Page 19 of After Darkness Falls

On closer inspection, the object was a flask containing a clear liquid.

"What the hell?"

Chloe had no clue what it was.

"Sleeping draught," he said. "After this morning’s unpleasantness, I promised I'd have my alchemist concoct something so you can sleep."

Right. Now that her heart wasn't beating at a billion miles an hour, she remembered something to that effect.

"Cool. Next time, knock like a normal person."

Only he wasn't a normal person. Everything Blair had just shared came back to her.

Two thousand years old. Frightening. God.

She didn't see it. Oh, he was intimidating enough, and if power were a scent, he’d be wearing it in spades, but he just seemed…

"Yeah," he said with a laugh. "I wonder how that'd go down with your dormmates."

If they were anything like Blair, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea.

"Right, of course. I heard the whole 'Leviathan is the Big Bad Wolf' thing."

"Oh no. Plenty of big bad wolves in the woods. I'm a step or two above that."

He seemed downright smug about it.

"And no doubt you enjoy it," she said, rolling her eyes. "Well, thanks for the…draught thing. I was about to take a bath so I don't freeze to death."

"Is it cold?" he wondered. "Very well. Enjoy your ablution. The draught is to be taken when you're quite ready to sleep, and I recommend you set two or three alarm clocks, to be safe."

"I will. Thanks ag—"

She never finished that sentence. One instant, he was right there in front of her. The next, there was shadowy smoke, and then nothing at all.

Well, he certainly knew how to make an entrance. And a departure.

10

One Step at a Time

The hot water was delightful, breathing life back into her frozen limbs. Chloe remained in the tub long after her skin had begun to wrinkle, until the scalding hot bath was lukewarm. Finally, she forced herself to get out. The bedroom's temperature seemed quite adequate now that she wasn't in danger of frostbite. She sat on her bed and took the translucent flask in her hands, eyeing it mistrustfully.

She'd tried melatonin, valerian, and various sleeping aids in the past. After her father's arrest, her doctor had even prescribed her the stronger stuff. Nothing had worked.

"Oh well."

There was no harm in trying. Already, she was replaying the events of the day, and she could feel it happening. The trembling hands, the flashes through her mind. Her brain was an asshole. It always replayed traumatic events so accurately, as if trying to show her things she should have done, details she'd missed the first time.

Like the smell. The corpse's smell had been heady and sickening, but also strangely…intriguing.

Chloe uncapped the flask and drank it in one go, throwing her head back. It either would work, or it—

* * *

She groaned, feeling around herself for the offending device screaming in her ear. Opening her eyes to see what she was doing might have helped, but she did her best to keep them closed as long as possible.

Finally, fingers closing around her phone, she peeked at it with one squinted eye.

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