Lead Me Astray is now published as a Wattpad Book! As a Wattpad reader, you can access Wattpad Books Edition upon purchase and the Original Edition for free.
"Ambitious and fiercely original. Sondi Warner is the exciting new voice we've all been wai...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
September 12 | After Midnight
"Come forth," Darcy called to me. I spilled feet-first to the floor, unfurling with all the enthusiasm of a woman marching to the guillotine. I slowly rose from a kneeling position and clutched the silk kimono, hiding my vulnerability.
The room in which I found myself was illuminated by a gilt chandelier. Vivid silence permeated the elegant space. My downcast eyes studied rich mahogany floors. I tried to make sense of two lines of white to either side of me, almost like a path starting at the front door and disappearing up the stairs. I tried to teleport out, but it was no use.
"Don't exhaust me with an escape attempt. You'll be unable to cross the salt, Aurelia," the vampire revealed. "There's a bit of sodium chlorate in the mix, highly volatile. Your companion can't assist you getting rid of it, either. The slightest wrong move could lead to a fire that creates its own oxygen and sustains itself. Don't trust me? See for yourself. Sweep it aside, Detective."
Tegan's wide eyes took in his face, and she shook her head. I vaguely remembered reading something in one of Mys' books about table salt keeping spirits in or out of a designated area, but Darcy had taken it to extremes. I knew sodium chlorate could be as dangerous as he claimed under the right conditions.
"Where the hell are we?" My voice echoed with more bravado than I felt. Darcy gestured at a silver platter of libations on an entryway table. I lifted my chin a fraction higher in defiance. "No, thank you. The last time I accepted your hospitality, I wound up dead," I said through clenched teeth.
"We're home. Be amicable," he suggested.
"I told you, I don't drink anymore," said Tegan, hugging herself.
She evaluated the antebellum plantation with dilated pupils that confessed her terror. We were in the foyer of a great house. With the front door still open behind us, winds whipped in from the night. The setting seemed ripe for dire expectations, the coming hurricane least of all.
I turned away from the storm. Majestic baroque balustrades traced a wide staircase to a second level and then a third. There was a woman with white blonde hair studying us. She retreated into the shadows when she saw me watching.
Another stood at the foot of the stairs. She appeared a few years older than me, tall and statuesque. The storm made tendrils of long wine-dark hair dance across her eyes, but she swept the locks behind her fair-complexioned ear to glare at the vampire. Her stern, handsome face was uncompromising.
"You know you should not have brought them here." The timbre of her voice sent shivers through me. Power emanated from her, and I wondered what type of Supernatural she was.
Darcy flashed an indolent smile. "I don't expect the three of you to be privy to this, Mal. You and your sisters should have the night to yourselves."
The dark-haired woman gathered the folds of a sumptuous gold and black brocade skirt and fled the house, calling over her shoulder, "Ava! Cherie!" Two rare birds flew down the stairs and flitted after her into the dreary night. I hardly saw what they looked like. Upon their exit, the heavy doors slammed shut, and the chandelier candles guttered but stayed alight.
