Page 84 of How to Stake a Vampire

I grimaced. I knew Janet stress-howled. I hadn’t realized she did it at work.

I was still processing this revelation when Barney appeared from an equipment room. The vampire looked like the world’s most reluctant gym teacher as he carried an armload of wooden stakes and a few hammers, and lugged an actual coffin complete with brass handles and a heavy wooden lid behind him.

Bo’s ears flattened at the sight of the coffin.

“Right, then,” Barney said grimly, setting the coffin on the floor and the stakes on a nearby table. “Before we begin, there’s something I need to remind everyone of.” His expression grew even more serious, which I hadn’t thought was possible. “The next full moon is tomorrow night.”

I could have told him that. My skin and bones were itching like crazy and I could feel all the other telltale signs that told me my wolf was dying to cut loose.

“Which means Ludvik’s timeline just became much more urgent,” Barney continued. “If he’s planning to complete the ritual, he’ll need the full moon’s power to accomplish his goal.”

Didi exchanged an uneasy glance with Gavin and Detective Johnson. Barney had sworn them to secrecy that morning before telling them about the secret ritual.

“So we have less than two days to stop him,” Samuel said tightly.

“Less than that, actually,” Barney said. “The ritual would need to begin at moonrise on the night of the full moon. Which gives us roughly thirty hours to locate him and end this.”

No pressure, then.

Barney gestured to the stakes. “This is why you all need to learn how to stake a vampire properly.”

Didi raised her hand. “Question. When you say ‘stake a vampire,’ are we talking about the traditional wooden-stake-through-the-heart method?”

Barney curled a lip. “That’s a myth perpetuated by humans who clearly never tried to penetrate vampire skin with a piece of wood.”

Bo tilted his head, his eyes taking on a familiar morbid gleam. “So how do you actually stake a vampire?”

“You nail their coffin shut while they’re inside it.”

We stared.

“Come again?” Detective Johnson asked carefully.

“A vampire can only be truly staked while they’re in their resting place,” Barney explained. “The coffin acts as a containment vessel. You drive iron nails through the lid, pinning them inside, and then stake the coffin itself to consecrated ground.”

I scratched my cheek. “That seems unnecessarily complicated. Also, do we even have consecrated ground around these parts?”

Barney frowned. “It’s supposed to be complicated. We’re not exactly designed to be easy to kill. And it’s easy to make consecrated ground.”

Bo wagged his tail excitedly. “Let me guess. A dash of holy water, right?!”

“No,” Barney said irritably. “All it takes is the blood of a virgin and a prayer.”

Didi and I exchanged a cautious glance in the hush that followed.

“The virgin part could prove to be a problem,” I volunteered with a grimace. “And I’m pretty sure the rest of Amberford is running low on that item too.”

“It doesn’t have to be a woman,” Barney said.

We all turned to Gavin.

The dragon newt’s horns popped out.

“Why are you all looking at me?!” he protested.

“You seem the most likely candidate in the room to fit the condition,” Detective Johnson said with brutal honesty.

“Well, I’ll have you know I’m not, okay?!” Steam puffed out of Gavin’s nostrils.