Page 13 of Soulbound Shadows: Part 2

“Apologies,” Marcus said, completely unrepentant.

I saw Gabriel crossing the courtyard toward us and went a little pink. He was in full vampire prince regalia, all old-fashioned silk and brocade. There was a waistcoat involved. I, on the other hand, was dressed in my touristy best, wearing an I <3 ELDORIA sweatshirt and a fanny pack.

“Looking good,” I told him.

He smiled. “You look beautiful.”

I scoffed. “Seriously? I’m dressed like an ad for polyester and getting pickpocketed.”

“Oh, yes, the outfit is truly dreadful,” Gabriel said. “But you look beautiful.”

I bit back a smile. Hopefully, with the light fading, he wouldn’t see me blushing. Wait, no. Vampires had excellent night vision.

“We should get moving,” Isabella said. “Everybody ready?”

“Not particularly,” Gabriel replied drily. “Let’s go.”

We got up to the entrance of the vampire section of the citadel as the sun dipped fully below the horizon. One of the carved double doors was propped open, and two guards were stationed outside. One of them was leaning an elbow on a sign advertising audio tours.

“Last tour group for the day is meeting in the lobby in five,” he told us.

“We’re not here for the tour,” Gabriel said. He brushed past the guards without giving them a second glance, with Marcus and Isabella striding along behind him like they were accompanying him on important business. With the spell Marcus had shown me firmly in place, I followed a few steps behind, letting them draw all the attention.

A few people wandered around the massive atrium, but it seemed the state of the city had even scared off the tourists. Grim portraits of vampires looked down their noses at the few visitors from their gold frames, looking foreboding enough to scare off anyone who wanted to read the informative plaques hanging next to each one. A few more modern display cases were set up, jarring against the backdrop of ornate gothic froth that made up the inside of the building.

Gabriel strode through the echoing atrium with an air of confidence, completely silent on his feet. The place was a maze, built up over the years into a confusing mess of rooms, but he led us straight to the entrance to the private wing. The guards stationed there looked a hell of a lot more attentive than the ones out front, even so close to closing time. Their jackets bulged over concealed weapons, and each had a radio clipped to their uniform. I nervously twisted my hands through the shape of the concealment spell again. One of the guards, a bald vampire, scanned the hallway idly, and the other, who had an impressive monobrow, was checking some sort of device built into the doorway.

“Master De Montclair!” the bald guard said. Behind him Monobrow snapped to attention.

“Relax,” Gabriel said, raising a dismissive hand. “This isn’t an official visit. I merely have a few matters to discuss with my father.”

Baldie and Monobrow exchanged a nervous glance. “Lord De Montclair is out at the moment, sir,” Monobrow volunteered cautiously.

“No matter. My associates and I can wait for him,” Gabriel said.

“Of course, sir,” said Baldie. “If you’ll step through…”

“The detector is new,” Gabriel commented.

“Been increasing security lately,” said Baldie. “Orders from His Lordship.”

Damien warned us about the magic detector, but seeing it in person was different. The inside of the doorframe was roughly covered in twisted shards of obsidian, giving off the impression of a set of jagged black teeth. I shuddered.

Gabriel stepped through, with Isabella following behind him. I braced myself. God, I hoped my spell was strong enough for this to work.

Marcus walked through the doorway with me right next to him, desperately throwing more power into the concealment spell. Right away, the stone began to flash with red light, and a bell went off, surprisingly delicate and tinkly given how rough the whole thing looked.

“If you’ll step aside, sir,” Monobrow said, frowning.

“This is absurd,” Gabriel said, sounding regally bored.

“Are you carrying any magical items, sir? Any charms or talismans?” Baldie asked Marcus.

“Magical?” Marcus echoed, sounding baffled. “Goodness, none that spring to mind. There might be a smidgeon of enchantment on my fountain pen. You know, it has the most wonderful iridescent ink, but of course that sort of pigment is famous—infamous, even!—for clogging up the fine-point nibs I’ve always been partial to. Of course, that might be my other fountain pen. I can’t remember which one I brought today…”

As Marcus was his distracting self, I crept past the guard station. Gabriel was looking around the room, trying and failing to be subtle about it, but the guards were too focused on the blathering to notice. I pulled back on the concealment spell for a split second, just long enough for Gabriel to see me. I shot him a wink, and he gave me a worried look.

“Oh, silly me. The hand braces are a bit magical! Gosh, I can’t believe I didn’t think of that sooner. I’d forget my own head if it wasn’t attached, I swear,” Marcus said as I ducked down a corridor.

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