Page 33 of Sergi
The male clucked his tongue. “I’m no Master, and you don’t want my Father hearing you saying that.” His tone was one of humor, and Sergi glanced up at the male’s next words.
“You might have heard of the pending House war between Beaumont and Vaughn. My Father has no wish to move his army against Vaughn, yet he understands the consequences should they win. House Beaumont has called for our support, and while our Father won’t risk the House by sending men, he’s given me leave to create my own army.”
When Sergi couldn’t hide his interest or curiosity, the male grinned.
“My Father has also given leave for me to take five members of his army as seed for my own. I want you to be my Captain of the Guard. Will you accept this role and ride into battle at my side?”
Sergi’s blood soared at the thought, but he squinted at the male. “Why would you ask me of all vampires after I challenged you?”
“It’s because you challenged me.” He touched his arm where Sergi’s blade had sliced a long opening. “And you have moves I’ve never seen before.” He stretched out his hand. “Will you join me and fight alongside the son of House Trelane?”
He would never forget that moment, all those centuries ago, when he took Devon’s hand. The warriors who had formed a ring around them to watch the fight had cheered. He smiled and choked out a laugh then grimaced at the pain it created.
When the door to his cell burst open, Sergi lifted his head and stared into Gheata’s victorious eyes that glowed a bright yellow. The interrogator was no longer interested in making Sergi talk.
He’d given his life to Devon that day on the training field, and nothing had changed since that moment. He would still give his life for his House.
Gheata smiled as he lifted a syringe. Sergi wanted to close his eyes against whatever was to come next, but he never wavered as he watched the male stride forward and plunge the needle into his neck.
Chapter Thirteen
Devon droppedhis duffel by the front door and strode to his office. Their expanded team had spent most of the day gathering data and reviewing reports. Rafael continued to check in at four-hour intervals, but his status hadn’t changed.
Bella had been monitoring the red dot on the map that represented Rafael’s GPS monitor since his first report. Earlier in the day, she’d been sullen when she reported the other red dots were still dark. Devon had squeezed her shoulder.
“The dot doesn’t tell us whether he’s alive or dead. They either found it or something is blocking the signal.”
She nodded in agreement, but her voice was thick when she replied. “If they took them into the mountain, there could be any number of materials blocking the signal.”
“Exactly.”
Though she’d said the necessary words, her spirits hadn’t risen, and he’d known not to push her. Bella handled crises better when she kept busy and stayed on task. And, in doing so, she’d found another lead.
When Devon joined the group in his office, he was a bit shocked at seeing it transformed into a command center ofsorts. The teams had broken into groups—mission preparation, tactical for the assault, and the exit strategy.
Bella led mission preparation, and when the group settled to provide their updates, she hit a key on the remote control, and a face appeared on the wall display. The man was ordinary with a ruddy face, curly black hair that appeared disheveled, and dark, heavy brows behind black-rimmed glasses. His lips were thin and, at the time of the photo, seemed pinched.
Before Bella could provide her report, there was a sharp intake of breath from Cressa.
Devon turned to her. “What’s wrong?”
“I know that man.”
Bella, who thought better on her feet, moved to stand in front of Cressa. “How? I was lucky to find him just a couple of hours ago.”
“Who is he?” Remus stared at the photo before glancing at Decker, who sat next to him at the bar, but Decker shrugged, as clueless as everyone else.
Bella was going to answer but looked to Cressa instead.
It took a moment for Cressa to realize they expected her to know, but she shook her head. “I don’t know his name, or more likely, I hadn’t paid attention. Lorenzo might have mentioned it or assumed I didn’t need to know. He was the vamp Lorenzo invited to dinner while I was on the island and still under his influence.” When no one responded, and Bella crossed her arms over her chest, she continued. “He was some type of scientist and was excited about some new formula he thought would be ready for field testing soon. Lorenzo’s mood changed after that, but I was sent back to my room before anything else was said.”
“This was the memory you recently relived.” Devon wasn’t sure if he should be concerned about the timing of Cressa’s dream and Bella finding the man’s pictures hours before theteam was set to leave. This all assumed that the man’s discussion with Lorenzo involved the lab they’d been searching for.
Cressa seemed stunned herself. “Yes. Maybe it was all the talk about finding the lab and that memory finally surfaced from my subconscious. I don’t know.”
Bella stared at Cressa for a long moment, but whether she was waiting for more or simply digesting what she’d heard, Devon didn’t know. It only lasted a minute before she turned back to the wall display and pointed at the photo. “This is Dr. Garner Krasinski. I’ve been watching the video feeds Remus was kind enough to provide of visitors going to Shadow Island.”
“For what period of time?” Lucas asked. He’d driven over from Oasis with Ginger and a security motorcade for a couple of days to help the team prepare for the mission.
