Page 86 of Caller of Crows
Sven knew if he turned to look at Altair, the vampire would read his mind and realize that Sven had a plan B for this situation.
"Sven," Altair tried, but Sven ignored him, keeping his back to the vampire. When he heard Altair step closer again, he threw up his hand. "Please, just leave me the fuck alone," he said sharply.
Behind him, Altair hesitated.
Good.
If the bastard felt even the slightest shred of guilt over what he was doing, then maybe he wasn't a complete monster after all. Sven's chest squeezed tight as anger mixed with longing, and he rubbed a hand over his face tiredly.
He didn't want to fight with Altair. The vampire was just trying to keep him alive. Deep down, Sven knew that. Still, Sven needed the funeral. It was the least he could do for his mother, to say his goodbyes properly and without fear. It was his last chance to honor her memory in a way she deserved, to celebrate her life, and to finally lay her to rest.
After everything she'd sacrificed for him, he owed her that much, at least.
Finally, he heard footsteps behind him, retreating.
As soon as the vampire was gone, Sven slumped against the wall beside the bed.
His throat felt dry. He swallowed past it and pulled his phone from his pocket to stare down at the screen. He found Mordyn's number and dialed.
ChapterTwenty-Three
It hadn't taken long for Mordyn to answer Sven's call, and just as he'd promised, the vampire had immediately agreed to help Sven get out from under Altair's thumb for a short while.
He hadn't shown up right away, claiming that he needed some time to set things into motion, but after a few hours, when the sun was almost set to rise, he'd opened the door to Sven's room.
First, he distracted the crow still hanging out in the bedroom with Sven so that it wouldn't immediately alert Altair. Next, he sprayed Sven with a strange mixture of herbs that smelled like damp forest earth and garlic.
"That's going to mask your scent," Mordyn explained.
"Will that work?"
The vampire shrugged. "Let's hope so. You don't smell like a meal tomeright now, in any case."
"Everyone will wonder why I stink."
"Tell them you fell in the mud," Mordyn replied. "Either that or tell them it's a new diet."
"What do you know about human diets?"
"I know a little sugar makes your blood sweeter." Mordyn smirked and Sven shook himself, suddenly doubting if he should really trust this vampire. But what choice did he have?
"Cut the crap," he said.
"You asked," Mordyn said with a half-shrug before motioning for Sven to follow him out of the room.
They went up one set of stairs, through several corridors and doors. With each step, Sven's heart beat faster. What if they ran into Altair? Or anyone else?
"Don't worry," Mordyn said as if he too could read Sven's thoughts, or maybe Sven's fears were just that obvious. "Altair's in a meeting and almost everyone else is at the club. I had the new dancers perform a special show tonight. Drew quite a crowd."
"Don't we have to exit through the club?"
Mordyn grinned at him. "Nope. We're taking a little detour. Trust me, you don't want to walk into that room full of hungry vampires." He led the way upstairs once more, past the bar to another floor that Sven hadn't visited before. The top floor.
"This leads to the roof," Mordyn explained. "Come on, we don't have a lot of time until the sun rises."
Sven followed, heart beating so fast he was afraid it would burst from his chest. Mordyn guided them out onto the empty rooftop and from there, down a ladder that took them to the street.
It had gotten chilly. The wind swept through Sven's hair and for a moment, he stood there, staring up at the gray sky, and enjoyed the cold breeze caressing his cheeks. Its touch felt like freedom.
