“Our basement is the perfect place for a Boris Karloff-type laboratory.” Her quick smile was already lighting up her eyes. She could take his breath away with that smile.
Gregori lifted a hand and made a small movement to disperse the dust particles. A breeze started, slow and easy, but built into a whirlwind that raced through the building. By the time the wind had died down, there was nothing left of the shimmering message Julian had left them, the room was clean, and the peeling wallpaper was smooth once again. “Come with me, Savannah. We will see what else Julian left for us.” He held out a hand to her.
She laced her fingers through his and followed him down the spiral stairs. She did not want to imagine why Julian would give up a house he had had for two hundred years. It couldn’t be that he was giving up his life. What if his own twin could not talk him out of it? She swallowed hard, remembering how close she had come to losing Gregori. Where was Julian’s lifemate? Did she exist? There were so few women for their men.
“I want you to stay right here by the stairs while I study the room.” Gregori made it an order. It was wrapped up in his mesmerizing voice, but it was an order all the same.
“If Julian left us a present, Gregori, there’s no need to worry that it would be some kind of trap,” she pointed out, slightly annoyed.
He lifted his head, the silver eyes slashing at her. “You are altogether too trusting, bébé. You should have learned long ago to use your own senses, never to rely on another. That is the way our race has survived.”
“We have to trust each other, Gregori,” she protested.
“We are often forced to hunt our own brothers. That is why most males choose not to share blood, even to save lives. It makes them easier to track if and when they turn vampire. Also, remember that vampires are known to be the best deceivers in the world. No, chérie, we do not trust any other male without a lifemate.”
“What a terrible way you have had to live,” she said softly.
“Exist,” he corrected. “It is not living to be isolated from and shunned by your own race even while they need you desperately. I shared my blood when necessary, but few were willing to exchange with me.”
As always, she could detect no self-pity, no emotion whatsoever. Gregori accepted his way of life. He would never trust anyone all the way. Her teeth tugged at her lower lip. Did that include her? Was a part of Gregori always going to be held away from her? She was so young and inexperienced. She wished she was an ancient woman in full power so she could aid him as he deserved.
He glided through the underground chamber, never touching the floor. Gregori examined every inch of the walls. There are two entrances, one leading to a separate chamber hidden in the thickness of the walls, and the other a tunnel constructed with pipe and cement to keep out the water. “The tunnel most likely leads to the outside.”
“A bolt hole,” she said. “The courtyard?”
He shook his head. “I doubt it, Savannah. Julian would want to head away from the property and people.” It seemed inconceivable to him that Julian would want to be in the city to begin with. The Julian Savage he knew was as solitary as he was. He preferred the high places, the mountains. Solitude.
“So is it booby-trapped?” she asked with a hint of sarcasm.
“I almost wish it was,” he said, trying to maintain a straight face. “I do not think I will live it down that you are right in this instance.” When she raised her eyebrows and waggled them at him, he gave her satisfaction. “No, it is not.” He passed a hand over the smooth wall nearest the courtyard.
A hidden door slid open noiselessly to reveal a chamber large enough for two people to lie in. The interior was beautifully carved with ancient inscriptions. Julian Savage was clearly an artist, the etchings soothing and appealing to the eye. Savannah knew little of the language, but she could tell that what had been wrought was a safeguard of some kind, with healing symbols woven in. The entire effect was one of peace and sanctuary.