“You won’t be joining us?” Lilith asked.
“I would rather have my fangs pulled than watch an undead brother be unearthed.”
“Thanks again for letting us do this.” Spencer shook Andrei’s hand before wrapping an arm around Lilith’s waist. “Let’s get this footage down before the sun comes up.”
He took the lead, with Lilith by his side, and the four of them ventured into the garden. Moonlight cast a silvery glow over the topiaries, and Percival cawed from somewhere in the distance, bringing a smile to Spencer’s lips.
“Have you heard how Esther is doing?” he asked.
“She seems to be making a full recovery, thanks to you.”
“I’m glad I could help. When we get back, I’d love to meet her.”
Lilith grinned. “She will be thrilled to meet you. This is where we make a left.” She pointed ahead to the topiary maze. A wall of neatly trimmed hedges towering seven feet high blocked their path, and a six-foot arch cut into the bush provided entrance into the labyrinth.
“Do you think Andrei would let us go in the maze tomorrow?” Rebecca ran her hand over the wall. “I’ve always wanted to conquer one of these.”
Spencer shook his head. “No, thank you. I’ve seen The Shining. No way I’m getting lost in that thing.”
“Pfft.” Rebecca waved a hand dismissively. “You can’t get lost. You can fly out.”
They hung a left and headed toward the cemetery.
“I’m down,” Alan said. “We can shoot some footage inside.”
“Feel free to ask him.” Lilith clutched Spencer’s bicep. “We nocturnals will be spending the day in bed…I mean, indoors.”
Spencer’s stomach tightened. In bed, in the shower, bent over the bathroom counter. He didn’t care where they were as long as Lilith was naked and in his arms.
“Not all day.” Alan wagged a finger at them. “We have to go into town to interview the believers. This adventure is coming together fantastically. Andrei is great on camera. You are too, Lilith. Want to help me dig?”
She held up the shovel she carried. “What do you think I brought this for?”
The crew chatted on the half-mile trek to the graveyard, Lilith fitting in with his friends as if she’d been part of the team all along. They stopped when their destination came into view, and Spencer set up his camera, hoisting it onto his shoulder to film their arrival. Rebecca set down her bag and prepared her camera, while Alan held a shovel and gestured for Lilith to join him in front of the lenses.
“We’ve arrived at Lupu Cemetery,” Alan said, “on the private property of Andrei Lupu, the fourth. He’s given us special permission to unearth a grave so the world can see the strange burial rituals practiced hundreds of years ago, up until this day.”
Spencer followed as he and Lilith walked toward the entrance. A four-foot wrought-iron fence enclosed the small cemetery, and the gate hung askew on its hinges. It creaked in horror movie fashion when Alan opened it, and Spencer’s pulse raced. Rebecca panned her camera across the graves, the dilapidated headstones sinking into the earth at odd angles, exactly the way one would imagine in a haunted graveyard. Viewers would be on the edges of their seats as they watched this episode.
“My friend Lilith is an expert in vampire lore, and she’s here to help me with the excavation.” Alan rested a hand on Lilith’s shoulder, and Spencer held in a chuckle. An expert in vampire lore. That was an understatement.
Spencer paused the recording. “You look great on camera, Lilith.” His compliment earned him a smile, and he stepped past them, entering the cemetery first and turning his lens on them once more.
“Andrei didn’t specify which grave we should excavate,” Alan said into the camera before turning to Lilith. “Do you have a preference?”
She pursed her lips and cast her gaze across their choices. “That one looks promising.”
Spencer turned to the grave in question. A pile of rounded stones covered the earth, but no headstone marked the burial site.
Alan chuckled. “Of course you pick the one that will take the most work to uncover.”
“Whomever this person was, the living wanted to make damn sure he didn’t escape his grave.” She pressed her fingers to her lips. “Oops. I shouldn’t say that on camera, should I? Do I need to say it again without the curse word?”
Spencer paused his camera. “It’s fine. Alan drops a few F-bombs every now and then. The editors will bleep it out.”
Rebecca set up a floodlight on the grave, and Spencer filmed Alan and Lilith removing the first few stones before setting down his camera and helping them with the rest. With the stones set aside, he resumed filming as they dug up the shallow grave.
Percival flew into the frame and landed at the edge of the hole. He cawed and hopped toward Lilith, but she kept in character and tried to appear human. She waved an arm and said, “Shoo.”
