Page 35 of Blood Descendants
The rest of the night is between me and my son, the message comes across clear as day.
Ares leans over and presses a kiss to my temple. I offer him a tiny smile as he stands, watching the gorgeous view as he walks away with his father back toward the office.
I lean forward and take one of the hors d’oeuvres left on the coffee table. Of course, it’s one of the best tasting things I’ve ever put in my mouth. I can only imagine how much Augustus pays his cook. I take another, knowing I’m killing a bit of time. Even though Augustus gave me the invitation to look around the mansion, I don’t need to look suspicious by immediately looking through every drawer and under every surface for hidden door buttons.
Ares was at the Red party because he wanted to figure out why his father was hosting and holding the parties. Augustus is in real estate. He’s not an entertainer. He’s not trying to draw in clients by hosting parties where vampires feed on humans who, for the most part, don’t know what the purpose of the Red parties is.
Ares wanted to know why his father was doing this.
And my best friend had disappeared after attending one of those Red parties.
I climb to my feet and circle the living room, looking over every surface, every nook, every doorway.
Do I expect Augustus is hiding Ophelia in some dark corner of his home? No. This man is smart, conniving even. The feeling of darkness that comes right off the man is enough to set my teeth on edge. But there’s no way he’d be so lazy as to take someone to his own home.
All this, operating under the assumption Ophelia is even still alive.
I don’t know what sick shit Augustus or his people are into.
But I’m going to hold out hope that Ophelia is fine until I see evidence to the contrary.
I wander into a grand dining room that even puts the one at Hunt House to shame. There’s a table that could host an entire boardroom of people. The detail work in the ceiling and rising the wall is dizzying. It’s nearly like a modern cathedral in here. Along the walls, there are paintings, photographs of old buildings around Manhattan, and there’s even a set of swords on display.
Beyond the dining room, I find a kitchen. But with the chef and his assistant busy at work preparing our dinner, I don’t get the chance to explore the place. Not much lost. It looks like a commercial kitchen. A beautiful one, but still sterile.
Down the hall, beyond Augustus’ office, is a guest bedroom with an attached bathroom. Beyond screaming wealth, there’s nothing of note. So, I take the stairs, rising up another floor.
Here, I find four other bedrooms, all of them look completely unoccupied. They look almost exactly like the one on the floor below. And I find no evidence of secret spaces or hidden doors. Again, not that I’m truly expecting to, but these are actual damn vampires I’m dealing with.
At the very end of the hall, I find the last bedroom. And I might not have the keen sense of smell Ares does, but even I can detect the scent of Augustus in here. Like money and coal and pine.
Looking over my shoulder, I find the floor still empty. I stepinside.
The bed is made. The carpet has recently been vacuumed. The housekeeper has rid every surface of dust. His nightstand is free of any clutter, and even though I’m dying to look through it, I’m not that stupid. We have to play this carefully, and if I go jumping in too suspiciously, it will blow everything.
The only thing of note is that on one of the bookcases, there is a line of nine picture frames. Ares occupies the first, a picture of him when he was just a teenager. I smile as I walk up to it. He looks so, so much younger and so much more innocent. His neck is completely free of tattoos. And while his ears were already pierced, the hoop in his nose is missing. But there’s something different about his eyes. They seem heavier. Darker.
I remember that this would be the time when Augustus was training Ares to be a part of the company when he was grooming Ares to be his predecessor, his little clone.
And I realize the miracle it is that Ares is the man he is, instead of just a younger version of his father.
My eyes slide over to the next frame, and I see another boy, one who looks to be about sixteen years old. He shares similar features to Ares, but his hair is much lighter, his eyes blue instead of hazel.
Beside the boy, there is a picture of a girl who looks around thirteen. Another girl after her, maybe twelve or so.
Five boys. Four girls.
Cold goosebumps flash over my skin when I realize these are all Augustus’ children.
And Ares and I are pretending to be trying for a baby, a child to add to this sick brood of power and influence on the city. Augustus is trying to increase the vampire population in the city to build sway.
To what end? The thought makes me shiver.
I turn, and finding nothing else of note in Augustus’ room, I wander back to the stairs. I ascend them to a door that lets out onto a gorgeous rooftop deck. And wonder and beauty prickle along my skin.
The view over the river is beautiful. Lights dance and sparkle in the dark. Behind me, the city rises to overwhelmingly tall heights. There are so many recognizable monuments.
Twinkle lights are strung along the railing. Centered in the massive space is a dining table that’s surprisingly intimate and cozy, with seating for only six. But I wander to the two seats set up near the railing, looking out over the river. I rub my hands over my arms, chilled in the mid-June air, considering my dress is sleeveless.
