Page 50 of The Baritone's Rival

It only took about halfan hour to finish the job, which left them another nine hours to spend in each other’s company. Unsurprisingly, Oscar didn’t say much. Trent had pushed the vampire away, so the silent treatment wasn’t a surprise, although it didn’t help his guilt.

Oscar had pulled out a large tome about the American Civil War from a dusty bookshelf and was sitting on the floor, leafing through it. He didn’t have much choice. The rest of the furniture was piled up against the front doorway.

None of the books in the cabin appealed to Trent — they were mostly about war and woodworking, with a few classics thrown in — so he grabbed a puzzle from the pile of games and spread it out on the kitchen counter. One thousand pieces. That would kill a few hours.

The time passed in silence. Tense at first, they settled into an uneasy truce. Oscar stayed glued to his book. Trent stared at the stack of similarly colored puzzle pieces. It was supposed to be a painting of a snow-covered cabin, but all those white pieces looked exactly the same.

Their determined effort to ignore each other might be the reason why it took so long for Trent and Oscar to realize they were being watched.

It was the unsettling tickling of gooseflesh on the back of Trent’s neck that tipped him off. He stepped away from the kitchen counter, glancing out the only remaining unobstructed window. It was dusk now, and the encroaching darkness lay thick around the outside of the cabin.

It took him a few seconds to understand what he was seeing: a figure, so still it was as if the shadows of the trees had molded around it. But the light shifted, and when it did, it revealed the slight blonde twink that had led the attackers to them.

He was staring right at Trent. His face was blank, his eyes unblinking.

“Justin,” Trent whispered in a ragged growl. Oscar was by his side in an instant, his attention focused on his former friend.

“What do you think he wants?” Trent asked.

“I…don’t know,” Oscar said. “He’s never been much of a fighter. But before today, I would have also said that he was a friend. I was wrong about that.”

Trent grunted. The two of them stared out at Justin, who continued to glare at them with his piercing brown eyes. Ultimately, Oscar broke the spell.

“I have to go talk to him.”

“Are you insane?” Trent stepped back from Oscar with his arms outstretched in front of him. “You don’t know who else is waiting out there in the trees. Maybe he has a whole coven out there.”

“I have to find out, Trent.” Oscar gave his head a rueful shake. “He was my friend.”

“It’s a trap. You have to know that.”

“I don’t know that!” Oscar snapped. He pursed his lips and blew out a lungful of air, then continued in a softer tone. “We’re covenmates. I saved him from that asshole. I need an explanation.”

Trent sighed, but finally nodded. He understood, but he didn’t like it.

“Barricade the door behind me,” Oscar said. “If something happens, don’t try to help. If it’s more than just Justin, you won’t have a chance out in the open.”

Trent said nothing. He wouldn’t commit to that. His choices were his own, and he wouldn’t cower in fear from a vampire, not even if it meant his death.

Chapter 17

Oscar

As Oscar walked down the front steps of the old porch, a shy smile broke out on Justin’s face.

Oscar slowed his pace. Did Justin think he would simply forgive him? It didn’t matter ultimately. What mattered was finding out the reason for his betrayal.

Justin’s smile widened as Oscar approached. The wind had picked up, and there was a bite in the air as it flowed around his skin. He stopped ten feet short of the deceitful young vamp.

“Why are you here?” Oscar forced himself to adopt an even tone.

“I…I had to see you.” Justin looked thrown by the fact that Oscar had kept his distance. He couldn’t be that dumb. Like Oscar would get any closer after what he’d done.

“Tell me the reason.” Oscar rooted his legs like tree trunks into the compact earth below. “Why would you lead them to us?”

“Oscar…” Justin looked away, pressing his lips together. Finally, he turned back.

“They have my aunt.”

---