intending to walk to Marliave, the only true French restaurant in the city of Boston. It wasn’t a long trek from her home in the Back Bay to its location on Boswell Street, after all.
Locking the door behind her, she turned to walk down her steps and pulled up short at the sight of a man standing at the bottom of the stairs. She recognized him—the tall vampire from the previous night. His red hair was swept back from his face. He stood perfectly still, far more so than a mortal person might be capable. It did nothing to help his eerie appearance with his crimson eyes.
A shining black carriage sat behind him at the street corner. Unsurprisingly, at its head were two large black horses. The driver had a top hat pulled low over his eyes and a dark scarf pulled up over the bottom half of his face. When he turned his head toward her, she gasped in surprise. The man had no eyes, only empty sockets where they should have been.
The identity of who had sent the carriage was certainly not in question, vampiric escort or no.
She brought her focus back to the creature standing at the base of her stoop. She forced the fear she felt back down. It threatened to take her whole stomach up her throat with it. He did not seem to mean her any harm. He was merely standing there watching her. Waiting. “Walter Northway, was it?”
He bowed his head. “Yes, Miss Parker.”
“Has he sent you to fetch me, then?”
“Yes, Miss Parker.” He repeated himself with such a lack of emotion that it was nearly comical. She wanted to laugh but held it back. It was likely not wise to laugh at a vampire. Walter stood aside and held his arm out to gesture to the carriage. It opened, pushed from the inside by someone she could not see in the shadows. “If you please.”
“I had hoped to walk. I would enjoy the time to sort my thoughts.”
He let out a breath. It was the only sign of annoyance she caught from him on the outside. But she could sense from him more than he let on. Dread. Misgivings. He believed this whole endeavor to be steeped in foolishness. Something told her he resented more than simply having to take the carriage to retrieve her.
“You think this is a mistake.”
He looked up at her, confusion and shock crossing his features. “I…said nothing to that effect.”
“You needn’t speak the words around me.” She watched him curiously. He was old. It was hard to say precisely how many years he had existed in this world. He predated the style of clothing he wore. “Your Master did not warn you, did he?”
His jaw ticked. “No.” And it was clear he begrudged Dracula the fact. “I am not warned by him overmuch.”
“I was told you were gutted by Alfonzo Van Helsing. It seems you lot heal quickly.”
“That we do.” He paused. “Will you ride with us, Miss Parker? If not, I fear I will have to accompany you regardless.”
She considered her options. Walking to the restaurant with a vampire at her side seemed to defeat the purpose of her desire to make the trek by foot. She could hardly convince him to leave her be. She was not intending to declare war against him or his species this night. It would end poorly for her. It would be no more effectual than a toddler railing against the injustice of their curfew.
There was no sense in denying him. She nodded. He made no motion to express his relief, but she felt it palpably enough that she chuckled. He was an emotive thing buried underneath his stoic exterior.
“What is so terribly funny?”
“You resent being your Master’s errand boy. You want nothing more than to have this business with me concluded.” She watched him with a wry smile. His look of shock had returned. “In that, we are agreed.”
“I see the rumors of your psychic ability were not fraudulent as I had assumed.”
“No. I cannot read your thoughts. I am an empath. I can read your emotions. The rest is for me to intuit.” She crossed the sidewalk to the carriage and glanced into the open door. Another man sat inside. Zadok, looking quite pleased with himself. She cringed.
“He has emotions?” Zadok huffed a laugh. “What phenomenal news!” He scooted across the bench and patted the seat next to him. “Come, my beautiful thing. Join me.”
“Two elder vampires for