Page 130 of The Vampire's Mercy

There went my jaw again, shock a clamp on my tongue.

“Thanks to you,” Medusa said, “I know I can open doorways to cross great distances.” She gestured at the rippling thing. “And I remember the tower you dreamed about.”

What. The. Fuck. “You do?”

“It’s in a between place,” she added. “Although I’m not sure what that means.”

I rubbed at my eyes, a little breathless, a fresh tangle of vines in my chest as I watched the ripples flicker, curiosity spiking.

“A between place?” I said, flexing my fingers.

“Yes. Do you want to see it?”

Should I, when I had the chance to make a run for it as the sun came up? If she tried to stop me, I’d kill her. I’d kill anyone who got in my way.

Only, I couldn’t walk from this. My need to run was diminishing, my hunger for answers on the rise.

Unlock…

Find the truth…

“Can we get back easily?”

She lifted a finger as if testing the direction of the wind. “After a few minutes, I can open the doorway again.” Her brows pinched together. “I wish I knew more than that.”

I don’t know why I snorted with laughter. Probably because this whole thing was one big headfuck.

“What do you want to do? It’s not like you’ll get away from the palace. There are thrall guards everywhere.”

That made me angry. “Why do you want to be anywhere near me?”

“Meaning?”

“I’ve killed vampires. I’m dangerous.”

Her amber eyes darkened. “I’m well aware, elf. I don’t have my head in the sand. Silvanus hurts, he mourns deeply. But I think he mourns you, too.”

My heart stuttered for a moment. “Huh?”

She waved a dismissive hand. “Forget that part. Remember I’m dangerous too.”

I liked the honesty. “Got it.”

“Listen, the main point of all of this is getting answers,” she spoke quickly. “I can take you to the tower and possibly crack this wide open.” She pointed at me. “Don’t think my mind isn’t blown by you being alive. It is.” She crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue.

I snorted again. “What are you doing?”

Her face returned to normal. “Showing off my blown mind.” She shrugged.

I cleared my throat. “You don’t want to kill me?”

“No.” A simple reply with no extras.

“Feeling’s mutual.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

And just like that, I made my decision. “Okay, let’s do this. Answers will be awesome.”