“I have not seen this before,” Vladimir said, breaking the heavy silence. “Where did you obtain this?”
“It’s all over Lakeview,” Vail said. “Can you help us?”
“No, I cannot. I don’t know anything about this, nor have I seen this before, and you bringing this here into my house feels like a curse,” he declared, anger edging his words.
Vail’s expression crumbled, “Vladimir, please. I don’t know what to do.”
“Nor do I, little witchling,” Vladimir replied, then for the first time, his gaze fixed upon me.
“You,” he said, pointing a long finger at me. “You have a question on your mind that you want to ask me.”
I met his gaze and decided to voice a question that I had harboured for a long time. One that would often slip to the front of my mind.
“Empty Vampire graves,” I stated, and I saw Vail’s eyes widen with disappointment.
Vladimir looked at me and chuckled, the sound mingling with a bubble of blood in his throat. “Vampires cannotcome back from the dead, darling. If that’s what you’re asking. Unless they were not properly dead before. But often, from what I’ve heard, people will go and unearth Vampires for their blood or jewellery. Sometimes witches use them for rituals. Why do you ask?”
“No reason, just something I saw a long time ago,” I replied, my hand instinctively reaching for the necklace I wore.
“Your necklace is a peculiar thing, isn’t it?” Vladimir remarked.
“It belonged to my mother,” I kept my voice steady as I spoke.
“I want it,” Vladimir demanded.
“It’s not for sale,” I retorted.
As Vladimir stared at me, his gaze piercing and intense, I felt a sense of unease creeping over me. It was as if he was peeling back the layers of my soul, searching for something hidden within. I struggled to maintain eye contact, feeling a magnetic pull that I couldn’t resist.
Then, Vail’s touch on my hand broke the trance, grounding me. “Thank you for your time and advice, Vladimir, but we must get going before the sun comes up.” With her firm tug, she signaled our departure, sparing me from Vladimir’s gaze.
I turned around before we exited, looking back toward Vladimir. He was drinking from a cup of blood and staring at me, smiling.
“You’ll be back,” his voice echoed behind us, sending a chill down my spine. I tried not to dwell on what he knew. As we retraced our steps and neared the exit of the warehouse, we turned a corner and nearly collided with a Vampire.
“Sorry,” I said, moving around her, but she grabbed my arm.
“Stop,” she commanded, pulling me to her. Her face was adorned with piercings, and her eyes were so pale they were almost white.
Vail pulled me once more, determined to keep moving.
“I can help you,” she offered.
“How?” Vail halted, turning to face the Vampire. She slipped something into Vail’s hand and leaned close to her, whispering in her ear.
“Find Sable,” she instructed.
Vail looked down at the paper in her hand. “Who’s Sable?” she asked, but the Vampire had already disappeared into the shadows.
We returned to the car, and as we were speeding down the highway, Vail read the business card.Sable Half-Vamp, Nightshade Club.
“Half-vamp?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Vail responded.
After driving for a while, Vail suggested we check into a hotel, saying we wouldn’t make it home before the sun rose.
I agreed, and Vail pulled off the road when we found a hotel. With just one hour before sunrise, we managed to secure the last room available. Upon opening the door, we were met with an overwhelming display of pink: pink carpet, pink bedding, and pink wallpaper.
