Page 21 of The Duke’s Bloody Bargain

Alex clenched his jaw and said nothing. The bond slackened a bit, but was a far cry from returning to normal.

Darius dropped the newspaper on my escritoire. I sneaked past Alex to read.

Three men had been found dead in Whitechapel. But that wasn’t the shocking part. People often died in the rookeries when rival gangs fought each other, and Knight had his hands too full with his werewolves to intervene in human matters.

“They were found bloodless?” I tensed a little when Alex stood close to me.

Darius nodded. “And with wounds on their necks. The pathologists who examined the bodies claim there might be an influenza outbreak, a new type that causes intense blood loss.”

“Nonsense.” Alex picked up the newspaper, his features returning to normal. “This is a vampire.”

“We should take a look at the bodies.” Darius sounded as if he might feel sick. His aura became a little dull.

I winced, not eager at all to see corpses either. “Where are the bodies?”

“The mortuary. We’d better get ready.” Darius ran a glance over me and frowned. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” I patted my chignon. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

“We’ll wait for you in the entrance hall.” Darius beckoned Alex to follow him.

Alex paused before leaving. “We’ll talk later.”

The tone was gentle, apologetic even, but the bond kept vibrating in an unusual way, like the string of an out-of-tune violin.

My trust had been shaken. Either he was right and I was overreacting, or my instinct was warning me.

I released a long breath when he closed the door. After I collected myself, I went to Myrtha’s bedroom.

The door was ajar, and I entered the room. The display of flowers, candles, fashion magazines, and fine porcelain vases distracted me for a moment.

“Myrtha, I need to talk to you.”

She was staring out of the window, stiff and tense.

“Myrtha.” I touched her shoulder, and she was startled.

She placed a fluttering hand on her chest. “Oh, darling. I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Are you all right?”

Her aura was mostly indigo with a few dark blue tendrils. Sadness and sorrow radiated from it, scratching my chest.

“Just tired.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “What did you want to tell me? You’re all flushed, and your pupils are dilated.”

“Yes, well…” If I told the whole truth, that the connection with Alex had changed, she would confront him and make the situation more tense. “What defences do we have against rogue vampires?”

As supposed, her aura became a hot turmoil of steel-grey worry. “Did something happen? Is it Ravenhill? He lost control and bit you, didn’t he? Vampires can’t be trusted, but fear not. I’ll put him in his place.”

She brushed past me with determined strides.

“No, wait. It’s not him.” At least not for now. “Did you hear about those men found dead in Whitechapel? They were bloodless, and they had wounds on their necks. We believe there’s a rogue at large.”

“Exactly what we need.” She scrunched up her face. “Vampires are disgusting.”

“Darius wants⁠—”

“Don’t mention that wizard.” She held up a hand, her tone sharp.