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Jacob peered around at me, and his eyes lit. “Ah! Why, it’s our serving girl. ”
Carden cursed again, this time in a language I didn’t understand. He kept his hand behind him, gripping me firmly.
I steadied myself on his back, but I had to peek around, stealing a glimpse of the other vampire. Something told me if we were going to make it out of there alive, it’d take both our efforts.
Jacob studied me. “Well, young one, I see you’re not as dumb as you’d have us believe. But how strange you survived a feeding. Tell me, how is it you can stand on your own? Unless you’ve been consuming the blood. Is that so? Has someone been feeding you?”
Before I could answer, he was on us. As he hissed like a spitting cat, his face transformed into a feral mask, and he flew toward us. His hands extended like claws, digging into Carden’s neck.
Carden brought one hand to his throat and used the other to shove me farther behind his back. He gasped, “Run, girl. ”
I stumbled backward, nearly falling through an open doorway, and was plunged into a dim, empty room. My heart racing, I dashed in, scanning for a better weapon. Candelabra flickered on a side table. I spotted a piano, a gaming table, a settee. But nothing good—weren’t rooms like this supposed to have fireplace pokers? If only I’d ignored Ronan’s warning and carved myself a nice stake before leaving. Instead, I slid my knife from where I’d hid it up my sleeve.
I wasn’t stupid enough to think I could fight a vampire and win, but I also knew that if Carden died, I was dead meat, or worse. Bobbing the knife in my hand, I inched back toward the door. Ungodly noises came from the hallway…guttural, savage noises.
And then the men flew through the doorway, and I skittered backward to avoid them, slamming against the arm of the sofa.
I’d never seen two vampires fight before, and it was epic—terrifying, magnificent. Their fangs were fully bared, gleaming in the candlelight. They clawed and spun, and flung each other through the air as though dancing some gloriously violent ballet.
They slashed, and bit, and hit, two wild creatures battling to the death. Jacob seemed stronger, though, with Carden taking more and more time to recover from each blow.
I stepped forward, gripping my weapon. I was trained. I could do this.
I waited until the two fell to the floor, thrashing. Jacob had Carden pinned. I edged around behind him. I clenched the knife in my hand and raised my arm. A stake in the heart…
But Jacob was too fast—impossibly fast. He’d sensed me, and he was up and on me in an instant, his clawlike fingers digging into my flesh. He wrenched my arm where I’d fed Carden, and I shrieked in pain. “I smell your blood, fair one. You’ll make a pretty dessert. ”
He leaned into me, slowly, like a lover. His eyes had dilated to solid black orbs, locking with mine, and it was impossible to look away. Baring his teeth, he let out a soft hiss and eased his mouth closer.
I could no longer move. I’d thought I’d experienced compulsion before, but it was nothing compared to this. Jacob had me in his grip, inching his fangs closer and closer to my neck, but I could only stand there, waiting in horror, mesmerized by those huge black eyes that were pulling me in and down.
And then I felt Carden. I didn’t have to hear him or see him to know he was with me. That knowledge alone kept me sane and helped me cling to the last shreds of my consciousness. McCloud was there, and I wouldn’t surrender. For a single instant—during the span of a single heartbeat—I loved him for it.
He reached over me, seized Jacob’s chin and forehead, and gave a sharp twist. I heard the brittle snap of the vampire’s neck. Then, grabbing my knife where it’d fallen, he plunged it into Jacob’s chest.
He stood and took my hand. “We run. Now. ”
I let him pull me to the door. “Is he dead?”
He looked up and down, scanning the hall. “He’s four times my age. It’ll take more than that. ”
“Why didn’t you kill him?”
Looking down, he gave me a cockeyed smile and mimicked the words I’d spoken earlier. “You’re welcome. ”
He snatched my hand and laced his fingers tightly with mine, and we ran, navigating the warren of dark passages. We passed serving women and male attendants, but no vampires. I hoped they were too busy with Jacob’s summit to be wandering the halls.
We reached a far wing, and the sound of voices stopped us short. He gestured for me to keep quiet as he inched toward a cracked doorway. I strained, picking up the sound of muted conversation on the other side. And then a tittering laugh trilled through the air.
My eyes went wide. “Is that a girl?”
He touched a finger to my lips. “Shush. ”
He’d touched me without thought, as if he had a right to. And it sure shut me up, all right.
“Wait here,” he whispered, and slipped inside. I held my breath, listening to grunts and scuffling, until McCloud emerged again with an armful of clothes.
I let myself exhale, startling when he pulled me into the room with him. A couple pairs of feet poked out from behind the sofa, bodies tucked between the furniture and the fireplace. I drew closer for a look and grimaced. He’d killed them without mussing their clothes.
