- •Contents
- •Preface
- •Chapter 1
- •I scrambled from my bed and pulled on my breeches and shirt. “Come in!” I called.
- •Chapter 2
- •I nodded, barely listening. I took the paper, the grimy newsprint smearing on my hands as I hastily scanned the article.
- •It was the work of a vampire.
- •Chapter 3
- •Chapter 4
- •I turned over my shoulder and saw Alfred storm out from around the bar toward our table. Before I could react, he’d grabbed Violet’s long hair and yanked it, causing her to yelp.
- •Chapter 5
- •I felt my thoughts reach her mind, and I sensed the moment when her brain seemed to yield. I nodded to try to speed the process.
- •I squared my shoulders and looked into his beady, gray eyes. I concentrated on the pupils, allowing my gaze to center in until the blackness was all I could see. “We need a room.”
- •Violet shook her head. “The police said they can’t do anything until they find a body. They said she’s a grown woman and she can go where she pleases. I’m just so worried.” Violet sighed.
- •Violet nodded. “Do you miss them?”
- •Violet sighed, distress obvious on her face. “I felt like I was surrounded by evil. Something was there. I thought I was going to be attacked, and then you came and—”
- •Chapter 6
- •Chapter 7
- •Violet jumped up as soon as I opened the door.
- •Immediately, a coach pulled up to us. “Where to?” a driver asked, tipping his hat.
- •I saw Violet glance at me and I tried to look as if I were enjoying the show. But inside, I was frustrated. I hated the way everything always came back to Damon, and most likely would, for eternity.
- •Chapter 8
- •I never outgrew my fondness for games, Damon replied, not moving his lips.
- •Violet’s eyes gleamed as the two girls walked away into the swirl of revelers. Damon watched with a bemused expression.
- •Chapter 9
- •I glanced over at Violet. She was listening, rapt, the vervain charm still gleaming around her neck. Good.
- •Violet’s shoulders sagged in relief, and I closed my eyes in thanks. Cora was still alive. For now.
- •I plucked a petal. I trust him, I trust him not, I thought as I dropped each silky flower fragment to the grass.
- •Chapter 10
- •Chapter 11
- •I don’t seek out problems, I said simply. And I don’t create them.
- •Chapter 12
- •I sighed at her existential meanderings. I stepped toward her, eager to stop talking.
- •I looked up. It was Samuel. Instantly, I stood to my full height and gave him a tight smile. I knew that careening through the warehouse must have made me seem drunk or mad.
- •Chapter 13
- •Chapter 14
- •Chapter 15
- •Violet shook her head. “Or maybe I’d be dead in a London ditch. You were my friend. You showed me the world. If I have to die, at least I had those days of magic,” she said shyly.
- •Chapter 16
- •Chapter 17
- •I felt something jump on my back. I spun around and realized Luke had clamped himself to my shoulders and was kicking his legs into my lungs.
- •I stepped back, my body slamming against the wall. I’d cornered myself.
- •Chapter 18
- •I nodded. I didn’t want to give her false hope. “She’ll be different. But I can teach her. There are things that make being a vampire less terrible,” I said.
- •Chapter 19
- •Epilogue
Violet shook her head. “The police said they can’t do anything until they find a body. They said she’s a grown woman and she can go where she pleases. I’m just so worried.” Violet sighed.
“But if Cora were killed . . .” I began, trying to reassure her with the conclusion I’d come to last night, “surely her body would have been found.”
“Don’t say that!” Violet said sharply. “I’m sorry,” she added instantly. “I just hate hearing it. But yes, you’re right. If she was killed, they would have found . . . something,” she said, shuddering. I nodded, silently agreeing. “But I haven’t heard anything. No one has. And that’s just the thing. She wouldn’t have left without telling me. It isn’t like her.”
“People change,” I said helplessly, unsure what I could say to try to comfort Violet.
“But Cora is my sister,” Violet insisted. “We came over here together six months ago. We’d never leave each other. We’re all we have in the world. We’re blood.”
“Where did you come from?” I asked, trying not to cringe at the word blood.
“Ireland,” Violet said with a faraway gaze in her eyes. “Just a tiny town near Donegal. All it has is a church and a pub, and we both knew we couldn’t stay there. Our parents did, too. Our father used everything he had to send us both here. Thought we’d marry, start families, never have to worry about going hungry . . .” Violet laughed a short, harsh bark that was so at odds with her sweet and innocent personality that I flinched. Despite her youthful appearance, she’d obviously led a rough life.
“And life didn’t work out as planned,” I said slowly. I could relate all too well.
Violet nodded, her expression bereft. “We thought we’d become actresses or singers. Well, I did. Cora did it more for a laugh. But I thought I’d get a part in the chorus of a show,” she said thoughtfully. “And we tried, but we just got laughed out of the auditions. Then we thought that we could become shop girls. But as soon as anyone saw our clothes and heard our accents, they turned us away. We just kept walking and walking around the city, talking to anyone with an Irish accent. We finally met a girl, Mary Francis, who was cousins with a boy from our town. She worked at the tavern and told us she’d put a word in with Alfred. So we went, and Alfred liked Cora right away. But he said I looked too young. So I was put to work in the back as a scullery maid.”
I must have grimaced, because a shadow of a smile crossed Violet’s face.
“I felt worse for Cora. She used to have to flirt with Alfred. I know that’s why he gave me a job, and why he let us rent a room. We’d get into bed at the end of a long night and tell each other stories about our day. She always said that working in the tavern could maybe be helpful for me one day. It’s all studying characters and seeing how they interact. She thought if we made enough money, we could try again to be actresses. She never gave up.”
“Did you?” I asked gently.
“Well, at a certain point, you realize dreams are just that—dreams. I think sometimes that I should just accept it. Do you know this is the closest I’ve gotten to the theater since I’ve been here?” she asked, gazing out the window at the marquees nearby. “And Cora . . .” She shook her head. “Where is she?” she cried, burying her face in her tiny hands. “Things are so desperate that I can’t even begin to think about them. I just keep hoping Cora found a better life. Not in heaven. I mean, here. A better life here. And maybe she didn’t tell me because she didn’t want me to be hurt or jealous? It’s the only thing I can think of,” Violet said, still hiding her face with her hands.
“I know Cora’s safe.” Of course I didn’t know that at all, but as soon as I said it, I saw Violet’s shoulders relax. I felt sad for this girl, who truly didn’t have a friend in the world. I wished that I could help her. Suddenly, I had an idea.
“Here’s what I can do,” I said. “I can get you the job back, and I can also guarantee Alfred won’t bother you. I can’t promise the job will be ideal, but I can promise that it will be better than it was before,” I said, knowing I’d have to find somewhere to feed before I would be able to effectively compel Alfred.
“Thank you,” Violet said. A slight smile played on her lips. “In my country, on Saint Stephen’s Day we honor the saint who protects the poor,” she said. “And I think it’s come early for me this year. Thank you, Saint Stefan.”
I looked away, uncomfortable with her adoration. If she only knew my true nature, she’d be praying to her saint for protection from me. “Don’t thank me. Just stay here and rest up. I’ll go and speak with Alfred and find out what I can about Cora,” I said.
“I should come,” Violet said definitively, rising to her feet.
I shook my head. “It won’t be safe.”
“But if it’s not safe, then what about you?” Violet asked in a small voice. “I shan’t forgive myself if anything happened to you while you were out on account of me.”
“Nothing will happen to me,” I said, wishing that were true. “I’m not afraid to fight. But I won’t have to. Everything will be fine.”
“It’s funny, but I believe everything you say,” Violet said dreamily. “But I don’t even know you. Who are you?”
“I’m Stefan Sa—I’m Stefan,” I said. I refrained from saying my last name, worried it might scare her because of last night’s message. “I’m from America. And I know what it’s like to be alone. I left my family. It’s hard.”