Chapter Eighteen.
T he fool pounced and scrabbled to find a purchase. With a laugh, I tossed him across the street and examined him thoroughly. The vampire, recently made, was a beggar. His clothes were tatters, and he was filthy.
Inwardly, I sighed as the vampire rose to his feet and started another attack. As he ran at me, I grabbed and threw him again.
This time, he scuttled away, limping badly. He knew that he’d picked the wrong person to try and drain. Taking long strides, I followed.
“Please, please,” he begged, putting his hands up in a puny defence. “Ah didn’t know, guv’nor.”
“Did not understand that I was a Vam’pir?” I asked, picking him up by the scuff of the neck.
Easily, I raised him up to eye level and shook him.
It amused me as his feet flapped about in the air, and with another sigh, I snapped his neck. That, of course, isn’t enough to kill him. Reaching out, I broke a stake off a nearby tree and stabbed him through the heart. The pathetic creature turned to ash in my hands. This was the third one that I’d killed this week, and they were becoming easier to kill. Annoyingly, the blighters were also getting more tedious.
Some idiot kept making scum like this a vampire. This angered me, and I made a mental note to hunt out the ringleader and end this farce. The Coven Master (as they were called) was clearly trying to either set up a coven or trying to extend one.
Whatever, I couldn’t be bothered and swore to finish the scum for once and all. Everyone knew this was my hunting ground, even if they’d not seen me.
Immortality’s a precious gift, not to be wasted, and certainly not on filth. The other two that I’d killed had also been tramps or beggars. I was beginning to get a bit ticked off that they hadn’t been told some of the most basic training rules.
Such as, there are other vampires older than you. Use extreme caution when stalking those who walk late at night. With such pale skin, vampires stood out in the darkness, and for a Vam’pir, it let out a slight glow. Our whiteness caused that.
These ragamuffin vampires should also follow their chosen victim just to make sure that he wasn’t one of them.
And lastly, most of those I’d killed had been young. They’d clearly had not been taught how to use their telepathic senses to search out others of their kind. The Master should have the decency to teach the basics if extending or building a coven.
But this one had been an ignorant fool. Too thirsty to get his blood for the night, and he’d picked on the wrong person. There were a few that believed that if you could imprison or immobilise an older vampire and drink their blood, then they would become stronger. That was true. Many Vam’pirs experienced past attacks. And each attempt failed.
Merrily, I carried on my way and heard a carriage coming.
On reaching my house, I heard a muffled cry and turned sharply. A few doors down was Haughton’s young lady, Lady Susan, and yet another vampire impeded her.
Angrily, I rushed down the steps as he pulled Lady Susan into his grubby arms. Teeth pricked her neck just as I slammed into him from behind. He dropped her as Lady Susan fainted and turned to face me, baring his teeth. Idiot .
I killed him as quickly as I did the first and bent over young Lady Susan.
The vagabond hadn’t begun to drink, thank God. Lady Susan had passed out from the shock of being accosted. The carriage driver, who had been hit on the head, began muttering.
I settled Lady Susan gently on the steps to her home and knocked on the door loudly. Then I turned my attention to the carriage. The driver was coming to, groggily, and I helped him down and set him next to Lady Susan.
“Her Grace,” he muttered, waving his hand in the direction of the carriage.
I opened the door, unsure what I would discover, and was relieved when I spotted her in the corner. A blow rendered the duchess unconscious. Her face was also marked, and I could see that the duchess would have a large bruise and headache in the morning. Apart from that, she would be fine. It was Lady Susan the vampire had been after, probably with the intention of making her one.
Well, foiled again.
The butler opened the door and, calling for aid, came flying down the steps. Duke Loxton hurried behind, alerted by the butler’s shout. His Grace knelt beside his daughter and then checked on his wife. When Loxton was satisfied that they were mainly uninjured, he turned.
“And who, sir, might you be?”
“Marquis Du Mont at your service, Your Grace,” I answered with a polite bow.
Loxton’s body relaxed as he recognised my name. The duke helped pick his child up and motioned for me to follow suit. As I entered the hall, a flurry of activity surrounded the duchess and her daughter.
“Everything is under control,” Loxton declared as ladies and maids flew about with smelling salts, water, and towels. “Follow me, Du Mont.”
Loxton turned and led the way into a study, a deep red colour and a very comfortable room. He poured out two large brandies and motioned for me to take one and sit down.
“Now, what happened, young man?” he asked.
It was amusing to be addressed so, as I was his obvious (to you and me) his elder. I shrugged and sipped at the brandy. Although we no longer needed food or nourishment, we could partake in these activities if we wished so. But only in small amounts, or we would become gravely ill. Time had gained us a tolerance.
“I had just returned from Lord Barrington’s ball when, as I was entering my house, I heard a muffled cry. It was Lady Susan, sir, and there was a filthy beggar accosting her. I did what any gentleman would.” I shrugged.
The duke solved the rest.
“Did you get him?”
“Yes, but he must have roused as I looked to your lady wife and daughter.”
Loxton saw something I overlooked; his intense stare fixed on me.
“Are you wounded, Marquis Du Mont?” I shook my head. “But there is blood on your cuff and cravat.”
Slightly peeved at the duke’s keen gaze, I glanced down and cursed silently. Damn, I hadn’t noticed.
“The assailant had a knife, and I turned it on him. He’ll be easy to search out with an injury like that.”
“Like what?” Loxton asked, and I realised I was not dealing with a pompous fool.
I kept opening my mouth without thinking and falling right into the shit.
“Well, he must have had a serious wound to leave this much blood about my person, so I imagine the ragamuffin will be easy to trace.”
The duke relaxed, at last satisfied with my explanation. He asked after the ball, and I answered Loxton’s questions, pleased with myself. A knock on the door interrupted us, and Lady Susan poked her head round.
“Come in, child, say your thanks,” Loxton demanded.
“In truth, that is why I interrupted you. Jacques…” Susan began familiarly, then paused as her father frowned. I winked, and Susan smiled slightly.
“Marquis Du Mont, I owe you thanks for your brave acts tonight. I dread to think what would have happened…” Susan broke off, paling, but pulled herself together.
Haughton had picked a good one.
“Lady Susan, the pleasure’s all mine. Now, if you will excuse me.”
Deftly, I expressed gratitude for the hospitality and left.
Susan winked in return as I left the room, and I smiled again. We had become slight friends, and I thought that our friendship might deepen when she married Haughton.
The next day, I was disturbed by a banging on my bedroom door (I slept a little due to my exertions and to give a semblance of normalcy). Before I could utter a word, it was flung open by an excited Haughton.
“Well done, Jacques!” he boomed, walking in uninvited.
I saw my butler agitatedly standing behind him and waved him away. No doubt that Haughton had marched straight in.
“What?” I asked, making a show of stretching and wiping sleep out of my eyes.
With a faked yawn, I sat up and threw on a dressing gown.
“With Susan. Your rescue was all I needed to get her hand in marriage. Loxton’s very impressed with the friends I keep. Old Loxton said that if my friends were willing to risk themselves for my daughter when she is not betrothed, then Susan should be very safe when married. I asked Susan for her hand this morning, and she said yes!”
I paused, trying to take in what Haughton was saying so quickly. Then I remembered the previous night.
Oh yes, the nasty, filthy vampires.
Well, there were two less requiring attention.
Haughton was trying to shake my hand as I waved him away. He sat on the edge of the bed as I disappeared behind a screen to wash and dress.
“Was Susan in real danger, Jacques?” Haughton asked more soberly. Haughton had been so elated at having his proposal accepted that he had forgotten what had happened.
“I can’t confirm how much danger, but Lady Susan was in peril. Who knows what the beggar wanted, but he left empty-handed, and that’s the end of the story.”
“My friend, we shall disagree. Susan must have been in serious danger, for he had knocked the carriage driver and her mother out. Poor Baker is beside himself that he didn’t protect the ladies properly. Not Baker’s fault if he received a blow from behind.”
“That is true,” I said, coming out from the screen and struggling with my cravat. “I hate these blasted things,” I muttered as Haughton rose and took over.
Haughton did it a lot nicer than I would have, and I thanked him.
“Now, I have to ask if you will do me the honour of being the best man at the wedding. After all, I owe you Susan’s life—and her hand.”
Happily, I grinned and nodded, pleased for him. Haughton loved Susan and would have been devastated should harm have occurred to her.
That made me remember that I planned to go hunting. The miserable weather in London allowed me to hunt during the day. Vampires had a God Almighty fear of daylight and slept in coffins or graves during it.
Despite the fact it was moot, it was their rule to do so. Vam’pir’s no longer did so. Probably because we rarely slept. As said earlier, vampires had created their own mythology and stuck to it. The fools were deathly afraid of churches and refused to sleep in sacred ground. They were also scared of the cross and holy water, although, again, neither of these could hurt them. They were complete fools and a total waste of space. Modern-day vampires ruined the gifts that were given to them.
Now that I knew there was at least one growing coven somewhere close to Hyde Park, I swore to find and eradicate it. Vampires were a threat to my friends and their happiness, and I was having none of it.
“Are you coming tonight?” Haughton asked, regaining my attention.
“What? Sorry, oh, tonight’s ball? No, I have another engagement, but I’ll be at tomorrow’s one.”
“Another engagement?” Haughton teased, but I refused to comment.
I left the room with Haughton nipping at my heels, still teasing, and shoved him towards the door.
“Isn’t there someone else you can go and bother?” I asked.
“Yes, only it’s more fun bothering you. Fine, Jacques, I’m going!” Haughton laughed as I pushed him harder.
Haughton turned towards me and met my gaze as the butler opened the door. “Seriously, Jacques, I owe you my thanks for last night.” He went to say something else, and I cut him off.
“Don’t give it a second thought,” I said before closing the door in his face.
Haughton’s laughter rang out, and he walked to where his horse stood. I sighed, leaning on the door. There was work to do. I told Marks—my butler—that I was going out and left when it was clear Haughton had gone.
All day, I searched for signs of the vampires and found them. As per their image, the fools were staying in a large, deserted townhouse in the slums of London. I waited till night fell and took my chance. The first two that left, I easily killed and then a crowd of them exited together. I patiently waited for each of them to return and then eliminated them one at a time. In total, I got seven, and I guessed.
There was more in the house. I could sense them and entered the house. Moving silently so I didn’t startle them, I began searching.
The first vampire I came across died cleanly, but the next two I surprised together, and they put up a struggle.
Those left finally noticed an uninvited guest. The rest of the bottom floor was clear. I made my way up the stairs as quietly as I could, which was not that quiet as the steps creaked every time I stepped on them. But that couldn’t be helped.
I extended my senses and located six waiting, two of whom were exceptionally strong for vampires. One of them was quite old, I would say four or five centuries at least. The second had discovered an older vampire and drank from it. This one presented a greater danger. It was probably very likely he was cunning and would try to trap me.
I felt one of them mind touch me and recoil in confusion. Recognition dawned, and a mind flew into overdrive. But the vampire didn’t flee, and so I didn’t think that he truly realised what I was.
The first of the six was directly in front of me, hiding in the shadows.
Throwing a stake, I hit straight through the heart. He died instantly and turned into ashes. The vampire that had turned him wasn’t that strong, and neither was he. The second raced across the landing, and I followed, easily catching him. I broke his neck and staked him, too.
The third, slightly more cunning, waited within a darkened room. As I entered, he swung at me with a knife and slashed me in the ribs.
Letting out a growl, I grabbed him by the throat and squeezed. Once he was in the air and in my grip, he was mine to despatch, which I quickly did. Upon his transformation into dust, I located the other three individuals at the back of the house.
Although they were together, I wasn’t that worried except about the one that had drank from an elder. He required my vigilance. I entered the room with my senses, searching them out. The fourth swung for me behind my back, and I was ready. I stabbed backwards and got him through the heart. Again, he turned to dust, and I was puzzled. These vampires proved too easy to kill. Why?
The final two emerging from the shadows revealed the answer. They were both male and cocksure. It was clear that they both enjoyed power and were not prepared to share it with others, hence the weakness of those I had just killed. The older was a middle-aged fellow with black, rotten teeth and a pockmarked face. The second was a young man in his late teens, and he was the more dangerous.
They both circled me, and the younger spoke first.
“See. I told ya he was an old ‘en,” he hissed.
I smirked as he continued to circle.
“Well, what da we do?” the first asked.
“I think, gentlemen, that you are meant to try and hold me while you drink my blood,” I answered and swung a kick at the first.
As he collapsed to the floor, I was already spinning to meet the second, who attacked from behind. I grabbed his arm and wrenched it up his back, breaking it. He dropped with a howl of pain as the first attacked me from behind. I swung an open arm, and he ducked under it and straight into my raised knee.
I got him square in the face, and my stake hit him a split second later.
He stumbled, cursing as he tried to free himself too late.
I darted forwards and shoved the stake deeper. The fool, like others, died, and I sought the survivor. He bolted for the door and ran down the stairs.
I shot after him in hot pursuit, but he made the open door before me and ran straight into Julia. Julia broke his neck none too gently and finished him off.
“Jacques, you’re bleeding!” Julia exclaimed, kneeling in the muck and pressing against my stomach. I looked down and saw a large gash across my stomach muscles. I cursed under my breath, and she grinned, rising to her feet.
“It wasn’t that deep, and you are healing already.”
“Thank God. What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded.
“I was looking for you. Some bloody idiot of a vampire attacked me last night. I asked your butler where you were, and he said you’d gone out. So, I decided to find you. How many was there?” Julia questioned.
“Fifteen in total. One was old and a second a Drainer.”
Drainer was our name for those who got strong by drinking the blood of older, stronger vampires.
“A Drainer! A few of them are beginning to appear,” Julia remarked.
I looked down at the mess on Julia’s clothes and the state I was in.
I led Julia away from the scene before anyone could ask us what the commotion had been about. Until we were clear of the house, we never spoke a word as I hurried Julia through the back streets of London.
“What’s up?” Julia asked.
“The Master wasn’t home. He mustn’t learn we were there. Let him think a hunter has killed them off, I’ll get him later tonight or tomorrow.”
“That is, if he returns there,” Julia said tartly, trying to straighten herself out.
Julia shook my guiding arm off and marched next to me.
“My house or yours?” she asked.
“Yours. Can you provide me with a different shirt to wear?”
“What do you think I am? Li’zel or Ami?”
Mockingly, I raised my eyebrows, and Julia laughed and nodded. We went through the servant’s entrance, and luckily, it was empty. Ascending the stairs, I surveyed the house. Like mine, it was richly furnished and decorated in deep rich colours. I liked Julia’s taste in decor and told her so.
“Jaq, I’m not tacky!” Julia said, laughing as we entered her bedroom.
Julia had an old four-poster bed, which dominated the room. Lace curtains surrounded it, offering a romantic look. Julia’s clothes were nowhere in sight, and I thought that she possibly had a walk-in wardrobe.
Julia disappeared through a door and flung a white muslin shirt at me.
“Thanks,” I said, stripping off my ruined one. In distaste, I dropped it on the floor. Julia sat on the edge of the bed and studied me through narrowed eyes.
“You’re still in good shape, Jaq, aren’t you?”
“There is nothing else I can be. Frozen forever, remember?” I teased and laughed. “Unfortunately, Julia dear, I am not a plaything.”
Julia giggled too and relaxed back on the bed.
I joined her and lay on my stomach next to her. I’d missed this.