Page 55 of Vampire Visions

“Nate,” Papi hissed, pulling the flame off the candle and cradling it in his palm. “Where the fuck are you?”

I heard my father's smooth as silk laugh. “I’m in the Fae realm.”

“No. You’ve gotta leave. Now,” Dad growled. “It’s a trap, Nate. It was a false lead meant to start a war.”

“Maybe it started out that way, Charlie, but I found her.” My father sighed wistfully. “She’s here. She’s in the Winter Queen’s dungeon.”

“That’s not her, Nate,” Vaughn spoke from the other side of the room, sounding sad. “There is a powerful mage down there. She’s been there since I was a small child, but she’s not who you think. She changes her form, like a shapeshifter would, only… she becomes whomever you desire.”

“It’s Amelia,” my father insisted stubbornly.

“Her name is Leah, sir. If you can get to her without getting caught, tell her the Winter Prince sent you, and she’ll show you her real form.” Vaughn watched me as he fed instructions to my father. “Go in from the east side of the castle. There’s a loose stone behind the third white rosebush, start counting from the corner. When you pull that stone out, there’s a handle of sorts inside. You need to turn it counterclockwise three times. That opens a gap in the wall far enough to slide inside. The dungeon is down those stairs. Do not get caught.”

“What happens if he gets caught,” I questioned my fae. Dread ate at my chest, making me shiver.

“They’ll kill him.” Vaughn grimaced with his admission, wrapping his arms around me before addressing my father again. “If they see you, run. Don’t stop until you cross the border between the realms. They can’t catch you speed-wise, but if they get close… There’s an old shack due west one mile away from the realm’s entrance. My grandfather lives there, and he’ll offer refuge if you tell him I sent you.”

“I’ll go tonight,” my father said to us. “If she really is Amelia, and I suspect she is, then I’m getting her out.” He sighed again, a little more forlorn this time. “My bond with her sang painfully when I crossed the border. I know she’s here, and I’ll do everything in my power to bring her home to us.”

“We know, Nate,” Dad acknowledged as he hung his head. “I just wish you’d wait for us so we could help you.”

“Contact us every twenty-four hours, Nate.” I could imagine Father rolling his eyes at Papi’s demand, but he agreed, and that made me worry. Papi closed his hand to snuff out the flame, ending the blood magic summons that he’d used.

The knowledge that my father was in the fae realm, alone and on a mission, made my anxiety grow substantially. I wanted to curl up in the fetal position and let the world swallow me whole.

Too much.

Too soon.

Too many problems.

Not enough time.

My heart raced while my mind screamed in protest. I’d never get all this shit done. Why was I even trying? I couldn’t remember what I was fighting for or who I was fighting against. The only opponent I had at this moment… was myself.

23

Novak

Sunday Mid Morning

As soon as we all crossed through the Void into Nate’s guest house, everyone split ways. We were all ready to be clean and back in our own clothes, free of the constraining tuxedos. Well, except Briggs and Stone. Briggs went straight to the kitchen for a snack first, biting into an apple as he walked, naked, down the hall to his room. Stone hadn’t switched back to his human skin yet, so he was somewhat covered. Sadly.

I didn’t take my clothes off until I was under the spray of hot water in the shower. Leaving them in a soaking heap on the tile floor, I bathed as quickly as I could while still making sure I was clean. Everything I did was a blur of motion, and I didn’t slow down until I knocked on Palmer’s door. Something was going on with that mage. I was here to find out what it was.

I tapped on his door, listening for any sounds. All I could hear was the water running in his bathroom, so I decided to invite myself in and look around. By rifling through his shit. His bag was open and on the floor at the foot of the bed. There was nothing important in there. His phone was thrown on the bed and his laptop sat open right beside it.

I checked his phone, but the passcode had been changed. I didn’t want to lock it up if I got the number wrong again, so I set it back down where it had been. Turning my attention to his laptop, I woke the screen up and pulled up his minimized tabs.

One was his internet browser, and the screen it was on was the grading platform he used for the classes he taught. His final class for the semester would have been last week. Palmer’s courses were supposed to be in person, but he opted for virtual teaching. His classes were always full, and I could never figure out if it was the hot professor thing or if he really was a good teacher.

Last year, I’d drawn the short straw and had to attend one of his classes for the spring semester. He was really good at his job, and he was pretty hot while in his element. It wasn’t hard to see why he was popular among the students.

There was another browser page, though. One that had my undivided attention. It was an unfinished email, the recipient and subject lines not yet filled in. I heard the water cut off, so I took my phone out of my pocket and snapped a picture. Shuffling the tabs back in the order he had them in and minimizing it all, I put the laptop in sleep mode once more.

As soon as he exited the bathroom, clad in only a towel around his lean hips, he eyed me with suspicion. “Already hidin’ from yer mate?”

I laughed his question off and returned it with my own. “What’s going on?” I tried to keep it casual, but I was dying to dig my phone out and ask him what that email was about.