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“I’ll finish the introductions,” I told our group. “Madeline and Queen Sophia are good friends, so if Madeline wished for her freedom, she’d have it. Holly is likely still under some kind of terms from whatever agreement she made with Bran when he turned her, so when Bran says they’re both his in every way, he means it quite literally, I believe.”
“It’s nice to make your acquaintance,” Venom told them.
“Etta and Marco are friends of old,” I told Holly and Madeline, “and she’s his Secundo, while Venom is his third. Bran knows, so Marco skipped those introductions, but I like to address everyone in the room.”
“Ranger works for Drake Security,” Holly told Madeline. “We’d be safe with just Cora and Ranger, but add the rest? We’ll be fine. Bran put us in excellent hands.”
“I’ve visited here, but never made it outside. I lived at the main palace in Rome for nearly a year,” Madeline said. “I know most of the Concilio members, so they’ll all be…”
“Proprietary,” Holly supplied. “She was traded to a senior member for a year as payment for something between he and Bran, and he was liberal in sharing her. It’s my job to remind them she’s Bran’s personal property again, but there are some, should they want a quickie, I should not refuse.”
“Well then, we’ll do our best to avoid any roving vampires, but I assume the high-ranking members are in the meeting.”
“Some will avoid the meeting in order to keep from being associated with what’s being talked about,” Madeline said.
Etta’s voice sounded in my head. I can pull the entire group into a telepathic chat.
Doublecheck with Holly telepathically. If she’s good with it, please do so.
Furio, Ranger, and I started loading up with weaponry. We all had hidden holsters in our waistbands; Ranger and I had an ankle holster as well. Furio wore an undershirt with an underarm holster built in, and his dress shirt over the top completely hid it. I tucked my Emerson Wave knife into my pocket — it’s designed so it opens as it exits your pocket, and it’s saved my life more than once. The blade on mine is plenty long enough to reach a vampire’s heart, and I personally added enough silver near the tip, it’ll paralyze even the oldest and strongest vampires, and it’ll give all the rest their final death.
It's best if we keep telepathy to a minimum in this manner, but it’s good we have the option, Holly told us once Etta set it up.
You’re likely not allowed to tell me much, but I’d appreciate any insights you can provide along the way. Etta told Holly.
Holly nodded, and we were on our way.
Venom and Etta can sense brains in the vicinity, so they moved our group away from the strongest vampires as we made our way across the lavish grounds toward the vineyards.
Holly slowed as we approached some outbuildings, and I sniffed to try to sense what they were. When I got nothing, I telepathed Etta, Please see if you can brush over any minds and find out what these buildings are. Also, can you tell what they are by scent? I cannot.
The small buildings above are likely the guard shacks that allow entry into a vast underground network, because there are at least a hundred minds below us. I can pick up brain activity, but they are all walled off against me, which is most peculiar. It’s as if vampires are protecting their minds, which makes sense while they have so many of us here, but I don’t dare try to dig into any.
No, you don’t. Thanks for looking.
The winemaking facilities are actually inside the mountain, away from sunlight, and one of the worker-bees was ordered to walk us through the facility and explain what we were seeing.
My grandfather used to make wine, so I was familiar with the process, but seeing what it takes to process thousands of gallons, rather than the thirty to fifty gallons a year he made, was interesting.
Etta took us back to the palace another way, and as we passed by a small trail that led off to our right, she telepathed to the group, This trail leads to a natural cave system in the mountains, and if one had the appropriate maps, they could likely reach the other underground facilities we may or may not have walked above on our way to the vineyards.
Good to know, Holly replied. Bran will owe your Master more than a few nights with Madeline for this information.
Chapter 16
Marco
Bran walked us to the front of the room when we arrived, and we sat in the seating area reserved for previous Concilio members. I’m not one, but Bran is, and apparently, he was allowed to bring a friend to sit with him.
The most surprising part of the meeting, for me, was when I realized the vampire introduced as Leonardo was Griffin’s genitor magnus, his grandsire, the maker of his maker.
Cora was in danger, since she’s part of the group who’d managed to give Griffin his second and final death, but so long as Leonardo was here, she should be fine. Still, I worried.
Rather than telepath her, I opened up to Etta and told her, Griffin’s genitor magnus is here. He’s calling himself Leonardo now. Keep an extra eye on Cora for me?
He’s bad news. Why would he be after Cora?
She didn’t kill Griffin, but she was part of the set-up that led to his final death.
