Betrayed in Blood (Of Blood & Dreams #6)

Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

I slipped on my jeans, a sleeveless blouse, and sneakers and ran out the door, surprised it was almost time for lunch. It wasn’t that I didn’t need the sleep, but there was too much going on to sleep half the day away, even if we hadn’t returned to the manor until almost dawn.

I found Letty coming out of the room next door. It had been empty since I first came to the manor.

“Oh, Miss Cressa, I was just dropping off some food for Jacques. Your mother is still asleep.”

My mother. Devon must have put her there so I could be close to her. “Thank you, Letty. I just woke up and wasn’t sure where she was.”

Letty nodded and moved down the hall with a spring in her step. The house was crowded with vampires, humans, and shifters. Cook must have the kitchen staff hopping. It wasn’t often they got to show off their skills.

I was shaking my head when I gave the door a light tap and then entered.

Jacques wiped his mouth from what looked like a bite of a roast beef sandwich. “Sorry, I hope you don’t mind. I haven’t eaten since yesterday’s lunch.”

“Don’t you eat more often, or did the blood donation curb your appetite? I’ve always wondered and never seem to remember to ask Devon. He always ensures Cook provides three meals a day.”

Jacques wiped his hands and picked up a baked potato chip. Baked chips were the only kind Cook allowed in the manor. “The three meals are more a way to bring us together as a Family. I haven’t decided whether Cook is happy with that or not.”

“Why’s that?” I glanced at Mom, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully. It was an improved condition from how we’d originally found her.

“We never know who will be around for the meals, so Cook has to make meals based on who he thinks might be there. He could plan his own menus, then everyone either eats what’s served or not. But you know how he is. He wants to please everyone and surprise them with their favorites.”

I laughed. “Like my blueberry scones.”

He grinned and bit off the end of a pickle. “Exactly.”

“Has she stirred at all?”

“I’ve only been here an hour. We’re taking four-hour shifts. Bella said she’s been in the same position as when they put her in the bed. Madame Saldano gave her one of her potions that should calm her mind, even in sleep. Now it’s just a matter of waiting for the drugs to leave her system.”

That explained her peaceful appearance.

“I want to check on Simone and April, then I’ll relieve you.”

He shrugged. “No worries.”

I stepped closer and took Mom’s hand. It was warm, and though she didn’t squeeze back, it was enough to see her so serene. She hadn’t had much tranquility over the years, and while Christopher had caused most of her grief, I hadn’t been the best daughter. That was going to change. Starting now.

I was out the door but didn’t know where to go. I stuck my head in the room. “I guess I should ask where Simone and April are.”

“Simone’s on the third floor. Second door on the right.”

“A room without a view?”

“She likes her room dark. I think it’s a holdover from her youth. She won’t say it, but I think the darkness comforts her.” He gave me a steady look before continuing. “April is at the safe house under guard. You’ll need to speak to Devon before going over. It’s for everyone’s safety until they determine how deep the mesmerizing is.”

I frowned. I’d expected as much, but it felt worse when it was confirmed.

“Sorry, I guess you didn’t know.”

“I suspected. I was hoping I was wrong. If I remember correctly from when Lorenzo was mesmerizing me, at some point, the mesmerizing can’t be reversed.” When Jacques appeared to be preparing his statement, I got angry. “Just spit it out. No one needs to tiptoe around me. I can’t prepare myself if people aren’t honest with me.”

He raised in hands in defense. “That doesn’t mean it can’t be phrased gently.”

I ran a hand over my face. “Of course not. I’m sorry.”

“Not a problem. In most cases, it’s extremely difficult to erase long-term mesmerizing. But we don’t know how long or often she’s been mesmerized. Madame Saldano is convinced she’s had some mesmerizing. However, if your sister believed she was doing the right thing, perhaps something her father had convinced her of, it’s possible not much mesmerizing was required. We also don’t know the depth of feelings she has for Jasper, which could explain some of her actions.”

“Affections for Jasper?” I’d assumed it was all mesmerizing.

Jacques laughed. “You’re not judging her for dating a vampire, are you?”

I gave him an exaggerated look with an added eye roll for good measure. “Haha. While my stepfather might have been sleeping around with vamps, somehow, I don’t think he’d approve of April dating one.” A hysterical laugh slipped out. “I can’t imagine what he would have said, or my mother for that matter, with both daughters dating vamps.”

“I know what my father would have said had his sons been dating humans.”

We both chuckled. “Thank you, Jacques. Not just for now, but for taking care of Mom during the mission.”

“We always protect mothers, even vampires.”

I winked before closing the door and racing up the stairs to the third floor.

I wasn’t expecting to see two guards at Simone’s door.

“Mateo.” I nodded to the other guard who I didn’t know. “Is it okay if I go in?”

“Yes. Madame Saldano is with her, but as far as I know, she hasn’t woken yet.”

I nodded solemnly and took a deep breath before entering. The room was as dark as Jacques claimed. The walls were a deep burgundy. That part was easy to tell from the dozens of lit candles scattered around the room. With the mirrors adorning the walls, it seemed more like hundreds. A desk lamp was lit where the healer had laid out her array of colorful potions. Some I recognized, most I didn’t have a clue.

“Am I disturbing you?” I glanced at Madame Saldano, who was lighting more candles. While I was afraid to look at Simone, I couldn’t help it. I became as distraught as I thought I would, unable to pull my gaze away from the vampire in the bed.

It was a queen-sized bed, and though Simone was tall, she appeared diminished. A single silk sheet that matched the color of the walls covered her to her shoulders. A white bandage, thankfully blood-free, had been wrapped around the top of her head.

“No, child. I’m told Simone likes her candles lit while she meditates. I thought it couldn’t hurt.”

“That’s nice. She always told me to select one candle.” I dragged my eyes away from Simone’s still form and took a longer perusal of the room. It wasn’t as stark as I’d expected. There was a table with two chairs, a resting couch against one wall where a floor lamp with a mosaic shade stood behind it, a single dresser, a small walk-in closet, and a bathroom. A couple of wall paintings and several art pieces completed the room.

It was strange to see so many rooms with bathrooms, like some vintage hotel, but the manor had been built by Devon’s father more than a century earlier and was planned to house dozens of vamps. A shared bathroom down the hall wouldn’t have cut it.

Two chairs had been pulled next to the bed, and I took the one on the far side. As I had with my mother, I picked up Simone’s hand, surprised by its warmth.

“What’s the prognosis?” I asked, almost afraid of the answer.

The healer sat in the opposite chair and stared down at her patient. “It’s difficult to tell. From what the vampire who’d raced into the kitchen first told me, her legs seemed to go out as soon as she was shot. It might have been from hitting a cabinet wrong when she fell backward. That could mean a spinal problem easily remedied with fresh blood. Or it might be some damage to the brain that impacted her motor skills. However, it seemed to have only affected her lower extremities.

“The bullet pushed out on its own as her body rejected it, so I don’t know if further damage occurred. We were able to get more blood into her than what Ginger donated, so she’s well-hydrated. I’ve given her two different potions to help with the healing and one to make her sleep. It’s the best way to allow her brain to heal itself.”

I nodded, understanding but not liking it. This was the first mission I’d planned where team members had been injured. At least I’d seen Rachel enter the mansion on her own two legs, scowling at the attention she was getting.

“Is there anything we can do?”

“No, child. I’m mixing a couple more potions, and I’ll leave instructions with Mateo. I’ll return later this evening to check on her and your mother.” She turned her attention to me. “There’s nothing I can do for your sister at this time. She’s still excitable. I’ve given Rafael a potion to add to her food that should calm her anxiety. My only suggestion is to prepare for a long road.” Her gaze softened and her voice filled with compassion. “She might never believe you didn’t have something to do with her father’s death.”

I nodded. I’d expected that, hadn’t I? It sounded so wrong when someone else said it. I gave Simone a last glance, suddenly sorry I’d left my room.

My original plan was to search for Devon after my visit with Simone, but now, I wasn’t fit to be with anybody. Besides, he’d either be busy wrapping up the mission, planning the next one, or resting. Yep. Lame excuse, but it was what it was.

I’d reached the stairs to rush down to my room when Ginger blocked my path. She stood at the landing, her hands filled with a tray of silver-domed dishes.

Crap. I’d never get past her. I ran through various options to avoid being dragged into Lyra’s room. When she noticed me, her grin was wide, then it faltered. Shit.

“Don’t even try to get past me. Turn right around.”

I didn’t move.

“This tray is heavy, and I’d hate to drop it, ruin Cook’s food, and waste the effort he put in.”

“I have things to do.” Yeah, the lameness continued.

“The only thing you have to do is walk to Lyra’s room. Colantha’s been looking for you, and I’m not joking about how heavy this is.”

I sighed and, with my head down, trudged to Lyra’s room like some errant child. I knocked lightly, then opened the door to find Jamison blocking my entrance. He moved aside and immediately took the tray from Ginger. He probably heard our entire conversation with those vamp ears.

Once Ginger was tray-free, she pushed me into the room, and I was surprised to see Remus walking the room. He took his time viewing the multitude of Lyra’s paintings either hanging from or stacked against the walls.

“I have one over here you might like.” Lyra went to a corner and moved a painting aside to pull out one I’d never seen before. There were two wolves—a black one and a gray one. The setting was familiar, but that was as far as my memory went.

“Cressa told me the story of the two wolves that helped her at the paper mill when she went to save Devon from his beast. I wasn’t there, of course, so I never saw the wolves. I discovered later it was Elijah and Rachel who helped that day. When Cressa was being held at Shadow Island, Colantha came to assist with the rescue plan. Part of that activity included bringing Cressa to dream constructs to break Lorenzo’s mesmerizing. At one point, Cressa took us through several constructs from her returning memories, and that moment at the papermill was one of them. I instantly knew who these wolves were.”

Lyra turned around and smiled at me. “I got it right, no?”

I nodded, my tongue suddenly thick. “Yes.”

Remus gave me a quick assessment before turning back to Lyra. “Are these for sale?”

She smiled. “I once sold my art at a gallery a very long time ago. Perhaps someday, I’ll try again. For now, my paintings are only to be gifted. I would like you to have this one.”

Remus appeared truly touched as he ran a hand over the edges of the canvas. “It would be my honor if I could gift this to Elijah’s pack.”

Lyra nodded at Frederick, who picked up the painting. “It will be waiting for you in the foyer. Now, let’s see what Cook sent us.”

Colantha patted the couch. “Come, Cressa, sit by me.”

This was everything I knew it would be which was why I’d wanted to avoid it.

“Stop moping, it’s not a good look.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle and dropped onto the couch next to her. At some point, I’d stopped expecting her soft side since she rarely showed it. In an attempt to ignore her, I glanced at Remus.

“I’m sorry about Rachel.”

“For what?” Remus sat across from me and perused Cook’s offerings, selecting a slice of pork sandwich. “She was shot by a vampire with a gun. I believe they used guns in the attack at Oasis. We’ll need to be more prepared next time. At least these particular vampires won’t be a problem anymore.” He popped the sandwich in his mouth.

Ginger snorted. “Not based on the number of body parts left behind.” She shivered, then picked up a deviled egg. “God, I just love these.”

“I was particularly interested in how Cressa found a way out of being shot herself.” Colantha picked up her glass of iced tea, though her eyes grazed the food offerings.

“It was a spur-of-the-moment decision.” I heard the hollowness of my words, and while the others glanced at each other, I stared at my hands.

“Exactly. That’s why I found it exceptional work.” Colantha sipped her tea before setting it down in favor of a strawberry tart. “As a dreamwalker, the instant reflexive action to call upon your powers is exactly what I’ve been training you and Hamilton for. It’s not meant to prevent you from choosing another method of defense, whether it’s your martial arts or a dagger, but to give you something else in your arsenal. Martial arts or a dagger won’t always help you out of a situation, but your dreamwalking will, assuming you’re brave enough and quick enough to create a construct while binding others to it.”

I shrugged. “It kind of felt like cheating.”

Remus barked out a laugh, brushing his hands from the second slice of sandwich. “In battle, the key is to take down the enemy while staying alive. There are no rules, especially if you find yourself at a disadvantage. Your actions gave your team the time to capture the two people required to complete a successful mission.” He didn’t appreciate my second shrug and leaned toward me with the fierceness of The Wolf. “I’ve seen this many times before through the decades, usually from a new Alpha after their first mission, where wolves were injured or killed. No mission is ever safe from injury or death. From what Devon tells me, all your missions before this one have been to steal something. This time, you were in charge of planning a mission. Not to steal some artifact or evidence, but hostage recovery and an enemy capture. You knew there would be fighting, and regardless of how well the teams train for it, no one can plan for every variable. Quite frankly, with the close-quarter fighting in a house where one side had guns, I’m surprised there weren’t more injured. No one from House Trelane died. Injured, yes, but not dead. The team retrieved the hostages and captured three enemy combatants. That, my dear Cressa, is a successful mission.”

Everything he and Colantha said made sense, but I wasn’t ready to release the guilt. Remus seemed to sense it and changed the topic by pulling out a folder. He handed it to Colantha, who passed it to me.

“Those are the results of the blood tests from my lab.” He gave me time to review them before explaining the discussion he had with Colantha and Devon.

“Let me make sure I understand.” I rubbed my forehead. “You’re saying these markers wouldn’t have shown up in my blood if I hadn’t been drinking Colantha’s juice?”

Colantha shrugged. “I’m not aware of any dreamwalker having their blood tested, and it will be difficult to find one who hasn’t drunk the juice to know if that’s true.”

“Perhaps if someone refrained from drinking it for a period of time, we could test the theory,” Remus replied. “After the war, we can perform further studies. In the meantime, these lab results will be important when Devon files his case with the Council. But we also need to know what Venizi is doing in his lab.”

“He’s been studying the declining fertility rate in vampires, right?” I asked.

Remus sipped the iced tea, frowned, and set it down. “He’s been studying it for decades. His lab is either inept, or he’s hiding the information. Better yet, a look at his labs might expose more than fertility testing.”

“You’re thinking Magic Poppy,” I said.

Jamison handed Remus another glass of iced tea he brought from Lyra’s mini kitchen.

Remus tasted it and smiled. “Thank you. Much better. I’m not a fan of peppermint. And yes, that’s exactly what we’re thinking. I’m hoping to have confirmation of where his lab is located in the next couple of weeks. We’re taking it slow, so no one knows we’ve located it.”

“Now, that we got that over with, let’s turn to something more exciting.” Ginger sat straighter and glanced around. “I think a dinner party is in order. First, for the success of our mission.” She picked at the end of her silk scarf, and her excitement faded a bit. “The second reason is somewhat bittersweet. An opportunity came up.” She glanced around at the expectant faces. “While Simone is recovering, Devon asked Lucas to fill in for her at Oasis. We’ll be leaving in the morning.”

“Oh,” was all I could say.

Ginger rushed to my side and held my hand. “I know this will be difficult with the lockdown. It’s not like we can just drive back and forth to see each other. But Devon can arrange for you to visit once your mom is feeling better.”

“Sure.” I forced a smile. “That might be good for her.” There wasn’t a chance in hell he’d let me do that. “Speaking of Devon, where is he?”

Remus stood. “He went to the safe house with Sergi to speak with Jasper and check on April.” He nodded at the folder. “That’s Devon’s copy.”

“Are you leaving so soon?” Lyra asked.

Remus chuckled. “I think it’s best I move on before I become part of the furniture.”

She smiled and placed a hand on his arm. “You know you’ll always have a place here. And don’t forget your painting.”

“Come down and give it to Elijah yourself. It would be better coming from you. He and Rachel will be leaving with me.”

Everyone left the room except for Ginger, who grabbed my hand. “Let’s make this a movie night.”

It took me a moment for her words to sink in. “I told Devon we needed to talk.”

“I think that conversation should wait until everything with the mission has settled. And if you don’t want to wait that long, you can at least wait until after I’m gone.” She tapped the side of my head. “Where I’ll be gone for who knows how long.” When I didn’t respond, she squeezed my hand till it hurt. “It won’t be for long. Simone will be up and back to work in no time. Come on, let’s go do a little sparring and clear your head. I’ll see if Cook can make his famous popcorn medley, and I’ll blend up a pitcher or two of margaritas.”

She pulled me up and dragged me out the door. And for once, I followed rather than trying to lead.