Chapter Five
One of Newt’s spells must’ve gone all willy-nilly and trapped him in some crazy dream. He’d met a wolf shifter who’d been nicer to him in just a few short hours—despite trying to squeeze him to death—than his father had been in his entire lifetime.
That kiss they shared? It was Newt's first and undoubtedly the most exhilarating moment of his existence. He just hadn’t had the guts to tell Vaughn the real reason he’d stopped his mate from groping him.
It had nothing to do with his current situation back home and everything to do with his lack of experience.
Newt had been a hair’s breadth away from exploding like fireworks just from that two-second palm against his groin.
But he needed to go home before Hershel discovered he was missing.
Glancing to make sure Vaughn was still in the bathroom, Newt closed his eyes, concentrating on the image of his bedroom back home.
After everything that had happened with Vaughn, he needed to return and figure out what to do about his arranged marriage.
Running away wouldn’t solve anything, but if he told his mate what he was about to do, Newt was certain Vaughn would stop him.
“Please work right,” he muttered. “Just this once.”
He traced a circle in the air with his finger, whispering the incantation that would create a portal home.
Magic tingled through his fingertips, warm and electric, as gold light spiraled upward from the carpet.
So far, so good. Newt stepped through, the portal snapping closed and vanishing behind him with a sound like a balloon popping.
“This is…definitely not my room,” he muttered.
Heavy burgundy curtains blocked most of the morning light, casting the room in a crimson glow. Antique furniture loomed like silent sentinels—a massive four-poster bed, ornate dressers, and what appeared to be actual candelabras.
Then the smell hit him. Copper and musk with an underlying sweetness that was both alluring and deeply wrong. Vampire. The same scent he’d detected during last night’s forest chase. Newt swallowed hard, mouth suddenly desert-dry.
“Oh, fuzzy toadstools,” he groaned. “Not again.”
His stomach clenched painfully as acid crawled up his throat. Every instinct screamed danger. He tucked his wings tight against his back, pressing them flat until they melded with his skin. No need to advertise the most vulnerable part of his anatomy to predators.
A figure lay motionless in the center of the bed.
Dark hair splayed across silk pillows, chest rising and falling in slow, rhythmic breaths.
Newt’s heart hammered so hard he feared the sound alone might wake the sleeping vampire.
Could vampires hear heartbeats? He couldn’t remember.
His education on vampires had consisted mainly of “avoid at all costs,” not detailed biological information.
But it wasn’t just any vampire scent. One of the ones from last night. His nostrils flared involuntarily, taking in more of the nauseating smell than he wanted.
“Oh no, no, no,” Newt whispered, his voice barely audible even to himself.
Just back away slowly. With excruciating care, he inched toward the bedroom door.
Each step felt like walking through molasses, his body moving with painful slowness.
The floorboard beneath his foot let out a creak that might as well have been a thunderclap in the silent room. Newt froze, barely daring to breathe.
The vampire stirred, rolling onto his side with a soft groan, one arm dangling over the edge of the mattress. He slept deeply, unaware of the fae who’d just magically appeared in his bedroom.
But that wouldn’t last for long.
Another careful step. Another creak, softer this time. The vampire’s breathing remained steady.
Newt continued his glacial progress toward the door. His muscles were tense with the effort of moving silently. The carpet muffled his footsteps, a small mercy in this disaster of his own making.
His fingers closed around the doorknob, cold metal against his sweating palm. With excruciating slowness, he turned it, wincing at the barely audible click as the latch released.
Newt eased it open just enough to slip through, wincing at the slight squeak of hinges. He slipped through the doorway, easing the door closed behind him.
The hallway beyond was mercifully empty.
Which way? Left looked like it led deeper into the house, while right ended at what might be stairs. Stairs meant down, and down hopefully meant out.
Exit. Freedom.
Turning right, Newt snuck down the hall. The hardwood was cold beneath his bare feet, sending little shocks up his legs with each step. Portraits lined the walls, their eyes seeming to follow him as he crept past.
Creepy. He had an urge to flip them around. If his magic wasn’t so wonky, he would’ve. He had no idea who the people were, but none of them looked the type to invite him to tea.
As he kept moving, every creak of the floorboards sent spikes of adrenaline through his system. His ears strained for any sound that might indicate he’d been discovered. So far, so good. No alarms, no sudden vampire attacks. Maybe his luck was finally turning around.
At the end of the corridor, a board groaned loudly beneath his weight. Newt froze, breath caught in his throat. The dang floor was gonna get him killed.
Luckily, silence answered. Not vampires. He allowed himself to breathe again and continued his descent.
After what felt like hours, Newt reached the kitchen. Morning sunlight streamed through large windows, creating bright patches on granite countertops. A wooden door on the far side that would lead to blessed freedom. Newt hurried toward it, hope fluttering in his chest.
His fingers had just grazed the door handle when he felt a presence behind him, a subtle shift in the air that raised every hair on his body.
Newt whirled around, coming face-to-face with a vampire, broad-shouldered with a scar bisecting one eyebrow.
Every muscle in Newt’s body seized. He hadn’t heard footsteps, hadn’t sensed movement. The vampire had simply materialized behind him like a nightmare.
“Well, well. Breakfast delivery. How thoughtful.”
“I’m not on the menu,” Newt said, hating how his voice wavered. His fingers fumbled behind him for the lock, finding instead a heavy deadbolt that refused to budge.
“Fae blood is quite the delicacy.” The vampire’s smile revealed teeth that were perfectly normal until they weren’t. Fangs elongating slightly as Newt watched.
“We’ve been hunting you since we caught your scent in the forest. How delightful you’ve delivered yourself right to my door.”
Newt’s back hit the counter. Panic surged through him as he realized the kitchen door was bolted shut with no key in sight. Of course it was locked. Why would his luck turn around when he was about to die?
The kitchen suddenly felt very small and very trap-like.
With the door locked and the vampire closing in, Newt did the only thing he could think of.
He let his wings burst free with a sound like unfurling silk.
One powerful beat sent him shooting upward, narrowly avoiding the vampire’s grasping hands.
He hovered near the ceiling, heart racing as the vampire snarled in frustration below.
“You can’t stay up there forever, little fae.”
“Watch me,” Newt retorted.
Footsteps approached from the hallway. Two more vampires entered the kitchen, their faces lighting up when they spotted him.
“Look what flew in,” a second vampire said, voice lilting with amusement. “Our little forest friend.”
The third vampire, broad-shouldered with a shaved head, reached for a broom in the corner. “Let’s knock him down like a pinata.”
Great. Three against one. Why hadn’t he just stayed at Vaughn’s? His mate would be out of the shower by now, wondering where he’d gone. But, no, he’d had to be responsible and try to return home. Now, Newt was playing aerial tag with bloodsuckers who saw him as an exotic breakfast option.
“Flying won’t save you.” The first vampire moved to block the doorway leading to what Newt assumed was the front of the house. “We have all day.”
Trapped. Completely and utterly trapped.
All three vampires circled below him now, exchanging glances that made Newt’s skin crawl. They moved with unnatural coordination, spreading out to cover different areas of the kitchen. No matter which way he flew, one would be waiting.
Newt pressed himself flatter against the ceiling, mind racing. He needed a spell. Something, anything to get him out of this.
Disappearing spell! It was simple enough that even he couldn’t mess it up. Probably.
While the vampires conferred in hushed tones below, Newt quickly traced a pattern in the air with his finger, whispering the incantation spell that should, in theory, make the vampires disappear long enough for him to escape.
Magic flowed from his fingertips, purple light enveloping the three vampires.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, with pops like champagne corks, the vampires vanished from sight. Relief flooded through Newt
Then they reappeared.
All six of them.
“That’s…not what was supposed to happen,” Newt groaned, staring at the now-doubled vampire trio.
The six vampires looked as surprised as he was, examining themselves and each other with bewildered expressions. The confusion didn’t last long, though. Six pairs of eyes lifted toward him. Hunger multiplied.
One of the duplicates touched his face in wonder. “You copied us?”
“Not intentionally!” Newt’s voice cracked.
The original first vampire recovered quickly, his smile widening to reveal fangs. “More of us means more fun.”
“More of you means more stupid,” Newt retorted before he could stop himself. Fear had apparently short-circuited the connection between his brain and mouth.
He darted across the ceiling, wings beating frantically as he made for the doorway the third vampire—now vampires—guarded. They reached up, fingers grasping at air as he shot past them.
He navigated the hallway at top speed, wings beating frantically as he searched for the front door. Behind him, the vampires gave chase, their movements swift and eerily silent. Where was the exit in this place? Every turn led to another hall, another room, never an escape.