Page 95 of The Witch in the Dead of Night

The constant pulse of the strange vampire’s emotions held me captive on the precipice of sleep. His excitement rolled over me like waves of nausea. More than once, I considered reaching out to Enhart with my mind for reassurance. Or taking a swig of valerian root to drown the man out. But something held me back. I scolded myself silently, inhaling the floral scent of the sheets. I was tired and in an unfamiliar place. Surely, I was overreacting.

When daylight finally trickled in beneath the rose-patterned curtains, I didn’t linger. I jumped out of bed and dressed, pulling on the thickest pair of socks I could find in my pack. I stepped gingerly into my boots, wincing as my blistered heels slid against the stiff leather.

When I peeked into the looking glass, I winced again at the purplish bruises beneath my eyes. I slung my pack over my shoulder and grabbed my cloak from where it was draped over the armchair. I hesitated at the door, my fingers inching toward the bolt. Inhaling slowly, I slid it open. The metal whined as if to alert everyone in the inn that I was emerging from my bedchamber.

Don’t be ridiculous, I thought to myself. No decent vampire would be awake at this hour.

I hurried down the stairs, hoping to find Enhart at the bottom of them. My face fell when I arrived to see the innkeeper alone, the man combing through a cache of red apples, thick, brown bread slathered with butter, and skeins of water.

“Ah, good morning to you,” he said the moment he laid eyes on me. He straightened, gesturing to the food. “Please, help yourself.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled, reaching for an apple. I turned it over in my hands, my fingers passing over the bruises mottling its delicate skin.

“The gentleman was asking after you.”

I glanced up. “You mean Prince— Er, Mr. Smith?”

“No, Master Luc,” he said. “I had no idea that you were acquainted.”

My palms grew clammy. Luc. The strange vampire from the corridor. I tucked the apple into my pack. Gathering my cloak in my arms, I clasped it around my throat.

“Please tell Mr. Smith that I’ll be waiting for him in the stables,” I said to the innkeeper. “We need to make haste.”

“Of course, miss,” he replied.

I stepped out into the cool morning, pleased to find that there was no one waiting for me on the other side of the door. Sparse dapples of sunrise trickled through gaps in the clouds, illuminating the dew on the grass. I hurried toward the stable, where I found the horses feasting on bales of fresh straw. The doors had been left open, spilling what little daylight there was onto the dusty floor. I set to work, lifting Arlys’s saddle into place and tightening it with trembling fingers. As I strapped my pack into place on her back, I wondered when Enhart would make his appearance. I would drag him out of bed myself if I had to.

“Good morning, miss.”

The strange, deep voice set my teeth on edge. Magic sparked to life at my fingertips, a reminder that I was not alone. Arlys’s ears went flat against her head, her narrowed eyes trained on something over my shoulder. I took a steadying breath before turning to face him.

The vampire’s thoughts crashed into me.

He’d spent so many days alone in recent weeks. He was traveling to the east to visit his father for the final time before he died, even though he despised the bastard. He missed the excitement of Valnar. He missed Madam Swan’s. He couldn’t get me out of his head. And he knew that it was wrong, but the scent of blood from the blisters on my feet was driving him mad.

Now, he stood just outside the stable doors, staring at me like I was a meal. He was dressed in the dark blue cloak that had been hanging by the door yesterday, and his brown hair was mussed, as if he’d sprinted here.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep at this hour?” I asked curtly.

“I couldn’t sleep,” he replied. “Not knowing that you were just across the corridor.”

I straightened, planting my hands on my hips. “Listen,” I said, willing my voice not to tremble, “I’m not interested.”

He stepped closer, unperturbed. “You have the most unique scent. I’ve never smelled anything like it.”

Sparks flew from my fingertips, smoldering in the straw beneath my feet. The vampire’s lips rounded. Arlys squealed, shuffling out of reach. “I’d prefer you not smell me at all,” I snapped.

In the near distance, a figure darkened the inn’s door. Relief washed over me as I recognized it as Enhart. He strolled toward us, working his fingers into the back of his neck as if to rid himself of a worrisome crick. Luc didn’t appear to notice, his gaze trained on the throbbing artery in my neck.

I opened my mouth to say something to Enhart, to warn him that this vampire was dangerous, but I didn’t get the chance.

Because the moment he was within reach, Enhart wrapped his fingers around Luc’s head and twisted. A resounding snap met my ears. I clapped a hand to my mouth, muffling the scream that escaped my lips. The vampire slumped onto the ground with a thud, his fractured vertebrae bulging against the skin of his throat. His tongue lolled out of his gaping mouth. My stomach churned as I stared wordlessly into his lifeless eyes.

I dragged my gaze to meet Enhart’s. He stood over the body with a placid expression. As if Luc was just a bothersome fly he’d flattened beneath his boot.

“What did you do?” I croaked. My attention flicked toward the inn. At any moment, the innkeeper could emerge and catch us standing over a corpse.

“What?” Enhart asked, cocking his head. “I didn’t like the way he was speaking to you.”