Spicy!
That still left me with an awkward complication, which I resolved to handle as quickly as possible. I took Conrad by one unresisting hand and led him into the next carriage. This overnight train was under-booked, thank God, so there was no shortage of empty compartments to retreat to. They were locked, naturally; but one of the advantages to having a vampire’s extending nails is how you can use two as pick-locks. At the time I assumed doing it myself would be quicker than encouraging Conrad to find his own key.
Moving the man into the compartment was simple; deciding what else to do with him once he was there was the real question. I did not exactly enthrall him, you see. I merely made him a somnambulist, which let me lead him about like a walking doll, and I was blocking his ability to remember what had happened. But both of these conditions were temporary, and when he ‘woke up’ it would seem very odd to Conrad if he was alone in an empty compartment. So I made sure that, when Conrad did woke up, he was not alone. And in the middle of activities that would ensure his cheerful silence.
Oh, do not be so shocked, Dear Reader.