Page 35 of Sergi (Of Blood & Dreams #7)

Chapter Thirty-Four

Sergi braced himself as he strode up the stairs behind Devon to the manor’s front door, with Bella and Rafael trailing behind him. Mateo opened the door, and when Sergi reached him, the vampire held out his hand.

“It’s good to have you back home with us.” Mateo shut the door and handed Devon a note.

“It’s good to be home.” Sergi shook his friend’s hand then glanced around, surprised Cressa wasn’t lurking somewhere, eager to give him a hard time.

“Why don’t you get some rest, maybe spend time in the training room.” Devon patted Sergi on the back. “I have an engagement that will last through the evening.” He turned to Bella. “Contact Lucas. I need him and Ginger here in the morning for a meeting. Double the security for the motorcades and all the properties. Something tells me Venizi is going to be a bit irritated with us. Oh, and tell Decker as well.”

Bella nodded and strode down the hallway toward her office. Devon raced up the stairs without another word. Cressa must have made plans for his return.

Sergi was eager to get back to work, but at the same time, taking the rest of the day to simply sleep was a treat he couldn’t ignore. The Council would have been informed by now about the infiltration into the lab. They probably had their hands full restraining Venizi from calling for a complete sanction on House Trelane, but the evidence of shifters being held in captivity would complicate Venizi’s revenge plans, at least for a short time. With any luck, Simone would be home soon, bringing the last piece of evidence Devon needed before declaring war.

Sergi’s room was as immaculate as when he left it. No doubt Greta had been dusting regularly. He dropped the duffel on a nearby chair and opened the drapes to the afternoon sun. After placing a call for a blood donor, he fell across the bed and stared at the ceiling.

His typical routine after a mission usually involved checking messages and spending several hours in the training room, as Devon suggested, beating back the demons that always seemed to return home with him. It had been decades since he’d last been held captive. Perhaps in this enlightened age, it was time for new habits.

He put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, not to sleep but to remember.

The way she trailed her fingers across his tattoos. The silky essence of her skin under his touch. The way she giggled when he ran a hand up her side and buried his face in her neck, leaving soft kisses behind. The way she rubbed her breasts along his chest as her hand stroked his cock.

If he laid perfectly still, he could smell her wild scent. What would it be like to run alongside her wolf? Would Remus let her come to the manor? She said they weren’t done, but what did that mean? He thought of her coming to the manor and Cressa discovering their relationship. Then there was Ginger. He groaned.

Never-ending torture.

Remus didn’t seem pleased she’d been intimate with him, but was he like that with any male she was with, or was it only vampires? Or only him?

He ignored his thoughts and refocused on their one evening together until sleep took him. But it wasn’t long before a knock woke him.

He rubbed his face and opened the door to find Felicia outside his door.

“That was quick.” He stepped aside to let her in before sitting in one of the armchairs.

“We were told Devon was on his way home, so we were ready for the call.” Felicia rolled up the sleeve of her linen blouse. It was a sign of trust that she wore such elegant clothing for a donation. Trust that Sergi was a gentleman and an expert at drawing blood without mishap. “If you don’t mind me saying, you look better than I expected after hearing you’d been captured.”

He settled back in the chair, turning slightly toward her. “Bella was kind enough to bring blood bags.”

“Yes, several of us donated before they left, but we were all worried.” She sat on the padded arm of the chair and gave him her hand. “Gerald sends his regards.”

“You’re still seeing him?” Sergi ran his thumb over her wrist, encouraging blood flow.

“You sound surprised.” Her laugh held a soft melodic sound, similar to Lyra’s. “He’s faithful, fun to be around, and takes me to nice places. Well, he did before the lockdown. He still finds secret places for us to enjoy sunsets and passionate lovemaking.”

Sergi lifted a brow. “They must be secluded spots since I haven’t seen your name in a security report.”

“High praise from a vampire.”

They both grinned before he sunk his teeth into her veins. Bagged blood was sufficient to provide him the necessary nutrients, but fresh blood always tasted better. He didn’t drink long, and soon he was healing her skin.

Felicia stood and pulled down her sleeve. “It’s good to see you well.” Then she gave him a long, uncomfortable look. “Something’s different.”

Torture would do that, but he didn’t say it. It would only make her feel bad. “It was a long mission.”

“Hmm. It’s not that.” Then she grinned. “Well, I didn’t think I’d live to see it.”

He tensed, unsure where this was going.

She pinched his cheek. “I’m so happy for you.” Then she strode to the door.

He touched his cheek. Felicia had always been a tactile female, preferring hugs and light touches to show her friendship and affection. The pinch had been surprising.

“I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

She laughed. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

Then she was out the door.

Damn it all.

If Felicia, who he only saw on occasion, had figured it out in ten short minutes, he wouldn’t have a chance of hiding anything from Cressa.

When the limo arrived at my uncle’s estate, the place I called home, I jumped out before the driver had a chance to come to a complete stop.

“Alex, where are you going?” Remus called from the limo.

I couldn’t wait. Actually, my wolf couldn’t wait. For the entire plane ride and the drive to the estate, my thoughts continually shifted between intimate moments with Sergi and my wolf straining to be released.

Once my wolf had gotten a taste of battle, all she wanted to do was run. I half stumbled, leaving a trail of clothes and shoes behind me as I raced for the back of the house. By the time I was dodging plants and flowerbeds in the lush backyard, I was fully naked and only stopped by the fountain long enough to shift. My transformation was faster than normal, and I wondered if it had anything to do with the Blood Poppy that was still flowing through my veins. It had been forty-eight hours since Sergi fed it to me, and I was still energized.

My wolf was running free. I stopped after a few minutes and lifted my nose to the air. The scent of grass and musk floated through the warm afternoon air and caught my wolf’s interest. Soon, I was chasing a rabbit, but when I caught up to it and saw the terror in its eyes, I stopped. The rabbit scampered under a bush, and my wolf turned and ran.

After an hour of racing around hundreds of acres and panting hard, I found my favorite spot and dropped to the ground, my snout resting on my paws. My wolf had refused the rabbit as well as the others that had crossed our path. There hadn’t been any qualms when I’d killed four rabbits in the Carpathians.

What was different?

One was for survival, and the other for fun. I whimpered when memories of shifters, their bodies exploding from the inside, leaving nothing but bits of bone, flesh, and too much blood flitted through my thoughts. The horror in their eyes when they understood what was happening.

Hunting for sport wasn’t as fun as it used to be. Not after knowing what it was like to be prey.

I closed my eyes and woke as sunset approached. The manor was a good half-hour walk away, but it was worth shifting where I’d napped. There was a light coastal wind that made goose bumps erupt over my naked body. It felt good, but I picked up my pace to warm up.

The run had been exactly what I needed. It wasn’t good to keep my wolf pent up for so long. I’d made a decision during our run. The past year was just that. The only thing I cared about was this day and the next. For now, that meant the upcoming war and the part I would play.

I reached the fountain, irritated that two wolves were still shadowing me. Good grief. My uncle had assigned me pup sitters. How embarrassing.

I shook my head at the fluffy robe and slippers waiting on a nearby patio chair. It didn’t matter how many times I told my uncle I’d pick up my clothes when I returned, he had someone do it for me. The gesture had been appreciated before, but now it seemed stifling.

I understood my uncle’s concern. He worried about my state of mind. His first instinct would drive him toward pack mentality, surrounding me with protection. It was his way of supporting my recovery, but his actions would be restrictive. My current opinion was that bodyguards weren’t any different than the guards at the lab—constantly watching and reporting. What I needed was freedom. It was going to be a difficult pill for my uncle to swallow.

After a shower, I stood in my grand walk-in closet and grinned. Clothes were piled on top of a chair because I’d been too lazy to put them in their proper place. Purses lay scattered across another shelf, and my favorite shoes had been piled in a corner so they would be easy to find. Like the rest of my messy bedroom, everything was the way I’d left it. I slipped on a pair of jeans, rubbing my hands up and down my thighs. Oh, how I’d missed them. I pulled open several drawers that ran along the far wall until I found the older, well-worn, and softened-with- age, forest-green pullover sweater. Nothing better than comfort clothing. With a bit of prying, I managed to reopen my ear piercings to add a pair of silver earrings. There was a slight tingle from the silver, but not enough to be irritating. The initial jolt made me feel alive.

I found my uncle in the library with Cadfael, who looked dapper in a borrowed suit, Carlos, and Braden, my uncle’s Beta. They were drinking Scotch by the looks of it, and I stopped at the bar and poured a glass of Burgundy wine.

Braden jumped out of his chair, and before I could replace the cork, he squeezed me in a bear hug. I laughed and hugged him back. He’d always been a big brother to me.

“I never gave up hope. Welcome home.” He stepped back, his hands still gripping my shoulders as he looked me over. “You’re too skinny. Paul will fatten you up in no time.” He winked. “In fact, I hear it’s steak, potatoes, stuffed mushrooms, and double-Dutch chocolate cake for dinner.”

“Stop bothering her,” Remus called from the seating area on the far side of the room. “She looks fine.”

Braden pulled me in for another hug, but this time he whispered in my ear. “I’ll try to keep him busy so he doesn’t suffocate you. But give him some leeway.” Then he said a bit louder, “You know where to find me if you need to brag about your amazing escape.”

I punched him in the shoulder, but I was grateful for his words. He’d been with my uncle since I was a pup and knew him better than me. I could trust Braden to watch my back.

After dessert, brandy, and light conversation that avoided discussions about the raid, the packs, or the coming vampire war, everyone left for their rooms. I was partway down the hall when my uncle stopped me.

“Come with me to my office. This won’t take long.”

He dropped into his favorite chair in front of the fireplace where embers burned, looking tired for the first time since seeing him standing in the mouth of the cave. I slid into a matching plush leather chair and pulled my legs underneath me.

I spent most of my youth and then adulthood sitting in this chair, listening to my uncle’s pack stories or sharing my problems as he handed down sage advice. Now, I waited, watching a spark create a low flame, as my uncle prepared for whatever was on his mind, though I had a good guess what it was.

“There have been many changes in the packs since you’ve been gone.” He crossed a leg over his knee and tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair, his focus on the fire.

“Because of the coming war?” I asked, glancing at him to judge his mood. In addition to his fidgeting fingers, his brows lowered, and the corner of his eyes crinkled, but not from laughter. He was tense, and some of his Alpha mojo was leaking out, ruffling my wolf’s fur.

“Yes. And before you ask, the local packs agreed with the decision to support House Trelane.”

“What about the other packs?”

“I’ve only spoken with the Alphas of the larger packs and explained the situation and my trust in Trelane. They in turn spoke with like-minded House leaders who support Trelane. While the other packs might not be involved in the war itself, they have shown support.”

I nodded. “They’re tired of living under the boot of the vampire Council and see the benefit of a vampire civil war.”

He gave me a grin, appreciating my ability to still see the big picture. I hadn’t grown stupid over the last year, and I’d had a firsthand look at what House Trelane could accomplish. “We are placing a huge wager that Trelane can pull this off.”

“And keeping with your gambling analogy, we’re all in, but we still have to beat the house, where the odds are in their favor. The house being the Council, of course.”

His smile widened. “I forgot how well you assimilate strategy.”

I couldn’t help but return his smile. “I learned from the best.” I rubbed at a spot on the soft leather. “The raid on the lab. The search for evidence. This is information to take to the Council in hopes they’ll lean a particular direction.”

“It’s more than that. I won’t go into the details, you’ll have plenty of time to catch up, but there are centuries of rot beneath the Council. Lies they’ve told their society to benefit a few at the risk of their entire species. Trelane is building a mountain of evidence in the hopes it will bury the Council.”

We fell into silence as I thought back to lessons on the vampire Council. My uncle always preached to his Alphas that to beat your enemy, you had to know your enemy. The members of the Council were one of those lessons, and a couple of dots solidified in my head.

“Isn’t Trelane on the Council?”

This time he laughed. “You remember.”

I considered the events at the lab, the little details Sergi had shared about his House leader, and then watched and listened to Trelane in action. Not once had I remembered him being part of the Council. He didn’t seem the type.

“I hadn’t considered it before. Maybe because I was still coming down from the rush of the escape. I was surprised by how organized the rescue had been. The thought that a member of the Council did this never broached my thoughts.”

“Devon took over as leader of his House after the untimely deaths of his parents. Deaths he attributes to Venizi though he has no proof. He joined the Council according to legacy rules, but he was soon censured. It was one of the reasons he turned to the shifters for business partnerships in addition to his human partnerships since he was cut off from doing business with other Houses.

“But his desire to bring peace among the species started with his father, Guildford, who I’d met a couple of times before his death. Devon, in preparation to someday become House leader, had spent years on his sojourn meeting with Houses and packs alike.”

“He sounds like a Renaissance vampire.”

“Quite true.”

“So, how can I get involved with this war?”

Silence grew as I waited for my uncle to respond. History told me the longer he took to respond, the less likely I was going to like the answer.

“You have a lot to learn from being gone this last year. You need time to reacclimate. After a couple of months, we can assess what role suits you.”

I held my breath and my tongue. Rash outbursts never worked with my uncle. It was best to wear him down before yelling. “I understand why you’d think that. But I’ve stared at four walls for far too long to just sit around now. I have skills that can help. I want a more active role in this.”

“There’s much you don’t understand. You’ve endured a long and dangerous mission. You kept your head. Cadfael was impressed with you from the start, but there are many things that can be done behind the scenes without putting yourself at risk. I can’t expend the wolves to follow you all over the place. It’s easier and safer if you remain on the estate, at least for a few weeks, then we can reassess.”

Remain on the estate. The words slammed into me as if I could hear the locks on my cell engage. Was this about my safety or about Sergi? My wolf howled. My uncle was, to continue the gambling theme, hedging his bet. I’d be tucked in safe and sound, and with Trelane’s lockdown, Sergi wouldn’t seek me out. Not under my uncle’s roof.

And I would slowly go mad.

It was one thing to know you were enslaved when you lived in a box and decisions were made for you. It was quite another to live on an estate with windows so you could see what was beyond the borders but were prevented from reaching it. Life in a gilded cage.

Not again. Not when I had the power to say no. He might be The Wolf, the Alpha to all the other Alphas, but he was still my uncle. And he was forcing me to play his niece and not a trained, highly skilled member of the pack.

I slowly stood and turned to him. He had to lean back to meet my eyes. His expression was blank, perhaps a bit curious, but there was deep concern in his gaze, and though it broke my heart to see it, I had to stand my ground now before he wore me down.

“You know I love you. That everything I am is because of you. It was a difficult year, but I survived. I heard your voice many times over that year, reminding me that I was wolf, and it gave me the strength I needed to persevere. But I’m not there anymore. I got out.”

I wiped at my eyes then pushed back my hair. “I don’t need protection, uncle. At least not the pup sitters who tracked me on my run, and I have no doubt will be positioned at the end of the hall, if not in front of my bedroom door.

“I’ve had too many eyes watching my every move for far too long. I need space. I need the freedom to choose. I know you’re trying to do what’s best for me, but you need to take a step back from being my uncle and instead look at me as the pack leader. I’m not a pup anymore. I have skills to help in this war, and they’re not sitting behind a desk, locked away in this estate.”

His face turned compassionate seconds before his Alpha persona took over. “I’ve made my decision.”

Without a word, because it would be pointless, I spun around and marched out of the room.

I was so angry, and it soon became a hot rage as the two guards who’d been stationed along the hallway turned and followed me. Pup sitters in the house for Christ’s sake. Would they pick my breakfast for me too?

I kept walking and pushed open the French doors leading to the back terrace hard enough that I feared they’d break.

Then I stopped in my tracks.

Braden was leaning against the wrought iron and stone railing, a beer in his hand. He lifted another one that had been sitting on one of the stone pillars.

I grinned as I walked toward him. He knew me so well.

“That’s enough for tonight, boys. I think Alex remembers how to get to her room.” After a couple of seconds, he stood straighter, and a red glow replaced his sea-green eyes. “I don’t think her uncle meant for her to be treated like a prisoner. Try standing guard at the front doors if you must. And don’t make me say it a second time.”

I didn’t turn around. Their retreating boot steps and the shutting of the French doors were enough.

Braden chuckled and opened the beer for me.

“Damn. This tastes really good.”

“I told your uncle a barbecue on the terrace would have been just as good, but he wanted to show off for Cadfael.”

I took in the landscape, lit with dozens of small lamps, and breathed in the mixed scent of blooms and fresh compost. “I have to admit, my uncle is right about acclimating. I forgot how peaceful it was here.” I waited a beat, but Braden remained silent. I was curious if he felt the same way as my uncle. “I can’t just sit around.”

“Are you sure?”

I nodded enthusiastically. “In my last couple months at the facility, I’d been given more freedoms.” I shuddered. “But it wasn’t necessarily a good thing. I saw such horrendous experiments I don’t think those images will ever go away.” I took a long swig of the cold brew and turned toward him. “And maybe they shouldn’t. Not while we’re on the brink of war. If nothing else, I can be the reminder of why the shifters have to be in this war. This is quite literally our lives on the line. I cannot—no—I will not stand by while everyone else does the heavy lifting.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Braden. He was used to listening to my rants and petty grievances for years. What I didn’t expect was the huge grin.

“Yeah, I know. I sound like I’ve been radicalized.”

“And I have to say, little sister, it looks good on you.”

I blushed. Not many could make me do that, but Braden was one of them. Then his words sunk in, and I squinted at him.

“What exactly does that mean?” I finally took the time to really assess him. He was up to something.

“I have a proposition for you.”