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They climbed into Eleanor’s SUV and after they’d driven for about half an hour, they reached the estate. It was a 16th century house with beautiful stonework, two main buildings connected, with giant stone walls around it. Landscaped grounds surrounded the estate, mazes of greenery that looked like they’d be fun to explore.
Angus laughed. “You took us to Elder Ferguson’s estate.”
“He’s no longer among the living. He was the last one we killed in the safe house below the estate,” Eleanor said, for Levka and his friends’ benefit. “And his estate is perfect for you to rest up.”
Ruric worked his electronic genius on the security gates. They went into the gated property, parked in the circular drive at the entryway, and then piled out of the SUV. Stasio was going to carry Jasmine into the mansion, but she gave him a look that said he better not even try. He smiled at her. And swept her up in his arms anyway. He was chivalrous if nothing else.
A butler hurried to greet them at the door, looking surprised to see them there. “Elder Ferguson said everyone would be at the safe house. Have the rebels been contained?”
Caitlin was getting ready to use her magic, but Eleanor quickly said, “You and the rest of your staff are free to leave or continue to work here for a new vampire. For now, you have the honor of taking care of the Welsh princes and their companions.”
The butler looked at Levka, then Jasmine. “Come right this way with the lass.” That was the thing with blood bonds. They really had no loyalty to one vampire or another if the one who paid their bills was dead.
They walked into the entryway and admired the barrel-vaulted ceilings and the beautiful Turkish tapestries, paintings of rural Highland scenes, but everything else was very modernistic.
He led Stasio into a white room—the king size bed covered in a white comforter and sheets, the large floor rug a fluffy white underneath the bed and reaching out about six feet all around the bed. A white bench covered in a soft pillow sat at the end of the bed. The walls were light beige and pretty warm lights highlighted a painting of fields of heather and the coastline. The room was warm and inviting.
“I’ll send the doctor. Elder Ferguson had his own on staff, but the doctor didn’t arrive in time to leave with them. I’m sure the elder was furious.” The butler offered a small conspiratorial smile. “I’ll send him right away.”
Levka watched as Stasio laid a perturbed Jasmine in the bed. “You know my arm was injured, not either of my legs.”
“Right, and you were moving so slowly, I knew you were suffering from blood loss,” Stasio said. “Do you want to feed off me?”
“You didn’t even give me a chance to get out of the SUV and stand on my own two feet,” she said.
Levka chuckled. “If the two of you are fine, Caitlin and I are settling down to get some sleep.”
“Yeah, thanks, Levka. For not being successful in our early revolt against the Welsh League I guess our tattered reputations are now shored up,” Stasio said.
“Just don’t let anyone know I was involved in any of this,” Jasmine said.
Stasio thought she had a one-track mind. She still wanted to be in good with the New York League. He wanted her to stay with them.
Caitlin peeked in the doorway. “Are you going to be alright, Jasmine?”
“Yes, yes, go spend time with Levka.” Jasmine sounded annoyed that everyone would be checking on her when she was a rough and tough assassin.
Then they left and Stasio joined Jasmine on the bed. “Take as much as you need.” He offered his wrist; she went for his throat. Okay, so that would work too.
14
Jasmine adored Stasio. He was so accommodating, no matter what the situation entailed when it had to do with her. She thought the world of him for being so thoughtful. When the doctor came to see her, Stasio stayed with her. She wondered if he’d done so because he was afraid the doctor might harm her if for some reason he had some loyalty to the elder who had owned the estate. Or maybe because Stasio wanted to really know what the doctor said about her wound. Maybe even to give her moral support.
“This is deep enough that you could use about a dozen stitches,” the doctor said. “Yes, you’ll heal without them with your ability to heal more quickly than humans, but it will still be slower if you don’t have them.”
Stasio was standing beside the bed, his arms folded across his chest, his expression contemplative. She wouldn’t doubt that he would try to convince her to get the stitches if she declined them, but she wanted this to heal up the fastest way possible. “Sure, go ahead, Doc.”
He had already cleaned the wound and then began to stitch it up. He’d numbed it first, but it sure hurt before he’d done that. Vampires were not impervious to pain.
Once he was finished, he bandaged her arm. “You probably will need some…sustenance because of losing so much blood. The elder has several blood bonds he’d left behind so any of them would be willing to offer you some blood.”
“It won’t be necessary,” Stasio said before Jasmine could speak.
Though Stasio had given her some blood, she had stopped feeding off him when they heard the doctor coming.
She arched a brow at Stasio. She wasn’t used to someone answering for her and she didn’t want Stasio to believe that if she was wounded, that meant she couldn’t speak for herself. She wasn’t in a coma, after all. She opened her mouth to answer the doctor.
But Stasio continued, “I’ll take care of her.”
