Blood Secret (18 page)
“I cannot explain things in front of the boy, but when we are back in London, I will tell you everything. I will tell you what the Duke of Greystone has done to our people.”
“He spared me. Perhaps he has changed—perhaps he changed for the better as much as you have changed for the worse.”
At the pained look in her brother’s indigo eyes, Lucy felt a twinge of guilt. But why should she? He had killed Sinjin. Why should she feel anything for Jack now? She could remember so much good—playing with Jack in the maze in their Hampshire home, chasing each other up and down between the thick, tall hedges. She remembered Jack teaching her to fish. He had taught her to swim in the cold lake; he had taught her to dive to the bottom and she used to pirouette in the silt-clouded water, with sunbeams streaking through the depths, making believe that she was a mermaid, not a dragon.
Jack had saved her life when Mr. Ferrars had attacked her. It was not a good memory, but she had remembered that night with deep gratitude for her brother.
But Jack had washed away all the joy in her sweet memories and the thankfulness she had felt for how he had protected her from Ferrars.
And what about James? Did he have many good memories to fight against the grim power of the bad ones? He had lost both his parents. Now he had seen his uncle killed in front of him. How did he recover from this? But she must make certain he eventually did.
She was going to protect James. He was her responsibility now.
Her brother pushed her toward the black carriage that sat in the drive. It would have been invisible in the hail-strewn dark if not for the lamps burning on it. Fingers of gold feebly traced the glossy black doors, the box, and the large wheels. The horses whinnied in anguish, for they must be cold and miserable in the rain. It looked like the devil’s carriage. The men lurking around it, in black cloaks with the collars turned up, looked like demons.
“Come on, Lucy.” Jack’s voice had changed—she noticed the difference now. He used to speak like most bucks of the
ton,
with the exaggerated drawl and with a great deal of charm when he wished. Now his voice was hoarse and raw, as though he had been breathing in the fumes of Hell’s brimstone.
ton,
with the exaggerated drawl and with a great deal of charm when he wished. Now his voice was hoarse and raw, as though he had been breathing in the fumes of Hell’s brimstone.
“Lucy, get inside the carriage. There is no point standing out here in the hail.”
She wanted to go back to Sinjin. He had not been dead when he fell. He had probably died—a stake killed a vampire. But what if he was still alive, what if there was a faint hope he was? What if he was still alive and needed help?
The family’s servants were there. The instant Sinjin had collapsed, Jack had hauled her outside, and his wretched lackey had brought James. Jack had not even bothered to speak to the stunned servants. He had just stalked out of the door.
Why? Why was he rushing her away?
One of Jack’s men pulled open the carriage door. Her brother held the pistol—he had taken it back from her when she had been standing in shock, watching Sinjin fall. Would Jack shoot her if she turned now and ran back for the house?
He might. That was the horrible belief she had. That her brother might shoot at her and that he might miss and hit James. Risking her life was one thing. She could not risk James’s life. She knew that was why Sinjin had been shot—because once her wretched brother had commanded his lackey to take James, Sinjin would not put his nephew in danger. He would have stood there and have taken a crossbow bolt directly in the heart, she was sure, before he would put James at risk.
Anger surged, but Lucy had no choice—she trudged to the lowered carriage steps. A stink rose from the man holding the door. The stench of sweat, smoke, spilled ale, and rotting teeth. He was not one of their servants; he was some thug her brother had employed.
As she put her foot on the step, she turned to Jack. It hurt to see his familiar face and know she could never look at him with love in her heart again. “What did you tell these men to do? Kill me if I try to escape? Are they instructed to shoot me?”
“Lucy—”
Good heavens, they were. Why else would he look so pained? And put on that irritating drawl, the way he did when he wanted to hide something?
She had to take one hand from James’s back so she could retain her balance on the steps. As soon as the weight of her palm left him, he let out a plaintive bleat, like a tiny lost lamb.
Her heart twisted in her chest as she grasped the door handle. Jack’s brute reached out to offer his hand, but she tipped up her chin. She would not even look at such a man who was willing to do such horrible things for money.
James was heavy in her arms, but she stumbled up the steps and managed to carry him into the carriage. She plopped down on one of the seats, cradling James on her lap so his tiny, cold feet were snuggled against her robe, and she hugged him tight to warm him. Immediately she thought of escape.
Could she leap out of the carriage on the road, holding James? There was too much risk she would hurt him. Even if she managed to get out without injuring the boy, they would likely be recaptured in minutes.
Or was there a chance they could get away? It was eerily black on the moors and if she ran off the road, into the grass, she could disappear.
Or she and James might literally disappear if she ran off into the bog.
Her brother had said they were headed for London. They could not travel all the way to town without stops at coaching inns to change the horses. James would need to be fed; he would need trips to relieve his bladder. At any one of those times, she could try to engineer an escape.
The carriage rocked as Jack hoisted his tall, muscular frame up the steps and into the doorway.
Revulsion washed over her. James shuddered in her arms, and she made a soothing, humming sound. She whispered very, very slowly beside his ear, “Sweetheart, I understand your instinctive reaction. You sense he is bad. He didn’t used to be, but he is now. But I will take care of you. No harm will come to you.”
James whimpered and pressed hard to her. The odious villain Perkins had stepped up to the threshold, obviously expecting to ride within. Jack cocked his eyebrow and the man blustered, “I thought you would be wanting me to watch ’em as we travel, guv.”
Her brother frowned. His gaze met hers for a moment, then slid away. “Indeed. It would be a good plan.”
Her mouth dropped open in outrage. Her brother had brought one of his toughs into the carriage, so he could simply give the order to hurt her or James, if they disobeyed.
There had to be an escape... .
Then what? Where would she go? She could not simply run away and leave her sisters in Jack’s power. His mind had turned, he had gone mad, and if she deserted Helena and Beatrix, who knew what he would do to them.
Nausea clawed up Lucy’s throat as her brother shouted over the howl of the wind to the coachman. In seconds, he whipped the horses, hooves began to paw at the ground, and the carriage lurched ahead on the gravel.
Somehow she had to escape with James. But she needed to return home before her brother could, so she could take Helena and Beatrix away with her.
Yes, and somehow do it without any money. She had no money to engineer an escape for her, James, and her sisters.
She knew of no place where they could safely hide.
The carriage rattled along the worn track. It was not much of a road, since it was barely used, but they were going faster, as though the coachman was lashing the horses, forcing them to gallop. That would be dangerous even on a good road. Lucy had no idea how the coachman could see. Even a dragon’s senses would not be enough to steer a carriage on a rough, rock-strewn path in the pitch dark.
One of the wheels slid and the carriage lurched ominously to the side. Condemnation of Jack’s idiocy danced on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to rail at him. Demand to know why he had dragged them away so quickly, and where they had to race to, at the risk of accident.
She wanted to ask, then the coachman shouted loudly and the carriage swayed violently.
“Damn.” Her brother got to his feet. He changed position, so he could see ahead, and pushed down the window glass. “What is it?” he shouted.
They were going faster. The horses must be thundering at full speed, and the animals pulled at the traces in a lopsided way, which caused the wheels to hit rocks and bounce harshly.
Perkins grinned, revealing a lack of front teeth. He pulled a pistol from an inside pocket of his coat. “Could be that vampire weren’t dead,” he said cheerfully. “Get Coachman to stop us. I’ll hunt the beast down and put a ball in its heart.”
“That will do nothing,” Jack snapped.
Lucy could hear the fear in her brother’s voice. She launched up on her feet and slapped her hand against the ceiling. She surged forward to the seat that backed along the driver’s box, got up on her knees despite the wild swings of the vehicle. Clutching glass, she pushed it back. “Stop!” she screamed.
The coachman half-turned. His beefy face was white, his colorless eyes large with terror. “I cannot. It’s as if the beasts are bewitched.”
Suddenly the door swung open—she saw it in the corner of her eye. It flew wide, then thrashed wildly against the side of the carriage. Again and again, it battered against the side, then the wind yanked it, and the hinges tore free. Wood splintered as the door was slammed against the rocky ground.
Lucy sat, grasped James, and pulled him tightly against her body. She slid into the corner away from the door, holding him tight.
She could change and fly free through the open door. There was risk—she would be too large for the carriage if she changed. Could she also ensure she could keep hold of James as she did?
Perkins pulled out a pistol and pointed it at her. “Stay put,” he growled.
“Put that bloody thing away,” Jack shouted. “You’ll end up shooting me! Or her by accident.” Jack reached for the pistol, then the carriage flew violently to the right.
Lucy pushed James into the corner, shielding him with her body.
The pistol went off with a roar. Smoke filled the carriage and the sound was deafening. Splinters of the floorboards flew up.
Stupid Perkins had fired, but had only hit the floor.
The carriage suddenly slid to the left. She slid along the seat. Perkins and her brother flew to the side and crashed into the wall. The impact sent the carriage tipping up onto the two left wheels. It lurched over and fell.
End over end it went. Lucy clutched James to her. Her head hit the wall, her bottom struck the floor, and her shoulder hit something hard. She was battered, turning in agonizing spirals.
Then it stopped and she slammed hard against the wall of the carriage.
There was silence inside the carriage. There was no sound of men in pain. Just the frantic whinnying of the horses, the clatter of hail, and the creaking of the carriage and the wheels.
Her arms were
empty.
Raw horror washed through her. She stared in shock at her hands. Where was James? She thought she had been holding him. It was pitch-black and she couldn’t see. Panicked, she sat up. Her bottom was resting on the shattered window. “James?” she shouted. “James?”
empty.
Raw horror washed through her. She stared in shock at her hands. Where was James? She thought she had been holding him. It was pitch-black and she couldn’t see. Panicked, she sat up. Her bottom was resting on the shattered window. “James?” she shouted. “James?”
Strong arms lifted her. She struggled. “Where is James? Let me go. Leave me. I have to
find
him.”
find
him.”
“It’s all right, Lucy, my beautiful angel. James is safe. I already found him. Now I have you. Despite what your brother told you, I intend to protect you.”
Sinjin
. She tried to break free of his embrace, but as always, it proved impossible.
. She tried to break free of his embrace, but as always, it proved impossible.
Where was her brother? Where were his vicious, horrible lackeys? Dead? Safe? Were they going to jump out and attack at any second?
“Your brother is gone. He’s disappeared. The other men are all dead.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. I ran after you, and managed to get ahead of the carriage. The coachman drove around me, but then the horses went mad and started racing. He couldn’t control it.”
Blinking she saw another carriage.
“Ours. The one we arrived in. I’m taking you and James back to London. I know the perfect place we can hide.”
“You are a dragon slayer. I can’t ... trust you.”
“It isn’t a matter of trust, Lucy. You are mine now. I am not letting you go.” Sinjin’s lips touched her neck, warm and soft. Then something scraped. Weakly she clasped his cheeks. She tried to push him away. But she couldn’t. She felt the rushing sensation inside as he took her blood. Weakening her. Making her languorous, dazed, sleepy.
Lucy struggled to stay conscious, to keep her eyes open. She fought to keep her lids as widely spread as she could. But enveloping blackness still rushed up and wrapped around her. Tumbling into the void, she cursed Sinjin. Dimly, she knew what he was doing. Making her faint so she would be completely under his control.
Blast. Fight it. Fight—with every scrap of strength you have.
But Sinjin tweaked her nipple and her body betrayed her, lurching into an orgasm that she couldn’t control or stop—a pulsing of her body that was strong and physical and that she didn’t want. It sapped every last bit of her strength. Then darkness claimed her.
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