Page 34 of Sergi (Of Blood & Dreams #7)
Chapter Thirty-Three
With Remus setting a fast pace, the last team walked out of the forest as dusk settled over the village where Team One and the van drivers waited. Though Devon had mentioned that everyone was assembling at the airstrip, Sergi wasn’t surprised to see Rafael, Carlos, and Cadfael waiting for them. While Sergi greeted his team members, ensuring them he was fine and thankful for the bag of blood Rafael handed him, his gaze continued to stray toward Alex.
The shifters, especially Carlos, were eager to welcome Alex. Remus hovered over her as if she might disappear from his sight. And it didn’t escape Sergi’s notice that Remus glanced his way several times as if warning him to stay away.
Sergi half-listened as the team shared their adventurous journey to the facility and the limited defenses to their infiltration. He wasn’t surprised to hear about the trucks of kidnapped shifters. It made sense based on Alex’s information on the experiments.
It wasn’t until the shifter group disbanded to load into a van that Alex glanced his way. She gave him a warm smile and a slight shrug. He understood she had to follow Remus’s orders, whatever they were, at least for now.
He returned a soft smile and a nod of understanding, aware Devon was watching him, and that almost made him grimace. Devon wouldn’t say anything with everyone around. He’d wait until the two of them were alone, and then Sergi would never hear the end of it.
It had been a long time since Sergi had shown an interest in a female, and even then, he’d remained aloof. Centuries couldn’t break the wall he’d built, unwilling to fall for the charms of someone who could betray him. The same could be said of Devon, whose dalliances with females were rare until the day Cressa strolled into the manor.
Perhaps if he weren’t so ancient, so disillusioned, he would have dared more meaningful relationships. But his experiences with the pain of loss—harsh losses—had taught him to avoid the pitfall altogether. The simplest thing to do would be to let this be the end with Alex. Easy enough with Remus acting like a guard dog around her.
“You seem distracted.” Devon handed him a second blood bag. “Let’s get in the van so you can feed. I need you clear-headed.”
Sergi took the bag, the first one he’d been given still clutched in his other hand. “The energy from the Blood Poppy is finally wearing off.” He held the bags up. “I appreciate this.”
Devon gripped his shoulder. “I’m sorry we couldn’t get to you sooner.”
“It was a week by my calculation.”
“Eight days if you count the time to find you in the cave.”
Sergi grunted. “Then it’s not nearly the longest I’ve had to wait for you.”
They turned as one as they strode to the van.
“That’s true enough.” Devon stopped next to the van and waited as the others climbed in. “Thank the gods for modern transportation. It would have taken much longer by ship and horses.”
Sergi chuckled, remembering the old days as he followed Devon into the van. He was surprised when he was led to the last row, where blankets had been laid out across multiple seats for a makeshift bed.
“Drink the blood and rest. We have a two-hour ride to the airstrip.”
When the vans pulled to a stop at their destination, vampires and shifters jumped out to grab the gear and stow it in the waiting plane. Sergi had woken when he felt the van slow, and he sat up, pleased to find his energy restored.
When he boarded the plane, he walked past Alex, Remus, Carlos, and Cadfael, who sat in a group of four seats that faced each other. Alex’s back was to him, but Remus turned to nod at Devon, then ignored Sergi. He could only grin at The Wolf’s easy dismissal. Soon enough, Remus would have to put his papa wolf’s behavior aside for the success of their overall mission.
Devon led his team to another grouping of four seats. Before Sergi sat down, Bella handed him a small duffel.
“There’s fresh clothes in there. I thought you might want to change once we level off.” She carried a second bag to Alex before returning to her seat across from him.
They were wheels up five minutes later, and twenty minutes after that, Alex picked up the duffel and walked past him to the lavatory. She gave him a quick smile and a wink as she passed by, and he noted Remus tracking her movement toward the back of the plane.
Cadfael, now dressed in black combat clothing, rose several minutes later, and when he reached Sergi, he stopped long enough to say, “Walk with me.”
Devon and Bella had their noses in their tablets, and Rafael slept, so Sergi picked up his duffel and followed. Cadfael led him through a curtained divider and stopped at a group of vacant seats by the bathroom. Remus’s private jet could have carried a larger team, and he suspected Remus had a smaller one for more personal travel, leaving this one for missions.
The seats were just as comfortable as the front of the plane but were grouped in seats of eight rather than four. The divider between cabins would allow for team leaders to meet in front while letting the other team members relax and sleep without distraction.
The galley was located behind the seats, and a shifter and vampire were making coffee and pulling food out of the fridge. Everyone was in restoration mode.
Cadfael sat and waved a hand for Sergi to join him. “I assume Alex will take several minutes to clean up, and we haven’t had a chance to speak since you left the facility.”
“It’s good to see you survived, as well as the other shifters. I wish we’d found the facility sooner than we did.”
Cadfael waved his hand. “We can only learn from the past. We can’t change it. To dwell on it only serves to deter one from looking toward the future.”
Sergi couldn’t argue the sentiment. It was something anyone with a long life ahead of them had to learn quickly if they didn’t want to go mad. “What are your plans? You never said where your pack was located.”
“My last pack was in upstate New York near the border of Vermont. I’ve been gone long enough that another Alpha would have taken over by now. Remus is checking their status, but unless they’re in some form of disarray, I won’t challenge the Alpha. Remus invited me to stay at his home while I reacclimate to current politics and learn more about this war House Trelane is leading.”
“Your leadership will be essential in the weeks and months to come. I hope we’ll see more of you once we’re back in Santiga Bay.”
Cadfael’s eyes lit with humor. “I understand many shifters work for House Trelane now.”
Sergi shrugged. “We’re building strong defenses at all Trelane properties, and we’d be foolish not to work with partners who strive for the same outcome.”
“Would it be possible to see how you integrated the shifters and vampires?”
“I think I’d like to see that myself.”
The two males turned to Alex, who leaned on the back of a nearby chair. Her hair was damp, her face freshly washed, and from what he could see of her combat attire, it fit her well, outlining the body he fondly remembered lying beneath him.
He stood, pushing the intrusive thoughts away as he picked up his bundle. “The House is currently on lockdown, but I’m sure a tour could be arranged once everyone is back and settled.” He lifted his bag. “I’ll take a moment to change.”
Sergi washed his face and armpits, then ran wet hands through his hair, which was sufficient until he got home. He’d always been one for cleanliness, but it wasn’t lost on him that he’d become obsessed with it over the last few decades. It was his one way of controlling some small portion of his life when everything around him fell to chaos and, at times, despair.
He buttoned the black shirt and wondered if Bella had purposely brought clothes that would fit him. It would have been her way to maintain the belief they’d find him alive. Her own way of staying in control.
He shoved the guard clothes back in the bag. They’d be tossed once he was home. When he left the lavatory, he found Alex sitting next to Cadfael, and they were eating from a charcuterie board filled with sliced meats, cheese, crackers, grapes, and olives. His brow lifted when he saw three glasses of red wine.
“Have a seat, vampire.” Alex pointed to the chair he’d been in earlier. “Now that you’re free, you don’t mind having a glass of wine with shifters, do you?”
He dropped the duffel next to Alex’s then took a seat. He lifted his glass of wine in a toast before drinking half of it. “Does Remus always have an excellent selection of wine on his planes, or did he plan for a celebration?”
Alex laughed, and it warmed his belly. “With my uncle, there’s always good wine and Scotch available, but I imagine he increased the number of bottles in hopes of something more.”
“What can you tell us of the vampire Council?” Cadfael changed the topic, eager to catch up on all he’d missed. “Remus told us a bit, but I imagine you have more insight into the topic.”
Sergi considered the question, and they spent the next twenty minutes discussing the divide that had been growing for years. He’d hesitated a moment regarding Devon’s plan to stop Venizi, then decided Remus would keep them in his confidence, so he provided a high-level explanation of their joint mission. He didn’t mention dreamwalkers, leaving that topic for Devon.
Cadfael stood after he set down an empty wineglass. “I probably shouldn’t have had that second glass. I need to go slowly until my body resets to decent food again. And since Remus spoke of a meeting before we land, I think a small nap is in order to clear my head.” He squeezed Alex’s shoulder and strolled toward the front of the plane, stopping to speak with both vampires and shifters on his way. His Alpha nature to ask questions and listen came naturally to him, and Sergi was pleased that his years of captivity hadn’t broken that.
Once he was alone with Alex, Sergi couldn’t think of anything to say. They’d never had a chance to speak of what happened between them. And this wasn’t the place to have that talk, assuming she hadn’t already put their evening together behind her.
He should have anticipated her shifter boldness. She might not be an Alpha, but she thought like one under her uncle’s tutelage. She’d make a good Beta for any pack, and his chest tightened at the thought of her leaving Santiga Bay.
“You look rested. You must have gotten fresh blood.”
“I don’t know how fresh it was, but it was enough to revive me.” He glanced toward the divider between sections. The curtain was still closed, and Cadfael was engaged in conversation. “You must feel better in new clothes. How are you doing?”
She sighed and leaned back. “Well enough for now. I’m still riding high, but sooner or later, that Blood Poppy rush is going to drop like a hammer.”
He chuckled, but they both knew they were avoiding saying it. Trauma. That would hit soon as well. He offered a suggestion that would help with either issue. “I find meditation and training helps.”
Her head tilted to the side. “You meditate?”
He grinned. “Not something you expected of vampires or of me?”
Her smile made his gut clench. “I was aware that vampires prefer meditation to calm their minds.”
When she didn’t elaborate, he added, “Warriors find meditation effective before battle.”
She leaned forward, clearly interested. “I would think mock battles would be more appropriate.”
“Some, especially the younger ones who’ve seen little battle or it might be their first campaign, appreciate the practice. Those more experienced understand the importance of mind control during battle, and can be the difference between walking off the field or being carried.”
She nodded. “Shifters like to play war games, but before a mission, they tend to party hardy.”
“I’d be lying if I said vampires didn’t do a bit of that. Devon always provided a banquet before a battle but let his army decide the best way to prepare for the following day.”
“And didn’t women play a part in that?”
“Both males and females fought in Devon’s army, and he never discriminated over how they readied themselves.”
“But you kept your preparation to just meditation?”
Sergi grinned. “It depended on the battle.”
She laughed, finished her glass of wine, then reached out to touch his knee. “My uncle is feeling rather protective at the moment. I think it’s mostly his own emotions he’s trying to control. But you and I need to talk if we plan on working together in this coming war.”
She stood and picked up her duffel before turning to stare down at him. The red glow of her wolf lit her hazel blue eyes, leaving an interesting shade of violet. She ran a finger up his arm then down his cheek. “Behave yourself.”
She strode away with the confidence of a shifter, stopping to share words with Cadfael and a mixed group of shifters and vampires before they disappeared beyond the divider.
Between her words and her intimate gesture, Sergi couldn’t decipher what Alex was thinking. At first, he’d thought she was saying their future would be nothing more than compatriots in war, but now he wasn’t sure. The trail of her finger still burned his skin, leaving him more confused than before they spoke.
Now, he remembered why he’d stayed away from relationships.
I buried my grin as Cadfael and I returned to our seats in the front cabin. A year ago, I’m not sure I would have been able to hide it from my uncle, who seemed to read my expressions and hear my thoughts. A year of disguising my emotions from my captors gave me a skill I hadn’t known I was missing or needed.
I gave my uncle a warm smile when he glanced up, and I swallowed a retort while he gave me a long perusal.
“You were gone a long time to change.” His gaze became more studied. “Is everything alright?”
I waved him off as I dropped into my seat, holding back a stab of temper that surprised me. “Surely, you don’t have to worry about my safety on your own plane. Cadfael and I stopped to talk to the other shifters. I met the two surviving wolves you sent in after us.”
His expression became unreadable, and I closed my eyes and sighed. There wasn’t anything I could tell him that would remove his guilt, but I tried anyway.
“It wasn’t your fault. It was vital to find the lab. They were doing so much more than we suspected. If you hadn’t teamed up with House Trelane, I would still be a captive. I can’t say I didn’t walk away without some trauma, and I can handle it, but not if I have to worry about you, too.”
His gaze softened, but he looked away. “Let’s discuss this when we get home.”
I shrugged and picked up one of the magazines I grabbed from the rack by the door. Maybe I could catch up on what I’d missed this last year during the long flight home. I’d been nervous during the van ride, worried I might have a breakdown on the plane. There were still many hours left in the flight, so too soon to tell. It was more likely my subconscious was waiting for me to fall asleep and would greet me with nightmares.
My thoughts drifted to Sergi, and he’d said something that I couldn’t shake. My captivity might have temporarily taken my freedom, but I’d been on a mission. Watching Sergi endure Gheata’s torture and listening to him as he shared a previous captivity while on a mission—always searching for a way out and never giving up—somehow eased my burden.
My deepest fear wasn’t of recalling what I’d endured but of falling asleep and seeing the faces of the shifters who didn’t make it out. Those who died horrible, painful deaths at the whim of vampires. It was easy to hate all vampires until one saved my life—twice. When I walked through the cabin earlier, I’d expected to see shifters sitting with shifters and vampires sitting with vampires, and while that was partly true, I had to admit there were many more shifters than vampires on the plane. Still, I was amazed by how many were co-mingling and talking while sharing food and drink.
Had that much changed in the year I was gone? I’d never paid attention to the work my uncle was doing or the secret meetings that Braden, his Beta, refused to speak of. If I had to guess, those sessions involved the groundwork he’d been building with Trelane. There was something rotten growing in the vampire Council, and I wondered if the evidence we’d gathered would have any impact or if it would quietly disappear. If there was a war coming that impacted shifters, I had some catching up to do.
I grinned as I flipped a page. There was one male who could help with that. It was difficult to look at him without remembering his hands on my skin or the wild sensations that spiked my passion when his fangs traced where his lips had been. The simple act of his laying a hand on my bare hip had sent shivers of excitement through me.
All I’d needed had been an amazing one-night stand to block out my year of loneliness. No matter how many times I told myself I should walk away, there was something about Sergi that spoke to my wolf. Calmed her anxieties. I wasn’t ready to let go, not when every instinct said to follow where it went.
I closed the magazine and considered getting a cup of coffee when I noticed my uncle watching me, his brows furrowed in thought. Good grief. I’d spent years proving I was of value to the pack. I wasn’t that little orphan pup anymore, yet it appeared we were back to that again. All those lonely nights in my cell, I imagined running into his arms so he could save me from all the bad things. It surprised even me that a vampire might heal me faster than family.
“I thought this might be a good time to review the results of the raid.”
I glanced up to see Devon Trelane. He nodded to everyone before his gaze settled on my uncle. “Now that everyone has eaten, I’d like to review the raid before the lights are turned down for sleep.”
“Excellent idea.” My uncle stood and stretched. “I would like to hear more myself. Let’s meet at the conference table.” He turned to the three of us—Cadfael, Carlos, and me. “Join us.”
He followed Trelane to the table, and the three vampires who’d been sitting with him, including Sergi, met us there. I sat to the left of my uncle at one end of the table, and Sergi took a seat at Trelane’s left at the other end. Everyone else grabbed an available chair. I kept an eye on my uncle, curious how he would play this, and hoped he’d leave whatever issue he had with Sergi out of the discussion.
Everyone was already quiet, but I felt their eyes on me as I laid all the vials on the table. Trelane focused on the items, and his eyes glowed like silver ice before settling into his stunning baby blues. When I laid the USB drive next to them, I heard a harsh intake of breath, though I wasn’t sure who it came from because my gaze slid to Sergi, who gave me the briefest of smiles to let me know he was there if I needed him.
“Let’s get started.”
I was surprised when it was Trelane who said the words. Then it dawned on me. House Trelane was preparing for war against another vampire House. It was his team who planned the incursion into the lab. And it had been Sergi who endured the torture until Trelane’s team could arrive. This was his mission. My uncle partnered with him, but he’d succeeded leadership to Trelane. Interesting.
Bella passed a tablet down to Sergi, who placed it in front of him, nudging it until it sat squarely in front of him, but he didn’t turn it on. Bella and Trelane both glanced at each other and then at the closed tablet. It was odd, but Sergi didn’t seem to notice, his focus had turned to the vials.
After an uncomfortable silence, Trelane cleared his throat and turned to me. I tried not to squirm under his inquisitive smile. “Alex. Do you feel up to telling us about your time at the lab?” His tone was soft and pleasing, as if trying to calm a child or perhaps a traumatized person. At first, it rankled me, but then Sergi’s stories returned, and I understood. Trelane had sent Family on many missions over the centuries, some who’d suffered in captivity. He didn’t know me any better than I knew him, and he didn’t want to push me.
“Of course, that’s why we’re here. Where would you like me to start?”
Trelane smile remained. “Perfect. I wouldn’t have expected anything less. Let’s start from the beginning.”
It took an hour for me to tell my tale up to and including the first couple days cleaning Sergi’s cell. I stopped frequently to answer questions ranging from how the shifters were housed, to the setup of the labs, to the security protocols.
The hardest part was describing the experiments I’d witnessed. When I had trouble holding my emotions in check, Cadfael filled in the gaps. I was touched when Devon stalled the questions at that point to request refreshments as he ran through more mundane questions. He sensed when I was ready to continue and redirected his questions back to the experiments.
Sergi joined in when the questions moved to his arrival at the facility. At that point, it became a dual report, succinct and almost synchronized in our telling until we reached the point where I’d stolen evidence.
I pushed the blood vials toward Trelane. “These empty vials contained human blood, and I gave those to Sergi before we escaped.”
“The blood didn’t taste any different,” Sergi added. “I’m afraid I didn’t leave much to test.”
My uncle picked up the package. “No. Not much. But the lab might be able to scrape something out of it.” He dropped the package on the table.
I pushed the next group forward. “These three are Magic Poppy, or so they’re labeled.” I held my grin when the vampires lifted brows of interest. “This other group is labeled BP-X. Sergi confirmed it was Blood Poppy, and he can also validate it has been modified from an earlier version that I’d obtained. We just don’t know how.” I pushed the last three to meet the other vials. “This last group is labeled with an S, and we assume it’s one of the shifter serums they were testing. All I can say is it wasn’t the same serums used in the last experiment. Those were a different color.”
My uncle reviewed the vials and held one up. “There’s a small amount missing from this one.”
When all eyes turned to me, Sergi answered their unspoken question.
“We ran into trouble with a pack of wild shifters. Alex was injured during the fight and developed an infection. I tried cleaning it out, but without medical supplies, I worried it would be life-threatening.” He looked to my uncle rather than Devon. “I was aware what Blood Poppy could do for a vampire and…” he hesitated for a moment, “…humans.” I was pretty sure that hadn’t been the word he was going to use.
“That’s alright Sergi,” Trelane interrupted. “I understand your hesitation. And while it might be jarring for those new at the table, we shouldn’t shy away from it with our team.” Devon glanced at the shifters. “Cadfael and Alex can be brought up to speed by Remus, but what Sergi is delicately working around is an old species, as long-lived as vampires and shifters, called dreamwalkers. They’ve been using Blood Poppy for some time and achieved the same health results. Go on, Sergi.”
My uncle had spoken of dreamwalkers long ago, but no one truly believed they were real. I wanted to know everything, but Sergi brought us back to the topic at hand.
“I wasn’t sure if it would hurt more than help, but I felt the situation dire enough that I gave Alex several drops of the Blood Poppy.”
My uncle picked up the vials and gently shook them. “It appears there’s a quarter of a vial missing.”
Sergi shrugged again. “Maybe more than a few drops.”
Trelane ignored them, his eyes on me. “How did you feel afterward?”
I grinned. “Great. I barely had a scar the following morning. and now it’s completely gone. I still feel the increased energy.” I’m not sure how I didn’t blush, considering how I’d expended some of that energy, but I chalked it up to being a professional. “The rest of the trip down the mountain didn’t exhaust me, though I was starving.”
The others laughed, but all I noticed was Sergi’s warm smile.
Devon got us back on track. “Remus, I’m sure you’ll want to take the vials. How long for a report?”
My uncle pushed them to Carlos, who gathered them up. “A couple of days. Maybe three.”
Trelane nodded. “Excellent. Thank you.” His sharp gaze turned back to me. “And the USB drive.”
My uncle had told me on the van ride to the airstrip that the lab had been destroyed, and all they’d found was one undamaged vial of Magic Poppy. He did find the director’s destroyed laptop, and while he took the hard drive, he doubted they’d find anything usable. This single USB drive might mean more than I’d first thought.
“The data is from the director’s laptop. There was already a file on the drive from a month ago with spreadsheets and data regarding shifter experiments. I found a file on the BP-X and was transferring it over when Gheata arrived.” I didn’t go into details since Sergi already covered the Gheata incident.
Devon grinned at me. “This is more valuable than you could know. In addition to the vials and the case we’ve already put together, this drive could be one of the last straws to break the Council and Venizi along with it.”