by Brooklyn Ann
What about Madame Renarde? Vivian’s conscience prodded her. Guilt knotted her belly. She’d hardly spared a thought for her dearest friend in the past few nights. Was her uncle taking care of her and had he sent for a doctor? Was he treating her with kindness or cruelty?
Vivian slumped back on the cot and sighed. She couldn’t abandon her best friend. But she didn’t want to be parted from Rhys either.
Why did this situation have to be so hopeless?
A key rattled in the lock of the cave door. Vivian’s heart leapt in her throat. Rhys had made it back safely. She ran to his side the moment he entered the cave.
“He paid the ransom,” Rhys said hollowly, withdrawing a sack of jingling coins from his pocket. He took out a few pounds and put the sack in a hidden compartment behind his bunk.
For a few moments, Vivian’s heart refused to beat. It lay frozen and aching in her breast. Her time with Rhys was over. In mere hours, she’d never see him again.
She struggled to form a smile. “Your family is saved at last.”
“Yes.” He did not sound as pleased as she’d expected. “Soon I will have accomplished all I set out to achieve. Emily can pay off the mortgage, and the farm will be restored to my family at last.”
“Where will you go after you’ve given the money to Emily?” Impossible as it was, she hoped there was some slim chance that she’d see him again.
“I will have to leave the country. It is no longer safe for me to remain here after what I’ve done.” Something in his tone conveyed less optimism than his words. “I’m going to try to find passage for the Americas. I’m told that rogues can find a fresh start there.”
“I hope you make it there safely and no longer have to run.” Still, a sudden anger filled her. It shouldn’t be that way in the first place. “It’s not fair. My uncle will be getting back the money he paid, and you will have to flee anyway. I wish there was some way that—”
“There is no way.” Rhys paced in front of the cave door, his head down so his hair concealed his expression. “What I’ve done is unforgivable in vampire society. There is no Lord Vampire who would shelter me. Even most rogues would slay me if they knew of my deeds.”
When he looked up, Vivian saw the hopelessness in his eyes. She remembered that he’d been resolved to die the last time they’d spoken of his fate after the ransom was paid. Only now he tried to reassure her, but she knew the truth. He didn’t expect to make it out of the country. He expected to be caught and killed. If his family didn’t need the money, she would have begged him to take her with him. Perhaps together, they could be safe and happy.
With utmost reluctance, she abandoned that dream. Besides, she couldn’t leave Madame Renarde anymore than Rhys could allow his family to lose their home. “When are you returning me to my uncle?”
“Tonight.” Rhys’s voice sounded hoarse. “I will take you to an inn in Lytham, where you may send a note to him tomorrow morning.”
She gasped in shock. “So soon? But I thought we’d have a little more time together.”
Rhys shook his head, his features contorted with pain. “I’m sorry. The journey is long, and I must be able to return to the cave before sunrise.” He took a shuddering breath. “Let’s pack your things.”
Vivian opened her mouth to refuse, but the bleak reality froze the words in her throat, reducing them to a heavy lump. Together, they filled a valise he’d previously stolen with a nightgown, the dress she’d worn the night he abducted her, and the carved animals she and Madame Renarde had chosen.
“I also want you to take my sword,” Rhys said. “Not only in case anyone tries to accost you during the day while you wait for your uncle, but also because you’re the only one I know who will appreciate it.”
He unlocked his sword case and withdrew the blade from an intricate tooled leather scabbard. The rapier’s hilt had an elaborately crafted silver hand guard that she’d admired when they’d dueled. The pommel was carved in the shape of a queen chess piece, something she hadn’t notice before.
She spoke through the heavy lump in her throat. “It’s beautiful.”
“I took it from the captain of a Spanish galleon in the late seventeenth century.” Sadness infused Rhys’s smile. “It’s the only thing I have left from my mortal life.”
“I will treasure it always,” she said as he handed her the blade and scabbard. Not even the sword that Uncle had given her was so fine and well-balanced as this one.
“You should give the other to Madame Renarde.”
“No!” Vivian said quickly. “Not that she wouldn’t appreciate another sword for her meager collection. But you must have something to defend yourself with.”
He sighed. “You have a point, though I fear it will do me little good if Lord Thornton catches me. I will not harm your kin.”
“He can heal quick as you,” she said, unable to hide her bitterness. “I’m afraid I cannot feel charitable towards him if he seeks to kill the man I love.”
Rhys uttered a humorless laugh. “The man you love is a criminal whom your uncle is fully justified to execute.” He tilted her chin up to meet his gaze. “But I don’t want to spend our last moments quibbling.”
“I don’t either.” Vivian wrapped her arms around his waist. “Make love to me one last time?”
He undressed and had her clothing off so quickly it was like magic. Kissing her hungrily, he lifted her against the wall of the cave and thrust inside her so hard she gasped. Vivian clung to his shoulders and gave herself over to the new sensations.
From this angle, her pleasure was threefold. She felt him reach a place deep inside her that sang with every thrust, even as the walls of her sheathe clenched his hardness. But the best part was that the base of his shaft ground against her swollen bud, which sang with the sweet friction of his movements.
The climax swept over her in a sudden storm, making her scream his name as lightning seemed to flicker through her clitoris while a heavier explosion erupted deeper within.
“I love you,” Rhys groaned and shuddered inside her, his thrusts rocking her into another cascade of bliss.
Too soon, it was over, and he set her down. Vivian placed her hand on the wall to steady herself as she caught her breath and willed her knees to stop quaking.
Adoration shone in his eyes as he smiled. “I wish there was time for another round, but we must go now.”
After they dressed, Rhys shoved her valise in his pack, along with the sword. “I’m sorry, but I’ll have to blindfold you again.”
Vivian’s heart sank as her last hope of somehow finding him again was crushed. “Why?”
“It is very likely that Lord Thornton will drink your blood to see your memories. I’d rather them not lead him back here.” Rhys pulled a scarf from his pack and tied it behind her head.
He lifted her in his arms and she jolted as he took off running. She couldn’t feel his footsteps, only a rapid jouncing and a strong wind against her face and body. How fast was he going? After what seemed like an hour, he set her down, panting with exertion. If not for his firm grip on her shoulders, she would have toppled from dizziness.
When he removed the blindfold, Vivian saw a sign with a carved owl swinging in the wind. The Owl Inn, it read. Rhys pressed a few coins into her palm. “This is where I must leave you, so the innkeeper doesn’t see me.”
Her chest ached with the sense of impending loss as she threw herself into his arms. “Oh, Rhys, I can’t bear it!”
“You’ll have to.” He kissed her long and deep, and Vivian sought to memorize the taste of his mouth and the softness of his lips.
Tears ran down her cheeks as he released her. “Forever,” she whispered, her soul contorting with grief. “My love will be forever.”
“Goodbye, Vivian,” he said. “I’ll love you always.”
And then he was gone.
Numb with agony, Vivian shouldered the heavy valise and trudged into the inn. The innkeeper regarded her with a querulous glare at her
late arrival, but changed his tune when he saw her coin.
After a servant led her up to her room, Vivian collapsed on the bed unable to hold in her sobs. Only minutes after being parted from Rhys and she already missed him like a severed limb.
A creaking sound made her lift her head. The window had blown open. She began to rise from the bed to close it when strong arms enfolded her.
“Not just yet,” Rhys whispered, pulling her into his lap. “It will be the death of me, but I’ll stay until dawn.”
Vivian couldn’t summon the words to voice her joy. Instead, she covered his face with kisses and plunged her hands in his long, silken hair. He removed her dress and worshipped every inch of her with his hands and mouth. She tore at his shirt, impatient to have him bared before her one last time.
As he thrust inside her, he looked down at her and smiled. “It feels so good to have you in a real bed.”
And have her he did, long and well. He had her a second time, and a third, giving Vivian more memories to cherish.
“I love you,” he whispered again and again as he held her in his arms.
She fell asleep listening to the beating of his heart.
But when she awoke in the morning, a ray of white light streamed through the window across place where Rhys had been only hours ago.
Vivian had never hated the sight of the sun as much as she did that moment.
Chapter Twenty-four
When Aldric rose for the night, Fitz, the butler, greeted him in the parlor. “My lord, this note arrived for you this afternoon.”
“Thank you, Fitz.” Aldric took the note and tried to maintain composure as he opened the envelope and withdrew the sheet of foolscap.
The sight of Vivian’s handwriting made his hands tremble with anticipation. The words were short, but sweet.
Dearest Uncle,
I am staying at the Owl Inn in Lytham. I am faring quite well, but I would be most obliged if you would fetch me home.
Sincerely,
Vivian Stratford
Aldric heaved a sigh of utmost relief. The promise had been fulfilled. At last, Vivian would return to the safety of his home. And then he would be able to deal with the rogue vampire without risk of her being harmed.
“Fitz, tell Jeffries to ready the carriage,” Aldric told the waiting butler. “Then tell Madame Renarde that Miss Stratford will be arriving shortly.”
“Very good, my lord.” Fitz bowed and strode off to complete his duties.
Aldric gnashed his teeth with impatience as he waited for the carriage. While it was practical for a vampire to have elderly servants, it was not efficient.
At last, Jeffries came through the front door. “The carriage is ready, my lord.”
Although Aldric wanted to go straight to Lytham, precautions must be made. “Take me to the Gordon’s Pub,” he directed once he was seated in the conveyance.
Once they arrived at the tavern that his second in command owned, Aldric found Bonnie in her usual corner.
“My niece has been released and is staying at an inn in Lytham,” he told her. “Will you come with me to collect her?”
“Of course, my lord.” Bonnie set her book aside and rose from her overstuffed chair. She regarded him with an arched brow. “You paid the villain off?”
Aldric nodded. “Yes. But if I have my way, he will not keep his ill-gotten gains and all his efforts will be for naught.”
When they went out to the carriage, Bonnie commanded Jeffries to sleep and took up the reins. The eight-mile drive seemed to last an eternity. If it weren’t for nosy neighbors and his servants, Aldric would have ran to Lytham himself and carried Vivian home.
At least Bonnie was as efficient a driver as Jeffries and they arrived at the inn at a quarter to seven.
“Would you like me to accompany you?” Bonnie asked. “Another woman’s presence can be reassuring.”
Aldric shook his head. “Stay with Jeffries.”
The last thing he needed was one of his people to witness an emotional outburst if Vivian was indeed traumatized by the events of her abduction. Or worse, fear or revulsion at knowing what he was.
Aldric froze in the doorway of the Owl Inn. Just as promised, Vivian sat at the polished wooden bar, nursing a cup of ale, and reading a newspaper. His heart and lungs suddenly felt like they were clamped in a vice. Until this moment, he’d never realized how much he cared for her, how much he’d worried for her safety.
From her straight spine and relaxed shoulders, she appeared unharmed, though the downward turn of her lips and the crease between her brows radiated melancholy.
“Vivian?” he said softly.
She turned and Aldric braced himself for a look of fear, accusation, or both.
Then, to his disbelief, she rose from her seat and ran into his arms. “Uncle, I am glad you came.”
He marveled at her lack of fear of what he was. Not caring that they were in a public place, he kissed the top of her head. “I am sorry I did not pay the ransom sooner,” he whispered. “I was—”
“Rhys explained your reasonings,” she said with an offhand wave.
“Oh?” His eyebrow lifted. This rogue presumed to know his mind? “Let us depart and you can tell me what he said about my reasoning at home.” He set a guinea on the bar, took her elbow, and led her outside.
Vivian squinted curiously at Bonnie and the sleeping Jeffries, but before she could question that, Aldric handed her up into the carriage. Now that they’d left the inn, with its miasma of food and beer and humans, the other vampire’s scent radiated from Vivian. Aldric suppressed a growl. His primitive instincts to find the interloper and drive a sword through his heart clanged through his head like the peals of a bell.
His niece seemed to sense his ire, but held her tongue through the rest of the ride. Aldric was thankful for that, since he did not wish for Bonnie to be privy to just how sticky this situation had become.
And Bonnie was indeed squirming with curiosity. Aldric gave her a warning glare as Jeffries was awakened near Gordon’s Tavern. She departed with a bow that was more cheeky than meek.
“Who was that woman driving the carriage?” Vivian asked.
“It’s not important right now.” Aldric leaned forward and spoke to Jeffries. “Please take us back to Thornton Manor.”
“Very good, my lord. And may I say that it is a delight to see Miss Stratford again?”
“Thank you, Jeffries,” Vivian called up from her seat. “I’m pleased to see you as well.”
The remainder of the ride home passed in silence, but once they arrived at Thornton Manor, Vivian asked to see Madame Renarde.
Aldric shook his head. “She is recovering from her illness and still resting, and we must talk.”
Once they were seated in his study, Aldric poured them each a glass of wine. As she sipped her wine, he studied her, frowning at her shabby attire, ungloved hands, and wistful eyes. The reek of the other vampire continued to taunt him. The cad hadn’t Marked her, but he may as well have. “Now what exactly did this rogue tell you about my end of our dealings?”
Vivian spoke in a soothing tone, as if to placate Aldric. “Rhys said that you originally believed him to be a human, and so it would be damaging to your reputation as a Lord Vampire to allow a mortal to best you.”
That was true, yet Aldric stewed with vexation that a strange vampire had been able to assess him with such accuracy. “Why did he even bother trying to explain my original refusal to pay?”
“Because at first I was hurt and thought you did not care about me.” Vivian regarded him with a sad smile. “He wished to assure me that you did.”
Aldric closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Ever since he’d found Vivian to be missing, and received the first ransom letter, nothing had gone as he’d expected. This rogue, Rhys, had been concerned about his captive’s feelings. Yet another indication that Rhys was too soft to be in the business of kidnapping. Sadly for him, that horse had already left the barn.
Soft as he may be, the rogue had still abducted the blood kin of a Lord Vampire and extorted money. And from what Madame Renarde had said, Rhys had likely done more than that.
“Did he feed on you?” Aldric demanded, eager to gather up sins to lay at the rogue’s feet.
“Twice.” Vivian lifted her chin as if proud of the fact. “Once when he showed me what he was. The second time was because I asked him to so that he did not have to risk going out.”
“How do you know it was only twice?” Aldric pressed, even though part of him knew it was cruel. “A vampire usually banishes his victim’s memory after he feeds.”
“I was not his victim.” Red flags of anger streamed across her cheeks.
“You were, though.” Aldric couldn’t stop prodding her apparent wound. Her look of besotted heartbreak filled him with righteous indignation. “He took you from the carriage and held you against your will to extort money out of me.”
“He did it to save his family!” Vivian retorted. “And I know he didn’t feed from me without my knowledge because Rhys had honor, even if he is a rogue, as you call him.” Her eyes narrowed and she her lip curled in a grimace. “Did you ever feed from me?”
“Certainly not.” Aldric held up his hands, aghast at the notion. “You are my kin and were under my care.”
“I was under Rhys’s care as well. One does not wish to harm a hostage.” Her tone was victorious as she pressed her argument. “He went out for his meals, same as you. And I do not see why it matters. As you can see, I am unharmed from the ordeal.”
“Unharmed?” Aldric echoed, stunned at her lack of comprehension as to the gravity of the situation. “The whoreson has ruined your life and placed you in grave danger! He compromised you the moment he abducted you. I may have been able to salvage the situation and keep that sordid fact secret had he not shown you his fangs. In doing so, he’s ruined any hope of you finding a husband and living a normal life. And if I did not care for you as much as he’d wagered, he very well could have signed your death warrant. Humans cannot know of our kind and be permitted to live.”