Oliver lay on the settee in the living room unable to sleep; the thing was far too soft for him, so he got up and moved to lie down on a fur rug before the fireplace. From upstairs in the room above, he heard someone moving around. The noise was faint but his hearing was far better than any human’s. He became aware of a woman’s voice coming from the fireplace and quickly worked out that the sound was travelling down the chimney from Lynne’s room upstairs. Cocking his head to one side, he leaned closer to the fireplace to listen into whoever Lynne was talking to. He had been certain that Lynne had no one else staying. As soon as he heard a male voice answer Lynne, he struggled to prevent a growl escaping his throat. Even at his young age he knew the voice of a demon when he heard one.
Not daring to breathe, he listened to the rest of the conversation. Even after it finished, he stayed still, not daring to move. He waited until he heard Lynne open the door to her room and walk out before he finally sat back. It was now the daylight hours and Eloim would be asleep within his coffin, not knowing that he had been betrayed. Quickly Oliver looked around the room looking for a weapon; the ones they had brought with them were still in the van. He had never faced a vampire before and he felt fear rising within him. Lynne was a good few hundred years old so she would be far stronger and faster than him. Also, she was a witch. He could smell the stench of magic on her and it lingered all around the house.
Moving silently through to the kitchen, he headed for the cutlery drawer. He hoped to find an assortment of sharp knives but discovered only a small spoon. Moving on, he began to open cupboards, all of which were empty. The entire expensive kitchen area was bare of anything he could use.
“Not even a bloody frying pan?” Oliver grumbled, opening the final cupboard. “Bloody vampires and their liquid diets, why couldn’t she have at least bought some stuff to pretend she cooked in here?”
Moving to a door in the kitchen, he opened it and paused. It was a large walk in pantry, also empty of anything of any use. The only thing in there was a naked man who hung by his arms from the ceiling. As the man saw Oliver, he began to thrash about, muffled noises coming from his gagged mouth. Oliver quickly closed the door which cut out the sounds of Lynne’s prisoner. He decided that a vampire would only keep a human chained up in a room for one of two reasons. The first reason, and more probable as he was in the kitchen, was food and he wasn’t going to consider the second. He had spent over five minutes silently checking the kitchen for something to use as a weapon and found nothing. He knew if he was going to rescue Eloim, he would have to do it bare handed.
Moving back out of the kitchen, Oliver headed for the bottom of the stairs. As he got there, he heard a faint mumbling from upstairs. He paused on the bottom step and turned his head to look at the door. It would be so easy to leave, to go and get some help. With a shake of his head he dismissed the thought. By the time he got back, Eloim would be in the demon’s hands. Taking a deep breath, he took a step forward and then with a snarl, began to run up the steps.
Oliver burst through the door, a snarl escaping from his mouth as he saw Eloim’s coffin in the centre of a pentagram, black candles burning at each of its points. Lynne looked up from reading a large leather bound book and with a dismissive wave of her hand, Oliver felt himself fly backwards to crash into the wall.
“Too late dog,” Lynne snarled. “Your friend is off to face his demon and you cannot stop it.”
To be continued.