Nathan chuckled and kissed her on the nose. “You’re too adorable for words.”
Sly huffed. “So now that we have one of my problems solved, let’s see if we can get back to the other one.”
“Oh, yeah.” Gwyneth slapped her forehead. “We need to add one fifth of the Vampire Vintage to the Vampire Vodka. Let me see that.” She extended her hand and Sly passed her the open bottle of wine.
She held the Mason jar at eye level and poured the Vampire Vintage slowly until the amount looked right. Then she swirled it gently until the red and clear liquids mixed and resembled a rosé wine.
She handed the mixture back to him. “Down the hatch.”
He lifted the jar and said, “Cheers.” After taking a careful sip he waited. When nothing happened, he took another.
“Well?” she asked.
“Nothing yet.”
“Take a big swig of the stuff, not a little sip. How much wine did you have to drink in New York to cure you?”
“It seemed to work almost instantly. But because it’s watered down you might be right. I’ll need more.” He took a large gulp. As soon as it hit his stomach, he knew something was wrong. It began to roil. “Whoa, that went down hard.” A wave of nausea swamped him.
Nathan squinted. “Are you all right?”
“I—I’m not sure. I feel kind of…”Oh no.He recognized the unmistakable feeling of his guts about to empty. He glanced around wildly, looking for a receptacle of any kind. All he saw were residents’ boxes holding treasures too important to throw away. He’d never make it to the laundry room sink in time.
Gwyneth must have recognized the symptoms because she grabbed the container and held it over her head. “No barfin’ in the moonshine, whatever you do!”
At last, he simply bent over and yaked on the floor.
Nathan snorted. “Who knew Vampire Vintage plus Vampire Vodka would equal Vampire Vomit?”
“Dang,” Gwyneth said. “You’re so pale, you look like you been drinkin’ Clorox.”
Morgaine had managed to calm herself enough to astral project. She lay next to the door and sent a quick plea to the Goddess.
“Dear Lady, help me succeed in my efforts to warn away my boyfriend and cousin. Let no one I love walk into this evil trap.”
She tamped down her nerves one more time before going into trance. Once she had reached the appropriate level, mentally, she let her spirit rise from her physical body and walk through the wall to the next room. Malvant lay in wait, peering out the peephole in the door, just as she thought he would.
While he’s occupied there, I’ll slip out the back.
She had decided that rather than try to escape without a decent plan, she’d prepare Sly for a daylight assault. She’d need his strength to break down the door. Without it, she pictured herself just bouncing off it a few times until she gave up, bruised and battered—and no better off.
Morgaine gathered her energy and traveled to the back entrance. Once she pushed her way through, she ascended up and out. At last, she hovered over the dark alley. She had to remind herself that she was safe. In a weird way, Malvant’s locked room provided safety from him and an enclosed place for her body, while allowing her spirit to travel free.
Unencumbered by her body, Morgaine allowed her consciousness to float above the buildings. Looking down, she hoped to intercept any well-meaning but foolish attempt at her rescue.
The city slept while streetlamps twinkled below her. Enough of the sidewalks were illuminated to show only a lone dog walker. It must still be cold since she could see his breath. Other than that, occasional cars moved down the streets, but she saw no Sly and no Gwyneth—thank you, Goddess.
While she was in astral form, perhaps she could track them down. She didn’t know if Sly could see her. Probably not. But she might be able to catch Gwyneth in trance…a light sleep statein which spirits can visit and even communicate with the living. Most people would dismiss it as a dream.
Wait. Communication with spirits…Maybe Chad can help?
Morgaine floated two blocks over and three down, then located their building. As she descended, she couldn’t help taking a peek in the windows.
Merry was snuggled in Jason’s arms. Both slept soundly, peacefully. A tiny smile played at their lips. She imagined that’s how she and Sly must have looked the night before last. Wistful memories threatened her concentration and she had to push them away.
The next window she passed was Gwyneth’s bedroom. It was empty. Sly must have gone to her for help. They were probably hatching a plan to rescue her. Hopefully she hadn’t missed them somehow. What a disaster that would be! Shehadto stop them.
She continued her descent past the window on the second floor. The new neighbor snored softly in her bed. Tiny curls of smoke emanated from her nostrils with each exhale. And who was that in bed with her? Oh well, she couldn’t afford to get sidetracked now.
