by Helen Harper
I think about the fact that Montserrat didn’t show up at Big Ben until it was almost over. ‘Lady Bancroft. Is she dead?’
His muscles tense and he jerks out a nod. ‘She knew the risks.’
‘It was a trap. You knew that if you told everyone you were going to meet, you’d lure the perpetrator to you.’
‘It was too good an opportunity to miss. We had it all planned. Until you showed up.’
‘You didn’t damn well tell me your plan, did you? If you had, I’d have left you to it.’
A ghost of a smile races across his lips. ‘No, you wouldn’t. I’ve got to know you quite well over the last weeks. You’d never let the action slip by.’
‘You could have told me,’ I say stubbornly.
He sighs and pushes back his hair. ‘I was going to. I was even going to invite you to wait with Bancroft.’ He throws me a remorseful glance. ‘We thought that with her ability to control others with her mind, the traitors wouldn’t have a chance. But Nicky’s mind was already so warped that anything Lady Bancroft tried couldn’t work. Maybe if you’d been there things would have been different, but you were too weak, Bo. You could barely stand up.’
‘I could stand up well enough to climb to the freaking top of Big Ben.’
‘And apparently knock someone out along the way.’
I’d forgotten about Boris. ‘Is he…?’
‘The police have him. He should be grateful. Medici would have quite happily tortured him for the rest of his natural life.’
I mull over all that has happened. Lack of communication was my downfall, not just with the final showdown with Nicky but all along the way. I think about the laptop I was given. I had the information about Nicky at my fingertips but I dismissed her out of hand because she was a recruit like me. Lady Bancroft knew instantly that the mastermind could be a recruit but I didn’t talk to her until it was too late. I can blame Michael Montserrat all I want but I’ve made a shitload of mistakes too. There were so many points when communicating more clearly and with more honesty would have made life easier. I resolve never to let that happen again.
My stomach grumbles and I realise I’m absolutely starving. I need to get something to eat. ‘What day is it?’
‘Monday.’
My heart sings. ‘It’s over. And the lunar month is over.’
Montserrat looks away. Doubt trickles through me. ‘What?’ I reach out and grip his broad forearm. ‘What is it?’
‘Your injuries were very severe, Bo.’
‘But I’m fine,’ I tell him. ‘I feel fine.’
He turns his gaze back on me. There’s some unfathomable emotion in his dark eyes. I shake my head. ‘No.’
‘Bo, there wasn’t a choice. You either took strength from human blood or you died.’
‘No, no, no, no, no, no.’
‘Bo,’ he begins.
‘I heard someone say I was Sanguine!’ I burst out. ‘Two minutes ago! Right after I woke up!’
Montserrat stands up and begins to pace. ‘If there had been another way, I’d have done anything I could.’
‘I heard…’
‘Peter,’ he says. ‘Peter Allen is Sanguine. I don’t think his heart was ever in vampirism, despite the relief it would have offered him.’
My mouth is dry. I try to speak but the words won’t come out. He’s got to be lying. This is some kind of sick vampire joke. Montserrat sighs and hands me a small mirror. I swallow and stare down. The truth stares me in the face. Inside both my pupils there’s the telltale red dot.
‘It’s not so bad, you know. You might grow to like it.’
I bring the mirror closer to my face. I’m a fucking vampire. Not only that but I’m a fucking vampire surrounded by criminals. All I feel is despair.
Montserrat clears his throat and hands me a glass. I take it morosely. It’s filled with blood and my stomach grumbles again as I swirl the viscous red liquid. I can feel tears springing to my eyes. I squeeze them shut, lift the glass to my lips and drink.
Thank you for reading Dire Straits. It’s been a genuine joy to create and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about Bo as much as I have writing about her. If you liked the book, or even if you didn’t, I’ll be extraordinarily grateful if you left your thoughts and opinions with Amazon. There will be more Bo Blackman adventures to come!
About the author
Helen Harper is an English teacher currently living abroad in Malaysia. As a long time reader of urban fantasy, she finally bit the bullet and began to develop her own series of novels.
Helen has always been a book lover, devouring science fiction and fantasy tales when she was a child growing up in Scotland. "I always loved the escapism provided by those genres," states Helen. "No matter how bad life gets, you can always find a route out, even if only temporarily, in the pages of a good book."
The growth of urban fantasy fascinated her - the mix of reality and fantasy along with strong heroic female characters appealed from the very beginning, and inspired her to write her own.
Other titles by Helen Harper
The Blood Destiny series
- Bloodfire
- Bloodmagic
- Bloodrage
- Blood Politics
- Bloodlust
The Olympiana series
- Eros