Mortimer’s booming tone from down the hall pulled me out of my fog. Quickly dismissing the eeriness, I followed his voice and found myself in front of a set of ebony doors. “This is dangerous. Don’t underestimate them. Viggo has made one hell of an enemy out of Lilly,” Mortimer said.
Lilly? Who was Lilly? More secrets, I thought bitterly. Oh, well. Two can play at that game.
“I never underestimate a vampire. How do you think I’ve survived this long?” Mage’s smooth response calmed the tension in the air.
There was a short pause and then Mortimer declared gruffly, “If you’re going to sit outside and eavesdrop like a snooping child, then you may as well come in!”
My face instantly burned with embarrassment over being caught. Reluctantly, I pushed the door forward. A loud creak split the dead silence, as if to make my intrusion that much more obvious. In case someone missed it. I kept my face to the ground, hoping the red would subside quickly or that they’d dismiss me and keep talking. After a long, silent moment of staring at the ground, I realized neither was going to happen.
Swallowing, I finally hazarded a peek to take in a medieval-looking room with several armchairs and an ancient-looking stone fireplace. It reminded me of Viggo’s library with its masculine colors and lounge furniture. Viggo sat in a wing chair beside the blazing fire, lazily gripping a poker, as if only watching the conversation but not interested in being a part of it. The box holding Veronique’s pendant rested securely in his lap. Not surprising.
Across the room, Mage and Mortimer shared a small round table, a decanter full of a red liquid between them. It looked like wine, but I’d bet it wasn’t. I didn’t ask. It was a thousand times better than walking in on them feeding from that young maid.
Viggo, Mortimer, and Mage instantly vanished from thought as my eyes landed on a tall, lean body straddling a stool, his hands resting on his knees. Caden! What was he doing with them? Not that I cared. He was immediately on his feet, walking over to me, his hand slowly running through his hair in an almost shy manner.
“Hey.” He gave me an awkward smile. I couldn’t miss his furrowed brow as he stared at me. He’s trying to read me, I’ll bet. But he couldn’t, I knew that now.
“Hey, yourself,” I answered bashfully as I peered up at him. No veiny blood eyes. Check. A wave of lightness flowed through me.
“What are you doing up? It’s, like, three in the morning.”
I shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep.” Lowering my voice, I added, “I thought you’d at least come say goodnight.” I immediately felt stupid. There was no point in lowering my voice. I might as well be speaking through a megaphone given the room’s occupants.
Caden looked down at the ground, as if trying to decide what to say. “Yeah … I know. I was going to, but I got caught up in plans here,” he finally answered, avoiding eye contact. The little nagging voice in the back of my head nattered away. Something’s not right. I wasn’t sure if I should trust that voice’s input. It had failed me for the first eighteen years of my life.
Caden looked up again, his expression stony. “You should get some sleep. You’re still recuperating.”
I shrugged off his suggestion with a question, not interested in leaving yet. “So, what are you guys planning? Who’s Lilly?”
“One of the few other surviving vampires of Earth,” Mage answered before anyone had a chance to lie or brush me off. She always seemed willing to tell me the truth, even if it wasn’t good news. That was a welcome change. “They’ve been more diligent in learning what’s going on in the world. We could use their help right about now.”
“Or … we could just create more of our own and not involve those treacherous fiends!” Viggo’s eyes were wide as he studied his fingernails, his distaste for Mage and Mortimer’s plan apparent.
Mortimer turned to glower at Viggo. I could feel the explosion brewing beneath the surface like the humidity in the air before a storm. “We’ve been over this a hundred times already, Viggo,” Mortimer answered in a calm, even tone, clearly forcing his composure. “New vampires are not good for anything except killing and starting a war … exactly what we’re trying to avoid.”
Viggo answered with an eye roll.
Shaking his head in disgust, Mortimer turned his attention back at Mage. “It’s a long shot, Mage. I’ll be surprised if they even come given Viggo’s involvement.”
What did he do to this Lilly? I shuddered as my gaze passed over him. Always Viggo. It’s always about what Viggo has done. I imagined it was horrific, whatever it was. I knew firsthand what he was capable of. He stole my life, my family, my soul, when he murdered my mother for nothing more than a lesson to Sofie. At first, when this entire nightmare unfolded, just his cool gaze on me sent shivers radiating from my chest. He still terrified me. I’d be insane to be anything but terrified of that lunatic. Now though, time had cultivated a deep loathing for him. I wanted him to suffer infinite, inconceivable pain for the lives he had ruined. And that desire frightened me more than Viggo himself.