Revenge is Sweet Read online

  It would be ridiculous to kill off our food supply after all. But I admit I have acquired a sneaking regard for some humans and I do feel the need to protect those in my City.

  The renegades must be found and destroyed. There is no question. It is also imperative we find them before they expose us all, and hopefully, before they sire any more children.

  Chapter Two

  Daniel hadn’t wanted to sleep in the cellar and, speaking from experience, I couldn’t really blame him. It’s dark, dank and scary, even for a vampire. But then I’d always been afraid of the dark, and I didn’t think Daniel had that problem. Yes I know – way to go for a vampire! He’d argued, a lot, and Will had patiently explained his reasons for putting him in the cellar. He seemed – at last – to be wary of Will, so he’d listened, but ultimately when it came close to dawn, he’d simply keeled over, just like I used to do.

  Will slung him over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift, and took him downstairs to my old room. I still shuddered when I thought back to the pain of those first few months. I remembered my revulsion at having to feed on blood, the pain of the Thirst, and my fear of Will. I followed them downstairs and watched Will dump Daniel on the narrow bed. He turned to face me, hooking his thumbs through the belt loops of his jeans. His eyes glinted. ‘Miss your old room?’

  ‘Well I do miss the peace and quiet sometimes,’ I said, and suddenly found myself pinned to the hard surface of the damp wall.

  ‘That was a joke.’ I said.

  His eyes glinted dangerously. ‘I sincerely hope so.’

  His lips found mine.

  ‘Children … child…’ I protested. ‘Not in front of …’

  ‘He will be out until the next sunset,’ said Will, ‘and so will you be, if we do not retire soon.’

  ‘He’ll be so afraid when he wakes up alone …’

  ‘No. He will be royally pissed off at finding himself locked in.’ Will looked down at me, and raised a quizzical eyebrow. ‘So, would you like to play grown ups with me after we show Luke and Jake out?’

  I laughed. Will wrapped an arm around my waist, and guided me to the door.

  The moment the sun went down for the night, my eyes opened. Will, of course, was already awake. As an Elder or Master Vampire of more than three centuries, he often awoke during the day. Actually, he could pretty much control his waking hours, and I often felt frustrated that I wasn’t able to join him until after sunset. I am a mere child in the vampire world, having been re-born for only a little over a year, and the hours of darkness still control me. Fortunately, I don’t collapse at the approach of dawn any more, which happened so often at first. The fact Will was still here in bed by my side, said he’d made the choice to stay, which meant a lot.

  ‘Hello.’

  He put aside the book he’d been reading, and familiar green eyes looked down at me. ‘Hello yourself,’ he said. ‘Want to see whether our young friend is awake?’

  ‘I’d rather stay here a bit longer.’

  He slid down the bed, moved in closer. ‘Good.’

  A loud banging sounded on the door downstairs.

  ‘He’s awake.’

  ‘I do believe he is.’ Will bent his head to trail soft, velvet kisses down my throat, and I relaxed against him almost purring with pleasure.

  The knocking grew louder and more frantic.

  ‘We should …’ I began, and then lost my train of thought, when Will began to get creative with other parts of my anatomy.

  Yelling – very loud yelling – came from downstairs.

  Will swore savagely under his breath. ‘I am either getting him adopted or staked.’ He sat up, leaving me craving his touch. ‘Perhaps we can find him a babysitter later for a few hours.’

  ‘He’d probably eat her.’

  ‘That, he would. I was thinking more of Jake and Roxanne.’

  He swung his long legs out of bed, and stood up. My eyes followed his every move, admiring the perfection of his pale muscular body.

  He walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of black jeans and a black sweatshirt. Once dressed, only his eyes stood out – a startling green against all the dark.

  ‘Are you getting dressed, or do you intend to give the boy a treat?’ He folded his arms and looked down at me.

  ‘I was thinking of running a bath,’ I said.

  ‘We need to feed the boy first – do you not know anything about children?’

  I sighed and reluctantly got out of bed, standing and stretching my arms above my head. Before I could move again, I found myself wrapped in Will’s arms.

  ‘Personally, I prefer you without clothes,’ he said against my hair. ‘But we have to be responsible in front of the boy.’

  I gave him an impish grin. ‘He’s not in here.’

  He rested his forehead on mine. ‘If he makes much more noise, everyone will be in here – including the law.’

  Not a comforting thought. Although the walls of Will’s detached Georgian house are incredibly thick, it didn’t seem worthwhile taking any risks.

  He moved to pick up a robe from the foot of the four-poster bed. ‘Put this on, and run a bath anyway,’ he said holding it out to me. ‘I will go down with some food to keep him quiet for a while.’

  ‘I’ll come too.’

  Will gave me a strange look. ‘Do you think I might hurt him?’

  ‘Not exactly – although you might need me as mediator.’

  He shook his head. ‘I believe I once said you are too nice to be a vampire.’

  ‘Bit late for that now.’

  He took hold of a thick strand of my hair, holding it out to its full length and twined it around his strong fingers. He pulled until I was close to him. ‘Far too nice.’ He kissed me gently. ‘Now for heaven’s sake, put something on, I cannot think straight.’

  I smiled. It was good to know I could affect him in exactly the same way he did me.

  Daniel was still yelling, and I pulled on my robe as I hurried to the door.

  Will caught hold of my arm. ‘Talk to him through the door and tell him food is coming.’

  I saluted.

  His look told me I was in trouble. With a grin, I left the bedroom, tying the robe’s belt as I hurried downstairs.

  The racket from Daniel was absolutely deafening downstairs.

  ‘Daniel!’ I shouted above the racket coming from the cellar. ‘It’s Ellie. Stop shouting.’

  ‘Let me out!’ came the angry reply.

  ‘Will’s bringing food for you.’

  ‘Just get me the hell out of here.’

  Thankfully he stopped shouting, although the ensuing silence almost sounded louder. I could still remember when I’d been the one locked up in there, screaming and shouting, and I felt full of sympathy for him.

  ‘I haven’t got the key,’ I said. ‘Will’s bringing it.’

  ‘I’m hungry,’ Daniel said through the door. ‘And I’ve got an awful pain in my gut.’

  ‘That’s the Thirst,’ I said, and I remembered that all too well too.

  Will appeared through the doorway, and unlocked the cellar door, gesturing for me to stand back. As he opened the door, Daniel rampaged out like a small express train, his face transformed by rapacious snarls. He hissed like a feral animal … and made straight for me. Will grabbed him around the throat before he came anywhere near me, and brought him to an abrupt halt. He slammed him against the wall with such ferocity, it would have killed him instantly had he still been human.

  Daniel ground and snapped his new fangs at Will. I stepped back in horror, unable to believe what I was seeing. The sweet boy of last night had turned into something evil, more of a monster than I had ever been. The difference being I’d been with my maker from the moment of rebirth; kidnapped and incarcerated, but with him nonetheless.

  ‘Curb your vicious tendencies in my house, boy,’ said Will, shaking Daniel by the throat, like a dog with a rat. ‘If you ever try anything like that again, I will stake you myself. Are we c
lear?’

  Daniel appeared to have calmed down, and he looked close to normal again.

  ‘Sorry … Sir,’ he said. ‘I don’t know what happened.’

  ‘If you value your existence, it will never happen again.’ Will loosened his grip on Daniel’s throat, and allowed him to drop back to the floor. Daniel rubbed the place where Will had held him, and stared at him with wide, frightened eyes. Will gave him the packets of blood he’d been holding in his other hand, and turned to me. ‘You should go and get your bath.’

  Unable to think of anything to say, I started back up the stairs.

  ‘Ellie …’ Daniel’s voice shook.

  I looked back at him.

  ‘I’m really sorry,’ he said.

  ‘I know you are Daniel.’ I turned away and carried on to the bathroom.

  I closed the bathroom door, and leaned against it. Somehow, Will had known this would happen, although no doubt he’d seen similar occurrences many times over the decades.

  With a heavy sigh, I pushed away from the door, and turned the bath taps on. There was a soft knock on the door.

  ‘Yes?’ I said, knowing full well it was Will, but I appreciated his consideration in knocking.

  ‘Can I come in?’

  ‘Of course.’

  He came in and closed the door behind him. ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘Yes,’ I lied.

  ‘No,’ he said. ‘You are not.’

  I blinked away tears. ‘Why? Why did he suddenly turn like that? I never did.’

  Will came closer and gently pushed tendrils of my hair behind my ears. ‘I have explained about the maker-fledgling bond many times,’ he said patiently. ‘Fortunately you have never before witnessed a fledgling minus its maker – until now. We are treading a very dangerous path here Elinor.’

  ‘Can we save him at all?’ I asked, and his stern expression softened when he looked down at me.

  ‘I have said I will do all I can to help the boy, and I will,’ he said. ‘For you. I would do anything to chase the shadows from those beautiful blue eyes.’

  ‘You always know what to say.’ I reached up to touch his face. ‘Where is he?’

  ‘Feeding,’ said Will. ‘I gave him two bags of blood which should be enough to keep him quiet for a while.’

  I looked back at the fragrant, tempting bath. ‘Are you going to join me?’

  ‘Absolutely.’

  He locked the door behind him, and moved closer to enable him to slip the robe from my shoulders. He let it pool to the floor in a shimmering heap, and smiled a slow sexy smile. I ran my hands up underneath his shirt so I could stroke the muscles in his strong back, his body felt like home to me. He lowered his head to kiss me, his tongue seeking entry to my mouth. Hopefully two bags of blood would keep Daniel occupied for a while.

  Will’s Journal, 16th May

  To say I am not happy about the intrusion into my home would be an understatement. The boy’s behaviour tonight has confirmed my fears about his instability. I do not intend to put Elinor at risk in any way, and should he repeat his bad behaviour, I will personally dispose of him without any compunction whatsoever. I know I have to keep him incarcerated for a few weeks and already I grow impatient with wanting the house – and Elinor – to myself.

  Three hundred plus years makes one selfish.

  In time, if the boy survives, and if he adjusts well enough to my satisfaction, I will find him somewhere safe to live. I do sympathise with his predicament but I do not think he should live alone. That is a potential problem for the future. If he does not become civilised however, it will never become any kind of problem.

  Meanwhile, I have my people out searching for the renegades. It is only a matter of time before they are discovered – and I will have their heads.

  Chapter Three

  Will telephoned Jake and Roxy, and asked them to come and ‘sit’ with Daniel while we went out. I didn’t think it would go down well with either party, but not many people say no to Will. Not for long anyway. I think I probably hold the record.

  Luckily, the Thirst no longer attacks me the moment I awaken. I have some control over it now, and so the nights have at last become easier for me, thanks to Will.

  I still can’t feed directly from a human, and neither do I want to, which accounts for the store of blood we always have in our fridge. Will thinks I have retained more humanity than most fledglings – and perhaps he’s right – but the thought of biting into anyone’s neck just fills me with revulsion and horror. I can’t even watch horror films alone, although I do have a morbid fascination with True Blood and other vampire programmes. I love to watch Will watching them – the amount of ‘facts’ those programmes get wrong never fails to amuse him.

  Many times during this last year I’ve realised how fortunate I am to have been sired by Will, especially now I’ve seen first-hand the difficulties Daniel is experiencing. Not that my turning had been an impulsive act on Will’s part. He told me how he’d watched and followed me for over a year. Some pretty serious stalking on his part, and ever so slightly creepy if I actually stop to think about it. He prefers to call it ‘observing’, which isn’t the word I’d use. We agree to disagree on this. He also knows more about me than anyone else ever has. I’ve often thought there must be more to the story than he’s ever shared with me, but I’m prepared to let it go – for now.

  In the last year I’ve learned lessons the hard way. My arrival caused a lot of anger and jealousy. Even Khiara, Will’s own Maker, came to London hoping to destroy me. Happily she failed. Not for want of trying, I hasten to add. Sadly, for her, some of her entourage never made it back to Italy – in particular a vicious little brunette called Katarina. I think it unlikely the world will miss her too much, and I seriously doubt Khiara will either.

  I enjoyed the walk back to the house with Will tonight, my hand firmly clasped in his, our easy banter with each other. The air felt warm with a promise of the summer yet to come, and the smell of cherry blossom on the trees lining the beautiful residential street wafted down to us on a gentle breeze. When we reached the back door in the garden wall, Will keyed in the combination for the security panel to open it, pushing it wide to allow me through first. The sight that met my eyes was unusual to say the least. Daniel and Jake were practising some kind of martial art, while Roxanne called out helpful instructions from the sidelines.

  Will closed the garden door, then turned back to the scene with a slight smile curving his lips. ‘Trying to teach the boy how to beat me?’

  Jake looked back at Will, just as Daniel aimed a kick at his chest, and knocked him to the ground.

  Roxy burst out laughing, and helped Jake to his feet.

  ‘He learns fast,’ said Will. ‘I had better watch my step.’

  ‘Jake took his eye off his attacker,’ said Roxy, still laughing. ‘Shouldn’t do that babe.’

  I smiled at her. Roxy was one of the few female vampires I’d met in the last year, who wasn’t either trying to get Will into bed, or be his next partner – or both. She was utterly devoted to Jake and had been for decades.

  They looked like any other trendy twenty-something couple, dressed in casual urban chic, ready for a night out on the town. I felt relieved to see them getting along well with Daniel.

  Jake brushed bits of dirt and leaves from his black trousers and smiled ruefully at Roxy. ‘Boy does learn fast though,’ he admitted. ‘Nice one Danny-Boy.’

  Daniel looked pleased, and glanced in my direction like a child waiting for praise.

  ‘Impressive,’ I said with a smile, and he grinned back.

  ‘OK you two, take off now if you want to,’ said Will, ‘and thanks.’

  ‘We’ll see you tomorrow,’ said Jake. ‘Take care Master Tae Kwon Do.’

  Daniel nodded, grinning.

  Will wandered over to the garden door and opened it to let them out. It locked automatically as it closed behind them.

  ‘Well,’ he said looking at Daniel. ‘There
are a few hours left until dawn, so I suppose you want to watch television or something?’

  ‘I don’t suppose you’ve got a PlayStation or an Xbox?’ asked Daniel hopefully, and I snorted with laughter.

  ‘Hardly,’ said Will with a slight smile. ‘Although I could get you one if you behave yourself.’

  ‘That would be so cool,’ he said. ‘A computer would be cool too.’

  ‘Do teenagers always cost this much?’ Will asked.

  I shrugged. ‘I’ve been saying for months we should get a computer,’ I said, ‘and WiFi – online shopping would be fantastic.’

  ‘I have never had much time for computer technology,’ he admitted. ‘However, if you think it is a good idea …’

  ‘You must be filthy rich,’ said Daniel. ‘You never even asked how much any of those things cost.’

  Will chose to ignore the comment. I knew he must be at least a multi-millionaire. He had been born to wealth, but over the centuries he’d accumulated several businesses, portfolio investments and properties. All of the properties were in affluent areas of North London. Jake and Roxy lived in one of them, Luke another, but the rest were bringing in a lucrative income. He also owned a nightclub in trendy Hoxton, which opened six nights a week and was always full to capacity with the rich, the famous and the scarily trendy. He even had a private jet, which he kept at Elstree Aerodrome, and I didn’t even want to hazard a guess at how much his house was worth. Oh yeah … he certainly had money.

  We went to the club quite often, mainly because Will needed to put in an appearance on a regular basis, and also because I really loved going there. Daniel, unfortunately, looked too young to be allowed in – even with the owner, so I didn’t think we’d be going for a while.

  ‘We’ve got loads of DVDs,’ I said.

  ‘Cool,’ said Daniel.

  Will looked slightly bemused and, shaking his head slightly, took hold of my hand again as we walked towards the house.

  Daniel walked ahead of us, and Will leaned down to whisper in my ear. ‘Do they always say cool all the time too?’