Jeremiah dragged me by my hand as we ran. When I stumbled, he tossed me over his shoulder. That knocked the breath right out of me but he kept going. The way I bounced as he ran, he was lucky I didn’t lose what little I’d eaten. Soon he stopped at a set of stone steps leading down to the riverbank and put me down. I dragged in air ripe with smells I didn’t want to name. Before I could catch my breath, he snatched me up again and dropped me into a boat with a man inside.
“Hurry!” When he threw back his hood I realized it was Jean-Claude who whispered. He held a bundle in his lap. Surely it was too small to be a woman. “She can’t last much longer.”
Jeremiah leaped into the boat too then helped Fergus cast off lines. Both men grabbed oars, pushing off quickly. They were silent as they rowed, getting as much water between the boat and the quay as they could. We were in such total darkness I didn’t know how they could see to steer us safely across the river.
I gasped when lights showed on the bank we’d just left, men shouting as they searched for us. I could only pray that we were far enough out that they couldn’t see us.
“Get down, Gloriana.” Jeremiah pushed my head between my knees and we all lay in the damp bottom of the boat. It drifted along silently until Fergus whispered that the lights had moved on.
The men had just started rowing quietly again when a barge appeared, moving toward us in the middle of the river. A man with a lantern stood in the bow. Jeremiah managed to steer to the far side of it. Just in time. The men were back on the river bank next to the Tower, clearly convinced we must have used a boat for our escape. There was much shouting and many lanterns this time. We could hear them clearly, calling for their own boats to search the river.
“Gloriana, come here. Marin is in desperate need of your help.” Jean-Claude whispered.
I knew sound carried well across the water. I could certainly hear the frustrated guards on shore. Did I want us to be discovered? I could call for help. And be recognized as part of the group that had rescued a witch? I’d made my choice and now I had to do my part to save this female vampire. Jeremiah’s eyes were on me as I carefully scooted closer to where Jean-Claude bent over Marin who was wrapped in his cloak.
“Please. You must let her drink your blood.” He moved aside the dark cloth and I saw her face for the first time in the dim moonlight.
She was pale, so very pale, with long black hair. He’d claimed she’d originally come from Egypt and she did have an exotic look. She was a beauty with a slant to her large eyes and thick lashes. But it seemed as if all the moisture had been drawn from her body. I studied her full lips. Inside would be those horrible fangs that would pierce my skin. I didn’t know this woman but clearly Jean-Claude adored her. He brushed back her hair and picked up her lifeless hand.
“Feel how cold she is. She may be beyond saving but I beg you to try, Gloriana. If you don’t..?” He hissed, his own fangs startling in his handsome face. “By all that is holy I will kill you and throw your body in this stinking river.” He said more in his native language but stopped when the boat rocked and Jeremiah was on him, his hands at his throat.
“You forget yourself. The woman is mine.” Jeremiah’s grip was unyielding until Jean-Claude nodded once, his fangs disappearing.
“Pardon, madame, I am dérangé. If I lose my Marin, I won’t want to live either.” He bent his head and kissed Marin’s lips. “Please, please, help her.”
“Will you, Gloriana?” Jeremiah spared a glance for the Tower and the disturbance there. Boats were being launched, filled with armed men. But Fergus was rowing with incredible speed.
Our distance from them was increasing as we approached a crowded dock. I hoped we could hide among the many boats there. Fergus caught my eyes and nodded, steering toward them. But I had to answer these men. I pressed a hand to my roiling stomach then nodded. She might not be human now, but she had been once. She’d certainly earned Jean-Claude’s devotion. And spared the priest who’d given her blood recently. She didn’t look like a monster.
“Ah, merci! Merci beaucoup. You are an angel.” Jean-Claude produced a little knife. “I will be gentle. Let me make this painless for you.” He picked up my hand before I had a chance to change my mind and pulled it to his lips. “Comme ça.” He ran his tongue along the inside of my wrist then used the knife to make a cut across my vein. It didn’t hurt as he had promised.
“Lovely blood. Smell it, my heart.” He pulled my bleeding wrist to Marin’s face, waving it under her nose.
I waited. This was what we’d done for Jeremiah when he’d been unconscious. I braced myself, afraid she would suddenly wake and attack me.
“Watch her carefully, Jean-Claude. Gloriana’s blood is very potent. Marin may harm her in her eagerness to drink it. Don’t let her take too much.” Jeremiah had gone back to rowing. We were among fishing boats now and he and Fergus whispered, searching for a hiding place while Marin fed.
Fed. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I waited. Had her nose twitched? Jean-Claude and I both peered down at her. He was certainly desperate for a sign of life. He squeezed my wrist, causing more blood to well and trickle onto her lips.
“Mon amour, you must drink. I can smell this woman’s delicious du sang. It is for you.” He reached down and smeared it across her lips, slipping a finger inside her mouth. “Yes, that’s it. Your fangs are coming down. I feel them!” He turned to me. “Press your wrist against her lips, Gloriana. Please, mon ami. I know her thirst will take over any moment now.”
Mon ami. I knew that meant friend. I wanted to shake my head. As if I considered myself a friend to any vampire! Blood slave. That was all I was here. But I did as I was told, easing closer and laying my wrist against Marin’s cool mouth. I braced myself for what would surely come next. When her thirst took over she would strike, just as Jeremiah had and become the same kind of ravening beast.
Would Jean-Claude really pull her away before I was drained of all my life force? I knew who he would choose to save if it came down to a choice. At least Jeremiah kept watching us when he could take his eyes off getting the boat settled in a safe place to dock. He’d shown a protective instinct toward me that I would have appreciated if I hadn’t realized it was his own greed for my blood behind it.
I felt the stir against my wrist even before Jean-Claude’s glad cry echoed through the air.
“Hush! Remember we are being hunted.” But Jeremiah watched as we all did when Marin’s eyes fluttered open and she suddenly grasped my arm. “Careful now, Jean-Claude. I will not stand for Gloriana to be sacrificed for your mate.”
“I understand.”
I barely registered the man’s soft reply as long nails dug into my forearm and sharp fangs pierced my wrist. Whatever magic had dulled the pain at first had worn off and there was no relief as Marin drew deeply. I bit my lip to keep from crying out at the pain. Abruptly she released me, her eyes opening wide.
“Who are you?” She had black eyes, fathomless as they searched my face. “Mon Dieu, I’ve not tasted such divine blood since the pharaohs walked the streets of Thebes.”
“I am Gloriana, Jeremiah Campbell’s, um, mistress.” I jerked my arm back into my lap and covered it with my cloak. “We must be quiet. The guards from the Tower are still looking for us.”
“If we dock here, I think we can make it safely to your place, Jean-Claude.” Jeremiah nodded toward the crowded area where many boats were tied to pilings. “It’s not far.”
“Marin, darling, you must drink more.” Jean-Claude reached for my arm, impatiently pulling my cloak aside. “What does it matter who this woman is? She has fresh, clean blood. I’m sure it is to your liking. Take more, mon chéri.”
Marin licked her lips clean of the blood her mate had smeared there. “Yes, it is to my liking. But I had hoped to end my life, not start a new one.” She held out her hand to me. “This is a mystery, though. I can see into your mind, ma petite femme. You have no memory of where you came from, who you are.” She smiled, the
effect ruined by a pair of the longest, sharpest fangs I’d ever seen, longer than Jeremiah’s. “I will not force her, cherí.” She waited, staring into my eyes. “Please?”
I couldn’t look away and finally reluctantly gave her my hand. Why? Oh, of course she was casting a spell and I had no control. Vampires. Witches. What was the difference?
“Ah, thank you. I promise I will be gentle. But I must have another taste.” She glanced at Jeremiah. “Yes, we will all go to our home. I need to rest, restore. This woman has what I need. I must shift there or any guards searching will recognize me. So I must feed a bit more first.” She inhaled when she had my wrist next to her mouth. “By all the gods, but this is what I have been missing for most of my long lifetime.” Then she delicately licked the vein before she struck and took a deep draw.
It didn’t hurt but I struggled despite my best intentions. The pull was so strong, it felt as if she wanted more of me than just my blood. The boat bumped against others then steadied as it was tied to the dock. Marin held me with a hand on my shoulder, drawing me even closer. I couldn’t have moved if I wanted to. It was as if I was powerless. Could she indeed be a witch as well as a vampire? I had no idea and wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer.
“Surely that is enough,” Jeremiah said it firmly and moved closer.
She finally released me, smiling and daintily licking my wrist again. As I’d seen before, the wound where the knife had cut me healed almost instantly. Magic indeed.
“Time to go. How are you feeling, Marin?” Jean-Claude stood, ready to pick her up.
“I am fine, don’t fuss so.” She waved him away before she stood. I could see in the light from nearby street lamps that her cheeks were now flushed. “But I should feed once more before we send Jeremiah and Gloriana on their way. I hope that is all right.”
Jeremiah glanced at me. “Once more. After she has had a chance to recover. Gloriana?” He helped me out of the boat. “Are you able to walk? I doubt we could find a hack this late. And the fewer witnesses to our being abroad near the river this night, the better.”
“No, I can walk if it’s not too far.” I was feeling weak and wished I had some of that bread and cheese we’d left in the Tower.
“Thank you, Jeremiah. Our home is not far from here, Gloriana. Where is Alain?” Marin looked around.
“The shifter flew above us, ever watchful. As soon as he saw you sit up, I’m sure he headed home.” Jean-Claude smiled. “You cannot know how happy I am to see you looking so well, chéri.”
“Yes, I am on the mend. He can prepare something for Gloriana to eat and drink.” Marin leaned against Jean-Claude. “I feel well enough to shift and will meet everyone there.”
Jean-Claude took my hand. “Thank you, Gloriana.” He turned to Jeremiah. “Will you escort her to our home? Your shifter is welcome but he could be recognized in his human form. It is best he shift there.”
“I know where it is. I will meet you there. The guards could well recognize Gloriana, too.” Fergus was on the dock, looking around as if to see if our pursuers had found us yet.
“Is that what she wore?” Marin had flicked aside my cloak. “Was she your distraction in my escape plan?”
“Yes. I approached the guard at the gate and those in the corridor, claiming I brought food for a prisoner in the Tower.” I pulled the cloak closed against the chill in the damp air.
“Believe me. The men didn’t look at your face.” Marin chuckled. “And your cloak is ordinary enough to be unrecognizable. Can you bend over, as if you are an old woman? If you walk with her, Jeremiah, call her Grandmother, and help her as if she is ancient, no one will look at her twice. Just keep your hair and your breasts covered, Gloriana, and all will be well.” Marin wrapped Jean-Claude’s cloak around her and kissed her lover. “You took a foolish risk, mon amour. I am glad you were not harmed.”
“How could I not save you? I am going to make sure we have many things to live for from now on. Just tell me what you want and I will see to it.” He held her for a moment, clearly overjoyed.
Marin looked back at us then stepped away from Jean-Claude. “We will talk later. I cannot believe I feel so restored. Your blood, Gloriana. I will need more of it as soon as you have had time to rest and eat.” She gave me a brilliant smile then turned into a bat that flew into the night sky.
“Oh! That was quite a recovery.” I stared after her. Jean-Claude had shifted as well, following her in the same form. “Bats. Not birds.”
“They seem to prefer it.” Fergus looked me over. “Are you all right, lass? She drank a good bit.”
“She wasn’t greedy.” I turned to Jeremiah. “Not like some.”
“Yes, yes, I know. And have apologized. I will do so again if it will get me back in your good graces.” He made me an elegant bow. “You helped save Marin, Gloriana. I won’t forget it.” He took my hand and kissed the back of it, reminding me of how he could charm me and make me want him.
“I couldn’t imagine letting a woman burn to ashes in the sun.” I didn’t resist when he pulled me close to his side.
“You were very brave. Now, Grandmother, Marin gave us excellent advice.” He turned. “Fergus? Are you cat or bird?”
“Or bear? I admit you had me terrified at first. Certainly the guards thought the witch had worked a spell on them.” I shivered as I fastened my cloak and pulled up the hood, making sure my blond hair and my breasts were well out of sight.
“You know what I like.” Fergus gave us a rare grin then became a black cat, racing off into the night.
“We’d best be on our way, Grandmother.” Jeremiah tucked my hand into the crook of his arm and began to walk. “Remember, you are old and infirm.”
“Easy to do when I am light-headed from lack of blood.” I wasn’t lying. Clutching his arm, I took a moment to steady myself. Being a blood slave wasn’t a high calling. It seemed more like the human version of a milk cow. I started off with a slow, shuffling gait that I was sure maddened the soldier in Jeremiah.
“Wait until you see their home, Gloriana. My place is temporary for my stay here. They have been in London for years and Marin has created a fine…” He laughed. “Well, I will enjoy seeing your face once we arrive.”
“Is it underground? Do all vampires live that way? To avoid the sunlight?” I might as well learn as much as I could since I was clearly throwing in my lot with them.
“I--” He turned as if he had heard something. Soon I did as well, the tramp of a dozen boots on the stones making it clear we had company. It was a group of the king’s men wearing those helms with an emblem I recognized.
“You there! Halt. State your business. What are you doing abroad this time of night?” The leader of the group pulled his sword and approached Jeremiah. “Captain Arnold of the Tower Guard.”
I clung to Jeremiah, so bent over all I could see were the stones beneath our feet.
“My grandmother doesn’t sleep well. She insisted we visit the apothecary. To see if he has something to help her rest.”
“Now? I know of none who would be open.” The man leaned down as if to peer into my face.
I slapped at him. “He’ll open for me, young man. I have gold enough to see to that.” I used the old lady voice I’d heard from the stage. It had a crack in it. I added a wheezing cough. “This night air ain’t good for me old bones. Can we get on with it, Sonny? Or must I give this lad a gold coin? King’s man? Or robber?”
Jeremiah squeezed my hand. “Sorry, sir. She’s got a mind of her own and says whatever comes into it.” He sketched a bow. “No insult intended.”
The captain laughed. “’Minds me of my own granny. But we’re looking for a witch, escaped from the Tower. And a comely wench and her man who helped her.”
“Witch!” I trembled and held onto Jeremiah. “Sonny, get me off these lanes now! I heard tell they can turn people into wild beasts. Make sane folks crazy with their spells.”
“It’s true, madam. The guards claim they saw it with
their own eyes. Mayhap the woman distracting them was a witch as well.” The captain patted my bent back.
“We’ve seen no one this night but the usual riffraff looking to take our gold. I sent them on their way with my sticker.” Jeremiah pulled out a knife. “Got to protect my granny.”
“Right you are. Go on, then. Good luck to you.” The captain signaled his men and they kept going, checking alleys and then turning down the lane that we’d just come up, the one that ran to the river.
“You are quite the actress. It’s too bad women aren’t allowed on the stage,” Jeremiah said as soon as they were well out of sight. He squeezed my hand. “Now we are almost there but I want to make sure the soldiers are long gone before we knock on their door.”
“Living with an actor helped me learn a few things.” I longed to straighten my back which ached from the unnatural position. As soon as Jeremiah gave the signal, I stood tall, sighing at the relief.
“You look exhausted.” Fergus had been waiting for us in front of a plain building. He looked me over, frowning while Jeremiah knocked several times in what seemed to be a code.
“I am. It’s been a long night.” I started when a heavy door creaked open and Alain, the shapeshifter who worked for Marin and Jean-Claude, greeted us.
“Jeremiah, we should have taken Gloriana straight home with us.” Fergus barely acknowledged Alain.
“We are here now. She can eat and gain some strength, even rest awhile.” Jeremiah took my arm so we could follow Marin’s shape-shifter.
Alain held a brace of candles and guided us down steps until we were underground. Then we walked down a long corridor, Alain pausing to unlock two more doors before we were at a wooden door painted the color of blood. I shuddered, thinking the color choice was a symbol of what the two vampires loved most.
“Welcome to our home.” Marin stood just inside, Jean-Claude’s arm around her. She looked freshly bathed, her hair sleek and shining. She wore a silk dressing gown of deep blue and held out her hands to me. “Come, I have had Alain fix you something to eat and drink. Jean-Claude, take Gloriana’s cloak. It is warm in here.”
Real Vampires: When Glory Met Jerry Page 11