Page 14 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

I’m not prepared for a fight like this. I don’t know this enemy.

You confuse being prepared with being afraid.

Of course, I’m afraid. There’s more than one of them; they have the upper hand.

Then use it to your advantage like I have taught you.

Ok.

Good, now keep your dagger at the ready, and when you strike, make sure it’s to kill.

Sensing the direction of Athriel’s attention, I ease the dagger from my belt, careful not to make a sound. I grip the hilt so tight it almost cuts into my skin as the man walks directly over to where I’m standing. I dare not move for fear the creaking floorboards will give me away. He only stops when he is standing right in front of me. My heart pounds inside my chest at his proximity, but I remain silent. His dark eyes stare straight at me as though they are piercing through my soul, then widen in surprise for just a second. He steps back but does not take his eyes off me. I silently lift my dagger in warning, ready to strike, but to my surprise, he turns back toward Finn.

“It appears I am, in fact, mistaken. Please forgive my transgression."

He's lying,Athriel says, and I silently agree.

Finn's shoulders relax, and he looks in my direction briefly as if he were sure I had been seen too. He quickly recovers and clears his throat.

“Of course, no apology needed. Our business is delicate, and it is best to be cautious. Shall we?”

"I do not think there is anything left to discuss, Mr. Rouke. We will take the entire crate.Tonight.”

“Fantastic,” Finn says as he stretches out a hand, gesturing away from where I’m standing. The man nods before heading to the opposite side of the room. Finn opens the hatch in the floor behind his counter, pausing just long enough to drop his keys on top of it. The man’s gaze cuts back to me a final time, something strange flickering across his features, before he vanishes below.

Going to the apothecary was a complete waste of time. After Finn and the others disappeared beneath the hatch, I unlocked the door and bolted out of the place without looking back. The only good thing about it is that being invisible makes sneaking around tonight a hell of a lot easier. I don’t know how long the effect will last, though, so I keep moving as if every eye can still see me.

I scan the darkness, my feet silent against the flat stone rooftop as I hurry back in the direction of the bloodhouse. Cora was right about the patrols. The vampires are everywhere. I brush my fingers against the empty pocket in my cloak, and my chest tightens at the realization that tonight wasn’t a success. The guards prowled in small groups, making it impossible to make a clean kill.I’m running out of options.

My mind still shifts back to the apothecary, and all I’m left with is a million unanswered questions. Usually, I would have stayed to demand the answers I wanted, but not even I’m stupid enough to ignore the sheer danger of the situation we were in. There was something off about those strangers. The way they stood. The way they acted. I’m not sure what Finn has himself mixed up in, but I want Willow to be kept far away from it. She has two days left before she is expected to serve the patrons again, and without the venom that she needs, it’s not an option. If even one vampire catches sight of the veins scattering her body—which is highly likely with the revealing dresses we are made to wear—then she will be dead, and I’ll be damned if I let that happen.

“Where was he found?” The sound of a male voice causes me to still. Instead of ducking into the shadows, I’ve taken to the rooftops, safe out of sight. Who knows how long Finn’s concoction will last. It may be more difficult, but the guards are expecting an attack on the ground, so I have been able to stay hidden. From my perch atop the building, I spot a male and female vampire locked in an intense conversation. Against the black backdrop, their eyes glow crimson, the starlit streetlamps casting the only light. It’s always this dark no matter what time of day it is—thanks to the Blackwood’s shadow clouds—though the starlight glows a little brighter during the morning hours.

The female’s long blond hair is tied into a ponytail at the nape of her neck. She wipes a hand down the dark blue fabric of her uniform before leaning back against the wall.

“An alleyway,” she says in a hushed tone as her eyes sweep across the shadows.

The male’s hand curls into a fist at his side, the muscles in his arm rippling from the action. Unlike the noble born vampires, the sired do not carry the same unyielding beauty and instead remain exactly as they were when they were human. Onlyhumans born without any potency in their blood are sired, and even then, the act is rare, only done when permitted by the Crown Prince and his council. Why any human would want that life is beyond me. Sired vampires are nothing more than guard dogs used to do the nobles’ dirty work. They’re not even given the honor of wielding the prince’s shadow magic.

“And his fangs?” he asks.

Their eyes meet for a second.

“Ripped out.”

His red eyes, the same shade as all sired vampires, darken at the revelation before he slams a fist into the wall, but the female doesn’t even flinch as though she is used to his behavior.

“Easy, Dante,” she warns as her eyes scan the small space they are standing in as though she expects an attack at any minute.

“He was my friend, Brina. We fought side by side in the war…he has a wife.”

“I know,” she says.

“It’s taken that arrogant prick almost a year to finally do something about it.”

“You speak of the prince, Dante, mind your words.”

“Mind my words? You think he gives a shit about us sired vamps while he sits up in his pretty palace?” He spits. “The only one that gives a damn about us is Amabel. If she hadn’t set up the bloodrings, we wouldn’t even be able to defend ourselves against whatever the hell is hunting us.”