Read Death Deceives: Book Three (Mortis Vampire Series) for Free Online Page B

look down upon their minions.
    I frowned when I counted the plush chairs that were lined up side by side on the stage. “Why are there only eight chairs?” I asked Luc. “I thought there were nine Councillors.
    “One of the Council members disappeared a few months ago,” he replied. “The Comtesse assumed he had turned traitor and ordered his chair to be removed.”
    Since none of the council members had been created by the praying mantis, they still had the freedom to make their own choices. I could hardly believe one of them had had the balls to run from her after being her lackey for so long.
    Hearing footsteps approach, we turned as our friends entered the room. “We’ve just searched the ground floor and could see no signs of attack,” Gregor said as he entered the ballroom first. “What do you think has happened to everyone?”
    “ My guess would be that the First has called them in,” I replied. It was the only explanation that made sense to me. The First could control all possessed vamps. They wouldn’t be able to resist his long distance mental imperative to march to their doom.
    Geordie scratched his head in puzzlement . “But not all of the courtiers were ancient enough for their shadows to be in possession of them.” Igor frowned in agreement but remained silent.
    “It doesn’t matter how old they are,” I said in resignation. “The Comtesse is possessed by her shadow. Since she owns almost everybody, she just has to order them to follow her.”
    I’d recently learned that we didn’t actually need to be ancient before our shadows began to change. One of the vamps I’d culled from the Japanese nation had only been turned fifty years ago. I hadn’t shared this fact with my friends because I didn’t want to freak them out any more than they already were. So far, we were all safe so what was the point in worrying them unnecessarily?
    “ When the Comtesse is possessed by her shadow, she has no power over us,” Luc reminded me.
    I gave him a look that probably looked as jaded as it felt. “You were smart enough to figure that out but obviously no one else is.” After centuries of following the Comtesse’s orders, it was ingrained in the courtiers and servants to obey her every word. It had taken guts for Luc to defy the praying mantis. Probably more guts than I’d ever be able to understand. I’d only been Silvius’ slave for five minutes before I’d killed him and that had been five minutes too long. Luc had been under the Comtesse’s spell for centuries. I personally thought his hatred of her had helped him to override his automatic instinct to obey.
    “How could they spirit so many of our kin away while we were watching the mansion?” Gregor wondered. “Surely we would have seen a convoy of vehicles leaving the area.”
    “ I bet they used the trucks stationed near each of the exits to the catacombs in case of invasion,” Geordie said as he nervously toyed with his knife. We all turned to regard him and he hunched his shoulders at being the centre of attention. “But you probably already knew that.” His French accent deepened slightly with embarrassment.
    “ I didn’t know that,” I said. “Where are these catacombs?”
    “ They lie beneath our feet,” Igor replied. “A series of rooms and tunnels were created to house the courtiers and servants. Several exits leading to the surface were constructed to aid our escape if it ever became necessary.” He seemed insulted that his young helper had thought of the escape routes before he had. Geordie smirked but his smugness was half-hearted.
    “I’d almost forgotten about the catacombs,” Gregor said softly.
    Luc nodded thoughtfully. “They are not a place that one wants to remember.”
    “ We might as well take a look and make sure no one is hiding down there,” I decided. My curiosity had been aroused at the thought of secret tunnels that had been dug beneath the sprawling grounds.
    Luc and Gregor exchanged a glance.