I fought them as they attempted to pass me from one man to another. I wasn’t about to let him hurt Fergus. I wasn’t going to meekly let Jean-Claude pass me to Alain either. The cloak I was wrapped in and the rocking boat made the transfer awkward. This was my chance.
I twisted in mid-air, risking everything when I was being lifted toward the dock where Alain was standing. My effort paid off and the cloak unwrapped enough for me to throw it into Jean-Claude’s face. I could finally see the water next to the boat. Alain had only tied the bow to the dock and my struggles had made the boat swing away from it.
“Hold still, bitch!” The vampire staggered, reaching for me and fighting the cloak out of his way.
I kicked at his hands then flung myself toward that noisome river. Jean-Claude was left holding the cloak as I flew through the air and landed with a splash in the icy water. It closed over my head and I stayed under, sure it was safer to remain out of sight.
It was cold, cold and dark. I pulled the gag from my mouth and it floated away. Something hit above my head. My fingers touched …the boat. Move away. A splash as there was a hit on the water again. Too close. An oar. Jean-Claude wanted me to reach for it. I’d rather drown. I held my breath, my lungs in agony. Kick. Velvet skirts pulled at me. Down, to my death.
I bumped into something. A post? Slimy. Couldn’t hold on. The dock. Must get under it. Hide. Kick, keep kicking. Can’t… breathe. Legs fighting skirt. Freezing. Hard to see. Murky water suddenly darker. Under the dock. Air. Must. Have. Air.
I prayed and took a chance, flailing my arms and rising, my face finally finding air. I dragged it in then remembered. Quiet. I groped for anything to hold onto, about to sink again. A long nail stuck out of another slimy post. I hung on, breathing as quietly as I could. I heard Jean-Claude and Alain talking and the slap of that oar hitting the water again and again.
“She’ll come up. Watch and see.” Alain’s boots stomped over my head. “Shift and fly over, Jean-Claude. Look for her in the river. I will see if she is between these boats here.”
I held too tight to the nail and it cut my palm. Blood. I tried to change hands. If Jean-Claude smelled it, he would know I was alive and nearby. Damned vampire. I sank again, clumsy with the cold. Whatever instinct gave me the ability to swim kept me under the water and moving. When I couldn’t hold my breath a moment longer, I reached out again and hit wood. Not slimy but clean. A boat? Was it the boat I’d just been in? I didn’t care. I had to catch my breath again. I found a handhold and got my nose above water, barely.
“You are right. I’m shifting now for a better look,” Jean-Claude shouted as I held onto a crude raft of some kind.
When a hawk flew overhead, I ducked under the water again. Jean-Claude was searching for me. What about Fergus? Had he really taken off to fetch Jeremiah? Or was he still flying nearby? Would he and Jean-Claude fight? What chance did a shifter have when a vampire attacks him? I didn’t know. I couldn’t stay where I was another moment without breathing. I used the raft’s rope to go nearer the dock, then bobbed up when I was under it again. I held on and waited. My teeth chattered with cold and I bit my lips to keep the sound inside.
“Gloriana, if you are still in the water, say something. Jean-Claude flew away, chasing Fergus. I will help you, take you back to Jeremiah. Show yourself and I will make sure you are safe.” Alain kept calling my name.
Mind readers. Was he even now searching for my thoughts? No, Jeremiah claimed he had to be within sight to read what someone was thinking. So my worry now was the noise, the harsh sound of my labored breathing, and the smell of my blood. I held onto the post next to me with the unwounded hand and stayed very still, trying not to slide under again with the weight of my dress dragging at me.
Did I trust Alain? Of course not. I knew where his loyalties lay. I hardly dared to breathe as Alain stomped back and forth overhead and called my name over and over again. I have no idea how long I stayed under the dock but it seemed like hours. My arm shook with the strain but I dared not change to my other hand. I prayed that the stench of the river water masked my smell.
“Come down, Jean-Claude,” Alain finally shouted. “She could not stay underwater without air for so long. Remember, she is mortal. She must have drowned. And Fergus got away. I see no sign of him. He has surely returned to Whitehall and will tell Jeremiah what we have done and where we took his woman.” Alain sounded worried now. “We should go get Marin and move again. Campbell will seek retribution for this act against him. He was fond of the lady.”
There was a thump and sounds above my head on the dock. “Fond of her blood, you mean. Wait. If she drowned, shouldn’t we see her body floating here?” Jean-Claude had obviously shifted back into his human form. “Damn it, Alain, you are becoming useless and as scared as an old woman.”
I fumbled under my skirt for the ties to my petticoats. The knots were hopelessly tangled. If I could send at least one floating away, surely that would convince them that I had met my death in this foul river. I sank below the water again, ripping the cloth in my haste before letting a petticoat go. I pulled apart my beautiful dress as well. Whatever I could give them to prove my death, I would. I kicked the bits of cloth away then moved back, as far away as I could under that dock. My lungs were fair to bursting before I carefully raised my face to take in air again.
“Look, over there. You see? There’s your proof. Clearly she has drowned.” Alain sounded excited and I heard the oar hit the water again. “And here’s a piece of lace and a sleeve. The fish are feasting on her now.”
I could have wept with relief and pain. That last effort had cost me every fingernail I had and I was so terribly, terribly cold. I leaned back and floated, staring at the boards above my head where I could see just a sliver of light from a street lamp or perhaps the moon. Please, God, let them give up and leave. I was so exhausted I didn’t even wonder how I knew the skill that let me keep my head above water by just moving my hands a bit. Was I swimming?
“I still say we never would have lost the prize if you were not so old, Alain. Do not be surprised if Marin makes us both pay for this night when we return empty handed.” Jean-Claude stomped his foot, he was so unhappy.
“I still provide valuable service, sir. How would you have moved the boat this night without me?” Alain wasn’t accepting the criticism. “And someone has to pack all your things and move Marin’s treasures. Not to mention guard you during the day. Would you really want to go to your death sleep with enemies about with no one to watch out for you?”
“There are other shifters. Ones that are younger and can do the work in twice the time.” Jean-Claude was clearly frustrated.
“Not here and not now.” Alain wasn’t giving up.
“Hush. I must think. Now I have to tell Marin we failed. Why don’t we see the woman’s body?” More footsteps on the dock.
Pacing above my head. The light flickered when Jean-Claude walked right over me. I felt a cough coming on and fought it back. Dear God.
“She wore a heavy dress. I’m sure she sank. When velvet gets wet . . .” Alain cleared his throat. “Come, we must move now. I’ll fetch a carriage. You bring Marin and let’s get out of here before Jeremiah and Fergus come looking for Gloriana and for us. There is nothing to gain from confronting those two. The girl is lost. We should go to Paris. Marin is always happy there. I will find a cousin there to serve you. You do need a new, young shifter. I agree with you. My family is a large one and there are some very good shifters who you will enjoy having in your service. I can train one in the ways you like things done then retire. I have saved for it and won’t be sorry to have an easy life for a change.”
“I am sorry I was hard on you. I admit I will miss you, Alain. You have been very discreet and loyal and are very good in making a home for us. I promise to be generous…” Their voices faded as did their footsteps as they finally walked away.
I was shivering as I finally took an easy breath that turned into a cough. Why hadn’t I
sunk to the bottom of the river? My dress, my beautiful velvet dress, was very heavy and pulled at me. But I could kick and keep my head above water. I had finally let go of the rope ages ago, afraid my chills would make it shake and give me away. And yet I felt safe enough with my kicks and arm movements that I knew I wasn’t going to drown. Except for the fact that I was so very cold. How long should I wait before I tried to crawl out and onto that flat raft? Could the sounds of the men walking away be a trap? I had to wait. To make sure.
A bird landed on the raft a few feet away. Suddenly it was no longer a bird but Fergus, crouched down and peering at me.
“Gloriana.” He spoke quietly and kept glancing above me, at the dock. “Are you all right?”
Tears filled my eyes. “How, how did you know . . ?” I couldn’t say more, coughing as emotion and that blasted river water choked me.
“Even over this noisome river, I caught your scent, sweet lady. Lucky for us, Jean-Claude and Alain aren’t as familiar with it as I am.” He lay flat and reached out. “Here, take my hand.”
I tried, I really did, to move closer to him. But it was impossible. I was unable to move, frozen in place by my fear. What if he was wrong and Jean-Claude attacked as soon as he saw me? I was safely out of sight under that dock.
“Come now, you were so very brave. When I saw you leap into the river, I swear my heart stopped.” He scooted even closer, so close to the edge of the raft I feared he’d fall in as well. “You would not meekly go with them. Not our Gloriana. Now take my hand. There’s a lass.”
“Wait! It will do no good if two of us land in this slimy stink.” I could do this. Fergus called me brave. Brave? Desperate more like. I knew I’d have rather die than go easily into the clutches of a woman who considered humans “pets.” I finally kicked and moved a few inches toward him, straining to connect. Our fingers almost touched. With a prayer that I wouldn’t be sorry, I lunged, his hand clasped mine and he hauled me up and onto the raft with him.
“There you are.” He pulled me in, hugging me close.
“I’m getting you terribly wet.” I laughed and cried, so relieved I kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Fergus, I’ll never forget this.”
He closed his eyes and just held me. “Neither will I, lass.”
“Oh, Fergus.” I looked around, uneasy both with the look on his face and the place. I still worried that Jean-Claude and Alain could decide to come back and look for me once more. Their fear of Marin might just make them do so. “We must return to Whitehall. Does Jeremiah know what happened?”
“I didn’t have time to tell him. I followed you here right away. I would have tried to save you from that bastard Jean-Claude, but I couldn’t take a chance that you would be hurt in the fight, even though I think I could take them.” Fergus gently set me away from him. “Then I saw Jean-Claude had a gun. If he’d managed to shoot me that would have left you at their mercy.”
“I’m glad you didn’t try. He boasted he was a crack shot.” I couldn’t top shivering. “Two of them, one of them vampire, against you? Yes, you are be big and strong and can be many things, but it wouldn’t have been a fair fight.”
Fergus frowned. “When I saw Jean-Claude taste your blood . . .” He looked away. “He will die for what he did, Gloriana, I promise you that.”
I put a hand on his knee. “Fergus, please take me away. Quickly. You did the right thing. We need to leave here.” This time I was the one to look away from his keen gaze. “I cannot bear it here. I am afraid every moment we tarry.”
Fergus shimmered, the sign that he was on the verge of changing. “I am sorry, Gloriana. I failed you. They never should have been able to steal you away from Whitehall. Jeremiah would be right to send me home over this.”
“No! I ran outside. You tried to follow…” I looked around frantically. “There is the boat they used. And the cloak they wrapped around me. We must go. Now. And no more talk of your guilt. I am to blame. I left your side. It was my actions that got me stolen away. If you start telling Jeremiah any of this nonsense, you will disappoint me.” I tried to crawl from the raft to the dock, glad when he helped me with a firm hand on my waist.
“Very well.” He picked up the discarded cloak and wrapped it around me. “You are distressed and rightly so. I’ll row us back down the river.” Fergus helped me into that small boat, untied it and picked up the oars. Soon we were on our way back to the palace. I knew I was not fit to be seen.
“Leave me where no one will see me. Fetch Jeremiah. We cannot let anyone in Whitehall see me like this.” I pointed to a spot near the palace where he could dock the boat. “I will be safe enough there. The king’s guards are everywhere. We can tell them I fell in while taking a stroll too close to the river.”
“They will never believe that. I will arrange for our carriage to come here as soon as I find Jeremiah. Take this.” Fergus handed me a knife. “Stick anyone who bothers you.”
“I wish I’d had this earlier. Though I don’t think it would have bothered Jean-Claude to have blood drawn. It would probably excite him.” I hid it in the folds of my cloak, glad to have something to defend myself with.
“You are right. And he would take it away from you too easily. Mayhap I shouldn’t leave it with you.” Fergus really didn’t want to leave me alone while he ran to get Jeremiah.
“No! I’m glad to have it. Go now and hurry. I stink like that river. You know how I like to be clean. I cannot stand my own reek.” I forced tears and he finally hurried away, casting suspicious looks around him as I settled on a bench under a torch and huddled under my cloak. I still had a cough. Vile river water. It was all I could taste.
I had much to think about. Had Jean-Claude truly been convinced I was dead? Would he and Marin leave London now? And would Jeremiah simply let them go? Honestly, I didn’t think I would ever feel safe again knowing Marin was out there, lusting for my blood.
Jeremiah was a man with a strong protective instinct. Tonight he’d failed to keep me safe. I could almost imagine his reaction even before he came to me, his face a mixture of fury and concern. If I could, I’d lie and say I fell into the river, nothing more. But I knew that would never work. Cursed mind reader. Of course he’d see the truth even if Fergus hadn’t already told him everything.
“Gloriana!” He pulled me into his arms and just held me. “Thank God Marin never got you. But to jump into the river!” He looked into my eyes. “How is it you didn’t drown?”
I had no answer for him. Was it part of my missing past that I could swim? If only I could remember. But clearly someone somewhere had taught me. It still surprised me that I could kick and keep my head above water. Floating as well! I could do it. But I had been terrified the entire time. Water was not something I loved, except in a bath. What I wouldn’t give for a nice hot soak right now.
“Bless you, of course you want to wash the stench of that river off. We will find a way to make that happen.” He turned to Fergus. “Get her a tub. The lass is desperate to be clean again.”
“Aye.” Fergus gestured. “The coach is waiting. Give me an hour and I’ll have a tub for you.” He stomped off down the alley, expecting us to follow.
“You scared him, Gloriana.” Jeremiah picked me up in his arms, insisting on carrying me. “You scared me, as well, once I knew what had happened.”
“I would like to forget the entire incident.” I ran a hand over his tight jaw. “I hope that you will forget it as well.”
“You cannot think I will let this go. Jean-Claude will pay for this.” He stopped next to the hired carriage, where Fergus held open the door. “There are few enough vampires. We try to help each other. Did we not go to Marin’s aid at the Tower?” His fists were clenched and he hit his thighs. “By God! And this is how they repay us. I won’t stand for it.”
“You left the king’s presence rather hurriedly, Campbell. The king sent me to inquire if there was an emergency.” Robert MacDonald stepped out of the shadows. “Mistress Gloriana.” He frowned. “My de
ar! Did someone dump you in the river?”
“This is none of your concern, MacDonald.” Jeremiah turned to face him.
“It might be, Jeremiah, that we could use a bit of help if we are going to take vengeance on Marin and Jean-Claude.” Fergus stared over MacDonald’s shoulder, meeting his cousin Bran’s worried gaze. “You were telling Gloriana that vampires help each other in times of trial.”
“I would never ask a MacDonald for anything.” Jeremiah rested his hand on his sword hilt. “We can handle Marin and her mate without help.”
“Can we? Marin has powers we have yet to test. And she has a powerful thirst for Gloriana’s blood. She will not meekly go away, despite what Alain advised at the dock.” Fergus turned to me. “Tell him, Gloriana.”
“Alain was all for them leaving immediately, to go to Paris.” I rested my hand on Jeremiah’s back. If there was going to be a battle, I would like for Jeremiah to take a proficient fighter with him. MacDonald had certainly proved he could hold his own against another vampire when they’d fought each other. And Bran was like Fergus, big and brawny and a fairly young shifter. Alain wouldn’t stand a chance against them.
“I saw Jean-Claude taste Gloriana’s blood, Jeremiah.” Fergus said this quietly but of course MacDonald heard him and stepped closer.
“Did he now?” MacDonald’s mouth thinned and his fangs came down. “You will kill him of course. She is your woman. Even I know enough to respect that boundary. Though I enjoy teasing you about it.”
I stared at him. What had that play with my ear been? Oh, of course it didn’t count. Not like a knife on my inner thigh. I tried to send that thought to Jeremiah and he stiffened.
“He cut you on your thigh?” He turned to look into my eyes. “And drank blood from you there?”
“Yes. I fought him, I really did. But--” The hatred blazing in his eyes stopped me.
“Say no more. He is a dead man. MacDonald is right about that.” He turned back to the other vampire. “Yes, I will accept your help. And we cannot wait. If they think to move quickly, so must we.” Jeremiah looked at Fergus. “Can you find out where they were last staying? I feel sure they have moved recently, just as we have.”
Real Vampires: When Glory Met Jerry Page 17
