Blood Legacy: Adult Urban Fantasy (The V V Inn Book 5) Read Free Page B

their office on the way to get both sets of keys. The house is yours.” She thrusts out her hand to shake mine. “Congratulations.”
    The next hour flies by. We draw up a contract for the place I earmarked for Jon. It’s further out than I thought, but heavily wooded and backs a park. Once again, I’m grateful for my wife’s preplanning that has allowed for bank accounts filled with millions in various countries around the world—with even more in Argentina since we have the island off the southeastern coast.
    With the later part of the afternoon still ahead of me, I hustle and get the supplies needed to insulate and drywall the basement. The simple, but tedious, task of shoving the insulation in and slapping up dry wall and the first layer of mud takes me a few hours. I won’t be able to apply the next coat over the seams until this one is dried, so I climb back into the shiny, new, dark blue Audi I purchased last week, and drive to the Tribunal’s neighborhood. I say neighborhood because they literally own the whole block, plus adjacent homes to ensure their safety and privacy.
    I park a few doors down from the main townhouse, the one we entered last month for the autumn ball, and the one the other houses on the street connect to underground—vampires really do love their secret tunnels and hidden exits.  
    The trees lining the darkening street are bare of leaves, casting eerie shadows as the sun slips below the horizon. A harsh wind kicks up the few dead leaves from under a hedge, whirling the mass into the air before moving on.  
    The flip of seasons below the equator is a welcome change of pace, especially for a species that thrives in the dark, but occasionally I do miss having a chance to enjoy the warm days of summer. I sip coffee while watching the doorways. Nothing much reveals itself, just the average comings and goings of employees needed to keep a large residence running smoothly.  
    What I haven’t seen in a week is hide nor hair of their pet wizardling, Justin. If he stays on schedule, he’s due back today to renew his magical wards. I’m hoping to get another glimpse of him before Dria and Jon arrive.
    How do I feel about Jon coming to help? To be honest, I’m relieved. I may tease the arrogant bastard who watches my wife a little too closely, but I’m used to having him by our side, protecting both of us, even if he swears he’s only watching Dria’s back. This was our first extended trip out of the country in years without Jon, and with all the danger flying around my wife, I hope it’s our last trip without him.  
    No matter what I say to Dria, inside I’m racked with guilt. If I had insisted he come, could things have ended differently in late May? Would he have been able to stop Dria from being taken and tortured? Would his presence have kept her safe? Seeing the ravaged body of my wife again in my mind’s eye makes one thing very clear: I will accept anyone in our lives to keep her safe. Jealousy and self-doubt have no room among the fear of an absolute there’s no return from: the final death of an undead.  
    I check the messages on my phone and see Dria is already in the air. She’ll be here in a few hours and we’ll be able to have an intimate reunion before Jon arrives tomorrow night. Good. I need it.  
    Movement on the townhouse’s grand steps draws my eye. My luck has finally changed. The familiar lanky form dressed all in black descends, taking the stairs carefully, with his attention turned inward. By the subtle movement of his lips, I’m guessing Justin’s either talking through a Bluetooth earpiece I can’t see, or perhaps checking the strength of a safety ward.
    Luckily, a lone human parked on the street during the day when the vampires are asleep, hasn’t triggered an alarm. Maybe the ancients’ arrogance doesn’t normally allow for fear of one lowly human. Local residents carrying pitchforks and torches? Probably, yes.
    Justin reaches the sidewalk and