“Bugger,” Raven muttered. “That would have been the easier way to dispose of you.”
I blinked. “Dispose?”
Raven laughed. “Of course! With you out of the way, I can claim your territory. You didn’t think I’d let an overbearing monster like you have your kingdom back, did you? Even if we were splitting it, I would be loath to remain in your company for any longer.”
I took a step back, glancing over my shoulder to ensure my friends had returned to the coach as I’d asked. They were halfway across the bridge now, over the running water. Safe.
Raven followed my gaze. “Yes, you let the humans escape. Such a waste. But even if I can’t partake in what lifeblood you have flowing through your veins now, I can at least enjoy breaking you apart.” She shrugged. “I’ll even start with the smaller bones, in your honor.”
I turned to flee, but of course I couldn’t outrun her. She reached me in an instant, her hand gripping my arm like a vise.
I grunted and swung my lantern into her head.
Raven screamed as oil splashed her face, flames licking at her hair as I shoved her away from me, freeing myself from her grip. I sprinted with all my might toward the bridge, but I knew that I had little time before the rain doused the fire, and she would be on me again.
As I ran, I collapsed the umbrella, and when I heard her splashing feet at my back, I whirled around, shoving the umbrella’s sharp-edged tip into her stomach.
Raven’s eyes bulged as her hands flew to the wound, but I didn’t give her a chance to retaliate. I brought a knee up to brace the umbrella and snapped its wood handle off with a splintering crack. It was a rough stake, but I shoved it into her chest with little ceremony. Purposefully, I missed her heart at the last second. I regretted the choice immediately, my human mercy blinding me in a most inconvenient moment.
But it was the distraction I needed. I resumed my escape and managed to reach the bridge unimpeded, my friends exclaiming from the other side. Halfway across, I stopped, gasping for breath as I turned to watch Raven pull the stake from her chest, having already discarded the umbrella. She gazed down at the piece of wood, then up at me. She had to have known I’d avoided killing her.
“This isn’t over, Lucian,” she promised, tossing the stake aside. “That’s the last mistake you’ll make.”
She picked up her own umbrella, which had fallen in the fight, and lifted it over her head. She blew me a mocking kiss before turning and walking leisurely away.
I leaned against the railing of the bridge, staring down at the river below, now swollen with raging water. I was soaked through and so cold that I was numb and shaking. Swiping at the water that gathered in my eyes, I turned back toward the coach to find Maxwell and Melbourne nearly at my side. Melbourne held an umbrella overhead to spare me from getting soaked further as Maxwell covered me in a heavy, dry cloak. I was already too cold for it to do much good, but I allowed them to whisk me back to the carriage, where we retreated up Old Mill Road, even slower than before, the mud sucking at the carriage wheels and impeding the horses’ progress.
“You’re freezing,” Maxwell told me, rubbing my hands to warm them.
“Who was that woman?” Melbourne asked, frowning. “She just appeared out of nowhere.”
“She’s probably been watching the house,” I said, teeth chattering.
“But you knew her,” Ambrose said. “She was … a vampire, wasn’t she?”
I nodded. “I knew her … before.” It was a true statement. I’d been the one to change her, after all, so of course I’d known her as a human, for all of an hour.
“This was a bad idea,” Cecelia said, putting a hand to her head. “We should have waited until tomorrow, once we saw that storm rolling in.”
“We’re all okay,” Maxwell said, eyes full of concern for me. “And now we know there’s a vampire in the neighborhood. The community will have to be on guard.”
“The warning will save lives.” Melbourne nodded his agreement.
“You were remarkable,” Ambrose told me, shaking his head. “From what I could see, you stood your ground well and used some impressive ingenuity. If your aim had been true, she would have been but ash.”
I didn’t reply. The warmth was returning to my hands, due to Maxwell’s attentions, but I was still soaked to the bone and freezing.
Ambrose seemed to intuit my discomfort. “Get out of that shirt and jacket, at the very least. They’re drenched. The cloak will warm you better.”
I obeyed, unbuttoning my jacket and trying to shrug it off, although I needed Maxwell’s aid to succeed. I noticed Ambrose’s eyes on my chest as I cocooned myself in the cloak, then caught Maxwell looking away. Cecelia had pointedly stared away as I’d disrobed, but Melbourne unabashedly watched the proceedings.
The attention was flattering, but I felt drained of my energy and sank into the cloak to rid myself of the chill that had settled over me. My trousers still clung to me wetly, but already I felt warmer. Perhaps too warm. My face felt feverish.
“What did we gain from this excursion that nearly cost our friend his life?” Melbourne asked the carriage at large. “We know Emmett painted there, but so what?”
“It’s a familiar place for him,” Cecelia said, shrugging. “Maybe he was taking that way home. Or maybe he’s staying somewhere nearby.”
“Isabel might know more,” Maxwell said to Ambrose, who narrowed his eyes as he noticed how his brother pressed himself against the cloak, an arm thrown around my shoulders to spread some warmth to me. But I didn’t have the capacity to read into whatever jealousy he was feeling.
