Grave Sins

by Jenna Maclaine

  Maggie walked to stand in front of Michael, tapping her silver-tipped walking stick sharply on the floor, narrowly missing the toe of his boot.

  “Well, young man, I see you finally intend to do the right thing by my niece.”

  Michael smiled. “You noticed that, did you?”

  Maggie glanced at my ring. “One cannot help it. It’s such a gaudy thing.”

  “Ah, Aunt Maggie, nothing is too grand for your niece. I had to make sure I chose a gem worthy of the beauty of the Macgregor women, did I not?”

  He took her hand and bowed, kissing her knuckles and bringing a smile to her face. “Silver-tongued devil. I don’t know why she puts up with you.”

  “Of course you do,” he said with a wink.

  Maggie snorted and curled her fingers around his wrist as he tried to withdraw his hand from hers. She looked at the broken skin on his knuckles and then glanced at Drake, catching him in the act of dabbing a bloodstained handkerchief to his nose.

  “Fisticuffs in the house,” she scolded. “In my day we defended a lady’s honor with pistols at dawn.”

  Michael shrugged. “But this was so much more enjoyable than just shooting him.”

  Drake scowled at Michael, and Maggie chuckled. “You are a handsome rogue,” she said to Drake. “But you might as well give up the chase, dear boy. You’ll never come between those two.”

  Drake stiffly inclined his head, and I think he was acutely grateful that Maggie’s attention turned quickly from him to me.

  “Aunt Maggie, would you care to accompany me to the drawing room?” I asked. “I’ll have some tea brought in.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Maggie said as she sailed past me like an ominous dark cloud.

  Reluctantly, I followed.

  “Well, niece, you don’t seem surprised to see me,” Maggie observed as she removed Justine’s bag of yarn and knitting needles from one of MacLeod’s velvet-upholstered chairs and sat down.

  I cursed inwardly. Drummond would not thank me for her knowing that.

  “Just as I thought,” she remarked. “Wolves will be extinct in England once again when I get my hands on that boy.”

  “You know Drummond is a werewolf?” I asked incredulously.

  “Of course I do. Neither my senses nor my eyesight have dulled with age. You, however,” she said, looking pointedly at my hair, “seem to have forgotten the first spell you ever learned.”

  Self-consciously one hand reached up to touch my hair. Maggie watched me intently, as if she expected that I would use glamour to turn it from scarlet to copper just to appease her. I pulled my fingers from the curl I had been touching and crossed my arms over my chest, arching an eyebrow at her in defiance.

  “Oh, I remember it perfectly well,” I said.

  Maggie glared at me, confident that her stern gaze could bend me to her will. When I was younger that cold look of disapproval had always worked, but I had faced far more frightening creatures than Maggie Macgregor since I’d become a vampire. At least that’s what I told myself as I tried not to squirm under her penetrating gaze.

  “I suppose Drummond’s told you why I’m here,” Maggie finally said.

  I was somewhat surprised that she would broach the subject in such a straightforward manner. Then again Maggie never was one to beat around the bush. Like me, she was often outspoken and forthright to a fault.

  I nodded. “He has.”

  “And?” she asked.

  I’d had plenty of time to think about her impending visit and what I would do if I didn’t manage to make it out of town before she got here. I squared my shoulders and said, “And, nothing. If knowing me all my life doesn’t convince you that I’m not evil, Aunt Maggie, nothing I say now will do so.”

  “You are the walking dead, niece, and nothing about you or your magic is natural. You’re going to destroy yourself one day, and take innocent people down with you. I cannot allow that, not if I can stop it.”

  “First, I am a vampire, not the walking dead. I’ve seen the walking dead and there is a vast difference, trust me. Second, who are you to say that my magic is not natural? It’s as natural to me as yours is to you. Nothing about it is evil.” Well, except for the dark power inside me that can suck the life out of a human or a vampire, I thought, but that was hardly helpful to the matter at hand.

  “It’s not that I think you’re evil, necessarily, dear—”

  “Yes, you do,” I snapped, interrupting her. “You see only the vampire, you don’t see that inside I’m the same girl I was before, the same girl who has loved you and worshipped you her whole life.” I shook my head. “My mother, your sister, would be ashamed of you.”

  Maggie’s face turned so red I thought her head might explode. “Your mother would be horrified at what you’ve become.”

  “You’re wrong, Aunt Maggie. She would be glad that I used my power to protect the innocent and that I’m not dead and buried next to her. If you think any differently then you really didn’t know her at all.” I shook my head, saddened beyond words that we had come to this. A part of me had hoped that Drummond was wrong about Maggie’s arrival and her intentions. I was disappointed and more than a little angry that she had come here for this purpose. “I’m tired of arguing about this. I know you, and I know that once you’ve made up your mind about something nothing will sway you from your course. Do what you feel you need to do, Maggie.”

  Her eyes narrowed as she regarded me. “Just like that?”

  I nodded. “Just like that.”

  “Why?” she asked, her voice laced with suspicion.

  “Because I don’t think you can do it.” It was probably not the smartest thing I’d ever said, but it was the truth.

  Maggie leaned forward. “You doubt my power?” she asked, her voice low and angry.

  “No,” I replied. “I’m sure you’re fully capable of working whatever bit of nastiness you please. I don’t think you can do it because I don’t think the goddess Morrigan will allow it.”

  She leaned back and laughed. “My dear, you think too highly of your worth in this world.”

  “And you have never thought highly enough of it, but Morrigan does. I am her creation and I doubt she will allow you to take my power as easily as you imagine.”

  Maggie stopped laughing and looked at me. “What are you babbling about?”

  “I’m telling you, Maggie, that I’ve seen her, talked to her. We walked up Hanover Street together the other night. She is the patron goddess of vampires. We are all hers and I, in particular, am her creation.”

  “You’re deranged,” Maggie whispered.

  “Not at all. If you don’t believe me, ask Michael or Devlin or Justine. I’m sure even Drake has seen her.”

  I reached for Justine’s knitting bag and ignored the fact that my aunt recoiled in her chair, as if she was afraid I would attack her. I drew out a small pair of scissors from amid the balls of yarn and Justine’s string of unfinished knitting. Pulling my hair up, I snipped off a long red lock from underneath where it wouldn’t be noticeable. I’d read binding spells before. I knew that Aunt Maggie would need something of mine, preferably blood or a lock of hair, to work the spell. That was probably the only reason she’d shown up on my doorstep in the first place.

  Dropping the hair in my aunt’s lap, I said, “If your fear and resentment of me runs so deep that you’d stand against a goddess to bind my powers, then so be it.”

  I turned on my heel and stalked out the door.

  Michael had been loitering in the foyer, and his vampire hearing had picked up every word Maggie and I had said. “Do you think that was wise?” he asked.

  “I don’t know if it was wise or not,” I replied, snatching my cloak and weapons up from where I’d dropped them earlier, “but I recently remarked to Devlin that I didn’t think any witch was strong enough to bind my powers. I suppose now we’ll see.” I strapped on my blades and looked at Michael. “Would you make sure she gets to her hotel safely?”
/>   He nodded. “Where are you going?”

  “Out,” I replied tersely, “before I forget that I’m not evil and eat her.”

  Chapter 39

  Michael had intended to hire a carriage to take us into the city, and I realized after I stormed out of the house that I didn’t have any money with me. So I walked. At the moment I wished I could walk straight out of Edinburgh and Scotland altogether. I didn’t bloody well care what happened with Marrakesh or Aunt Maggie anymore.

  I stopped and took a deep breath. That wasn’t the truth; I did care. There were times, like now, when what we, The Righteous, did overwhelmed me, and I desperately needed a holiday, but I truly did enjoy the life I’d made for myself. I made a difference in the world, and there was great satisfaction in that. I couldn’t imagine living as many vampires did, with eternity spread out before me and no greater purpose to occupy my time than the pursuit of pleasure. What I did as a member of The Righteous was worthwhile. I served the greater good and I would have it no other way … but just now I wished the greater good would bugger off and give me some peace.

  As usual, that wasn’t likely.

  I was passing by Greyfriars when I heard low voices coming from the other side of the cemetery wall. The western gate was just ahead and I stopped at it, peering through the long shadows cast by the gravestones, and into the darkness beyond. The Resurrectionists were at work tonight.

  They were a brazen pair of bastards, I’d give them that; it was barely nine o’clock. They were too far into the cemetery for a human to see them from the gate, but the grave robbers couldn’t hide from my heightened vampire senses. I could see them and hear them just fine. The trouble was, I couldn’t touch them. Oh, certainly I wouldn’t kill them, but even harming a human on consecrated ground was asking for more bad luck than I could afford just now. I would have to wait until they left the cemetery, but it would be worth it. If ever anyone deserved to be bitten, it was someone who would dig up a grave, rob the body, and then sell the corpse to someone like Dr. Knox. I paced at the gate, and it made my stomach turn to know that I could do nothing more than watch and wait while these blighters defiled a grave.

  A movement in the shadows caught my attention, just to the left of where the grave robbers went about their gruesome work. I smiled when I realized what it was. I pushed the gate wide open and fell back among the shadows of the wall. A low growl hummed through the night, followed by the very satisfying sound of men shouting. The Resurrectionists literally fell over themselves trying to get out of the cemetery and away from the feral wolf that dogged their heels all the way to the western gate.

  I let the first man run past me, but reached out and snatched the second man by his collar. His feet flew out from under him as I jerked him back and he fell to his knees in front of me, screaming like a schoolgirl. I reached around and turned his face to mine.

  “Lady,” he pleaded as he finally stopped screaming and caught his breath, “get out of here. There’s a wolf back there!”

  I smiled, feeling my canine teeth long and sharp in my mouth. “I know,” I said. “Now look at me.”

  He looked up into my eyes, confused, and I knew the second I had bespelled him. I could feel it like a soft click in my head. He was mine now and I could do whatever I wished to him. I jerked him up to his feet and pulled his head back at an uncomfortable angle. Normally I was gentler than this, but the man had offended my sense of decency. I was a vampire and I respected the sanctity of holy ground. Was that too much to ask of humans as well?

  I sank my teeth into the soft flesh of his neck and groaned in pleasure as his blood flowed warm and sweet into my mouth, fueling whatever magic made me a vampire. I drank him down, not realizing until that moment how hungry I had been. His blood filled me, calling softly to the darkness inside me. The dark magic liked blood, but I firmly pushed it down, as I always did when I fed.

  The man’s knees buckled under him and I pulled back from his neck, realizing that I had taken more than I should have. “Look at me,” I said. His eyes turned to mine, dazed and unfocused like those of a drunk. “When you wake you’ll go straight home. You won’t remember anything after you passed through these gates.” He nodded and I moved my face closer to his. “But know this, the next time you enter a churchyard they’d better be carrying you in feetfirst, or I’ll be coming for you.”

  I closed my eyes and exhaled softly, breaking the vampire magic that had bespelled him. His eyes fluttered closed, and he sank into what appeared to be a drunken stupor against the cemetery wall. The wound in his neck would heal before he woke, and he would remember nothing except a wolf in a cemetery and a distinct aversion to continuing his career as a grave robber.

  Something tugged at my skirt and I turned, seeing the large black-and-gray wolf pulling gently on my dress.

  “Oh, for the love of Danu,” I muttered, swatting at the wolf’s nose. “Get your teeth out of my new dress, Drummond.” The wolf took several steps back and sat, its tongue hanging out and what appeared to be a grin on its face. I sighed. “Drummond, as long as you’re here I need to speak to you.”

  The wolf stood and its body seemed to shimmer, wavering until it was hard to discern what I was looking at. A moment later Drummond stood before me, naked as the day he was born. I snapped my eyes skyward.

  “I hate it when you do that,” I said.

  “Would you rather talk to me with the fur coat on?”

  “No,” I said, taking off my cloak and waving it in his general direction. “What are you doing out here anyway?” I asked.

  I heard the sliding of fabric over flesh, and when I turned back Drummond was decently covered. He looked ridiculous standing there huddled in my cloak with his bare feet and legs sticking out from beneath it, but it was a vast improvement on having to converse with him while trying to keep my gaze from wandering south.

  “I might have a lead on who your murderers are,” he said.

  “Who? How did you—”

  Drummond shook his head and interrupted me. “I don’t want to get your hopes up. What I heard sounds rather far-fetched but I’ll check it out and report back.”

  “I appreciate that,” I said.

  “What was it you wanted to speak to me about?” he asked.

  “Aunt Maggie is in town,” I replied grimly.

  “Have you seen her?”

  “I certainly have,” I said. “And I owe you an apology. I’m afraid I’m not a very good actress. She realized quickly enough that I wasn’t surprised at her arrival and she knew that you’d come here to warn me. If you’re lucky you’ll only end up with your head stuffed and mounted on her wall. I am so sorry, Drummond, especially after all you’ve done to help us.”

  “Ah, don’t worry,” he said. “I knew I’d never get away with it. Someone back at Glen Gregor would have let it slip that I’d disappeared right after she left. Even if you’d made good on your escape she would have figured it out. I was hoping we’d all be gone by the time she got here, though, and she’d have the whole trip home to cool her temper.”

  “One more day and we would have made it,” I said. “I shouldn’t be surprised. Nothing else has gone the way I wanted it to for weeks now, so why should that? Do you know what I need right now?”

  “Vampires,” Drummond replied.

  “No, I’ve had it up to here with vampires. What I need is for Maggie to go home, for us to figure out who is tormenting the queen and see him punished, and for Michael and me to get married and have a nice, long honeymoon without any—”

  “Vampires,” he said again.

  “Exactly!”

  Drummond glanced over my shoulder and then looked back at me and rolled his eyes. “No, you nit, there are vampires behind you.”

  I whirled around, pulling the short sword from its sheath along my spine as I did so. When I realized that it was only Aubert and Warden Ross I exhaled in relief and resheathed the weapon. Turning back around, I found my cloak in a pile on the ground and Drummond g
one. Where the devil was he off to now?

  Exasperated, I snatched my cloak up, which now smelled faintly doggy, and turned back to greet Aubert and Ross.

  “I saw the king just before dawn,” Aubert said. “He mentioned that you wished to speak with me, but you and your consort had already retired for the day.”

  “Oh. Well, I did, but the matter resolved itself this evening.” He looked at me questioningly. “My aunt was to arrive in Edinburgh within the week and I was hoping you could have someone keep an eye on the port for me. She was early, though, and arrived tonight.”

  Aubert shook his head. “The happenings in port seem of great interest to everyone these days.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Bel has asked me to notify her whenever a Blood Cross ship came into port.”

  “Is she leaving town?” I asked. She had mentioned it, but I wasn’t sure I wanted anyone in that house to leave until we’d fully resolved the situation there, even if it was only Bel.

  “I don’t think so,” Aubert replied. “She asked this of me when she first arrived in town. Whenever a ship of the line comes in, I tell her.”

  “Why does she want to know?”

  Aubert shrugged. “All she asks is the name of the ship. I assume someone is probably looking for her and she doesn’t want to be found.”

  “That’s just … odd.”

  “We all have our secrets, do we not?”

  “I suppose so,” I murmured, wondering if it had something to do with her former lover.

  “She was out when I called at the king’s residence just now. If you see her, would you tell her that the Falcon made port in Leith this afternoon?”

  I nodded. “I will.”

  “Are you having any luck catching your ghost?” Warden Ross asked.

  “Not much,” I replied.

  “Ah, well, you’re not the only one with complaints,” Ross said. “The whole town is rife with them recently.”