Chapter 4
Chapter Four
The one thing I'd liked about Oasis over the coastal manor house was that it was single-story. No stairs to climb.
When the training sessions started, I found out I’d been misguided.
The Oasis manor had an immense basement that included the panic room Anna had mentioned, a kitchenette, multiple entertainment and gaming rooms, more bedrooms for the regular staff—humans and vampires—and the training room that took up a quarter of the floor space.
That, of course, meant I still had to battle stairs after each two-hour session. With the training I’d undergone the last several weeks, the two hours shouldn’t affect me as much as it did, but Sergi had increased the skill level and intensity. Fortunately, stairs led directly from the gym to the solarium where the pool and hot tub were located.
After my first extended training with Sergi, I soaked in the hot tub for fifteen minutes before dragging my limp body to my room. In keeping with the agreement I made with Anna, I collapsed for an hour’s nap before meeting her back in the basement. For me, it was more of a cool-down as I taught her the defensive skills I’d been taught. She remembered some of the moves from her previous training, and I took the punishment when she made a strike or flipped me over, which built her confidence and gave me bruises.
It was worth it at the end of the hour when she stuck out her fist for our first fist bump with a smile on her face.
Afterward, we went off to our rooms for a shower before meeting in the library for my history lesson. Anna had searched for the best conference room, but Simone suggested the library since it was rarely used that late in the afternoon and books wouldn’t have to be shuffled back and forth.
“I’ve been racking my brain on the best approach since we only have a couple of days together.” Anna gave me a peeved look as if the compressed timetable had been my doing.
“Sorry. I had no idea Devon would let me go with Lucas.”
“No matter. A couple of days of training is better than none at all, I suppose.”
It hadn’t surprised me that she might enjoy the training sessions, and I considered her concern. “Why does your training have to end just because I’ll be traveling for a couple of weeks?”
She stared at me like I had bats flying out of my ears. “You’re the trainer.”
“There are far better trainers in the manor than me. I’m sure we can find someone to fill in while I’m gone.”
She shrugged then dropped a large tome on the writing desk.
I stared at it. “I don’t have time to read this in two days.”
She tsked. “You and Cressa are like two peas.”
I laughed. “Well, at least you’ve had practice.”
She grinned, though didn’t comment. Instead, she pulled over a rolling whiteboard she’d taken from one of the conference rooms. Then she placed two pads of paper and three pens on a side table I’d use for a desk.
“For notes. Now, open to where the bookmark is.”
I leaned over the book that was at least a thousand pages thick and found the slim marker. When I opened it, I grinned. Printed across the page in two languages—one I didn’t know and the other English— read The Houses of Aramburu, Renaud, Trelane, and Venizi.
“This is perfect.”
“I’d considered asking Cressa to join us since she could use a refresher on House Aramburu before leaving for Spain, but that would dilute your training. So, I’m working with her in the mornings.”
“She didn’t tell me.”
“It just started today.” She turned and began writing the names of each House across the top of the whiteboard. Then she wrote bullet items under each name. “This is just basic information on each House to give you what Cressa calls the speed-read version.”
I held back my chuckle, remembering Cressa’s pain with Anna’s need to start centuries in the past and provide minute details on everything. We’d laughed over wine when she spoke of those early days at House Trelane. Evidently, that training had paid off—painless or otherwise.
For the first half hour, Anna went over additional information about the Trelane, Venizi, and Aramburu Houses. The last half hour was spent solely on House Renaud since that was the mission I was going on with Lucas.
“The House Renaud’s homeland, as you know, is in France. But the Family is global, mostly in the States, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. In the States, they consider New Orleans the home library as that’s where House Renaud was established in the early 1700s. The second oldest son operates the House. The oldest son remains in France running the European branches.”
“What about the Father?”
“He’s an ancient. A thousand years old, give or take a century. From what I’ve heard from various sources, he prefers to roam the main library outside their French estate and carries on philanthropic pursuits.”
“Wow, that’s really hard to get my head wrapped around.”
Anna laid down the marker and dragged one of the heavy chairs next to me. “For being raised around vampires, I have to admit, some of these ancients and the things they’ve seen, the changes in the world, is mind-boggling. If you ever meet one, treat them as if they’re as old as they look rather than their true age. It will save you some embarrassment.”
“Good to know.”
“Since we only have a few minutes left, let me point out some areas to take note of. Since you’ve already been to one of the libraries with Lucas, you probably already know the basics: the interior floorplan is the same in each library, although the inventory will be different. The Renauds are meticulous in the maintenance and recording of the inventory within each collection, and you must have special dispensation from the curator to remove any of the inventory.”
She pushed the book toward me and tapped a finger on it. “I’d like you to read as much as you can on House Renaud. We’ll go over your questions tomorrow, and I’ll provide any other pertinent information you’ll need before you leave. Then we’ll delve more into Aramburu.”
I sighed. “We’re still doing the etiquette thing?”
Her lips twitched. “Did I not fist bump this afternoon?”
I sighed, rolled my eyes, and dragged out a long, “Yes.”
She grinned. “Don’t worry. Only the bare minimum of utensils will be involved.” When I snorted, she shook her head and gave me an excellent school principal stare. “But there are things you should know as a Blood Ward if you want a vampire to believe that’s what you truly are. Lucas tells me you did a fine job at the San Francisco annex, but it’s possible you’ll attend functions or visit other Houses in Lucas’s quest. You need to be prepared for everything.”
I nodded. She was right. This wasn’t my first assignment for the House, but for some reason, it seemed like a test. I’d be foolish to not take her instructions to heart. And neither of us said a word when the last fifteen minutes ran to thirty.
After lugging the huge tome to my room, I collapsed on the bed. A knock at my door woke me in darkness. The sun had already set.
“Come in.” My words were drowsy as I raised up to my elbows.
Cressa peeked around the door. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “Just a bit of a nap.”
She tiptoed around the clothing and other items strewn around the floor and glanced at the book on the bed. “A nap? Or did the reading bore you to sleep?”
I grinned, jumped out of bed to stretch, and grimaced from stiffened muscles. “Maybe a bit of both. The book isn’t really boring, just difficult to read with the older style of English and cramped writing. I guess paper was precious a thousand years ago or whenever it was written.”
“Are you focusing on House Renaud?”
“Yeah. I mean, that’s where we’ll be spending most of our time. It makes sense I should know as much as I can about them.” I glanced out the window. “Did I miss dinner?”
“I was coming to get you before I headed downstairs. Lucas thought you might have passed out from the extended training.” She quirked her lips. “And Sergi wants a word with you.”
I rolled my eyes as I scrounged for a dress. I picked a cobalt-blue sundress from a chair, sniffed it, then shook it out. “What’s his complaint this time?”
“Actually, I think he wants to commend you.”
I was removing my leggings when her words hit me, and I lost my balance, managing to fall into a nearby chair. “Stop joking. What does he really want?”
“I’m serious. Anna asked him if he would continue the defensive training you’ve been teaching her. Actually, she asked if the training could be made available to any human that’s interested.”
“What?”
“I guess he and Devon never heard about the deal you struck with her. Simone was irritated for about a nanosecond and then considered the coming war. The three of them thought it was an excellent idea.”
My cheeks grew warm. It was great they wanted to do that for the staff, but I didn’t want the attention. “It was just a way to give Anna something to do. She seems out of her element here.”
“Sergi wants to observe your next training so he can understand what you’ve been teaching.”
“That’s a nerve-racking thought. But, yeah. If it helps everyone, I’m game.”
I pulled the sundress over my head then zipped up the side. After I checked my hair and added a bit of mascara, I linked my arm with Cressa’s as we exited the room. “Are you excited about going to Spain? I mean, is Devon going to let you do some sightseeing?”
“So he says, assuming he believes we’re safe, and Gregor Aramburu, the House leader, says it’s okay. I’m hoping he does. I’ve always wanted to see Madrid.”
“Really?”
“Okay, maybe not Madrid specifically, but definitely Europe. And before I forget, can you leave the book with Anna after you leave? She’s using other material for reviewing Aramburu, but I’d like to reread their section of the tome at least once.”
“I’ll be sure to leave it in the library. But it would be easier to just grab it from my room since I’ll be sleeping with it for the next two nights.”
We laughed as we made our way to dinner. Before we made it to the dining room, Devon and Lucas met us in the hallway.
“Just the women we were looking for,” Devon said. He waved us down a different hallway. “Let’s talk in one of the studios.”
Lucas gave me a nod and followed behind us. Cressa seemed more curious than concerned, so I relaxed the shoulders that had been creeping up my neck.
Devon directed us to chairs that circled a small coffee table with a lovely sculpture of what I guessed to be a wood nymph. “I thought we should talk before dinner. There’s a change to your itinerary, and before we go over it, I want to assure you that I trust every member of the Family. But, in speaking with Lucas, Colantha, and Sergi, we want to keep the reason for your trip confidential. If what we suspect is truly in the book, Lorenzo might still be monitoring it.”
“We were also thinking about the custodian Lyra remembers seeing the day before her accident. The one she thought was having an affair with Philipe.” Lucas hadn’t taken a seat. He leaned against a wall, hands in his pockets.
“Has she remembered her name?” I asked.
“No,” Devon replied. “And considering the not-so-friendly welcome Lucas received from the curator in San Francisco, we don’t think she’ll be willing to share the name.”
Lucas nodded his agreement. “With the curator being new to that location, it’s possible she’s not aware of her or her relationship with Philipe. And we don’t want to draw unwanted attention to the custodian.”
“So, how do we find her?” Cressa asked.
“There’s one possibility.” Lucas ran a hand through his hair and glanced at me. I wasn’t sure why, but I nodded and gave him a smile. “The custodian I spoke with at the annex might be willing to help me out. I got the sense he was concerned by the information the curator gave us. Like he knew she was lying. He might have worked there in 1925 or has access to the names of the custodians at the time.”
“So, we go to San Francisco first?” I asked.
Devon nodded. “But we need to minimize the ability for anyone to follow your movements. Sergi will be creating multiple identities for you. We’ll need to update your photos for proper IDs, and I’d like that taken care of after dinner. As far as the mission itself, it will be up to you to follow where the leads take you. Sergi will be your single point of contact for any assistance you need, but I want specific check-in times established.”
“What if the vamps that attacked us are there again?” The attack had been an adrenaline rush at the time. Afterward, it had shaken me. It all worked out, but I wasn’t sure I could have disabled the vamp who attacked me if Lucas hadn’t been there. I glanced at him, and his slow smile spoke volumes. It gave me more assurance than I expected. If he believed I could do this, I wouldn’t let him down.
“You know what you have to do. You’ve been trained for this.” Devon stood and laid a hand on my shoulder. “Lucas has confidence in you, and so do I. Finding this book is critical to our success.”
I nodded, unable to string words together.
“We’ll see you at dinner.” Devon nodded to Lucas, and they strode out.
I stared at the wall where Lucas had been leaning. He’d been so confident. Not just about the mission, but about my role in it. I took Devon’s words to heart, though it wasn’t easy to align what I felt in my heart with what I heard in my head.
Cressa put an arm around my shoulder and gave me a squeeze. “That little chat just made it real.”
I snorted. “Ya think?” I leaned into her, and she leaned back.
“I never meant for you to get so involved in Family business.”
“I’m not sure when it happened, but somewhere I crossed the line. Maybe it’s my need to pay Devon back for everything he’s done for me. I mean, he could have just given me money and told me to find a new start someplace else.”
“He wanted us to have each other. His way of ensuring I didn’t lose my best friend. I doubt he understood exactly where the path to remove his censure would take him. I don’t think any of us would have considered war.”
I stood, fluffed my hair, and tugged at my dress before straightening my shoulders. “Enough wallowing. Lucas and I can do this. We’ll find the book or Philipe.”
“But not at any cost.” She hugged me. “I can’t lose you, so watch your backside and listen to Lucas. If all else fails—run like hell.”