Ian. “Ashael told Yonah to expect us, so point the way or move aside.”
A smile quirked the Russian vampire’s mouth. “Follow me.”
Silver trotted behind us as we went into the room overlooking the pool. The only decoration or furniture it boasted was plants on various stands. The bareness highlighted the large stone fountain with a carved Medusa in the middle of the room. She didn’t look ugly or monstrous the way legend claimed. This Medusa was beautiful, the snakes gently haloing her head with devotion instead of their reputed mindless menace.
Our guards led us past the fountain room into a library. Shelves covered the walls to the ceiling, while leather couches were arranged around the open stone hearth in the center of the room. First fountains, now fire pits. If we passed a mud shrine in the next room, all the elements would be represented.
“Wait here,” the Russian vampire directed, indicating one of the generous-sized couches. “I will bring Yonah to you.”
I sat, weariness urging me to stretch out until I was lying flat. I resisted the temptation even though dawn now bathed the windows with streaks of gold. If I were a new vampire, I’d have no choice but to sleep, but I was thousands of years past the anesthetizing effects of the rising sun.
Silver sat on the floor near me, while Ian folded his long, lean frame into the opposite corner of my couch. He looked completely relaxed, arms resting on the back of the couch and legs stretched out in front of him, but his eyes told a different story. They moved over our surroundings with tactical thoroughness, gauging threats and assessing advantages.
I didn’t know why I wasn’t doing the same. Ashael had promised we’d be safe here, but his word had hardly proven to be infallible. I was tired, but I’d remained on high alert while practically dead on my feet from exhaustion before. So why wasn’t I scoping the place out while coiled and ready to fight the way Ian was?
You don’t have to.
The truth of that hit me, as unexpected as a sniper’s bullet. Tenoch had taught me to rely only on myself, but I wasn’t fighting to be at my best now as I knew that Ian would alert me if things took a dangerous turn. Until then, I could take a moment to relax, knowing I was safe because he wouldn’t let anything hurt me while I was vulnerable.
Was this . . . was this what trust felt like?
If so, it was like sinking into a warm bath after an achingly brutal day. I wanted to wrap myself in the glorious, unfamiliar feeling, but it was also an indictment on everything I’d done since Ian had come back from the dead. I thought Ian couldn’t survive the threats I still had to face, yet he’d proven more than able to meet every challenge I’d feared plus several I hadn’t even thought of. Now, I was the one leaning on him, not the other way around.
I’d ripped my heart apart these past several weeks for nothing, hadn’t I? For nothing! If it wouldn’t look severely psychotic, I’d start punching myself in the face.
Footsteps jerked my attention to the far corner in the room. Our three guards reappeared when one of the book shelves suddenly slanted open, revealing a door. A hidden passageway: how very old-school. A new, bald vampire of medium height also came from the secret bookshelf entrance. He had sand-colored skin, a Roman nose, pleasant features, and a swimmer’s build. Ian leapt to his feet when he saw him. I followed suit, smiling to indicate friendly intentions, because I recognized him from Ashael’s blood-soaked conference call yesterday.
“Yonah,” I said. “Pleased to finally meet you.”
Ian’s hands flashed with rapid movements. For a shocked moment, I thought he was conjuring a spell. Then a smile wreathed Yonah’s face and his hands moved with similar speed.
Sign language. Not ASL or any of the other sign languages I was versed in. I didn’t know this one. No surprise, Ian did.
“Imperative that this remains between us,” Ian finished out loud while still signing. The verbal part must have been for my benefit, then.
Yonah’s gaze raked me, lingering over my hair. Recognition sparked in his eyes before he hooded his expression. Still, it was enough. He’d either seen my father in his true form, or someone had told him about me. Which was better? I had no idea.
“You’ve clearly encountered difficulties in your travels,” Yonah noted, also