✔Kin of the Curse (Book 1: Bloodbound Chronicles)

7. Coffin House

Sunlight struggled to filter through the fog swarming Nevermourn like an army of ghosts. Not a single vampire was in sight, and the only sounds that echoed in their ears were the rustling of leaves and the roaring winds that made some of the old structures creak.

Castor dispelled his broom away upon entering the town, brushing closely against Lucien. It wasn't unusual for Nevermourn to resemble a ghost town during the daylight hours since vampires preferred to sleep when the sun came out. Yet as they walked down the path to Sebastian's clinic, unease crept down Castor's spine.

"It's very quiet," Lucien said.

Darkened shops that once glowed with life during the witching hours appeared abandoned. Thick curtains covered their windows as if they feared what devils would emerge in the sunlight. Castor had heard stories from Sebastian and some of the other vampires about how they used to hide during the daylight from Hunters before Marusticia's Blood Treaty.

Signed many moons ago, when they were merely infants, a formal agreement was made between the vampires and the wizards in their country. Vampires were given land to reside near the Niveous Ocean and formed a barter with the vampire country of Valorath to import blood to quell their hunger.

Vampires could only feed from humans if they signed blood donating consent forms. If any were caught illegally drinking blood or draining their victims to death, they'd bring the Hunters in to behead them.

"Will Sebastian be asleep at this hour?" Lucien asked, shifting his light hair out of his eyes. The fog had dew coated everything, and he shook his hand with an ugh as he moved closer to Castor.

"No, he should be awake. It's only Moonday, and Sebastian typically rests every other day," Castor explained.

"You and Sebastian must be pretty close. You even know his sleep schedule."

"Yeah, because he told me. Don't tell me you're jealous," Castor teased, punching Lucien on the arm with zero force behind the blow. It was a nudge more than anything, and Lucien shrugged him off.

"Of course not." Lucien turned his head toward a pub they walked by called the Last Drop. "It was just an observation I made."

"You're more of a night owl too," Castor said. "Even when you'd stay at my house, you'd be up past the witching hours. Always needing extra blankets too because you get cold easily."

"Okay, I get it. You're weirdly obsessed with our sleep schedules." Lucien laughed.

When they arrived at the clinic, similar dark curtains draped over the windows to keep the sunlight out. Castor reached out to open the door only to find it locked. "That's strange."

"Have you been here in the daytime before?" Lucien asked. "Maybe they lock things up until nightfall?"

Castor shook his head. "I've been here during the day before and they don't ever lock up. Not the clinic."

"Do you know where Sebastian lives?" Lucien asked. "Maybe we can try to find him and see what's going on."

"Yeah, he told me where his coven's located. You don't think something bad's happened to him or the other vampires, do you?" Castor stepped away from the clinic's door, glancing down the foggy path ahead of them.

"You're good at detecting traces of black magic, right? Wouldn't you have sensed something like that around here?" Lucien pointed out.

"I suppose, yeah." Castor agreed. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid. I'm sure Sebastian has an explanation for everything."

The fog only worsened the further they tread into Nevermourn. Castor kept his ears perked and eyes peeled for any evidence of the vampires lurking around, but found nothing. It was like they had all vanished. Curiosity bested him as they approached a shop called the Coffin House. Just like every other establishment, dark blackout curtains covered the glass window panes, but Castor didn't let that stop him.