by Lydia Dare
From the threshold, James watched the soft rise and fall of Blaire’s sleeping form. She was nothing short of perfection. The last thing he wanted to do was leave her. But he needed answers and hoped beyond hope that Matthew had some for him. He quietly stepped from her room and closed the door.
He spun around and took a surprised step backward.
“Just what,” Captain Lindsay began, “were ye doin’ in my sister’s bedchamber in the dead of night?”
Seventeen
If James had still had a pulse, it would have been thundering through his veins. As it was, his mouth did fall open, but only for the briefest of moments. He feigned his most pleasant smile and took a step toward the captain. “Is this Miss Lindsay’s room?”
Aiden Lindsay’s light eyes narrowed dangerously. Had James been human, he would have feared for his life. “Aye, and ye just stepped from inside. So, I imagine this is no’ new information for ye, Lord Kettering.”
“So dark in there, I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. I was looking for Lord Blodswell’s room and must’ve gotten lost.”
“Gotten lost?” the Scot repeated incredulously. “I find that hard ta believe. Now, I’d like the truth, my lord, or ye can take yer things and yer noble friend and get the hell out of my castle.”
And leave the Lindsays exposed for Sarah and Trevelyan? Leave without his ring? Leave without Blaire? James could still taste her on his tongue, and the very last thing he would allow was Aiden Lindsay tossing him from Briarcraig. “The truth, Captain, is I got lost looking for the earl. Certainly you’re not challenging my honor?”
Lindsay snorted. “Honor, ye say? Would that be the same honor ye showed me when ye dined at my table this evenin’, arrivin’ late and departin’ early? Or the same honor ye showed when ye met Mr. MacQuarrie and snarled like a beast? Or the same honor ye show every time my sister is within yer sight, lookin’ as though ye want eat her whole?”
James gritted his teeth.
But the captain showed no sign that he recognized the threat that was certainly rolling off James in waves. “I fought with honor at Quatre Bras. I ken the meanin’ of the word, better than some wealthy English peer who’s never had ta show his honor in any real way. So doona think ta intimidate me, Kettering. With my years in the army, I’d wager my shot is more sure than yers.” Lindsay folded his arms across his chest, and though he was shorter than James by several inches, ire shot from his eyes. “I ken the sort of man ye are.”
“Do you indeed?” James clipped out.
“Aye.” The captain nodded once. “I served with many men who thought they could take their pleasure with whomever they wanted without consequence. And though Blaire may no’ act like it, she is a lady. One ye will no’ treat lightly. If ye think ta use her in any way, I will cut yer heart right out of yer chest.”
He’d have the devil of a time finding it, not that James could say as much. “There is no need for threats, Captain. I have the utmost respect for Miss Lindsay.”
“Do ye now?” The man gestured to Blaire’s closed door at James’ back. “Because I just watched ye leave my sister’s bedchamber, and I ken full well she’s been in there for quite some time. So, if ye have the utmost respect for her, am I ta expect an offer of marriage come tomorrow mornin’?”
Marriage? The desire to have Blaire rose inside James. To have her with him for the rest of her life would be a gift he would cherish for the rest of his. But he couldn’t ask for such a sacrifice from her. It wouldn’t be fair. A niggling thought in the back of his mind said it might not be a sacrifice if he turned her, but he shook the thought away as soon as it entered his mind. He’d watched his parents and everyone who’d been dear to him pass from this world to the next. He wouldn’t wish that on her.
“I thought no’.” Aiden Lindsay rose up to his full height, which barely reached James’ shoulder. “I want ye gone with the mornin’ light.”
Blast that damn coven for taking away his power to enchant humans. It would come in bloody handy at the moment. Still, one more attempt couldn’t possibly make matters any worse. James leveled his eyes on Aiden Lindsay. He focused intently on the captain’s pupils, looking for the man’s soul. “You never saw me this evening.”
All the expression on Lindsay’s face vanished, and James smiled to himself. What a stroke of luck. He could still do it. Thank God. The coven’s power must have worn off. “Now go straight to bed, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“In the mornin’” the captain muttered as he turned down the darkened corridor.
Relief washed over James, but it was only for a moment. Thrilled as he was to have his power of enchantment returned to him, he still didn’t know what caused the pain he’d felt this evening. That worried him more than anything. Matthew had better have some damned answers.
He stormed into his maker’s chambers without knocking. The vampyre barely glanced up from the book he was reading but very casually, very quietly said, “I hope things went smoothly with Miss Lindsay.”
“You know damned well they did,” James snarled.
Matthew finally raised his eyes from the pages of his book and lifted a brow at James. Matthew was his maker. He could feel every strong emotion James had. If he felt anger, Matthew felt it as well. If he experienced sadness, Matthew also had a sense of melancholy. If he experienced extreme pleasure as he had with Blaire, Matthew was well aware of it.
Matthew flipped his book and laid it to rest on his knee. “And yet you’re in a foul temper. Why is that?”
James began to pace. Matthew simply crossed his hands in front of him and waited.
“I’m not in a foul temper,” James muttered.
“Yes, everyone who attempts to wear a hole in the rug is really hiding a jovial heart.” Matthew sighed dramatically, which made James want to roll his eyes since the man didn’t even have to breathe to survive. “Why don’t you go ahead and tell me what’s the matter? Then we can solve the problem.”
“I’m afraid my problem cannot be easily solved.”
Matthew didn’t say a word. He simply regarded him quizzically.
“I fear I want more from Miss Lindsay than I can have,” James grumbled quietly.
“Beg your pardon?” Matthew asked as he sat forward.
“I swear, Matthew, it’s almost like I have a heart!” James finally blurted. “I haven’t felt like this in years. Decades. A very, very long time. Not since I died.”
“You’re falling in love with Miss Lindsay?” Matthew had the most incredulous look upon his face.
“I don’t know!” James shouted.
“Would you be quiet?” Matthew reprimanded. “You’ll wake the entire castle.”
“Oh, Aiden Lindsay just caught me leaving Blaire’s room, by the way,” James admitted.
“Oh?” Matthew chimed.
“That’s it? Oh? That’s all I get? Some mentor you are.”
“I have never fallen in love,” Matthew said quietly. “It’s difficult for me to counsel you on something I’ve not been through. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not love,” James scoffed.
Matthew avoided his gaze. “You forget that I could feel a small portion of what you experienced.”
“Which is not appropriate. A man should be able to have some secrets.”
“I completely agree,” Matthew said. The vampyre seemed almost too calm.
“I keep getting this pain within my chest.”
“Pain?” Finally, he had Matthew’s attention.
“That’s what I said,” James repeated as he spun to face Matthew. He looked perplexed.
“We don’t experience heartache. Longing. Love. It’s one of the sacrifices of having eternal life.” He met James’ gaze. “Allow me to ask you a question?”
“As though I could stop you,” James replied.
“Would you give up eternal life for a heart? For the ability to love? For Miss Lindsay?”
James rubbed the heels of his hands into his eye
s and groaned. “Without a moment’s hesitation,” he finally said beneath his breath. “Though there’s no need to wish for such a thing, is there?” he added quietly.
“No, I’m afraid there’s not.”
***
Blaire stretched an arm over her head and slowly awoke to the sight of moonlight streaming through her window. She’d had the most wonderful dream about James and wasn’t quite ready to face the world, preferring to roll it around in her mind instead. She rolled to her side and startled when she felt the cool press of the bed linens against her bare skin. Her bare skin? She’d never slept without a nightrail, not once in her life.
Blaire lifted the edge of the counterpane to confirm that she was, in fact, completely unclothed. Havers! Was the dream real? With shaking fingers, she touched the inside of her thigh, which was still a little sore, right where James had pierced her skin.
It wasn’t a dream. Breathless, she bolted upright, clutched the counterpane to her chest and searched the room for signs of her vampyre. A shiver raced down her spine at the memory of what they’d done the night before. It was a most delicious shiver that made her toes curl up of their own volition.
On wobbly legs, she crossed the room and tossed on the first dress she touched. The sun was still an hour or two from making its appearance in the sky. She had time to make preparations to protect her family from Miss Reese and Mr. Trevelyan. Hadn’t James said she’d be protected once he’d had her? And he’d certainly had her. Her belly flipped at the memory of it. He’d most definitely had her.
Blaire crept quietly from her room, down the stone steps, and out the front door. The wind from the loch rushed around her, cold and damp. She would only take a few moments. A protection spell would protect Briarcraig and its inhabitants. To do so, she needed to mark the five points of the star formation around the property. One mark for each force within the Còig. The marks would form a solid barrier against those who would do harm.
The only sound Blaire heard was the gentle lapping of the icy water in the loch. Cool, damp fog rose from the ground as she pressed farther into the dark night. She located a good place to etch the first point in the five-pointed star, in a huge oak that stood at the back of the property. She lifted her finger, and with a slow simmering flame, she etched a star into the century-old tree. One for each of the witches. Four more to go.
A twig snapped behind her. Blaire spun and dropped into a protective crouch, searching the darkness. “Who’s there?” she called out.
Sarah Reese stepped out of the fog and into her line of sight. “I had no idea you were so talented,” she said as she nodded toward the still-smoldering design.
So she’d seen that little bit of power. Blaire could show her more than that, especially if the vampyre ever looked at Brannock the way she had the night before. A fireball sparked to life above her palm, and she tossed it from hand to hand. “There’s probably a lot ye doona ken about me,” Blaire replied quietly.
“Apparently,” the female vampyre agreed with a nod, stepping closer to her. Blaire could see the woman plotting, sizing her up, and trying to figure out how to disarm her.
Sarah Reese was certainly in for a surprise if she thought to try something so foolhardy. Still, part of Blaire hoped she would try as she ached for the opportunity to destroy James’ former lover. How did one kill a vampyre? “I am surprised ta see ye still on Briarcraig property.”
The woman laughed, though no humor emanated from her. “These days I only listen to my own counsel, Miss Lindsay. Those two can find someone else to order about.”
“What do ye want?” Blaire asked. And where was Trevelyan? She doubted they separated often, so she glanced over her shoulder, searching for the intimidating vampyre.
“Where is James?” Sarah countered as she toyed with a twig she picked up from the ground, spinning it within her fingertips.
“I’m no’ certain where he is at the moment. Perhaps ye’d like ta come back and call on him in the light of day. Ye can go out in the light, can ye no’? Since ye have a ring?”
The vampyre’s eyes narrowed, and Blaire felt an immediate sense of satisfaction.
“James speaks too freely with you,” she said crisply.
Blaire pressed on. “And I’d wager that’s why ye’re alone. Because yer cohort in mischief canna go out in the light of day.” She glanced up at the sky. “And the sun will rise any moment.”
“Smart girl,” Sarah mumbled, but Blaire could almost feel the anger radiating from her.
“If ye think ye can take me easily, ye have a misguided notion of who I am, Miss Reese.” Blaire twisted her cupped hand, causing the fireball to spin above her palm like a top set free by a precocious child. It caught Sarah’s attention immediately, just as Blaire had planned.
“I have a feeling, Miss Lindsay,” she said calmly, “that killing you would be worth being burned.” Her dark eyes narrowed as she stared at the fireball.
“What ye fail ta realize is that I’ve already been taken,” Blaire taunted, then watched closely for a reaction. “From what I hear, ye lose much of the drive once a person has been claimed by another vampyre.” She allowed a small smile to cross her lips. “He already marked me, ye see.”
Fury rose within the other woman. It was a fury unlike any Blaire had ever sensed. She mentally counted the weapons she had on her person. A scabbard in her boot. A knife in her pocket. A dart in her hair. Not enough. Not nearly enough to kill her. Though she could certainly try. Possibly maim her.
“Your blood may not tempt me the way it did earlier this evening, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have it in me to drain every drop from your body.” She spoke with such coldness, such hatred, that a shiver ran down Blaire’s spine.
Still, Blaire had never backed down from a fight, and she wasn’t about to start by letting this no-hearted, blood-sucking vampyre ruin her record. “Interesting, is it no’?” she asked as she tossed the fireball into the opposite hand and then sent half of it back. Now she held two at the ready. Ready for her to move. “I do love the flames. See how they’re infused with hues like purple and gold. So, pretty but so hot. One would think the flames would lose some of their beauty since their only fuel is my hatred for ye.”
“Hatred is such a strong word,” Sarah replied, her icy smile falling from her face like a crack in a looking glass. It was there one moment and the next was not.
“And yet so accurate,” Blaire taunted her. “I doona ken what caused the animosity between Kettering, Blodswell, and yerself, but it doesna concern my family. Briarcraig belongs ta my brother, and though I canna keep ye from visitin’ the Highlands, I would ask ye ta keep yerself from Lindsay property.”
Sarah’s dark eyes narrowed, and Blaire thought perhaps she’d pushed the vampyre too far. She took in the wooded area and knew that if she ran, Sarah would be on her before she could take a step.
The vampyre smiled broadly. Blaire nearly dropped the fireballs she tossed when she saw Sarah’s incisors descend. The sight was chilling, not at all the way she’d felt when James had done the same thing.
“Tell me something,” Sarah demanded. “Did Jamie lie and tell you that the only way to save you is for him to have you first?”
Lie? Was it a lie? No. It wasn’t. It couldn’t be.
The vampyre continued, “He probably told you that the only way to save you from me was for him to claim you as his very own. Then he stripped off all your clothes and put his mouth on your most private places before he pierced the skin of your thigh and drank your life force.” She shook her head softly as though she was dealing with an ignorant child. “I’ve been watching him use that trick for years.”
He’d done just that. Blaire’s heart clenched. Was it a lie? Truly? Had she been foolish to trust him? Her mother had captured the man, after all. Maybe there was a reason she’d imprisoned him in the cellar. Did he pose more of a risk than Blaire had assumed?
Blaire turned to walk deeper into the woods. If she only had herself to
depend on, then she alone held Aiden and Brannock’s future in her hands, and keeping them safe was her highest priority. And if there was one thing she could do, it was to lead the woman farther from the castle, farther from those she loved. She might not be able to kill her, but she’d do what she could to protect her family. And would die trying.
“What can you do with your flames?” Sarah asked quietly. “Aside from tossing them in the air like billiard balls?”
“Let’s see,” Blaire started. “I can light the path in front of us.”
“And you are doing that quite well.”
“I can start a fire if we should get cold.”
“That’s good to know.”
“I can kill ye,” she said in the same amiable tone.
“I don’t think so.” The vampyre shook her head slowly.
“It would be a mistake ta underestimate me.”
“No doubt it would.” Sarah stopped walking and turned to face her. “But no matter how far you try to lure me from your home, I can return there within seconds and kill them all.”
“Thank ye for keepin’ me informed,” Blaire replied in the same sickly sweet tone she’d used before. “Tell me, have ye ever seen fire from within a whirlwind?”
She shook her head. “Can’t say I have.”
“That is a shame.” Blaire lifted one hand to her mouth, allowed the flame to sink to that of a candle, closed her eyes, and gently blew. Almost instantly, Sarah’s grunt met her ears. Then a cry of pain.
Blaire’s eyes flickered open to find just what she’d suspected. Sarah stood within a swirling circle of flames that flew around and around her like wind caught trapped within a cave. If she moved one inch to the left or right, she would be burned. Unfortunately, the fire would die down in a couple of hours; but that would give Blaire enough time to get back to round up her brothers and start for Edinburgh.
“All good vampyres should have an opportunity ta see such a sight.” Blaire dusted her hands together, extinguishing the last of her flames. She was quite proud of this little trick. Her weather-controlling coven sister Rhiannon had worked with her on it for months, teaching her exactly the right speed at which to blow the flame and exactly which way to twist her hand to start the swirling effect.