Slay Alive

Chapter 10

ten

Tamsin stayed firm on her no stalking vampires rule. I get it. This is her real life. She doesn’t have the chance of skipping timelines and starting over in another world. She’s stuck with the Nightwardens and that makes stalking the House of the Lunar Veil’s leader too risky.

It’s for the best, though. Stalking is best done solo style.

I sip at the mulled cider I got from a small shop on the way to The Veiled Quarter. It’s on the south end of town and a decent walk from Hunter’s Watch. I sightsee on my way through the city. I’m tempted to go by the Midnight Market, but I don’t. If I do that I’ll do a whole lot of eating and zero stalking. I let out a low whistle when I see the Eldritch Library. It’s beautiful. Marble pillars, ivy covered brick and stained glass windows make up the building's facade. There’s a golden map of Briarwood over the massive oak doors shining in the sunlight. I hesitate in front of it. I want to see the inside of it and finally get my hands on some of the books inside. Full-length novels and lore compendiums exist in the world of Fangs Are Forever thanks to the fans' tireless labor to create community content. I even had a couple of books published and stored in the community server.

Would those books be here? I would be able to meet the resident Eldritch Librarian Gabriel Von Helsing too.

“Wouldn’t hurt to cast a wide net.”

Gabriel is an interesting character. He’s finicky, definitely dramatic but fun when I’m able to get on his vibe. The librarian is an aristocrat and I’m drowning under student debt, maybe that’s why I don’t understand him most of the time. But even so, when I’ve put my mind to romancing Gabriel, I get the job done. Maybe I’ve been going at this all wrong. Why not Gabriel? I sip my cider and linger for another minute before I turn on my heel and keep walking. I can come back for Gabriel if this goes badly, but I’m not going to think like that.

“Stay positive. We can do this. In this world we’re very versed in creeping. Nothing new here,” I coach myself. I can do this. I can.

Fog rolls in the second I cross into the Veiled Quarter. The sunlight vanishes and the area plunges into twilight. Vampire friendly to the max.

“Interesting.” I turn and look over my shoulder to see where the fog ends. There’s a clear boundary where the fog begins and ends. It’s like a glass wall is between the Veiled Quarter and the street leading towards the Eldritch Library.

“Well this is bullshit.” I squint into the fog and wave my hand in front of my face to get a better look. Fog is not the best creeping weather but if I can’t see then hopefully no one can see me either. The House of the Lunar Veil is at the center of the quarter. Not far at all. I can look for a hiding spot to camp out in once I get there but the second I get in sight of the House of the Lunar Veil, someone falls into step beside me.

“Now what’s a hunter doing here of all places?”

It’s Cade.

“I’m out for a stroll. Enjoying a cider.” I lift my cup to show him and take a sip for show. “Tis the season.”

Cade chuckles, the sound is low and hearing it makes my stomach go tight. Jesus. How is this vampire getting to me like this?

“Well isn’t that quaint.”

I risk looking at Cade out of the corner of my eye because directly on he’s going to be too damn fine. He’s not wearing the dark shades anymore or the gloves and his umbrella is nowhere to be found. I swallow hard, lose the battle with myself and look at him full on.

Cade’s eyes are on mine the second I give him my attention. Blue and brown, those two colors pull me right in.

Yup. He’s too fucking hot. I can’t stand him.

“What are you doing sneaking around here?” I ask him.

“I’m enjoying the weather.”

My hair is getting wet from the fog and I have to rub my arms against the chill. “Yeah, it’s real nice out,” I say sarcastically.

Cade cracks a smile and tips his head back to look up at the sky. The change in his stance gives me a perfect view of his profile. The vampire looks like he’s carved from stone. Beautiful fucking stone.

“Not for you. The Veiled Quarter is vampire territory, so then why is a hunter here alone?”

“Why are you so obsessed with me? That’s kind of embarrassing for you. I mean, I thought you said I was your stalker. Decided to switch it up?”

Cade looks down at me. “Something like that. You’re different now. I aim to find out why.”

“Different? N-no I’m not.” My voice shakes. I can’t help it. The only people who know who I really am are Rhia and Tamsin. How the fuck is Cade already putting the pieces together? I am killing it as a hunter and for what? He’s sniffing me out immediately.

“I’m the same. It’s you that’s changed,” I say and give myself a mental high five. Hell yeah, Bonnie. Turn the tables on his ass. “You don’t know me.”

“Like hell, hunter. You were my shadow in Haven. Couldn’t go anywhere without you and suddenly, somehow, you’re gone? And when you show back up you talk different, you walk different. Y ou even smell different. ”

“You saying I stink?”

“Stink? Oh no, you don’t stink.” Cade steps in closer as we walk and drops his head so that he’s eye-to-eye with me and he inhales. His eyes close when he breathes in and my body lights up at hearing his breath. God. How can he even breathe sexy?

“You smell like sunshine and flowers. Like the world at dawn. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve smelled that? Never thought I’d get it from you, Duskweaver.”

Duskweaver. That’s my name now, the name of whatever woman that was insane enough to timeline jump for my swap. Maybe Cade only knows I’m different because he knew her?

“I smell like wet dirt. Neat.”

He shakes his head, eyes opening and for the hundredth time that day I’m struck by how beautiful his mismatched eyes are. He smiles, but it's different this time. It’s softer, not a smirk, not a teasing or cruel smile. It feels…real.

“Vampires like dirt.”

I smile back but only for a second before I remember who the hell I’m talking to. This vampire wants to gut you. He has gutted you a dozen times before. I swallow hard and jerk back from him. Cade is not safe. I have to remember that.

“Thanks for the company but this is my stop.” We’re in front of the House of the Lunar Veil now. “I’ll catch you later.”

Cade doesn’t move or say goodbye. Instead he looks towards the mansion we’re standing in front of. Gaslit street lamps light the space up in front of Lucien’s home. It’s a two story mansion made of black marble and onyx. Any sunlight that’s gotten through the fog is sucked up by the dark mansion. I can see lights on in the dozen windows facing the street. A fountain of a woman dancing, arms outstretched and spinning bubbles away in front of the mansion. Maybe I can sit there and pretend I’m in quiet contemplation, tortured soul style. That should buy me enough time to track Lucien’s next move. My stomach rumbles and I send out a desperate prayer that Lucien is in the mood to visit the food stalls in the Midnight Market. I’m not lucky. Instead of a Lucien sighting and a peaceful start to my stalking, I get Cade Graves crossing his arms and shooting the House of the Lunar Veil an annoyed look.

“Oh, so your flavor of vampire’s changed now that you’re in Briarwood Hollow? You want a prissy ponce like Lucien?”

I contemplate checking my pulse to see if I’ve dropped dead. “Sorry?” I ask, because I can’t believe this is happening. Is Cade jealous?

“You think that fancy Lord is special? That he’s going to want a human for anything more than a night? Wake up, hunter. You’re a blood bag to his kind.”

“I-what?” I hold up my hands to slow him down. “Who said anything about…well, all of that. I’m going to just, you know, sit and think.”

“You’re not the thinking type,” he says. He just insulted me, didn’t he? Fucker.

“Hey! I am soooo very much the thinking type.”

“As evidenced by your decision to try and chase after Lucien.”

I wave my cider at the offending vampire.“Yeah. Back home my middle name is “the Thinker.” I bet you didn't know that.” I’m babbling but it’s the best I can do at the moment, given Tamsin was right. Cade is jealous. I haven’t played the same damn vampire simulator game for a decade not to recognize a jealous vampire when I see one.

How did this happen?

“Listen good and listen well, hunter. You’re going to walk right out of this quarter and you are never going to return. You’re going to take yourself right back to that do-gooder headquarters of yours and you’re going to tuck yourself in like a good little hunter. When you see Lucien coming, you will turn and walk the other way, do I make myself clear?”

“If we’re do-gooders then what are you for helping us?” I ask him. Cade narrows his eyes at me. I swear I see his fangs get longer. Oh shit. I am pissing the stalker vampire off. What the hell is wrong with me? I know what he’s capable of and here I am, provoking him.

Why am I like this?

“It makes me a bloody fool.” Cade’s eyes drop to my mouth for a second before the vampire shakes his head and steps away from me.

“I’m trying to help you, Duskweaver.”

I frown when I hear him use my not last name. I want to hear him say my name.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you helping me when you never did before?” I ask him before I can stop myself. It’s not like in the training yard when Riley was there to get in the way. There’s no one here now to stop me from slipping up with Cade.

“Before?” He asks.

“In Haven,” I tell him, covering for my slip up. I expect a snarky reply from Cade, maybe even silence. Those were go-tos for him in the game before he would turn on me. I tense up as I wait. If he makes a move, I’ve got a fighting chance. I never did change out my gear from the day’s training and I was given not only a dagger but two stakes and a bottle of holy water to carry.

As far as Briarwood Hollow goes, I’m strapped.

Cade surprises me when he sighs and answers me honestly. “I don’t know why I’m helping you. I feel…out of sorts about you.”

“What?” I wasn’t expecting that. And because I have no sense of self-preservation, I drop my hand from the stake I was poised to grab.

“I feel compelled to care about you,” he says quietly and I almost choke on my own spit. Even though I don’t choke, my face just gave me away because Cade’s face goes hard. “Trust me, I like it less than you do, hunter.”

There’s a creaking sound and the black iron gate in front of the House of the Lunar Veil swings open. I hear a horse neigh and a second later a vampire rides out. It’s Lucien. It has to be. I recognize his long red hair and green eyes. Even without that, there’s no one else that would be as finely dressed as he is in a suit, cape, and polished boots that shine under the gas lamp light with an entourage in tow. I count a dozen vampires that ride out behind Lucien. Each of them look ready to lay their life down for their leader. They aren’t dressed like Lucien. They’re in leather armor and I even spy a few iron pieces like pauldrons and greaves on the vampires. A few wear broadswords, ornate pikes and some carry shields. Those vampires are ready for war. Shit. Maybe this was a bad idea. How am I going to get close to him as a vampire hunter? I’m a nobody in this world. There's no reason for them to trust I’m not going to put a stake in his heart to make a name for myself.

Maybe Cade is right and stalking Lucien isn’t safe.

“Cade, I-“ I start and turn to him, fully prepared to admit I might be in over my head but I never get further than those two words.

“Forget this. You want him. You got him. There he is, hunter.”

I jerk back like he slapped me. There’s anger in his eyes I haven’t seen yet. Today I’ve seen amusement, curiosity, annoyance, and even scorn but anger?

That’s new.

He didn’t even look angry when he was training the recruits with Riley, at least not like this. Cade is furious.

“I hope he drains you dry. I know I would,” he snarls at me and for a split second he looks the way Dante did when I realized that he wasn’t really a man. I gasp before I can stop myself. I feel stupid and hurt all at once. Both emotions rush over me so hard and fast that my knees feel like they’ll buckle and I don’t understand it.

Cade’s a vampire.

What’s more, he's a vampire that I know is capable of killing me. Anyone with sense would think he’s evil and not to be trusted but still his words feel like a knife to my gut. Cade turns on his heel and stalks away before I can say a word.