Chapter 14
When Cosette asked Davien if they would be returning to the hotel to collect their things, he merely assured her that it was already taken care of. She nearly rolled her eyes at his confident response, but then, she knew things also tended to just ‘happen’ with him.
“There is a ship waiting at Calais to take us across the Channel at dawn.”
Again, she wasn’t surprised as Davien had a talent in making sure things went his way.
Cosette snorted. “It’s hard to believe that we arrived this morning, only to be exiled on the same day.”
She caught a glimpse of his grin across the expanse of the carriage. “We have a gift, my dear.”
“Evidently,” she murmured.
“You should try and get some rest. We have a long journey ahead.”
Cosette nodded, although after the voice had returned to speak to her, she was reluctant to entertain another visit.
The sharp report of a pistol suddenly pierced the air.
Cosette cried out and instinctively covered her head with her arms as the wood framing the coach door splintered. Davien cursed as their driver returned fire, but God only knew how many marauders might be found outside that window. He could easily be overtaken. Could this day get any worse?
That’s when the lone howl of a wolf sounded from inside the carriage. Cosette slowly lifted her head to behold a monstrous black wolf crouched down in the very place that Davien had been sitting. It was the same creature that she’d beheld in that alley in London, the one that had dispatched her assailant. It had the same long fangs and glowing, yellow eyes that she remembered. She knew it would strike terror into the heart of anyone who saw it, but at the moment she only felt a certain numb acceptance, because she now knew who was behind the façade.
The animal turned to her and conveyed a silent message.Stay in the carriage no matter what may occur. You won’t want to see the carnage that I leave in my wake.
With that, it bounded out of the carriage, even though it was still moving. As Cosette heard screams and the crunch of bones, she covered her ears with her hands.
~ ~ ~
It hadn’t taken more than a few minutes, but when the silence descended, Cosette was reluctant to even breathe. She certainly couldn’t move, even if she’d wanted to. Her legs would never be able to support her.
The coach had finally come to a stop, so she waited for the duke to reappear.
She waited. And waited.
She finally dared to call out his name. “Davien?” It was little more than a croaked whisper, so she tried again, this time with better results. “Davien?”
Nothing.
“Davien!” she shouted.
Nothing.
Cosette shoved open the door of the carriage. While she was reluctant to see what might greet her on the other side, she couldn’t sit there any longer. She had to know if Davien was alive.
Her slipper touched the ground, and she heard the unmistakable sound of wetness. She paused. Praying that it was only a puddle that she’d encountered, she glanced down and felt her stomach heave.
Blood.
She dared her gaze to travel past the edge of her stained shoes, but the gruesome sight only continued. All down the lane, there trickled rivers of bright red blood, along with more than half a dozen broken bodies. She quickly turned away from the sight of those twisted necks, some with their throats completely ripped out, but she knew it would still haunt her for years to come.
“Davien?” This time his name came out on a sob.
Cosette covered her mouth with one hand as she picked her way through the worst of the carnage. Tears of anguish and panic began to fall down her cheeks. She was starting to fear the worst.
That’s when she heard it—the light groan of a man in pain.
She instantly went toward the sound, slipping and sliding on the red, muddy ground beneath her.
