Revenge is Sweet

by Berni Stevens

  ‘Never forget, Elinor. You saved Luke’s life.’ He put his forefinger under my chin and raised my face to his. ‘Because I assure you, he will not.’

  ‘I’m not brave, it’s all an act.’

  His lips quirked upwards. ‘I would know instantly if that were true.’

  I reached up to kiss those tempting lips and wound my arms around his neck.

  Will drew back a little, ‘How would you like to go to the concert at Kenwood tonight?’

  ‘Just us?’

  Will shook his head. ‘I have no intention of putting you – or myself – at risk, and that means we have to have Luke with us, which means also taking the boy.’

  To say Danny was unimpressed about a “posh gits” concert at Kenwood would be an understatement. He had wanted Jake and Roxy to come and “hang” with him instead. I tried to tell Danny that Kenwood was beautiful, and lots of young people went to the concerts, but he was sulky, bordering on morose, and I knew Will wouldn’t tolerate his attitude for long.

  ‘Luke can stay with me.’ Danny tried a different approach.

  ‘Luke is coming with us.’ Will sounded impatient.

  ‘Bleedin’ gooseberry,’ muttered Danny.

  ‘Only if you’re not with us,’ I pointed out.

  ‘I might not be safe among all those people.’ Danny made a last ditch attempt.

  ‘Then you will find yourself knocked out again.’ Will’s eyes glinted dangerously, as he leant against the fireplace, folding his arms as though to prevent him from the temptation of doing just that.

  ‘Looks like I’m bloody coming then.’

  I touched his arm. ‘Thanks.’ With a petulant movement, he shrugged me off, causing Will to look even more dangerous, and I shook my head slightly to stop him saying anything.

  Half an hour later, we were heading towards Kenwood in Luke’s car.

  ‘Can you drive?’ I asked Will, feeling the need to start a conversation.

  ‘I can, although I choose not to.’ He said. ‘Can you?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Danny twisted around in his seat to look at Will. ‘I’d like to learn to drive.’

  ‘You’re not old enough.’ I said at once. The thought of Danny careering around London in a car, just didn’t bear thinking about.

  ‘I will be one day.’

  ‘That is up for debate,’ said Will.

  We were early enough to get a parking space in Jack Straw’s car park, and we began to walk back up the road towards Kenwood. It was a beautiful evening, still fresh after yesterday’s rain, but warm from – I assumed – the day’s sunshine.

  I loved Kenwood. English Heritage owned the house now. I knew it had been built some time in the early seventeenth century, and wondered who’d owned it back then.

  ‘The first Earl of Mansfield bought Kenwood in 1754,’ said Will, having plucked the question from my thoughts. ‘He commissioned Robert Adam to renovate and remodel it ten years or so later, putting in the library and the portico entrance.’

  He sounded like a tour guide.

  ‘You really are a mine of information.’ I decided not to complain about his annoying habit of reading my thoughts. He wouldn’t take any notice anyway.

  ‘I knew them both.’

  ‘But weren’t you …?’

  ‘Already a vampire? Yes, I was sired in 1705.’

  ‘That makes you over three hundred bloody years old.’ Danny decided to join in the conversation at that point.

  ‘And feeling every single year at the moment, trust me.’ Will sighed as he draped his arm across my shoulders.

  We walked along the gravel path, which led past the elegant white mansion. A lot of people were sitting on the grass with picnics and wine, whereas the lucky people with tickets sat in deckchairs behind the cordoned-off area, which looked out over the lake to the bandstand. The atmosphere felt tranquil, and this part of the Heath looked beautiful from every angle.

  Luke and Danny walked a little in front of us, making an incongruous pair. Luke’s tall, muscular figure, dwarfed that of the gangly, loping teenager by his side. I watched Luke stride along, scanning the crowds, his sharp blue eyes seeming to miss nothing, as Danny almost scurried to keep up with him, talking incessantly. Every now and then Luke would glance his way and say something, which only encouraged him to continue with his verbal barrage.

  Luke stopped after a few more minutes and turned back to us. ‘Here looks good?’

  Will nodded. ‘I agree.’

  Luke had chosen a spot without too many picnicking humans, and I felt grateful for that. Danny may have fed tonight, but he was still a very young vampire. Who knew what might happen should temptation be put his way?

  The orchestra had just begun to play as we sat on the grass, the music filling the balmy evening air with its soothing beauty. I sighed as I leaned back against Will and closed my eyes. With his arms round me I felt safe and almost relaxed, as though the last few weeks hadn’t happened. I should have known it wouldn’t last. A discreet cough made me open my eyes.

  ‘George, how nice – pull up a daisy and sit down,’ said Will, causing the poor man to look perplexed. He remained standing. Will favoured him with a sardonic glance and patted the grass. ‘Sit.’

  George sat immediately. He looked nervous as usual, swallowing often, his eyes darting between each of us. It became obvious that he wouldn’t speak until Will gave him permission, so I looked back at him raising my eyebrows.

  ‘What can I do for you George?’ Will put him out of his misery.

  ‘I am sorry to interrupt your evening, Elder,’ began George. ‘But I saw you here and … I have just heard about Jeremy.’

  ‘Jeremy’s unfortunate demise has caused a sadness felt by us all,’ said Will. He had reverted to his ‘Elder role’ once again.

  ‘More cash points have been broken into, Elder, and many human police are now patrolling the streets.’

  ‘I am aware of that.’

  ‘What can I do to help?’

  ‘George, above all else, I would like you to be safe, but keep your eyes open. Anything out of the ordinary, please telephone at once.’

  ‘Yes Sir. Enjoy your evening.’

  George waited for Will’s nod to dismiss him before he stood and scurried away.

  I watched him disappear amongst the crowds and wondered again how he had become a vampire. More to the point … when? I leaned back against Will’s chest again and looked up at him. His lips twitched as he looked down at me.

  ‘George was made some time in the late 1800s,’ he said. ‘I found him starving in a gutter and set him on the straight and narrow, so to speak.’

  ‘So he was a renegade?’

  Will laughed. ‘Hardly. Poor George does not have it in him to be evil, any more than you do.’

  ‘But he wasn’t with his Maker?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘How come he didn’t go mad then?’

  Will sighed. ‘Because I helped him. Listen to the music.’

  I frowned. I would have liked to hear the whole story, but clearly I wasn’t going to get it. Obediently I closed my eyes again and let the music sooth me. I could hear Danny’s chatter, but luckily for him he kept his voice low, and it became a pleasant drone.

  There were no further interruptions and the orchestra played the finale as a cascade of fireworks were set off behind the pavilion.

  ‘Cool.’ Danny liked the fireworks at least. He seemed to have cheered up.

  Will stood, lifting me to my feet at the same time.

  ‘Home?’ Will looked at Luke. He nodded as he stood, and Danny scrambled to his feet, following his example.

  ‘That wasn’t half bad,’ said Danny. ‘For a posh concert.’

  ‘A bit of culture doesn’t do any harm every now and again,’ I said.

  We turned to walk back the way we’d come, and I laced my fingers through Will’s. He looked down at me. ‘How are you Elinor?’

  I nodded. ‘OK, I think. I just wish we
could find Thomas and … and stop all this.’

  ‘He will make a mistake soon,’ said Will. ‘If he is many centuries old, as I suspect he is, he will begin to unravel.’

  ‘Unravel?’

  ‘If a vampire lives for a thousand years or more, he thinks he is invincible. The fact that he failed to kill us all yesterday will cause him much angst, as will the destruction of his messenger the other night. If we could but destroy his woman, I think we would find it easy to find and destroy him also.’

  ‘Well she keeps popping up all over Hampstead, maybe we should just come here more often.’

  ‘Perhaps.’

  ‘Perhaps?’

  ‘I think she may well come to us.’

  ‘Why would she do that after what happened to the other girl?’

  ‘She will want to get the boy for her master.’

  ‘He won’t come for him himself?’

  ‘I do not think so. Not yet.’

  I felt slight relief at that. I had no desire to meet Thomas in person.

  As we drew near the car park at the back of Jack Straw’s Castle, Luke slowed down and stopped. He came back to speak to Will.

  ‘There are police in the car park.’

  Will cursed under his breath. ‘Problem?’

  ‘I believe so. I’ll go and check.’

  Will nodded, motioning at Danny to come back to us.

  ‘What’s up?’

  ‘Police in the car park.’

  ‘We haven’t done nothing though.’

  ‘Anything,’ I said automatically.

  We stood the other side of the lane watching Luke’s tall figure make his way over to his car. Of course the police were all around it. I couldn’t see everything that was going on, but two constables were putting up blue and white police tape – and Luke’s car was in the centre of it.

  ‘He’s killed more humans.’ I gripped Will’s hand harder.

  ‘I believe so, yes.’

  Luke was talking to someone who looked like a plain-clothes policeman, I’m not sure why I thought that, except he looked official and a bit scary. I saw Luke nod his head and then he came back towards us.

  Will raised an eyebrow in question as Luke re-joined our little group.

  ‘Another human, drained of blood and left decorating the bonnet of my car.’

  ‘Another nice little message.’ Will looked grim.

  ‘How the hell did he know we were here?’ I looked from Will to Luke. ‘And how did he know which was Luke’s car?’

  ‘He is still tracking the boy.’

  Chapter Seventeen

  Will wanted to get us away from Hampstead before the TV crews turned up, but as Luke’s car was now ‘evidence’ we were without transport. We began the walk back towards Hampstead Village in the hope a cab would materialise to take us home.

  ‘Do you think he’s here now?’ I said to Will.

  It was Danny who answered. ‘He’s not here.’

  I felt stupid for not remembering that Danny would sense if his maker were close. For that reason alone, I felt sure Thomas would be very careful.

  We walked on in silence for a while, passing the concrete pond, which looked like a large dust bowl, devoid of water, yet full of empty crisp bags and cigarette packets. I could never understand why the local council hadn’t done something about this eyesore. I hated concrete.

  Luke suddenly sprang to the side of the pavement, and waved his hand in the air. A black cab screeched to a halt beside us. We all piled in and were soon on our way back to Highgate.

  Hampstead had always been a favourite place of mine, but every time we came here lately, something awful happened. First there were the child vampires, then the murder of three humans, Jez’s destruction, and now another human murder. I had no idea what Thomas expected to gain from any of it, other than to really piss Will off, and he’d managed that in spades. Will had lost two of his men now, and I knew all too well he wouldn’t take it lightly. Then I began to worry it was nothing more than a ploy to take us off guard, so he could get to Danny. If he could track us whenever Danny was with us, we would never be safe all the time we took him – and he would never be safe whenever we didn’t.

  Will’s Journal, 1st June

  The cab ride back to the house was a silent and uncomfortable one, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Even the boy was blessedly quiet for once. No doubt we were all thinking similar things … just what did Thomas expect to gain from all these murders? Why did he want Daniel back? The maker/fledgling bond is strong in the beginning, but if the maker does not stay with the fledgling, his hold over it should begin to wane.

  The boy was turned some weeks ago, yet Thomas still managed to track him – and through him – us, so clearly the bond had remained unusually strong. This worries me, because their connection could ultimately endanger us all.

  I could use Daniel to lure Thomas, or I could track Thomas through Daniel – although that did not work out very well the last time. The trap had already been set, and Jez lost his life.

  I still feel I am missing something vital.

  The next couple of nights passed without incident, except for the constant ringing of both the house phone and the mobile. The London vampires were not happy and most of them were demanding action of some kind. Action is an easy thing to demand, but not so easy to instigate, especially as we had no idea where Thomas and his woman were.

  Will had become quiet and brooding, almost like the stereotypical portrayal of a vampire in the movies. Danny retreated to the solace of his Xbox, and Luke manned the phones. I found myself being left to my own devices more, so I spent a lot of time on the computer, reading the local news and making notes of anything that seemed even slightly connected.

  One such night, I had just finished trawling the Ham and High website, when Will came into the room. He came over to lean against the table, and his eyes glowed when he looked down at me.

  ‘Have you found anything interesting?’ He took hold of my hand, and raised it to his soft lips. Occasionally, the ancient Duke became more apparent than at other times. Sometimes I felt I should stand and curtsey. Not that I intended to ever give him the satisfaction, or the amusement.

  ‘No.’ I shook my head. ‘Strangely, the last couple of nights have been incident-free.’

  ‘That does not bode well.’

  ‘It doesn’t. Judging by Thomas’s usual pattern, it’s the lull before the storm.’

  ‘I admit to being at a loss to know what action to take at the moment.’

  ‘If we don’t know where he is, there isn’t much action we can take.’

  ‘We need to draw him out of his lair, Elinor, and I fear there is only one way.’

  Will looked grim. I knew immediately what he meant.

  ‘Danny.’ I made it a statement and not a question.

  Will stood away from the table and began to pace the room. I watched him, waiting for him to answer, although he didn’t really need to say anything. I had come to the same horrible conclusion a few days ago and I knew Will would never have said anything if he could find another way.

  ‘Thomas wants the boy.’

  ‘Why do you think that is?’

  Will gave an elegant shrug. ‘I think he is somehow vital to whatever Thomas is planning.’

  ‘Do you think he’ll … kill him?’

  Will gave me a sympathetic look. ‘It depends on what he needs him for.’

  ‘What could he possibly gain from having him?’

  Will didn’t answer at first. He crossed the room to draw me to my feet, so he could slip his arms around me.

  I looked up into his handsome face. ‘Will?’

  ‘A maker is always stronger when he keeps his fledglings close. If he sired the woman, and also has other fledglings with him, it will be almost impossible to find him. Even more so if he has Daniel.’

  ‘So why are we sitting around here? Why don’t we get Danny to track him?’

  ‘He knew we were coming the l
ast time.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘Elinor – I think the boy is telling him.’

  Shock ran through me. ‘No. I don’t believe that. Danny was devastated at Jez’s death.’

  ‘I do not think it is deliberate.’

  Suddenly I realised what Will meant. He could read my thoughts after all, our connection was strong, we could even converse telepathically. Our natural connection had been made even stronger by our feelings for each other, and the magical properties of the Ring of Porphyry. But if Thomas could access Daniel’s thoughts from a distance …

  ‘But he hasn’t been with Thomas since his rebirth … and that’s weeks ago.’

  ‘I am aware of that, but I believe Thomas to be an old vampire, and as such, his powers are strong.’

  ‘Stronger than yours?’

  ‘It is possible.’

  I stared at him in horror. ‘What about Thomas unravelling – you said it would happen?’

  ‘I am hoping if it happens, it will be sooner rather than later.’

  Luke appeared in the open doorway. Will turned us both to face him.

  ‘Is something wrong?’

  Luke nodded. ‘Daniel’s gone.’

  Chapter Eighteen

  I clutched at Will’s arm as Luke’s words sank in. Will’s face remained impassive and he raised an eyebrow without commenting.

  He strode from the room with Luke following. I ran after them.

  ‘Stay here Elinor,’ said Will.

  ‘No bloody chance,’ I muttered.

  I heard him growl something in Italian, which was almost certainly nothing flattering, but he didn’t issue any more orders, so I continued to follow the pair of them. We all ran downstairs to Danny’s room. The far door was open, the darkness beyond, gaping wide and empty. The game on the Xbox still played one of its video sequences, proving that Danny hadn’t been gone long, as he’d been preparing to change levels. Will and Luke went swiftly through the doorway to the other cellar and I followed. The second cellar was also empty with the garden door wide open. How the hell …?

  As we emerged from the house into the garden, I saw to my intense relief, Danny’s lanky figure by the door in the wall. He was pulling on the heavy iron handle with all of his weight. His hands were raw and bleeding as if he’d been hitting the wall. He turned to see us and renewed his frantic efforts to open the door.