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“I’m sensing an unspoken but in that statement,” Aiden said.
“That’s because I don’t trust the fact that there doesn’t appear to be anything else.”
His gaze scanned the area then came back to mine. “Surely a vampire capable of magic could very easily erase any indication of movement to or from that shaft?”
“Yes, but there should still be some indication of magic having been used, even if it is little more than an echo.”
I squatted and studied the ground between the mine and us. There was absolutely nothing to indicate magic had ever been used here, and unease crawled through me. Our vampire had meticulously planned every step so far, so it was very unlikely he’d leave his zombie unprotected.
Unless, of course, he was also here—but I very much doubted the man who owned the dapper shoes I’d seen in the dream would willingly rough it at a place like this.
“What do you want to do?” Aiden asked. “It’ll be dark in a couple more hours.”
And our vampire would be active. He didn’t actually add that, but that was nevertheless what he meant.
“Follow me,” I said. “If I say stop or run, do so.”
He nodded. I stepped into the clearing, every sense alert for the tiniest hint of trouble. My skin twitched and burned as we drew closer to the min
e’s entrance, but if there was any sort of spell here, it was very well concealed.
“Stop,” Aiden said, even as he grabbed my arm in warning.
I did so, my heart seeming to lodge somewhere in my throat. “What?”
“Trip wire.”
He pointed to the ground several feet in front of us; after a moment, I spotted what looked to be fishing line strung across the width of the clearing.
“A trip wire would explain the lack of magical protection.”
“Maybe he simply ran out of magical strength after everything that had happened last night,” Aiden said.
“That would depend on whether he fed on that old couple before or after he came here.”
“I guess it would.” He touched my back lightly, as if in reassurance. “Wait here while I go investigate.”
He followed the line to the right and disappeared into the trees and scrub. I shifted from one foot to the other, suddenly uneasy about being left alone in this place.
“It’s connected to a goddamn shotgun,” he said. “And it’s primed to fire.”
It was a trap that sounded almost too mundane for our vampire. I rubbed my arms against the rising chill in my body. The tripwire went limp and, a moment later, Aiden reappeared, the shotgun held in one hand.
“It’s loaded with cheap shot,” he added. “Which means more deformation and a wider spread pattern.”
“I’m guessing that’s a bad thing?”
“It ensures coverage over the widest possible area to cause as much damage as possible,” he said. “It might not be the only trap, either, especially if you’re not sensing any magic.”
He made the gun safe then leaned it against an old log.
“You’re not bringing it with us?” I asked, surprised.
“We dare not use it in that mine—not when we have no idea how sturdy it is. A shotgun blast might not be powerful enough to bring anything down, but I certainly don’t want to take the risk.”
“What about your gun? Won’t that present the same problem?”
“Maybe, but I’m not about to leave it behind.”
