“You did it,” Larsson breathes out before he reaches for the object.
“All that work to protect a feather?” I ask.
“Yes,” he replies absentmindedly.
He seems fascinated with the feather in his hand. Man, he’s one weird dude.
Sophie sways on the spot, and I step in to catch her. “Are you all right?”
She presses her palm against her forehead. “That box took a lot from me. I’m lightheaded now.”
“You probably need blood. I’ll leave you alone so you can feed.” Larsson glances at me.
Not that I don’t want to help her, but I’m not keen on being her snack again. It does things to my body that I can’t control.
Sophie steps away from me. “I don’t need blood. I just need a moment to recover my strength.”
“In any case, I said I’d offer you sanctuary for the evening if you assisted me, and a promise is a debt in my world. You can stay in my office until the Red Guard is no longer in the area.”
“Thank you.” She flops onto one of the leather couches and closes her eyes.
Maybe I stay rooted to the spot for too long while staring at her, because Larsson steps closer and says, “You do not want to get involved with her, boy.”
My spine goes taut. “Who said I wanted anything with her?”
He gives me a droll stare. “Your puppy-love eyes say otherwise. Heed my advice or don’t; it’s nothing to me. Just don’t break anything while I’m gone.”
Twenty
SOPHIE
Icould have used some blood, but I was afraid to drink from Vaughn again. He already has a hold on me, and I know that if I take his vein once more, the connection between us will only get stronger.
Even Larsson knows it’s a bad idea to get involved with the new vampire. I heard the warning he gave Vaughn—it wasn’t like he was trying to be subtle. Even if he had whispered, I would have heard him.
Now, I’m alone with Vaughn, and my heart is beating faster despite what my brain says. The worst part is that he can probably hear how my pulse has accelerated. What’s more annoying is that his remains steady. I guess I’m the only one affected by our predicament.
He’s standing stiffly in the middle of the room, staring at me, which is a little aggravating. “There are other couches besides mine. You don’t need to sit next to me.”
“I’m a bit on edge.” He sticks his hands into his pockets as if trying to appear relaxed, which is a contradiction to his statement. “So… are you feeling better now?”
“Yeah. The dizziness is already passing. Whoever enchanted that lerix box was powerful.”
“I wonder what Larsson wants with that feather.”
“Well, it looked like a hair adornment.”
Vaughn rubs his chin. “Hmmm… another object belonging to a female vampire that he was dying to retrieve. I bet from the same owner.”
“Another? What else did he want?”
Vaughn looks guilty, then shakes his head. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”
God, I wish he hadn’t made that comment because now I’m curious.
“Whoever that female was, she must have been very important to him.”
His eyes widen. “You think so?”
