“Who are you?”
“My employer would very much like a moment of your time, Ms. Melcombe.”
“That’s lovely,” she sneered. “But you have me at a disadvantage, sir. We have not been introduced.”
“I very much doubt any man catches you at a true disadvantage.” He nodded to the woozy officer with a slight smile. “Doesn’t look like you have many complaints, though.”
He may have had a wealth of raw, young power, but it was nothing compared to her strength. She bared her fangs. “Your name.”
The vampire stepped forward, his eyes sparking at her show of aggression. She could see his fangs grow long behind his lips.
He held out a hand. “Terrance Ramsay, Ms. Melcombe. Faithful second of Lord Francis Winthrop, vampire lord of London.”
So this was Francis’s new guard dog. How amusing. He did appear loyal… if a little untamed. She held out her own hand, no need to be impolite, despite the indelicacy of their initial meeting. She wouldn’t want to offend the current leader of the city. “Mr. Ramsay, I—”
She broke off as soon as he took her fingers with his own. The sharp spike of energy caused the dark garden to spin, just for a second. He bent over her hand, touching his lips to the back of her knuckles, lingering longer than was strictly polite. Then Terrance Ramsay looked up, meeting her eyes with a predator’s hungry stare.
What was this? He looked as shocked as she did. Her heart gave a completely involuntary thud and a shocking warmth spread through her belly.
“Let go of my hand,” she said softly.
His fingers squeezed tighter for a moment, then he blinked and released her. “Of course.”
“Francis wants to see me, I take it?”
He stiffened at the use of his employer’s Christian name. “You two are friends? Have you known each other long?”
“You’ll find that it’s best not to ask questions like that.” Gemma left the officer in the bushes. Let Juliette’s staff clean up the mess. “But yes, Francis and I were friends when you were a human babe nursing at your mother’s breast, Mr. Ramsay.”
He only looked amused. “Then you’re looking well, Ms. Melcombe. For your age.”
Gemma smirked. “Human women are offended by references to their age. I, however, am not human.”
The younger vampire turned to her as he held open the door. His fangs were still long, and he let them peek from behind his lips. “Clearly not. How fortunate.”
Did Francis’s new vampire think to pursue her? How… amusing. And naive. Did he think an immortal of her age and power needed to be saddled with a young thing like him? Did he think she needed protecting? The thought made her laugh out loud.
“You’re young, Mr. Ramsay. You’ll learn that appearances can be very deceiving.”
“Care to teach me?” His eyes lingered at the bare skin of her throat. “I imagine you’d find me a very… thorough pupil.”
Gemma’s nostrils flared slightly at the smell of arousal that had unexpectedly filled the air. Impertinent, arrogant, cocky—
“Gemma, darling!” Francis appeared at her side, leaning down and kissing her cheek as Gemma tore her eyes from the unexpected challenge in his gaze. “It is so good to see you. And you’ve met Terry, I see.”
“Wonderful to see you, as well.” She turned her back on the young water vampire and walked with her old friend. “I’m looking forward to being back in London, Francis.”
“And I’m looking forward to having you here, darling. It’s been too long.” They strolled back into the crowd, chatting with friends and associates as Gemma reacquainted herself with London society. She spun and danced. Flirted and joked. It was, all in all, a very pleasant homecoming.
And Gemma felt Terrance Ramsay’s eyes on her all night long.
Present day
“I’m remarkably bored.” She stared out over the water. The moon was full and reflecting on the soft waves as the boat sped through the water heading… she had no idea where. “I can’t remember the last time I was bored.”
“That’s because you work. All the time.” He was doing some ridiculous thing with sails and rope and rigging. She hated boats. Hated everything about the ocean. The few times she had to board them, she found a secluded room and read a book or played cards. Usually, if she had to travel, she dragged work along with her. Or Terry. He could be remarkably entertaining if he wanted to be. At the moment, he seemed to want to lecture her more.
“—why we do all this, Gem. Honestly, if you can’t enjoy yourself sometimes, than what’s the point of this life?”
“Survival. Acquisition. The safety of my family and those under my aegis.”
He had no ready answer for that, but he pursed his lips in displeasure. “You need to relax, luv.”
“Does relaxing equal boredom?” She stretched out on the cushioned bench that ran around the bow. “Because if that’s the case, I’m very relaxed.”
“Want to learn how to sail the boat?”
“Not particularly.”
He laughed. “Then sit back and—”
“Relax. Yes, you’ve mentioned that. Do we, in fact, have a destination in mind?”
“We do.”
“And will there be things to do there?”
His smile turned to a wicked grin. “Other than me?”