Embracing Winter (Lords of Discord 4)

Besides the ghosts, there were even more vampires walking rounds through the house. Two were stationed by the front door, and another two were in front of a set of double doors on the first floor that he was willing to guess was Damon’s office. He counted at least three more walking rounds through the place, poking their heads into open rooms and checking windows at regular intervals. It was as if Damon were expecting to be attacked at any moment.

Winter wished he could stroll into Damon’s office now and cut the fucker’s heart out, but he held back on that dark impulse. Aiden was right that Damon’s death would create a power vacuum. They’d lose one threat and just move Paavo or some other vampire into Damon’s place. Right now, Damon was a known threat. Something Winter could at least partially plan for.

The soft scuff of a shoe across the tile floor was his only warning. He’d been lost in thought and hadn’t noticed a new pair of vampires on their rounds. He ducked out of the way just in time to avoid one of them plowing right into him. Winter released a heavy sigh of relief, leaning against a wall for support.

The vampire stopped right where Winter had been and gave a whole-body shiver. “What the hell? You feel that?” he muttered, looking over at his companion.

“What?”

“Cold spot. Right here.”

“What?”

The vampire with short blond hair and a goatee turned around where he stood, his eyes passing right over where Winter was plastered to the wall. “A cold spot. Like the air dropped twenty degrees right here.”

The other vampire with brown hair waved his hand right in front of the first vampire, his face wrinkled with confusion. “I don’t feel anything. You’re crazy.”

“I’m not. I wonder if I walked through a ghost.”

The brunet groaned and resumed walking. “You’re fucking insane. There’s no such thing as ghosts.”

“There totally is. Haven’t you heard that cold spots are an indication of ghosts?” the blond pressed, taking a couple of quick steps to catch up with his friend.

“You’re the reason there are all those stupid ghost-hunting shows on TV. I hate you,” the brunet continued before they disappeared down another hallway.

“Please tell me you’re here to prove to them that ghosts are real by turning them into ghosts.”

Winter’s head snapped around to see a ghost standing in an open doorway, watching him very closely. He hadn’t even noticed her standing there, but then, he’d gotten very good at tuning the ghosts out over the years.

He didn’t say anything as he continued toward a long hallway off the foyer, but the ghost continued.

“You’re Winter Varik, aren’t you?”

Winter’s gaze jerked up to stare at the ghost, really taking in her appearance. She looked like she’d died young, twenty-two or twenty-three. It was impossible to tell if she’d died as a human or a vampire. But judging by her jeans and 2017 Fun Run T-shirt, she’d died not that long ago.

“I am,” he said softly.

The ghost laughed and spun on the toes of her left foot while clapping. “That totally explains it!” She sucked in a breath she didn’t need and smiled broadly at him. “That’s why you’ve got such a reputation for being scary and invisible. You can sneak around with all the ghosts.”

“You’ve heard of me?”

She nodded and took another step closer. “Damon complained about the Variks all the time, but your name came up the most. He’s scared shitless of you.”

Winter grinned at his new friend. That news was always nice to hear. He just didn’t know how he’d turn it to his advantage.

“Did you work for Damon?”

The ghost sniffed and crossed her arms tightly over her chest. “Hardly. Unwilling blood donor. One of his fucks picked me up while I was running an errand to the grocery one night. Kept me locked up here for about a month before Damon finally managed to kill me.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Cara,” she supplied. She gave one small shrug of her slumped shoulders. “Thanks. Way it goes, I guess. Definitely not how I thought I was gonna die.”

“Have you been in the house long?”

Cara nodded. “I think so. Time…time feels weird now.”

It wasn’t the first time Winter had heard that complaint from a ghost. They didn’t register the passage of time the same way the living did. It was how they could exist for centuries in the same region and not go completely insane from the boredom. Decades could pass in the blink of an eye for them.

But if Cara had been in Damon’s house for at least a few months, she might know about the witch.

“Do you know if Damon is keeping anyone prisoner within the house right now? Someone who is not a blood donor.”

A broad smile blossomed on Cara’s face, and he had to admit, it was the most bloodthirsty expression he’d ever seen on a former human. “Second floor. Down the hall to the left from the main staircase. You’ll find at least two guards outside the door at all times.”