Page 134 of The Vampire's Mercy

I put my money on the former.

The wind howled, shaking the front door, its hinges squeaking. I shivered, inching forward.

“We’re going up,” I said.

“Lead the way,” Medusa answered.

I summoned my stakeblade, passing under the arch and finding a spiral staircase of cracked stone. Candles flickered to life in the recesses ahead, lighting the way.

“Fucking hell,” I whispered, my heart hiccuping a little.

Please don’t be a trap…

With every step, my chest tightened with anxiety. Steady beats of panic rising in ferocity as we went up, up, up. My mind played with me, conjuring a scenario where the stairs turned into a slide, dumping me in a spike pit.

Thanks bunches, brain.

We reached the top without incident, arriving at an empty room with another staircase leading up. Crossing the room, disturbing thick layers of dust, we came to a second room identical to the last, along with more stairs, candles guiding our ascent.

After a few more empty rooms, we came to a bigger room. Torches in sconces burst to life, casting light across a huge cauldron resting on a pile of ashes, its top covered in cobwebs.

Rain crashed against the dirty windows, the wind a terrifying howl rattling them.

Damn storm.

There were two closed doors, one directly ahead of me, and the other on my right. A wardrobe and an old-fashioned writing bureau sat in the far corner, both covered in dust.

The stench of rotting meat hit my nose. Retching, I pinched my nose, the door directly ahead of me giving me a bad feeling. I shuddered, hesitant to take another step.

Until the sound of a muffled voice caught my attention.

“What was that?” Medusa said.

It came from the creepy door.

My scalp prickled, my hand strangling the hilt of my weapon. “Is someone in there?”

A muffled response.

I looked to my companion. “What the hell?”

Her amber eyes locked onto the door. “Something bad happened here.”

I shivered again, swallowing an uneasy lump. My feet itched, wanting me to go back the way I’d come and wait in the alcove outside for Medusa to take us back to the palace. It’d be better there, and easier to deal with than this unknown shit.

Muffled grumbling sounded behind the door.

I backed away, skin clammy.

I shouldn’t be here…

“This wasn’t a smart idea,” Medusa said.

I moved back again, taking slow steps toward the stairs.

The mumbling continued, every hair on my body at attention.

Shit. Shit. Shit.