Me:Oh, sod off.
Hester:Charming!
The cat gives a soft hiss, then bounds over to the castle and trots off following the perimeter round to the right until it disappears.
Floss:So cool. I wish I could do that.
Me (jealously):Yeah, me too.
Floss:Do you think Damian’s OK? You don’t think hegot inside the castle somehow?
Me:I’m not sure how he could.
We wait for Hester to return.
An owl hoots.
Leaf water drips down my neck.
I get cramp in my foot.
A hand taps me on the shoulder, and I almost jump out of my skin. I spin with my fists clenched. But it’s Hester, back in her usual form, an amused grin on her face. I drop my fists.
Me:Well?
Hester:So there’s good news and bad news.
Chapter 30
Elliott | Highlands, present day
Lucy bares her bloodied fangs at me, and I take a quick step back. Rejecting a woman when she’s a newly turned vampire is a stupid thing to do. But I’m a vampire too, so she should be equally scared of me! I hiss and show off my fangs, and we circle each other warily.
‘This is dumb,’ I remark when we’ve shuffled around half a dozen times. ‘We need to work together. You’ve got your cat to think about, and I need to get back to Edinburgh.’
Lucy’s shoulders relax. ‘I didn’t really want to kill you anyway. It’s just instinctive, you know? I guess I’m going to have to work on that.’
‘Yep, it’s our bloodlust,’ I agree. ‘I’ve been a thrall for ages, so I know how it works. My ... girlfriend ... Sadie, she’s pretty good at keeping hers at bay. With my help, of course. But she said it took her decades to control it.’
‘Oh?’ says Lucy, sounding interested. We fall into step and start walking along a forest trail, which I’m hoping leads to civilisation.
‘Yes, and even then, she had lapses where she went on a feeding frenzy.’
‘When was she turned?’ Lucy asks, holding a branch back so I can pass through.
‘Thanks. Um, 1758. In London.’
Lucy whistles. ‘So she’s ancient then.’
I smile to myself. If Sadie were here, she’d be growling at that remark. To Lucy, I say, ‘I suppose so, but she doesn’t look it. She stopped ageing at 21.’
‘Is she really pretty?’
I nod. ‘Beautiful. She’s got these amazing blue eyes that pierce your soul. And she’s really funny. She says whatever’s on her mind. It makes me laugh so much. And she’s so strong and fierce and ... bossy. But in a good way.’
My heart stopped beating about half an hour ago, but it must still have muscle memory as it constricts painfully thinking about Sadie and how much I miss her. She must be looking for me, surely? I can’t believe she’d sit back and let Alexander take me. Not after forty years of us being ... whatever it is we are to each other.
But what will she do now that I’m a vampire, though? What if she doesn’t want me?
