The Vampire Trap: A Shadow World Gothic, Paranormal, Romantasy, stand alone novella (Shadow World: T

Chapter 2

I hadn’t realizedhow far I inched into the open while eavesdropping. I step from behind the tree and lean my shoulder against it, crossing my arms over my chest.

“He has no idea—do you, Mr. Browning?” I say, arching a brow as he whirls to face me.

“Zadie, what in the Otherworld are you doing here?” Ben demands, storming up to me. He grabs my upper arm and attempts to turn me around and send me away. “You need to leave. You can’t be?—”

He might think I need to run home and hide, but I have other ideas.

I twist out of his hold and slip around him, moving inside their little circle. “What am I doing? Maybe I should be the one asking you that.” I hold a hand up before he can interrupt me. “I’m not here to stop you or tell you how stupid you are for thinking you can call that a plan.”

“How much did you overhear?” he snaps.

Benjamin reaches for me, but I dodge him and use Wallace as a shield.

“Enough,” I say with a shrug. “Anyway, I’m here to help.”

“No.” He cuts his hand through the air. “Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous.”

“You can’t do this without me.”

“We can. And we will.”

“Oh? Then, please, answer our dear friend’s question.” I bat my lashes in mock innocence. “If you have a solid plan to get close to the viscount, then I will leave and forget everything I heard.”

“We…” Ben starts and falters. “We’ll search his home and then corner him once we have the weapon.” Each word comes out less confident than the last.

He glares at the two silent men who keep themselves busy, awkwardly looking around at everything besides us. When he realizes they won’t take sides on this, he turns his frosty glare on me.

I smile inwardly, knowing I’ve won, though I’m careful to keep the triumph off my face and out of my voice. “If you’re willing to listen, I know exactly what to do.”

Ben looks as if he’s chewing an extra sour lemon peel. Behind him, our friends look relieved.

Clearing my throat, I begin, “In less than a fortnight, Viscount Morgan will hold the annual ball celebrating the spring equinox. As always, he will send out invitations to every noble family as well as any influential families in Sangate. We should receive our invitations within the next three days. All we need to do is respond that we will attend, and prepare as if it were any other occasion.”

“Perfect.” Benjamin smiles warmly at me before his irritated expression returns. He spins me around and pushes me out of the clearing. “Now, go home and forget all of this. I won’t allow you to?—”

I bring my elbow back in a sharp jab directly to his solar plexus. Instantly, I’m free of his hold.

“Fuck, Zadie, that hurt,” he bites out as he folds forward, gasping for breath.

“You won’t allow me?” I seethe. “Benjamin Browning, you might be my best friend, but you do not decide what I am or am not allowed to do.”

Still bent forward, he rests his hands on his knees and looks up at me. “You know what I meant—I don’t want you near that monster. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.”

Of course, I do understand where he’s coming from.

“Do you think I’m not worried too? And not just you three, but the whole town. I’m capable of defending myself, and every bit as skilled at fencing as you three.” I pause to take two calming breaths. “Think about it. Without me, it will take too long to wait for the right opportunities to search his manor. I’ll be able to do what’s needed right under his nose.”

“She has a point,” Oscar murmurs.

“And our Zadie could out scheme a demon. At the least, we should hear what she has to say,” Wallace adds.

Benjamin straightens and takes me in from head to toe with Oscar and Wallace at my back before throwing his hands up with an exasperated huff. “Fine, Zadie, you can help, but it better not involve you taking any unnecessary risks.”

I motion for them to huddle close and explain my idea, down to the last detail. And when Benjamin suggests a change that involves me staying far away from the viscount, Wallace is quick to point out why it’s more dangerous or a greater chance of putting everyone in danger.

By the time I’ve finished, we have a foolproof plan of action, and even Benjamin is forced to admit it’s a good one.

No one else needs to die, and I can do my part in helping to keep Sangate safe.

* * *

Finished with daily lessons, I stretch in my chair and contemplate what to do with the rest of my day. Before I have time to run through my options, the clop of hooves draws my attention to the window.

The courier rides up the drive and dismounts. My pause thrums, riding me from the laziness caused by tedious lessons. I leap out of my chair, knocking my papers to the floor.

“What has gotten into you today, Zadie?” Sabrina snaps as she presses a hand over her heart. “You startled me!”

“Sorry, ‘Brina.” I crouch and gather up my assignments, placing them haphazardly on the desk, then run from the room with Sabrina’s groan of annoyance following on my heels.

The house steward, Mr. Albanport, holds a wide, tan envelope with a blood-red wax seal. I’ve almost reached him by the time he closes the door.

He arches a graying brow. It’s all the communication we need. I offer him a pretty smile that has no effect as I move out of the way, allowing him to pass. Trailing a step behind, I walk on my toes to catch glimpses of the front. He ignores me every step of the way.

I can never tell if he is annoyed by my presence or simply doesn’t care. Mr. Albanport delivers good and bad news with the same flat tone and expressionless mask. I’m not sure he’s ever smiled a day in his life.

“Come in,” Father calls from inside his office. He looks up from his ledger and frowns as we enter. “What has my youngest daughter done this time?”

I tsk and stand beside the desk.

“The morning post has arrived, my lord.” The steward presents the envelope to my father with both hands, setting it on the desk. He takes one step back and stands, waiting to be dismissed. If he didn’t blink, someone might think he was a statue.

Finally, I can see the writing on the front. The handwriting is neat with sure strokes, and it is simply addressed to the entire family.

“That will be all.” Father waves a dismissive hand and turns all his attention on me. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?”

I drop down into the chair across from him, shrugging with one shoulder. “Can’t a daughter stop by to see her father for no reason?”

“You should be in the study?—”

“I’ve already finished.”

He only chuckles and shakes his head. “Perhaps I need to talk to your tutors about giving you more to do.”

I get up and throw my arms around his neck, resting my head on his shoulder. “It’s not my fault I work fast. Besides, poor Mr. Thomas will have to forgo sleep and meals to check everything.”

Father pats my arm, trying and failing to smother another quiet laugh. He is tall and broad-shouldered, with light brown hair and a wide smile with deep dimples, both Sabrina and I inherited. Though where she is nearly as tall, I take after mother and stand almost a head shorter.

“I take it you’ve come in here for this?” He taps the invitation with a finger.

My throat goes dry. I nearly forgot the reason for teasing Father. I school my face and remind myself to breathe as I return to my seat and wait.

The wax cracks as he breaks the seal. He pulls out a pale paper, then reads it silently. There is a painstakingly detailed drawing of half a mask in the upper left corner with two ribbons trailing from one side to create a partial border.

“Is it the annual equinox ball?” I ask.

Father grunts the affirmative, reading over it once more. I can hardly sit still while I wait.

Finally, he sets the invitation on the desk and looks at me over the rim of his spectacles. “You’ve always avoided vampire hosted events for Mr. Browning’s sake. I doubt he’s had a sudden change of heart.”

“Well, I can’t very well expect to find a suitor if Ben is always at my side.”

When Father gives me a doubtful expression, I look down at my hands, clasped in my lap.

“It’s a good match Zadie. Consider it. Even Sangate has limited choices for an equal match.”

This is a conversation we’ve had many times in the past. Father only wants the best for me, and under different circumstances, it’s possible things would be different.

Everyone who has seen Benjamin and me together at any point assumes it’s only a matter of time before we marry and start a family. After all, I am the second daughter of a duke, and he is the only son of a marquess who stands to inherit his father’s estate. And we have long since past the age when it was proper for us to spend so much time together. Logically I understand that it’s a beneficial match.

There’s no use wishing to change the past, just as there is no amount of talking that will change how I see my friend. Perhaps it’s because I’ve known him since we were only six, but Benjamin is like a brother to me. I could never look at him any other way.

“Sabrina will inherent the estate, and I’ll inherent my husband’s title—whatever it may be, and you don’t want me to live a harder life than necessary,” I recite the familiar lecture.

I gesture to the viscount’s invitation and continue before we get off track. “Which is why this is the perfect opportunity for me to meet potential suitors,” I say. Then I lean forward and whisper, “I doubt the viscount will invite any stable boys to the ball to sweep off my feet.”

Father presses his lips into a thin line but otherwise ignores my attempts at teasing him.

“Mmm, I suppose you’re right.” He claps his palms lightly against the desk. “You may go.”

I jump up from my chair to give him another hug. “Thank you!”

“Yes, well, anyway, your sister will be pleased to hear you’re going to accompany her this year.”

My smile falters, but he doesn’t notice. He has already picked up his quill and resumed working.

Sabrina attending the ball could be a problem, but there is still plenty of time to work the kinks out. We need to keep her from getting tangled up in our plans. If she finds out what we’re doing, Sabrina will do whatever it takes to stop us.

* * *

Between meeting up with Benjamin, Wallace, and Oscar to go over the details until each of us could do our parts in our sleep and buying gloves and a new dress and have it altered to flatter my figure, the week goes by fast.

Impossibility, it seems to drag at the same time.

My lady’s maid helps me into my dress. The bottom of the skirt is the creamy pink of the first flower buds before they bloom, darkening into a light smokey gray of the bodice, and a delicate layer of midnight lace that makes up the low heart-shaped neckline and long, off-the-shoulder sleeves. I keep my black satin gloves in the small pouch that hooks to a loop at my hip, hidden within the folds of my dress.

My hair is pulled up and to the side, with a cascade of curls that come down to spill over one shoulder. Pins that glitter in the lamplight when I move my head look like tiny stars plucked from the night sky. Except for the delicate pearl framed with swirling silver on a thin silver chain, my shoulders and neck are left bare.

I’ve worn dresses in a similar style to other events, but tonight, it makes me feel exposed. Like I am an offering to the vampire lord.

The grandfather clock in the drawing room below my bedroom chimes. Before it finishes counting the hour, the clop of hooves makes its way through the gate and up the drive.

I push back my momentary nerves and hurry down the hall to Sabrina’s room. Two maids back out of the room, moving aside as I reach them.

Her bedroom is immaculate, not a single thing out of place to askew. The finer attention to detail is all hers. I know because when the maids clean my room, some things have moved spots or sit at crooked angles. Though I’ve never minded. It’s more comforting and lived in. I’m always afraid to look at anything too long, or I might make a mess of things.

“’Brina?” I call her by her childhood nickname.

She examines her reflection in the mirror. Her hands smooth out the fabric of her skirt while her head tilts this way and that, looking for any strands out of place and that her makeup is flawless.

“Our carriage is pulling up to the door now. Are you ready?”

Sabrina turns in a full circle. The lavender dress billows out with the movement. Florets line the hem of the skirt, the scooped collar, and the puffy sleeves that would look gaudy on almost anyone else.

The smile on her face is radiant as she hooks her hand around my elbow. “I’m so glad you’ve decided to come with me this year. It will be so much fun.”

“Benjamin’s parents have started to hint that we should marry soon—more than hint, actually—but you know how I feel about that.”

My sister hums as she leads me to the stairs. “Then consider this the first of many events we’ll attend together until we find someone who makes you swoon.”

I snort loudly before I can stop myself and earn a look that says you had better not do that in public unless you want to die a lonely, old spinster.

“I’ll be happy to settle for attraction and mutual respect. Of course, he’ll need to be smart, not just minimally educated. I’d rather throw myself to the demons than have my future husband bore me to death with talk of the weather.”

Sabrina’s nostrils flare slightly, though she doesn’t respond. She releases me and descends the stairs first. I wait until she reaches Father at the bottom, then follow.

Escorting us to the carriage, Father instructs Sabrina on his expectations for us. Though I made it nearly impossible, I wonder if she will tell him when we return home that she tried to keep an eye on me like he asked.