Page 61 of High Stakes

I shook my head. “I don’t know that either, but for your sake, I’m glad I did.”

* * *

“I need to talk to him first,” I declared, walking toward the door.

Titus grabbed my arm, stopping me. “We should go.”

I nodded. “I know, and we will, but not like this.”

He shook his head. “Your tech is working now, Eve, but it might not be working five minutes from now. We don’t know if it’s really fixed, or if one of these times it’ll stop and not come back on at all.”

I sniffed, undeterred, sounding braver than I felt. “Then you can slice me open again and fix it. It’ll be fine.”

He cursed. “It might not be fine next time. I might not be able to fix it. We have to go now. This might be our last chance to go home.”

I hesitated.

He tilted his head, assessing. “You do want to go home, right?”

“Yeah, of course,” I replied automatically.

Of course I wanted to go home. I didn’t belong here. Titus was right. If I kept putting off the jump, I might not be able to travel back. Victor could stuff his threatening warning. I might not have staked Enoch like he planned, but that didn’t mean this trip wasn’t worth it. Warning him about his future self might be enough to change his path. “Let’s go.”

We ran to the turret staircase and jogged up and around in a tight, stony spiral until arriving at a locked door. Titus pushed against it, but it wouldn’t budge. I added my heft to the push, but nothing we did worked. “We need a key,” he panted.

Sunlight spilled from the crack at the bottom of the door. “We need something sharp to pick it with,” I suggested.

The handle wouldn’t even turn, no matter how he gripped it. “This is ridiculous.”

“I agree,” came a deep voice from the bottom of the staircase. “It is most ridiculous for a guest who has been shown every kindness and hospitality imaginable, to try to break their way into their host’s private chamber.” Titus let go of the door and turned to face Asa, whose cold eyes were fixed on me. “Tell me,” he invited. “What exactly are you looking for?”

“We didn’t know it was your chamber,” Titus clarified.

“So, any room would suffice for you to rob?”

“We weren’t robbing you,” I tried.

Asa waved an impatient hand, stopping my explanation. “My brother is convinced you are travelers, come from many years in the future, but I am not convinced. If you are truly harbingers of the future, I would prefer to mingle with you regarding my fate and that of my siblings for a while longer.” He narrowed his icy glare. “You wouldn’t be trying to return to your own time, would you?”

“Where is Enoch?” My voice trembled.

“Where is the one who hunts me?” he asked instead.

Titus tensed behind me. “We don’t know where he is.”

“I don’t believe you,” Asa growled. “I’ve seen the magick in your arm. My brother told me all about it. I want you to summon the hunter here.”

“We can’t—” I started to protest.

Titus stepped down toward Asa, putting himself between me and the angry vampire. “Wait – I’ll summon him. Her magick is too weak.”

Asa nodded once and ascended the stairs, stepping lightly between us as he pulled a key from inside his jacket, turned it in the lock, and pushed open the heavy wooden door. A sumptuous brown bear pelt lay across the floor, stretching beneath the legs of an ornate desk. Its head was still attached, the teeth long and sharp. The wooden surface of the desk was littered with parchment and scrolls. The sun illuminated the cobwebs that stretched between a collection of candelabras and in the corners of the four-poster bed. A thin layer of dust had settled over everything in the room. How long had it been since he was here?

Asa pulled out the only chair and settled in it, kicking his boots up onto the cluttered desktop. He casually threaded his fingers behind his head. “Summon the hunter.”

Titus and I shared a worried glance, and then he pretended to work magic, spouting nonsensical chants for good measure. The tech in our hands glowed in unison with each movement and flourish of his fingers.

Two knocks came at the door and Asa waved Terah inside. “Did you take care of him?” Asa asked coolly.

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