Chapter 11
Gettingto town without the main house staff finding out was not as easy as I had planned. I had not anticipated Father leaving so suddenly and needing the remaining horses. It required a convoluted lie about a tryst with Lord Morgan to one of the newest maids and a hefty sum to keep her silence and let me borrow her old mare.
I ride along the edges of town, and after leaving the old roan at a stable to keep her safe from the demons for the night, I walk along the unfamiliar, narrow streets and the unknown people. Every once in a while, I catch someone glancing at me as if they almost recognize me or know I don’t belong here. With each step I take, the more I feel out of place. Even though I picked out the plainest garments I own, I feel overly conspicuous. Tucked into fitted black leggings is a simple smoke gray blouse with lantern sleeves and a simple black ribbon, secured in a floppy bow around the wide collar. I chose my oldest pair of riding boots, nearly worn through over my newest pair with the soft suede lining and cushioned soles.
Reaching up, I tug my hood up over my head. The fewer people who see my face, the better. After another block, I’m relieved to notice fewer and fewer eyes pausing on me. My goal is to blend into the background, not catch the eye of the killer stalking the streets.
The buildings take on a worn appearance compared to the brightly painted ones I’m used to. The crumbling brick facades peak through the gaps between merchant stalls that press up against them. There’s barely enough room for three people to walk side by side. As it is, I have to wind my way through a throng of people, moving out of the way to avoid being run over. Conversations, shouts, children crying, and a cacophony of sounds coming from the factories come together in a monotonous roar from all sides.
By the time I get close to the city center, more time has passed than expected. The streets widen, the buildings sport colorful trims, and sidewalks separate the storefronts from the cobbled streets. I stop beneath the archway running through the bottom two floors of a building. Leaning against the rough brick, I wait for the sun to set and occasionally look around as if I’m waiting for someone.
As the sky darkens, a blanket of fog rolls in, and the bustle of the city wanes. Only a few carriages cycle through the streets, stopping to pick up and drop off passengers from taverns and restaurants. I shift to stand behind a rain barrel in the small gap between the arch and the next building to stay out of the glow of the gas lamps. No one notices me, or if they do, they can’t find it to care about the woman huddling in shadow with a hood shrouding her face in shadow.
After a while, only a few people are out walking along the streets, careful to stay near the false twilight of the myriad lights. It’s unnecessary to be so cautious within the city until one nears the border where the lights are farther apart, creating pockets of shadows. It’s within those spaces the lesser demons slip through, hoping to catch a passerby unaware.
A man approaches a group of three women. My back stiffens as I watch him closely. Eventually, he tips his hat to them and walks away alone, then a while later, they part company, going their own ways.
Half a block down on my right, a dark shadow moves. My heart leaps into my throat, thinking the shape is a demon at first, but it remains there even when I see it’s a man. His build and grace would give him away even if he wore rags.
Thomas strolls casually, though his long strides quickly devour the distance between him and one of the women. Slipping from my darkened nook, I follow, carefully keeping as much distance as possible without losing him.
I could still turn away and pretend I stayed home all night as I said I would. It would be easy. But I need to know… just seeing him in town means nothing. He has every right to walk around town without being weakened by the sun.
I follow, keeping my pace steady and staying far enough behind to seem like any other man or woman taking care of whatever business they have.
Then he turns the corner. I speed up, then stop a few feet from where he disappeared. Quietly, I press my back to the wall and hold my breath, listening for the sound of footsteps. I’m only able to make out carriage wheels on the cobblestone a few streets over, distant laughter spilling out the door of taverns, and a discarded paper flyer rustling in the gentle breeze.
But the steady cadence of Thomas’s stride has faded completely. Did he notice me following him?
I debate on how long to wait before I go after him.
“Zadie?” he says my name with a voice like warm honey.
I freeze. But then he slips around the corner, and it’s too late to turn away and hide my face.
“What are you doing here? You said you’d be at home all night.” Thomas doesn’t seem angry, only confused that I lied.
I can’t seem to find my voice before he dismisses his own question. He takes my hand, his smooth palm sliding over mine. I raise my head and take him in. Dark hair and skin edged in golden light give him an ethereal aura.
The next thing I know, Thomas is practically running, towing me along behind him. I’m helpless to do anything but keep my feet under me.
“Where are you taking me?” I rasp. Blood roars in my ears.
“Come, it isn’t safe for you out here.”
I plant my heels, only succeeding in stumbling forward. It’s enough to slow him down.
This wasn’t part of our plan. Was I so blinded by his wit and charm that I believed whatever I needed to because of my feelings?
“Why?” The single word is barely audible.
He glances back at me. What he finds finally halts him. We have ended up in shadow beneath an overhang. Fear seeps into my toes and rises, flooding my body, inch by inch, until I barely feel anything, and there’s nothing I can do to disguise the uncontrollable shaking.
I don’t even realize he’s let go of my hand until both of his cups my cheeks. His thumbs sweep under my eyes. The dampness of my tears or the affectionate gesture only makes me cry harder.
Demon shit. How have I always thought myself brave?
Thomas slips his arms around me and pulls me into his chest, then begins to rub circles on my back. “Zadie, please don’t cry. It’s not what you think.”
All I can think is how those words sound like something the killer would say to lower my guard. Except, it’s him. And even frightened, I still believe he isn’t capable of cruelty.
“I wasn’t going to come out tonight because of what you told me about the victims all having a connection to me—the last thing I want is to risk anyone else getting hurt.” He pulls back and lifts my chin. “You remember when I mentioned my connections?”
Brow wrinkling, I scour my memory, though I cannot recall.
Thomas chuckles. “Perhaps you were too busy blushing after insulting me?”
I open my mouth to protest, but he obviously has more to say, so I press my mouth into a tight line and wait.
“An old friend of mine happens to be working on this case. When I stopped in earlier to tell him about the connection to me, he mentioned?—”
“You told them? Wouldn’t that make you a suspect?”
He shrugs as if the punishment would be a small fine. “I’m innocent, and I have faith in his abilities. Every clue is vital to solving this. So, if that means I must be a suspect for a time, then so be it.”
He must be odd, even by vampire standards. I think Thomas is possibly the only one alive who would risk incriminating himself for the good of others. Not because it’s the noble thing to do, but because he can’t help but be kind. Even when I make a complete demon’s ass of myself, he understands the reasons behind my irrational emotions.
“Someone sent a tip that the killer would be out hunting tonight. Seeing as you’re out instead of at home, would it be safe for me to assume that you are responsible for that?”
“Yes,” I admit looking down at my shoes.
That’s as far as I get when a scream rents the air. Thomas grabs my hand as he positions himself in front of me. My blood curdles in my veins as it ends as abruptly as it began. We scan the streets. Other than the two of us, the area seems abandoned.
He turns his dark brown eyes on me in silent question, wild and pleading. Pressing his full lips into a thin line, he desperately awaits my answer.
I nod.
He takes a single breath then we’re running again.
Others are converging on the area as well in a bid to help. Thomas stops half a block away, pressing my back to the cold metal of a gas lamp.
“If something happened to you, I won’t be able to live with myself.”
“I’ll be fine. Go,” I say, giving him a slight push.
As much as I want to be of use, I’m unsure of how I’d react to seeing the crimes I’ve only heard details about. Right now, the last thing anyone needs is a distraction.
“I won’t be long.”
Whips of fog follow in his wake as he disappears in the blink of an eye. Voices call out from the narrow alley, some with authoritative command, others with fear and questioning, though the words are muffled by the increasingly dense haze.
Minutes pass, and things quiet down as groups depart.
“Zadie?”
The sound of my name in a breathless, scratchy whisper startles me. I whirl and once again find myself face to face with someone I didn’t expect to cross paths with tonight.
“Demon shit, Benjamin, you scared me half to death. What are you doing here?”I’ve asked that question more than I would like tonight. It’s no wonder I get along with the two of them. We are all in the city tonight when none of us should be.
His jacket and cravat are disheveled. Despite the cool evening, sweat beads on his forehead, and his chest rises and falls as though he’s been running.
Instead of answering, Ben glares, then wraps his hand around my upper and drags me along as he forces me into a run and away from the commotion. Not once acknowledging my protests or demands to slow.
Ben doesn’t slow until we are a good distance from where I was waiting for Thomas. He glances behind us, then leads me into an alley.
Fed up with being dragged around like a rag doll, I twist and pull out of his grip.
I bend, bracing my hands on my knees to catch my breath. “Why are you here?” I ask again.
“I heard the scream and came running just like everyone else.” He peeks around the edge of the building. “Demons and saints, Zadie, why did you have to do something so stupid, tonight of all nights?”
Telling him I was with Thomas would only cause more problems and distract from the real issue, so I deflect. “Don’t act as if you’re any better—you’re here even though you gave me your word. Not to mention this is the second time today you’ve manhandled me.”
I’m ready to launch into a lecture about treating me as if I were helpless when he shifts back. Light from a nearby gas lamp reflects off something wet on his shoe. The night is thick with mist, but it hasn’t rained, and the streets are dry.
Slowly, I straighten and take him in, seeing his appearance for what it is. One spot on his cravat is darker than the rest.
The blood drains from my face as warning bells peel in my head as my intuition tells me what I’ve ignored for so long.
The details of the murders Benjamin had mentioned, combined with the information from the papers, send a sensation over me, like dozens of spiders crawling on my skin. The inconsistencies are evident as the unsettling understanding settles in.
The purple bruising around the victim’s mouth and jaw isn’t from a physical attack—it’s from the poison from a rare flower. One I’ve seen on many occasions growing on his property. It was even in the book I borrowed from Thomas and read on the way home.
“I’m sorry, Zadie—what’s wrong? You look like you’re about to be sick.”
Seized by panic, I shake my head. “I’ll be all right. I’m unnerved—then we ran. The murderer was close by.” The explanation makes little sense beyond half-formed descriptions of the past few minutes.
We’ve stopped halfway between the stables where I boarded the horse and where Thomas left me. Has he discovered I’m no longer there?
I see everything in a new light: I’m not standing in an alley with my best friend hiding from a murderer. I am with the murderer.