No one had ever suggested to me that I had value in myself.I was always simply the mayor’s daughter.Yann’s girl.Raleigh’s bride.I was always supposed to stand by Yann, support my father’s decisions.Be the daughter, the wife, one day the mother.
To Raleigh, I was Clara.
‘Thank you,’ I muttered.A slick buttery feeling wormed its way into my chest as Raleigh nodded to himself.I hoped he hadn’t noticed how much his words meant to me.
We only walked a short distance more before reaching the edge of the castle wall.I didn’t notice the shadows end until Raleigh disappeared from my periphery.When I turned back I found him staring wistfully at the beam of light blocking his path.
‘Is it warm?’he asked.
It was the middle of June.Of course it was warm.‘Somewhat,’ I said.
His eyes were unfocused, staring deep into a time long before this one.‘I don’t remember when I was last truly warm.’The words curled into the evening, tendrils of melancholy rooting him into the ground.
I shifted, shaking myself free of the spell.‘What would happen if you came out here?’
Raleigh snapped out of his trance.‘Haven’t those books taught you anything?’
‘Ha,’ I said dryly.‘I know you burn, but humans burn in sunlight too.Why is it any different for you?’
The idea amused him.‘Shall I show you?’
There was a time when I would have wanted nothing more than to see Raleigh burn, but my agreement stuck in my throat.I didn’t know what he was planning as he stretched his hand out, the skin of his palm crossing the light’s threshold.At once, smoke began to smoulder against his skin.He hissed.His palm turned red, then blistered, the skin cracking in seconds.Then, when the pain was unbearable, he snatched it away and cradled it close to his chest, back in the shade.
‘Why did you—’ I rushed to him, then grabbed his hand without thinking and unfurled it to assess the damage.The redness was already beginning to fade, the skin knitting back together.In a matter of moments his hand was back to normal.I ran a thumb over the pristine skin, marvelling.With a pang, I realised he had trimmed his nails since the night before.They were now every bit the hands of a human.
When I glanced up again, he was watching me carefully.‘I heal quickly,’ he said.
‘Your shoulder didn’t.’
‘The bolt was silver,’ Raleigh reminded me.‘But, like I said, it’s almost healed now.Would you like to see?’
I quickly declined before he started to undress, but I had to admit I was curious.The books I’d read had only touched on this sort of thing.None of the scholars had a live vampire to experiment on, so the descriptions were vague at best.It suddenly occurred to me that I had an opportunity none of them had, an asset they all lacked.I had Raleigh.
Why had I never thought of this before?
‘Can I experiment on you?’I blurted out without thinking.
Raleigh, shaken, took a step back.
‘There’s no guarantee there’ll be a cure in your books, but there’s something in silver, in sunlight, that your body can’t handle.If we can work out what it is, maybe, just maybe, we’ll be able to find a cure.’
‘I don’t love the idea of you poking me full of silver.’
‘I wouldn’t do anything that could kill you.We’d have to work together anyway.You know more about vampires than I do.’
Raleigh considered it a moment longer, and then to my surprise said, ‘I expected you’d ask eventually.I didn’t offer originally because … well … if you’d known this was an option, you would have used it as a ruse to try to kill me.’
My instinct was to be offended, but I had no grounds to refute this.I’d already tried to kill him once.
‘Has Moira ever shown you the lab?’he asked.
I wasn’t sure what a labwas.
‘Laboratory,’ Raleigh said when I asked.Then, seeing my blank expression, added, ‘It’ll be easier to show you.’
I followed him back into the castle, past the glowering form of Enrique and down into the cellar.I’d never been this deep into the bowels of the castle before.It grew colder as we descended, a chill settling in the air.
‘The crypt is down that way, past the armoury,’ Raleigh said, pointing into the shadows.‘If you ever feel inspired to meet the in-laws, you’ll find them in there.’
