Read Under the Cover of Night :: Pillow Talk

Benjamin peeled his eyes open. After last night, he'd slept peacefully for the first time since he'd woken up a vampire. He smirked to himself and rolled over, reaching for Emer or Rory, whoever he could feel, but was surprised when he found the bed empty.

He sat up and realized he was back in his own cell.

"Weird, isn't it?" Rory asked, startling him.

Benjamin looked around but couldn't see him anywhere.

"Are—are you talking to me from your cell?" Benjamin whispered.

"Yeah. I thought about it when I woke up and realized we can talk to each other without them hearing—assuming they're not monitoring everything we say with high tech listening devices or something."

Benjamin nodded and then realized Rory couldn't see him. "Yeah. Hey, when did I get back in my cell?" he asked laying back down. His bed was cool and the sheets felt good against his skin.

"Sometime in the night, after we passed out. I don't know how she does it. Do you? You came with her last night."

"No clue, man. One minute I was standing in my cell, the next it was eerily dark and cold, and then I was in your room."

Benjamin heard the rustle of sheets and realized Rory must be getting up. He decided to do the same and hopped up to retrieve his clothes. As he dressed, he waited for Rory to say more, however, he only heard the relaxed breathing of guards nearby and the soft sound of cloth against skin as Rory pulled a sweater over his head.

Benjamin asked, "Did you have any nightmares last night?"

Rory replied, "No."

"Neither did I," Benjamin admitted. "Do you think they're gone?"

"I think some day soon, they're going to get a lot worse."

***

Benjamin and Rory stood silently in the training room. The guards were stationed at the exists, but had relaxed enough to chat casually amongst themselves. Rory found he enjoyed the background noise and welcomed the normalcy of it.

Emer had stepped off the mats to retrieve the shield and sword they'd seen her use the night she'd hunted down and killed the other vampires. When she came back, she held her sword up to show them.

"This is a Messer," she informed them and then swiped down, cutting through the air as if slicing an invisible assailant.

"The blade has a subtle curve and thickens at the end. Messer in German translates to 'knife,' because the hilt is assembled like a knife instead of a sword." She indicated the hilt, showing how the metal went all the way through the hilt and had two wooden pieces on either side. "Now, looking at my sword, why do you think I've chosen it?" she asked them.

Benjamin was the first to answer, "You've chosen the sword for slicing, instead of stabbing. You must need to—to remove the heads of vampires to kill them."

Emer smirked, "With wraiths, removing the head ensures death, yes. With nobles, you must remove their heads, hack them to pieces, and then burn the bodies. After that, it's best to spread the ashes in water, less anything survives that could bring them back to life."

"What about us?" Rory asked, indicating himself and Benjamin.

"It's possible beheading would kill you, but you are my brood, from my line. I'd expect better from you," she replied coolly.

She began to walk a circle around them and asked, "Why would I choose a small, round shield?"

Rory wanted to reply, but he wasn't sure, so Benjamin beat him to it. "Because it's small, unobtrusive, but effective."

"Oh?" she asked, arching a brow. "How so?"

"Um, looking at the shield—the round edges would cause another blade to slide off, also, the smaller size means you're not busy moving a larger shield around."

Emer stopped and nodded. She held the shield out and pulled her sword back. As she extended the shield, the sword and her midriff disappeared behind it, giving the illusion that it was much larger.

Cruelty twisted in the corner of Emer's mouth as she asked, "Where is the sword?"

Before either of them could reply, she stepped forward, her sword appeared out of nowhere and swiped through the air twice, so fast that it was barely visible. Both Benjamin and Rory cried out in unexpected pain. Emer had sliced each of them along the shoulder. She'd cut through their sweaters; crimson blood glistening on her blade as proof of her penetration.

Benjamin stepped back and held his shoulder, but Rory clenched his fists. He knew they were already healing, but he was not a fan of this game.

Emer's lilac eyes fell on him as she asked, "Where's the sword?" and stepped forward again.

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Published by Raven's Hollow Art and Publishing

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