Revenge is Sweet Read online

  ‘We don’t think the police are doing enough,’ she said. ‘Women should be able to go out wherever they want, when they want, without having to worry about some mad bastard killing them.’

  The mic swung to someone else – a large middle-aged man.

  ‘If the police won’t go back to walking the beat, we’ll do it ourselves – and God help the murderer if we find him first.’

  Will reached for the remote, which seemed to be permanently stuck in Danny’s hand, and flicked off the television. At that moment the entry phone buzzed and Luke went out to answer it. He came back in with Jez.

  ‘You have discovered something I understand?’ Will glanced up at Jez. He nodded.

  ‘Harry and I have been looking at estate agents’ websites and making a note of houses which are empty – either for sale or for rent.’

  ‘Did it not occur to you that Thomas could have simply killed a human and then stayed in their house?’

  ‘Yes it did, but we had to start somewhere.’

  ‘Fair enough. So?’

  ‘There’s a cottage in Temple Gardens which has been empty for a while. It’s close to the Heath and is a quiet road. Harry and I have been watching it for the last two nights. There was no sign of anyone until tonight, when we saw both of them leave just after eight.’

  ‘You left before they returned I assume?’

  ‘I thought you’d want to know as soon as possible.’

  Will fell silent for a while, obviously mulling over the information.

  ‘What do you think?’ Luke asked after a while.

  Will leant back in the sofa frowning, reaching for my hand almost absent-mindedly before answering. ‘I think it is rather too convenient, and that worries me more than I would like.’

  ‘I think we should go in and kill the bastard.’ Danny seemed intent on joining in the conversation.

  ‘If we could be sure they were inside, I might even agree with you boy.’ Will looked at Luke. ‘What is your opinion?’

  ‘I think it’s a trap.’

  ‘Another one?’ Jez shook his head. ‘How could they know we’ve tracked them to this house?’

  ‘We are talking about an ancient vampire here,’ said Will. ‘One possibly older than I. He can sense your presence from some distance. He tracked the boy to my house, thus discovering where I reside.’

  ‘Very nearly a hanging offence in itself.’ Luke gave Will a grim smile.

  ‘Elinor? What are your thoughts?’ Will faced me, his bright gaze searching my face.

  ‘I agree with Luke. I think it’s a trap.’

  ‘I have an idea.’ Danny looked pleased with himself when we all looked at him.

  ‘Then spit it out boy.’ Will made an expansive gesture.

  ‘Well I was going to try and track him anyway wasn’t I? So if we go to the house, I might be able to tell if he’s in there.’

  ‘Danny – no.’ I felt horrified. ‘It would be suicide.’

  ‘The boy has a point.’ Will looked as though he was considering the idea.

  I grabbed his arm. ‘He’d kill Danny. He killed Jon and he very nearly killed Jez. We can’t let Danny go anywhere near him.’

  ‘He would not be going into the house, just ascertaining whether or not he can sense him.’

  ‘But surely if Danny can sense him, he’d also be able to sense Danny outside?’

  ‘Not until it was too late.’ Will stood up and looked at Luke raising a questioning brow in his direction.

  To my horror, Luke nodded slowly.

  ‘I think it’s worth a shot,’ he said.

  ‘Then there is no time like the present.’

  Will’s Journal, 30th May

  I have spent some time accustomising myself with the new technology Elinor requested. I am amazed at the ease with which we can access all sorts of information – from all over the world. To my embarrassment, I also found myself looking at the previous places where Elinor had been looking – sites I believe they are called. She has been searching for wedding dresses. I am not well-versed in the correct behaviour of a newly-affianced man of the 21st century, and I am not sure whether it is protocol to insist on a date for the wedding, or whether it is entirely up to the lady. Neither do I really have anyone to ask. Perhaps I should ask Stevie, he is more human than any of us, and certainly the youngest.

  Elinor has not mentioned the wedding either, in fact neither of us have spoken of the proposal – since the proposal. Surely a man with my age and experience should not be feeling quite so insecure? Up until the discovery of those wretched canvases, I felt our relationship to be on a firm footing. Now I am not so sure …

  Chapter Fifteen

  I couldn’t think of anything to say as we sped towards Hampstead. Again. I wanted to scream and shout and tell them not to use Danny – not to allow him anywhere near the psycho who had made him. I was sitting between Danny and Will and found I was clutching both of their arms. A fact, unfortunately, which hadn’t gone unnoticed by Will, and one I felt sure would be mentioned at some point later. Lurid pictures of what the house might hold flitted through my thoughts, and just when I thought I couldn’t stand them any more, Will leaned in to whisper.

  ‘Elinor, I assure you I shall take care of the boy to the best of my ability. I will not allow him to enter the house at any cost.’

  I turned to look at him. ‘Promise me.’

  ‘I believe I just did.’

  Luke turned off Heath Street, drove down Admiral Walk and then up Branch Hill, and eventually turned into Templewood Avenue. He must have more ‘knowledge’ than a London cabbie, because he never consulted either a map or sat nav. Decades of driving around London probably.

  ‘Temple Gardens should be second on the left,’ he said. ‘Do you want me to drive into the road?’

  ‘I think park as soon as you can.’ Will looked around at the pretty street. It appeared affluent, peaceful and very innocent. Why did psycho types always choose places like this to defile?

  We sat in the car, listening to the tick, tick of the engine as it cooled, and I continued to hang on to both Will and Danny. There were no people out walking tonight, and I wondered if the police really were encouraging people to stay inside the safety of their own homes.

  When Will spoke, I jumped, even though he’d spoken softly.

  ‘Can you sense him boy?’

  I looked at Danny’s face, illuminated by a nearby lamp-post. He still looked like a child; his face hadn’t yet lost the roundness of youth. His eyes, large and blue, fringed by soft brown eyelashes added to his look of innocence. I didn’t want anything to happen to him. He stared ahead, evidently concentrating, and made no attempt to answer Will.

  ‘Daniel?’ Prompted Will after a while.

  ‘I can tell he’s been here, but I don’t know whether he’s still here. Sorry.’ He leaned back in his seat, looking crestfallen and younger than ever.

  ‘Shall we check the house anyway?’ Jez seemed keen for some action.

  ‘I think perhaps we should.’ Will made to get out of the car. ‘Elinor, stay in the car with Daniel …’

  I didn’t let him finish the sentence. ‘No way! Where you go, I go.’

  He sighed as usual. ‘Very well. Which of course means, we all go, as the boy cannot be left alone.’

  ‘Why? Do you think I’m going to do a runner?’ Danny sounded disgusted.

  ‘No. I think someone could hurt you if they are around, and contrary to popular belief, I do not want that to happen.’

  He looked slightly mollified by that, and got out of his side of the car. I saw him looking around and sniffing the air, and realised this was only the second time he’d been out of the house since he’d arrived.

  I remembered the first night Will brought me to the Heath. How I discovered I could smell the depths of the very earth we walked on, and how I’d listened to the calls of bats and owls, and the distant bark of a fox. I felt sure Danny would be feeling just as strange and disorientated as I had
, and went to stand next to him.

  The first drops of summer rain began to fall then, carrying the pungent smells of damp earth and grass with every raindrop. Danny continued to look around him, and I watched whilst he took in the smells of the wet, balmy night. Jez and Luke stood nearby, talking quietly together.

  Will came to stand close to me. ‘Are you all right?’ His voice was soft, like a caress.

  ‘It feels strange this street – odd somehow.’

  He took hold of some wet strands of my hair, and ran them through his fingers. ‘I agree. Thomas’s essence is old and strong, and is therefore bound to affect young vampires such as yourself and the boy.’

  ‘He’s not here.’ Danny’s voice sounded hollow, almost distraught. ‘He’s gone.’

  Jez looked at Will. ‘But we’ll still check the house out?’

  Will nodded in agreement and slipped an arm around my waist. ‘Lead the way.’

  We followed Jez and Luke, and Danny ran to catch them up, obviously preferring to walk with them rather than us.

  A piece of paper nailed to a tree caught my attention. One corner had freed itself and it flapped damply in the breeze. It was a Metropolitan Police poster, with the word MISSING emblazoned across the top. Shock and sadness filled me when I recognised Cassie’s innocent face staring back at me. Rain trickled down the poster, looking as if Cassie cried tears from inside her paper prison. I reached a trembling hand to touch the poster.

  ‘Cassie,’ I said softly.

  Will turned me to face him. He cradled my face in his hands, and held my gaze with his own. ‘The bastard will pay for the innocent lives he has taken, and anyone who assists him will pay the same price.’ He bent down to brush my lips with his, and just that brief, almost chaste, touch ignited a flare of responding passion that shivered through my body. He kissed me again, his soft lips lingering against mine this time. When he drew back, his expression was solemn, his eyes unfathomable.

  ‘Work to do,’ he said, taking hold of my hand.

  We joined the others at the gate of a small cottage. The tiny terrace looked early Victorian in style, with small, well-kept front gardens. A slate plaque adorning the middle cottage said ‘1805.’ Jez nodded towards the end cottage. It had a ‘For Rent’ sign in the garden, but the cottage itself appeared to be deserted. No lights shone out from any of the windows.

  ‘That’s the one,’ said Jez, and immediately strode off towards it.

  I glanced at Danny, his nostrils were flared and his eyes appeared glazed.

  ‘What is it?’ I asked him, touching his arm. He turned to look at me, but his eyes looked strange and unfocused. ‘Danny?’

  ‘I can hear him. Elles, what’s it mean?’

  I turned to Will for help. He gestured for me to move away from Danny. Grasping hold of his arms in a fierce grip, he spoke in a harsh whisper. ‘What does he say boy?’

  ‘He’s laughing. He’s really laughing! It’s a trap, we mustn’t go in.’ Danny started to panic, trying in vain to break Will’s death grip, his eyes bulging with abject terror. ‘We’ve gotta leave. Now. Will – don’t let Luke go in there.’

  Will shook Danny with such ferocity that he yelled in pain. ‘Get a grip boy. Pull yourself together.’

  ‘It’s a trap.’ Danny repeated.

  I turned to see where Luke and Jez were, and saw only Luke, standing by the gate of the end terrace. I started to run towards him, and heard Will’s muttered oath as he left Danny in order to come after me. Somehow I knew I had to reach Luke before he followed Jez into the house. I didn’t even know why – but I knew I had to stop him.

  Without pausing to think, I jumped up onto the nearest gatepost. The quickest route to Luke had to be along the fence, which would cut off the street corner. I began leaping from post to post – for once, making use of both my dance training and vampiric speed. As Luke opened the gate, I landed directly in front of him, causing him to step back swiftly in order to avoid me.

  ‘It’s a trap!’ I shouted. ‘Where’s Jez?’

  In answer, Luke looked towards the front door of the cottage, just as Jez opened it. There was a flash of ultraviolet light, which blinded me for a split second, then both Will and Luke threw themselves on top of me, and we all crashed to the ground.

  ‘Be still,’ came Will’s urgent whisper. Like, I could move anyway with two hulking great vampires on top of me.

  The whole scenario had taken but a few seconds and happened in complete quiet, yet the ensuing silence was deafening.

  I heard Danny’s footsteps, then his voice, strained and anxious. ‘Are you guys all right? Ellie? Luke?’

  I tried to push the men off without success. Luke sat up first, and I could see Will’s stricken face when I sat up.

  ‘Jez?’ But I knew the answer before he shook his head. He looked back at the cottage.

  ‘Ultraviolet light has the same effect as the sun’s rays. Thomas must have rigged them to come on the moment the door was opened. You saved Luke’s life, Elinor.’

  ‘But I couldn’t save Jez.’ My voice shook with emotion.

  ‘Is he really dead?’ Danny sounded on the verge of hysteria. ‘Can’t we check?’

  ‘We cannot go anywhere near those lights Daniel,’ said Will. ‘If not for you and Elinor, we would all four be but dust now.’

  ‘We have to go.’ I grabbed frantically at Will’s arm.

  ‘Absolutely.’ Will scooped me up in his arms immediately, and for once I didn’t make any snide remarks about Mr Spooky the macho man.

  Will’s Journal, 31st May

  I cannot believe Thomas has managed to kill another of my men. I am a fool to have followed a young, headstrong vampire like Jeremy. I have seen many traps for vampires over the decades, but as technology becomes ever more advanced, so do the traps themselves. If it had not been for Elinor and the boy, Thomas would have succeeded in killing us all.

  Ultraviolet lighting is something that had never occurred to me. I should realise by now that Thomas either possesses superior knowledge of electronics, or has someone with him who does. The fact he installed surveillance cameras outside my house, should have warned me what we are up against. An ancient vampire with twenty-first century technological skills is a terrifying thought. We are fortunate he had not rigged up a bomb, because that would have killed many more people tonight. Although the ultraviolet light reduced Jeremy to mere dust particles – in seconds – and in absolute silence.

  I am full of admiration for Elinor’s bravery; to witness her leaping from gatepost to gatepost, her glorious titian hair flying behind her, is a sight that will remain imprinted on my memory for eternity.

  Elinor, I know, is devastated about Jeremy. His loss has hit her hard. She is young and has seen none of the true horrors I have witnessed over the centuries. Although sadly I feel she has suffered and seen more traumatic events in these last few weeks, then ever before in her whole life. I want to shield her, protect her from any more pain, but I am horribly afraid the worst is yet to come.

  As I sit writing this journal in our bedroom, she is curled up in bed like a wounded animal. She does not want me to leave her alone. I have never seen her so frightened and I would happily torture and kill Thomas for that alone.

  I know I shall have to use the boy as bait now. A fact I intend to keep from Elinor.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I hadn’t known Jez for long – or even that well – but I knew he’d been one of Will’s trusted soldiers for some time. His death felt massive, even to me, leaving a gaping hole in our fragile community. The realisation that it could have been any one of us, and possibly even all of us, hit me the hardest. We could have all been reduced to dust in seconds.

  Sunset found me immersed in a bath with fragrant bubbles up to my chin, and I rested my head on my drawn-up knees, staring into the water. I traced patterns in the foam with my fingers as morbid thoughts filled my head.

  I wondered where Will had gone; he’d already left by the time I woke
tonight and I missed him. I needed to feel his arms around me.

  Unusually, I didn’t sense him or hear him come into the room, being so completely absorbed in my gloomy thoughts; I just suddenly became aware of his presence. He perched on the side of the bath, looking gorgeous, as always. His black jeans and plain white T-shirt were understated, but on him they looked expensive and perfect. My thoughts flitted back to another time when he’d sat on the side of the bath like this; a time when I was newly-turned and filled with distrust and fear. He’d teased me and I’d shouted at him … soaked him too. How long ago it all seemed now – and how trivial.

  Clasping my arms around my knees, I looked up into his vivid eyes.

  ‘It could have been us,’ I said.

  He shook his head. ‘Luke would never have allowed you or I to go near that house,’ he said. ‘But it could have been him.’

  I shivered despite the warmth of the water.

  Will frowned. ‘Just how long have you been sitting in that bath?’

  I shrugged. I’d lost all sense of time. ‘I can’t remember.’

  He stood up, and crossing the room to the towel rail, pulled a large towel from it.

  ‘Out.’ He held the towel wide, and obediently, I climbed out of the deep bath and allowed him to wrap the towel around me.

  Holding me close, he nuzzled the top of my head with his cheek. ‘I feel I should say you could have caught your death from cold, but that would be ridiculous.’ I heard the wry amusement in his voice as he quaintly misquoted the saying, and I laughed weakly against his chest. The laugh ended on a muffled sob. I seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

  ‘You are amazing, Elinor,’ his deep voice caressed me like a touch. ‘You have had more to contend with in this last year, than most vampires experience in a decade. Yet you have come through it all with a bravery and grace such as I have never before witnessed in all my years on this earth.’

  ‘I can’t stop thinking about it.’ My voice came out like a whisper.