Page 48 of Obsessed in Blood
My hands shook, and this time it wasn’t an act. Once I cleaned the table, I took the tray to the bathroom to dump the remaining water and wash out the towel.
When I returned, I pushed the plate of food away, no longer hungry.
The vamp seemed to take pity on me and poured me a cup of tea. His was half gone. We drank in silence until the teapot was empty. Then I got up and laid on the bed, turning on my side to keep an eye on him. I closed my eyes and ran through the rest of my plan.
My nerves were raw. I took a long, shallow breath, calming myself. This was a job like any other. I was in a castle with a huge moat and had to escape the dragon.
I could do this. Although time was tight, I was still on schedule.
After ten minutes of running over the remaining steps, I opened an eye. I blinked, grinned, and sat up.
Asshole was down, the teacup next to his head. I jumped out of bed and crept close, watching his breathing. Slow and steady. I bumped the table with my hip, but the jostled table didn’t wake him. He was sleeping fitfully, though I didn’t think his mood would be improved when he woke.
It was fortunate that the tonic worked so quickly, and I thanked the vamp metabolism for the assist.
Now, I just needed the potion to be as long-lasting as it was for Lyra.
ChapterSeventeen
I waitedanother five minutes for the sleeping aid to sink in, taking the opportunity to change clothes. I found a pair of pants with a bright floral print on a dark blue background, a matching jacket, and a navy-blue sleeveless blouse. I kept the same shoes, and when I passed a mirror almost laughed hysterically. It was the worst-looking outfit I could have found, but the busy pattern might be the difference between getting off the island or dealing with Lorenzo’s harsh punishment for a failed escape attempt.
I slipped through the mansion, working my way through the least busy areas of the manor. When I ran into someone on the staff, I simply nodded and continued with my head down. No one called me out for being without my bodyguard or Mrs. Newbridge. At the back door, I paused. It had been a few minutes after three when I left my room. I glanced out the door and didn’t see anyone. The building where Brigette stayed was to my right. The back way to the dock was to the left.
This was the most dangerous part of the plan—getting to the other building without being seen. I should have brought some type of cover to go over my crazy pantsuit. It was certainly unforgettable. An idea struck, and I turned right out the door, sticking close to the house.
The pool was on the way to the bungalow with the pool house off to the left. I heard splashing as I grew close and tiptoed down the rock path that led to the back of the pool house. I stuck my head in and paused, listening for anyone who might be changing. The only sound was the muffled splashing from the other side of the building. I grabbed a robe and pulled it on over my pantsuit, then wrapped my hair in a towel as if I’d just left the pool.
When I stepped back onto the rock path, I took a right, avoiding the pool, and followed the path that led to the bungalow. This was the danger zone. Humans came and went at all hours of the day. If I could get to the building without anyone seeing me, all the better.
I was just about to step out when I remembered my shoes. They were not something someone would wear to the pool, and they would be noticed. I took them off and stuffed them in the robe’s pockets.
When I was a few feet from the building, the door opened and two people walked out—a young man and a woman who was probably a few years older. I lowered my head and stepped aside.
“Hey, how was the pool?” the man asked.
“Wet.” It was all I could think of.
He laughed and then gave me a closer look. “Hey, are you new here?”
“Paul, we don’t ask personal questions. Remember?” The woman grabbed his arm and pushed him on. “Have a good day.”
I hurried through the door and moved through the main hallway toward the back of the building. I could have gone directly to my destination rather than take a chance in the building, but where I was headed was behind fencing. The only way to ensure access was to use the same door as the residents.
I had just passed the staircase and a hallway when a clear voice rang out.
“Cressa?”
Damn it.
I spun around. “Brigette. How good to see you?”
She glanced around. “Are you alone?”
There was no easy way out of this, so I gave her a partial truth. I turned around and loosened the robe. “I was trying to find someplace where I could be alone. Then I thought maybe you had time to talk.”
“We’re not supposed to see each other. Lorenzo’s orders.”
“Yeah. Why is that?”
