Page 19 of Obsessed in Blood

He was in the process of removing his tie when he stopped short.

He was thankful Sergi had shown him the portrait. Her face held the same flawless beauty, and her hair was pulled back, a white magnolia blossom over her left ear the only decoration. She perched in one of the chairs as if she were royalty, and her voice was buttery smooth with a light French accent.

“Hello, vampire. Welcome to New Orleans.”

Devon stepped fartherinto the room and tossed his tie on the sofa.

“Colantha, I assume.”

She smiled but said nothing.

“How did you get in here?” He stepped closer, his anger rising. He’d played enough games hopscotching to every jazz club in the Quarter. When she continued to stare with her fathomless eyes, he got to the point. “If you’re not Colantha, you’re wasting my time. Cressa has been taken, and I need help finding her. Tell me now that you can help or get the hell out of my room.”

Her smile widened, and she crooked a finger to bring him closer. Her dark eyes were locked with his, and he wasn’t sure he could break free if he tried. He was a foot away from her when she lifted her hand, opened her palm, and blew out a breath.

A red mist hit him in the face, and before he could cough or wave it away he dropped like a stone.

Devon’s headhurt like he’d been fifteen rounds with a heavyweight boxer who used him like a punching bag. He blinked and looked around. He was on the floor in a dark room with no windows. A single lit candle burned ten feet away and two feet above his head, casting shadows on the wall.

He stretched his legs but could only extend them halfway. When he lengthened his upper body, his head hit another barrier, and he braced for the pain that never came. He pushed himself up and stared at the candle that was now at eye level. The floor had been raised, but when he scanned the room, that seemed wrong. If he had to guess, he was sitting in a pit.

He stood and toppled to his right, throwing his hands out and catching himself on the edge of the floor. The room spun, and he closed his eyes. He didn’t remember having that much to drink.

“It’s best if you remain sitting until you regain your equilibrium.”

He spun around, reaching out for the edge of the pit again. A soft spotlight shone down on the woman who’d been in his hotel room.

“Where am I, and what did you do to me?”

Her chuckle was low and sultry. “You’re a long way from your hotel, vampire. I required you to be asleep to transport you. It’s been a very long time since I’ve had reason to trust your kind.”

“You mean a dreamwalker doesn’t trust vampires?”

“It wasn’t like that over a millennia ago. But that is a story for another time. You said someone took Cressa. Do you know who this person is?”

“Yes.”

“And what do you think I can do for you?”

Devon unbuttoned his shirt until the medallion could be seen. “He’s a powerful adversary with strong defenses. I’ve tried reaching out to her to assess where she’s being held, but I can’t sustain the connection, even when I wear the necklace.”

“The medallion wasn’t meant for you. That doesn’t mean you can’t use it if she’s brought you to constructs before, but without training, it’s very difficult. The fact you reached her at all without my assistance tells me something has changed in you.”

“What do you mean?”

She picked up a glass of what looked like juice and took a long swallow. He hadn’t seen it a moment ago, but he couldn’t be sure it wasn’t there all along. She tapped a fingernail on the table and gave him a long look. “Cressa mentioned the beast. Did she cure you?”

“Yes.”

“Was the beast brought on by the Poppy?”

“If you mean Magic Poppy, then yes.”

“And she gave you her blood.”

It wasn’t a question, but he nodded anyway. “You seem to know a lot.”

She laughed. “You don’t know the half of it.”