by R. E. Carr
“This sucks,” he said with a pout. “It won’t really help.”
“But it won’t hurt you either,” Georgia sighed. She soon became painfully aware of Steve leaning against her boob, a pathetic grin on his face. “You are so—”
“Am I interrupting?” a faintly German-accented voice asked as the door to their room opened without so much as a knock. “You know, I was not expecting you to change feelings so quickly, Miss Sutherland.”
She shoved the shirtless Steve back onto the pillows. “It’s not what you think,” she said to the surprised Klaus. “Also, I really wish vampires had to be invited in right about now.”
“I just had a very interesting chat with our newest guest,” the vampire replied, completely avoiding addressing the awkwardness of barging into her bedroom. “A wedding, tomorrow? Now that the werewolves have left? The whole house is talking about it.”
“I improvised, Pops,” Steve groaned. “Blame her, she started it.”
Klaus turned sharply to face Georgia. “Excellent thinking,” he said. “You may have bought us enough time. The Lung have accelerated the timeline, and if we can distract Arthur long enough, you may still have a chance to escape.”
“Timeline? Escape?” Georgia asked.
“We each know only our part. I must confess, the longer my old master stays in this house, the more I wish to tell him. Was he able to compel you, or were you as immune as ever, Miss Sutherland?”
“He couldn’t tell me what to do, and Steve—” Georgia started.
“Steven, is it true? Are you immune as well?” Klaus asked, a hopeful look in his eyes. “Please, let this miracle be true.”
Steve shook his head as he struggled to sit up. “It took everything I had,” he said, looking defeated. “Every time he asked me something, it got harder and harder to resist. If Georgia hadn’t been there, I would have spilled my guts.”
“You’re young. Even Brynjulf and I are finding Arthur most persuasive,” Klaus confessed. “Bam-Yin has decided to do what he does best and make himself scarce. I’m afraid I must ask something very difficult of you, Miss Sutherland.”
“Pops,” Steve warned. He moved much more quickly than before, wrapping a protective arm around Georgia. She shrugged him off.
“What do you need?”
“I need you to keep Arthur distracted for as long as possible,” Klaus said, looking ashamed. “You are the only one he cannot manipulate.”
“The hell I’m letting her around that monster. That’s not Ren anymore—” Steve started.
“You have a wedding to get ready for, Son,” Klaus snapped back. “At least if we keep the servants busy there will be enough commotion . . . Miss Sutherland, please know that I would not ask unless I had no choice. Dr. Pang needs more time, or all will be lost.”
“What do you want me to do?” Georgia asked.
“You have a quick enough wit. Keep him talking. If there is one thing that defines Arthur, it is his love of himself. I’m sure if you can get him boasting of his own achievements . . .”
“I get it,” Georgia said softly. “I guess in the end, he’s still part Ren.”
“That’s not Ren. Come on, Pops, you can’t just send Georgia out to the slaughter,” Steve begged.
“Have a little faith,” Georgia retorted. “He doesn’t really remember me, right? I’m just a wayward assistant. I’m sure I can do something. How long do you need?”
“As close to sunrise as you can give us. The staff says that all of Arthur’s entourage remained in town. They are probably lying in wait to see if anyone tries to run. Come along, Steven, the longer you stay away from Arthur and the less you know, the better.”
“Georgia, please,” Steve said, surprisingly earnest. “Be careful.”
She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. “Just for luck, nothing more,” she said before slipping out of her room. “Now if I were Arthur, King of the Britons, where would I go?”
She wandered around the house, dodging the few staff members still awake. A few whispered and gave her curious glances as she passed by. Estella grabbed her the moment she got near the kitchen.
“You should be getting some rest!” the young vampire exclaimed. “But first, let me double check a few things.”
Estella found a tape measure in the junk drawer and quickly looped it round Georgia a few times. She scribbled a few notes then tried to shoo Georgia back to her room.
“Actually, I was looking for Lord Pendragon,” Georgia said.
Estella got a dreamy look in her eyes. “Oh yes, the king,” she sighed. “Have you ever met anyone so extraordinary? I can see now where Geoffrey gets it from.”
“I thought it was best to, you know, get his blessing or something,” Georgia said. “So, have you seen him?”
“Last I saw, he was in the gardens. You should be honored, he’s been taking a great interest in your wedding. I just wish you’d given us a little more time to plan,” Estella said.
“All Steve’s idea,” Georgia said as she started for the gardens. Estella gave a knowing, exasperated sigh, then hurried back to whatever she had been doing.
“I can do this,” Georgia muttered to herself as she stepped outside. She didn’t have to walk very far before the sight of Ren standing in the moonlight took her breath away. Her face fell, as she saw the sword at his side and the smug smile on his lips.
“And now the blushing bride-to-be comes to visit,” Arthur sighed, not bothering to look her way. “It’s rather amazing, you know. Suddenly the whole house is aflutter. No one seems to have any time to talk.”
“I have time,” Georgia said.
“Don’t you have . . . things to do, woman?” he asked with a slight sneer.
“I asked for a surprise wedding. I hate planning shit like that anyway, so Steve said he’d take care of everything.”
“Hmm, you’re vulgar too. Why does that not surprise me?” Arthur replied acerbically. “Tell me - do you think me so stupid that I would possibly fall for this pathetic ruse?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Georgia said, still keeping her distance.
“Stefano DeMarco is a fool - and a Jaeger fool to boot. He’s a womanizer, a liar, and one of the most genuinely insincere clods ever to walk the face of the Earth. He’s only using you to insult me, and to insult my grandson. I hope you have the self-awareness to realize that.”
“Hey, that’s my fiancé you are talking about,” Georgia said, hands on hips.
“Oh, then tell me one of his wonderful qualities, the one that attracted you to him?” Arthur asked, his smug smile even more punch-worthy.
Georgia looked to the side, but as Arthur started to laugh she fired off, “He makes me laugh.”
“That is because he is a fool.”
“Maybe, but he’s a fool that when push comes to shove, looks out for me. Can you imagine what it must be like for him? Any time he gets close to someone, they just . . . forget. How can you love someone if at any time they can simply fade away into nothing? He’s cursed.”
Arthur paused. “I suppose there is a certain tragedy in that, but I am sure if he loved someone, I mean truly loved them, and they loved him in return, there is no force on Earth that would make them forget each other.”
Georgia bit her tongue. Arthur gave her a strange look before continuing.
“You seem exceptionally stubborn, Georgia Sutherland, even for an American,” he remarked. “You don’t seem affected by me.”
“Oh, I’m affected,” Georgia muttered. “Trust me.”
“And if I said, drop to your knees and suck my cock?” He asked.
“Hell no,” Georgia snapped.
“You’re immune. You’re one of those people that Merlin warned me about,” Arthur said. “You know, before I went to sleep, we executed your kind on principle.”
“I thought that Camelot was a place of justice, peace, equality, all that,” she said, now looking him right in the eyes. “Or was that just the bullshit they pu
t in the storybooks?”
“What do you think?” Arthur asked. “I’m sure it wasn’t as pretty and perfect as humans wanted it to be, but it was a time where we genuinely tried to make the world a better place.”
“Then tell me about it,” Georgia pressed. “I haven’t gotten a chance to hear about it from someone who was there, at the heart of it all.”
“What is this? Some thinly veiled attempt to get me talking about myself? Is it to discover my weaknesses or simply keep me distracted?” Arthur asked. “Go on, be honest, if you can.”
“You know, I read a lot of stories . . . watched the movies . . . hell, I even went to a stage version of Camelot, but I never expected King Arthur to be this much of an asshole,” Georgia said sweetly. “Have a good night, your Highness. Find whatever conspiracy you want to find.”
Georgia walked right past him, flipping the bird as she headed for her favorite rose arbor. Arthur bared his fangs.
“Woman, stop!” He commanded. Georgia kept walking faster.
“I said stop, woman!” he barked. Finally, he grabbed Georgia’s arm and spun her around. As he glowered, Georgia burst out laughing.
“How dare you?” he asked.
“How dare you?” she retorted. “You’re not my king, and you don’t have any right to lay a finger on me, vampire.”
Arthur’s nostrils actually flared slightly as he stared her down. His grip tightened but Georgia only smiled.
“You know what I wrote about you, when I was reporting as a dutiful Matsuoka and you were Geoffrey’s servant?” he asked hotly.
“Let me guess, I was forgettable, and hardly worth being a vampire’s assistant,” she replied.
“You nearly took the exact words from my mouth. I see why I must have avoided you. I mean, look at you. You’re slovenly, clumsy, and have the hair of a petulant high-school brat.”
The fire rose in Georgia’s eyes. “Oh yeah, well I saved Mr. Lambley’s life, despite my fashion sense. You want to know why I chose a guy like Steve? Because for all your bluster about what a fool he is, he never treated me like I was beneath him. The difference between you and him is that his arrogance is just for silly show, and you, you actually believe that you are so superior. It doesn’t make you better at all. It just makes you pitiful.”
Arthur bared his fangs again. Georgia summoned every bit of her fortitude and stared at him. His grip tightened again.
“You are the single most frustrating woman I have ever encountered. I was wrong to dismiss you before. Perhaps I should revive the old ways?”
“What, and kill a rival house vampire’s bride-to-be? I didn’t think you were actually stupid enough to piss off the Jaeger, but I guess I was wrong. What? Did it just occur to you that the Jaeger’s family is taking me in and your big brother is the one vampire who can, I don’t know, kill other vampires without breaking the first law? It did, didn’t it? Now who’s the fool?”
Georgia finally had to wince as the death grip tightened. Arthur’s fangs extended, and he gave off a guttural growl. Georgia dropped to her knees, tears welling in her eyes.
“That’s it, you’re just a bully and a coward. You can’t handle the fact that someone, anyone, sees you for what you are,” Georgia said as he shoved her all the way to the ground. She heard the sword slip from its sheath. She found herself staring at the blade of Excalibur, and Arthur looking at her like she was little more than an insect. “A bully and a coward, some once and future king,” she spat.
Arthur’s left hand suddenly reached over and forced down his right. The vampire watched in horror as his own body failed him and he dropped his blade. He narrowed his eyes at the shocked Georgia, before snatching the sword from the ground and sneering again.
“You aren’t worth the effort, woman,” he growled. “Maybe you do belong with that pathetic excuse for a vampire, after all. I’ll see you at your wedding.”
“Ren,” she whispered as she watched Arthur walk off into the night. She balled her hands into fists and took off after him. He whirled around before she reached him.
“You are insufferable, woman,” he spat. “Take the hint and leave me alone!”
“No, oh no, you don’t get to treat me like this. If you think that you are going to be some great ruler again, you should probably brush up on your twenty-first century manners, vampire. It doesn’t work quite the same way anymore.”
“Do you want me to kill you, is that it?” he asked.
“It would get me out of marrying Steve, right? According to you, a fate worse than death,” she said, a wry smile daring to creep across her face. He actually returned the grin after a moment of thought.
“You are . . . insane,” he said, shaking his head.
“Look, if you talked to Mr. Lambley at all, you know that I am a big King Arthur fan, and I’m not giving up my chance to hear what happened with my own ears. So unless you want me following you around all night, just give up and tell your side of the story. Barring that, tell me all the horrible things you want about my future husband. I probably should know that too,” Georgia said.
Arthur let out the deepest of sighs. He glanced briefly back at the frenzy of servants in the house and the distinct lack of visible vampires to try and bully.
“Oh come on, you’ve got forever, haven’t you? What is one night?” Georgia asked. “You can think of it as a wedding gift and save a little money.”
He stared into her eager eyes for a moment. Finally he asked, “Very well, what exactly do you wish to know?”
13
“Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?” Paige asked. Somehow throughout the course of the night, she had ended up on Morgan’s side of the room. Nadia and Kayleigh snoozed while Dr. Pang and Kyle continued to talk shop.
“Yes,” Morgan said, leaning his head against the wall.
“But—”
“Just don’t, Paige,” he said. “The more we talk, the worse it’s gonna be.”
“Yeah, but what do you think will happen? You know—”
“No idea,” Morgan said. “I’ll let you know after I have a vampire shoved down my throat.”
“Oh, it won’t be your throat,” Dr. Pang added unhelpfully.
Morgan twisted slightly so there was a space for Paige to slide next to him. She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes for a moment. As she opened her mouth, she felt a finger pressed to her lips.
“No talking,” Morgan growled. Paige nodded and enjoyed her power nap listening to Morgan’s heartbeat. Less than an hour later she woke up to the stench of ancient vampire.
“There is not much time,” she heard Klaus saying as her eyes snapped open. Morgan, Nadia, and Kayleigh had already formed a protective semi-circle around her.
“Where is my sister?” Morgan growled.
“Buying us time,” was all Klaus said before tossing Steve into the panic room.
Klaus retreated before Morgan could get in another word, so all eyes turned to a weak, pale Steven DeMarco. “Steve, what happened?” Paige asked as he stumbled over to her.
“Oh, I’m about one more conversation from telling King Arthur that you are all here. You know all that mojo that Pops and the Jaeger were so scared of? Well, Ren-Arthur is getting it back, quickly. I nearly killed myself convincing all the servants that you guys buggered off, but—”
“But what?” Paige asked.
“Pops told me to tell you that whatever you’re gonna do, you have to do it before tomorrow night. Also, don’t tell me your plans.”
“What?” Nadia asked.
“Of course, the fewer people that know the truth, the fewer chances for Arthur to discover our plot,” Dr. Pang said. “Frankly, I’m surprised you could last at all. Tell me, is Georgia Sutherland—”
“She’s immune. She’s the only one that’s immune. We’re just resisting as long as we can, and trying to stay away from him.”
“Wait, that means—” Morgan snarled, starting for the door. Kyle and Nadia managed to st
op him.
“Look, remember the plan,” Kyle barked.
“Georgia is tougher than she looks, Bean Counter. If there is anyone in this whole wide world that can stand up to Arthur, it’s her. He won’t kill her. She’s got . . . the protection of the Jaeger.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” Morgan snarled.
“Stuff,” Steve said. “Stuff I can’t really say because the less we all know, the less chance of us all getting killed . . . or worse. Look guys, we’ve got a plan to keep Arthur distracted until at least tomorrow, but I really don’t know how much longer than that we can hold on. He’s got people taking over the town as we speak.”
“So, we have to just do our thing, and let you do your thing, and the other vampires do their thing, and hope it all works out?” Paige asked.
Steve gave her his best reassuring smile. “We’re just going to have to trust each other, and trust that in the end, we all hate Arthur and want to get the hell away from him. Hopefully this saves Lorcan too, because as tough as Georgia is, I’m not gonna ask her to fight an ultimate vampire battle against her ex-boyfriend’s body.”
Dr. Pang, Morgan and Kyle all exchanged looks. Before Paige could so much as blink, Morgan grabbed her and kissed her full on the mouth. Steve gave them a quizzical look.
“Come on, let’s do something extremely stupid,” Morgan said, leading the doctors out of the room.
Up in the gardens, Georgia stifled a yawn as she continued to listen. She managed a chuckle as Arthur finished with, “And then Sir Agravaine was found in the courtyard with a donkey, and no pants.”
“You really remember so much, from so long ago?” Georgia asked softly.
“It doesn’t seem so long ago . . . to me,” he said, looking at the stars. “Merlin has been educating me on all that I’ve missed. It can be overwhelming.”
“But don’t you remember things from—?”
“From my host? Of course. He can be stubborn, and when he wakes up, he likes to argue with me. In time, however, I think he will understand. His questions only make me stronger . . . more resolute,” Arthur sighed. “Now I have told you many, many stories. Are you finally sated, woman?”