Once inside, Alice shut the door with a click then made her way up the wooden staircase. Tal lived on the third floor, in number 311. It was a prime number, and Tal said it was part of the reason why she’d bought the apartment. Knowing Tal, it was probably the main reason, she just didn’t want to own up to it. Tal loved numbers, probably more than she liked most people, although she gave the impression she was a complete extrovert.
Thigh muscles burning slightly from the effort, Alice reached the apartment and knocked on the door. It was a bright, cheery yellow. This month. Tal changed the color of her front door whenever the mood struck her. It drove Alice slightly insane each time. Doors were meant to be painted and then stay that color. It’s why she’d taken two years to paint the ceiling in her apartment. Even though green was not an appropriate color for a ceiling, she’d lived with it because ceilings needed to maintain some sense of permanency.
She was raising her hand to knock a second time when the yellow door opened inward. Tal stood in the doorway, laughing over her shoulder at someone. She was wearing a pretty gray dress that matched her eyes, and her hair was swept up in a neat bun, with her bangs caressing the line of her eyebrows. “Did you hear that King Johan has a new lover?” she said. “That he’s actually acknowledged it publicly? Guess there’s a first for everything.”
How did Tal even know that? Maybe the university gossip mill was even better than Alice thought.
A female voice responded from back inside the apartment. “Of course I know. But did you know he was a human?”
Human? The king had a human lover?
Tal turned toward the doorway, a look of surprise on her face. “Alice!”
“Hi Tal, thought I’d drop by. I didn’t realize you had company though. Is it okay if I come in?” Alice shifted from foot to foot.
Tal hesitated for a brief moment, then took a step back. “It’s okay, come in.”
Something didn’t seem right to Alice, though, and her earlier feeling of unease returned. Maybe she was interrupting a date? Normally, Tal would wiggle her eyebrows, and make shooing motions with her hands if she didn’t want company. They had that kind of friendship, where temporary rejection was part of the deal. They knew each other well enough to understand that sometimes their company wasn’t welcome, but only because the timing was bad. But she didn’t indicate that Alice should leave. The door closed quietly behind her and Alice walked into the open lounge room that shared its space with a small kitchen.
Tal’s visitor sat on the pale cream couch, composed and calm. She was dressed in an entirely white suit, complete with smart jacket, crisp pants and ruffled shirt. Her lavender eyes narrowed slightly at Alice’s appearance, then she smiled, and picked up a glass of red wine — at least, Alice hoped it was red wine.
Viscountess Kipling raised the crystal in a slightly mocking toast. “Why, it’s the coroner.”
The vampire’s pale blonde hair was swept up high on her head, in artfully arranged curls. She looked rather incongruous: a vampire aristo in Tal’s lounge room. Tal sat down next to her on the couch.
Alice attempted a slight curtsy — or was it a bow? — and had the feeling she just looked like she was trying to not fall over. “My lady.”
“The viscountess just dropped by for a visit,” Tal said, slightly awkward. From the scattered remains of cheese and crackers, and the half-empty bottle of wine, Alice guessed that the visit had been planned rather than spontaneous, but simply smiled at the two of them.
Then the viscountess patted her shiny pale hair and Alice forgot why she’d come to Tal’s in the first place.
Pale blonde hair.
Beautiful face.
Similar cheekbones.
Suddenly Alice’s strange feeling from the park made sense. And without thinking, she blurted, “I think you need to come to the morgue.”
Chapter 28
Skarva City
Fin’s earlier heroism had left him rather shaky. Okay, ‘heroism’ might be putting it on a bit much, but intervening when the hawker had tried to touch Hannah had caused him considerable discomfort. His ribs were still protesting, a dull ache that spread throughout his chest. But he’d seen the seller reach for the beautiful vampire, and then her look of panic as she realized how close that touch had come.
He wasn’t entirely certain what Hannah’s problem was, but he knew it was because she was Graced, and a vampire. He’d never seen that eye color before. His sisters would love to meet her, although, he had a feeling they might not approve of her ancestry. Marcia, Faith — and even Naomi — were particular about keeping the bloodlines separate. Even though they had him and Petra as part of the family, he knew they wished that their mother hadn’t ‘experimented’ so much. But at least neither he nor his baby sister had were or vampire blood. Immortal Graceds, while good in theory, did not appeal to his sisters.
Marcia had said it was because an immortal Graced would lose touch with their humanity. “People need to be able to empathize with each other; that’s why old vampires and weres are dangerous. They forget how to feel.” Fin had argued with that, and he still would now. Byrne wasn’t exactly a spring chicken, but it was clear to Fin that the bear felt far too deeply. That’s why he’d stuck by Fin for the past three years, instead of going home to his family.
In a rare show of agreement, Naomi had stood by Marcia’s opinions, but her reason was that vamps and weres could live too long, and inevitably, would go insane. “If they’re a Gray, they’d have the capacity to wipe out hundreds in a tantrum.”
And Faith, well, Faith just thought that there was a reason their ancestors had wiped the memories of weres and vampires, so that the Graceds would be forgotten. “They could breed new powers; who knows what abilities they’d have? What dangers they could pose.”
Hannah was clearly part-Graced and part-vampire, but Fin didn’t think she was that fearsome an enemy. After her first outburst, he had gathered that she was afraid of touch the way some people were afraid of spiders or snakes. Phobic. She even avoided accidentally brushing against Fin and Byrne’s gear when she rode in the back of the cart; she spent most of her time walking alongside the wagon as a result, with baby Rena in a sling around her front. She’d let Fin and Byrne hold the baby, but only after she unwrapped the cloth around her, and made them re-swaddle Rena with something else. Hannah was pretty closed-mouthed about her past, but Fin could gather that she’d suffered because of her ‘sensitivity’ and that she’d lived an isolated lifestyle as a result.
Her phobia probably wasn’t helped by the fact she was stunningly beautiful. Now Fin’s eyes were no longer swollen shut, he’d gotten a good look at the ‘mildly attractive’ woman. Long straight black hair that would reach her butt if let loose, fine features, sharp nose, pointed chin, large Black eyes. And she filled out her leather pants in a way that made him feel a little like a pervert for noticing, especially considering her aversion to touch. People would just want to be near her; it was the unfortunate side effect of being so good-looking. Fin also suffered the same problem. It’s why he was so popular with the ladies.
But her social skills would keep anyone intrigued by her looks at a distance. She was prickly. Unlike Fin, who was ridiculously charming. Unfortunately, he kind of liked her attitude. Although, he still didn’t approve of the fact that she hadn’t even realized she’d need to name the baby she’d saved. Like it was normal to just wander around with a nameless infant. He was still a little disappointed they hadn’t decided on Finlay like he suggested. It was a good name, with a strong legacy. It could work for a girl, too. Totally.
He wondered if any of his sisters had had kids yet, and if they’d named one after him. Knowing them, they’d probably pick names specifically to avoid sounding like his. They were contrary by nature, especially his twin, Faith. Plus, he wasn’t sure if they even knew he was alive. He’d just upped and left. A shattered heart and a messed up mind, and he’d bailed.
Faith had come
close to finding him once, but he’d slipped away before she could corner him. While he had a natural mental shield that even her Green abilities couldn’t penetrate, she was still his twin; he could sense when she was nearby. They had the bond, as Marcia said. He could never tell if she was being sarcastic or not.
“We’re here.” Hannah’s low and raspy voice jerked him back to reality.
Leaning over the edge of the cart, he looked around the street. Traffic was minimal here, even though the road was wide, the cobbles even, and the sidewalks clean. It was as if the humans who lived in Skarva avoided the area. The sky overhead was a deep blue spotted with clouds, but Fin felt like the weather had suddenly grown more ominous. His eyes came to rest on the huge bluestone wall that towered before them, casting a shadow over the cart, then on poor Baldy who looked droopy from her exertions, and more than happy to stop. The stupid goat looked longingly at the closed wrought-iron gates and the stone driveway visible through the metal bars. The drive led toward a manor, which had wide steps spilling onto a porch, where columns provided striped shade. A circular garden at the base of the steps allowed carriages to turn around before heading back to the street. Fin figured that was what Batty-Betsy-Buttercup was mooning over.
Fin’s eyes returned to the large bronze crest at the center of each gate: a raven in profile, with thorny rose stems rising in a kind of laurel around it. The ends of the laurel were tipped with stylized roses. He read the words in Skarvs, once, then twice. Looked at the crest again.
Fin’s mouth felt awfully dry all of a sudden. “The Duchy of Ravens?” He swung his gaze back to Hannah. Both hands gripped the sides of the cart as he leaned forward toward the driving seat. His knuckles were white, and the stitches stood out against his tanned skin. “Your mother lives at the Raven Duchess’ town estate?”
Hannah’s Black eyes stared at him, and her mouth pinched in an emotion he couldn’t decipher. She stepped down from the wagon’s seat and re-settled a protesting Rena, before straightening her white shirt around the baby, then smoothing down her thighs like she was removing wrinkles from a dress, rather than dusting off leather pants.
The Raven Duchess. Otherwise affectionately called the Deadly Duchess. Of whom Byrne and Fin had joked when talking of names for the baby. Fin groaned.
Hannah pulled her satchel from the back of the cart. She stared at Betsy-Betty-Batty and sighed. “She’s my mother.”
Wait.
What?
“Your mother is the Raven Duchess?”
“Your mother is the Deadly Duchess?”
Byrne’s face wore the same stupid look that his did. It wasn’t flattering, so Fin tried to school his expression as best he could.
Byrne climbed down off the cart and pointed at the estate. “I can’t go in there.”
“Someone has to go with her,” Fin said. He would have folded his arms across his chest, but knew that would just end in pain. So he glared instead. “And it won’t be me.”
That hard jaw of Byrne’s tightened. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a were.”
“And I’m practically an invalid.”
“Oh, so now it suits you to be ill.” Byrne snorted.
“I’ve been almost dead the entire week, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“But you’re human.” The were thought about that for a few seconds. “Mostly. They probably won’t try and kill you on sight.”
“And you’re an idiot. They can’t kill a visiting were without cause. Hospitality rules and all that rubbish. Plus, I can’t protect someone with broken ribs.”
Hannah stepped between the two of them, but still out of arm’s reach. Her beautiful features were scrunched in a scowl. “Why does anyone have to go with me? Why do I need protecting?”
“You have a baby, and you’re on your own,” Fin said.
Hannah gaped at him like he’d lost his marbles. Maybe he had. “People have babies all the time,” she said.
“Yes, but you have a human baby and you’re walking into a vampire household.” Fin spoke slowly. “They may not take it that well.”
“Rena is clearly adopted.”
“With your eye color, it may not be that clear to some,” Byrne said.
“Who is going to know?” asked Hannah, exasperated.
“Your mother,” Fin said.
“I don’t think my mother would—”
“You do know what her nickname is, right?”
“Yes. You both reminded me a few days ago.”
Fin swallowed at the reminder and looked at the ground quickly. Classy of him.
“How about I take the baby and go find accommodation for me, Baldy, the goat and the cart? You and Fin can go in, explain the situation to your mother and see how she takes it.”
Hannah’s mouth formed into a thin line. At last she nodded. “Fine — but come back here afterward, with Rena.”
Fin didn’t think that the vampire realized how much she’d grown to trust them until that moment. Or how much she didn’t trust her mother.
He hoped it wouldn’t take Byrne long to find accommodation, because if he and Hannah had to rely on his combat skills to get them out of a spot of bother, then they were both screwed.
Chapter 29
Skarva City
Hannah handed Rena over to Byrne, careful that her hands didn’t touch the were’s. Even wearing gloves, she couldn’t take the chance of accidental contact. She was so close to being home, so close to having all her problems solved — she couldn’t risk falling into a memory-trance now. Even though they were just outside her mother’s estate, they weren’t in her protection yet. And Tatiana Romanov had enemies, which meant that Hannah had enemies, whether she knew who they were or not. Until she was inside her mother’s walls, she had to be cautious.
Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, Hannah took a step toward the large gates. They’d marked the boundary of her world for the first dozen years of her life. She’d been resentful of them at first, but eventually she’d considered them to be the security they were. Too many people didn’t care about the personal space of a small, defenseless child, or wanted to take advantage of her difficulty. Now she almost felt nostalgic looking at the metal portals.
Byrne murmured a good-bye, and then climbed up into the cart’s seat.
Fin looked back. “You aren’t going to wait for us?”
The large man shook his head. “Not unless you think there is going to be an issue.”
Hannah sighed. She’d given Rena to Byrne at his request, because a hidden part of her wasn’t entirely sure what her mother’s reaction would be. Tatiana liked children, but whether or not she would welcome a stranger‘s baby into her own home, well, that was up for question. And Hannah wouldn’t risk an innocent on that smidgen of doubt.
“Go get the accommodation sorted. Although, I’m sure Mother would let you stay with us, since you helped me return home.” Hannah almost managed a smile.
Byrne shifted uncomfortably at the idea. Rena made a gurgling noise, and the were carefully rocked her. For someone so large, he was always so delicate around those smaller than himself. It made her feel safe, in a way Hannah hadn’t for almost her entire existence.
Her mother was strong, stronger than probably anyone else alive, but Tatiana had been plagued with moments of irrationality throughout Hannah’s life. Maybe it was a result of being so old. Things would just...slip. And although Hannah had never felt truly in danger from her parent, she’d always had the fear that maybe her mother would forget who she was, just for a brief moment, and that would be that.
Hannah wasn’t foolish enough to think that Byrne didn’t have a mean side, too; he was just as much a bear as a man, and bears were protective of their own. She knew he liked the baby, but what he felt about her was a mystery. Pity, maybe?
“I’ll come back here after,” Byrne said, then clucked Baldy into protesting movement. Betty followed readily; there’d been no grass her
e for her to nibble on.
“So what’s the plan?” Fin asked as Hannah watched the wagon and the goat depart.
Fin was taller than her, with golden blond hair that was untidy from being slept on for a week. His face was a collection of mottled bruises, although his black eyes were no longer swollen, and his grazes had begun to heal. He’d managed to grow the beginnings of a beard, too, the hair slightly darker than that on his head. She’d heard Byrne and him arguing yesterday about when the stitches on his hands and arms could be removed. Hannah thought Fin had lost that round, although it was hard to keep up.
He seemed like a nice guy, but could she trust him? Because he talked so much, it occurred to her that she might think she knew him better than she really did. True, he’d stopped the peddler from touching her before, which had been one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for her. Didn’t that make her life look rather sad?
As she started walking toward the gate, he overtook her, doing a remarkable job of standing upright, considering he’d been at death’s door for the past week — at least according to him. He reached the large metal barrier first, and opened the smaller gate that was inset into the right panel. He stepped through, motioning for her to follow, then shut the gate behind her, careful to avoid touching her. Both he and Byrne were always so particular; she’d never known people to take her wishes on board so easily. But then, they knew she was Graced, even if they didn’t know what her ability was. They were no doubt smart enough to have worked out it was touch-activated.
Fin followed her up the driveway. His long-sleeved white shirt was wrinkled, and his brown leather vest didn’t do much to hide the garment’s sorry state. His loose-fitting breeches bagged on him, and the slight odor of alcohol wreathed his body, but despite his disheveled state, he was far too handsome for his own good. No wonder he’d gotten into trouble at the last town. The Trsetti were not known for their tolerance of outsiders, especially ones who’d seduced their women. Although, Fin claimed he was seduced. Looking at him, Hannah believed that was equally likely.
Bitten (The Graced Series Book 2) Page 12
