CHAPTER 28
Dr. Murnau put up his hands. “We’re just here for the notebook.”
“Quiet human,” Valeria growled. “I’m not talking to you. I’ll ask again: what are you?”
Caroline peeked beyond Valeria and saw Dr. Gardner and Mrs. Montgomery looking very, very still.
“I’m not sure what you mean,” Dr. Gardner started, and she could hear the fear in his voice.
“You know exactly what I mean. I don’t care who you pretend you are to the mortals, but you should know better than to try that with me. I can smell death on you and the woman.”
Fear pooled within her. She didn’t really know Dr. Gardner and Mrs. Montgomery. They had been kind to her, but if Valeria found them dangerous, she couldn’t imagine how bad they could be.
Mrs. Montgomery stepped between Dr. Gardner and Valeria. “Now, we don’t have to lose our temper over this. We can discuss this like rational adults.
“Jane,” Dr. Gardner admonished quietly, but she shot him a deadly look.
“If you take a step closer, I will rip out your throat.”
“Please don’t. I like this dress, and I don’t want to ruin it. I promise you that we’re not a danger. We’re healers and have spent plenty of time with Miss Blythe already. We don’t mean any harm.”
Valeria was still tense, so Caroline put her hand on her waist. “It’s fine, I promise. No one will hurt me.”
“I’ll kill them before they even have the chance.”
“I thought you said the vampire was gone,” Murnau said, his jaw in a hard line, and he didn’t move any further into the room.
“She only just returned. I didn’t lie.” Much.
“But you also weren’t going to tell me the truth. Even after you worked with me all of those weeks, you’ve always been protecting the vampire.”
Valeria’s body was tense, but Caroline didn’t think she was paying any attention to the conversation; her focus was still on the other two.
“I don’t smell magic on you, but your blood is wrong. So, I ask you again, what are you?”
“We don’t have magic,” Dr. Gardner scoffed. “We’re scientists. I figured out the reanimation process, but only using science. Magic isn’t real.”
Valeria snorted. “It’s astounding how easily mortals can get out of their depth. You don’t smell like a necromancer, but your blood is clearly dead. With a mix of something else that I can’t place.”
“I’m a scientist,” Dr. Gardner said again, this time far more forcefully with a growl that sounded inhuman.
She had spent days with him, and he had always been gentle and kind—even if he snapped at people, or occasionally stormed from rooms—but now he was different. He was bigger, somehow both taller and wider. His dark eyes had lightened with a yellow glow.
Caroline took a step back as his face wavered. Even though she was a human, she could see there was something wrong with him. It wasn’t the type of danger The Count was, but something was wrong with him.
“Take a deep breath,” Mrs. Montgomery said, placing her hand on his forearm. It took some time, but he took a few harried breaths and seemed to relax. “Good, good.”
Mrs. Montgomery looked at Valeria and Caroline before continuing, “We aren’t necromancers or any sort of…magicians. We really are scientists, but we were dead. And we didn’t know there was any type of being out there that could smell such a thing.”
Valeria snorted. “You’ve spent weeks working with Murnau to find a vampire, and you never believed him? When you are both undead beings. Mortals,” she said with a shake of her head.
“We prefer formerly dead. We’re alive now, and we aren’t mortal anymore.”
“You may not have a mortal lifespan anymore, but your attitude is fully mortal. You still think like them, and you’re not.”
“So, you are a vampire then. You feed on blood? Dr. Murnau was right about everything?” Dr. Gardner said, his voice still strangely distorted, but less angry than before.
“I don’t know about everything, but he was right that there was a vampire in town. Two vampires, but I’m the only one here now.”
“Did you kill Mr. Andrews?” Dr. Murnau asked.
“Yes, but he was a danger to all of the mortals here.”
“Vampires are real. I can’t believe it,” Mrs. Montgomery said, shaking her head.
“Did you think you were the only strange creatures out there? Vampires are only scratching the surface. There’s a whole world out there you don’t understand. Magic explains most things, but there are also other natural phenomena out there.”
Dr. Gardner crossed his arms. “I can’t believe magic is real. That’s preposterous.”
“And we just convinced Will no one wanted to steal his blood. He’ll be so upset to learn vampires are real.”
“He won’t have to worry about a vampire wanting his blood if he’s like you. You smell like roadkill. Not even a starving vampire would take a chance on you.”
“Because humans are what you’re interested in. So, what happens now? Will you pick off the village one at a time? Are we to act as your buffet?” Murnau’s eyes blazed, and Caroline could hear the anger threaded in his voice.
“No,” Valeria said. “I don’t have any interest in hunting people around here. I have adjusted my diet so the people in this village are safe.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that? Was The Count responsible for all of the killing before? How can I trust that you won’t lose control again? Or worse, grow bored and start killing for sport.”
“She’s not like that,” Caroline said. “We only want to live a quiet life.”
“You may be more than willing to lead a wolf into the hen house, but I’m not. If you want to trust a vampire, that’s your business, but I won’t let you use this town as a food source.”
“What, exactly, are you going to do about it?” Valeria asked, so calmly Caroline was worried. She was fairly confident she wouldn’t attack the doctor, but Valeria had never liked him, and she wasn’t sure how she would respond if he became a direct threat.
“I know how to capture and kill your kind. I caught The Count, and he was much stronger than you.”
Mrs. Thomas returned to the room holding Mrs. Montgomery’s forgotten notebook.
She quickly took the item from the housekeeper and thanked her profusely.
Everyone was quiet as Mrs. Thomas left; surely she felt the tension in the room, but she had no interest in sticking around to see what was happening.
“I will let you stay here until Mr. Andrews has been buried out of respect, but the moment he is in the ground, I expect your vampire to be gone. I will not have the people in this village be used as food again.”
Valeria opened her mouth to argue, and Caroline quickly took her hand. “I understand. We’ll be gone by then. I thank you for everything you’ve done for me and this village I love so much. I trust you will take care of everyone.”
Dr. Murnau’s face was severe, and she knew they were now on different sides, but he gave her a sharp nod.
Maybe one day she could get him to see her side, when she explained more about how else vampires could eat, but he wouldn’t listen now.
The wounds were still too fresh. He turned and left, and Dr. Gardner and Mrs. Montgomery left with him.
Valeria didn’t relax until they both heard the carriage rolling down the gravel driveway.
“I’m sorry that he wants me to leave your home, cara. I understand if you send me away and stay with your parents.”
Caroline scoffed, “As if you could get rid of me. My parents can handle everything for now. I want the chance to see other places. We can come back here, but we’ll give Dr. Murnau some time to calm down.”
“I fear he may always hate vampires, but if anyone could get him to feel another way, I trust you could do it.”
Caroline blushed, her eyes flicking away for a moment before Valeria turned her chin back to her with the tip of her index finger.
“There is one last thing we should settle before we work on our itinerary,” Valeria continued.
“What’s that?”
“Do you want to be a vampire?”
It was the question she had been turning over since the previous evening—really, since the moment she realized what Valeria was—but it wasn’t until that moment she had a definite answer.
“I do, but not yet. I still want some time as a human and time to learn more about vampires and this whole other world you just teased me with. Is that all right?”
“Of course, amore. Even if you never wanted to be a vampire, I would still love you for all the time we had. I will keep you mortal for as long as you want, as long as you aren’t in any real danger. The moment you are, I will Make you into a vampire.”
“That’s a deal I’ll take.”
Valeria smiled before closing the space between them with a sweet kiss. There were still so many things for them to figure out, but Caroline knew she could handle anything with the promise of eternity by Valeria’s side.