Page 10 of Bound By Blood

The scent of old paper greeted her, and then she caught the smile from the lady at the desk beyond.

“Can I help you?” the peppy blonde asked. She was at least ten years older than Carly with gray streaks already shining on her long hair, tied up into a neat bun.

Carly approached the desk. “Yes,” Carly said, but that was all she could spit out before the lady gasped.

“What happened to your neck?” she asked. Oddly, there was a perky grin on her face. Clearly, she didn’t think that it was serious.

Why was everyone concerned about her neck? She practically snarled at the secretary. She was too bubbly for Carly’s liking. No one was that happy. She had to be on something because her personality was already pissing Carly off, even though she’d only been her presence for seconds.

“I need to know the town’s history. Can you direct me on where to begin?” She purposely ignored the question. It was her business and no one else’s.

“We still keep those in original form,” she answered with her grin broadening. “I can pull them out for you. What do you need?”

Carly leaned into the counter, propping her elbow on it. “All of it.”

Finally, the secretary wiped the smile off of her face. It fell into a frown. “I don’t think –“

“I need all of it,” Carly interrupted. “Are you going to help me or not?”

“Sure,” the secretary said, pasting the grin back onto her face. “If you’ll just follow me.”

She stepped around the desk and followed the secretary through the building. She saw people at desks, flipping the pages of old books. They passed by them and headed to a room in the back. A desk sat in the middle of the room, old and worn by age. Surrounding the desk was bookshelf upon bookshelf of ancient spines.

The secretary pointed to it. “You can sit there,” she instructed as she headed to the bookshelves and started pulling books from their spots.

Carly sat on the creaky chair and settled in. A few minutes later, the secretary was plopping books in front of her.

“This should be everything you need.” She made her way to exit the room before turning back to face Carly. “Just a reminder, we close in two hours. Please use your time wisely.”

“Sure,” Carly answered, picking up the book at the top of the pile before her. She would have to skim them in that time frame.

Once she was left alone, she flipped the pages open and began reading. She went through the city’s history, not finding anything of note. She almost gave up because of the time and how dark it probably was outside, so she leaned back in the chair, grumbling under her breath.

“This is useless,” she whispered reverently. She started stacking the books in a pile but then froze when she saw a folder underneath the last book. She hadn’t noticed it before. She slid it out and opened it. There, on the very top, was an old picture.

Carefully, she picked it up, her breath hitching. There were two men in the picture, and she recognized both of them. One was Drayton Creed. She’d recognize the man anywhere. He did own half the city, after all. He and his family were legendary and ruthless. The rumors about them were wild, and most of them were probably true.

But there, next to Drayton, was the man she saw last night. The man who’d attacked her.

She gripped the picture too tightly, and it made a noise of protest. She flipped the picture over. Under the words ‘founding fathers’ was Drayton’s name, and . . .

“Landon Creed,” she read aloud. So, that was his name. Saying it aloud caused goosebumps to slither over her skin.

If Drayton was that old, he’d have to be a vampire too. How did no one not notice that they’re that old? Somehow, they’ve flown under the radar. Carly didn’t care to find out because she had a feeling that if she poked into the Creed’s business, she wouldn’t survive it. And if Carly knew anything, it was how to survive.

She slumped back in her chair, pondering this while she nibbled on her cheek. She looked around to make sure she was alone, and when she found no one there, she folded the picture and stuffed it into her pocket. There was no way she was leaving this evidence here.

She got up, abandoning her books, and headed back to the secretary’s desk. The blonde looked up at her. “Yes?”

“I’m finished.”

“Great! Did you find everything you needed?”

“Yes.” And then some. “I didn’t put away the books.”

“That’s okay.” She waved her off. “I’ll do it before I lock up. Have a nice day!”

“Thanks,” Carly grumbled as she headed out the door. She tipped her head to the night sky and breathed in the cool air. She did this just last night, but tonight, the air felt different. It felt dangerous. It felt reckless to linger in the shadow of the building, but it also thrilled her. He could be here, watching her. The thought didn’t scare her, but she touched the knife in her pocket anyway.