Chapter 38

Valerie

The door flung open. Two heavily-dressed vampiric guards stepped into the room. They parted to the sides and bowed for the individuals approaching behind them. The three were of high status. I could tell by the clothes they wore and the way they held themselves, striding into the room without a fleck of fear or apprehension.

As they descended the stairs, it was as if the entire room froze up like a herd of sheep. All of the quiet murmurs and frantic shouting stopped. No one moved from their position. They all stared up, watching the men descent the stairs in silence.

Of the three men, the one in the center seemed to have the authority. The man at his right was more rugged. A muscled vampire with a shade of darkness on his face. Something was terribly familiar about him, but I couldn’t put my thumb on it. He looked around, seeming frustrated by the sight. Then he glanced to his leader, as if they were exchanging wordless thoughts.

The man to the leader’s left was far more ca