“All the wood will have been reduced to ash.”
“But a sword would do the trick. He can’t get along without his head, I imagine.” Or at least, I hoped he adhered to vampire weaknesses.
A crashing from up the hall made me jump. The longer we remained out of sight, the longer the others’ lives were in jeopardy. We had to move.
“You two stay here,” I said.
“Very well,” Melbourne agreed.
“Not a chance,” Maxwell said at the same time, narrowing his eyes at Melbourne.
“I’m going to make sure the other guests are alright,” Melbourne said defensively.
“We can get along without him,” I said, sweeping the bottles of holy water into my arms. Maxwell grabbed the crossbow, loading it with a bolt and awkwardly pocketed three more.
“Good luck,” Melbourne said, opening the door and peeking out. “And I mean that.”
I nodded to him, then ducked into the hallway, Maxwell at my side. Melbourne followed, but quickly split off.
Ideally, we could make it to the hunters’ lair before Vrykolakas set eyes on us, to determine what could be of use. We had nearly reached the dining room when a crashing ahead signaled that Vrykolakas was heading back our way. My eyes landed on the closet with the spy post, and before Vrykolakas could round the corner behind us, I launched us toward the hidden door.
I swallowed hard as I tried to catch my breath, pushing at the stone that would reveal the hidden room beyond.
“Why don’t we fight him?” Maxwell whispered.
“We’ll have a better chance if we can surprise him.”
“Lucian!” Vrykolakas’s voice echoed outside. “Resorting to hiding like a human coward, I see.” His bulk shook the walls as he made his way to the dining room. That was unfortunate. If he’d continued up the hall, we could have gotten the drop on him much easier.
We stepped up to the spy holes as the wall closed behind us. I wondered if Vrykolakas could feel me here, but realized he must have lost that ability when I’d become human. I was no longer one of his children. As a vampire, I’d only been able to hypnotize humans with my eyes, and I was hoping any of his mind tricks adhered to those principles as well. He’d had spies to keep tabs on me over these past weeks, I was sure. He’d watched me through the eyes of the creatures of the night. His preternatural hearing could likely pick up my ragged breathing, even through this thick wall.
I stiffened as a shadow fell over us, and we stared out through the spy holes to find Vrykolakas entering the chamber beyond. He stilled when he reached the table, head swaying this way and that, a grumble reverberating deep in his throat.
Why didn’t he attack? My eyebrows shot up as I realized it must be the acoustics of this space. In the same way that voices were carried to the spy holes, the sounds we made must be scattered and confusing from his end.
Maxwell squeezed my hand, and I turned to send him a reassuring smile, even though he wouldn’t be able to see it in the darkness that cloaked us. I tightened my grip, then pulled him to me. He was trembling beneath my touch. I wanted to kiss him, take his fear away. But we couldn’t afford to take any tender moments ourselves, with our very lives in the balance.
Vrykolakas began to shimmer, and I watched with fascination as his body shifted with soft popping sounds, his fur changing into a dark brown, his muzzle receding into his face, nostrils flaring across his face. His fingers lengthened, spreading apart as membranes grew between each digit, before folding back behind him as the rest of his body became more rounded.
He’d turned back into his bat form. And he wasted no time in lifting his head and releasing an earsplitting squeal that prompted me to cover my ears, before the sound faded into silence. I frowned as Vrykolakas continued to stare up at the ceiling, but of course my hearing wasn’t as sensitive as it used to be. The sounds he was making were too high for humans to register.
I heard glass breaking in the house, and I frowned as Maxwell clasped my arm. What was Vrykolakas doing exactly?
The rustle of wings met my ears and I realized with a start that he was calling on reinforcements to uncover my hiding place.
Bats burst into the dining room in a thick cloud of wings, chittering noisily as they flew around Vrykolakas in a massive swarm that resembled a tornado. Then they dissipated, venturing into the manor, where they would sniff me out. Vrykolakas couldn’t be everywhere at once, but he could become legion with these bats at his command.
With their sensitive hearing and echolocation, it wouldn’t take them long, and then I would be truly and completely at the mercy of this monster, who meant to tear me apart for my betrayal.
I grasped Maxwell’s hand. I could make out his eyes from the light emanating from the dining room, fearful and hopeless.
“Do you trust me?” I asked him softly, rubbing my thumb over the top of his hand.
Maxwell nodded. “I do. That must make me incredibly naïve.”
I stared back at him. I couldn’t let any harm come to this beautiful soul. “Yes, it does,” I agreed, with a wide grin. I kissed him, tenderly and deep. If I didn’t survive this night, as I expected, I wanted him to remember me in this moment. “Stay close.”
He nodded.
