Betrayed in Blood (Of Blood & Dreams #6)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Madrid, Spain - Present Day

Beads of sweat dampened my brow and the edges of my cream-colored sundress. The sangria worked its magic in cooling me down and contributed to my not giving a damn how wilted I looked. I glanced across the table of the sidewalk cafe where Devon Trelane lounged. He wore crisp linen pants and a long-sleeved shirt rolled up to mid-forearm and unbuttoned enough for me to get a decent look at his chest.

A new fact I’d learned was that a vamp’s body temperature self-regulated in most climates. It had something to do with the magic of their blood. They would suffer the same as humans in extreme temps, but in this earlier-than-usual heat wave, he looked as fresh as a GQ model, his hair pristine and not one ounce of visible sweat.

“We could go back to the hotel and enjoy the refreshing view of the city from inside our air-conditioned suite.” He wouldn’t go for it without some encouragement, so I batted my eyes suggestively, but he just stared off into the distance, his mirrored sunglasses masking his thoughts.

He turned his aviator glasses on me. “I’d like to visit the National Archaeological Museum.”

“Really? After all that time at the Renaud Library?”

“It has an impressive collection of ancient artifacts from the human royal families dating back centuries.” When I didn’t look persuaded, he added, “It’s air-conditioned.”

He knew me too well. I sucked down the rest of the sangria and stood. Perhaps a bit too fast; I swayed. “Let’s go.” I ignored the temporary double vision.

Devon was beside me in a nano-second, wrapping an arm around my waist. He felt my forehead. “You might have heat exhaustion.”

“Maybe I just drank the sangria too fast.”

“Your second sangria in extreme temperatures. You’re used to life on the coast. I should have been more thoughtful.”

I pulled him closer, my head falling back to stare up at him. “I might have miscalculated my ability to combine the two. But they were really tasty.”

He grinned. “Maybe returning to the hotel isn’t such a bad idea.”

“Oh, no. You passed on that invitation, mister. Besides, the museum is closer.” I ran a hand through his hair and pulled him down for a long, sensuous kiss, tongues colliding, promises made. “But, if you swear we’ll only walk around the exhibits once, there might be a solid chance of spending the rest of the day in bed.”

After setting a floppy hat back on my head, he led me down the street, holding hands. Who thought a vamp would hold hands in public? Well, maybe Lucas. Ginger had that vamp wrapped around her little finger.

“The first walk around the Renaud library was to rule out suspicious vampires, while the second was to peruse the collection.”

“And confirm the De f?rste dage was out for restoration like at all the other libraries.”

“Exactly. Since you’ve been so good at allowing me a day of my favorite places, how about dinner with exquisite cuisine and a rooftop view? Candlelight, good wine?—”

“Master Trelane.”

Devon tensed, and all talk of a romantic dinner evaporated. We turned around, splitting apart for a more defensible position.

I smiled when I spotted the blond-haired vamp, who stood a few feet away, his hands held out to show he didn’t have a weapon. Devon, on the other hand, was expressionless at the unexpected intrusion.

The vamp had an easy smile that could charm the pants off anyone—male or female. He glanced at the building behind us. “The Museo Arqueológico Nacional.” Erik, who always seemed to take the lead over his brother in striking up a conversation, pointed at the building. “A fine selection for an afternoon of leisure. And to see La Dama de Elche is worth the trip to Madrid alone.”

Devon didn’t respond, and when he bent to the right to look beyond the Oslo twin, I followed his line of sight. If there was one, the other had to be close.

And there he was. Ulrik leaned against a midnight-blue Rolls Royce limo. His smile was broad, and he wasn’t looking at Devon or his brother. His smile was for me, and I waved.

Devon glanced at me, and though this face was expressionless with those damn sunglasses still concealing his eyes, I could only assume that he was mentally shaking his head. I put my arm down, but it was difficult to hold back the grin.

These were friends. Weren’t they?

Devon turned his attention back to Erik. “I have a feeling I won’t be seeing La Dama de Elche today.”

“Sad but true. It’s unfortunate. Perhaps on your way out of town. But Aramburu is a busy man, which is why we were late in collecting you.” He held an arm out toward the car. “If you would be so kind, we have a long drive to El Recinto.”

“Will we be remaining there as his guest?” Devon asked.

I stepped closer to Devon. The fog from the sangria had cleared, and I no longer cared about the oppressive heat. The Oslo twins wouldn’t harm us, but there were cryptic vamp non-verbals at play. Maybe they were just sizing each other up and not testing boundaries. I had to remember Devon hadn’t met them before.

“For a day or two. Schedules have been rearranged, and a room prepared.”

When we reached the car, Ulrik had the rear passenger door open and waved us inside.

“We’ll need to stop at the hotel.” Devon looked at the twins. He was firm on that point.

“Not necessary,” Ulrik said. “We took the liberty of having the maid collect your things. Your bags are in the trunk.”

When Devon’s jaw clenched and his posture turned rigid, I expected the twins to take a step back. I was surprised when they held their ground.

“Don’t worry. Your weapons are safely stored and will be returned to you once your visit is over.”

When Devon stood at the open door but didn’t get in, Erik shrugged and entered first. I glanced at Devon, and he nodded. This was apparently not the welcome reception he’d been expecting. And I had to admit, checking us out of the hotel seemed like they didn’t trust us.

On the other hand, House Aramburu had survived for centuries outside vampire society. Perhaps Aramburu was itchy, even with allies. Though he tried to hide it from me, Devon had been a bundle of nerves since we landed in Madrid.

I climbed in, and Devon followed. We sat on the plush bench seat while the twins took seats across from us. The driver wasted no time in pulling away from the curb.

“I know these aren’t standard procedures among allies, but Aramburu is an extremely cautious vampire who wants his visitors safe. There has been a recent increase in interlopers.” Erik continued his warm smile as if this were just another day at the office.

“Venizi?”

Ulrik shrugged. “Who’s to say? They don’t get much of a chance to speak.”

Yikes. A take-no-prisoner defense.

Erik poured drinks as they settled into the drive. It would be more peaceful if Devon relaxed, but his tension was a palpable presence. Ulrik ignored us and focused on the rear window or—if I had to guess—searched for anyone who might be following us.

Thirty minutes rolled by as Erik provided a running commentary on the city and the local customs as we traveled into the countryside.

“Tell me, Erik.” Devon lifted his empty glass, and the vamp refilled it. “What are the Oslo twins doing in Spain working for Aramburu?”

“Look outside. It’s warm many months of the year. It might get cold during the evenings, but El Recinto is below snow levels most of the winter.”

Ulrik glanced over. “And we travel a great deal.”

“I’m dying to know. How did you get off Venizi’s island?” I asked. If they were offended by my not-so-subtle question about whether they escaped on their own or if Lorenzo let them go, they didn’t show it.

Erik laughed, and even Ulrik, still focused on the traffic behind us, grinned. “Fortunately, Venizi was more interested in the two of you than us. We were able to leave with the other guests. Then we thought it might be the best time to leave the country.”

“But you were fighting his security teams,” I pressed.

“In the mansion, yes. But so were others who felt the need to defend themselves in the confusion. Once we were outside, our weapons unseen, it was easy to blend into the crowd. We were delayed leaving the ship once we reached the mainland, but it wasn’t our faces they were searching for.”

Devon squeezed my hand, signaling he was satisfied with the response. For now.

An hour passed before the car slowed and turned into a small hamlet. The place appeared deserted.

“Are you armed?” Erik asked.

Devon nodded while Ulrik opened a concealed panel by his armrest and removed a sword, handing it to Erik before pulling out another.

“And the lovely Cressa?”

“I have my dagger.” I glanced around but didn’t see the threat Erik must have seen.

The car turned behind an old mission-style church and slowed to a stop.

“We have unwanted visitors following us,” Erik said. “We had to wait to reach guarded territory before allowing them to get any closer to El Recinto. Normally, I wouldn’t ask our guests to participate, but there are two cars, so this might be more than Ulrik and I can take care of before our chase car arrives. They typically remain a mile behind us.” He opened the door and got out.

Devon followed, and I scurried out of the limo after him. Once Ulrik joined us, we turned to face the two cars that pulled into the dirt lot.

A sundress wasn’t my choice to wear to a fight, but at least the flared skirt wasn’t restrictive. The sandals might be cumbersome, and while not offering much protection for my feet, they fit comfortably enough.

There were four vamps in each car. Eight vamps to our five after the driver shut off the Rolls and stepped in line next to us. I’d seen Ulrik and Erik in action on several occasions, and they had impressive skills. But I had no idea of the opposing vamps’ abilities and breathed a bit easier knowing a backup car wasn’t far behind.

After a few minutes of staring at us, one of the vamps stepped in front of the others. “We can make this easy. We have no wish to anger Aramburu, but we need you to relinquish Trelane and his human whore to us. They have much to answer for back in the States.”

The anger boiled off Devon. I guessed it might have been the whore comment. It irritated me, considering Lorenzo’s plans for me while on his island, but I doubted these vamps would understand. And rather than me having to hold Devon back, he grabbed my wrist, keeping me at his side.

I slowly relaxed my grip on the dagger.

Erik took a step closer to me. “Aramburu will not allow interference with his business meetings. He has no care about House issues in the States. If your Master has business with House Trelane, he can wait until Trelane returns home. Your interference in Spain is neither wanted nor acceptable. I suggest you turn around and return to the airport.”

The other vamp grinned and made a demonstration of counting how many vamps were on each side. “I think you’re outnumbered.”

I’d been so comfortable in the airconditioned Rolls, and though it was a touch cooler at the higher elevation, it was still miserably warm. And I was irritated by Venizi’s gall. The twins might not be certain who sent these vamps, but no one else had a large enough beef with Devon to chase us to Spain. Add in the realization that my first meeting with Aramburu would be in a blood-streaked sundress, my emotions escalated to highly pissed off.

I pulled away from Devon and took a step forward. They want to mess with the human whore, then let’s see if they had game.

“I’ve had enough of this bullshit. You want a piece of Trelane’s whore—come and get me. It’s a hell of a lot better than being Venizi’s mesmerized slut.”

The vamps’ eyes bulged. I gave them my best demonic smile. I doubted it compared to Simone’s fang-filled grin or Sergi’s scary-as-hell leer, but the lead vamp glanced at the others standing next to me.

“What? Scared of a little human female?”

That did it. The vamp launched himself, and I didn’t wait. I ran to meet him. Devon would be pissed, but he’d only be a step behind.

I couldn’t use my favored surfboard maneuver where I leaped, kicked them in the chest, and followed them to the ground, standing on them as I slashed them with my dagger. Not in sandals. But I had other maneuvers to choose from, and as much as this was going to hurt, this vamp was going down.

When he was almost on me, I dropped and rolled, hitting him in the legs and taking him down like a bowling pin. I grimaced at the road rash on my arms and legs as I leaped up. The vamp was shaking his head, coming up on a knee, and I stabbed him in the back of the neck. While he leaned on his knee, I stabbed a kidney, this time twisting the knife. He dropped.

The first ones were always easy. It didn’t matter whether any of them had been told not to mess around with Trelane’s female—they never listened. One mark in my favor. But once they saw me in action, their doubts fled, and the next one wouldn’t be as effortless.

I didn’t waste time after I pulled my dagger, ready for the next one. When Devon yelled, “Duck,” I wasn’t sure he meant me, but I dropped like a stone. I felt a slice along my back as a vamp stumbled by. I leaped into a crouch. The sting on my back confirmed I’d been cut, but it must have only been skin deep because my legs and arms still worked.

The vamp who nicked me ran a few more steps before a sword took his head.

Erik gave me a quick salute before engaging another vamp.

I searched for Devon. He fought two vamps who were covered in blood. Crimson soaked one of Devon’s sleeves. The Oslo twins and the driver were still engaged with a dwindling number of Venizi vamps, so I ran for Devon.

One vamp fell after a dicey stab to his middle before Devon twisted to block the second one who came at him. Rather than get in his way, I went after the first vamp. His wounds were sufficient to keep him immobile. When he saw me coming, he managed to get to his feet, if a bit wobbly.

I didn’t slow down, and this time, I used my jumping roundhouse kick, twisting and leaping to clip his jaw. I landed on my feet and ducked as he swung his sword. The air whistled by. That was close. But I ignored it and came up with my blade, driving it into his chest.

Before I could twist the blade, arms pulled me back, and I struggled until a sword took the vamp’s head.

I glanced up to see Ulrik smiling, his sword and shirt drenched in blood.

“It’s over.” Devon’s words calmed me, and I leaned into him, breathing hard.

Erik strolled over and glared at the head. Then he grinned at me. “Your skills have improved.”

I turned to take in the scene. Bodies and heads were strewn everywhere, and Aramburu’s second car had arrived. Venizi never sent the right number of vamps when he went after his enemy. It wouldn’t take long before he stopped making that mistake.

“Did we lose anyone?” I asked.

“No,” Erik said.

“You didn’t save anyone for questioning?” Devon asked.

“Aramburu doesn’t take prisoners. He doesn’t ask questions. If you come at him, he responds with deadly force.”

“Will you return them?”

Erik spat on the dead vamp at his feet. “Whether it was Venizi or not, vamps not returning home are a strong enough message. The bodies will be burned in the pit.” He took a moment to study Devon and then me. “You have no major injuries?”

When we both shook our heads, he nodded toward the church. “We typically use this spot for clearing away anyone foolish enough to follow us. The church appears abandoned, but it has running water and private rooms to clean up. We try to keep blood out of the Rolls. You have thirty minutes. Aramburu will be most angered by this.” Then his smile returned. “But it will be tempered by stories of our fair Cressa and her battle cry as she engaged the enemy.”

I stared at him, then at Devon. “I don’t have a battle cry.”

Devon just smiled.