lips were swollen from his passion. She gave him a quick hug, then walked away, glancing over her shoulder once before entering Lyra’s room and shutting the door.
Devon consideredthe last glance Cressa had given him during the entire ride to the private airport. They hadn’t spoken about her debt or his release of it. And as much as he wanted to ask, he’d left it to her. He’d always been known as a patient, if easy to anger, vampire who considered his options thoroughly before taking action. That notion seldom applied to his interactions with Cressa.
Once he was in the copter and flying to Oasis, he relaxed against the seat and closed his eyes, the sound of the propellers muffled by the headset. Familiar with the light vibration of the engines and occasional chatter from the pilot, he let his mind wander, not stopping for any length of time on any one subject. He’d tried meditation, and while he had enough control to close out all his thoughts, it never provided the relaxation or mental clarity it gave Simone and Lyra.
For him, freeing his mind and allowing his thoughts to wander provided a clear image of all the current missions, tasks, and Family concerns on House Trelane’s agenda. From that vantage point, he mentally organized and prioritized them, determining a clear path on how the items fit together and what steps were needed to complete each one. There was only one area that remained murky because the necessary steps continually changed. When one piece was placed in the puzzle, the entire image shifted, leaving openings for new pieces.
Was the text Cressa received about Rasmussen part of Venizi’s campaign against House Trelane? Or was there some new threat? If Rasmussen was alive and in trouble, why all the subterfuge? The only explanation would be that another dreamwalker was seeking help and wasn’t sure how much Cressa knew about dreamwalking. If that was the case, how did they get Cressa’s number? He’d meant to speak to Colantha about it, but the time got away from him.
If he knew Cressa, she would speak to her. Maybe that was enough.
“We’re five minutes out, sir.”
The pilot’s announcement shifted his thoughts. He straightened and stared down at the landscape.
“Can you take a low run around the perimeter before landing?” Devon asked.
“Yes, sir.”
Devon oriented himself to where they were in relation to Oasis and soon the landscape became familiar. The copter flew over the main gate and followed an approximate line around the estate’s boundary. A fence stretched north and south from the main gate for a quarter mile on each side, which was why Venizi’s vampires broached the perimeter at those points as well as the main gate. Two wolves stepped out from under scrub oak and glanced up at them.
His sharp eyes found a security monitor, but most of them weren’t visible from this angle. When they reached the back entrances to the property he was pleased to see the fencing was farther along than he thought. The longest gully ran along the north side of the property but there were more gullies on the east end and three different roads available as emergency exits. With the additional fencing and difficult terrain, intruders would be forced onto the roads, leaving them vulnerable to ambush.
