The Highwayman's Bite

by Brooklyn Ann

  While they waited, Thornton turned to Madame Renarde. “How in the name of heaven did you manage to deceive me into thinking I’d successfully banished your memories, break into my study, and discover where I was holding Rhys?”

  Madame Renarde shrugged. “Old habits. I was a spy, after all, trained by Le Chevalier herself.”

  “Picking the lock on your study was my idea,” Vivian said defensively. “I wanted to know if Rhys’s niece had received the money and paid the mortgage.”

  Her uncle regarded her with a chiding expression. “Believe me, I know when mischief occurs in this house, whose idea it was. I was merely curious as to how your unique companion carried off such impressive feats, rather than wishing to punish her for aiding you.”

  Madame Renarde spoke. “Thank you for your mercy, my lord. But I still suppose that I am now consigned to join the fold of your kind.”

  “By law, you should,” Thornton said. “However, as you were able to fool me, I think it likely that you will fool other vampires. If you do wish to be Changed, you have that choice.”

  “Not unless the only other choice is death,” Renarde answered. “I have transitioned from living as a man to living as a woman. I do not want to transition into a vampire as well. One double life is enough for me.”

  The footman returned with the wine for Vivian and whisky for the rest.

  “Thank you, Jeffries. You may retire for the remainder of the night.” When they were alone, Thornton sipped his whisky and turned to Vivian. “Before we discuss this abominable marriage, you must make a choice. Do you wish for me to Change you, or for him?” His thumb jerked back to point at Rhys as if Thornton couldn’t bear to look at him.

  Vivian glanced between the two vampires before taking a sip of wine and turning back to her uncle. “I would be more powerful if you did the deed, yes?”

  Rhys stiffened with hurt. He’d thought Vivian would choose him.

  “Yes. I am two hundred years his senior, so that means more power.” Thornton remained expressionless.

  “While I do like the idea of having power after being powerless for so long, I will opt with Rhys.” Vivian threaded her fingers through his. “I want to share a life with him, his name, and his blood.”

  “So be it.” Though it could have been Rhys’s imagination, for a moment it seemed there was a glimmer of hurt in Thornton’s steely grey eyes. But when he turned to Rhys, his expression was glacial as ever. “I suppose I had better legitimize you now. Kneel before me.”

  Rhys slid off the couch to his knees and faced the vampire who would be his new lord.

  Thornton stood and placed his hand on Rhys’s shoulder. “I, Aldric Cadell, Viscount of Thornton and Lord Vampire of Blackpool accept you, Rhys Berwyn as one of my citizens. Do you solemnly swear to keep my secrets, and obey me for as long as you live?”

  “I do so swear,” Rhys said.

  Aldric bit his finger and held the bleeding digit toward him. “With my blood, your oath is sealed.”

  Rhys felt a jolt of power as he tasted the Lord Vampire’s blood. Power Vivian had rejected in favor of her bond with Rhys.

  With the blood oath complete, Aldric bade him to rise. “You are now a citizen of Blackpool and under my protection.” Rhys opened his mouth to give thanks, but Lord Thornton’s sinister smile gave him pause. “However, just because I’ve legitimized you and permitted you to marry and Change my niece does not mean I will not make you pay for the havoc you’ve caused.”

  “My lord?” Rhys asked with foreboding.

  “First, you will not be permitted to be alone with Vivian until after you’re married,” Aldric said. “Just because you’ve preempted your wedding night does not mean we shouldn’t maintain propriety.”

  Madame Renarde nodded with approval as Vivian and Rhys exchanged mournful glances.

  “That is reasonable.” Though he prayed the wedding would be soon. Besides, after days and nights locked in a dungeon, Rhys was content to merely be able to see Vivian and be near her.

  “Second,” Lord Thornton continued, “You will remain under constant supervision as long as I deem necessary.”

  Another logical decision, though Rhys knew he’d bristle at having someone breathing down his neck all the time. “With all due respect, my lord, for legitimacy, the security of my family, and having the woman I love by my side, I will endure anything.”

  “I will hold you to that,” Aldric said in an ominous tone. “Now I must give you a tour of the boundaries of the territory as well as have a few more words with you in private before I show you your sleeping quarters. You may bid my niece goodnight before we depart.”

  Rhys pulled Vivian into his arms. He didn’t care if Thornton objected to such intimacy. Right now, he needed the contact with her more than anything.

  “I love you,” he whispered as he felt her heart beat against his. “I never imagined I could ever be so happy.”

  “I love you too.” She rose up on her toes and kissed him.

  As his lips melded with hers, Rhys ignored her uncle’s muffled curse. No matter what Lord Thornton put him through, Vivian was worth it.

  Epilogue

  Six months later

  Vivian suppressed a groan as she watched Rhys straining to hold the massive beam in place for the barn. It was mere hours before dawn and her husband had just finished a long shift laboring for her Uncle, repairing a ship that he hardly ever chartered. Uncle Aldric had kept to his word to make Rhys pay for his crimes. He worked Vivian’s new husband like a dog.

  However, no matter what menial or laborious tasks Aldric put him through, Rhys constantly smiled as if each chore was a reward. His cheer drove her uncle mad, a constant reminder that no matter what he did, Rhys had gotten everything he wanted after all, the return of his family’s farm, safety for Emily and the children, legitimacy, and marriage to the woman he loved.

  The only times her uncle had abandoned his hostility towards Rhys was for the night he Changed Vivian, and her wedding night.

  Rhys had held her tenderly as he’d plunged his fangs into her neck, with uncle standing near, watching the proceedings with visible worry. Vivian had felt pure bliss at Rhys’s bite, then ecstasy when he’d brought his bleeding wrist to her mouth and she drank of his rich power.

  She ran her tongue along her new fangs and shivered, remembering how painful it was when they’d grown. Both her uncle and Rhys had held her hands and whispered comforting words as she’d writhed in agony. After the pain had come the thirst, which was thankfully assuaged by an unknown man that Uncle brought in.

  Her first taste of human blood had been nearly as heavenly as Rhys’s. Thank God that her uncle had stopped her before she took too much and killed the poor man. And oh, how fierce her hunger had been for the first few nights. If not for Rhys and Aldric at her side, she may not have been able to avoid the temptation to sink her teeth into every human who came near her. The first days had been awkward as well, joining her Rhys and her uncle for the day sleep inside the very dungeon in which he’d imprisoned Rhys. Uncle hadn’t even allowed them to share the same cell.

  She knew that wasn’t where uncle normally slept. He’d just wanted to further torture Rhys before the wedding, making the three of them bed down in the same chamber so she and Rhys couldn’t make love.

  Thankfully, that torment was brief. Uncle Aldric had sent for a special license, which arrived three nights after her transformation, and he immediately summoned a vicar. They’d been wed in a small ceremony at Thornton Manor with only Madame Renarde, Lord Thornton, and his second in command, Bonnie, as witnesses.

  Aldric then let the servants spread the word that Vivian’s disappearance had been a trip to Gretna Green. The gossip spread throughout Blackpool and now no one ever called on them.

  True to Uncle Aldric’s prediction, Vivian’s father had disowned her after receiving word that she’d eloped with a penniless commoner.

  Vivian was quite happy with that outcome, for it gave her more time w
ith Rhys, and to adjust to her new life as a vampire. Once married, Aldric allowed them to move to a house he owned that was only a few miles from Berwyn Farm.

  Rhys hadn’t been given an official position of employment yet, as Aldric seemed to be enjoying himself with assigning any and every grueling job he could think of. Vivian had a feeling that it would be a few years before Uncle forgave Rhys for abducting her and accepted him as family.

  But no amount of icy glares and onerous tasks could dampen Rhys’s happiness. Especially now that the farm was being restored, partially with Rhys’s own hands. Vivian and Madame Renarde spent much time with Emily and the children, which was a blessing as well as a curse. Emily treated Vivian like a sister, something both women had longed for all their lives. And Vivian fell in love with Jacob and Alice. Playing and reading with the cheerful scamps made her sometimes wish she and Rhys could have children of their own.

  Alas, that could never be. And in a few years, she and Rhys would have to leave the family, before it was seen that they did not age. Their only consolation was that when they returned, there would be a new generation to care for.

  Leaving Madame Renarde would be difficult as well, but Vivian was comforted to see that her companion had taken to Emily quickly. While Vivian and Rhys slept during the day, Madame Renarde acted as a sort of nanny to Jacob and Alice, teaching them their letters as well as French. She spent more time at the farmhouse than at Vivian and Rhys’s home these days.

  Rhys broke off Vivian’s reverie as the beam he’d lifted dropped into place with a ground-shaking thud.

  “You’ll wake your cousin and children!” she admonished.

  Rhys jumped down from the scaffolding with a triumphant grin and landed on his feet beside her. “That was the last one for tonight.” He scooped her up in his arms and kissed her as if they’d been apart for days instead of hours. “Now I wish to return to my honeymoon.”

  Vivian laughed. “I know it was cruel of Uncle not to give us a few nights in peace after the wedding, but that was months ago. You do not need to keep calling every moment we spend together a honeymoon.”

  “But it still feels like one,” he said as he carried her home in a preternatural burst of speed. He adjusted his grip around her waist to open the door of their small house and carry her over the threshold like he did every night. “Does it not feel like a honeymoon to you anymore?”

  Vivian entwined her fingers around his neck and pulled him down for another kiss. “It will if you take me to bed again.”

  He carried her downstairs and laid her on the bed that was much more comfortable than the cots they’d shared. “I love you, Vivian.”

  She reached up and caressed his silken hair. “I’ll never tire of you saying that.”

  Rhys chuckled and kissed her neck. “Good, because I will say it for eternity.”

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to Shana Galen, who read my original outline years ago and gave excellent suggestions. Thank you to Brianna Cowles, for proofreading and Bonnie Paulson, for getting me through a writer’s breakdown.

  Thank you to Bad Movie Club, for giving me a place to let loose my insanity, and my newsletter readers for your support and kind emails.

  Thank you to my friends and family.

  Thank you to my son, Micah for being the best son a mom could have, and thank you to Kent for loving me.

  Books by Brooklyn Ann

  Series by Brooklyn Ann

  Scandals With Bite

  (Regency paranormal romance)

  Books do not need to be read in order

  Bite Me, Your Grace

  One Bite Per Night

  Bite at First Sight

  His Ruthless Bite

  Wynter's Bite

  The Highwayman's Bite

  Brides of Prophecy

  (Paranormal Romance/ Urban Fantasy)

  Also don't need to be read in order until book 5...kinda

  Prequel: Tesemini (Free)

  Wrenching Fate (FREE!)

  Ironic Sacrifice

  Conjuring Destiny

  Unleashing Desire

  Pleading Rapture

  Hearts of Metal

  (Contemporary Romance)

  Standalones that intertwine

  Kissing Vicious

  With Vengeance

  Rock God

  Metal and Mistletoe

  Forbidden Song

  For excerpts and special content, visit BrooklynAnnAuthor.com

  I love hearing from readers! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to send me an email!

  Contact@brooklynannauthor.com

  Don't miss out!

  Click the button below and you can sign up to receive emails whenever Brooklyn Ann publishes a new book. There's no charge and no obligation.

  https://books2read.com/r/B-A-YDL-HVAP

  Connecting independent readers to independent writers.

  Also by Brooklyn Ann

  Brides of Prophecy

  Wrenching Fate

  Ironic Sacrifice

  Conjuring Destiny

  Unleashing Desire

  Pleading Rapture

  Tesemini

  Brides of Prophecy Box Set

  Conjuring Destiny

  Scandals With Bite

  His Ruthless Bite

  Wynter's Bite

  The Highwayman's Bite

  Watch for more at Brooklyn Ann’s site.

  About the Author

  Formerly an auto-mechanic, Brooklyn Ann thrives on writing romance featuring unconventional heroines and heroes who adore them. Author of historical paranormal romance in her critically acclaimed “Scandals with Bite” series, urban fantasy in the cult favorite, “Brides of Prophecy” novels, and the New Adult winner of the 2016 Reader’s Choice Award, “Hearts of Metal Series,” she provides love for the broken and strange.

  She lives in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho with her son, miscellaneous horror memorabilia, and a 1980 Datsun 210.

  She can be found online at http://brooklynannauthor.com as well as on Twitter and Facebook.

  For exclusive updates, sneak peeks, and giveaways, sign up for Brooklyn Ann’s Newsletter at: http://www.brooklynannauthor.com/newsletter/

  Read more at Brooklyn Ann’s site.