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“You are not to come in,” he said resolutely. “And if you continue to ask, I shall have to alert my master. Or, if you prefer, the Metropolitan Police,” he said, lowering his voice until he was speaking barely above a whisper. “In fact, the commissioner is inside right now, and I’m sure he’d love to see you, Count DeSangue.”
I flinched at the way the butler dropped Damon’s alias. Damon?
??s expression remained impassive. “If Samuel’s not willing to let me in, then tell him to come out. And as for the police commissioner, by all means, send him my way. Although blood on sandstone might be tricky to clean,” he said ominously, raising an eyebrow.
Murmurs rustled behind us, and I realized a crowd of guests had built up as we stood blocking the door. The butler cleared his throat and smiled tightly, as if to reassure the other guests that nothing was amiss.
“I’m afraid seeing Master Mortimer is impossible,” the butler said quietly, his voice tight behind his smile. “This is a private party, and you must get off the property immediately.”
“Samuel always invites too many people,” one of the guests complained, honking his bulbous red nose into a monogrammed blue handkerchief.
“You know you have a future councilor when commoners start crashing the party,” came another voice behind me. Laughter rippled through the crowd, and my spine stiffened. I knew we had to turn around, but I wasn’t ready to admit defeat. Not when Violet was so close.
“Beckford, is there a problem?” Suddenly, a presence loomed behind the butler. It was Samuel, dressed in a perfectly tailored black tuxedo. His blond hair glowed in the light shed by the lanterns surrounding the door. Hatred boiled in my veins at the sight of him. It was all I could do not to tackle him to the ground and hold him down so Damon could stake him.
His thin lips curled into a sneer at the sight of Damon and me.
“Well, well, well … not a pair of guests I expected to see. Beckford, I’ll deal with the riffraff. How will anyone trust me as the councilor of the city if I can’t handle the trouble on my own doorstep? Consider this a campaign demonstration!” He smiled widely at the crowd. “The rest of you, please come in and enjoy!” He threw his arms out in a gesture of welcome as guests squeezed past us and into the expansive mansion.
As the guests streamed in, two hulking men stepped outside, standing like bookends beside Samuel. I watched them warily. Were they vampires? Or were they human guards, unaware of their employer’s true identity? One of them caught me staring and took a warning step toward me. I clenched my jaw and flexed my fingers, preparing myself for what was sure to be an impossible fight.
Once the last guest was inside, Beckford closed the door with a thud. Samuel glanced back and forth between us. I shifted from foot to foot, trying as hard as I could to seem calm. After all, I’d gotten into battles with vampires before. I’d even thrown Samuel’s brother off a train. It wasn’t as if he could stake us on his front doorstep. Could he?
“You two.” Samuel shook his head and let out a long, low laugh. “Stefan, I would have thought you’d be in ashes by now. Or drowning in self-pity.”
“If you’re going to kill me, you’ll have to try harder,” I said, anger boiling inside me. “And I don’t know what you and your brother have against us, but I want answers. We both do.”
“Or else what?” Samuel asked calmly. “You’re on my territory, so my house rules apply. And I don’t appreciate trespassers, especially when I’m otherwise engaged. What did you think you would do here? Stake me? Have a bloody vampire battle while the band plays a waltz?” And that’s when I saw it. Under his white dress shirt was a pendant, gleaming in the moonlight. I glanced reflexively at my own ring. It also sparkled, as if sensing its nearby match.
Samuel must have noticed my gaze because he jerked his tuxedo jacket into place and crossed his arms. But he was too late. The sparkling blue stone told me everything I needed to know: His hatred of us had something to do with Katherine.
“Neither of you is as smart as I am,” Samuel continued. “And judging from this arrogant display, neither of you has any idea who you’re dealing with.” Samuel glared at us as though he were a headmaster and we were his wayward pupils.
“And you’re more naïve than we thought. Because this is just the beginning,” Damon said in a low voice.
“Oh, I know it is,” Samuel said, smiling like a cat with a mouse under its paw. “Because now I have a lovely deputy. Violet is a grand girl. Thank you for introducing us.”
Out of nowhere, Damon threw a punch. It landed on the side of Samuel’s nose.
Samuel blinked, but the blow had done nothing.
Samuel shrugged. “Just more fodder for the eventual flames of your undoing. As you can see, I’m unbreakable.”
Damon laughed, one short bark. “You’re a coward. I was coming to ask you to settle this once and for all, man to man. But you’re no man,” Damon spat. “Your days are numbered.” With that, Damon spun around and walked away, his footsteps hard on the path.
“Remember to vote!” Samuel called at Damon’s retreating back.
I had to do something. Maybe, with Damon out of earshot, it would be easier to reason with Samuel. Once I had Violet, I doubted I could persuade Damon from acting on his revenge fantasies, but at least I’d no longer have to be part of them.
“Samuel, let Violet free. She’s—” I began.
“A very hungry vampire,” Samuel interrupted. “And a lovely girl to have on my arm. Now, Stefan, I’m going to let you in on a secret. I hate you. But I abhor your brother. Play nice, and I may let you off easily. A stake to the heart next time. Simple. No torture. Or maybe—” Samuel leaned toward me. The sweet scent of blood hung in the air around him; he must have fed recently. “Maybe I’d let you go completely. Just leave London. Forget about your brother. And forget about Violet. But I wouldn’t count on it. After all, as I say to my constituents, I’m the type of person who gets things done.” He laughed maniacally before pushing me so forcefully I tumbled down the steps and cracked my head against the path.
The door slammed shut. In the distance, I could hear another group of guests working their way toward the mansion. Had Samuel somehow used compulsion—or something else—to make sure we’d been entirely alone during the course of our conversation? And if so, what couldn’t he do?
I stood and brushed myself off, rubbing the back of my scalp.
A short man in a top hat and tailcoat grabbed my arm. I whirled around, fangs bared. “What?” I growled, realizing just how much Samuel got under my skin as I saw the startled expression of the stranger. I needed to stay in control.
