Page 28 of The Vampire Trap

“I need you to give me your word that you won’t do anything stupid.”

“Zadie—”

“Your word.”

“Fine, you have my word,” he says grudgingly. “Tell me your plan.”

“It’s rather simple,” I say, then the lie slips out with practiced ease. “There is a poison made of common ingredients that’s as fatal to vampires as night-forged silver. The difficulty lies in the preparation. When I have dinner with him, I will distract him long enough to slip it into his food or drink.”

The corners of his mouth tick upward in approval. Then he launches into the merits of my plan, offering suggestions. I tune him out until his voice is little more than a distant undistinguished drone. Benjamin was always easily blinded by his determination. He doesn’t question my claim. Such a thing could not be kept secret for long, and the rarity of night-forged silver would ensure a mad hunt for it by anyone who views vampires as an enemy.

Thomas and Benjamin each believe I am plotting with them when in reality, I am plotting with neither. Duplicity twists countless knots on my insides, and I hate it. It was different when I believed Thomas to be nothing more than a monster. It’s far harder now that I care for him. Everything in my heart and body tells me Thomas is incapable of anything so ghastly.

I’ve had my fair share of antics and exploits, but they were always in the spirit of fun. Everything is twisted up in so many variables with a sea of tangled questions. It makes my head swim. After a morning teeming with deceptions, my heart feels like lead in my chest. Cold and heavy.

I will betray both men—one more so than the other.

Uncertainty surfaces to scratch its claws along my spine. Never have I attempted something so foolish as what I have planned for tonight.

I want nothing more than to confide in someone. But I can’t tell either of them. They would both insist on joining me, which would only draw too much attention and be a distraction as they tried to keep me safe.

I need to do this alone, to leave my heart out of it. This is the only way I can keep my judgment from being clouded by my affection for the man who has been my confidant and practically family for most of my life. And the man who unexpectedly ensnared my heart.

With any luck, by this time tomorrow, I will have learned the truth.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ZADIE

Getting to town without the main house staff finding out was not as easy as I had planned. I had not anticipated Father leaving so suddenly and needing the remaining horses. It required a convoluted lie about a tryst with Lord Morgan to one of the newest maids and a hefty sum to keep her silence and let me borrow her old mare.

I ride along the edges of town, and after leaving the old roan at a stable to keep her safe from the demons for the night, I walk along the unfamiliar, narrow streets and the unknown people. Every once in a while, I catch someone glancing at me as if they almost recognize me or know I don’t belong here. With each step I take, the more I feel out of place. Even though I picked out the plainest garments I own, I feel overly conspicuous. Tucked into fitted black leggings is a simple smoke gray blouse with lantern sleeves and a simple black ribbon, secured in a floppy bow around the wide collar. I chose my oldest pair of riding boots, nearly worn through over my newest pair with the soft suede lining and cushioned soles.

Reaching up, I tug my hood up over my head. The fewer people who see my face, the better. After another block, I’m relieved to notice fewer and fewer eyes pausing on me. My goal is to blend into the background, not catch the eye of the killer stalking the streets.

The buildings take on a worn appearance compared to the brightly painted ones I’m used to. The crumbling brick facades peak through the gaps between merchant stalls that press up against them. There’s barely enough room for three people to walk side by side. As it is, I have to wind my way through a throng of people, moving out of the way to avoid being run over. Conversations, shouts, children crying, and a cacophony of sounds coming from the factories come together in a monotonous roar from all sides.

By the time I get close to the city center, more time has passed than expected. The streets widen, the buildings sport colorful trims, and sidewalks separate the storefronts from the cobbled streets. I stop beneath the archway running through the bottom two floors of a building. Leaning against the rough brick, I wait for the sun to set and occasionally look around as if I’m waiting for someone.

As the sky darkens, a blanket of fog rolls in, and the bustle of the city wanes. Only a few carriages cycle through the streets, stopping to pick up and drop off passengers from taverns and restaurants. I shift to stand behind a rain barrel in the small gap between the arch and the next building to stay out of the glow of the gas lamps. No one notices me, or if they do, they can’t find it to care about the woman huddling in shadow with a hood shrouding her face in shadow.

After a while, only a few people are out walking along the streets, careful to stay near the false twilight of the myriad lights. It’s unnecessary to be so cautious within the city until one nears the border where the lights are farther apart, creating pockets of shadows. It’s within those spaces the lesser demons slip through, hoping to catch a passerby unaware.

A man approaches a group of three women. My back stiffens as I watch him closely. Eventually, he tips his hat to them and walks away alone, then a while later, they part company, going their own ways.

Half a block down on my right, a dark shadow moves. My heart leaps into my throat, thinking the shape is a demon at first, but it remains there even when I see it’s a man. His build and grace would give him away even if he wore rags.

Thomas strolls casually, though his long strides quickly devour the distance between him and one of the women. Slipping from my darkened nook, I follow, carefully keeping as much distance as possible without losing him.

I could still turn away and pretend I stayed home all night as I said I would. It would be easy. But I need to know… just seeing him in town means nothing. He has every right to walk around town without being weakened by the sun.

I follow, keeping my pace steady and staying far enough behind to seem like any other man or woman taking care of whatever business they have.

Then he turns the corner. I speed up, then stop a few feet from where he disappeared. Quietly, I press my back to the wall and hold my breath, listening for the sound of footsteps. I’m only able to make out carriage wheels on the cobblestone a few streets over, distant laughter spilling out the door of taverns, and a discarded paper flyer rustling in the gentle breeze.

But the steady cadence of Thomas’s stride has faded completely.Did he notice me following him?

I debate on how long to wait before I go after him.

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