Page 39 of Forty Deaths Till Us Part
Rene grabbed my hand and led me from the smoking room as Constantine and Cass followed behind us. He said nothing as he led me to the foyer, where dozens of vampires stood with shocked faces. Some had smudges of smoke and they looked as if their entire world was about to collapse.
When he stopped at the edge of the hallway and scanned the room, I leaned toward him. “What do you mean by take action against us?”
Rene raised his voice. “Once a vampire turns on his or her clan, they have broken our laws. There may be those who have been misguided or threatened into leaving with Dimitri the traitor. If any clan member returns before unsanctioned actions against their clan, then there will be no punishment imposed. As it stands, any who oppose us are under a death sentence to be carried out by the death dealers or the warriors.”
Several well-dressed clan members stared at Constantine, but it was a young vampire who spoke up. “The warrior is staying here?”
Constantine stared at the tiny man with open hostility. “This clan is a disgrace. Rene has been far too lenient with your political stupidity. I will bring more warriors from the Shadow Phantom Clan to ensure both Rene and Raven’s safety and to restore order to this traitorous clan. I will not tolerate this uprising.”
The young man who spoke up stepped back. “Can we contact the people who left with your permission? Try to get them to return?”
Rene nodded. “Email them or use whatever means necessary to get them to see reason. Constantine has my full support. They have little time. Once Dimitri acts against us, this concession is over.”
The quiet in the room was palpable and Cass stared at the floor as if she had personally failed Rene. While he would never see it that way, Constantine’s eyes were on Cassara as well. Hurting the clan was one thing, but making Cass feel like she had failed was something else. Dimitri had made the deadliest enemy on earth, and I had no desire to witness the pain that traitor would endure.
Rene’s cell phone made me jump as he pulled it from his jacket before reading the text. “Manu thinks he has found the last page. Val, is the conference room still intact?”
Val nodded. “Only the training facility was damaged. It was hit in the center of the exterior wall, so as long as we avoid this room, we should be okay.”
I touched Rene’s arm. “I can use magic to reinforce the conference room.” I thought about the destruction. “It would take more power to fix the training facility with magic than manually, though.”
CHAPTER 15
Manu was waiting in the conference room when we entered, but he wore a surgical mask over his face, and I was sure it was to block the smell of smoke in the air. Normally, the large room was littered with artifacts and scrolls he was inspecting, but a single piece of parchment lay on the long table. The crack in one wall displayed the effects the blast had on neighboring walls and the thick striation in the drywall exposed a wooden beam.
The attractive man pointed at the paper on the table. “I know where the next page is.”
Rene nodded. “Where is it?”
“The monster hunter’s cave, only I am not sure exactly where it is located. It would have been abandoned centuries ago, but I believe there is a hidden passageway in their former stronghold.”
Rene’s lip curled slightly. “I know where the cave is. I emptied it myself after the sect was disbanded.”
I squeezed Rene’s arm. “Their stronghold was close to here?”
Rene nodded. “They have a few, but the one closest to us was in the mountains just outside Black Blossom County. There isa network of tunnels in there and most would never find their caverns.”
Manu’s eyes brightened. “You can get us in?”
Rene nodded. “We must leave now in order to return to the vehicle before the sun comes up.”
I stared at Manu. “Do you ever sleep?”
He winked at me. “I sleep during the day. My father says I am practically a vampire already.”
Rene motioned to the door. “Follow us in your vehicle. Would you like Cassara to ride with you? She is familiar with the area we plan to visit.”
Manu nodded. “I would like that, provided that monstrosity of a vampire doesn’t try to behead me for riding with her.”
Rene’s lip twitched. “Constantine does not kill indiscriminately.”
Manu grunted. “Excuse me if I don’t take your word for it. But have you seen the way he looks at her? I will never tease that woman again.”
Rene was quiet for some time. “Constantine trained Cassara. He is... protective of her.”
Manu rolled the ancient piece of parchment paper. “It’s more than that, but I will meet her out front. We will follow your limousine.”
“We will be taking an all-terrain vehicle.”