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.A sailor passed by the carriage, an Englishman by the sound of his voice as he softly sang a rather vulgar ditty.“Pardon me,” I called out to him.“Do you know this ship?”“Aye, miss,” he replied, smiling at the sound of my English accent.“That’s the Charlotte Ann.”“Where is she bound?” I asked.“London on the next tide, miss,” he answered.I thanked him and sat back with a sigh.“Well, that’s a relief,” I said.“We should return to the Frascati and find Devlin and Justine.”Michael frowned.“Cin, just because that ship is headed for London doesn’t necessarily mean whoever is summoning you is a friend.”“You’re right, of course.But how many witches do you think there are in Britain who would not only work a spell to summon me specifically, but are also powerful enough to do it?” I gazed out at the silent harbor, the water silver in the moonlight, and keenly felt the pull of the spell.“Someone is calling me home.”CHAPTER 2LondonIt felt good to be home, if for no other reason than that maddening buzzing grew weaker the closer I got to Ravenworth.I no longer needed the humming compass in my head to gauge my direction.Now that I was back in England the magic that called to me was stronger; it was an inexorable pull that drew me home.I knew where I needed to go.What bothered me was why.It had been nearly a year since I’d been back to see Fiona.She was an old woman now, nearly fifty years having passed since that autumn when I was turned.To save us all from a demon bent on destroying the world, I had become a vampire.I had given up my life so that my friends would live.Fiona had inherited my property and part of my fortune, and had gone on to have the life I should have had.They’re all gone now, all but Fiona and Archie, I thought sadly as I watched the scenery change outside the carriage window, the tall buildings of the city giving way to more pastoral scenes.Mr.Pendergrass, who had owned the apothecary shop in London and had been so helpful to a young witch unsure of her power, had died of old age two years after my turning.Fiona’s mother, Lady Bascombe, had succumbed to influenza twenty years ago.Even my Aunt Maggie had been gone for nearly a decade now.Archie, who had been Mr.Pendergrass’s apprentice and who still owned the apothecary shop, and Fiona were the only ties I had left to my human life.I ran my fingers absently over the smooth skin of my cheek and then down through my dark red curls.The lines of age would never mar my face; silver would never streak my hair.I would forever look twenty-two, exactly as I had in the autumn of 1815when I had died and been reborn as a vampire.“I don’t even need to ask what you’re thinking, lass,” Michael said as he leaned across the carriage and scooped me up, settling me comfortably in his lap.I rested my head in the crook of his neck and breathed in the scent of him.“I’m worried about Fiona,” I said.“She looked so frail when we were last here.”“She is nearly seventy now, mo ghraidh,” he said softly.“But she seemed in good spirits.”I shook my head.“I don’t understand why I’m being summoned home and, moreover, who would be powerful enough to do it.Fiona has no magic.”“Don’t worry so,” Michael said.“We’ll be at Ravenworth in a few hours and then we’ll see.”Ravenworth, I thought as I closed my eyes and settled against the hard wall of Michael’s chest.I wondered, when they were all gone, if it would still feel like home.All three stories of Ravenworth Hall were lit up like a beacon in the night.It was a welcoming sight, even if the reason I was here still bothered me.Before Devlin had the chance to pull the horses to a complete stop, I flung the carriage door open and bounded to the ground.I heard Justine call my name as I rushed up the front steps.Without bothering to knock, I opened the door and stepped into the foyer.The house was silent and empty except for the dark gray cat with white markings that sat on the steps of the grand staircase and watched me with interest.I rushed through the house, knowing instinctively where a witch would cast such a spell.I knew because I had done it once myself.When I reached the closed double doors of the ballroom I paused, waiting for the others to catch up to me.Glancing behind me at my companions, I shook my head and smiled.I hoped that Fiona had prepared the witch for the sight of us because we looked like what we were—The Righteous, four of the most feared vampires in the world.My masculine attire perhaps made me look more threatening, though that hadn’t been my intention.It wasn’t that I didn’t have trunks full of beautiful dresses; it was simply that I preferred to wear my boots and breeches these days, if I could.Unlike the less complicated fashions of my youth, today’s gowns with their corsets, crinolines, hoops, and petticoats required more dressing time than I thought was reasonable.Tonight I was wearing all black, from my silk pirate’s shirt with its falls of lace, to my leather breeches and boots.My pale skin and blood-red hair made a startling contrast against the dark garments.Dressed like this I would never be mistaken for what I once was, a viscount’s daughter.I was now Cin Craven, the Red Witch of the Righteous, though some simply called me the Devil’s Witch in deference to Devlin, the leader of our group.I couldn’t help but feel his massive presence behind me, nearly six and a half feet of solid muscle.Devlin, the Dark Lord, with his black hair and eyes, his chiseled features, had once been one of Edward III’s champions.He truly had been a knight in shining armor and I would always think of him as such.When I had been a scared human, hunted by vampires, he had helped save me.Justine moved silently to my left.She was my closest friend and Devlin’s consort.The vampires called her the Devil’s Justice, and not without reason.She had a face and figure that would turn any man’s head, but that was only part of her appeal.The former courtesan was sex and danger incarnate—a beautiful woman who was never without a weapon.Even now I wondered how many blades were hidden beneath the voluminous folds of her cloak.Michael’s hand reached out to touch my shoulder and I turned my head.The Devil’s Archangel they called him, for none in the vampire nation could match his skill with a sword.He nodded toward the closed doors of the ballroom and my mind briefly raced back to the last time a summoning spell had been worked in that room.I remembered well the look on his face as he’d shoved open the terrace doors and his eyes had met mine.“Witch,” he’d growled in frustration, and I smiled at the memory.Though they’d initially been irritated at my summoning, the three of them had done everything in their power to help me.I looked back at Michael, my husband, my heart, and soul.Perhaps things had not turned out as any of us had expected, but he truly had saved me.I laid my hands on the ballroom doors.And it had all started here, just like this, I thought.Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the massive double doors and strode inside, the clicking of my heels echoing sharply in the empty, cavernous room.CHAPTER 3Well, the room wasn’t entirely empty [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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