Page 135 of Blood Curse

“Don’t look so pleased,” I said.

“Your pulse improved.”

“For medical reasons?”

“Entirely.”

I tightened my fingers around his. “Liar.”

He bent until his breath touched my cheek. “Later.”

The promise went straight through me.

Then he straightened and looked towards Lenora. She stood just inside the hall with a ring of keys at her belt, present because somebody needed to deal with doors rather than blood magic.

“Open the main gate,” Stellan said. “Leave it open until everyone who wants to test the release has crossed.”

Lenora glanced at the vampires collecting coats. “It’s raining.”

“They’ll survive.”

“I was thinking about the floors.”

Mara pointed towards the passage. “Go.”

Lenora gave her a look and left.

Stellan faced the hall. “Take enough blood for the road. Keep your room if you intend to return. If you don’t, leave the key with Lenora when you’ve decided.”

“Still issuing instructions,” Mara said.

“They can ignore me now.”

“I plan to.”

The three vampires in coats headed for the doors. Two more followed more slowly. Everyone else stayed where they were or found another small job that made staying obvious without turning it into a pledge.

The Crown pushed at the room again.

Nothing answered.

A deep iron groan travelled through Harrowmere. Cold air swept along the passages as the outer gate opened to the road.

The vampires nearest the door went still.

Then the first one smiled.

“About bloody time.”

Boots started moving towards the open gate.

24

STELLAN

Rain reached the passage before the departing vampires did.

Wind drove it through the open doors in a cold sheet. Lenora swore from somewhere near the entrance, and somebody behind me laughed as if wet stone and ruined floors were proof that the world had started behaving properly again.