Page 94 of Vampires of Eden: Oliver
The wind is icy, but a noteworthy improvement from the stale dungeon air I’ve been breathing for the past forty-eight hours. Down there, the air was stagnant. Lifeless.
The tangle of woods at this hour feels alive in comparison. Wild, breathing and brimming with possibility. Fallen leaves crackle underneath my feet with each step. Twigs snap from the force of my weight. This, along with the wind rustling the trees overhead, is my soundtrack to freedom.
Along the way, I pause occasionally. When I do, the soundtrack shifts and quiets. A new, subtle melody crescendos—birds whistling and singing to welcome the impending sunrise. The hoot of an owl. The hushed babble of water running over rocks in the stream beside me.
In these moments, I breathe in deep, filling my lungs with the early-autumn air. I want to remember this moment forever.
By the time I reach the edge of the forest, the clouds are deep gray, but tinged with pink and gold as they float overhead. The dark of night has warmed to where I can finally see my watch face without the help of the flashlight. It’s taken me an hour to get through the brush.
As I approach the road, I see a car parked with someone inside, just like Hudson promised.
Breathless, invigorated, I jog toward the car and wave my hands. The car starts up—a baby-blue Volkswagen Beetle humming to life. Camille sticks her head out of the driver-side window and calls out.
“Oliver! There you are! For God’s sake, you took a long time.”
I’m beside myself as I approach the car. Camille eyes me with one brow lifted. “What the hell? Were you birdwatching? Hurry up and get inside, we need to go, you slow poke.”
Bewildered, I stare at her. “Did… Who sent you for me?” I ask, suddenly cautious.
“Is this a bloody test?” she quips with her nose upturned. “Hudson sent me, of course—get in! Get inside before someone sees us.” Without another word, I rush around to the opposite side, pull the door open and settle into the passenger seat. Within seconds, we’re driving off and into the sunrise.
“Are you alright? Are you cold?” Camille takes one hand off the steering wheel to tinker with the dashboard. Seconds later, soft heat radiates and warms my icicle toes. She reaches between us. “Here, this one is for you.” There are two thermal cups in the holders and she hands one to me. I wrap my palms around it and am met with the most soothing heat in my life.
“Thank you—this is… It’s unbelievable. Just give me a second to catch up. You and Hudson are in on this?”
“Not just me and him. This was a team effort.”
My brain is a scattered mess as I process that. “Wait—there are more vampires at the estate who know about this? About me escaping?”
“Oh, for sure—there’s me and Hudson, and also Benjamin and Chef Maru. We all agreed that I should be the one to leave with you, since I’ve been wanting to get the hell out for ages now. But preparing everything without seeming suspicious was tricky. If I suddenly disappeared and stopped showing up for my shifts, the dyspeptic diehards on the staff would have reported it to your father.”
Multiple aspects of her statement throw me. For starters, I’ve never heard Camille talk like this. Not ever. “You’ve been wanting to get out?”
“God yes. Hudson finally gave me the green light.” She turns, beaming at me for a second before facing the road once more.
“The green light?” I ask, taking the bait. “For what?”
“To motherfucking quit! I havehatedworking under your fathers and all those snobby, old-timey, geriatric and cobweb-crotch vampires. To hell with them!”
Wide-eyed, I sit frozen with the thermos between my palms. My mouth is agape. “Then, why did you stay?”
“Because of you. I promised Sash that I’d look out for you. She’s my best friend and you’re a good vampire. You definitely needed an ally in that godforsaken castle. But, turns out, you had more than one.” She shifts her eyes and winks before looking out the windshield again.
Unbelievable. I take a long sip from the thermos, flooding my senses with the heady, flowery oil and bergamot of the earl gray inside. Satisfied, I sigh as the hot liquid soothes my throat. “Benjamin too?” This surprises me.
“Of course. He’s loyal to the viscount—not that other asshole.”
“So, how did you all pull this off?”
Camille smiles, as if the simple memory of the tale pleases her. “Well,Iwanted to just leave and break shit on my way out the door. Possibly shout some obscenities? But Hudson vetoed that idea. A bit too grandiose for his taste—perfect for mine, though.
“Chef Maru suggested I break or spill some dish during breakfast service, since Lord Blakeley swiftly reassigned me to the kitchen right after you mysteriously disappeared. We all agreed on the chef’s plan. I spilled and dropped the entire pitcher of orange juice into the Duke of Ealing’s lap.”
I balk and jerk upright. “You spilled juice all over Alexander’s horrible, needle-nosed uncle!”
“Yes, sir. A real prick, that one. He’s lucky I didn’t have the coffee.”
I sink down into the seat, utterly satisfied. “That was very thoughtful of you.” What a fantastic morning I’m having. The dungeon wasn’t great, but this? Perfection.
