A Shade of Vampire 43: A House of Mysteries(39)

I wasn’t ready to return inside yet. I wanted the sun on my face for a bit longer. Maybe if I stayed out here long enough, I could bleach away the memories of my vision like an old photograph.

The Destroyers in my vision had been even more repugnant than the one I’d seen torturing the poor Druid. If that was even possible. I guessed it was seeing them all en masse—the horses neighing with horrid screams, and their long, scaled tails wrapped around them, taking away their breath, as if they might crush their bones and organs at a moment’s notice. I had also been taken aback by the size of their army—it had been large, about one hundred of them, standing at attention as Azazel set out his commands to hunt us down.

They’d roared viciously, honoring their leader, whom they were obviously devoted to. Their cries were bloodthirsty and cruel. Their spears had rattled together in the air, each wooden shaft carved into a pointed end, with a purple substance oozing off the tip.

“Are you all right?” Field asked, interrupting me. I almost jumped out of my skin, since I hadn’t heard him approach. “You seemed a bit quiet earlier.”

“It’s just the visions,” I replied, trying to sound more upbeat than I felt. “They’re not exactly pleasant. I kind of envy Phoenix seeing trees and eggs. It would be a lot easier to take.”

Field nodded in understanding, his aquamarine eyes shaded by his hand as he peered down at me. I couldn’t help but notice that this was the second time Field had checked up on me after a vision—yesterday and now today. I didn’t want to read too much into it, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit flattered, and taken by surprise at the attention.

“It worries me that the Oracle doesn’t think we’re safe here,” I said, wanting to continue the conversation—suddenly desperate not to be left alone with my thoughts.

“Me too,” Field agreed. “But other than visiting the Daughters, I’m not sure we can do much about it. We’d be in more danger if we left.”

“Are you still going to sleep outside?” I asked, wondering if he thought it would be too risky with the Destroyers on the warpath. In truth, I wanted very much to dissuade him from the idea.

“Yeah, probably,” he replied with a boyish grin. “I hate sleeping indoors, and this place? Worse than most. I’ll stay on the roof.”

I nodded, understanding why someone would want to avoid the house, but wishing he wouldn’t all the same.

“We’re thinking of taking the attic,” I replied. “The three of us. It gets more light than the other rooms. I think it will help.”

“I know the room you mean, with the skylights in the ceiling?”

“Yeah.”

“Nice.” He frowned for a brief moment, and then glanced up toward the roof of the house. “Want me to show you the view?”

“What, up there?” I asked.

“Yeah. It’s not like we can go anywhere else. Want to see?” he asked again, and I nodded, trying not to look too delighted.

Act casual.

He held out his arms, and I stepped toward him. I stood, awkwardly, so intimately close to him that I could see the skin at his throat and his Adam’s apple moving as he told me to hold on tight. His arms closed around me, making my skin tingle, every cell in my body feeling like it was coming alive. My head was pushed against the granite of his chest, and I could feel the steady thump of his heart in its chamber. I inhaled, closing my eyes briefly as his wild scent consumed me.

Very quickly, he jumped up and I felt the weightlessness of us soaring up toward the top of the house. All too soon, my feet hit the rooftop and Field released me, taking a step back and looking around. We had landed on a small square, surrounded by chimney pots. The rest of the roof sloped downwards, but there were a few parts of the house that had either been built later than the original construction, or had been purposefully designed to make the house look grander, which made up a few different rooftops. Some were flat enough to allow us to climb across.

“Nice view, huh?” he said, pointing off into the jungle and the mountain range beyond it. It was beautiful.

“Incredible,” I murmured, averting my eyes from Field.

“And this is the attic over here.” He beckoned me to follow him as he made his way to the furthest end of the roof. I followed the pinnacle of two slopes, which had enough room for me to walk if I put one foot directly in front of the other.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall,” Field added as he turned to see my much slower progress to our destination.

I nodded, not really hearing him as I focused on my footwork, and soon I was standing by his side, peering down into the attic. We had left the windows open this morning, and I realized that from the position on the roof I could see a lot more of the attic than I could from inside it.