by Kailin Gow
There were more women there too, almost uniformly beautiful this time, though dressed in as wide an array of clothes as the ones in the courtyard. As with those, they stared at Cruces as the vampire came in. It was almost frightening to see so many women looking at Cruces with such undisguised desire. Even the vampire seemed uncomfortable with it. A few of the women gave Scarlett hateful looks, but those faded as she reached out to take Tavian’s hand. A few even smiled then, obviously glad to see someone who wasn’t competing with them for Cruces’ attentions.
“I feared this,” the vampire said. “The curse has not waned. The women here are all ones who came to my family’s house, declaring themselves my beloved.”
“But I am!” one woman near the back cried out. Almost at once, there was a cacophony of sound as all the other women there tried to shout her down. Several charged forward. For a moment, Scarlett thought that they might be about to attack, but then one of them, a beautiful woman with flaming red hair and wearing only a brief tunic, kissed Cruces passionately. Tavian laughed at that, the sound carrying through the open living area.
Scarlett found it less amusing as Cruces shoved the woman back, only for another to throw herself at him. And another. The women all seemed to be determined to get to Cruces at once, to kiss him and press close to him. She could admit to herself that, in spite of Aphrodite’s spell, the sight of all those women throwing themselves on the vampire was enough to make her feel a small twinge of something. Jealousy?
Cruces was clearly uncomfortable with what was going on too. He did not throw himself into the women’s arms the way Scarlett might once have suspected he would have. Instead, he pushed them away, trying to dodge them as they came at him. He was surprisingly gentle about it though, never pushing any of the women so hard that she was hurt by it, and being almost courteous about setting some of them aside.
The trouble was that his courtesy was making it harder and harder to keep clear of the women. Scarlett could imagine what it would be like soon with them grabbing for him, all trying to pull Cruces from the others. Who knew what harm they might do, even to a vampire like him? No, Scarlett had to do something.
So she charged forward, pushing her way through the crowd. She was less restrained than Cruces had been, though even so she was careful not to do any permanent damage to the women. This was not their fault after all. They were simply the victims of one of Aphrodite’s curses, as much as Cruces was.
“Step back,” Scarlett said. “I don’t care how much you all love him, behaving like this will do none of you any good. Step back, I said!”
For a moment, it seemed like she might have gotten through to the women. For that brief, wonderful moment they paused, blinking at her like they hadn’t seen her before, even though she had been standing there for several minutes by then. Quickly though, one of the women pointed at her, fury evident on her features.
“This one wants to keep us from our beloved! She wants to keep him for herself!”
Too late, Scarlett saw the danger. “No, I…”
The mob of women surged forward grabbing for Scarlett, each of them looking ready to kill. Even if that were not their intent, Scarlett would not have wanted them to get hold of her. There was far too much chance of being crushed or trampled with so many women crowding around. As it was, they also lashed out with fists or with their nails, forcing Scarlett to duck and dodge,
She quickly learned that the best way to fight in a large crowd was to keep moving, because stopping would have meant one or more of the women finally managing to grab her. Once one got a grip, the rest would soon follow, and Scarlett could not afford that, so she fought and ran almost equally, pushing women away on the move, or tripping them, and occasionally striking them if there seemed to be no other choice. Scarlett hated to do that, but she suspected that she would hate being trampled to death rather more, and so, when she had to, she lashed out.
Cruces and Tavian fought beside her, trying to keep the women back from Scarlett with shoves and occasionally dragging them away bodily when they got too close. For the moment at least, it seemed that the women’s attention was so focused on murdering their ‘rival’ that they had even forgotten about trying to get to Cruces to kiss him.
Scarlett tried to think of something that might solve the problem. The three of them could run, flee the palace entirely and head back to the city, but that would solve nothing. There were no guarantees that the women would not simply follow, while there might still be the immortals waiting to question them on who had sent them back in Athens.
Worse, it would do nothing to help the women in Cruces’ home. Despite the fact that they were currently doing their best to tear Scarlett limb from limb, they were merely more victims of Aphrodite’s cruel sense of humor. They needed Scarlett’s help. Except what help could Scarlett give them? Even if she could find a way to summon Aphrodite, it did not seem likely that the goddess would remove her curse. It might even be that she could not do it. At best, she would demand that Scarlett finish looking for the bow, and these women deserved better than to be forced to wait like that.
Yet who else was there to call on for help? Scarlett might be able to see the supernatural, but that did not mean that there were many powerful supernatural beings she could call on. None, in fact. After all, the only supernatural creature Scarlett had a connection to was Cruces, and he was already busy trying to keep the women off her.
That wasn’t entirely true though, was it? There was one other figure Scarlett had a connection to, and he was undoubtedly powerful, in his way. Though whether she would somehow be able to contact him consciously, and whether he would come if she did, remain to be seen. Yet what did Scarlett really have to lose, considering what would happen to her if she did nothing?
“Rothschild!” Scarlett shouted it as loudly as she could. She also reached back to touch the mark that sat at the base of her neck. The Order’s mark, but also Rothschild’s. “Rothschild, come here to me. Please.”
That the vampire would be able to come if he wished was not in doubt. He had one of the rings that matched Cruces’ one. He could walk between worlds as surely as they had. As surely as the vampire Brutus must have to follow them. The only questions were over whether he had heard, and whether he cared enough about what happened to Scarlett to come.
Scarlett felt the skin on her neck beneath her finger heat up to a point where she had to move her hand away. She groaned with the pain of the sudden burning, while an unseen wind seemed to come from nowhere. Scarlett had been banking on Rothschild having told the truth about the strength of the connection his mark created between them, and it seemed that he had.
He had heard her.
The air in front of Scarlett swirled faster and faster. It was not enough to move people physically, but the women around Scarlett stepped back, leaving a space there that was empty and still in the chaos. Then the air in that space seemed to split, leaving a hole. Scarlett tried to look through it to spot what lay on the other side, but there was no time, and in any case she had to step out of the way of another attacker.
So she did not see where Rothschild came from, but he did come. The vampire stepped out of the hole in the world, looked around himself and laughed.
“Ah, Scarlett, there you are.”
Chapter 11
Rothschild stood there for a moment or two, still as the women struggled around him, trying to get to Scarlett. He looked faintly amused for a moment, and then snapped his fingers. Instantly, there was a space around him, as women pulled back, apparently unaware that they had done so. They did not leave Tavian or Cruces alone, but Scarlett was able to stand in that space with impunity.
Rothschild loosened his collar slightly and undid a couple of buttons on his jacket, apparently adjusting to the warmer climate. “You called?”
Scarlett couldn’t help staring at the vampire for several seconds. His golden hair glinted in the sun, while his features seemed almost perfect for the grandeur of the classical setting
. He looked as beautiful as any of the immortals Scarlett had seen. In that moment, she had to fight to keep from moving close to him. That reaction alone was enough to shock Scarlett. How could she react like that, when she loved Tavian thanks to Aphrodite? Was it the mark? Was it simply that the connection it created could not be overridden, even by a greater immortal?
Eventually, Rothschild stepped close to Scarlett, his face just inches from hers. He did not touch her, but he was close enough that he did not need to.
“It seems our relationship is improving, Scarlett. I would not have thought you would have called me of your own free will this early on in our relationship.”
“There is no relationship,” Scarlett snapped back. Rothschild liked to play games far too much. “The only thing between us is your intrusive mark upon me. That it has come in handy in this case does not change that.”
Rothschild’s eyes sparkled, and his mouth twisted into a smile. “Really? How disappointing. Still, it is a beginning. Now, what is it you wish of me, dear Scarlett?”
Scarlett took a breath. Was it a good idea to ask anything of a vampire like Rothschild? Perhaps she should have thought of that before she summoned him through his mark. “First, I want you to help stop these women without hurting them. Then, I want Cupid’s bow back.”
Rothschild raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think I have it?”
“I am the Seeker,” Scarlett said. “Finding things is not a problem for me. It would be too much of a coincidence to believe that you are not interested in the bow.”
Rothschild seemed amused by that. “So you know what you are in full now. Did Cruces tell you? No, of course he did not. Who then?”
“Aphrodite.”
“Ah, Aphrodite,” Rothschild said, letting out a brief laugh. “The most charming, alluring female who ever was. Or she would be, except I prefer mine…”
“How do you prefer your women?” Scarlett asked sharply. She could feel the power of Aphrodite’s curse as it worked against her natural attraction to Rothschild through the mark. Thoughts of Tavian came to her, and with them, thoughts of his sister. “Do you prefer them easier to control, like Cecilia? Or do you prefer that they aren’t fey either?”
“Human,” Rothschild said softly. “I have always rather liked humans. Especially beautiful ones, Scarlett.”
Scarlett forced herself to ignore that. Forced herself to ignore the way she reacted to it, too. “Where is Cecilia?” she demanded. “Tell me, Rothschild.”
“So many demands,” Rothschild said, with a glance around to where Tavian and Cruces were still trying to keep back the milling women. That Scarlett was safe in this calm spot seemed to make no difference. “To solve your problems, to give back the bow, and now for Cecilia. I might almost think you weren’t interested in me for me, dear Scarlett.”
“As though I would ever want that.”
“Careful,” Rothschild warned gently. “You might annoy me if you keep going long enough.”
“Annoy you?” Scarlett shook her head in exasperation. “You sent an assassin after me, Rothschild.”
Rothschild took a surprised step back. “No, I did not. Why would I? I want you very much alive, Scarlett. Believe me on that.”
Strangely, Scarlett did, though it was hardly a comforting thought. “Then who?”
“Perhaps you should begin trusting me more and your companions less.” He gave Tavian a pointed look.
“No, I don’t believe you,” Scarlett said.
“Really? Even though he was a trusted member of our Order?”
“He said that he never joined,” Scarlett retorted.
Rothschild shrugged. “Then he lied. He may not be in it now, but he was one of us before. He introduced me to Cecilia, you know.”
“You’re the liar,” Scarlett said, but she could not get the venom into the words that she wanted. The truth was that Tavian had admitted making just such an introduction.
“Am I a liar?” Rothschild asked innocently, his lips quirking just slightly. “Where have you been getting all your information about me, about the Order, about Cecilia?”
“Tavian,” Scarlett said, knowing that she had no choice. “And Cruces.”
“Ah Cruces,” Rothschild said. His smile widened. “The founder of our Order. A man who would set something like that up and then abandon it. You should ask him about that, Scarlett. After all, we cannot have you running around with inconstant men. While you’re doing that, ask him how an immortal like him got to become a vampire, too. What was the price he had to pay for that? There is always a price for things, you know.”
“What are you trying to do?” Scarlett asked. “Put doubt into my head?”
Rothschild actually laughed. “I do not have to. The doubts are there, Scarlett. I am merely drawing attention to them. I am showing you what you know your companions to be.”
“I know what you are,” Scarlett countered. “I saw you attack Cecilia, and I was there in Whitechapel.”
“And yet,” Rothschild pointed out, “you are the one who called me here. Even knowing what you think you know.”
“Because I also know you have Cupid’s bow,” Scarlett said. She glanced around at the chaos. Women had started trying to kiss Cruces again. “Because I think you might be able to help with this mess.”
“You know I have it? Interesting. Well, I will admit that a Device like that would come in handy.”
“Exactly,” Scarlett said, “so hand it over.”
Rothschild shook his head in amusement. “Ah, Scarlett.”
“What do you find so funny, Rothschild?”
“Perhaps you are not yet as good at finding things as you think.”
Scarlett bristled at that. “I have done well enough tracking down the bow.”
“Better than you could possibly think. You are holding it, girl.”
Scarlett stood there, dumbfounded, trying to work out what the vampire meant. The only thing she was holding was Gordon’s sword stick. Which couldn’t possibly be…
Rothschild snatched it from her in a single swift movement. He leaped back through the crowd of women to the doorway, leaving Scarlett stranded in a still empty circle of protection. “It is a difficult choice, isn’t it Scarlett? Leave that circle, and they will rip you apart. Don’t, and…”
He didn’t finish that, but lifted the stick to one side instead, flourishing it. Somewhere in that movement, it ceased to be a stick and became something golden and curved instead. A bow. A beautiful, golden, curved bow with a string that seemed to be made from light. It was magnificent.
“First,” Rothschild called out, “because I wouldn’t want you to accuse me of never giving you anything, dear Scarlett…”
He pulled back the bow string and an arrow appeared on it. Rothschild lifted the bow and fired it over the crowd of women still pawing at Cruces. The arrow seemed to burst into a shower of golden dust, and where that dust fell, women stopped, looking down at themselves with a mixture of confusion and embarrassment. With no women to fight off, Cruces and Tavian were free to look over to Scarlett, but there were still too many people in the way for them to get to her.
“And now,” Rothschild said, “you will remember that I said everything has a price? Well, this is mine for helping you, Scarlett.”
He lifted the bow, pointed it at her, and drew back the string. An arrow appeared. Before Scarlett could think to throw herself aside, he shot the arrow, and it flew into her. She looked down. There was no sign of it. Then she looked up again.
Rothschild was… he was everything. He was the most perfect man Scarlett had seen. He was more beautiful than anything she had ever known before, and she knew in that moment that she loved him. She had thought she loved Tavian, but in that instant, what she had felt was gone, replaced by her true love for Rothschild. The vampire beckoned, and she ran to him. Rothschild met her with a passionate kiss, but it wasn’t enough for Scarlett. She actually groaned when he pulled back from her.
“Cupid�
��s bow?” Cruces’ voice rang out over the sudden silence.
“Of course it is Cupid’s bow,” Rothschild said, with contempt. Scarlett did not care about that. Her beloved could talk to Cruces any way he wanted. “And the beauty is that Scarlett here did not know that she had found it. I assume that the king of the fey must have transformed the bow and placed it here in the home plane of Aphrodite as a way of spiting her and that son of hers. He always did have a sense of humor.”
“How did I not find it?” Scarlett asked, leaning in to kiss Rothschild’s neck.
“Oh, but you did find it, darling,” Rothschild replied, and just to hear him call her that made Scarlett go weak with desire. “You came here, and you found it. You even found a way to take it. You simply did not know that you had. That is all right though. You have still given me a very powerful artifact.”
Scarlett pressed herself closer to Rothschild. Part of her wanted to know what he would do with the bow, but more of her simply wanted to feel him pressed to her. She could trust him, that part argued. He was the man she loved, after all.
She glanced up to see Tavian and Cruces with furious expressions, pushing their way through the crowd of women. Why did they look so angry? Was it because Scarlett did not love them? Could they not simply be happy for her? No, judging by the speed with which they were coming forward, it seemed that they could not.
“Hold tight, Scarlett,” Rothschild murmured, and Scarlett was only too happy to comply, looping her arms around him so that she could feel the muscles of his torso shifting beneath his clothes.
“What now?” she asked.
Rothschild kissed her briefly. “Now, we leave.”
The vampire lifted his hand, the ring on it plainly visible. He manipulated it the way Cruces had earlier, and for the second time that day, the world shifted around Scarlett.
Chapter 12
Scarlett clung to Rothschild as they traveled, partly to be as close to the man she loved as possible, and partly because the sheer speed of their travel made the thought of losing her grip a frightening one. While they were between worlds, it was like being inside a tornado, and the forces there threatened to tear Scarlett from him.
