The two armies must have met near the entrance to what seemed to be a castle with its stone walls and stairs lined with a few torches. The place was cold and uninviting. If the servants were forced to fight, I wondered just how loyal they would be to a vampire who used them as cruelly as Devlin had. Would they run at the first sign of loss? At least Devlin’s vampires had abandoned him. Had his shifters? I didn’t doubt that, if he thought there was no hope of winning, the ancient vampire would cut and run, leaving his poor mortals to die.
A bat flew over my head, then morphed into a man behind me on the stairs. “There you are. Willful woman! What do you think you are doing? Come. We will fly out of here.” Devlin grabbed me, snatching the cudgel and flinging it away. He dragged me up beside him.
“No. I can’t. I won’t leave Jeremiah! Help!” I screamed, clawing at Devlin. He was bleeding from a dozen cuts, though the cross on his chest had almost healed. He still wore only his hose and must have lost his knife and whatever other weapons he’d been fighting with, a sword perhaps. He ignored my struggles and kept pulling me along beside him.
A bird screeched above us then and dove. Jeremiah! I would know his scent anywhere. Someone must have released him from the dungeon. He became human on the stairs and launched himself at Devlin with a roar.
“Gloriana, run!”
The two men tangled in a snarling mass of fangs and fists. I heard French and Gaelic curses as each tried to kill the other. Jeremiah banged Devlin’s head against the stones again and again. The man would not die. Instead, he wiggled free and the walls rumbled as if his power would bring them down on us. A torch flamed when Devlin pointed his finger at it. Then he made it fly right at my lover.
“Watch out!” I could have saved my breath. Jeremiah dove for Devlin’s feet, shifting into a snarling beast with fangs and claws that scared even me. He was unstoppable. How he managed to shift after having been starved in that dungeon, I couldn’t imagine. The walls shook again, loose stones falling onto the stairs. I was terrified we would end up buried alive but I couldn’t back away.
Devlin’s screams made my ears hurt and my eyes blur. He’d become a monster I didn’t recognize with a swishing tail that hooked Jeremiah’s beast and left a trail of blood as it pounded the stairs and my lover. Dear God. When Devlin’s monster reached for me, I realized I might become a distraction for Jeremiah. I leaped out of range of his claws and backed down the steps.
Suddenly, Devlin’s creature took flight, stone walls crumbling in his wake. Jeremiah shifted again and flew after him, both of them disappearing into the darkness above. I wanted to do something, not just stare after them, helpless. I tried to change into something that could fly, but lost my nerve when I felt my body tingle in anticipation. Instead, I collapsed on a step.
“Where are they?” Robert ran up to me, breathing hard and covered in blood. His sword was bloody and he leaned against the stone wall, ready to rip into anyone who approached us.
“Changed. They flew up. There may be windows at the top. I don’t know.” I took a steadying breath. That made me feel worse. The scent of fresh blood as well as the lingering reek of Devlin’s age made me drop my head into my hands. Foolish for a vampire, but the sight of all that blood still had the power to make me ill.
“We routed them this time, Gloriana. Before, Jeremiah followed your scent and wasn’t going to give up until we found you. I thought he was done for when they captured him. He ordered me to go back and get our shifters after Devlin bragged that he already had you.” Robert sat beside me on the stairs.
He put his arm around me. “Are you all right? I won’t ask what that bastard did to you. Block your thoughts. I see that man’s mark on your vein. He drank from you. That alone is enough to drive Jeremiah mad once he returns. Even if he manages to kill Devlin.”
“I hope he does kill him. But not at the cost of his own life. Devlin is so strong!” I shuddered and looked up. I prayed I would see Jeremiah returning. I didn’t care if Devlin got away. I just wanted my lover back and safe. “Did any of our people get hurt?” Please God, no.
“Fergus took a bad cut to the arm. But he’ll heal.” Robert slumped. “We lost Bran. That is news I will hate to tell his family. I had him with me for a long time. He was a good man and a right decent fighter. God rest his soul.”
“I’m sorry, Robert.” I leaned against him. “I’m sure there was nothing you could have done about it. He was just doing his job. Protecting you, us.” I shed a few tears. I knew Fergus would take this hard. Bran was his cousin. They’d had so many plans for the future.
“I know that. We’ll be taking his body home for burial. No high treat that, carrying a dead body across the country. But it’s the decent thing to do.” Robert patted my hand. “You did not answer me. Are you all right?”
“Yes. You came just in time. Of course he drank my blood. Thought it was special. Just like you and Jeremiah seem to think it is. But he didn’t have time to do anything else.” I got up. “I hope Jeremiah gets back soon.” I put a shaking hand to my lips. “That he gets back at all.”
Robert kept his arm around me. “Have faith, lass. The man is a warrior. There’s none better. But don’t tell him I said that.”
“I pray you’re right.” I sighed and looked down the stairs. “I should check on Fergus. What about Devlin’s servants? Did they surrender? Run away? You know they were only doing their jobs. One of the maids was forced to give me her blood.”
“The ones who stood and fought didn’t fare well. Can’t beat a Scot, we always say.” Robert looked away for a moment, no doubt thinking of Bran. “But some of the servants were found huddled in the kitchen. They surrendered without a fuss when we came across them. We let them go.”
“Good. Marie was the one I was concerned about. Did you notice her?”
“Comely? Dark hair and eyes?” Of course Robert had noticed her.
“Don’t drink from her. I took a good bit just an hour ago.” I stopped him on the stair. “I mean it, Robert.”
“Of course. But we are short of help, now that Bran is gone. She looked to be clean and healthy and might make a good servant for us. It’s rare to find someone used to our ways.”
“You will have to see if she wants to go to Scotland. Devlin favored French maids.” I could see where this was going and I didn’t like it.
“So do I.” Robert winked. “I won’t be able to find another shifter I can trust until I get back home. Fergus assures me that those shifters who worked for Devlin all died in the battle. Just as well. I don’t mind telling you, Gloriana, I didn’t like the idea of any of Devlin’s men out there able to get to us while we slept.”
I couldn’t argue with him. Instead, I told him that Devlin’s vampires had left, dissatisfied with their pay. That news cheered him. Robert had tried to hide it, but I could see Bran’s death was hitting him hard.
“Well, Marie is used to serving vampires, so it won’t hurt to ask her if she’d like to come with us now.” I patted Robert’s shoulder as I moved down the stairs. The fact that I had to step over loose stones was a grim reminder of Devlin’s power. Could Jeremiah possibly best him? I prayed he would return to me. “Of course if she’s wise, Marie will run far and fast. Living with vampires is clearly dangerous.”
Robert held my elbow when I stumbled. “But we pay well.” He looked down at me, his face solemn. “He’ll be back, Gloriana. But if he doesn’t make it—”
“Hush, Robert. I won’t hear another word.” I gasped when something moved in the shadows. But it was only a rat that scurried away up the stairs.
“Of course not. You are loyal. A fine trait. Campbell will be here soon, no doubt with Devlin’s head in a sack. See if he isn’t. Unless yon rat was the damned vampire in his favorite form.” Robert aimed his sword up the stairs.
“No, I’d smell him if he sneaked back here.” I realized we were on the main floor where Fergus knelt over Bran’s body. I didn’t try to hold back my tears as I went to Fergus and
put my arms around him. Uncomfortable with my sobs, Robert left me with the grieving shifter while he went in search of the fair Marie.
Robert found her still in the kitchen and put his proposition to her. Obviously the maid had an eye for a handsome man. It was probably how she’d ended up in Devlin’s household in the first place. She went right to work helping a devastated Fergus prepare his cousin for burial and the long ride back to where they’d left the caravan.
Meanwhile, I headed outside to watch the sky. Where was Jeremiah? I didn’t know whether to hope he’d caught up with Devlin or not. The night was long but we needed several hours to return to the inn. Finally they forced me to leave without him. Robert assured me that Jeremiah would know where to find us when he was done hunting for the vampire.
We came away with several extra horses. One held Bran’s body while I was put on another one that Robert assured me was a gentle mare. I was uneasy at first but found I had a natural knack for riding. It was almost as if I had ridden before, in another life. Marie came along in a cart with some provisions she insisted we bring from the castle kitchens. The practical maid was going to be an asset, I could see that. Maggie would enjoy her company as well during the long days when we vampires lay dead.
I dreaded another day sleeping without my lover by my side. Robert would be there. What good would he do? He’d be as dead as I once the sun rose. Now we only had a pregnant Maggie, Marie who we didn’t yet trust, and a wounded Fergus to stand watch. It was not an arrangement to leave me confident when I closed my eyes. I’d been snatched from my death sleep once. I had to wonder where I would be when I woke at sunset.
6
It was barely an hour before dawn when a battered eagle lurched through the open window of our bedchamber. With an awful screech, it changed before my eyes into a man. Jeremiah. Thank the gods.
“Gloriana. Go to him. He has been wounded.” Robert helped him to the bed.
“I can see that.” I grabbed a rag and dipped it in water. Jeremiah was covered with blood. How much was from his own wounds? That awful scent of Devlin’s ancient blood clung to him so I prayed most of it came from that beast. I kept my questions to myself for now. Jeremiah’s clothes were shredded, evidence of a cruel battle. “Help him, Robert. Cut off his shirt and breeches, they are little more than rags.”
“Come at me with a knife, MacDonald, and I’ll find the strength to rip out your throat.” Jeremiah’s voice was a rasp we could barely hear.
“Hush, love. Let him help. I can see you are terribly hurt.” I wiped his face then down arms covered with wounds. I tried to pry open his clenched right fist. “Come now. You are safe here. Let go.” I kissed the back of his hand but he still kept it closed.
“I tried but couldna kill him, lass. But I managed to hurt him most grievously before he got away.” Jeremiah shut his eyes as I washed his chest.
“I’m glad to hear it.” He needed blood and a lot of it. I gestured to Robert to come closer. “Jeremiah, my love, lie very still. To please me. Robert will cut off your clothes. You can feed from me as soon as you are clean.”
“Did you take an arm, a leg? I like the idea, Campbell.” Robert kept talking as he cut the cloth carefully, lifting away the ruins of Jeremiah’s shirt. “Too bad a mere wound will heal. The bastard was too pretty, I know that. Marie, our new servant who came from his castle, says the women there would do anything to get into Devlin’s bed, though they were usually sorry afterwards.” He sucked in his breath at the sight of a deep gash in my lover’s side. Ignoring Jeremiah’s curses, he stripped off his boots and breeches then tossed them aside.
I wanted to weep at the sight of so much damage to Jeremiah’s beautiful body. Instead, I bit my lip and kept washing away blood. Robert and I exchanged concerned looks over Jeremiah’s pale face and closed eyes.
“Nasty cut on your thigh. A few inches to the left and Gloriana would be mourning the loss of your manhood.” Robert tossed the sheet over Jeremiah’s lower half. “Now tell us what you’ve got in your hand. If it’s Devlin’s balls, I’ll go to kirk for the first time in a century and thank God for it.”
“Not his balls, but something almost as good.” Jeremiah finally opened his fist.
I covered my mouth and turned away. But not before I’d seen what he held. The orb with the dark center was unmistakable. Devlin’s eye. Dear God. Vampires can heal but they cannot grow back body parts. Jeremiah had succeeded in marring the ancient vampire’s beauty. Robert laughed as he plucked the thing out of Jeremiah’s hand.
“By God, this is perfect. The son of Satan will not be charming the ladies now, will he?” Robert tossed the eye into the fire where it blazed. “Well done, Campbell.”
“Leave us, MacDonald. Gloriana needs to give me blood and I won’t have you leering at my woman, wishing it was you at her vein.” Jeremiah still sounded hoarse and weak.
“Greedy bastard. But I understand. Hurry if you can. The dawn is pulling at me. We must lie in this bed together, you know. The better to be guarded against attack. I wouldn’t put it past Devlin to buy more men and come after us again.” Robert became solemn. “I’ll not forget your woman was taken during the day. If Devlin were within reach I’d pull out his other eye and make him eat it. Sending shifters to take a vampire in daylight!” He smacked his fist against the bedpost. “By God, it’s low even for that bastard son of Satan.”
“Aye.” Jeremiah pulled me down beside him to sit on the bed. “I’ll see the man dead yet, I swear it.” He stared at Robert. “Now, be gone.”
“Of course.” Robert nodded. “Be generous, Gloriana. He may be a cursed Campbell but even I admit Jeremiah did well against Devlin this night. Help him heal his many wounds. He’s a hero.” He left the room, shutting the door behind him.
“Come here, my love.” Jeremiah pulled me closer, so I could fit against him.
I winced at the sight of his bloody hand. I couldn’t help myself. I pulled away to rinse out the rag and wash where he’d held that eye. Then I loosened my bodice and lay down beside him. Oh, how I hated that Jeremiah had been so terribly hurt. He still had the faint and wretched reek of Devlin about him and it took everything in me to overlook that. But this was my man. I brushed back his hair and moved over him, lying with my breasts pressed against his cool bare chest.
“I love you, Jeremiah. I was so afraid Devlin would kill you.” I kissed his lean cheeks. He seemed thinner from his time in the dungeon even though I knew it wasn’t possible. How on earth had he found the strength to shift and then fight before he’d had a chance to feed?
“I fed on anger, Gloriana. It maddened me when I thought he might be using you to satisfy his lust. Hurting you.” He looked into my eyes. “What did he do to you, Gloriana?”
“He took my blood but that meant nothing to me. He intended more, of course. Your friends came before he could make good on his loathsome threats.” I watched his face. Did he believe me? Would he have cast me aside as used and spoiled goods if Devlin had taken me?
“Thank God for our friends, though I cannot believe I call a MacDonald friend. I can promise you Devlin will never get close to you again without having to step over my dead body.” His arms tightened around me.
“I hope it never comes to that. Surely we have seen the last of him.” I prayed it was so. But Jeremiah had marked Devlin. I feared the vampire would be desperate for revenge.
“I failed you once. I promise I won’t fail you again. As soon as we reach home, I will hire someone to protect you, a shifter whose sole job will be to act as your personal bodyguard, night and day.” Jeremiah kissed the vein at my neck. “Enough talk. Come now. I need you. I am starving for your taste and must regain my strength in case that bastard returns. Give me your vein.”
“Gladly. Take what you need.” I closed my eyes and leaned in. He was careful, gentle with a tender kiss before he sank in his fangs. When he drew deeply, I felt an answering pull within me. At first he held me as if afraid I’d break but his hunger soon consu
med him. He drank fiercely. I loved this moment, when I gave him my life force. Renewing him. I knew when he pulled back his cheeks would be flushed, his eyes shining. His wounds would start to close and by morning there would be little physical sign of his battle with Devlin. But, dear God, how could he still think to protect me? Fight again?
I wanted to ask about what had happened, but decided the sooner we could forget about the bastard, the better. It was time to move on. To Scotland and Jeremiah’s home. If Devlin managed to heal quickly, of course he would be mad with rage and eager for revenge. But he needed to hire more men to replace those he’d lost. Surely that would take time and planning. It was too much to hope that he would decide to move on, look for someone else to torture. I shuddered thinking of Devlin and some other new vampire in his clutches.
We needed to get Jeremiah home as soon as possible. He would be surrounded by his clan there and they would protect him. And me? Hopefully they would have the same care for Jeremiah’s woman. Did I want a personal bodyguard? Someone like Fergus trailing me nights and watching over me during the day? The idea had a certain appeal. I doubted I would ever close my eyes at sunrise again and feel completely safe.
First, though, we had a few more nights on the road before we reached Castle Campbell. I hoped we made it without any more incidents. I would not relax completely until we were inside the castle.
Jeremiah finally licked the punctures closed. “I hope I didn’t take too much.”
“No, I’m fine.” I kissed him. “I think you have time for a bath. Would you like that?”
“Do I have time for a bath and to make love to my woman?” He grinned up at me.
Real Vampires: A Highland Christmas (The Real Vampires series Book 14) Page 6