Flesh and Blood

‘Ms. Lapointe, there is a visitor here, but they’re not on your list. Should I let them in?’

‘Who is it?’

After a brief pause, the guard responded. ‘He says he works for Mr. Scarnato and has a message from him.’

She chewed her bottom lip. If someone meant her harm, why would they bother stopping at the guard shack? Why not find another way in? Although using Dominic’s name was a pretty good ruse. ‘He’s alone?’

‘Yes, ma’am.’

‘Let him through.’

‘Very good, ma’am.’

She checked the closed-circuit monitor that showed the gates into the property. Those gates had to be opened manually, which would give her time to react if whoever was in that vehicle was up to something. Instinctively, she felt for her wrist blades, but she wasn’t in the habit of rearming herself once she’d gotten ready for bed. Perhaps that would have to change. She turned. ‘Velimai, could you get my—’

Velimai stood behind her, Chrysabelle’s sacre in her upraised hands.

‘Sword.’ Smiling, Chrysabelle took the weapon, careful not to touch the wysper’s sandpaper skin. ‘Thanks.’

Should I get Maris’s sacre as well? she signed.

‘No. I plan on keeping her rule of no vampires in the house, so whoever this is won’t be coming in.’ She slipped her arm through the red leather strap on the sheath and hung the sacre over her shoulder. ‘Assuming it’s a vamp.’

Good, Velimai signed. I’ll be in the kitchen. Call if you need me.

‘Will do.’

As Velimai headed into the other room, Chrysabelle turned back to the monitor. A sleek black car stopped outside the gates. The window tinting prevented seeing into the vehicle, but the driver put the window down and leaned out, presumably to let her get a good look at him. She recognized him as one of the fringe vamps who had piloted Dominic’s plane to Corvinestri on the trip to save Maris. What was his name? Leo? Yes, that was it.

He pressed the intercom button. ‘Evening, Ms. Lapointe. I’m alone.’

She leaned on the wall and pushed the button to be heard. ‘Good evening, Leo. Get out of the car and walk in. I’ll buzz the pedestrian gate.’

He gave a thumbs-up, got out of the car, and walked to the left where a smaller gate allowed pedestrians to come and go.

She punched the buzzer. He pushed through and headed toward the house. She kept tabs on him via the monitor on his way to the front door. She opened it before he could knock.

‘Here you are.’ Leo handed her a sealed envelope.

She took it. ‘Be right back.’

‘I’ll just stay here.’ He backed away but stayed within the pale glow cast by the entrance lights.

Yes, she thought, you will. She shut the door and ran her nail beneath the seal. It occurred to her as she read the note within that she had no way of knowing if the handwriting belonged to Dominic or not.

Buonasera, dearest Chrysabelle,

I am sorry to approach you this way, but I find the events of the past few weeks have weakened me more than I anticipated. My heart seems incapable of healing, and my body has followed suit. Please, bella, it shames me to ask, but if you could provide me with the nourishment to return to my full strength, I would consider it a great boon and be indebted to you for my eternity. I know well the value of what you can provide, so if you are not so inclined, I understand and hold no ill will.

Ciao,

Dominic Scarnato

She stared at the note. Then read it again. It meant exactly what she thought it did. Dominic wanted blood. Her blood. Well, what he wanted was comarré blood. She couldn’t blame him. Comarré blood meant power and strength unlike anything human blood could provide. Dominic had been through so much and had done so much for her. After they’d returned from Corvinestri, he’d sent his cypher fae, Solomon, to the house to prepare a special ward to erase the house’s location from Tatiana’s memory. How he’d done that exactly, she didn’t know, but Dominic’s alchemy was strong. He was a good man at heart. She would give him the blood. After all, Malkolm didn’t want it. Maybe she could even get Dominic to go with her to fight Tatiana. No doubt he wanted her dead as much as Chrysabelle.

The sacre no longer necessary, she unhooked the sword from her shoulder and rested it against one of the large Oriental vases flanking the foyer entrance. She opened the door. ‘I’ll be right back with a package for Dominic.’

The fringe nodded. ‘Very good.’

She went to the kitchen and placed two containers of blood from the fridge into the cryopack she’d previously used to send blood to Mal. He’d sent the pack back empty, but she knew full well he hadn’t drunk the blood. Fine. He could be a child. She wasn’t going to allow herself to revisit the hurt she’d felt over his rejection. Wasn’t going to dwell on the fact that comarré rule held such a rejection to be akin to human divorce. Now Dominic would benefit from what she had to offer. Better than it going to waste. Of course, if Mal did still hold her blood rights, giving blood to another vampire was … very wrong, to put it plainly. She shoved down the proper comarré thoughts and did her best to ignore the nagging urges of her past.

Part of her – the small, feminine, rebellious part of her that had begun to strengthen these last few weeks – even hoped Mal found out. Maybe it would spur him to action.

She returned and handed the cooler to Leo. ‘Tell Dominic I hope he’s well, and I’ll speak to him soon.’