Page 38

Chapter 37

Rolf

T hrough the crack in the door, Rolf watched glamoured servants carry out the body of a deceased fae on a stretcher, a white sheet pulled taut over the top. His wolf grumbled at the unfairness, and his hand tightened on the knife.

The blond vampire followed. Her clear voice directed the servants, and she used the same melodic technique Adeline had when she removed Rolf’s glamour. The vampire’s scent floated in the air behind her, stronger this time. It was a scent he had smelled before.

She was in the cave.

His wolf snarled in agreement. Bite off her head!

Rolf shook his head slowly. He couldn’t kill the vampire now. Not when she held the keys to open these doors.

The group turned left down the hall, heading to the only room at the end, the laundry. He couldn’t follow them unless he wanted to be spotted and risk even getting close to Adeline. As soon as their footsteps retreated, he slipped out from the shadows, walked to the open cell, and peered inside.

It reeked of iron, stale urine, and mold. He scrunched his nose, and even his wolf was revolted by the conditions.

“This is worse than the others,” he whispered, shock shaking his voice. Tiny sprouted plants dotted the floor; roots were torn from their base, as if the creature within had tried to hold on to something as they were taken away.

Woodland fae , his wolf said reverently, sending him images of dozens of encounters his shifter had with them over the past century. Tiny, bark-covered creatures who lived among the trees of the ancient woods. Countless times, they would help guide his wolf to safety for the sunrise shift.

Tenderness blossomed in Rolf’s chest.

“I had no idea,” he whispered, holding back tears.

His wolf snorted in agreement. That’s what happens when you refuse to accept who you are.

More determined than ever, Rolf knew he had to help get these creatures out. He turned to the lock where the vampire’s keys still hung freely. They shone blue with the wards, magical lettering crisscrossing the face of the metal. At least ten different keys were hanging from the ring, all with wards reflecting on their handles.

He had two options: leave the keys there or take them.

He took them, wrapping his fingers around the cluster of keys so they didn’t jingle. Putting the keys in his pocket, he whispered out loud to the room, “I will come back for all of you, I promise.”

Then he ran back down the hall, giving the handles a test to see which ones were unlocked. He didn’t have enough time to find the right keys, so as soon as a latch clicked open, he slipped through into the darkness beyond. Rickety wooden stairs in front of him wound several stories high, barely illuminated by the thin windows that circled the stairwell.

He started climbing, his mind whirling, dozens of different scenarios playing out. How was he going to get to Adeline and free all the fae servants? And how many vampires were actually in this building?

He pushed open the servants’ door at the top of the stairs and crept down a hallway lined with even more doors.

“ How big is this castle?” he whispered to himself. Was he standing in another enchanted room?

His wolf snorted in his head, No, I’m here, aren’t I?

If he could hear his wolf, all was well. He sighed.

The hall was elegantly decorated and had only three doors. The one that led to the servants’ stairs that Rolf had just exited, one to his left, and the other at the end to his right, which was at the top of another set of stairs, these well-lit and carpeted. Heavy curtains lined the walls, and a rug ran the length, which trapped the warmth inside the hall. He tugged at his collar, wishing he wasn’t wearing wool pants. It smelled faintly of frankincense and citrus and was lit by only a few candelabras—it would not be a stretch to call it romantic, but, as with the rest of the castle, something was off.

Hushed noises filled the space, and his wolf went silent, trying to count how many voices it heard. A few women giggled in a room to Rolf’s left, and a low-timbred voice followed. Gooseflesh prickled his arms, and immediately, he moved down the hall to put as much space between that room and himself as possible.

A door at the end of the hall had a light shining from underneath. Shadows flickered at the threshold as someone moved behind it. Drawn in like a moth to a flame, Rolf crept toward the door but stopped when a woman’s voice echoed up the set of stairs in front of him.

He slipped behind some curtains to the right of the door and held his breath. Behind him was a set of glass doors and a small porch. He tested the handle, and it clicked open—an easy escape route if needed. He pushed the door outward, but he cringed when the hinges creaked and stopped at once.

Rolf’s heartbeat pulsed in his ears, but he peered through a crack in the curtains.

There was a knock on the door and a jangling of keys.

“Enter,” Adeline’s muffled voice called from within.

His heart almost burst from his chest. It took everything he had not to launch himself from behind the curtains to get Adeline.

Patience, his wolf said, calmly. Rolf trembled, muscles wound tight, readying for anything.

His wolf growled a warning, and Rolf exhaled. He couldn’t risk exposing his hiding spot, not now. He peered between the cracks in the curtains, and his jaw dropped when the blond vampire entered Adeline’s room with a large box.

How did she get up here so fast?

The door clicked closed, and he dropped his hand from the curtain. He tested the balcony door again, opening it more swiftly than the first time. The hinges didn’t squeak, and he was able to slip outside.

The balcony was small, barely wide enough to fit two people, and though it was the pitch-black outside, the waning gibbous moon shone bright enough to highlight the sheer plunge to the sea below. Rolf leaned forward, bracing himself against the ledge as he peered inside, trying to get a view of Adeline from the shadows.

The solitary window was small, barely wider than his arm. Inside, her room was alight with candles, and he had to shift his position a few times to see everything. Adeline and the other vampire were hidden, but he did get a clear view of a small vanity, and now and then he could spot their hands gesturing. He shivered from the chill of the sea air as it pushed up against the stone, but he would sit here and wait until the sun rose if that was what it took.

His wolf grumbled about a fur coat and how useful they were. Rolf brushed him off. Wrapping his arms around his chest, he settled himself against the wall and strained to catch a glimpse of his mate.