Who knew what Lilith had changed beneath the Vatican? Clearly, she’d built a residence quarter for Cam.Is this where she kept him all these years?Somehow, I doubted it. His accommodations were too luxurious for that.
So did she keep him upstairs or downstairs?
I recalled the day I’d witnessed Cane’s ritual and how deep underground we’d ventured for it.
The catacombs had resembled an ominous cave, the crypts all made of aged rocks and bound by precious metals. It’d been a tomb designed for royalty, but without the usual upkeep. At least at that time, anyway. Lilith had probably remodeled it into a glorified throne room centered around her overly inflated ego.
Bitch, I thought, narrowing my eyes. Thank God Ryder had killed her. I only wished I’d been there to witness it.
So up or down?I pondered. Because test or no, I intended to explore. If Cam found me, I’d just say I was looking for him because of the blackout.
Shrugging, I stepped into the stairwell. The cold, hard floor instantly reminded me that I was barefoot, and the slight draftup my legs tickled the bare skin beneath Cam’s shirt. Another jolt speared through my being, courtesy of Cam’s bite.
I winced but forced myself to ignore it as I moved toward the steps.
Down it is, I decided, tiptoeing along the cement stairs while keeping the laptop facing outward.
I ventured two floors down before I discovered another open door. Peering out of it, I spied a corridor similar to the one I’d just vacated.
This was probably another residential area, something I assumed since Cam’s quarters were about two stories tall. It seemed likely that all the rooms were that large. Not that it made much sense with the lack of windows and furnishings.
I kept moving and stumbled upon another similar hallway about two floors down again.
Hmm.I took a few more steps, then paused to listen.How far down does this go?
My ears told me nothing.
No alarm echoed in the distance. No sign of footsteps. Not even the murmur of voices.
Glancing over the banister, I shined the light downward to try to locate the bottom and jumped backward when I found a pair of glowing red eyes staring right up at me.
The laptop nearly tumbled out of my hands, but I managed to clutch it to my pounding chest at the last second.
A scream lodged in my throat as the red-eyed being appeared in front of me, his speed indicating his otherworldliness.
Vampire, I realized on a gasp.Lycans have yellow eyes because of their inner wolves.
Although, now that he was close, I could see his facial features in the dim lighting. His eyes were no longer a red glow, but a vibrant green. And he had long blond hair to his shoulders.
My lips curled down. “Michael?” I’d met him once, well over a century ago. Shortly before he’ddied.
“Ismerelda,” he returned, his tone flat. “Trying to escape?”
I blinked at him. “What?”Why would I try to escape?But that wasn’t the most important question. “How are you here?”You’re supposed to be dead.Humans had killed him. That was part of what had driven Lilith to want to essentially enslave humankind.
Or that’d been the theory, anyway.
But if Michael’s alive…
“I see our Liege hasn’t broken you of your vulgar habits yet,” he drawled, his voice holding an arrogance that reminded me of Lilith. He snatched the laptop from my hands and closed the lid, cascading us both into a sea of perpetual darkness.
I instinctively tried to reach for it and came up against nothing but air. My balance shifted with the movement, my hands searching for something to hold on to and finding nothing of substance.
I attempted to grasp behind me, my arms spinning as my feet shifted to try to remain on the stair, but I couldn’t see.
Fuck!
The world tilted.
