I gasped and stepped back. Wincing as the handrail smacked into my lower back, I squeaked with shock.

"Please don't scream again. I didn't mean to frighten you."

All that I could do was stare. The wall was talking to me.

I was going insane. I'd lost my mind.

There was no one in there. It was not possible.

Maybe there was a hidden path to another place. A tunnel or a door, perhaps. Maybe this was a drug house that people used to move between houses to avoid attention. The wall was not new, but I wasn't a builder, so I couldn't be sure about its actual age.

"Am I really a no-one person?"

"I guess not. This is not real, is it?"

"It is."

His voice was soft and husky, filled with amusement. I didn't try to be funny, but clearly, I was.

"Are you behind the wall?"

"I am."

"Is there a way out?"

"No."

Warily I moved from the rail that was digging into my back and stepped forward.

"That's not possible. You would be dead unless the wall has only just been put up. How long have you been there?"

"Far too long, and it is possible when you're not human."

I snorted a huff, rolling my eyes with pure amusement.

"Yeah, sure. Good one. You can stop with the jokes. I know you're at the vent whispering this rubbish to me."

"Evie, is that your name?"

"Yeah,"

I couldn't get any more hesitant if I tried.

"What year is it?"

"Twenty, twenty-two."

"Then I have been incarcerated in this tomb for over sixty years. This is not a joke. I am Niko Corbin, and I am a vampire."

"I do not believe you. Prove that you're stuck behind that wall."

At this point, I realized that I was a complete idiot. If there really was someone behind that wall, I was inviting them to prove it. I didn't believe in vampires or anything paranormal, so I didn't think that this Niko guy would be able to show himself but damn, I really was asking for trouble.

The hole was small, but it was enough. Something poked through the gap, and I stared. It was the tip of material, possibly a handkerchief.

As I reached out for it, my hand was shaking. Slowly it pulled through the gap. I unraveled the piece of material to see that it was, in fact, a handkerchief, and it had NC embroidered into one corner.

"This can't be real," I whispered. "How are you alive?"

"Vampires can go for a long time without feeding if they enter into a deep sleep. I can go on for many more years provided that you and your uncle leave, and I am not disturbed anymore."

"Don't you want to get out of there?"

"Of course, but unless you're going to break the wall, it won't happen."

Pressing my hand to the warm bricks, I now understood why they were like this.

"Are you trying to crack the wall open?"

"Naturally. I am hungry."

"Do you plan on killing us?"

Niko chuckled.

"Would you like me to make an exception for you and your uncle?"

"Absolutely."

"Then it is done, that is of course once I am out of here. Before that, any agreement is pointless as I am quite harmless in my current state."

"What did you do to get put in there?"

"Annoyed the wrong people. Now, how are we going to get me out of here? I heard the mumbled words from the builder fellow. He seemed to think that repair was unnecessary, but I'm sure that attitude will change once your uncle has seen the broken wall."

"We don't have any tools that I could use. Even if I get something, he's going to hear me, and Brad is always home."

"Then we shall endeavor to do it as quietly as we can with the tools that you have. This is not part of the original structure. They created the false wall to trap me."

It was odd to think about it, but this madness made me wonder why they didn't kill him. Wouldn't it be easier than all this?

"Yeah," I drawled out slowly. "I guess I could get something to scrape the mortar out. It will take a while, though. Can you cope with that?"

"No," Niko admitted. "And I would not ask you to bring anything to me. Asking you to provide victims would be wrong of me."

"And I would not get it for you either. This might be a small town, but that doesn't make things any easier. You said that you annoyed the wrong people. Are they going to be upset that you're getting out? Cuz, I assume that they're still alive too."

"It is highly likely," Niko murmured. "And yes, they will be upset. I'm certain they will find me and voice their displeasure at seeing me again. Perhaps this time, I will be more prepared for their plans."

Sitting on the bottom step of the stairs, I leaned against the post and looked at the crack in the wall that contained a vampire. That was something that I never thought was possible. The fact that I didn't think vampires were real was enough. Someone, some living creature was behind an almost inescapable wall.

Niko wanted to escape. He wanted me to help him get out. That meant that I was unleashing a monster upon this town. Sure, Niko said he wasn't the only one but did I really want to add another one? Could I trust him when he said that he would not hurt Brad or me?

I had nothing. Not a single answer. All that I knew was that I would help him get out of that entrapment.

It wasn't his only issue. This modern world was not made for vampires.

"You're going to just hate this era."

"How so?"

"Oh, lots of things. Cops are super smart. They have a lot of ways of catching murderers, which you are one because vampires are completely fictional to the entire world. I'm also assuming that because you've been in there for over sixty years, you don't have valid identification. That's going to be a bit of an issue for you."

"This is why we have familiars."

"I thought they were cats for witches."

Niko chuckled, and crazily, I was smiling too.

"Familiars can take on a few shapes, and humans are one of them. They are trusted to tend to tasks for their master, ensure that the vampire remains hidden, and assist them wherever necessary throughout the course of their service. For their efforts, they are protected from their master and other vampires and assured life when others are not granted such liberties. I have not had a familiar in such a long time."

"So, I'd be like your familiar?"

"If that is what you desire."

"What about Brad?"

"We only have one familiar. However, I can extend the vampire master and familiar protection to him as well. That is, once I'm out of here and obtain the necessary items to offer such things."

"Okay, I'm going to get something to start digging you out. While I'm doing that, we can discuss what you did and how we're going to trust each other."

"I look forward to it."

Getting up from the stairs, I quickly ascended them and then peeked around the corner. Brad was setting up his office in the guest quarters. Slipping through the house, I found a knife and a spoon, the only options I had at the moment. This was going to take forever.

The sigh that escaped displayed my sheer frustration. I knew that the task ahead of me would consume my entire day and probably most of my night. How patient was Niko? Thinking about it, I turned back and grabbed a second spoon and knife so that he could work on the mortar as well. That might cut the time down.

As I tiptoed through the corridor, I could hear Brad cursing at the internet. Given the issues we've had since arriving, I found it surprising that Hades actually had the internet.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I saw a bit of dust push through the crack.

"Hard at work, I see."

"It is what I've been doing since you woke me."

"I woke you?"

"Yes. I'm sure you're wondering why but I don't know."

"There have been other tenants in this place. Did they wake you?"

"No."

Well, that was curious. It made me wonder if he was going to crack some corny line like we were soulmates destined to be together for eternity. Oh, I would swoon at the thought of becoming a vampire just to be with my new lover. Blech.

I tucked the spoons and one knife into my pocket, then used the remaining butter knife to start scratching at the mortar below the largest part of the crack. Getting the tools to Niko was ideal, and the sooner I could do it, the sooner he could start digging himself out.

"So, we have to trust each other, right?"

"Absolutely. We both have goals, and I'm sure that you're eager to know that freeing me will not end in your death. Or your uncle. I also wish to know that I will not die because of the two of you."

"Then we'd need to include Brad in this conversation."

"For the time being, it would be wise to keep him out of this. Too many beating hearts will heighten my hunger, and I will grow irritable. Even in the limited time when the two of you are down here, it is difficult. Keep the times to a bare minimum if you can."

"Sure."

Right, don't come down here with Brad. If Brad comes down while I'm down here, try to leave without making it obvious.

"So, we've agreed that we won't kill each other. You'll go out and find your victim elsewhere, right?"

"Absolutely. A wise vampire never feeds in his home."

"Who did you irritate to get yourself here?"

"A vampire became annoyed that I was alive. He decided that in order to rule the vampires in this town effectively, I needed to be in here."

"How come he didn't kill you?"

"I don't know."

Niko's tone was low, almost sounding despondent.

I'd scratched at the mortar for some time, not realizing how much of a dent I was making.

"Evelyn."

Pulling the knife away, I leaned down and looked into the crack.

"Yeah?"

"I can see a lot more now. You are doing well."

"Uh, thanks."

"No, it is I who should thank you. No one has ever shown me such trust and devotion. You know that as a vampire, I could end your life, yet you still work to free me. I will forever be in your debt, and know that I will never hurt you."

"Okay. Uh, ditto, I guess."

Niko chuckled.

The hole that I'd created was enough to poke the knife through. Together we worked at the hole until it was large enough to get the spoon in. He poked his finger through.

It was so pale. It was nearly white. I suppose being locked up in pure darkness for sixty years would cause that. Could vampires go out in the sun?

"What are you doing?"

"It is a trade for a pinkie promise."

"What are you, five?"

"Evelyn," he chided. "You should not mock the value of a physical agreement."

"Is this like a gentleman's handshake? Because they mean nothing these days."

"Really?"

Niko sounded genuinely surprised by that. Being locked up like this was not nice but exposing him to this new world was going to be hell for him.

"However, that doesn't mean it's completely dead."

Reaching out, I pressed my index finger to his. It was an odd way to make a pinkie promise that was really supposed to be a handshake of agreement.

The cold permeated through my skin. I held back the shiver, but it wasn't easy.

"We agree to do what is in the best interest of each other and for your uncle. We shall not attempt nor succeed in killing each other, and we shall never engage the services of another to do it for us. We will protect our coven with our life and do everything we can to maintain the integrity of this bond. In life and in death, we are bound to the master and familiar code."

His finger tilted enough that the nail pressed into the skin. It was like a needle piercing through the skin. I hissed, pulling it free.

"What the hell, Niko?"

"Necessary."

His finger curled tighter, scratching the skin. It was lucky that his nails were so long. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to reach it.

"Please return your finger."

"We're doing a blood pact?"

"We are."

Despite the hesitation I was feeling, I returned my finger to his and pressed it against the flesh. Slowly the finger retracted back into the cavity, taking a long drag along the skin.

I noted that there was a lot of my blood pooling in the underside of his nail.

"Seriously?"

"You have no idea the pain I am in. This will sustain me for a few hours."

"Would you like a raw piece of meat or something?"

"Dead meat is not the answer, I'm afraid."

"Right, pumping blood?"

Niko made a noise that sounded like an agreement laced with feeding on my blood.

"Won't that make you crave my blood?"

"No. You are perfectly safe. If you are ever inclined, please feel free to offer. I can feed without death, and the blood of a familiar is always treasured."

"I think you need to focus on getting out of there before you worry about things like that."

And with that, we returned to the task. Hearing Brad moving around upstairs was a little unnerving. I didn't want him coming down here and asking what I was doing. He would not believe me.

"How come you didn't say anything to Brad when he came down here?"

"At that point, I was not certain as to the person I faced and the values that he held. It would be ideal that my current state is kept quiet, and announcing it to the world is not ideal. With you, it was vastly different. I think I know why but I cannot be certain until I am out of here. As for your uncle, we can tell him if you so desire, but I need to ensure that he will keep my secret for a little while longer. At least until I return to this world, see what I'm faced with, and then formulate a plan."

"The builder will be coming back."

"I'm sure he will."

It sounded ominous. I didn't think much of Ryan, but I hoped Niko didn't kill him.