Chapter Thirty
Bryony sat on the edge of her bed staring at the floor.
Her wedding was days away and this time she would have to go home with Bloodworth the Bald.
The very idea curdled her stomach. As his wife, she would be expected to submit to him, to endure his mouth on hers, his hands touching places where no man had ever touched. To bear his children.
She let out a hoarse cry as she wondered again what her father planned to do with Stefan once her marriage had been consummated.
Merciful heavens, why hadn’t she thought of that before?
Her father would never let Stefan go. Doing so would be like signing his own death warrant. His and all the other hunters involved.
Rising, she began to pace the floor. What was she going to do?
What if she refused to consummate the marriage? Would Bloodworth annul the marriage? Or force her to comply?
And what difference did any of that make? Her father’s life would be in danger as long as there was any chance of Stefan escaping. As much as she loved Stefan, as angry as she was with her father, she would never forgive Stefan if he hurt her father. And the opposite was also true.
There had to be an answer, she thought desperately. There just had to be. But she had no idea what it might be. And time was running out.
She was close to tears when someone knocked at the door.
“Bry? It’s me.”
“Ronnie, come in.”
“You’ve been crying again,” Veronica remarked as she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. “I wish there was something I could do.”
“Me, too.”
Veronica settled on the bed. “I know you love him—Stefan, I mean. And I’m sorry you can’t marry him.
He seems nice, even though he’s, well, you know, although I still can’t believe it’s true.
” She paused, her gaze resting on the painting of the vampire on the wall. “I guess he won’t be at the wedding.”
“No,” Bryony said bitterly. “He’s locked in a cage.”
“A cage! Where? Why?”
Bryony took a deep breath, debating whether to tell her sister the truth about their father. And then she shrugged. “Father used to be a vampire hunter. He had his friends lock Stefan up to force me to marry Bloodworth.”
Veronica stared at her. “I don’t believe you. Father would never do anything like that. As for being a hunter…” Her voice trailed off at the sober expression on her sister’s face. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yes. It’s all true. I made Father take me to see Stefan a couple of days ago. Oh, Ronnie, I know they’re going to kill him,” she wailed, and burst into tears.
For a moment, Veronica stared at her. And then she put her arms around Bryony and hugged her close.
With a sigh, Bryony closed her eyes and prayed for the courage and the strength to do what had to be done.
Leyton Barrett stared at Charles, unable to believe what he was hearing. “How the hell did he escape?”
Charles shook his head. “I don’t know. Sinclair was on guard. He swears the last time he checked, the vampire was secure.”
“Well, he’s not secure now!” Barrett slammed his fist against the wall. “Damm, he’s sure to come here looking for vengeance.”
Charles nodded. “Should I call in the team and tell them to keep an eye on the house?”
“Yes, although I’m not sure it will do any good. And he’s bound to be more vigilant now than ever. I doubt if we’ll ever be able to take him unawares again.”
“I’ll get in touch with our men,” Charles said. “In the meantime, you should stay close to home.”
“Right. Thanks.”
“We’ll be in touch, Barrett. Good luck.”
“I’ll need it.” After seeing his friend out, Barrett paced the floor.
He had rescinded the vampire’s invitation but if the bloodsucker got in touch with Bryony, she would no doubt invite him in.
With that thought in mind, he hurried up the stairs to her room.
He found her sitting on the bed with Veronica.
“Bryony, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“I told Ronnie all about you. Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of her.”
Anger flashed in her father’s eyes and was gone.
“You are not to invite that vampire into this house,” he said, his voice flat. “Not under any circumstances. That goes for you, too, Veronica. Is that clear?”
“What are you worried about” Bryony asked, her voice tinged with bitterness. “He’s chained up in a cage hardly big enough for a child.”
When her father didn’t answer, she frowned. “He’s free, isn’t he? Somehow, he got out of that dreadful cell and you’re afraid he’ll come after you. Or maybe you’re afraid he’ll lock you up inside that cage so you can see what it’s like.”
“You’d enjoy that, wouldn’t you?”
Bryony stared at him, shocked by her own words and the venom behind them. She glanced at Veronica, whose face had paled during the heated exchange between her father and her sister.
“Veronica,” Barrett said quietly. “Your sister and I need a few moments alone.”
With a worried glance in Bryony’s direction, Veronica hurried out of the room and shut the door behind her.
Hands clasped behind his back, Barrett said, “I know you think you’re in love with Stefan.
I’ve seen how charming he can be, the way you look at him.
But it’s all vampire glamour, daughter. His kind isn’t capable of love, at least not the kind you deserve.
He can’t give you children or any kind of a normal life.
He’ll be hunted as long as he lives. He’s caused nothing but trouble and hard feelings between the two of us.
What if he makes you choose between him and your family? ”
Bryony stared at her father, speechless.
She didn’t agree with everything he said, but there was some truth in there.
Enough to give her pause. She had never given much thought to having children, she had just assumed motherhood was somewhere in her future.
But it would never happen if she married Stefan.
It was true he had caused a good deal of discord in her family.
Would that change if they wed? Or would it only get worse?
And what if it got unbearable? Would she be forced to choose between Stefan and her loved ones?
Barrett cleared his throat as he sensed his daughter weakening in her resolve.
“If you promise not to marry Stefan without my permission, I’ll go to the bank and see if I can get a loan to repay Bloodworth’s note.
We can annul the marriage since it hasn’t been consummated.
Except for our family, no one else knows about it, so there won’t be any embarrassment for Bloodworth.
” He took a deep breath and blew it out in a long, slow sigh. “What do you say, daughter?”
“Stefan said he would repay the loan for you. Why can’t you just accept it?”
Barrett shook his head. “Do you honestly think I could take charity from him now? Or that he would even offer it after what I’ve done?”
“I don’t know. What I do know is that you’ll never agree to let me marry Stefan,” she said. “I know it, and so do you.”
“I promise I’ll make an honest effort to get to know him. Give me say, six months.”
Bryony frowned. It wasn’t a flat-out no, and it was probably the best compromise she was likely to get.
Surely in six months, her father would realize that, except for being a vampire, Stefan was pretty much like anyone else.
He liked music and books and the theater.
He wasn’t a monster or a wild-eyed maniac.
But he would always be a vampire, she thought bleakly, and her father would never accept him. “What if you can’t get a loan?”
“Gregor Thompson owns the bank. We’ve been friends for a long time.
I think he’ll give it to me. I can put the house up for collateral.
” Barrett glanced around the well-appointed room with its luxurious furniture and expensive draperies.
“If he turns me down, we’ll have to sell the house and its contents. ”
She couldn’t let him do that. She couldn’t force her family out on the street. “I will go through with the marriage to Bloodworth if there’s no other choice. But if you manage to repay the loan, I’m going to marry Stefan whether you like it or not.”
A muscle ticked in her father’s jaw. And then he nodded. “You may not believe it, but I’m trying to do what’s best for everyone.” Shoulders slumped, he headed for the door.
“Stefan is what’s best for me,” she murmured.
Her father paused briefly as if he wanted to refute her words and then left the room.
Bryony stared after him. If her father couldn’t get a loan from the bank, she would beg Stefan to lend them the money they needed.
She knew her father would object, but she didn’t care.
This was no time to stand on pride. If they couldn’t repay the debt, she would be forced to stay married to Bloodworth the Bald, with all that entailed, surely a fate worse than death.
Stefan paused outside the Barretts’ house.
A quick brush of the minds of the people inside told him there had been a major shift in the thoughts and attitudes of the family.
Barrett still refused to accept his help.
Bryony had agreed to remain Bloodworth’s wife if the debt couldn’t be settled.
She had, however, declared she would marry Stefan if the debt was resolved, something that was certain to cause a permanent rift in the family.
Perhaps the best thing he could do for one and all was to simply disappear.
He would wait and see if Barrett could repay the loan.
If that failed, he would pay Bloodworth so Bryony could be free of the man.
Free to marry a monster. What kind of life would that be?
In time, she would likely grow to hate him.
He stared up at her bedchamber window. Perhaps he had been chasing something that didn’t exist for a creature such as he. Perhaps there could only be happiness when like-minded people loved and married.
Hands clenched, he turned away from the house, his urge to avenge himself on Barrett swallowed up in his ache at losing Bryony.
He stared into the night and felt the darkness wrap around him.
Hadn’t he known, deep down, that there was no other way for this to end?
She belonged here, in a fine home, surrounded by a family who loved her.
And where, he wondered, did he belong?
He looked up at the moon that had been his sun for centuries. But the man in the moon had no answers for him.
He was about to return to his lair when Bryony came running across the lawn toward him. “Stefan!”
He almost dissolved into mist to avoid her, but the thought of holding her close one more time held him immobile. When she drew near, his arms closed around her. For a long moment, they clung to each other. And then, slowly, Stefan put her away from him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Aren’t you glad to see me?”
“I am always glad to see you.”
“What is it, then?”
“I listened to your conversation with your father.”
“Oh?”
“Indeed. It seems the two of you have worked everything out.”
“Then why aren’t you happier? If my father can repay the loan, we can annul my marriage to Bloodworth and you and I can be together.”
“Can we?”
She frowned as she tried to understand why he seemed so distant.
Taking a deep breath, he took both of her hands in his.
“Your father is right. I can never give you the life you deserve. I cannot give you children. There will always be men trying to take my head. I have caused trouble between you and your family. I cannot imagine your father ever giving his permission for us to marry. Once a hunter, always a hunter.”
“But—”
He pressed his fingertips to her lips, silencing her. “There is no room for me in your life. Surely you can see that?”
She shook her head. “I don’t believe that. I love you.”
“I know. And I love you. Always and forever only you, my fair Bryony.” Drawing her into his arms again, he closed his eyes.
He inhaled deeply, wanting to memorize the scent of her, the way she fit into his embrace, the silkiness of her hair, the softness of her skin.
He brushed his lips across the top of her head, whispered, “Be happy, my best beloved one,” and vanished from her sight.
Twin tears slid down her cheeks. She felt empty inside, bereft, abandoned.
And angry. She was willing to fight for him.
Why wasn’t he willing to fight for her? Well, he could just go to Halifax for all she cared.
She would find a way to get out of marrying Bloodworth and then she would find someone else to love and never think of Stefan again.
Dashing the tears from her eyes, she blew out a heavy sigh.
What was she thinking? Stefan loved her, she knew he did.
And she loved him more than life or breath.
He thought he was being noble by removing himself from her life so she wouldn’t have to choose between her love for him and her love for her family.
Well, that decision was hers to make, not his.
And she wanted Stefan, even if it meant never seeing her family again.