Partially ignoring her presence, Finn examined their surroundings and quickly noticed the cave’s walls weren’t as they seemed. The walls weren’t a natural formation, but carved stone darkened by time and covered with moss.
“Finn, the door has disappeared.”
One quick look confirmed they no longer had access to Layla’s shop. If anything, as a vampire, he had strong survival skills and instincts, and now, with his senses on high alert, he couldn’t detect any magic or beings moving around them. The place was empty.
“I don’t sense Abrams, or anybody else for that matter.”
Violet sighed behind him. “And I can’t see a thing. Where are we?”
“For lack of better description, a castle basement.”
The ground was covered by stones, wet from the humidity, but the path was clear enough. Finn reached behind him for the witch’s hand to bring her by his side.
“The path is wide enough for us to walk side by side, but I’m not a witch, and if there’s any kind of spell around, I don’t know if I’ll see it.”
Violet nodded and looked around with unseeing eyes. “Well, if you see markings, let me know. Most spells that protect a place are normally etched on the walls or ground.”
“If we’re close enough to see them, won’t it be too late?”
“Let’s hope not.”
With that less than reassuring statement, Finn hoped his vision was keen enough to prevent a boulder or lava from falling on their heads.
Hand in hand, they walked until they reached the end of the path to find it split in a two-way intersection. “Right or left?”
He saw her roll her eyes. “Are you kidding me? I didn’t even know there was a split in the road. I would have broken my nose on the wall.”
Finn peered both ways, but both blended into the darkness. “There’s no sign, no light, nothing marking the way.”
“Do you smell anything different coming from one of them?”
It was the vampire’s turn to frown. “You make me sound like a fucking bloodhound.”
As she bit her lip to keep from smiling, she squeezed his hand. “You have the same coloring as a red bloodhound.”
“For fuck’s sake.” But even as he cursed, he did as she said and sniffed the air. “This place hadn’t been stirred for a long time. I don’t even know if Abrams came through here.”
“Well, as we can’t go back, the only way is forward. If I had a coin, I’d toss it, but how about you choose?”
Finn didn’t like it, but Violet was right, they didn’t have a choice, so he steered them to the left and started walking.
It didn’t take them long to realize they were in a labyrinth. They constantly arrived at intersections that led nowhere, forcing them to turn back. They hadn’t found any signs, etchings, or curses. After a while, Finn began to wish they’d come across one. Anything that would indicate how they could get out of the never-ending dark tunnels.
If it wasn’t for the slight increase in temperature and the humid ground transforming into dry sandy terrain, he’d have thought they were walking in a circle.
“If we’re in Abrams territory, the sand makes sense. Ghouls are part of Arabic lore.”
“You mean that Layla may have provided him sand and a cave?”
The way Violet hesitated wasn’t reassuring. “The other possibility is the door teleported us elsewhere. Personally, I don’t really care because one way or another, we’re stuck.” The sigh that followed wasn’t one of frustration but deep fatigue.
“Why don’t we sit for a minute?”
“You’re the one doing the heavy work. I have no idea where we are and can’t help. I’m dizzy from not being able to see for so long. I don’t know how Sera did it.”
With no light source whatsoever, her sight hadn’t adjusted, and she was still as blind as when they’d first entered the labyrinth. The fact Violet allowed him to guide her to a corner and help her sit was a sign of how tired the witch was. Finn had powers that allowed him physical endurance, and he wouldn’t have to drink blood for a long while, but Violet was still recovering from her kidnapping and didn’t have the same strength as before.
He sat beside her, keeping his thigh in contact with hers. At least the patch of sand was soft and warm.
When he glanced at her, she was leaning against the stone wall, eyes closed and fatigue clear on her face along with hunger and dehydration too.
“I know you’re looking at me. Stop it.”
Sassy in every situation, even dangerous and desperate ones. “You can’t see me. How would you even know?”
Her head turned, but her eyes remained closed. “You’re thoroughly annoying. No need to see in the dark to know that.” Her smile faded way too fast. “We’ve been walking for hours and haven’t found anything apart from dead ends.”
His body leaned toward her, his arm circling her shoulders to draw her closer. “We’ve both faced greater danger than this. We’ll survive to tell the tale.”
He loved how she yielded to his embrace. “I’m not so sure. Without my powers, I can’t help.”
“It’s not your powers that made you fight, escape, or think. You could’ve had the greatest magic in the world inside you, but it would’ve been no use without your brain or your courage. You became an investigator called on by the High Council. It’s an accomplishment not glamoured by magic.”
“It wasn’t enough to avoid being kidnapped and tortured. It won’t be enough to escape this place. As a bloodsucker, you have a greater chance of survival because you’re harder to kill. As an ordinary woman, I won’t be as lucky.”
It was difficult not to react to her comment. He hated the defeat in her voice, something he’d never heard from her before. “Well, this bloodsucker doesn’t think you’re ordinary in any way. And right now, we need
