by Lora Edwards
“It has all gone terribly wrong,” the man whispered. “They took our informant and disabled the tracking spell. It is as if they sensed it and knew it was there. They now have another one of ours, and we have no way of tracking them.”
Flynn cursed and balled his hands up. “We need that letter decoded,” he growled.
“We are working on it as fast as we can.” There was a bit of steel in the man’s voice. “I have another piece of news: your lady’s maid has disappeared. She left the institute to return to the townhouse and never arrived. We believe there is a leak in our office who informed the vampire that we had found out her identity and who also took Victoria.”
Delphine felt her knees buckle. It was her fault Victoria had been taken, her fault that her friend was in danger. If only she had not alerted the institute to the information Victoria possessed.
“Delphine, it was not your fault. It was her decision to tell them what she knew.” Flynn tried to comfort her, but she jerked away and climbed into the carriage.
Flynn thanked the man for the information and climbed in after her.
No one spoke until the carriage was underway.
“It was my fault. I told the institute she had information. I forced her hand, and now she is where she is most afraid of—in the clutches of a dangerous vampire.”
“We will find her.” Flynn looked her in the eye with conviction.
Delphine looked away. She hoped they did before Victoria paid the price.
“We must continue to be visible, Delphine. We have to catch the society and then we can look for Victoria. The local institute members are actively investigating, and now that they have a name, it will be easier.”
“Easier? They have someone on the inside who is feeding the vampire information—how are we possibly going to catch up with her when she knows every move we make before we make it?” Delphine stared at him.
“For now we must leave the vampire to the institute and focus on our mission. I know it is hard, but we came here for a purpose and we can’t get distracted from it.”
Delphine stared at him as if seeing him for the first time. Where was the man she loved, the one who was kind and compassionate? Who took on an orphaned child and put his life in danger for others? This cold man who was focused on his mission despite the danger someone close to them was in was new, and Delphine didn’t know quite how to handle it.
Flynn’s gaze softened and she again saw the man she loved. He took her hands and looked her in the eye. “Delphine, this is not an easy decision for me. I know you think I am being cruel, but the lives of entire races have to come before one woman. It hurts my heart to think Victoria is being held prisoner and is possibly being harmed. It is something that will haunt me for the rest of my days, but I have to believe the other members of the institute are capable and were chosen for a reason. I have to believe we are not the only ones capable of capturing a killer. So, I will focus on my mission to stop the society, and they will focus on their mission—finding the rogue vampire and rescuing Victoria. When we complete our mission, if they are still looking, we will join the search. Please don’t let this come between us. Please don’t make me choose between my mission and you.” Flynn squeezed both of her hands.
Delphine looked down at her hands in his and tried to clear her mind of emotion. He was right, as hard as it was for her to admit it. Someone was looking for Victoria; it wasn’t like they were forgetting her. Delphine squared her shoulders and looked into Flynn’s worried eyes. She trusted him. He was her soulmate, and it was time for her to start acting as if that was the case.
“You’re right, Flynn. The mission comes first. It is time to trust that the institute will find Victoria and focus on our mission. It is hard, and like you, I will be haunted by the decision, but it is the right one.”
Flynn’s shoulders relaxed and he moved to sit next to her as the carriage jostled them. He wrapped her tightly in his embrace. Neither of them spoke; there was no need for words. They just held each other close as they made their way back home.
Chapter 36
The next few days passed frustratingly slowly. There were more parties, though thankfully there were no more deaths, human or supernatural. Delphine worried the countess was too busy punishing her long-lost maid to kill and the society was gearing up for a grand finale.
“Delphine!” She turned from the book she was pretending to read to look at Flynn’s excited face. “They did it! They cracked the code from the letter.” Flynn was waving a piece of parchment around as he barged into the sitting room.
Delphine stared at him. “What are you waiting for? What does it say?”
Dear Lord Wilmington,
You are hereby cordially invited to join the ranks of the Society for the Eradication of Unnaturals. It is with great pleasure that we invite you to join us, the brave men and women who are fighting the unnaturals that wish to eradicate human beings.
Delphine snorted then waved at Flynn to continue.
Your initiation into the society will be on the sacred day of St. John at midnight. The ceremony will take place at Bath Abbey.
Sincerely,
William Edwards
“That saint day is today—today is the day of the initiation. It will be our best bet to capture them as they will all be present for the ceremony.” Flynn grabbed her and swung her around in a circle, laughing. “You did it, Delphine. You handed us the information we need to capture them. The institute is sending a team and we will raid the church at exactly midnight. We must be careful to not tip them off, so we will attend the soiree at Lord Wilmington’s house as planned.”
Delphine nodded, her heart hammering in her chest. “Has there been any word on Victoria or the countess?”
Flynn’s face fell. “No, but once we have wrapped this up, we will call in reinforcements. We will have the London office contact Erik and Ovidia and have them come. Between us and the institute, we are bound to be able to find her.”
Delphine felt tears well in her eyes. How had she ever thought this man uncaring?
“Thank you, Flynn. Thank you.”
The party dragged on and Delphine sipped at her punch, smiling at those she knew as they passed by, engaging in inane conversation, and generally waiting for the evening to end.
She and Flynn had spent the afternoon discussing the plan for later, and he had put her biggest worry to rest. After she stole the letter, a member of the local institute had quickly made a copy and returned the original to the desk of the lord. He was never aware it had gone missing, and as such, the society did not suspect a thing.
Delphine tapped her foot and tried to not watch the clock on the mantle. It felt as if time was frozen and the midnight hour would never come. Finally, after more dancing and waiting, it was time to say their goodbyes. Delphine feigned a headache and they made their excuses to the lord and lady. Delphine secretly smirked to herself—they would be seeing the lord much sooner than he anticipated.
“Flynn, do you really think this is going to work? That after all this time we are going to be able to best them?”
“Yes. This has been kept secret, and the local institute had some good news—I was told during the party that they have found the mole in the local office and captured him. They are interrogating him as we speak and hope to have the location of the countess very soon. We may end this night having Victoria returned to us as well as beating the society.”
Delphine felt a weight lift off of her shoulders. She would never be able to forgive herself for playing a part in Victoria being kidnapped, and she desperately hoped she was okay. For the moment, they needed to focus on the society.
Back at the townhouse, they changed into dark clothing and gathered the supplies they would need. The potions they’d been given in London would now be put to the test. They would enter the church silently, the concoctions would be used to incapacitate the members of the society, and then the ordeal would be over.
Delphine cleared her mind as
she donned modern clothing, the materials black to help her blend in with the night. It felt odd to wear such tight-fitting clothing once more, and the lack of a corset felt so strange. She had loved the clothing of that time and couldn’t wait to dish with Ovidia about all the fashions of the era.
Delphine completed dressing and met Flynn in the hallway. He was dressed similarly. He handed her the vials of potions they would use and she placed them in the loops on the sides of her pants and sleeves. The institute thought of everything.
“Good luck, and godspeed,” Stallings said to them as he opened the door. They expressed their thanks and hopped into the carriage.
Chapter 37
The night was pitch black as Flynn led the way, Delphine and the others following at a quick but silent pace. They stopped in front of the church and when Delphine looked up, her jaw dropped. The old church was designed with a unique feature: a ladder where statues of angels climbed up and down. The figures were alive, staring down at Delphine and Flynn. One climbed down and hit the ground on silent stone feet.
Flynn, Delphine, and the members of the institute tensed, waiting to see if this was a trick of the society.
“My people, dark and dangerous things are happening inside our church tonight. We have kept vigilance over this haven for our kind for many years, disguised as statues and a human place of worship. This place was once a haven for us, but the humans have defiled it, spilling the blood of our kind. Please end their tyranny and return our sanctuary to us. Their evil seeps into the building, weakening us to the point that we are useless to help.”
Flynn and Delphine bowed to the ancient figure. “We are here to end their terrible reign.”
The statue nodded and resumed its place on the ladder, the figures once again becoming still.
“What was that about?” Delphine whispered to Flynn.
“I am not sure, but we can look into it once this is over.”
He gestured to the others as he soundlessly opened the door to the church.
The interior was dim but chanting could be heard, bouncing off the old stone walls.
The group huddled at the back of the sanctuary. Delphine admired the architecture of the old building and then pulled herself back to the present. The scene in front of her was horrifying, and it took all of her effort to hold back her gasp.
At the front of the church in the large stone space where communion would be held, a red circle had been painted. Candles glowed at points, and figures in dark red cloaks surrounded the circle. Two in white stood at the front, and Delphine recognized one as the lord she’d stolen the letter from: the initiates. One of the hooded figures shifted and she could see what was in the circle. She felt her stomach roil. Two women were naked and staked to the floor of the church. One was quietly crying and begging while the other stared sightlessly at the ceiling, already resigned to her fate.
“Tonight we welcome two new brothers into our midst. We provide for them proof once more of the unnaturals that plague us, those that seek to destroy and enslave the human race.”
The speaker raised his head and Delphine saw a handsome man within the hood. He held out something blue and glowing and he poured it over the bodies of the women, causing them to writhe in their chains. One woman changed, her beauty deepening as her eyes morphed from blue to violet, her ears going from rounded to delicately tipped, her chin becoming more pointed. The other screamed and writhed as her body sprouted hair, and where a woman had been, now a snarling wolf lay in her place, still chained to the floor.
“These creatures are an abomination and need to be destroyed. We have all witnessed the recent deaths of the innocents that have plagued this city. We, the Society for the Eradication of Unnaturals, will rid the world of these abominable beings and free the human race from their tyranny.” The man reached inside his cloak and brought out two knives. “This ceremonial knife of silver will end the life of this unnatural creature. It is for you, brother. End her unnatural life and join us.” The man handed the knife to one of the men in white, who went to stand over the werewolf as she snarled and growled at him.
“To our other brother, a knife of iron, to rid the world of the other unnatural.” The pretty fae woman recoiled at the sight of the iron knife, crying and trying to twist away. The other man came to stand in front of her.
“Now, brothers, you will do your sacred duty and rid the world of these unnatural beings.”
Delphine looked to Flynn, who was to give the signal for them to attack. What is he waiting for?
The two men held the knives high, the jewels in the hilts glinting in the candlelight. As each man brought his knife down, Flynn gave the signal.
Each of them plucked a vial from their loops and threw it in the direction of the assembled group.
There were shouts and screams as the sound of breaking glass on stone echoed through the church. Blue smoke obscured the circle.
Delphine held her breath as they hurried up the aisle, waiting for the smoke to clear.
As it did, she breathed a sigh of relief—the society members lay motionless on the floor of the church, the weapons they’d intended to do harm with still clutched in the initiates’ hands.
“Please help us,” the fae woman screamed, yanking at the chains. Delphine could see that they were also made of iron, and they were smoking where they came in contact with her skin.
One of the members of the group came over and whispered an incantation. The chains fell away and he gathered her into his arms, whisking her out of the church. Another gave the werewolf the same treatment. She lay unconscious, affected by the potion. Once unchained, her form melted back into that of a human, and she was also hurried away by a member of the institute.
The rest helped Delphine and Flynn subdue the society members. They slowly began to wake, and their frightened faces looked up into the stone cold visages of the institute members.
The leader sneered up into Flynn’s face. “You may have stopped us, but there will always be those who seek to destroy you.”
Flynn bared his teeth at the man. “And there will always be members of the institute there to stop them,” he said before punching the man in the face, rendering him unconscious. The other institute members gathered up the members of the society, who were crying and sobbing, and led them out of the church. Two men grabbed the leader and dragged him out to the waiting carriage.
Delphine looked at Flynn. “It’s over. We did it.” A smile broke out on her face. “Now we can join the search for Victoria. I will go back to the institute and contact the London office, get Ovidia and Erik here, and we will find her.”
He nodded and led her out of the church to their waiting carriage.
Chapter 38
“Delphine, Flynn, I am so glad you are home,” Stallings said, meeting them at the door.
“Stallings, what has happened,” Flynn asked as he watched the butler wring his hands.
“They found Victoria.”
“We were just at the institute office—why didn’t they tell us?” Delphine turned to run back out the door.
“Miss, please wait!”
Delphine rounded on Stallings, her teeth bared, eyes shining with rage.
“She is here,” he said quickly, shrinking back from Delphine. “She had been thrown on the side of the road. They brought her straight here, and the healer is with her now.” Delphine ran past Stallings and up the winding staircase. “She is in the first room at the top of the stairs,” he called out as she ran up the stairs.
She stopped in the doorway as she saw Victoria lying on the bed. She was still and pale, her face of a mass of bruises. The healer looked up and smiled.
“You must be Delphine. First, let me tell you that she will be fine. Vampires are a hardy lot. They must have thought her dead when they threw her out of the carriage, but she is a survivor and held on. We have given her a transfusion and she should wake soon.” He shut his bag and left the room, patting her on the shoulder as he walked out.
TRAITOR
Delphine felt the tears flow down her cheeks as she looked down at her friend.
“Don’t cry,” Victoria said in a soft voice, and Delphine looked down as she opened her eyes and smiled up at her. “I am so glad to see you,” she whispered, holding out one pale hand.
Delphine took it and sat on the edge of the bed, grasping her friend’s hand tightly.
“I am so sorry, Victoria. If I hadn’t encouraged you…”
Victoria’s face clouded. “You didn’t do this. She did. She would have found me eventually, and I took the stand. I went to the institute and told them what I know of her. You will not blame yourself for this. I will find her and I will end this,” Victoria said, her voice growing stronger.
“We can talk about that later. I am just glad you are okay. You need to rest.” Delphine patted Victoria’s hand as the woman’s eyes slowly fluttered closed. Delphine sat watching for a long time as her breathing evened out. Delphine didn’t think vampires had to breathe and thought maybe it was a habit.
“Some never lose the habit,” Flynn said from the door.
“What?”
“I saw you watching her breathe. The ones who hold on to their humanity always do that.” He came up behind her, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Come, let’s let her rest.”