Page 93 of Sergi
Perhaps if he weren’t so ancient, so disillusioned, he would have dared more meaningful relationships. But his experiences with the pain of loss—harsh losses—had taught him to avoid the pitfall altogether. The simplest thing to do would be to let this be the end with Alex. Easy enough with Remus acting like a guard dog around her.
“You seem distracted.” Devon handed him a second blood bag. “Let’s get in the van so you can feed. I need you clear-headed.”
Sergi took the bag, the first one he’d been given still clutched in his other hand. “The energy from the Blood Poppy is finally wearing off.” He held the bags up. “I appreciate this.”
Devon gripped his shoulder. “I’m sorry we couldn’t get to you sooner.”
“It was a week by my calculation.”
“Eight days if you count the time to find you in the cave.”
Sergi grunted. “Then it’s not nearly the longest I’ve had to wait for you.”
They turned as one as they strode to the van.
“That’s true enough.” Devon stopped next to the van and waited as the others climbed in. “Thank the gods for moderntransportation. It would have taken much longer by ship and horses.”
Sergi chuckled, remembering the old days as he followed Devon into the van. He was surprised when he was led to the last row, where blankets had been laid out across multiple seats for a makeshift bed.
“Drink the blood and rest. We have a two-hour ride to the airstrip.”
When the vans pulled to a stop at their destination, vampires and shifters jumped out to grab the gear and stow it in the waiting plane. Sergi had woken when he felt the van slow, and he sat up, pleased to find his energy restored.
When he boarded the plane, he walked past Alex, Remus, Carlos, and Cadfael, who sat in a group of four seats that faced each other. Alex’s back was to him, but Remus turned to nod at Devon, then ignored Sergi. He could only grin at The Wolf’s easy dismissal. Soon enough, Remus would have to put his papa wolf’s behavior aside for the success of their overall mission.
Devon led his team to another grouping of four seats. Before Sergi sat down, Bella handed him a small duffel.
“There’s fresh clothes in there. I thought you might want to change once we level off.” She carried a second bag to Alex before returning to her seat across from him.
They were wheels up five minutes later, and twenty minutes after that, Alex picked up the duffel and walked past him to the lavatory. She gave him a quick smile and a wink as she passed by, and he noted Remus tracking her movement toward the back of the plane.
Cadfael, now dressed in black combat clothing, rose several minutes later, and when he reached Sergi, he stopped long enough to say, “Walk with me.”
Devon and Bella had their noses in their tablets, and Rafael slept, so Sergi picked up his duffel and followed. Cadfael led himthrough a curtained divider and stopped at a group of vacant seats by the bathroom. Remus’s private jet could have carried a larger team, and he suspected Remus had a smaller one for more personal travel, leaving this one for missions.
The seats were just as comfortable as the front of the plane but were grouped in seats of eight rather than four. The divider between cabins would allow for team leaders to meet in front while letting the other team members relax and sleep without distraction.
The galley was located behind the seats, and a shifter and vampire were making coffee and pulling food out of the fridge. Everyone was in restoration mode.
Cadfael sat and waved a hand for Sergi to join him. “I assume Alex will take several minutes to clean up, and we haven’t had a chance to speak since you left the facility.”
“It’s good to see you survived, as well as the other shifters. I wish we’d found the facility sooner than we did.”
Cadfael waved his hand. “We can only learn from the past. We can’t change it. To dwell on it only serves to deter one from looking toward the future.”
Sergi couldn’t argue the sentiment. It was something anyone with a long life ahead of them had to learn quickly if they didn’t want to go mad. “What are your plans? You never said where your pack was located.”
“My last pack was in upstate New York near the border of Vermont. I’ve been gone long enough that another Alpha would have taken over by now. Remus is checking their status, but unless they’re in some form of disarray, I won’t challenge the Alpha. Remus invited me to stay at his home while I reacclimate to current politics and learn more about this war House Trelane is leading.”
“Your leadership will be essential in the weeks and months to come. I hope we’ll see more of you once we’re back in Santiga Bay.”
Cadfael’s eyes lit with humor. “I understand many shifters work for House Trelane now.”
Sergi shrugged. “We’re building strong defenses at all Trelane properties, and we’d be foolish not to work with partners who strive for the same outcome.”
“Would it be possible to see how you integrated the shifters and vampires?”
“I think I’d like to see that myself.”
