Page 7 of Betrayed in Blood
He nodded. “When Gregor refused to respond to whether he had dreamwalkers, he seemed amused. When you came out of it, you collapsed, and he rushed us back to the manor. He immediately called for his healer, who lives close by.”
“I assumed a healer had been by when I saw the vials.”
“Did you take one?”
“Half the pink one.” I picked up the washrag Devon had placed on the table and folded it. “The headache is mostly gone. I don’t know for sure, but my guess is that the two of them had to combine their powers to bring me to the construct.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m not sure, but if I had to guess, I’d say they aren’t powerful enough to do it on their own. They were sitting at a table together, and I was a couple of tables away.” I brushed back my hair and glanced out the window to a colorful garden. Spring blooms dotted the flower beds, and another fountain took center stage. The tinkling water was augmented by the twitter of birds that flocked to it. “They were attempting to hold me in place, but I didn’t realize it until I felt the gentle tug when I stood.” I snorted. “They seemed rather shocked when I walked to their table. When they ignored me, I pulled myself out.”
“Why the headache? If they’re not that strong, why did you pass out?”
That was an excellent question. I winced when I shook my head, but it was more an expectation of pain from a returning headache that never materialized. “I don’t know.” I reached for my neck, but I wasn’t wearing my medallion. As far as I knew, it was still in my purse, locked in a tiny box Devon had made for it. “Maybe it was because I pulled on my powers without the medallion. How long was I out?”
“About two hours. But I think some of that might have been a combination of the heat, the fight with Lorenzo’s vampires, and then the construct.”
“Now what?”
“Gregor has some explaining to do, but we’re guests here. He’s quite aware of my dissatisfaction over the event. I don’t think he’s playing games, but?—”
“It was a test.”
Devon smiled. It wasn’t his charming smile. The one that could make my panties wet in anticipation of him putting his intimate thoughts into action. It was his shark smile. The one that said he was letting things play out before calling on the beast. To be honest, that smile could also make my panties wet—as long as it wasn’t in response to one of my stunts. There had certainly been more than a few times when it would have been justified.
“I agree.” He glanced at his watch. “We have an hour before dinner. Feel up to a shower?” His smile said it would be more than a shower.
To prove I was back to normal, I jumped up and raced him to the bathroom, almost tripping as I pulled my dress over my head. He caught me and swept me up in his arms before slamming the bathroom door behind us with his foot.
ChapterThree
Devon tuggedat the sleeves of the light-gray linen jacket. Gregor had sent a note that dinner would be business casual on the back terrace. The anger he’d felt when Cressa had passed out from the surprise dream construct had been doused by their lovemaking and her words of counsel.
He hadn’t needed them, but he appreciated her attempt at playing cadre when it was just the two of them. She could be as hot tempered as he, so he was surprised she didn’t harbor more annoyance with being pulled into a construct.
He was a House leader, and after putting aside his concerns for Cressa, he reviewed the afternoon from Gregor’s position. He didn’t know Devon. They’d never met, so he could only go by what he’d heard, read, or learned from the Oslo twins.
If it had been Devon in the same position, he might have done something similar. It was one thing when two House leaders danced around each other, searching for common ground as well as possible deceit. These were dangerous times when two factions within the vampire world began taking sides while ruled by a fractured Council. Throw dreamwalkers into the mix, and everything got turned upside down.
The thought that Gregor might have his own dreamwalkers had been a shock, leaving Devon with a decision on how to play the next round. Cressa had suggested they do nothing and wait to see what Gregor did. Devon had made a mistake when he’d asked Gregor if he had a dreamwalker. Cressa could have passed out from the heat. But then why had she been in a trance with Alejandro holding her wrist?
When Devon had mentioned the word, Gregor had merely smiled. A test, to be sure, but Devon had been too worried about Cressa at the time to care. It could have been a fatal mistake if Gregor turned out to be an enemy after all. Though it was clear he had no love for Venizi, maybe he had no love for any vampire outside his House. His welcoming tour of El Recinto could have been a larger ploy.
Devon had seen little of his security other than a handful of guards and difficult-to-penetrate walls. With the manor located in the middle of thousands of privately owned acres, it was already formidable.
“Why is it you can take longer than a woman to get ready?”
He turned and devoured Cressa with his gaze. She wore a royal-blue sundress that looked delectable with her lightly tanned skin. Her sable-brown hair had been pulled back by diamond clips he’d bought at a store in Madrid. Her eyes sparkled with mischief.
Any side effects of her unexpected dreamwalk were gone. After slipping on sandals with a slight heel, she sauntered toward him. She gave him a long look, then traced her fingers down his cheeks to his shoulders before tugging on the lapels of his shirt.
“Have I told you how good you look in a suit?”
He grinned, and his cock stirred. If they only had more time. “Once or twice.”
“Is that all?” Her words were nothing more than a purr.
He tugged her to him and gave her a hard, swift kiss before pushing her back a step. “You play a dangerous game.”
