Page 16 of The Vampire Trap
I shake my head. I don’t have the luxury of time to dwell on it. For the next three hours, I stare at the book, unable to concentrate on a single word. Anxiety winds in my limbs, and the whole time I’m fighting the urge to get up and leave. I must stay put.
“Zadie!”
I snap my head up at the harsh whisper of my name. Benjamin is standing across the table, looking equal parts worried and irritated.
“Demon shit,” Ben smooths a hand over his hair as if making sure every strand is in place. “I thought he did something to you.”
I gather my things and return the book to where it belongs, giving myself enough time to gather my wits before facing him.
“Ready to go?” I ask.
“I said your name three times before you did more than blink. If you’re not feeling well, tell me and we’ll call this off now.”
I shake my head. What I really want to do is take him up on the offer. But if we drag this out, it will only get harder. “I’m fine. I was just going over everything in my mind.” He doesn’t look like he believes me. “If anything, I’m hungry. I was sitting here for over two hours longer than normal. You know how I get when I don’t eat.”
Benjamin sighs and tells me to go wait in the carriage. I obey without arguing. It’s a quarter-hour before he climbs in.
“Don’t look at me like that. The three of you decided that I should stay away so the city would believe you’re being courted by that thing.” His nose crinkles in distaste at the idea of it.
The impulse to reprimand him for his rudeness presses against the back of my teeth, but I hold my tongue.
For the next ten minutes, he lectures me on every detail of our plan. I sit quietly. This reminder is more for him than anything else. If he is confident in my ability to succeed, I won’t have to worry about him breaking into Thomas’s manor or hiding in his stables just to be close.
When he’s satisfied, Benjamin hands me a leather parcel. I unwrap it to find two small blades barely longer than the length from the tips of my fingers to the heel of my palm and two soft leather straps. “What is this?”
“I tried to find night-forged silver, but it’s too rare to get ahold of.” He reaches across and wraps his hand around my wrist to get my attention. “With your fighting skills, you’ll be able to mortally wound him. Not even vampires can heal from every wound.”
I’m unsure what to say… this wasn’t part of our plan.
He must see the question in my eyes because he continues, “I’m not saying you should attack him the first chance you get. But if he attacks you, I want you ready to defend yourself.”
The bell tower in the city center peels the hour. We don’t have much time.
Benjamin starts to climb out, pausing halfway to look back. “Zadie…” he says, “Be careful.”
I nod. The door closes, then a moment later, the carriage shifts slightly as he climbs into the driver’s seat.
We don’t take the road through the city as Thomas said I should. I lean back and close my eyes, trying to quell the storm of nerves in my stomach.
A sickening twinge of doubt settles heavier and heavier as the pounding of hooves brings me closer to Lakewood Manor. After spending this much time with a murderer, I should feel more certain about our plan of action. Not less.
I’m not sure I’ll be able to do what Benjamin expects of me. This night will end with the murder of a monster, or at the very least, the theft of a weapon one of us will use.
If Thomas attacks me, then I won’t hesitate.
But… I don’t think he will.
Since our first interaction, he’s had plenty of opportunities to feed, compel, or harm me.
Yet, he hasn’t.
He hasn’t done a single thing to indicate that he would. I haven’t noticed anything in his expressions or the tone of his voice to hint there’s more to him than he seems. Thomas could be an excellent actor. But my gut tells me that’s not the case.
And if he isn’t the one killing the people who voluntarily let him feed on them for being disloyal and feeding other vampires—then who is?
Without meaning to, I find myself altering my plans. Benjamin, Oscar, and Wallace are confident that Viscount Morgan is guilty. The difference is, I have spent the week in his presence, but they haven’t.
Sitting forward, I nod decisively to the empty seat across from me. I will act cautiously until I am confident of Thomas’s guilt or innocence.
