Betrayed in Blood (Of Blood & Dreams #6)

Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Once Devon had left, I told the women about the Council summons. Then I went in search of Lucas, following Ginger’s directions to a compact office down the hall that led to the theater.

I tapped lightly on the door, heard a muffled “enter,” then pushed the door open and stuck my head in. “Do you have a minute?”

Lucas glanced up from the papers on his desk and grinned. “Sure.”

He looked as tired as Ginger said he was, yet there was a fire in his gaze I’d never seen in him. Of all the cadre, he was the most relaxed. That didn’t mean he wasn’t fierce, just not as stiff as the rest.

I entered the room and took a moment to look around. It smelled of musty books and a touch of Ginger’s perfume. The scent of books came from the three walls of bookcases, and I walked along them noting that most appeared to be vampire texts.

“This looks like a law library, but instead of books on the State of California or federal legislation, they appear to be on vampire law.”

“That’s right. Although I do keep a few books on state and federal legislation, specifically as it relates to commerce and trade. And one or two of shifter law.”

That made me stop and take a deeper look at the room. The bookcase behind him had an open shelf with knickknacks and several picture frames. One was a black-and-white image of Ginger that appeared to be a candid shot of her. Her head was down, maybe reading, her face angelic. There was another of her and Lucas hugging each other, both laughing, and I was curious who’d taken the picture. A third photo was of a young female sitting in a garden. Her lips and eyes suggested it was his sister, Rosalyn, but it might have been his mother.

“So, this is your office.” I must not have kept the awe out of my voice because Lucas laughed.

“I can’t believe after all the time you’ve lived here, you’ve never visited.”

“That’s because I didn’t realize you had an office. And, yes, I know how stupid that sounds now that I said it.”

He was still smiling. “All the cadre have offices, Cressa. Even some of the other vampires in the Family, depending on their position.”

I shook my head at my own idiocy. Of course, the cadre had offices. It just never occurred to me to visit them. “I know where Sergi’s is, and Simone uses Devon’s office at Oasis. Where’s Bella’s office?”

“It’s down the hall from Sergi’s.”

I’d been through those rooms. They were all storage rooms, but now that she thought about it, there was one that held a desk. “Wait. You’re not talking about the storage room with a desk with a monitor on it?”

He laughed. “That’s the one. It’s not really a storage room. Bella never unpacked when she came to House Trelane. On a good day, there’s only a small mess of papers spread across her desk. Greta keeps it dusted, and Jacques uses it more than Bella.”

I dropped into a chair in front of his desk. “I remember two chairs and a table now. The chairs looked comfy.”

“When they’re between shifts, Bella and Jacques use her office more like a lounge than an office.”

“Devon collected an odd group for his cadre. Yet, you all seem to work well together.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Lucas moved a few pieces of paper around, didn’t seem to find what he was looking for, then lifted a tome and pulled a sheet of paper out from under it. He pushed it toward her. “I think this is what you came for.”

I leaned over and picked it up. The sheet was full of symbols that were broken into sections I assumed were paragraphs. I’d never seen anything like it. If they were words, they meant nothing to me, yet I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. It was like I should know what they said, but it was just beyond my grasp.

“These look like some type of Asian language or maybe Middle Eastern.”

“More like Ancient Egyptian or even Phoenician, but those languages are long dead. Though that would make sense if the dreamwalkers had been purged centuries ago. I emailed you an image of the same section of text so you can send it to Colantha.”

“Thank you for this.” I stood, still mesmerized by the symbols. “I’ll keep you posted.” I stopped at the doorway and turned back. “You really love this type of stuff.”

“Yeah, I do. It drove my father crazy. He said I’d never be cadre because I didn’t have the heart of a warrior.”

I glanced around the room and rubbed my shoulder from the last training session. “If you don’t mind me saying, your father is an ass. You have the heart and skill of a warrior and the brains of a scholar. Devon’s lucky to have you.”

When color suffused his cheeks, I winked and shut the door behind me. I’d just turned the corner, heading back to the stairs, and almost bumped into Ginger, who managed to save the tray she carried.

“Did you just see Lucas?” She repositioned the tray that held a coffee pot, a couple of mugs, and something savory hidden under silver domes.

I held up a page. “Yep. I’m on my way to contact Colantha. That vamp of yours needs a break.”

She lifted the tray. “I can’t get him to leave his office, but food usually does the trick.”

“I thought he finished the translation already.”

“It’s a rough draft. He wants to clean it up before Remus comes.”

“Will you have time for happy hour with Lyra?”

“Absolutely.”

We parted ways, and I took the stairs two at a time. Ever since I’d heard there was a second language in the De f?rste dage , there was no doubt it had to be a dreamwalker language. The only question was how to get the sample to her. Email was the most obvious, but how secure was that? I was probably being paranoid to think someone was hacking my email.

Devon had given me Colantha’s cell number, and I stared at it on my phone. I could text her a copy of the image. But there was another option. I wasn’t sure it would work, but no time like the present. I snorted. This could be better than a video call.

I went to the safe Devon had added after he’d seen my setup in the condo Ginger and I shared. And like that one, there was a secret panel built behind it where the real treasure lay. Yeah, I was paranoid. I grinned as I pulled out the tiny locked box that held my medallion.

Its instant warmth calmed me when it settled against my skin. I fingered it as I picked up the page of text and placed it on the table in front of the fireplace. I lit a candle on the mantel, then sat on the sofa, rolled my neck back and forth, took a deep breath, and focused on the candle’s flame.

I spent the first five minutes clearing my mind, then created a construct that looked just like my bedroom. It required less energy and something told me I’d need a lot to attempt what I was doing. Colantha, Hamilton, and I were both able to create constructs between the manor and Shadow Island, but those two points were maybe twenty miles apart as the crow flies.

I was going to attempt to contact Colantha at her sanctuary outside New Orleans. In theory, since she and I had dreamwalked many times before, and there was a high probability she’d be wearing her medallion, this might work.

When my mind was as clear, I called out, “Colantha.”

I stretched my mind, focusing on the room at the sanctuary where Colantha first tested my abilities. “Colantha?”

That was weak. I cleared my throat and gave a more authoritarian command. “Colantha. This is Cressa. I’m sorry for intruding.”

“I would hope so.”

I must have jumped a foot and turned around so fast that my feet tangled, and I fell off the couch. I pushed up, glancing around, unsure if this was still my construct or my real room. Maybe I should have built a different room, like the library.

“Behind you.”

I twisted back around and dropped onto the couch. I was giving myself whiplash. I glared up into Colantha’s smiling face. She was enjoying this.

“I take it this is now your construct.”

“From the minute you jumped in surprise. When you call out to a dreamwalker who is not expecting it, you need to control where they will appear in the construct as well as maintain control of it.” Her eyes narrowed. “Especially when they’re more powerful than you.”

I lowered my gaze and tugged my shirt down, trying to get my bearings. “Good to know.”

“If you wanted to speak to me, why didn’t you call? I left my number with Devon.”

“He gave it to me. I was just having a hard time picturing you with one.”

She snorted, and I glanced up in time to see her grin. “What’s the emergency? You couldn’t wait a couple of days?”

“Lucas found the book.”

Her gaze lowered to the single sheet of paper on the table, but she made no move toward it. “Where was it?”

“The book itself is still with Philipe Renaud, but we have a copy of the original. Lucas translated the first half, which was written in ancient vampiric. It’s the last half we’re having a problem with. It’s written in a different language.”

A single brow arched, and Colantha circled the table, her gaze still on the page.

“Is there a dreamwalker language? We think there might be, and if so, is this familiar to you? Can you read this?”

Colantha sat in a chair but didn’t say anything as she continued to stare at the page.

I glanced down at my hands, not realizing I’d been rubbing them. I stuck them under my legs and leaned toward Colantha. “Apparently, all the good stuff is in the second half of the book. Or we hope so, assuming we can find anyone to interpret it.”

Colantha nodded at the page. “May I?”

“Yes. That’s why I called for you.”

Her lips twitched as she picked up the page. I couldn’t find a drop of emotion as she read. Could she read it? Did it say anything important? I didn’t have time to think any further.

It hadn’t been more than a minute or two before she placed the page on the table and poured a cup of tea from a tea service that hadn’t been there a second ago. She held up the teapot and looked at me. I nodded. Once the second cup was poured, we sat back and sipped. Then, Colantha shared what she knew.

“Dreamwalkers, like vampires or shifters, are their own species, so yes, we have our own language. Over time, there have been various versions. But at the time of this writing, our language had, what you might say, consolidated with only minor variations depending on which of the seven tribes you belonged to. Some of our elders still speak the language, but for most, the language has been lost.”

“Because of the purge?”

She nodded. “It’s much easier to blend when you speak the prevalent language of where you live. It was our language or evidence of it that made it easier for the vampires to find us.”

“From my understanding, Philipe Renaud and his mate, Fiona, who is a custodian, have searched thousands of books in search of any with the same language. They believe they found one that’s similar, but other than the De f?rste dage , they have no—I think it’s called a codex—that can be used for translation.”

“No. I doubt many books in our language exist anymore, though I know where one or two might be.”

She was being coy. There were probably a lot more than one or two, but I understood her reticence, even with me.

“Can you help us translate the second half of the De f?rste dage ? We would also need a second book in the same language, or as close as possible, so the Renaud custodians can confirm the authenticity of the text’s words. Without it, we have nothing to take to the Council.”

“Perhaps.” She glanced at her watch.

“Before you go—” I had no idea when she would just disappear. “Are you aware of a dreamwalker community in Spain?”

Her eyes widened for an instant, but no other expression gave away her thoughts. But I didn’t think she was surprised.

“There are small communities spread around the world. No more than thirty or so. Can I ask how you discovered them?”

“It was more like they discovered me.” If she could be evasive, so could I. I trusted Colantha, but she held her secrets close, and there was a great deal about dreamwalkers she hadn’t shared. “Do you know about the fertility problem in vampires?”

She nodded but didn’t respond other than to finish her tea.

“Are you aware of a vamp compound where they don’t have a fertility problem?”

She set down her cup and stood. “I’ll see what I can find to assist you with the translations. Expect me soon.”

Then she was gone.

The piece of paper was still there, but the tea service had disappeared with her. I was back in my room. On one hand, I was able to confirm that dreamwalkers had their own language, and Colantha could help. On the other, she was still keeping something from me.

Devon had tugged on a string when he began his search for dreamwalkers. Then he tugged another one when I came along. With every step he took, he tugged more strings. I stared at the paper. Everyone was worried about the impact the De f?rste dage would have on vamp society. I thought it meant freedom for the dreamwalkers. Was it possible that once all the strings had been pulled, it would unravel both species? Not just a civil war within vamp society but a world war among vampires and dreamwalkers? Would the shifters join with the dreamwalkers?

Maybe I just needed a drink and someone to talk me off the ledge. I stood, my legs a bit shaky. Ginger was with Lucas. Lyra was probably still in her room. I picked up my cell and was halfway to the door when I remembered Devon’s suggestion to call my mom.

I sat on the edge of my bed and made the call. It answered on the second ring.

“Cressa?”

“Hi, Mom.”

A huge, breathy sigh. “I wasn’t sure whether to call. Are you alright?” There was background noise, the sound of a door closing, and the voices faded. She must have people over.

“Can you talk?”

“Yes. Your sister has friends over.” She barked out a nervous laugh. “There always seems to be people here now.”

Christopher was a stickler on who we could invite to the house. He might have just wanted to control the number of teenagers in the house, but still, now that he was gone, those rules no longer applied.

“I wanted to call before now, but Devon thought it wiser if I waited until the police cleared me.”

“I understand.”

“I know you’re still grieving, but at least you can put some of this behind you now.” My voice dropped. “How he died.”

She laughed, and it was scornful. “Christopher was greedy and mixed up with the wrong people. He put all of us at risk. In some ways, he still is.” She paused for a minute, and I didn’t miss the importance of what she’d just said as my mom sucked in a deep breath. “His ending isn’t a surprise, and what little grief I had for the man is long gone.” She chuckled. “Maybe I’m just in my anger stage.”

I laughed with her. “I could see that.” I rubbed my leg and glanced out my window. “How’s April?”

Silence.

“Mom?”

Her voice lowered to a whisper. “She’s still very angry with you. She thinks whoever you’re living with paid off the police.”

I rolled my eyes. What had I ever done to April to make her like this?

There was a loud voice and a knock.

“They’re looking for me, I need to run.”

I stood. “Mom. Are you okay? Who are these friends of April’s?”

“I love you, dear. Don’t call me, I’ll call you. Okay? Just until April calms down.”

Then I heard the door open and voices.

“Who are you talking to?”

It wasn’t April’s voice. It was a male voice.

The line went dead.

What the hell?

Then Mom’s words came back. “He put us all at risk. In some ways, he still is.”

Mom was in trouble. I didn’t know how, but it had to do with April. And if I was standing at a roulette wheel in Vegas right now, I’d put all my money on red.

Vamps.