The Reluctant Vampire Page 0,35
of missing men in the area."
"Yes, of course, but rogues are generally suicidal and want to be caught and put out of their misery anyway," Drina muttered.
"How did the women react to all of this?" Harper asked with a frown. "Surely they didn't go along with it?"
Drina cleared her throat. "Beth said that none of them wanted to. That Mary stood up to him when he told them his plans."
"Mary the mouthy one," Harper murmured, apparently recalling her earlier words.
"Mary the mouthy one who was too brave for her own good," Drina said quietly. "She told him they wouldn't do it. He could go to hell and they were going to find me and I'd stop him."
"Bet he didn't take that well," Harper guessed, sounding pained.
"He ripped her head off on the spot," Drina said grimly.
"Oh, Christ." Harper sat back in his seat with disgust, but s ll held on to her hand. If anything, his grip on hers was tighter, as if he was trying to infuse her with his strength to deal with the memory.
"The others immediately agreed to whatever he wanted at that point," Drina said quietly.
"The others immediately agreed to whatever he wanted at that point," Drina said quietly.
"I wonder why," he muttered dryly.
"So he sent them out to find men and bring them back," Drina con nued. "The moment they were away from the house, Beth tried to talk the others into fleeing. They could find me, she said. I'd fix this." She sighed, feeling the pinch of guilt that she hadn't been able to fix anything in the end.
"Did they listen?" Harper asked quietly, sitting forward again.
Drina shook her head. "They were too afraid. They didn't know where I was, and he might come a er them. She should go by herself, they said. They'd do what he said and wait to be rescued." Drina blew out her breath, and turned her wineglass on the tabletop with her free hand. "Beth fled, but she didn't know where to go to search for me, and she needed blood. She ended up returning to the original brothel to hide. She knew I hadn't yet sold it, and couldn't think where else to go. She hid inside for two weeks, feeding on rats, birds, and any other animal who got close enough to the house."
Harper's eyes widened incredulously. "She couldn't survive on that."
"No," Drina agreed on a sigh. "She was in a bad way by the end of the two weeks, but his turning of her had been so trauma c and she had always been kindhearted, she couldn't bear the idea of feeding on a mortal."
"What happened at the end of the two weeks?" Harper asked.
"She stayed inside during the day, but ventured out at night in search of small animals and such. She was chasing a rat around the side of the house toward the street when a carriage passed. My carriage."
"You were back?"
Drina nodded. "I was on my way to the new house, but I was thinking of pu ng the old one up for sale and just wanted to see what shape it was in. I wasn't going to stop. I planned to visit the girls first. I just wanted to see how it looked and that it was s ll standing and hadn't burnt down or something while I was gone. So, I had the curtains open to look at it in passing. Beth recognized me through the window and shrieked."
Drina closed her eyes as she recalled the sound. She would never forget it. It had been an inhuman wail, full of pain, rage, and need. The sound had brought her head sharply around, and she'd spo ed Beth standing there, pale and ragged.
"I didn't even recognize her," Drina whispered. "She was a plump, well-kept old woman when last I'd seen her, and this creature was a filthy, emaciated, young redhead. But I saw the glowing eyes and the state she was in and made the driver stop at once. I didn't realize who it was un l I stepped down from the carriage and she threw herself at me babbling insanely about headless Mary and the others."
"I still didn't understand what had happened. She was half-mad with blood hunger and wasn't making any sense. I tried to get her to the carriage, saying I'd take her to the re rement house, but she went crazy at the thought and the only way to calm her down even a li le was