Page 41 of Property of Crypt Keeper

The door creaked open. Instantly, I stilled.

Not Gideon. Wrong energy. Wrong presence. This one was colder. Sharper. Slowly, I turned as the figure stepped inside.

My gaze narrowed. The vampire.

Tall. Dark. Controlled in a different way than Gideon. Not so much restrained, simply more… deliberate. His gaze landed on me and stopped. Shock flickered across his face.

Interesting. I let my lip curl slightly.

“Enjoying the view?” I asked, my voice smooth and unimpressed.

His jaw tightened.

“Crypt’s prisoner?” he muttered, more to himself than to me.

I didn’t answer. Didn’t need to.

His eyes narrowed, taking in the cuffs, the wards, the cell. Then me. Naked, unbothered, unafraid. His expression shifted from surprise to something more calculating.

“Demon,” he murmured under his breath.

I smiled. “Observant, aren’t you?”

He stepped closer—but not too close. Smart enough to respect the wards, or maybe just cautious enough not to trust them entirely.

“I’m guessing you’re not here for a friendly visit,” I murmured, batting my eyes.

“No,” he replied flatly. Silence stretched for a moment. Then he muttered, almost like a curse, “I hope this doesn’t get back to Haidyn.”

Everything in me went still. The name hit like a blade sliding between ribs.

Haidyn.

My fingers tightened around the bars before I even realized I’d moved.

“You know Haidyn?” I demanded.

The vampire’s gaze snapped to mine. Too sharp. Too quick.

I stepped forward, ignoring the way the wards bit into my skin as I wrapped my hands around the metal.

“Let me out,” I demanded, voice low, dangerous. “Now.”

His expression hardened. “No.”

The answer was immediate. Final.

“I don’t know what the hell Crypt’s got going on,” he continued, “but I’m not getting involved any more than I already am.”

My eyes flashed.

“You don’t understand what you’re dealing with,” I snapped. “If you know that name, then you know?—”

“I know enough,” he cut in. “Which is why you’re staying right where you are.”

Rage flickered hot and sharp under my skin.

“You’re making a mistake,” I warned.