Page 54 of Claim of Blood
Further on, he showed Leo a gym with specialized equipment. “Designed for vampire physiology,” he said.
Leo couldn’t help being impressed by the scope of it all. “How many people live down here?”
“How many people live down here?” Leo asked.
“Live? None permanently. However, there are quarters available to host thirty guests if needed. The Court and shifter pack live throughout Innsbrook or elsewhere in PDC. And between both guest wings of the mansion, which each have twelve rooms, and the many houses of Court, the rooms down here haven’t been used to date.”
They paused before a wall of photographs documenting Porte du Coeur’s evolution. While some were clearly professional historical photographs, others appeared more personal, candid moments of Court members throughout the decades.
“Is that Adam?” Leo asked, pointing to a black-and-white image that appeared to be from the 1920s. Adam stood beside a Model T, dressed impeccably in period attire, his arm around a young woman Leo didn’t recognize.
“Yes, with Isabella.” Lander’s voice softened. “The ninth child of Merytre—Adam’s sister, in our unique family structure. She died recently.”
Leo remembered the name from his family’s incomplete records. “The revolutionary?”
Lander looked surprised. “You know of her?”
“Bits and pieces. She operated in South America, established a vampire presence there after the colonial period.” Leo studied the photograph more carefully. “The records said she died fighting hunters.”
“She did,” came a voice from behind them. Leo turned to see a woman dressed in a tailored suit, her dark hair pulled back in a severe bun. “I’m Ilona, Court Ambassador. In case you forgot.”
Leo stared at her for a moment, trying to place her in his hazy memories of that chaotic night at the Council. Suddenly, recognition clicked. “My shirt! You shredded it instead of giving it back!”
A hint of amusement flickered across her severe features. “Consider it a small price to pay for your current accommodations.”
“Adam gave me my accommodations,” Leo replied, somewhat defensively.
“Hmm, yes. He did,” Ilona said, her tone carefully neutral but her eyes assessing him with renewed interest.
“What time are you leaving for New Orleans?” Lander asked, smoothly redirecting the conversation.
“This evening. I would have departed days ago, but...” Her eyes flickered deliberately to Leo, “Unexpected developments required my presence here longer than expected.” A subtle emphasis on ‘unexpected’ made her meaning clear without explicitly mentioning the claim. “I’m making the rounds of my farewells now,” she added, turning back to the photographs on the wall.
She approached one, touching it lightly. “Isabella died protecting younger vampires in her territory. Hunters had targeted them specifically—new turnings, barely past their first decade. Too young to properly defend themselves.” Her eyes met Leo’s, challenging. “Does your family’s record mention that part? That they targeted children?”
Leo felt heat rise in his face. “They weren’t children—”
“They were to us,” Lander interjected gently.
Ilona’s expression hardened. “The hunters attacked during Carnival, when the Court would be dispersed, celebrating. Thirty-seven young ones, gone in a single night.”
“I didn’t know,” Leo admitted.
“Now you do,” Ilona said. Her gaze softened fractionally. “Memory is long here. Isabella’s death hurt Adam more than you could imagine.”
As she walked away, Leo stared at the photograph, seeing Adam’s smile in a new light—the affectionate expression of someone sharing centuries of history rather than the predatory smirk hunters had always described.
Leo continued along the wall, seeing the Court’s history unfold in photographs—Adam and his inner circle throughout decades, their clothing and surroundings changing while they remained unchanged. He realized how much history they had witnessed, how many losses they had endured.
“How long have you been with Adam?” Leo asked.
“Since he established himself in Porte du Coeur in the early 1900s,” Lander replied.
“And before that?”
“I was with Erik’s court in Copenhagen.”
Leo recognized the name from his family’s records. Another first-generation vampire. “Why the change?”
