Geoffrey stretched slowly, feeling power course through him. He needed to feed. Blood would restore him to full strength.
It was a pity that dear Savannah wasn't around. He would certainly enjoy draining her white throat dry. Sensing her the previous night had been an unexpected pleasure. He'd felt her strong mind seeking in the night.
And so he'd had to play with her, just a little.
Trust William to spoil his fun. His elder brother always tried to stop his games. But this time, William wasn't going to stop him. This time, William would be defeated. Destroyed.
He would die, as he should have died centuries ago.
Geoffrey had planned his brother's death, down to the minutest of details. He had the perfect place in mind for his brother's murder. Absolutely perfect. It was a place of life, of hope. Of blood and destruction.
He smiled, preparing to rise and feed. It was time that he and his brother went home.
* * * *
She opened her eyes and found William staring down at her, his gaze intense.
She blinked and took a deep breath. Energy hummed through her body. Energy … and strength.
She remembered the fear that had swept through her last night. Her hand lifted and she touched her chest. She could feel the movement of her heart. Slow, steady.
«Will it always be like that?” She asked softly.
William nodded. “But you'll get used to it.»
Would she? Would she really get used to feeling her heart stop beating? Well, it wasn't as if she really had a choice.
He touched her cheek. “It will get easier, Savannah. Believe me. Soon it will seem to be natural. Just like your human sleep.»
She certainly prayed that he was right. She glanced toward the now raised curtain and blinds. Night had fallen. It was time for her to hunt. To hunt Geoffrey.
She shifted, preparing to rise, but William's hands locked around her, holding her captive. She frowned. “William? What is it?»
His gaze searched her face. She noticed that his jaw was clenched, his scar standing out starkly against his skin.
«I want us to go back to North Carolina.»
«What? Why?” They were so close to their goal. They knew where Geoffrey was. They'd been so close to his resting place last night. Now was the time to attack, not to run.
«You're not strong enough to do this, to face him.” His tone was rough. “You need to wait until—»
«Until he kills someone else? Until he slaughters someone else's brother? Someone else's wife?” She shook her head. “No, I can't do it. I can't wait any longer. He has to be stopped.»
«Then let me do it. Let me stop him. Go back to my home and let me take care of Geoffrey.” His eyes blazed down at her.
«Oh, I get it. I'm supposed to be the little woman who stands back and lets you take care of the big, bad monster, right?” Anger flushed her cheeks and flattened her speech. “I'm supposed to stand back and let you do all the work, right? Right?»
A muscle flexed in his jaw.
«Wrong!” She snapped, struggling against his hold. She couldn't believe that he would even suggest such a thing. To think that she would just stand back, just sit quietly, while he went after Geoffrey. “You promised me, William! You promised me that I would have my vengeance!»
He pressed her into the bed cushions, controlling her when she struggled for her freedom. “Dammit, Savannah! He's my brother!»
«And he killed mine!” She bucked against him, kicking and scratching with all of her might.
William froze, his fingers locked around her wrists. Blood trickled from a deep cut on his cheek. His eyes flashed red, then black. “I don't want him to hurt you,” he said, his voice soft and deep.
«He's not going to hurt me,” she promised, locking her gaze with his. “He's not going to hurt anyone else. We're going to stop him!»
His fingers stroked her delicate skin. Her pulse pounded furiously beneath his touch. “You're still weak from the change. You need more time to recover, to learn about your powers. Come with me to the mountains—»
She could hear the plea in his words, could hear the soft entreaty. But she could not give in. “I'm going after him. With, or without you.” She wouldn't let another innocent person's blood be on her hands. She had to stop him.
«The blood isn't on your hands,” he told her softly. “It's on mine. It's always been on mine.” He released her and stood, gazing down at her with swirling eyes.
She sat up slowly, pushing her hair back with a quick hand.
William gazed at her, but she could tell he saw only the past. “I should have killed him when I had the chance.»
She reached for his hand. Her fingers locked with his. “Tell me, William. Tell me what happened.»
William exhaled heavily, and the shadows of his past swept into the room. “Henry was dead, but I couldn't just leave him there. I couldn't let those bastards desecrate his body. So I took him down through the tunnels beneath my father's fortress…»
He could still see it so clearly. So clearly.
The tunnels were dank, dark. The odor of death and decay hung in the air. Henry's body was a slight weight against his shoulder, but the grief he felt was overwhelming.
He'd been too late. Too late to save Henry, too late to save the brother he'd always tried so hard to protect.
He didn't know how long he walked through the tunnels. The passageway narrowed, until he had to turn sideways and pull Henry behind him. Then the passage widened again, and he continued this trek, lifting his brother's broken body high into his arms.
His great-grandfather had first found the passages. They were a family secret, to be used in an emergency. The winding passages led to the cliffs on the northern end of his family's land.
He'd visited the cliffs often as a child. Henry had followed him, a quiet, steady shadow. One day they'd discovered a cave nestled in the cliffs. It was small, probably not more than fifteen feet deep.
They had spent countless days in that cave, talking and planning. It had been their secret place. Their refuge from their father's rage.
The cave would now be his brother's final resting place. Henry would be safe in the cave. No one would find him. He could rest there, for eternity.
The passage shifted, beginning to curve upward. William could smell the sea, almost feel the cool touch of the water against his face.
He walked out into the waiting night.
Something slammed into him, sending him crashing to his knees. He struggled to hold onto Henry.
«Get up! Rise, you bastard!»
William felt the tip of a blade press against his throat.