“Domizio and Madolina traveled mostly through what would now be Italy for several years. Eventually, Domizio decided to utilize three households, mainly because he liked having his family close to him at all times. There appeared to be some problem, a drawing of the undead toward the eastern end of the country.”
“Do you know where they were after I left the family? Where Liona was?”
Adalasia slipped her hand into Sandu’s. He had always been calm and very relaxed, as if it didn’t matter one way or the other if they found the answers to his past. She knew differently now. He cared what happened to his sister and parents. He didn’t like that he had no memories of them.
Again, Luiz was silent for a time. A small breeze fluttered through the open walls, touching Adalasia’s face. She couldn’t help but look at the De La Cruz brother. He was incredibly charismatic in a very rugged, intense way. There were lines cut deep in his face. His eyes were striking set against his darker skin. He looked remote. More than that. Set apart. She thought Sandu looked that way. The guardians did. But Luiz took the look to another level altogether. Her heart went out to him.
As if he knew what she was thinking, his gaze shifted and suddenly settled on her face. The stare was piercing. Focused. That of a jungle cat. It should have been uncomfortable, because there was no doubt that Luiz De La Cruz was pure predator, but she felt safe around him. Even with the heavy burden he carried of that terrible shadowing of darkness, he had incredible honor, an iron will.
This was not a man who would succumb easily to the emptiness of centuries of warriors he now carried, as if he’d lived all those lifetimes. He had spent his life standing for women and children against others in his species determined to make them prey. He hadn’t changed his fundamental character. Instead, he’d strengthened those traits when he became a De La Cruz. He had taken on their code of honor, adding it to his own.
“Domizio became very secretive after you left, Sandu. He never spoke of you to other hunters other than to talk of your past. He didn’t tell anyone where you went or why. There was trouble, a rising of power along the eastern section of the northern Alps. The Dolomites.”
Adalasia’s heart skipped a beat. There was always the direction of east given to them, but no one had ever included the northern Alps. Or specifically named a mountain range. The eastern section now made sense. They not only had a direction but a mountain range. They were slowly narrowing it down. She hoped Luiz could add just a little bit more.
“Domizio mentioned not only that there was vampire activity in the area, but that he believed there was some kind of portal between this realm and the underworld. He was very uneasy when he spoke of it and mentioned several times to be wary of insects and reptiles. He said owls were used as well. When pressed, he admitted he had no proof. The next time a De La Cruz went through the area, Domizio and Madolina had moved on to the next world, and Liona was missing.”
Sandu leaned toward Luiz. “Do you recall where that last location was in the mountains?”
Luiz nodded. “I can give you the coordinates of the cave system.” He pushed the images into both Sandu’s and Adalasia’s minds. He did so casually, as if he weren’t giving them a gift beyond compare.
“Thank you, Luiz,” Adalasia said. “This is amazing information.”
“We owe you a huge debt,” Sandu acknowledged. “Have you thought about allowing Adalasia to give you a reading?”
Luiz nodded his head, his gaze once more fixed on Adalasia. Wholly focused. “Yes, I think it would be a good thing, Adalasia, if you believe it is. Do you?”
Her belly knotted. The only reason her heart remained steady was because she was firmly anchored in Sandu and following the rhythm of his. Did she? Why had she hesitated before? The cards had a life of their own, but she believed Luiz was a good and honorable man. If she believed that, she trusted that the cards would see past the shadowing in him and they wouldn’t pass a harsh judgment on him.
“I think it would be a good thing, Luiz. The cards hold a great power, and they will react with your power. Follow your instincts. I’ll hand them to you, and you shuffle and divide them into three stacks.”
She was disciplined, and she believed in herself and her abilities with the cards. She hadn’t read Luiz wrong. She slid her hand under her shirt and found the pouch, withdrawing it and opening it to shake the cards into her waiting hands. Luiz had moved a small table made from vines next to the bench and then pulled his chair close. Adalasia reached over the table to hand him the cards.