A Shade of Doubt (A Shade of Vampire #12)(12)

I looked down at the bed to see it soaked with blood, the corpses split open, fragments of their stomachs strewn about the bedroom.

Wrapping two strong arms around the corpses, he lifted them up over his shoulders and drifted out of the room. Since he carried these physical bodies with him, he had to open the door in order to exit. I winced, hoping nobody else was in the house who might notice. And then he was rushing back into the woods, as fast as the wind, gripping the bodies. He soon reached the beach and, hovering over a cluster of boulders, he shifted one aside and stuffed the corpses into a crack.

I was glad that at least he had the sense to dispose of the bodies rather than leave them on the bed. Neither my mother nor I knew how much experience Mona had with ghouls, or if she’d even encountered one before. We didn’t know whether she’d be smart enough to detect a ghoul attack by examining a body. But we couldn’t afford to take that risk. The moment she suspected a ghoul was present on the island, she would suspect us… and the box. Witches of The Sanctuary were known for the pacts they entered into with ghouls.

Silas had to keep himself hidden or our whole plan would come crashing down. I just hoped that Silas wouldn’t slip up if he was to make feeding on humans a regular habit.

My mother seemed to sense my fear.

“We need not worry too much,” she said. “All that flesh he’s just consumed will keep his stomach filled for at least two days…”

Chapter 7: Rose

I’d lost track of how much time had passed since Annora left the control room. But, despite the anxiety gnawing away at me, I could no longer ignore my hunger and thirst. It had been a long time since I’d last eaten, and I’d swallowed too much salt water when Caleb had kept ducking me underwater during our escape from Julisse and Arielle.

I got out of bed and walked to the door. Opening it, I looked out into the corridor. All seemed quiet. No voices. I wondered if Caleb had even left the control cabin, and where Annora was.

But my first priority was finding water and something to eat. I was beginning to feel a migraine coming on from dehydration. I walked from cabin to cabin, looking for some kind of kitchen area. There had to be a galley here. Annora had said that she had survived on this submarine for days already as she waited for Caleb to arrive.

Most doors were open already and I could peer in easily. I stopped short at the end of the corridor, just before the last cabin to my left. I heard the rustling of a plastic bag. My heart leapt as I wondered if it could be Caleb.

It wasn’t.

I turned the corner to see Annora sitting atop a cupboard filled with dried snacks and a stash of water bottles.

Her eyes shot toward me, and I stood staring at her, speechless. There was a coldness in her gaze as she looked me over from head to foot, as though she was sizing me up.

She was sitting right on top of the food cabinet, her legs hanging down over the door. The only way I could gain access to the food would be by asking her.

I realized I’d rather put up with my migraine than ask any favor of her. Breaking eye contact, I turned around and headed back to my room, cursing beneath my breath. I’ll have to try again later when hopefully she will be gone…

I looked back over my shoulder to be sure she wasn’t looking after me. I almost walked right into Caleb. I stepped back in shock.

“Sorry,” he murmured.

I remained where I was, blocking the narrow corridor, staring at him. I was expecting him to say something else. He didn’t. His eyes remained on the floor, his expression stony as ever.

I stepped aside and was about to lock myself back in my cabin when he reached out and gripped my arm. He was still avoiding direct eye contact, but his eyes lowered to my cracked lips.

“You’re dehydrated.”

Not waiting for my response, he let go of me and walked in the direction of the kitchen. I remained where I was. As Caleb’s footsteps approached the kitchen, I heard Annora murmuring something to him, though I couldn’t make out what. Whatever it was, it was cut short as Caleb exited the kitchen and made his way back to me.

He was carrying a bottle of water and several packets of oatcakes. He placed them in my hands and stepped back. “If that’s not enough, there’s plenty more in the kitchen.”

He kept his eyes on the floor as he continued walking down the corridor back to the control cabin. I stood staring after him as he closed the door.

I looked down at the food and water he’d just given me. At that moment, I felt I would have preferred him to just look me in the eyes. I would have given anything to know what was going through his head.

I wondered if he was perhaps still in shock about the whole thing. Maybe this was his way of dealing with it—to retreat into himself. I took comfort in the fact that he seemed to be avoiding Annora too, not just me.

Heaving a sigh, I retreated into my room and sat down on my bed. I ripped open the oatcakes and began chugging down the water. The cakes were bland, but filling. I finished all three packs and realized I was satisfied. I didn’t need to make another trip to the kitchen for now.

As I was swallowing the last of the water, I almost choked as there was a rapping on my door. Discarding the water bottle, I leapt up and opened it. This was to be the second time in thirty minutes I was disappointed to see Annora’s face instead of Caleb’s.

She’d ignored me since I arrived on this submarine. As much as I hated her, I couldn’t help but feel curious as to why she was knocking on my door. That was the only reason I didn’t slam it shut in her face.