“Hey,” I finally managed to say when I came up for air.
He grinned and slid his arm around my waist, pulling me snug against his side. Lucas watched all of this without saying a word. Ethan didn’t lead me to his car, instead taking me to the end of the street. His arm fell away from my waist as he bent to open a round manhole cover.
“Eh, no way am I going down there,” I said emphatically as Lucas’s eyes gleamed with mirth. I bet he knew all along I wasn’t going to be up for this.
Somehow, I’d failed to make the connection that an underground market would be among the sewage system. In my head, I’d imagined something a little more mystical and a little less e-coli and rat-infested.
“I can walk you back to the house if you like,” Ethan offered, his silvery eyes looking back and forth between mine.
I glanced at Lucas for a moment, and the fact that he clearly assumed I’d turn back made me determined to keep going.
Taking a deep breath, I replied, “No, that’s alright. I still want to come. I just needed a minute to get used to the idea.”
“Once you get through the tunnels it’s not so bad. You can climb on my back, and I’ll get us to the market in a matter of seconds. You won’t have to endure the stench for too long.”
I eyed him warily. “Okay, then.”
Ethan went down on one knee, so I could climb onto his back. When I was securely situated, he moved toward the manhole and climbed down. Lucas followed suit. The second we hit the tunnel Ethan began moving at vampire speed, and everything became a blur of motion. Unfortunately, I could still smell the sewage.
Moments later he slowed down, and I realised I’d been squeezing my eyes shut to keep from getting dizzy. I opened them and looked around to see a mass of vampires gathered in a large open space. The place was huge, about the size of a football field. There were market stalls set up in orderly rows selling all variety of goods.
I stared in fascination, still holding firmly onto Ethan’s back as I took the place in. Vampires stood and chatted amiably, others hovered by stalls bartering and haggling for goods.
When Ethan entered, the conversation hushed, and they all turned to look at him with what appeared to be reverence in their otherworldly eyes. He patted me on the thigh, and I let go of his neck, hopping off onto the ground.
Some of the vampires watched me instead of Ethan, and I knew that they were aware of what I was—of what I could give them. It was weird, though, because I didn’t feel unsafe. I had this odd sense of safety at Ethan’s side. I knew that none of the vampires would be able to get to me because of him.
Ethan slipped his hand into mine, a show of solidarity but also possession, and led me on a walk around the market. The vampires continued what they’d been doing, but without the same vigour as before. They were all far too curious about Ethan’s presence, anticipating his announcement.
A mezzanine floor ran around the edge of the upper wall of the market, and tugging me to him, Ethan pulled me up onto his back again before climbing a ladder to the mezzanine. Once he reached the top, he let me off and walked to the railing. Placing his hands firmly down on the railing, he cleared his throat, and every vampire present fell silent for the second time.
They looked up at him, heads all turned to attention. I spotted Lucas below, standing by a stall. He picked up a gold watch and examined it, perhaps the only vampire in the whole place who wasn’t staring at Ethan.
“Today, while you all slept,” Ethan began, “the sorcerer Theodore made a televised broadcast to the humans of the city. To put it simply, he told them to mark their doors with a circle in chalk before gathering at Campion row. From there, he instructed them to visit every home without a circle and burn it to the ground.”
The revelation was followed by exclamations of shock and surprised intakes of breath. Some vampires clutched their partners, unmistakable fear in their eyes. All of a sudden, I saw Ethan’s species in a new light. They might live a lot longer than humans, might be a lot stronger, but they were still mortal. They could still lose the things that they held most dear.
“I have called you all here tonight so that you can be aware of this and mark your doors as the humans do.”
Before Ethan could say more, a dark-haired vampire stepped to the front of the crowd. “Why don’t you just let us all have a drink of your little blood whore, and we won’t have to worry about daytime attacks?” he asked, his mouth a cruel slant across his face. My heart thundered in my chest at the suggestion. Remind me why I thought it was a good idea to come here?
Without a word, Ethan jumped from his spot and landed gracefully on the ground in front of the vampire.
“How dare you suggest such a thing,” he seethed, fury emanating from him as he prowled around the man.
Suddenly, the man’s demeanour changed. Something in Ethan’s gaze caused him to fall to his knees.
“I’m s-s-sorry. I didn’t mean it. Please forgive me.” He bowed his head as though submitting to a king.
With one swift movement, Ethan kicked the man hard in the ribs. “Get up,” he demanded.
The vampire fumbled quickly to his feet, his entire body shaking with fear. I almost felt sorry for him, but then I remembered his suggestion that they all drink from me and my sympathy faded.
“Apologise again,” Ethan commanded.
“I beg your forgiveness. I’m sorry a thousand times. Please, spare me,” he rattled out desperately.
Slowly, Ethan shook his head. “Not to me. Apologise to her.” He gestured up at me, and I inhaled sharply when the attention of the entire market fell on me. My palms grew sweaty as I gripped the railing tight.
“I’m sorry, my lady. Truly, I am,” the vampire said. “Please, accept my sincerest apologies for what I said. I’m merely frightened and—”
“That’s enough,” Ethan hissed, grabbing a hold of the collar of his jacket and flinging him into the crowd. “Anybody else have anything to say on this matter?” he asked, striding back and forth. Absolute silence answered him. “Very good.”
If I blinked, I’d have missed it, but his eyes flicked briefly to Lucas, who still stood by the market stall. Ethan gave him a barely perceptible nod, and Lucas slinked swiftly through the crowd to the dark-haired vampire. His hand slid to the inside pocket of his coat, and he pulled out a stake. Finding the vampire who’d spoken out against me, Lucas grabbed him by the throat and slammed the stake straight into his heart. Those standing close by gasped in shock, obviously getting the message. Anyone else who dared to threaten me would meet the same fate. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that, but my survival instincts kicked in. I’d much rather the vampires fear harming me than believe I was an easy target.
“I will suffer no more threats against my woman,” Ethan declared. “The punishment for this is death. I hope you all understand that now.”
There were low murmurings of assent, and nervous anxiety gripped tightly at my chest. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe. Ethan had to have a man killed for threatening me. Would it always be this way, or would the vampires eventually accept me as Ethan’s partner?
Having power wasn’t the cushy setup most people imagined it to be. You had to make hard decisions and do hard things. And I understood that. I got why Ethan had Lucas kill the vampire, but it still made my stomach twist with unease. I was so tired of all the death.