by L. J. Smith
“You may know me as Damon DeSangue, and this is my brother, Stefan. I came to your country a year ago, and I quickly made the acquaintance of London’s elite, including Samuel Mortimer,” he intoned. “But I can report to you with complete honesty that Samuel Mortimer is a vampire. And he’s Jack the Ripper.”
“That’s outrageous!” one of the old men blurted out, his head snapping up at the word vampire. “I know Samuel Mortimer. He’s a bloody great man.” A few dissenting grumbles echoed in the audience.
Cora came forward. “It’s true. He killed two of my friends and turned my sister into a vampire. I’ve seen him in the act, and I assure you he’s the Ripper.”
“The girl’s telling the truth,” one of the men stated, verbalizing what all the witches must have known.
“Samuel as the Ripper. I knew it,” one woman murmured. “Didn’t I tell you, Oscar?” She turned to the man on her left. “Why, at one of Cecil’s parties I straight-out asked Samuel if he had any leads. When he answered, I knew he was lying, but I thought he was covering up a secret Scotland Yard was keeping. I should have pushed him further,” she said, looking distraught as the man next to her patted her hand.
“Please, don’t blame yourselves!” Damon said gallantly, a gleam of excitement evident in his blue eyes. Damon in front of a crowd was an impressive sight, and I knew he was just warming up. “Samuel Mortimer began a reign of terror in the East End not for sport, but because he thought his killings would lead to the prize he covets.” At this, Damon lowered his voice so much that people had to lean in to hear him. “He wants the heart of a purebred witch. And he’s convinced that witch is Mary Jane.”
“It’s true,” Lady Alice said. “All of it.”
“What happens if he gets the heart?” the woman in the blue dress asked, leaning forward in concern.
“He’s going to eat it.” The elderly woman by the door cut off Damon before he could answer. “And by doing so, he will gain the power to compel vampires. He can get all the vampires in London to do his bidding.” She slid off her stool and hobbled toward us, leaning on an intricately carved wooden cane. “But why should we help them? We can do this ourselves. How do we know they aren’t just setting this up as a trap for this…this Samuel,” she spat, as if the name was the worst thing she could think to say. She glanced around the room indignantly, the eyebrows on her wrinkled, withered-apple face knitting together. Her strident tone reminded me of Mrs. Duckworth, the maid at Abbott Manor. She was the type of woman people listened to.
“My brother and I have witnessed firsthand the unspeakable horrors Samuel has committed. I assure you that we are dedicated to fighting him until he is stopped once and for all,” I interjected. “As for taking care of yourselves, you may have magic, but Samuel is cunning and ruthless and therefore not to be underestimated. We’ve been following him for weeks,” I explained. “We know his habits, and we know his weaknesses. We have strength, and we have knowledge of our enemy. While separately we might fail, by banding together we have a chance at ridding London of this fiend. And so we’re humbly asking for vinculum to be invoked. Lady Alice told us about the spell, and it seems it’s what we need. I know vampires and witches have a complicated history, but if we have a spell that binds us, then you won’t have to fear us.”
The old woman nodded, but it was impossible to tell what she was thinking. She had the same strange pupils as Mary Jane. They were captivating, and it was hard to tear my eyes away.
Please, I thought. I didn’t dare say the word. But as I thought it, the woman’s eyes flickered.
“I’m aware of what we’re risking, Lavinia,” Lady Alice said gently to the old woman. “But I’m also aware of the dangers in not binding ourselves to these vampires. Samuel will kill Mary Jane, and if he does, he could have all of London under his control. I won’t take that chance. Mary Jane’s one of our own. And we protect our own. Or have you forgotten that in your old age? What does the rest of the coven think?” she asked, not bothering to wait for Lavinia’s response.
“I say kill the bloody bastard by any means necessary!” a portly, red-faced old man blustered. The men in the group murmured their agreement.
“I agree. Whatever we can do to save Mary Jane,” the young blond woman in the front said shyly. I sneaked a glance at Mary Jane. She was staring at a point far in front of her. Her face was pale. Just because the witches were helping didn’t mean she was out of danger, and she knew it.
“I don’t think so.” Lavinia shook her head vehemently. “These strangers come here in front of us, say they’re vampires, and say that one of their own needs the heart of a purebred witch. Now, I know they seem to be telling the truth, but vampires are crafty. And before we go any further, we need the girl,” she said, beckoning toward Cora.
“M-m-me?” Cora asked, stuttering in fear.
“No, the other human girl who was brought in front of our coven,” Lavinia growled sarcastically. “Yes, you.”
Cora stepped forward, and I could see her shoulders trembling underneath her frayed dress.
“Now, Cora,” Lavinia said, staring straight into her eyes. “Will you tell me the truth?” Her intensity reminded me of the way I focused before compelling. Cora’s gaze flickered toward me.
“Cora!” Lavinia said, causing her gaze to snap forward.
“Yes?” Cora asked.
“When you open your mouth, will you speak the truth?” she asked again.
“Yes,” Cora said. There was no question in her voice. Lavinia placed one hand, then the other on her shoulders. She nodded toward the coven.
“What will these vampires do once they’ve defeated Samuel?”
“I don’t know,” Cora said in confusion, breaking her gaze away.
Lavinia shook Cora’s shoulders. “Well, think! Two vampires, able to compel themselves into any situation or station would want to do something, wouldn’t they? Maybe gain power? Riches? Rule the city of London?”
“Damon wouldn’t. He wants an easy life. Whatever luxuries he can have, he’ll get, but he won’t cause trouble here. Not like Samuel. And Stefan…” She paused, and a small smile crossed her face. “I think that if Stefan kills Samuel, then he’ll finally stop feeling ashamed of who he truly is. He needs to do something good. Something heroic. But he won’t cause trouble. I know that.”
These were clearly Cora’s unedited thoughts. I felt she’d accurately pegged Damon, but I couldn’t help but feel betrayed at what she’d said about me. That was why she thought I wanted to fight Samuel? So I could feel heroic? She didn’t think it had to do with my wanting to save her?
“How interesting,” Lavinia said, breaking the silence. Her mouth twisted as though she’d sucked a lemon, and she took her hands off Cora. Cora staggered back as if she had been pushed.
“Are you all right?” Mary Jane asked, steadying Cora and helping her regain her balance.
Cora nodded, even though I saw her wince and rub her shoulder.
Lavinia turned to address the coven. “I’m satisfied that these vampires are who they say. And I won’t stand in the way of our affiliation with them.”
“Good,” Lady Alice said simply. “Now, let’s pledge vinculum. And then we’ll formulate a plan. Stefan, please take my blood. Damon, you too.” She held her arms out toward us, her wrists facing the vaulted ceiling.
“Take your blood?” I repeated, hoping I’d misheard.
Lady Alice nodded briskly, not moving her arms. “Yes. With your fangs, please. Vinculum happens when a witch freely gives her blood and a vampire freely accepts it. No spells, no compulsion, no lying. Just an honest exchange. You will be bound to me, and I’m bound to my coven. But again, if any deception occurs, or any lives are lost, vinculum is broken.”
“What happens if vinculum is broken?” Damon asked.
“It varies,” Lady Alice said smoothly. “Broadly speaking, it means we have to face the wrath of the other species. All propriety and rules are forgotten, and we battle until we f
eel balance is restored. In this case, we’d kill you. And I assume you would kill us,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Seems fair.” Damon nodded, but I felt dread creep through my veins. The witches were brutal. If things didn’t go according to plan, we’d suddenly have a powerful new enemy.
“Are we agreed, then?” Lady Alice asked as she pushed her wrist under my nose. Her skin smelled of gardenias and jasmine and I wanted so badly to taste the blood running underneath it. I staggered back.
“I can’t. Damon will just have to do it,” I said.
“All right,” Lady Alice said uncertainly, turning toward Damon.
“No.” I turned to stare at Lavinia, who was shaking her head. “Either both of them do it, or I won’t allow this bond to happen. Why doesn’t the vampire drink?”
“I don’t drink human blood,” I mumbled. I’d always been proud of my resolve, but here, when blood was being offered, I felt weak. What if I couldn’t stop at a sip? What if I ruined everything?
“Then how did you ever expect to fight this Samuel?” Lavinia asked, her eyes boring right into me. I glanced over to Cora, but she looked down at her hands folded in her lap. “You said that you were bringing vampire strength to this battle. But if you’re refusing blood, then you’re refusing that strength within you,” Lavinia said.
“We only need one vampire to do it, right? Maybe it’s better…”
“Not for me,” Lavinia said flatly. “Either this vampire feeds on Alice’s blood, or the deal is off.”
I looked at Cora, and she nodded encouragingly. Still, she didn’t truly know what human blood did to me. In her mind, I was a wishful hero. She didn’t know me as the monster who’d never, ever have his fill.
“Go on, brother,” Damon said. It was the same phrase he’d used to egg me on countless times, ever since I was a child and he’d dared me to jump off the Wickery Bridge on the first warm day of the year.
I didn’t have a choice. I slowly pulled her wrist to my mouth. My fangs sliced into her skin, releasing the pungent, sweet smell of blood into the air. I plunged my canines into the tiny blue veins in her wrist and was hit with waves of ecstasy I hadn’t felt in almost twenty years. I allowed the blood to wash down my throat, feeling it soothe all the pain and fear I’d carried. It surged through my body, making me feel safe and strong and alive. This was better than the blood in New Orleans, better than the oceans of blood I’d drunk during the murderous sprees of my youth.
Better than my father’s blood.
I wanted more, as much as possible, enough to fill my veins and my heart. A growl escaped from my lips.
“Vampire!” Lavinia called sharply.
I pulled back and wiped my mouth. I felt all eyes on me.
“I’m sorry if I got carried away,” I said stiffly.
“You did exactly as I asked,” Lady Alice said, but her face was pale. “Damon?”
She held out her wrist and I watched as Damon slowly took a small sip, as though he were drinking a fine champagne. I couldn’t help but feel he was being so mannerly on purpose, to show the blood-hungry brother how proper feeding was done. I knew that even though I’d drunk from Lady Alice’s wrist briefly, I’d revealed part of my true nature. I was too greedy, too insistent, and I’d heard my angry, guttural growl as clearly as everyone else had.
When Damon finished, Lady Alice brushed the excess blood away with the inside of her sleeve. “Now, Damon and Stefan, come join our circle.” She held out her hands. Instead of standing next to her, I chose to stand between Damon and Lavinia. It seemed safer. Because now that the taste of Lady Alice’s blood was on my tongue, it was all I could think about.
Lady Alice began to chant, and, one by one, the other witches joined in. I allowed my tongue to run back and forth over my teeth; the filmy coating left by the blood felt like both a blessing and a curse. The flames from the fire dimmed, sending the room into semidarkness.
“Vinculum,” Lady Alice said. The rest of the witches echoed the word.
Vinculum, I said under my breath. I hoped it worked. It had to. Lavinia dropped my hand. The room brightened.
“It’s done. We’re bound,” Lady Alice said.
“Good. Now, let’s discuss the next steps,” I said, glancing pointedly at Damon until he settled onto the bench next to the blond-haired witch. “What we need to do is trap Samuel, and the best way to do that is to use Mary Jane as bait. We can lead Samuel to her,” I said.
“How will you do that, vampire?” Lavinia asked.
“I thought we could have Samuel spot Mary Jane in the East End, then attack,” I explained.
“No, no, no!” Lavinia protested. “Far too messy. We can’t have the battle where humans are. We need to do it somewhere hidden.”
“My house,” Mary Jane said quietly. “It’s the perfect spot. We have a spell on the property that keeps the rent collectors away. Humans don’t seem to notice it, even though it’s right there.”
“Good thinking,” Lavinia said approvingly.
“I suppose one of us could be used to bait Samuel,” I suggested, thinking on the fly.
“Too dangerous.” Lavinia shook her head. “Weren’t you paying attention? Vampires are crafty. He’ll kill you without thinking twice. You need Samuel to know you have something he wants. You need to tell him you have Mary Jane.”
“He already knows,” I said numbly.
“Does he know he’s involved?” Lavinia asked, jerking her chin at Damon.
Damon shook his head.
“I say Damon goes and offers to bring Samuel to the girl,” one of the men suggested. “I know Samuel, and he wants power. No matter what you’ve done to him, even if you’ve stared in his eyes as you’ve attempted to stake his chest, he’ll forgive you, if it means he’ll get what he wants.”
“All right.” Damon nodded. “I can talk him into listening to me.” His eyes gleamed, and I knew if anyone could pretend he was going to the dark side, it was him.
“Damon will bring Samuel to Mary Jane, and we’ll attack,” I said, finishing off the plan. The witches nodded in agreement. It seemed simple.
“Are there any spells that will protect her from a vampire? Vervain won’t work. And Samuel has a witch on his side, so we need to protect against that, too,” I said, emboldened by the way the witches were agreeing with me.
“Who is the witch?” Lavinia asked.
“Seaver. He’s the groundskeeper at the Magdalene Asylum.”
“Don’t worry about him,” Lavinia said with a derisive wave. “Stefan, you can take him on. He’s not as powerful as you. All you need to do, if he appears, is simply kill him. A knife to the heart will do the trick.”
“All right.” I nodded. I’d killed before. I could kill again.
“And now, on to the most important thing. Protecting Mary Jane,” Lady Alice prodded.
“Should we do praesidium?” the middle-aged witch suggested.
“Not a bad idea,” the man next to her said.
“Praesidium is ideal,” Lady Alice agreed. “Of course it’s not foolproof, and it’s putting Mary Jane right on the front line. As her guardian, I wonder…”
“You’re not my guardian,” Mary Jane said. “I’m a grown woman. I can make my own decision. What exactly is praesidium?”
“A protection spell,” Lavinia said. “It will make Mary Jane’s body impenetrable to a vampire’s touch. It’s like a shield, but one that causes tremendous pain to a vampire if he touches it. The pain isn’t fatal, but it will momentarily stun or surprise the vampire. That way, the spell is twofold. It will protect Mary Jane from Samuel’s clutches, and it will—”
“Allow us to attack,” I finished. “That sounds perfect.”
Lady Alice nodded. “It seems the best spell under the circumstances.”
“I’ll do it,” Mary Jane said resolutely.
“Good.” I nodded at her. “Damon will let Samuel know he has Mary Jane. He’ll tell Samuel to come to us two nights from now, sending
him right into the trap. We’ll meet at five at Miller’s Court and perform the spell before he comes. And then we’ll be waiting for him.”
The blond witch waved her hand up at me as though she were a schoolgirl and I were the teacher. “All of us?” she asked.
I glanced around the group. It was small, but the room was tiny. “Do we need everyone for the spell?” I asked.
Lady Alice shook her head. “It’s very simple.”
“Good. Then no, not everyone should be there. Just Mary Jane, Lady Alice, and Lavinia in the house, and the rest in the alley, waiting as backup if the plan doesn’t work. But it will,” I said, reassuring myself as much as the witches.
Ten stories above, I heard the lone, singular caw of a raven. The sound echoed in my ears, and I knew it was foreshadowing something. I only wished I knew what.
“I’ll be there, vampire,” Lavinia said finally.
I locked eyes with Lavinia. “Good,” I said. I meant it. Whether we liked it or not, we were bound to the witches. And they were bound to us.
9
The next night, I was hiding in the bushes that surrounded the fence of Samuel’s Lansdowne House estate. A few hundred paces away, Damon hunched in the shadows of one of the large portico columns of the Georgian mansion.
Damon turned toward me and I nodded to him. I was ready in case things went sour and he needed backup.
Damon knocked on the door and was unsurprised when, seconds later, Samuel himself answered. His eyes were bloodshot, and his pale skin was almost white.
The wind had picked up and was blowing toward me, making it sound like the conversation was taking place only inches away.
“Listen. I’m here to offer you a deal,” Damon said stiffly, before Samuel could say anything—or stake him. “A business transaction. From one vampyr to another,” he said, using the ancient, foreign-sounding term for one of our kind.
“A deal,” Samuel repeated. An inscrutable expression—was it amusement? Curiousity? Anger?—flickered across Samuel’s face. “You killed my brother. I ruined you. And yet, now you come to me to try to negotiate. Why?”