A Most Peculiar Season Series Boxed Set: Five Full-length Connected Novels by Award-winning and Bestselling Authors

by Michelle Willingham

  He glanced up at the sky. “Back to St Paul’s crypt. We can talk there.”

  In a whirlwind of speed, he ran them through the City, down the stairs and into the dark and set her down. “Promise me something,” he growled. “Never ever put yourself in danger like that again. I had no way to reach you.”

  She gritted her teeth. “I wasn’t in any danger.”

  “Liar.”

  She took a deep breath. “Very well. I was a little worried when the man I was following yanked me into the house, but when I made it clear I was lost they accepted my word. Anton, that was it.” Her voice rose in excitement. “Outside, the house is a ruin, but inside, it is quite different. It has to be where they go at night.”

  “I must let Vlad know right away. You will remain here.” He had to know she was safe or he couldn’t function.

  “Anton, I must go back to my employer.”

  “No.”

  A prickle ran across his shoulders. Her anger?

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “I must. I will lose my position. If I have not done so already.”

  He pounded his fist against the wall. “If you leave, I cannot function.” The demonstration had been painful.

  “What are you talking about?”

  How could he possibly explain this to someone who was not Vampire? To someone who quite possibly could not form the other side of the bond. “I need to know you are safe.”

  She stared at him. Shocked. Yet there was a kind of wonder in her face. “Love?”

  Hell’s teeth. “No. It is a vampire thing. We become over protective of females we have um....”

  “Um... mated with?” she said.

  “Become involved with.”

  Her disappointment was tangible. But that meant nothing. Vampires disappointed humans all the time. He shrugged.

  “It is very kind of you, but I can manage on my own.” She sounded perfectly calm, felt calm along the bond, as if the disappointment had been a fleeting thing.

  Clearly his animal side was trying to bond with a creature that couldn’t reciprocate. In the end, the lack of fulfillment would likely turn him into a colder creature than he already was. That was the best he could hope for. He cut off the bitter thought. All that mattered was that she remain safe. He took a deep breath, focussed. “Sybil, I need to tell the King what we have learned. He may need to speak to you. Please, await my return.”

  She reluctantly nodded her agreement. “I will wait.”

  He obtained the key, opened the hidden door and passed through, into the dark. A wrenching pain shot through his head that grew worse with every step. Apparently, the vampire part of him didn’t think she was safe enough. He turned back. She was sitting on the steps of a sarcophagus, looking forlorn. “On second thoughts it will be better if you come with me.”

  “What about the rule about humans trespassing.”

  His gut clenched. “Would it be so bad to become one of us?”

  Joy filled her face. “You would do that for me?”

  “Yes.” For her sake he would give her to another vampire to turn.

  Perhaps Ester might know a way of cutting him loose from this unnatural urge to bond without causing either of them harm.

  The thought did not sit well with his animal side. Indeed, it wanted to tear someone apart.

  CHAPTER NINE

  ONCE MORE ANTON led her through the narrow streets of this underground city. Occasionally she glimpsed open spaces with fountains and sculptures, spaces that gave her the sense of there being more room to breathe, but without a view of the sky in the middle of the day, she felt as if an oppressive weight was slowly pinning her down and would eventually crush her.

  “Where is everyone?” she asked when he stopped at an intersection of two reasonably wide streets with buildings that looked like small townhouses on either side.

  “This is our night time. People are indoors sleeping with their families.”

  She kept forgetting night was day in the Vampire world.

  He beckoned her on and they sped down another tunnel. He was moving so fast she was having trouble catching her breath, and yet she knew she was holding him back. “Leave me,” she gasped. “Go on. I will catch you up.”

  He took her hand and pulled her along, lending his strength to her steps.

  A pain knifed into her side. She tried to ignore it. But it hurt. She clutched at her waist and he stopped. “What is it?”

  “Pain” she gasped. “From running.”

  “All right. Rest. It is not much further.”

  Footsteps. Coming towards them. Anton stilled, looking up and down the hallway. The walls were uninterrupted stone.

  “There is nowhere to hide,” she whispered.

  His face looked grim. “We’ll brazen it out.”

  He stood straight and tall as a youth rounded the corner. The male’s eyes widened. His hand went to the sword at his hip. Recognition dawned on his face. “Count Grazki. There are soldiers looking everywhere for you.”

  A dagger slipped from Anton’s sleeve into his right palm. The boy didn’t appear to have seen it. Sybil held her breath, praying Anton would do nothing dreadful, wondering if she should warn the young man.

  Anton tilted his head to one side. “I know you.”

  “Micael Kessler. You um.. I um...”

  “Right. I remember. Vauxhall. So, Micael, are you going to raise the alarm?”

  The boy flushed red. “No.” A rather shy expression crossed his face. “Is there something I can do to help?”

  “Why would you want to help me?” Anton’s voice was cold. Unfriendly to say the least. “They are calling me a traitor, are they not?”

  The boy grimaced. “My father disappeared two nights ago. Taken off the streets and killed, the soldiers expect. They are searching for his body beyond London’s walls. If you had not let me go the other night, Maman would have been facing this alone.” He straightened his shoulders. “She’s strong. Don’t get me wrong. But it would have been a terrible blow to lose—”

  Sybil stepped forward and patted the boy’s shoulder, frowning at Anton who did not seem to have unbent one little bit. “It is a very kind offer, Micael,” she murmured. “The best thing you can do to help is forget you ever saw us.”

  “Yes,” Anton said relaxing a fraction.

  “Where are you going?” Micael asked.

  Anton looked at him. “We have information for the King. For his ears alone.”

  “He’s been taken ill.”

  “What?”

  “It’s a rumour, but Maman says there’s no smoke—”

  “Without a fire,” Sybil completed.

  The boy nodded. “If he’s not ill, then he’s taken to his bed for some other reason, because he did not attend Council last night.”

  Anton cursed under his breath. The soldiers had lied. “He is in his private chambers?”

  “And the soldiers have orders to keep every one away.”

  “Whose orders?

  “General Sergai’s. His men are guarding the King.”

  “Not the King’s Shadow Guard?”

  The boy shook his head. “They have not been seen since yesterday morning. It is very strange. Rumours are flying around the Citadel that the King is going to abdicate in favour of General Sergai. Because he failed to stop the killings.”

  “Gods of the Abyss! I have to see him.”

  The boy looked nervous. “There’s a secret way in to the King’s chambers.” He lowered his voice. “My father was a footman to King Ludwig who was a bit of a man for the ladies.” He went a fiery red. “It was Papa’s job to smuggle them in and out.”

  Ludwig. The name explained everything. “You can show me this secret way in?” Anton asked.

  Micael closed his eyes for a second. “I made a copy of the key.” He flushed. “I only used it once. You must promise not to tell anyone. I wouldn’t like people saying Papa was derelict in his duty.”

  Anton stuck out a hand. “My
oath on it.”

  The lad wiped his hand down his coat skirts and took Anton’s hand. He looked stunned and glanced at Sybil. “It’s not everyone who gets to shake the Hand of Death.”

  What? She looked at Anton, who shook his head. A warning. Very well. She would let it go, for now.

  Micael turned about and led them back the way he had come. Half way along there was a large ornamental stone, it looked like some sort of carving.

  Micael drew a twisted metal object from his pocket, pressed it into the carving and a section of the wall swung inwards.

  “Ingenious,” Anton said. He did not sound impressed.

  They stepped inside what proved to be a narrow passage. The ceiling skimmed Anton’s head.

  Micael locked the door behind them.

  As they walked down the corridor, there were always three lit lanterns ahead of them and three behind. The rest of the passage was in complete darkness.

  Dread filled Sybil. Would she ever feel daylight again.

  Anton squeezed her hand and a sense of well-being filled her. How very strange.

  Anton put a hand on Micael’s shoulder, bringing the young man to a halt. “Where exactly does this tunnel come out?”

  “The King’s bedroom, behind a tapestry.”

  Gods. “That’s a hell of a security risk. Someone else has to know about it. I’ll wager my best boots it is sealed or guarded at the other end.”

  “I could use a new pair of boots.” Micael chuckled at his own joke. “I suppose someone might have found it since the last time I used it.” Clearly he didn’t think so.

  “When was that?”

  “Vlad’s coronation. I waited until everyone was gone then snuck through the bedroom and into the Great Hall.” He had the grace to look shamefaced.

  Anton swallowed the urge to laugh. Boys. He and Vlad had been no different. They would have loved to have found a secret entrance in the King’s bedroom. The jokes they would have played. The old King would have given them a good whipping for it though.

  The tunnel wound on and on and every time Anton felt Sybil grow restless, he gave her hand a squeeze and it seemed to help her calm. They stopped at yet another carving. Whoever had designed this, they’d done a good job. When you were a King you could afford the best.

  Once more Micael dug out his key. The hairs on Anton’s nape rose. The lad could open the door to reveal Sergai and his men waiting with drawn weapons. But his instincts said that it wasn’t so. He decided to trust in his instincts.

  The door opened inwards. In front of them was the back of a tapestry Anton knew well. They were inside Vlad’s bedroom. He drew his dagger. “Wait here, both of you.”

  Micael started to draw his sword, but Anton shook his head. “I’ll need you to get Miss Lofstrom away to safety if anything goes wrong.”

  Sybil looked far from pleased, but when he held her gaze, willing her to agree, she nodded. He breathed a sigh of relief. “Another thing, Sybil. Whatever happens don’t tell anyone what you can see until I say it is safe to do so.”

  Her eyes widened. “Will they believe us about that house?”

  His skin tightened over his scalp. To tell anyone at court that she saw through shadows would put her in so much danger he couldn’t think about it. But not telling them was equally bad. “I have served my King loyally for more than two hundred years. If he doesn’t believe me now, then nothing we can say will help.”

  He pushed the tapestry aside and stepped into the dimly lit room. One candle on the table. A tall figure sitting with his elbows on it, with his head in his hands, looked about as miserable as any man could.

  “Your Majesty,” Anton said softly. “Vlad.”

  Vlad rose to his feet staring as if he was seeing a ghost. He looked over Anton’s shoulder as if sensing others. “What the devil. Anton?”

  “I heard you were ill.”

  “I heard you had gone over to the Pretender.”

  He cursed. “Never. What the hell is going on?”

  “A coup. I have failed to protect our people. Sergai has assumed the Regency for my own good.” He sounded bitter. “His soldiers guard my door, while Sergai discusses terms of our surrender with my Council. He insists we cannot fight after your so-called defection, since you know everything about the Citadel. When I said I did not believe you had betrayed us, he locked me in here. The Council is to make the proclamation at first dark tomorrow.”

  “The Shadow Guard agreed to this?”

  Vlad shook his head wearily. “He took them by surprise during the change. When they realized they had been tricked they fought to get to me. Two died. The rest are imprisoned. I should be glad he didn’t have them killed.”

  Anton went down on one knee and placed his hand flat on his chest, bowing his head. “Majesty. I will do all in my power to ensure General Sergai pays for this insult to your person.”

  The King squeezed his shoulder. “I should have known you would never betray me. But Anton, what can two men do against an army? Sergai has them all convinced I am useless.”

  “There are four of us,” a feminine voice declared.

  The King started as Sybil and Micael stepped out from behind the tapestry. His lips curved in a wry smile. “I don’t suppose you have an army back there?”

  “I wish we did,” Micael said fiercely.

  “Please, introduce your friends to me, Anton,” Vlad said with a lift of a brow.

  “This is Miss Sybil Lofstrom,” Anton said.

  Sybil curtseyed deep. “Your Majesty.”

  Vlad gave a small wry smile. “Wouldn’t that make Sergai happy. A human woman in the King’s bedroom.”

  If Vlad knew the truth of what Sybil really was, he wouldn’t be nearly so calm. Anton pulled Sybil close to his side and gestured to the boy.

  “Micael Kessler.” Micael’s eyes were as wide as saucers. He went down on one knee. “Majesty.”

  The King narrowed his eye on the boy. “I know that name, I think.”

  “My father was a footman, Sire.”

  Vlad nodded. “Micael.” He glanced at the tapestry. “I assume that’s a way out.”

  “It leads into the old part of the Citadel,” Anton said. “We were lucky not to run into any soldiers before we found it.”

  “Not really,” Vlad said, with a weary sigh. “Sergai called them all back to barracks an hour ago. Awaiting orders.”

  Anton bit back a curse. “We found where the killers are hiding. A house near St Giles.”

  Vlad’s face darkened. “How can this be? Sergai’s men have searched the whole city several times. And so did my guard.”

  Anton tensed. The king and his men hadn’t had the benefit of help from the Fae. “We followed one of them.”

  Vlad paced to the desk, then struck his fist in his palm. “Demons of the Abyss, I must let Sergai know. We will attack at first dark.” His expression turned bleak. “If I can convince Regent Sergai to do so, that is.”

  “There is something else,” Sybil said.

  She gave Anton a defiant look when he frowned at her. “Something I wasn’t yet able to mention to Anton. There was a young man inside the house who seemed to be in charge. I have been wracking my brains trying to think where I saw him.” She took a deep breath. “The moment I saw you, I recalled. He was sitting beside you at Carlton House on the night of the Prince of Wales’ banquet.”

  Anton cursed under his breath.

  The King’s eyes widened. “Prince David?” He shook his head. “I cannot believe it.”

  “He is the Pretender’s son and heir,” Anton said. “He did come here as Ludwig’s hostage.”

  “He is my cousin. My friend. He swore he did not approve of his father’s attempt to take the throne. He was the only one who spoke up for me in Council.”

  “He seemed to be in charge,” Sybil said.

  The King paled. He turned away to hide his dismay, but Anton saw by the set of his shoulders that this was yet another bitter blow.

  “Yo
ur Majesty,” he said. “Now we know where our enemy lies we can deal with him.”

  “Not without Sergai’s support,” Vlad said bitterly. “He always said I was too young to rule. This was his chance to prove it. He will listen to nothing I have to say.”

  “What is needed is a small group of men loyal to your majesty,” Sybil said.

  “You have those men, your Majesty,” Micael said. He went scarlet when all eyes turned on him. He swallowed hard. “Not soldiers. But loyal subjects. My friends. Men who would die for your Majesty, as I would.”

  The King strode over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “You are a good man, Micael.” He shook his head. “It wouldn’t be right to put untrained boys against professional soldiers.”

  “We need the Shadow Guard.” Anton said.

  Vlad’s eyes glittered. Rage and sorrow and power were a lightning storm in their depths. “Sergai accused them of treachery when they would not obey his orders. If their minds aren’t broken by now, their bodies will be.”

  “Why would they treat them so cruelly?” Sybil asked looking shocked.

  “Because they are dangerous to Sergai. Like me, they owe their allegiance only to the King.” Anton said. “If he had let them go free, they would have killed him.”

  “If they are alive, they will be fortunate.“ Vlad’s face shuttered. “Or perhaps not. Damn him.”

  Distaste flittered across her face. Clearly she did not approve of violence. “There is one thing I do not understand,” she said.

  Vlad frowned. “What is that, my dear?”

  “Why do your enemies need physical cloaks in order to disappear?”

  Both men stared at her. “Vampires don’t use cloaks,” Vlad said. “We call it cloaking, when we walk in the shadows, but it is not a physical cloak to be put on and taken off.” He frowned at Anton. “You should not have told her our secret.”

  Anton held his breath, praying Sybil would not give herself away.

  “The one I followed had one. I watched him take it off inside the house. It had a hood and covered him from head to toe. My eyes blurred when he moved.”

  Anton felt his blood grow cold. “Magic? Not possible. It has been forbidden for three hundred years.”