Page 135 of Trapped By the Blood Ruby

“Very well.”

I squealed, caring little for my overabundance of excitement. With Marco and Vittorio gone, my vampire guard consisted of Hassan taking the lead, with Laurent and Zola at my side. They kept close. I spared a moment to look up at the ceiling and grinned. The night sky was plastered above me, small clouds drifting by. “Are we still inside?”

“Yes.” Laurent’s eyes remained in motion, as if seeing a threat in every creature. I was too caught up to pay much attention to the lingering gazes we attracted. Some of them were hungrier than others. All it took was spotting Laurent at my side, though, before they moved on. No one would dare cross the head of a vampire household.

Zola tugged on my arm and said, “It only looks as if it’s outside. Very strong enchantment. The magic is fed by emotion, mostly pleasure, gluttony, and so on. Every attendant here helps fuel it. It’s a witch’s spell, you see. The interior space is magically expanded—much larger than the cathedral that contains it.”

I faltered, even knowing most witches didn’t use blood for magic. The night market was proof that magic could be used for something beautiful. Perhaps that bit of information allowed a thimble of my resentment and fear to unspool in the depths of my chest.

A chorus of hissing stole my attention. A group of demons passed by in a cluster. They looked at us with open animosity. I was learning that demons didn’t much like vampires. My muscles tensed.

“Is this place owned by Draz⁠—“

“Don’t—say his name,” Laurent cautioned, sparing me a warning glance. “And speak quietly. There are ears everywhere.”

Wide eyed, I nodded, taking in more of my surroundings. We passed stalls with hanging herbs, jewelry, figurines, small toys, books, and more. Some of it looked safe for human use. Most of it didn’t.

“Come, you will like this one,” Zola said, pulling me toward a brightly colored tent with shelves upon shelves of decorated bottles and jars. They came in every shape and size, exquisitely crafted. Many glowed with various colors within. There were little golden labels beneath each one.

“Potions?” I breathed.

“Indeed,” Zola said. Behind me, Laurent scoffed.

“Do they work?”

A portly woman materialized beside us. Before I could blink, Laurent blocked me from view. I nudged him aside. The woman was layered in shawls and more rings than I could fit on my fingers. She gave me a bright smile and said, “Eugenia, dear, at your service. And I would be driven out of business if my products didn’t work.” She spoke with a heavy accent. Her eyes passed over me, assessing. When her gaze snagged on Laurent’s hand, now resting on my hip, she said, “Not a love potion, it seems.”

I breathed a laugh. “No, definitely not.”

“Perhaps a cloning potion, or something to make your fingers spark? Great for starting fires.” She motioned toward a reddish gold bottle that glowed from within. It had painted sparks on the outside. “Or you might like this levitation potion, if ever you need to float. I’ve got all manner of animal transfiguration potions here on this shelf. You wish to be a cat for a day? No? Perhaps a fox? No? Very well. A protection potion, then. Your enemies’ eyes will slide right over you. Almost as good as invisibility, costs less, too.”

She went on and on, listing potions I couldn’t dream up. I wanted all of them. “How come you don’t use any of these?” I asked Laurent, grinning.

“Potions don’t work on vampires, little flower. Nor demons.”

“Oh.” I waited for more, but it was clear he had no intention of elaborating in front of this stranger.

“Vampires, no,” Eugenia confirmed. “But witches, fae, elves, shifters, and many others.”

“What shall you pick, darling?” Zola nudged me.

I turned thoughtful, stepping over to browse the shelves, moving from one to another. My vampire guards kept close. I pulled a few bottles that caught my attention and Eugenia rushed to my aid, procuring a cloth basket. “I think that will do for now,” I said, after I had several.

I had no clue how much something like this might cost.

Eugenia took my basket to a small counter and began tallying up the amount with a quill and parchment. I nearly choked when she gave Laurent the balance—three hundred thousand dollars. He haggled, grumbling, but at last the bill was settled and I was the proud owner of a batch of potions. I couldn’t wait to try them out. Most I planned to save for the right moment.

We emerged from the booth, swallowed up into the current of shoppers.

Not long after, I stepped into a booth that sold galaxies in jars. I got one for my nightstand. Then I found myself in a crystal ball booth. There were glass orbs suspended in beautiful holders. I picked out a medium sized orb that had a network of enamel vines and flowers holding it on a stand. My final purchase was a crystal chime. It had a cluster of enamel flowers at the top with dangling crystals that did more than catch the light. They created light of their own. I planned to hang it in the corner of my room back at the Braxton manor.

Vittorio and Marco’s reappearance brought an end to my shopping. I hadn’t even explored a fraction of the market. I’d all but forgotten the real reason for our visit until they returned. “He’s holding court,” Marco said to Laurent, his voice too low to carry. “Come.”

Vittorio noticed my bags and took them from Laurent.

We made our way through the aisles, past more stalls. I had to force myself to keep from getting distracted. Strange murmurs came from a closed tent and Zola had to nudge me to keep walking. Another closed tent had a fortune teller sign. Other closed tents advertised all manner of curiosities, but there was no time to explore further.

The scent of seasoned meat and vegetables made my mouth water. I regretted not stopping at one of the food carts earlier. How long had it been since I’d last eaten? The night market made me loose all sense of time. I had to focus to recall the gelato Laurent and I had enjoyed. It didn’t help that it had been days since I’d last fed from him and I was starting to get itchy with craving.