Free Corin & Angelique (After the Fall of Night) by Sherri Claytor

her earthly body…an empty shell.”
    “You really think she’s in heaven? You truly believe that?”
    “Of course, where else would she be? Louisa was a good person. She was well loved, Tomes, by you and by me. And we’ll be with her again one day, on the other side.”
    With that said, Tomes kissed Louisa one last time, let go of her hand, and backed away from the casket. Angelique motioned for the director to close the lid, finding him quick in performing the task. Although, she had to admit relief at having it once again closed, for the sight of Louisa lying there, a sleeping beauty, was utterly disturbing. Something didn’t feel quite right, but she never would have revealed her fears to Tomes.
    Before leaving, Angelique took one of two white roses and laid it atop the casket. “Rest in peace, Louisa,” she released the stem.
    Passing the second one to Tomes, he kissed the velvety tip before laying it across the first rose. “Goodbye, my love,” he whispered, a tear trickling from his right eye, trailing down his cheek, and dropping onto the casket.
    Angelique grasped Tomes’s arm and they turned away. As they left Louisa to her final resting, the words to Angel Band weighed heavily on her mind, the melody, from this day forth, forever to remind her of this sad, sad day.
     
    * * * *
     
    Corin awoke with a start and crawled out of his hollowed crypt forged into the earth along the back wall of the dark room—a lion emerging from his lair. He cocked his head while sniffing the air. A steady rumble emanated from the depths of his throat. Someone was in the house!
    Sensing the presence growing nearer, he quickly took cover behind some stored furniture. Within seconds, the door above him creaked open, allowing the light of day to penetrate the recess. He looked up and squinted, able to make out the form of a man standing in the doorway.
    “Corin,” the intruder called out. “Are you down there? What am I saying? Of course you’re down there. Where else would you be?”
    Recognizing the voice, Corin stepped out of hiding. “Shut the door…please,” he yelled up to Tomes, shielding his sensitive eyes.
    “I’d be happy to accommodate, but unlike you, I can’t see in the dark. There’s a light switch here. Can I flip it on?”
    “No, I’ve got it down here.” Corin lit a lantern that cast plenty of light for Tomes to find his way.
    “I know you wouldn’t want me to fall and break my neck,” Tomes remarked snidely.
    “Of course not,” Corin responded. “And if this visit is about Angelique, you have nothing to be concerned about.”
    “Not entirely,” Tomes shut the door and started down the narrow staircase. “You know, you should consider installing an inside lock on the door. You’re vulnerable down here. Anyone could bust in on you, and they may not all be as nice as me.”
    “Nice…are you sure you know the meaning of the word?” Corin threw back with a deriding laugh.
    “Of course I do, von Vadim,” Tomes was smug. “But why waste manners—”
    “On the likes of me?” Corin finished.
    Tomes didn’t deny it. “So, this is how a creature of the night spends his days.” He stopped at the foot of the stairs and scanned the basement. “And you sleep there?” he motioned to the crypt. “Befitting, I guess…an animal in a cave.”
    “A nightwalker in his bed,” Corin corrected, trying not to let Tomes’s loathsome remarks agitate him. “And it’s who I am, Tomes. You know that.”
    “It’s quite a mess down here, a mixture of storage space, tomb, and some semblance of a bedroom.” Tomes moved further into the room. “Musty too. A couple of air vents wouldn’t hurt…or a window. But the light would shine in and what, burn you to a crisp?”
    Corin sighed. Tomes’s offensive, tiresome yapping was growing old.
    “Seriously, though, you’re down here in a hole, sleeping in pitch dark, breathing stale air. You’re like a—”
    “Don’t say it!” Corin cut him