Page 11 of Blood and Bonbons

From what I could see of his face, he was–or had been–extremely good-looking.

“Look lower,” Vena said from beside me, making me jump. My gaze involuntarily drifted to the dust-coated lump at his crotch.

“You have issues, Vena. I’m less worried about what he’s packing and more worried about why he’s here.”

“I think it’s a diamond-studded codpiece. That has to be worth a fortune.”

“Don’t even think about it,” I said, grabbing her arm. “We are not robbing the dead.”

She was like a mastiff on a leash. There was no holding her back from her treasure, and because I was holding on, she dragged me with her.

Her hand stretched forward.

“Don’t you dare touch a dead man’s swizzle stick,” I hissed frantically.

It was too late. She brushed away the cobwebs and latched onto his codpiece. With a tug, the leather strap attaching it broke free.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw nothing was exposed.

“Crap. Not a codpiece.” She held up the metal-studded pouch. “No diamonds either.”

My stomach gave a weird twist as I glanced between the metal-studded pouch and the fairy hoard pile.

“Why didn’t the fairies take that?” I asked.

Fairies went after anything shiny. From jewelry to metal toasters, they coveted it all.

Vena wasn’t listening to me, though. She was carefully opening the pouch and mumbling about how old it was.

I took an apprehensive step toward the man and, with a shaky hand, wiped the dust from his face, clearly seeing him. He wasn’t in any way decayed like a dead person should be. Especially one dressed from another era.

Free of the blanket of dust, his skin reflected an unearthly paleness in the weak light. Yet, his beautiful, full lips retained a hint of color. My gaze drifted to the auburn-brown hair loosely tied in a ponytail that touched his shoulders.

He didn’t look dead at all.

My pulse started pounding harder, and my breathing grew shallow. I stared at his chest, waiting for it to move. If it did, I couldn't tell. I leaned in so my ear was close to his nose. Nothing. Still shaking, I dusted off his chest and set my ear to his jacket right over his heart.

A single thump under my ear made me squeak and scramble away. I latched onto Vena’s arm and shook her until her gaze ripped free from the jeweled ring she held.

“I don’t think he’s dead,” I whispered frantically.

Vena frowned and looked from me to the man, taking in the now unencumbered view of his face.

“Shit,” she breathed. “You bled on him?”

“What? No.”

She brushed her hand against my cheek, the side I’d used to listen for his breath, and her fingers came away bloody. My rounded eyes met hers. The fear I saw there amplified my own. Vena wasn’t afraid of many things, which was part of the problem with her hunting. She was too ballsy.

She shoved the ring into my hand and rushed to the guy, swearing under her breath as she took the hem of her shirt and attempted to wipe a drop of blood from his bottom lip. Hislip?How dumb could I be? His clothes, un-mummified appearance, and lack of breathing with a heartbeat led to only one conclusion.

I’d practically spoon-fed a hibernating vampire.

“Start looking for a way out, Everly. The fairies were getting in here somehow. We need to go.Now.”

Her barked orders and budding panic broke through my own terror.

Heart crashing against my chest, I raced around the dimly lit cave of horrors, looking for a way out. Cobwebs clung to all the shadowing corners. I picked up a copper weathervane and used it to clear them away.

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