With every turn of the wheel she was being hauled ever further from Sebastian. She could physically feel the distance growing between them. Soon enough there would be no more than the faintest sense of him. She was forced to accept the knowledge that she was alone and at the mercy of a murderous, unfeeling monster.
In desperation she blocked out all thoughts of Sebastian. She should be considering William, she sternly reminded herself. The poor boy was no doubt hysterical by now. He was in a strange place with ruffians who had forced him from his bed, and who knew what else. He would be calling for her and unable to understand why she was not at his side.
Her heart gave a sharp twinge. If only she could save William, then all would be well. That would give her all the strength she needed.
She kept that thought foremost in her mind as they continued ever onward. And onward. She barely noticed the passing fields or the thickening woods about them. Not even when the carriage at last rolled to a halt.
Indeed, Amelia had barely assimilated the fact that the sickening sway had come to an end when Drake was thrusting her out of the door and up a twisting path.
"Move along," the vampire growled.
Struggling to regain her balance, she hurried forward, her fogged senses briefly discerning a crumbling cottage with a thatched roof. It was just as remote and desolate as Drake had warned; only the faint glow of candlelight that could be seen through one of the broken windows assured her that someone was inside.
Reaching the door, she was briefly halted as the vampire reached out to grasp her arm. Warily, she turned to study his tight features.
"What is it?"
He paused for a long moment before giving an annoyed shake of his head. "Nothing. Let us be done with this."
The bony hand reached out to shove the door open. Amelia did not wait to be pushed forward. Instead, she rushed into the cramped, dust-shrouded room with anxious haste.
It took but a moment to spot her brother huddled in a dark corner. With a soft cry, she moved to kneel beside him.
"William." She placed her arms gently about his shoulders, not at all surprised to discover that he was trembling in fear and weariness. He had probably been curled in the corner since he had been brutally kidnapped. "My poor William."
He slowly lifted his head to regard her with wounded eyes. "Bad man."
Tears filled her eyes as she softly brushed his hair. "Yes, they are very bad men."
A growl from behind her had Amelia shifting to face the vampire, who filled the small room with his repulsive presence.
"You see that he is alive," Drake stated in flat tones. "Now give me the Medallion."
Amelia reluctantly rose to her feet, her heart racing so fast she feared it might burst. It had come to the moment of crisis. She would now discover if her desperate ploy would work, or if she had lost all on a daring gamble.
"Not until William is released."
His eyes glittered like shards of glass. "Do not attempt to play me the fool. Sebastian is pathetic enough to be seduced by your wiles, but I am far too clever for such games. If you do not believe me, I can reveal the corpses of any number of beautiful mortals who thought to please my fancy."
She swallowed heavily, not allowing herself to remember the battered and abused bodies of those poor maidens. She had to concentrate upon William. Only William.
"You promised that my brother would be kept safe. I want him allowed to leave before I give you the Medallion."
A dark, nerve-shattering silence descended as he regarded her with malicious fury. The very air seemed to crackle with his fierce desire to punish her for her audacity.
"You try my patience, wench," he rasped, his lengthening fangs suddenly visible.
Amelia nearly balked. Saints above. He was a ruthless vampire. A beast that killed without mercy. How could she possibly hope to outwit him?
Then from behind her, she heard the faint sound of William's whimper. He had clearly sensed the danger in the air. A danger that only thickened as Drake glared at her with murderous intent.
Much to her astonishment, she felt her chin tilting with a renewed determination.
"Do you desire the Medallion or not?"
Her fate hung upon a knife's edge as the pale gaze lowered to the amulet glowing with a tantalizing power. For a heartbeat she was icily aware that his lust to torture her for her daring far outweighed his need for the amulet. Only when her fingers closed protectively over the Medallion did he abruptly regain control of his anger and step back.
"Send him away."
Urging William to his feel, Amelia warily led him across the room, her arms wrapped tightly about him. Once at the door she pulled it open and gazed into her brother's worried eyes.
"Listen to me carefully, William," she said firmly. "I want you to run from here as fast as you can."
His brow wrinkled in puzzlement. "Run?"
"Yes. Run to Mr. St. Ives. He will protect you."
There was a moment of silence before he gave a reluctant nod of understanding. "Run."
"As swiftly as you can."
"Be on with it," Drake interrupted sharply.
Drawing in a deep breath, Amelia shoved her brother with all her strength. "Do not look back, William."
He stumbled, but thankfully he was swift to recover and was racing down the dark path with gratifying speed. Whatever his lack in intellectual prowess, William had always been large and physically strong. She offered up a silent prayer that Sebastian would rescue her brother before the henchmen who belonged to Drake could find him. She did not doubt for a moment that the stubborn vampire was following as closely as he dared.
Watching as William disappeared into the shadows, Amelia slowly turned back to the impatient Drake. She had done all that she could to protect her brother. Now it was time to pay the cost of that protection.
As if sensing her dark thoughts, the vampire stalked toward her, harsh greed etched upon his face.
"There will be no further delays."
"No," she agreed softly, pulling the dagger from her sleeve. "The time has come."
Drake came to an abrupt halt, but his lips twisted with cruel amusement rather than fear.
"How very charming," he drawled. "Do you think to frighten me with that bauble?"
She grimly lifted the dagger higher. "Do not come any closer."
"Or what?" He deliberately stepped forward. "You will attempt to harm me? Fool. You are no match for my powers. Shall I demonstrate?"
The chill in the room abruptly deepened and to Amelia's shock, the solid form of the vampire began to blur and fade. An ominous fog began to swirl and Amelia was forced to choke back a scream as she realized that the vampire was shifting himself into that strange mist.
It was a bizarre, horrifying spectacle.
"No," she breathed.
An eerily hollow laugh echoed through the cottage. "You are a pathetic animal who only lives because you possess my Medallion. You cannot harm me, Miss Hadwell."
Grasping the last, frayed edges of her courage, Amelia lifted the dagger and firmly turned it about until the sharp point was painfully pressed to the frantic beat of her heart.
"I have no intention of harming you, Mr. Ramone. I intend to use the dagger upon myself."
Sebastian was aware he was being followed from the moment he entered the thick copse of woods. With fluid motions he slid behind a large tree and allowed the two shuffling men to walk past him.
He did not so much as blink before he was launching himself toward the two and knocking them to the ground. They remained inhumanly silent as he connected a blow to one in the chin and then leaped to his feet to kick the other in the side. Bones crunched beneath his attack but neither hesitated as they awkwardly pushed themselves upright and lunged toward him.
He grimaced at the realization that the men had been caught within Drake's Compulsion. He could already smell the stench of their decay. Nothing short of death would stop them now.
Easily avoiding their outstretched hands, he caught the nearest man about the neck. Holding him before him, he crushed his throat with a sense of regret. The second he dealt with just as easily, allowing the heavy body to drop to the soft ground.
Damn Drake, he silently cursed. The men would have died of starvation within days, or by the hand of the treacherous vampire, but he resented the fact that he had been forced to harm another.
With a shake of his head, he turned from the motionless bodies and sternly turned his thoughts back to the reason he had entered the woods in the first place.
Amelia.
Not far ahead he could sense her presence. She was still alive., but he was vividly aware of the horrible terror that clutched at her heart. Just as he could sense the reckless fury that filled Drake.
He had to reach her before she did something desperate.
He had barely taken more than a step, however, when there was a loud crashing in the trees ahead of him. Within moments, William came plunging through the overgrowth, his expression wild-eyed and his hair standing on end.
With a low growl of impatience, Sebastian waited for the boy to stumble to a halt before him.
"William."
"Milly," William panted as he reached out to grasp Sebastian's arm. "Bad man."