Bite at First Sight

by Brooklyn Ann

  Cassandra smiled. “He was my only option, I’m afraid. No other practitioner in Town takes me seriously due to my sex.”

  The vampire gave her a sympathetic chuckle. “I do hope that will change.” She grinned at Thomas. “Well, it is a pity. We could use more of your sort.”

  “You honor me, madam.” Thomas bowed. “Are you certain I won’t remember a thing?”

  The Elders nodded in unison before the Scottish one answered. “If you’d like to return home now, we shall take you there and you will wake up believing this was a dream. If you’d like to remain with your colleague, then we will make you believe one of them found you drunk at a tavern and invited you to join yon festivities.” He gestured toward the fireworks.

  Thomas sighed. “I don’t drink, sir. Besides, after such a madcap evening, all I want is to go home.” He turned to Cassandra and bowed. “Despite the harrowing experience, it was an honor to work beside you this night, my lady. You are a fine doctor.”

  “Thank you, Thomas, for all you’ve done for me.” Cassandra rubbed a bit of stray moisture from her eye and took his hand. “It is probably best that we do not see each other anymore. However, I shall always remain a faithful reader of The Lancet.”

  The surgeon smiled. “I hope the publication continues long enough to have faithful readers.” He turned to leave with the Elders.

  “Wait.” Rafe stepped forward. “Which vampire brought you here, Wakley?”

  Thomas gave Cassandra a panicked glance. “He said his name was Eric.”

  “Eric, come here.”

  Eric reluctantly shuffled over and knelt. “Yes, my lord?”

  “You made a very dangerous decision, bringing a mortal in our midst, especially during a battle.”

  “I know, my lord, but Lady Rosslyn—”

  Rafe waved off his words. “Yes, I know. It was, however, a very wise decision that saved many lives. I am promoting you to serve as my third-in-command. Elizabeth is now my second due to losing Anthony.”

  Eric blinked in pleased surprise. “My lord, I am honored to accept.”

  “Good. Now round up all the vampires who remain standing so we can sort out the prisoners and see to the dead. A pyre needs to be built.”

  Seeing that Rafe had everything under control, the Scottish and German Elder vampires escorted Thomas home. The American, Swedish, and Roman Elders followed, taking a squalling Hamish with them.

  The Lord of Rochester bade Rafe and Cassandra farewell afterward.

  “I am in your debt,” Rafe told him.

  Rochester grinned. “I know.”

  The prisoners were hauled onto carts or carried off by Rafe’s people to be judged and sentenced later. Cassandra forced herself not to dwell on the matter.

  Next came the building of the pyre and the gathering and identification of the dead. The gruesome task took hours. Unfortunately she could not hide from the sight and smell of the multitude of dead vampires burning on the pyre.

  Sensing her distress, Rafe stroked her back in soothing motions. “Twice as many would have perished if it weren’t for you, Querida.”

  The Lord of Blackpool kissed her hand before leaving with his retinue. “It was a pleasure to meet a woman worth fighting for.”

  The remaining London vampires left the battlefield, all bowing and paying homage to her on the way out. Despite her face burning from the attention, she held her chin high and gracefully acknowledged their praise.

  Only Vincent, Lydia, Rafe, Cassandra, and Neko, the Lord Vampire of Edo, remained.

  As they watched the flames burn away all evidence of the carnage, Rafe pulled Cassandra into his arms. “At first I wanted my arm back to feel whole again and to not appear weak before my enemies. Now I only want it to hold you.”

  Epilogue

  Three months later

  Cassandra wiped her brow as she bent over her patient, wrapping her hands around the vampire’s forearm.

  She met the studious gazes of her three students. “To heal this arm properly, it must be broken again. We must work quickly before he wakes up. Now hold him down.”

  Akio and Hiroshi seized the patient’s shoulders, watching closely as Cassandra used her new preternatural strength to snap the bone that had healed the wrong way.

  “Kaito, hand me the splint.”

  Quickly she splinted and bound the arm, just in time, before the patient woke up, hissing in pain. Akio gave him a small dram of laudanum.

  “You did very well,” she told her students.

  Neko, the Lord Vampire of Edo, had called in her favor from Cassandra the week before. She’d sent three of her vampires to London as soon as Rafe established a hospital where Cassandra could treat their people. Cassandra was teaching the vampires of Edo medicine so they could have their own healing establishment.

  Thankfully, they spoke English, were extremely competent, and had no hostility in taking orders from a female. Such a refreshing change from her experiences in the mortal world.

  The only drawback to the experience was watching the Japanese vampires endure English ignorance. Several times they had to be restrained when they were laughingly called “Chinaman.”

  “Remember, you can bite them all you like. Just do not kill them,” Rafe had admonished.

  Cassandra sympathized. She herself had preyed on nearly every man who’d mocked her for her sex. And with the blood of an ancient running through her veins, she had to take care to control her strength.

  “Someday, you may be more powerful than me,” Rafe had teased, though his eyes were serious.

  Just thinking of Rafe made her pulse quicken with anticipation.

  She bade her students to clean up the operating area and packed away her supplies before putting her gold-and-emerald wedding ring back on her finger. They had been married on Christmas Eve.

  Hiroshi remained behind with the patient while Kaito and Akio walked out with her.

  “Thank you for your lesson, Dr. Villar.” Kaito bowed before he and Akio turned in the opposite direction to return to their flat.

  Once she returned to Burnrath House, it was all she could do not to throw herself into her husband’s arms.

  As if sensing her need, he pulled her into his embrace. “Querida, I’ve missed you. How was your evening?”

  “Quite well. My students helped me reset James’s arm. I think it shall heal correctly. Their training is progressing well. Honestly, I am happy to pay the Lord of Edo this favor.”

  “Thank God she hasn’t called hers in from me yet.” Something in his tone made her look up at him with concern.

  “What is it?”

  “I’ve received letters from Blackpool and Rochester, calling in their debts. Blackpool wants me to keep an eye on his great-niece when she makes her debut this Season. That’s easy enough, though quite a nuisance. However Rochester…” He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “He wants Lenore.”

  “Lenore?” Cassandra’s chest tightened at the thought of the frail vampire who had been kidnapped and tortured by Clayton’s rogues. “What does he want with her?”

  “He didn’t specify except to say that he needed more vampires with her loyalty and courage.” Rafe gave a rueful shrug. “I don’t think he means her ill, but she is still terrified of being in the company of males. I do not know if she can handle the strain of changing territories.”

  After all Lenore had been through, Cassandra could not blame her. She wished she could heal wounds to the mind and soul, but that was beyond her power. “Is there any way you could refuse?”

  “No. I promised I would give him anything he asked, except for my territory.” Rafe shook his head. “The blackguard actually jested by asking for you first.”

  Before Cassandra could respond to that irreverence, Eric entered the study. “The Duke and Duchess of Burnrath are here to see you, my lor
d.”

  Rafe’s eyes widened as Ian and Angelica strode into the room. “I apologize for the delay, Rafe. Due to my wife’s desire to run pell-mell across the Continent, your message reached me only last week.” Ian rubbed the back of his neck. “I am relieved to see that you came through your ordeal successfully.”

  Angelica gave Rafe an apologetic look before her eyes widened at the sight of Cassandra. “Lady Rosslyn! What are you doing here?”

  Cassandra grinned, showing her fangs. “It is Doctor Villar now.”

  Ian chuckled. “Ah, so that situation was also resolved.”

  “Yes, my wife is the first vampire physician. I’ve opened a hospital so she can treat our people.” He raised his left arm and wiggled his fingers. “I was her first patient.”

  The ducal vampires gaped like landed fish. Ian recovered himself first. “I see you have a long story to tell me.”

  Rafe nodded and rang for port. “Very long.”

  Author’s Note

  Thomas Wakley (1795–1862) was an English surgeon, pugilist, political activist, and the founder of the prestigious medical journal The Lancet.

  He became a surgeon at the age of twenty-two after taking anatomy classes and becoming a member of the Royal College of Surgeons. In 1820 he set up his own practice and started a family. Shortly after Wakley was comfortably established, he was attacked by a mysterious mob in his own home, and his house was set aflame. Many suspected it was the Thistlewood gang, who wrongly blamed Wakley for decapitating the bodies of their cohorts after they were executed for treason. The insurance company suspected that Wakley had set fire to his own house.

  Despite such tragedy, Wakley persevered. He won his case with the insurance company, purchased another house, and reinstated his practice. In 1823, he and his associates began publishing The Lancet, a weekly medical journal that is still in circulation today.

  In 1831 he attempted to launch the London College of Medicine, a rival institution to the Royal College of Surgeons claiming, “The Council of the College of Surgeons remains an irresponsible, unreformed monstrosity in the midst of English institutions—an antediluvian relic of all…that is most despotic and revolting, iniquitous and insulting, on the face of the earth.” The London College of Medicine would have been a democratic institution with no biases based on religion or social standing. The project failed, but the call for reform was made.

  In 1835, Wakley became a radical member of Parliament in the House of Commons and spoke out for medical reform as well as improved laws and conditions for the working poor.

  With Wakley’s apparent passion for social equality, I believe he would have supported a woman’s quest to pursue a career in medicine and thus he became the perfect mentor for Cassandra.

  Speaking of Cassandra, unfortunately medicine was still primitive in her time, though she arrived on the cusp of advances. Pain medication and anesthetics were in their infancy. Common treatments available were laudanum, morphine, and cannabis—the latter of which is perfect for a vampire’s limited metabolic capability.

  Ether and nitrous oxide were experimental measures soon to become commonplace in the late nineteenth century. However, in Cassandra’s time, most people were using those substances for their euphoric side effects without realizing their medical capabilities. Fortunately for Rafe, his doctor possessed a broader mind.

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to everyone who helped me bring Rafe and Cassandra to life on the page. Thanks to Megan Records and Skye Agnew for the awesome edits. Thanks to my critique buddies, Shona Husk, Terry Spear, Shelly Martin, Bonnie R. Paulson, and Millie McClaine.

  Thanks to those who helped me with the medical research, Wendy Masten, Bonnie Paulson, and my college biology teacher, David Foster.

  Thank you to Kent Butler who gave me a quiet place to write during a hectic college year and kept cheering on my word count.

  Thanks to my buddies at Gus’s Pub and all of my friends and family for the encouragement and support.

  Thank you for reading!

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  Bite Me, Your Grace

  by Brooklyn Ann

  London’s Lord Vampire has problems

  Dr. John Polidori’s tale “The Vampyre” burst upon the Regency scene along with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein after that notorious weekend spent writing ghost stories with Lord Byron.

  A vampire craze broke out instantly in the haut ton.

  Now Ian Ashton, the Lord Vampire of London, has to attend tedious balls, linger in front of mirrors, and eat lots of garlic in an attempt to quell the gossip.

  If that weren’t annoying enough, his neighbor Angelica Winthrop has literary aspirations of her own and is sneaking into his house at night just to see what she can find.

  Hungry, tired, and fed up, Ian is in no mood to humor his beautiful intruder…

  What readers are saying:

  “It was romantic and quirky and a lot of fun. The author writes with such heart. I can’t wait for her next one!”

  “I loved this book! Absolutely amazing!”

  For more Brooklyn Ann, visit:

  www.sourcebooks.com

  One Bite Per Night

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  He wanted her off his hands…

  Vincent Tremayne, the reclusive “Devil Earl,” has been manipulated into taking rambunctious Lydia Price as his ward. As Lord Vampire of Cornwall, Vincent has better things to do than bring out an unruly debutante.

  Now he’ll do anything to hold on…forever

  American-born Lydia Price doesn’t care for the stuffy strictures of the ton, and is unimpressed with her foppish suitors. She dreams of studying with the talented but scandalous British portrait painter, Sir Thomas Lawrence. But just when it seems her dreams will come true, Lydia is plunged into Vincent’s dark world and finds herself caught between the life she’s known and a future she never could have imagined.

  “Solid writing, a tasty dash of originality, and realistic relationships that zing with sexual energy. A strong sense of fun mixed with a little feminism keeps things lively and light, while the well-developed story keeps eyes on the page.” —Publishers Weekly

  For more Brooklyn Ann, visit:

  www.sourcebooks.com

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  When Ella Briley asked her lucky-in-love friends to set her up for an office party, she was expecting a blind date. Instead, she’s pulled through a magic mirror and into the past…straight into the arms of her very own Mr. Darcy.

  Patrick Meadowfair, Earl of Fairhaven, is too noble for his own good. To save a female friend from what is sure to be a loveless marriage, he’s agreed to whisk her off to wed the man she truly wants. But all goes awry when Patrick mistakes Ella for the would-be bride and kidnaps her instead.

  Centuries away from everything she knows, Ella’s finally found a man who heats her blood and leaves her breathless. Too bad he’s such a perfect gentleman. Yet the reluctant rake may just find this modern girl far too tempting for even the noblest of men to resist…

  Praise for Gina Lamm:

  “Gina Lamm writes excellent [time-travel romance] with humor and great storytelling.” —Books Like Breathing

  “Snappy writing and characters who share a surprising, spicy chemistry.” —RT Book Reviews

  For more Gina Lamm, visit:

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  Of Silk and Steam

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  Enemies. Allies. Lovers. How far will they go to protect their hearts?
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  When her father was assassinated, Lady Aramina swore revenge against the Duke of Caine. Leo Barrons, the duke’s heir, has long been her nemesis, and when she discovers he’s illegitimate, she finally has leverage against the one man who troubles her heart and tempts her body.

  Sentenced to death for his duplicity, Leo escapes by holding Lady Aramina captive. A woman of mystery, she’s long driven him crazy with glimpses of a fiery passion that lurks beneath her icy veneer. He knows she’s hiding something; he doesn’t know it’s the key to saving his life.

  Praise for Bec McMaster:

  “McMaster continues to demonstrate a flair for wildly imaginative, richly textured world-building.” —Booklist

  “Bec McMaster brilliantly weaves a world that engulfs your senses and takes you on a fantastical journey.” —Tome Tender

  For more Bec McMaster, visit:

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  Vampires are nothing but trouble…

  As far as beautiful vampire Sadie Pemberton is concerned, werewolves shouldn’t be sticking their noses into New York’s supernatural politics. They don’t know jack about running a city—not even that hot-as-sin new vampire-werewolf liaison who’s just arrived in town.

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  The last thing Killian Bane wanted was to end up in New York City playing nice with vampires. Unfortunately, he’s on a mission, and when he encounters the sexiest, most stubborn female vamp he’s ever met, he’s going to have to turn on a little of that wolfish charm…and Sadie’s going to learn a thing or two about what it means to have a wild side…

  Praise for the Dead in the City Series:

  “Humphreys is undoubtedly a rising star in the genre… The tension that unfolds between the vampires and the werewolves will have readers on the edge of their seats!” —RT Book Reviews