Bound By Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #8)(57)

She shrugged. “I have no knowledge of a vampire capable of disguising his scent so thoroughly.”

“And what of a vampire capable of arriving in this cellar without leaving a trail?”

She didn’t need him to spell out the fact that curs and witches were incapable of popping from one place to another. Or that the only vampire capable of entering the cellar was one who possessed her own skills.

Her pale, exquisite features smoothed to an unreadable mask.

“It is a possibility I need to explore.”

“Explore?” Santiago tightened his grip on her arm, suddenly sensing he wasn’t going to like where this conversation was going. “Explore where?”

The dark, fathomless eyes gave nothing away.

“I must seek the Council of my Elders.”

Yep. He was right.

He didn’t like it. In fact, the mere thought of this woman disappearing to a place he couldn’t follow pissed him off.

“You’re returning behind the Veil?” he snapped.

“For now.”

“Do you think the vampire was a member of your clan?”

Her slender fingers reached to touch the medallion hung about her neck, her perfect calm only adding to his annoyance.

“It is only one of many possibilities.”

“I thought your precious people had evolved beyond the failings of us mere savages?”

There was a muffled cough before Salvatore was stepping to stand beside Nefri.

“This is beginning to feel like a party for two and I have more important things to do,” he murmured.

Santiago happily shared his annoyance with the Were. There was, after all, plenty to go around.

“What better things?” he demanded in suspicion.

The king’s suffocating power rushed through the room. “Not that I answer to you, bloodsucker, but I intend to take my pregnant mate to a more secure location.”

Santiago grimaced. Whatever his enjoyment in taunting the Were, he was as devoted as his Anasso to the precious babies that Harley carried.

Not only because she was the sister to his queen, but because children were a rare and wonderful gift among all demons, and most especially among the pureblooded Weres.

“She is always welcome with Styx and Darcy,” he offered. “There are few places more secure.”

Salvatore nodded. “That is no doubt where she will demand to be taken. I would prefer to return her to my lair in Italy, but Harley has a mind of her own.”

Santiago slid a covert glance toward the silent vampire at his side. “It used to be a woman knew her place.”

Salvatore gave a sharp laugh. “Yeah, and pigs used to fly,” he mocked, his own gaze shifting to Nefri. “When I’ve settled my mate, I want answers. Understood?”

She dipped her head in agreement despite Santiago’s suspicion that she could rip the Were into tiny pieces with terrifying ease.

With his point made, Salvatore turned to follow the cur’s exit path up the stairs, closing and locking the door above with an audible snap.

“Arrogant dog,” Santiago growled.

“I believe there is a saying about a pot calling a kettle black,” Nefri said in smooth tones, stepping away from his grasp with a determined motion.

She was going to try and escape without him.

Unacceptable.

But why?

Disliking the tiny voice that whispered he didn’t want to dig too deeply into his reasons, Santiago told himself that it was his distrust of those who vanished from this world that made him uneasy at allowing her to escape.

What if the vampire responsible for taking Cassandra was hiding behind the Veil? They would never find him. And they could hardly trust this woman to rat him out.

Everyone knew the Immortal Ones were a closed society that protected each other with fanatical dedication.

Yeah.

Only a fool would allow her to disappear.

“I’m not a dog and we haven’t finished our conversation,” he warned, barely resisting the urge to reach out and yank her into his arms.

“I was not aware we were having a conversation,” she countered, her low voice holding an edge of censure. “As I recall you were venting your disdain for those of us who chose to leave this world and I was ignoring you. A conversation is an exchange of ideas and information between individuals who respect one another.”

Santiago frowned. No one had dared lecture him since he’d been a foundling.

“You can’t just leave.”

“Actually I can.”

“We must share what we’ve discovered with Styx.” He latched on to the convenient excuse. “He has to be warned that there’s at least one vampire who has turned traitor.”

“You can do that without my presence.”

“He’ll have questions for you.”

Her brows lifted at his persistence. “I have no more answers than you do. If I do learn any new information then I will send word.”

“ No.”

Her brows lifted at his persistence. “I beg your pardon?”

Santiago shrugged. “My king commanded that I find Cassandra and right now you’re my best hope. I won’t fail him.”

She paused, studying him with a searching gaze. “He means so much to you?”

He did.