“Fuck that,” she muttered as she entered the barracks and headed for her small private room. She’d told Xavier she needed to check in on the daylight troops, but they remained tucked warmly in their beds for now, and wouldn’t show up for duty until just before sunrise, when the vamps went off to sleep. Which meant she could grab a few hours of shut-eye before it was necessary for her to be awake and thinking rationally.
XAVIER WAITED UNTIL Layla had left the bedroom and then his office, until she’d exited into the hallway and closed the office door, and then waited even longer, until he could no longer sense her mental signature in the vampire wing. He’d taken her blood twice during the hours they’d spent together, and though she’d done no more than unintentionally lick a taste of his blood, the combination was enough that he could track her at this range.
She would have been unhappy, to say the least, to discover his plans for the rest of the night. And probably beyond angry at what those plans meant for the not too distant future. He could have confided in her. She’d been in the American military for several years, and involved in more than one highly sensitive mission. Add to that the obvious loyalty of the fighters she now commanded, and it equaled a person who could be trusted with confidential details. But it wasn’t only his life at stake if the plan went wrong, and so he’d made the decision to keep his plans secret. She could be angry at him later. And he had no doubt that there would be a later for them. He’d let her go once, and it had been the right thing to do. If she’d never returned to the Fortalesa, his long life would have gone on, very possibly with another woman eventually becoming his mate.
But she had returned. And this time, he was going to let fate take its own path.
Stepping into the hallway, he listened carefully to be certain he was alone. It wasn’t only Layla he wanted to keep in the dark. Only two other vampires knew of this mission, no one else.
Striding down the dark halls under the vampire wing, he kept his senses attuned to the presence of others. Two hours from now, these same hallways would be busy with his vampires seeking the safety of their unground quarters before sunrise. But now they were nearly deserted, his vamps all out with whatever their night’s plans had been, whether work or play.
He made a final turn into a short, dark hallway, with a lone door at its end. The enhanced sight granted by his vampire blood showed him the details clearly, especially since he knew the door, and the room beyond, were there. Most would have dismissed it as nothing more than a supply closet, if they’d found it at all. And even then, they would have been unable to open the door, since the well-concealed biometric lock was keyed only to him and the two others who knew of tonight’s mission.
Chuy and Joaquim stood when he slipped inside and closed the door behind him. He waved them down and took a chair for himself, grateful that one of them—probably Chuy—had thought to bring a thermos of warm blood wine. He didn’t need the blood after what he’d taken from Layla, but he took the glass anyway, when Chuy poured and handed it to him.
Taking a long sip, Xavier leaned back to face the others. “The raid on the rogue vampire nest? Did it turn up anything useful?”
Joaquim frowned. “Our people discovered six vampires living in what was supposed to be an empty building, not far from the docks. They were all questioned and executed, but had no knowledge of Sakal. They were renegades from Poland. They mistook the relative scarcity of vampires in downtown Barcelona as an indicator of lax oversight on your part.”
“You’re certain of their story?”
“Yes, my lord. I questioned them myself.”
Xavier scowled. “That’s disappointing, though not entirely surprising. Sakal is much too weak to control any vampires on his own. His followers will be human, just like those we’ve already uncovered.” He sipped his wine before continuing. “Are we all set for tonight, then?”
“We are,” Joaquim confirmed. “Though I’m still not convinced it’s wise for you to go alone.”
“I’m not going alone. Chuy will be with me.”
“And if Chuy”—he glanced at the lieutenant and said, “No offense, my friend,” before continuing—“is out of the picture for one of a million reasons that could pull him away during a mission like this, you’ll be alone. And we still have no idea of who’s really inside the damn sorcerer’s lair. He could have an entire army of vampires in there with him.”
It was much the same scenario that Layla had posed, but Xavier’s response was very different. “I appreciate your concern, but as I said, Sakal simply doesn’t have the juice to control an army of vampires. He’s not even strong enough to be a member of my personal guard, much less to command the equivalent of one.”
“And what of his sorcery?”
“It doesn’t work on me. You know that. And while I hesitate to remind you of the obvious, I am a vampire lord, and a more than ordinarily powerful one. If Sakal has somehow used sorcery to corral an army of vampires under his command, there is no question that I could seize control and turn them against him.”
“All true, Sire. But why not take both of us, as insurance.”
“Because I need you here to give the appearance that this is an ordinary night in the Fortalesa. It’s not at all unusual for me not to be seen for hours after sunset, and Chuy is frequently out pursuing some task or other on my behalf. But you, my friend, are on the wall, in the armory, the hospital, and always available if called to the gate. You’re visible and would be missed. Plus, I need you to verify Sakal’s arrival at and departure from the compound. Another vampire could do that, but he would have questions and might even have to be told about the mission. And every new person adds a new layer of danger.”
Joaquim sighed gustily. He was still unhappy, Xavier knew. But he’d resigned himself to the reality. It was critical that this mission be carried out with the utmost secrecy. He trusted his people—vampire and human—most of whom had been living in the Fortalesa for years, if not generations. They could still betray him. It did happen. Their lives would be forfeit, and the remainder of it brutally painful once he found them. Which he would, since the only way they could escape was to secure the protection of a stronger vampire lord. And there were none stronger than Xavier in Europe. Lachlan was possibly his equal, and Quinn was not only powerful, but had a truly fearful offensive ability. But they seemed to be content on their islands, and anyway, he couldn’t see either of them taking on a vampire who’d betrayed his oath to Xavier.
The humans within the Fortalesa were another matter. He trusted them, too, but humans could be too easily forced to betray others against their will. Once confronted, he would know if they lied and could dig the truth from their brains. But the damage would be done. If one human knew a secret, it was no longer a secret.