“No, there was . . . one close to us who turned traitor, which is how Sakal was able to time his own ambush to foil ours. Fortunately, Layla Casales”—he gestured in her direction, then across the table to where Brian sat next to Chuy—“and the rest of her team discovered Sakal’s plot in time to get us to safety.”
“A traitor?” One of the commanders repeated, disbelief written on his face. “Sire, who would—?”
“His identity no longer matters, nor does he. However, before I executed him, I scoured his mind for any knowledge he had on the sorcerer—including the location of his current lair. It is in France, but close enough to my border that, knowing he was there, I was able to verify his presence. He thinks himself safe for having fled over the border. He’s a fool.
“I will contact my fellow vampire lord in France. With or without his consent, we will be moving on the sorcerer and destroying everything he holds dear, before I kill him. However, I am confident we will be given leave to cross the border for this purpose, given the circumstances.”
He activated a digital display hanging on the wall to one side of the table. “This is aerial drone footage of the estate where Sakal lives. As you can see, it is remote enough that a nighttime battle won’t be detected by anyone except those who value their privacy too much to intervene. The estate is also separated from its neighbors by several acres.
“Now . . . ” He zoomed into a close-up of the estate itself. “This will be a brutal, bloody, take no prisoners battle. A battle for vampires,” he added, looking directly at Layla and her lieutenant, Brian. Her reaction was exactly what he’d anticipated, but before she could finish a sharp inhalation to power her even sharper protest, he cut her off by saying, “But first, I’m going to request the assistance of our human allies in scouting the location during daylight hours before we go in. Although these images are recent—”
“Acquired how?” Layla interrupted to ask. “And from whom?”
He regarded her for a long moment, not accustomed to being interrupted. She had certain privileges as his lover, and very soon his mate, but it set a bad precedent. Although not really for anyone in this room, except maybe her Brian. “Friends,” he said finally, answering her question. “Reliable friends who own a fleet of drones for commercial purposes, and who are willing to turn them to our purposes instead.”
He raised a questioning eyebrow in her direction, which she returned with an unapologetic shrug, before he continued. “As I said, these images are very recent, but they are prior to Sakal’s recent escape and return to the estate.” He paused. “Layla? Brian? Can we count on your assistance?”
She seemed surprised at his question. “Yes, of course. After yesterday, we all want that asshole dead. What do you need from us?”
He eyed her with some amusement, though strove to keep it off his face. She deserved respect as a military leader, just as much as he did. “Scouting. Before finalizing our attack plans, I want the latest information on defenses and troop placement, including vampires. Your people should be able to catch the first vampire movements as evening settles, and before we can get there. There are also human guards for daylight security, which you can see in the footage. I expect they’ll fight for him, night or day.”
“What of the sorcerer’s magic, my lord?” Xavier wasn’t surprised when Chuy asked the question. After all, he’d been with Xavier earlier when they’d both almost died as a direct result of Sakal’s magic.
“I am, luckily, immune to sorcery and human magic,” Xavier said, looking around the room. “I was too complacent, too certain of my facts, when we entered Sakal’s lair this morning. That was my ego, my failing. It won’t happen again.”
Xavier paused long enough to sip from a small glass of warmed blood and wine Chuy had placed in front of him. Then he zoomed to a detailed close-up of the estate. “Layla, Brian, this is what I’d like you to do . . . ”
TWO HOURS LATER, Xavier’s blood hunger was a living thing inside him. He hadn’t felt this way in such a long time that it had taken him a moment to reason out why he was not only hungry but could feel the edge of exhaustion creeping into his muscles. It was the fight in Sakal’s lair, compounded by the sorrow of Joaquim’s treachery that had drained him. What he wanted more than anything at this moment was to drag Layla to his bed and spend the rest of the night feeding and fucking. The combination would leave him fully restored and at the peak of his power for tomorrow’s battle.
“Remember, gentlemen—and lady,” he said, hoping it would signal the end of the meeting. “We will surround the fortress discreetly as soon as it’s practical after sunset, and move as one on my command. Rules of engagement . . . we spare any humans who do not threaten our fighters, whether they were previously combatants or not. We’re not in the business of slaughtering humans. That said, if they do threaten our people, they will be killed. And, of course, every vampire is fair game.” He looked around, careful to meet the gaze of every person at the table. “Questions?”
When no one spoke up—much to his relief—he said, “Departures will commence by helicopter at one hour past sunset for my vampires. Layla, if you’ll provide”—he stopped before he could speak Joaquim’s name—“Chuy with your preferred departure time and any equipment you’ll need, he’ll arrange for a helicopter and a human pilot to be ready for you. Once sunset is past, all pilots will be vampire. For now, all of you should find what rest you can. The next time we meet, it will be war.”
As the others stood, gathering papers or electronic devices, he said, “Layla?”
She gave him a private half-smile and said something quietly to Brian, who glanced at Xavier, then nodded his agreement and left. She strolled over to join him as Chuy followed the others out of the room and closed the door, leaving the two of them alone.
First, there was one more piece of battle planning that he needed to bring up with Layla. Looking down at her, his hands on her arms holding her body away from his so he wouldn’t be tempted before he’d made a final request, he said, “I didn’t want to say this in front of the others, since I’m not sure how many are aware, but I wanted to ask you something. You mentioned your Kerry has some magical sensitivity.”
“She does.”
“I’d like her to use whatever skill she has to detect any magical defenses Sakal will have deployed over the estate. He’s not powerful enough to cast an overall defensive shield—”
“What about the shield that kept you trapped in his lair? Wasn’t that a defensive shield?”