Page 16 of Ashvale: The Vampire's Kiss

I left him standing there in my room, still reaching for me, as my door banged shut behind me. Cal was exiting Novalie’s room opposite and I barely spared him a glance as I breezed past, calling behind me, “Tell him if he’s still in there when I get back, I’ll feed him his own balls.”

Cal spluttered but I was already gone, following the hallway around and slowing my pace when other, unfamiliar, vampires appeared. Two women, dressed in regal finery that was in stark contrast to my dark jeans and green jumper, stared at me as I passed them and I fought the urge to snap at them. They’d probably been down here for centuries and I didn’t need to give any more old, powerful vampires reasons to kill me.

Being underground, the corridors were dark and the atmosphere cold despite the yellow-warmth of the lit candelabras. This place clearly hadn’t had an upgrade since electricity was invented and the odd mix of modern attire versus vampires in period-dress that was likely authentic was dizzying. There were vampires in petticoats and others in full penguin suits, complete with top hats. Then there were those who seemed to be aware of the current fashions and were dressed like they’d stepped out of a perfume ad. The crowd of people seemed to have come from a room off to the left, the scent of recent blood on the air and excited chatter telling me this had been one of the trials Novalie had talked about. Clearly, she hadn’t been joking after all. These mockeries of justice were to the court vampires what reality TV was to the modern world. Just with a lot higher stakes.

I wasn’t sure what there was to do at court aside from watching the trial of the day, though I imagine it had to depend on who you knew. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t know anybody I’d care to see.

Case in point, Adrian was up ahead and watching me with eyes that were hungry—for what, I didn’t know. “Leonora,” he said, and I smiled politely while inwardly cursing these long, winding corridors that left very little chances to escape from unwanted attention. “Very glad to have you here.”

He made it sound like I was visiting. Like I’d had a choice. “I was summoned.”

Adrian’s smile didn’t dim. “Yes, I know the council is very eager to hear from you.”

I nodded but let my silence speak for me. I didn’t trust him and I didn’t particularly want to be there in the catacombs.

Whispers drifted from behind him, where a group of women, hidden behind lace fans, were completely absorbed in their conversation. A couple of them had glanced curiously at me as Adrian had talked, but most were focused on the girl with dark hair, delicately curled and shining chestnut in the low light.

Adrian seemed to hear them at the same time I did, his genial expression turning to ice as he moved to face them. They took no notice, too wrapped up in the girl’s gossip.

“They say they’re up to three bodies now,” she said, tone hushed but eyes glittering with excitement over the supposed deaths.

“Hunters?” another girl murmured, pressing a delicate hand to her throat as if that same hand couldn’t crush a man’s neck if she wished.

“That’s quite enough of that talk,” Adrian interrupted and I was a little disappointed, half-curious to see what else the women would let slip. “No need to start panic over nothing.”

“Nothing? Antonia was our friend!” Chestnut shrilled and the others nodded. “Not to mention your lover for centuries, Adrian. Did you know they still haven’t found her head?”

Now that definitely piqued my interest. “How did they identify her then?”

The woman looked past Adrian to me and sniffed disinterestedly, clearly declining to answer.

“That may be,” Adrian said, the calm in his facade radiating power. “But Antonia had many enemies, as you well know, Wilomena. This nonsense about hunters only creates more panic than is needed. I’ll not have your hysteria flooding these halls.”

Conversation clearly over, I decided to slip away before Adrian could remember I was there, using a burst of speed to run back the way I’d come, seeing as there was no way to get past him unnoticed. But I’d learnt something interesting at least, and now I needed to talk to Novalie and see what, if anything, she knew about vampire hunters.

Chapter Nine

Hayes

“Have you considered that you might catch more flies with honey than vinegar?”

I looked up, distracted, and frowned at the mage at my side. “What?”

“I’m just saying… Maybe murder and torture isn’t the best way to get the information you want.”

It was late, the sky a full black and the scent of an incoming storm on the wind. We’d been sitting here in the shrubbery for over an hour now, the vampire we were waiting for had still yet to appear. I wasn’t the most patient of people, but Cal made me look like a saint, buzzing with restless energy as we waited.

“I’m going to ignore that you said that.”

Cal rolled his eyes and pushed off of the tree he was leaning against to stand by my side. “I’m just saying?—”

I tuned him out. The truth was, I’d been in a bad mood since we’d left court. I’d teased myself by seeing Leonora, knowing she wouldn’t have a warm welcome for me—like an addict denied a fix, I’d been irritable ever since. Plus, the fact that someone had attempted to kill her again… Well, somebody was going to lose their head, and soon too if the vampire who’d just entered the park was any indication.

Cal frowned, noticing my gaze. “That’s not them.”

I grunted, not taking my eyes off of the vampire passing beneath a streetlight. He was right, this wasn’t the vampire we’d seen in the older vampire’s head, but it couldn’t be a coincidence that they were here, could it?

A hand grabbed my shoulder and I swore as it threw me forward, out of the bushes and onto the grass by a metal bench. The hand had come out of nowhere and a second later I heard a groan as Cal struck the vampire who’d crept up on us. I sat up, blinking blearily at the electrical currents running over and across the vampire’s body like barbed wire made of lightning.

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