Page 47 of The Duke’s Bloody Bargain

We’d walked for almost half an hour when my sire’s presence hit me like a stab in the chest. I groaned, but this time I was prepared for the sensation.

“Alex.” Irene touched my shoulder.

“He’s close.” I gritted my teeth.

“Where?” Darius gazed around.

I focused on the link I shared with him. It guided me to the left. “That alley.”

“Right.” Darius pulled out a vial of blessed water. “Don’t do anything rushed. We only want to talk to him and⁠—”

I darted off. The combination of worry, frustration, thirst, and pain was enough without adding inactivity. Darius and Irene chased me, yelling at me to slow down.

My sire was on the move. I followed him through the maze of alleys, deeper into Whitechapel, and came to an abrupt halt in the middle of a passageway under a stone arch. The tempting smell of blood tickled my nostrils.

My sire, the Count of Bethlen, was crouched next to a motionless man. The man’s heartbeat was fading quickly until it stopped altogether. Quick footsteps pounded from behind me, and I didn’t need to turn around to know that Irene and Darius had found me.

Irene gasped. Darius cursed under his breath.

“Stay back.” I waved them away.

They did as told for once.

17

BRINGING JUSTICE

Alex

An eerie silence descended in the alley. The only sound was the gurgling noise of Bethlen drinking from the man.

“Bethlen.” I approached him.

He raised his head and let go of the man who dropped dead onto the cobbles. The elegant bottle-green suit my sire wore was a stark contrast to the wild look on his face and the crimson blood on his lips. He licked the blood slowly, savouring it, and I would lie if I said I didn’t want some.

He wiped away the blood on his hands with a pristine handkerchief. “Have you come to join me or to fight me?”

That depended on how he was going to answer.

“How do you know Rothbart killed Odette?”

He straightened his jacket. “One of his minions told me before I killed him, and I think he was telling the truth. Rothbart had killed her because she had defied him for reasons I intend to discover.” The last words were spoken in a sweet voice.

I’d thought I couldn’t hate Rothbart more. I’d been wrong.

Bethlen walked towards me in his fine suit and top hat, looking like a lord just come out of White’s. I tensed on instinct. My chest throbbed.

He stopped walking. “I’m not your enemy, Alexander.”

“You’re a rogue.” It took all my strength not to step further back. But I’d rather be beaten again by him than show my fear.

“And? What reason do I have to be a good vampire? The love of my life is dead. I’ve searched for her, but every time I’m close, she dies. Why can’t I embrace the monster I am?”

That was actually a good question I’d asked myself a few times. If Irene and Darius weren’t with me, taking care of me and reminding me of my humanity, I would consider that path myself.

I ignored the smell of fresh blood, but bloody hell if it wasn’t difficult. “You didn’t know Odette.”

He let out a groan of pain. “I knew her better than anyone. She was my wife. I married her in 1497. Every time she dies, she’s reborn in a new life. I’ve been relentlessly searching for her for hundreds of years, hoping, waiting. But I’m weary now. I’m starting to lose hope. After I kill Rothbart, I might not have any reason to go on.”