The Vampire Laird (A Ravynne Sisters Paranormal Mystery/Romance) (23 page)

“What amuses you mon?” Grey asked with a smile of his own. “I would think there would be little you found here that would make you smile so.”

“I was just thinking that not all that long ago I didn’t even believe in ghosts.”

Grey laughed and slapped Zack hard across the back. “And now you do, because I am one and more than that. I am another of those beings men do not believe in until they run into them on a dark night…or day. We are almost there. Do you need my help with Marley, or do you wish to handle him yourself?”

Zack looked at the man next to him who stood a half foot taller than he did and had the shoulders of a linebacker. “Well, if it’s just him, I should do okay. But if he has a dozen others with him, I could use some help. Can you use that sword as well as I think you can?”

Grey bared his white teeth wolfishly. “I was trained as a warrior as soon as I could walk and hold whatever weapon they put in my hand. After my father returned from the Crusade, he no longer wanted that life for me, but I kept my in hand one way or another. But, truth be told, the only blood on this particular weapon was meant to be mine. Now I carry it as a reminder of what I would be better off forgetting. That’s another tale for another time. We’d best hald our weesht now. Just ahead is the outer door.”

They moved forward, quietly, until they reached the heavily paneled door. Zack listened, but heard nothing, so he tried the latch. It opened easily and they both stepped stealthily inside. The sweet scent of opium still lingered, but there was no sign of anyone. Zack pointed to the door that led to the room he’d been in earlier and whispered, “I’ll bet they are in there.” Moving quietly, he listened again at the door and heard only two voices, Charlie’s and Seth’s engaged in what sounded like a casual conversation….and then they laughed. He frowned. They sounded like they were enjoying themselves way too much!

Grey tapped him on the shoulder. “There is just the one so I will leave you. I am worried about Meg and must see that she is all right. Good luck.” and with that he was gone.

Zack shook his head. This ghost business was going to take some getting used to, he thought, as he smiled grimly and tried the door. It was locked, but a quick kick took care of that problem.

***

Cerberus made a lunge for her as she ran past. Jaws snapping…flecks of foam flying…he almost pulled free of Orianna’s grasp and for a moment Meg thought she would be a chew toy before she even made it to the stairs. Heart thumping wildly, she sped down the hall and then down the stairs to the marble tiled entry hall. Where to now? Orianna would be expecting her to go out the closest exit, she thought, so she opened the front door with a bang, then back tracked and ran down the hall towards the library. With any luck there would be no one there and she could go out the window again.

She made it as far as the door without being seen, but her luck didn’t hold. Inside, voices were raised in a heated argument. Apparently, everything wasn’t going so well for them either, she thought fleetingly, as she hurried down the hall to the end, then turned right in the direction of the parlor, where afternoon tea had been served their first day at the manor.

The parlor was so dark she could see little beyond a small patch of moonlight that found its way through the French doors and she stumbled over an ottoman. Pulling herself to her feet, she checked to make sure she still had her flashlight. Satisfied it was still tucked in her jeans, she asked herself, where to next? Where would she be safe? Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. A car…one with an automatic transmission…would carry her safely beyond Cerberus’ snapping jaws, though how she would manage all that was still to be determined.

She opened the French doors and slipped outside. The moon was still bright, so she wouldn’t need her flashlight just yet. Moving as soundlessly as she could, she pushed her way into the shrubbery that edged the flag stoned terrace and looked around. She could hear voices in the distance…excited voices and then she heard a long drawn out howl and knew her five minutes were up. Cerberus was coming for her.

Bending double, she raced across the open stretch of lawn and headed for the wall. Ornamental bushes that pressed against its side, gave her ample coverage, as she made her way towards the garage. Hunkering down just outside, she checked to make sure no one was watching, then sprinted into the open door of the first stall. It was empty. In the next stall was a small car that looked like a rental…like their own rental that was parked next to it. She flashed her light inside. No keys in either

Moving down the line, she checked the remaining three vehicles…a sleek Jaguar…a newer version of Charlie’s pickup truck and the vintage Rolls with its hood up. None had keys in them. Swearing under her breath, she kicked the Jaguar’s tire once and said to herself, “Think, Meg! Think! There must be keys somewhere. A lock box perhaps that someone conveniently left open?”

She shone her light along the wall until she found the padlocked metal box marked ‘keys’. She sighed and sagged wearily against the wall. That was that! She couldn’t pick a lock or hot wire a car so her best chance of escaping Cerberus just got flushed. “What do I do now?” she asked herself, wanting to cry and scream simultaneously. Another howl…much closer this time…decided her. He had picked up her trail already and her time was running out…fast.

“Well…if I’m going to die a gruesome death it won’t be in here. Maybe I can reach the stable and get the bay without being seen. Cerberus is big enough to hurt him badly if he catches us, but if we get a
really
good head start…maybe…” Another howl interrupted her thoughts…much closer still. At the rate Cerberus was gaining on her, it would take more than a miracle for her to make it all the way to the paddock and get away cleanly.

But she headed there anyway. Miracles happened all the time and maybe it was her turn, she thought, rather desperately, just before a tree root tripped her. Cursing her clumsiness, she was up and running again, when she heard Orianna call sibilantly, “Come out…come out wherever you are. You think you can make it to the stables before he gets you, but I can assure you that you don’t stand a chance in hell.”

Meg bit back the reply she’d like to scream at her. There was no use in letting her see how close she was…too close. She could hear the deep-throated breathing of the huge beast only yards away. Then she saw him in the moonlight coming straight for her at a full run. Her heart thudded in her chest like a wild thing…her mouth was dry…her eyes were huge with pure terror and still he came. She was frozen to the spot unable to do more than stare at certain death, as he lunged her way.

Suddenly, a small invisible hand grabbed hers and pulled her into the shadows, just as a bright orb appeared in front of the startled dog and materialized into a large white cat. Hissing at the huge beast, Cloud raked his nose with his sharp claws, and then dashed into the brush behind the stable with Cerberus in hot pursuit.

The hand grasping hers tightened and Lucy said, “Tis all right, miss….hurry.” She pulled Meg forward at a dead run and they arrived just in time to see Cloud jump over some obstacle that Cerberus couldn’t see in time to avoid.. After that, the scene unfolded in slow motion for Meg. First there was the sound of rotted wood splintering and then a howl of pure terror as Cerberus disappeared from sight. “Tis the auld well. The great beast fell doun it and be deid,” Lucy said solemnly.

Meg dropped to her knees…her trembling legs unable to bear her weight any longer. She was shivering in after shock, tears streaming down her face, when Cloud poured himself into her arms and ‘cat’ kissed her nose…hard. “Thank you,” she murmured into his soft fur.

“This is all your doing and I will kill you for it,” Orianna hissed venomously as she ran past Meg. Leaning over the edge of the well, she called, “Cerberus! Cerberus!” But there was no sound from its inky depths.

Meg looked around for a weapon….anything…only too aware that Orianna would be after her as soon as the shock wore off. Suddenly, from out of the trees, a familiar spire of light appeared and quickly morphed into Meaghan. ‘Shushing’ Meg with a gesture, she glided forward quickly and slipped up behind Orianna. With a squeal of girlish glee, she pushed Orianna into the well and laughed as she screamed all the way to the bottom. The sudden silence was intense. Leaning forward, Meaghan looked down and called, “Is she deid, Wee Willie?”

“Aye, my lady. Her neck be snapped loik a twig,” came a muffled voice from below.

Meaghan laughed joyously again. “Serves her right, it does. Now tis time for ye to come up and join the bairns in the schoolroom. Lucy has been wanting ye to come for the longest time. That one down there isnae fit company for ye or anyone. She can take your place and weep and wail. No one will hear nor greet for her.”

Meg watched in awe as a young redheaded boy rose from the well and smiled crookedly at the little girl who materialized next to Meaghan. She was dressed in a billowy white nightgown with a dark stain across the front. Meg didn’t want to think what that might mean. She was happy now. “Thank you, Lucy” she called after her, as the two laughing children disappeared into the darkness.

Meaghan drifted her way and tugged at her arm. “They have come to storm the manor. Your brother, Allyn, is close by and your sister is being cared for. My faither has need of me soon and I will take my leave of ye.” And with that she was gone before Meg could thank her for all she’d done. Though her methods might not have been her own, she thought with a wry smile, they were certainly
very
effective.

***

“I’m sorry,” Charlie murmured drowsily, “I must have dozed off. Orianna’s potion and not much sleep. You were saying?”

Seth groaned and ran his hand through his dark red hair. “I said I was going to initiate you tonight. Not that it’s gone well so far.”

“Could we make it another night. I am really so-o-o sleepy…..”

“No…not another night….now. If you please me, I could make you my consort. It has been quite lonely for me here.”

“‘Consort’….isn’t that rather an archaic word for what you have in mind? And then there’s your wonderful daughter, Orianna, who must be loads of fun when she’s not busy with her other diversions.”

“She is not my daughter, though it became easier to let people believe that in view of our age difference and other interests. She is my wife, though I found the marriage too incestuous to be consummated.”

“Whatever that means. Besides, I make it a practice never to get involved with a married man
consummated
or not.”

He sighed and toyed with a strand of her hair. “You really would like me when you got to know me.”

She pulled her hair away and tucked it back into place. “But I don’t think you’d like me if you got to know me. For one thing, I’m opinionated.”

“As am I”

“I am stubborn to a fault.”

He smiled darkly. “That can be rectified.”

“I don’t like to be told what to do….by anyone,” she replied, watching him out of the corner of her eye.

He sighed heavily. “We can work around that.”

“I’m very impatient.”

“A fault shared.”

“I snore when I sleep and sometimes my mouth hangs open if my nose is stuffed up, though that’s usually Meg’s thing.”

“So I’ve noticed,” he said dryly.

“I’m a restless sleeper…toss and turn like a dervish all night… and a bed hog to boot.”

You won’t be sleeping all that much. We’ll be too busy doing other things. I suppose you liked Quinn better?”

She found herself laughing. “Well…he is very beguiling, though I don’t suppose you noticed.”

“I could be
beguiling
,” he coaxed with a smile that bared his very white teeth.

“You are handsome….in a predatory kind of way…and I suppose some women might find you beguiling……”

Whatever she was about to say next was interrupted as the door flew open with a crash and Zack stood there looking at them both with one black brow quirked quizzically. “I hope I’m not interrupting your pillow talk?” he asked training the gun he’d taken from the guard on the man in front of him.

Charlie was grinning hugely, when she replied. “Sort of…he was about to initiate me into the vampire realm or something. But I’m very glad to see you. I wasn’t going to be able to keep him talking much longer and my body is not exactly fully operational.”

Seth swung free of the bed in one lithe movement and pulled Charlie up with him. One sinewy arm circled her waist and held her securely in front of him, while the other held the point of his dirk against her throat “Just what are you doing here anyway? I thought we had you safely tucked away. Drop that gun or I will kill her and she won’t be worth anything to either of us.”

Zack laughed softly, though his dark eyes were far from amused. “What makes you think I’m all that interested in her any more. She’d make a nice piece to add to my line, but that’s about it. Once I f—ked her, I sort of lost interest. But I’m really pissed off about the way I’ve been treated. Drugged and locked up with a guard posted outside my door, makes me mad as hell. Mad enough to shoot your sorry ass no matter who you have as a shield.”

Charlie blinked rapidly several times, stung by Zack’s words, even though she knew he was just trying to buy time for both of them. “Don’t drop your gun. He’s a delusional crazy person who will kill us both no matter what you do if he gets the chance. He actually believes he’s a three hundred year old vampire.”