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"I don't think I was supposed to make it in here. The button to unlock the door had been jammed and we couldn't get in. I think you were supposed to die in here."
"That's what the guard that shot me said. The quickest way to kill you was to kill me. I just don't understand why he did it."
"He called you an abomination, remember? I told you about that. He called you an abomination and said they couldn't allow a bloodsucker to rule them."
"Who are they?" René asked.
"It had to be Benito," I replied. "He's one of the few people who knew about the panic room."
"Didn't you have Benito detained?" René asked.
"I escorted him down to the basement myself," Tashi said.
René squinted at me in obvious confusion. "Then...?"
"If you were in danger here at the villa," I said, "the first thing I would do is send you to the panic room. I believe he arranged for the window to be shot out so that I would send you here and they could shoot you and then lock you in, preventing me from getting to you and giving you my blood in time. They must know vampires can only feed from their mates once they are claimed. By killing you, they kill me, and I think that was their plan all along."
It sent a cold chill down my back just thinking about that.
"Why don't they want you to be the prince of gryphons?" Alessandro asked. "You're a good prince. Our people have been at peace for centuries because of you and your family."
There was only one reason I could think of. "Someone else wants to be prince."
"Is that even possible?" René looked skeptical.
"It can happen if there is a coup, but there hasn't been one in over five hundred years."
René's eyes narrowed. "Looks like that just changed."
"Not yet it hasn't." I wouldn't allow it. "I need to speak to Benito and find out who is behind all of this. While I do that, I want all the guards assembled in the entryway. I want to know who shot my mate."
"Let us help you," Armando said as he stepped forward. "I'm tired of people messing with my family, and that now includes you."
I smiled, liking that thought, but I was also worried about them. "I don't think it's safe. Maybe it would be better for you guys to go back to the airplane and wait for me."
René snorted. "Yeah, that's not going to happen."
I heard a muffled chuckle from behind me, but chose to ignore it because I had more pressing matters. "I really don't think that's a good idea. It's too dangerous."
"You go question Benito. My parents and I will deal with the guards."
"René—"
René held up his hand. "I'll take Tashi and Sato with me."
I grumbled silently to myself for a moment before sighing. "Take Sisko. He knows the guards better than Sato since he oversees them."
René nodded.
I wasn't happy with this turn of events, but I had to believe René could handle it. If he was going to be my consort, he had to be strong. And I had to have faith in him.
"Okay, I'll let you handle the guards, but I want you to stay in communication with me." I tapped René's temple. "Got it?"
René smiled and gave me a nod. "Same goes for you."
I pressed a kiss to René's lips. "Don't overdo it,gattino. You're still not recovered all the way."
"I will."
