The Vampire of Tinkerfall (Elysium #3)

Chapter Twenty-Two

 "Let's get to this," Booker said, heading straight to the laboratory as soon as they entered the house. He stopped in the doorway and glanced back at Trinket. "Coming?"

She looked down at her muddy dress. "First I'd like to change into something a little cleaner. And drier. I'll come down right after. But why don't you have Daphne assist you to start out?"

He hesitated as his eyes darted to Daphne.

"She's more than capable," Trinket went on, placing a hand on Daphne's shoulder. "And after all, it wouldn't be very kind to leave her up here by herself with a deadly snake loose in the house, would it?"

Her pointed words were not lost on him. He nodded and motioned for Daphne to follow him. "Hurry down," he said to Trinket as they disappeared into the laboratory.

Lifting her tattered and sullied skirts, Trinket made her way upstairs as quickly as her aching muscles would allow. She longed to crawl under the covers of her bed and sleep the rest of the rainy day away, but she dragged herself over to the wardrobe and took out the blue dress that Booker had given her when she first arrived. She still hadn't ordered more work dresses. Maybe when all the craziness with the vampire was over, she'd get around to it. But once that was done, what new game would Benedict start? And how long would that game last? Was he going to string Booker along for years and years, never revealing himself? Would Booker keep chasing after him?

"Knowing him, he probably would," she muttered to herself as she pulled her damp work dress off and draped it over her standing mirror.

And then she saw it. Just as she was about to slip the blue dress on. In the reflection of the glass. A shadow moving quickly under the bed.

She froze and held her breath as she listened.

Nothing.

Nothing.

And then a bump.

Backing away from her bed, she clutched the clean dress to her chest, waiting for something to come shooting out at her. But nothing did.

Though terrified of what she would find, she stooped down and searched the space beneath the bed frame. There didn't seem to be anything but dust bunnies—

And then another shadow, slithering out the other side.

Slithering.

Slithering.

Rushing out the door, she ran down the stairs and hurried to the laboratory. "It's in my room," she said before even reaching the last step.

Booker glanced up from the workbench where he was standing with Daphne. "The sna—"

His eyes went wide, and he quickly looked away. Trinket furrowed her brow and faced Daphne who was failing to hold back laughter.

"What's so—"

She gasped. Looking down at herself, she let out a high-pitched groan at realizing she was in only her undergarments.

"Blast it all," she hissed as she hunched her shoulders and spun around, clumsily pulling on the dress clutched in her hands.

When she was appropriately covered up, she turned back and found Booker staring at the floor, his ears and neck bright pink. Daphne's eyes darted between the two of them, an infuriating smile on her lips.

Booker cleared his throat, his gaze still on the floor. "The snake?" he repeated, his voice squeaking slightly.

"Yes, of course the snake. What else would I be talking about?" Trinket said, wrapping her arms self-consciously around herself.