Bound By Sin (A Cin Craven Novel) Page 16

I thought about Pandora’s claim that everyone had something dark inside them. I wondered what Claire’s something was. This made me think again about Pandora and her theory about the black magic. If I did as she suggested, would it destroy me? Or would it finally give me peace? When I thought of the energy I’d expended over the last forty-four years, trying to bury that darkness deep inside me . . . I wondered what it would feel like to not have to do that anymore. But maybe that was too easy. Maybe the effort was the price I paid for having such great power. Still, the thought of what it would be like to be at peace, to not constantly feel like there were two people fighting to claim my soul . . . ah, it was tempting.

  CHAPTER 42

  Once we got settled into our rooms, Michael went out to feed and I went to speak to Claire. I knew that she had given some thought to staying on the plantation; that much was evident in the delirious ramblings she’d uttered while she was drugged. Before I spoke to the attorney the next day, though, I needed to know how serious she was about the prospect.

  “Claire?” I said as she opened the door and ushered me inside. “I need to talk to you about something.”

  “Oh, no,” she muttered.

  I smiled and shook my head. “It’s nothing bad.”

  “It can’t be anything good,” she said. “You’ve got that look on your face that my mother gets when I’ve done something unfortunate.”

  “You haven’t done anything wrong,” I assured her. “It’s just that I don’t really know how to put this delicately.”

  “Good Lord, Cin, do you really still think I’m the sort of girl you need to put things delicately to?”

  I laughed. “I guess not. All right then, here it is. I promised your mother I’d bring you home, but if that’s not what you want, I’m willing to break that promise. You know better than I do what your life at Glen Gregor is like, and what it will be like when your child comes. If that’s not something you’re looking forward to and you’d rather stay at Kenneway, then I’m sure Lizzie would be happy to have the company. Goddess knows Evangeline would be ecstatic.”

  “I can’t say I haven’t thought about it,” she replied softly. “But what would my parents say?”

  “I doubt either one of them will be very happy, but they’ll come to understand in time. I’ll go back to Inverness and explain everything to Raina personally and you can write them both a long letter. When the war is over I’m sure they’d be happy to come visit you. I’ve been in Glen Gregor in the winter and I’ll wager they’d both jump at the chance to spend the season in a tropical paradise.”

  “You would do that for me?” she asked hopefully.

  “Of course I would,” I replied. “But you understand that this is all subject to us being able to eliminate the threat from Boucher. I can’t let you stay otherwise.” Her eyes darted to the urn and I knew what she was thinking. “I have no fear for your safety when he’s around but, let’s face facts, he isn’t always around.”

  “I know,” she said rather wistfully.

  “And, Claire, even if he does one day break the curse . . . I’ve had dealings with the gods before. They aren’t exactly steadfast and reliable.”

  “You know he can hear you,” she whispered.

  “Yes, well, I’m sure he knows that I speak the truth, even if he might not want to admit it,” I said loudly in his direction.

  Claire smiled sadly. “I’m not a fool. I know what he is. He’ll probably break my heart and I don’t see how this can help but end badly . . . but I love him. I want him and I’m going to take what I want for as long as I can get it. If that’s foolish of me—”

  “No,” I said, for I knew exactly what she was feeling. After all, I’d been only a year older than she when I’d fallen in love with Michael. “No, it’s not foolish. You follow your heart, Claire, and don’t let me or anyone else tell you differently. Besides, you never know how things are going to turn out.”

  ———

  Our stay in Savannah went quickly and efficiently, with none of the excitement that surrounded our last visit, for which all of us—especially the employees of the Pulaski House—were very grateful. Against my better judgment I allowed Ares to take Claire for a stroll through the city the next afternoon while Michael and I conducted our business. I was afraid of her being left alone if he suddenly disappeared but I wanted her to be able to see the sights in the daylight, as I could not.

  Mr. Owens, the attorney, arrived promptly at one o’clock. He drew up a document for me giving Mrs. Claire Macgregor Mahone Gordon and/or Mrs. Elizabeth McCready power of attorney and the authority to act as my agent in any legal or financial matters as regarded my property in Georgia. We then spoke to a lovely young man from the City Market, ordering what seeds could still be purchased in a time of war, and arranging to have them delivered to the island the next day. It’s amazing what you can manage to do from the comforts of a hotel room if you throw enough money at people. It was a productive day but by sunset I was ready to feed and go back to Kenneway.

  Unlike the previous night, this evening we thought we would save time by taking Claire with us. As we left the Pulaski House, Ares’s urn deposited securely in the hotel safe, I tried to explain to Claire what we were going to do and what she might see, so that she didn’t get frightened. As an example I told her about the man I had fed from on my first night in Savannah.

  She surprised me by asking, “Can I be the bait this time?”

  “No,” Michael and I said in unison.

  “Why not? You’ll both be there to protect me,” she argued.

  “Because,” I said, “knowing your luck something will go wrong and you’ll get hurt. Besides, no one is going to be the bait tonight.”

  Though it wasn’t my usual taste in hunting, it’s an easy enough thing for a pretty woman to cast her eyes beckoningly upon a man and have him follow her. There was no thrill in such a feeding but it was safe and convenient, only requiring a few feet of quiet space unlit by the city’s gas lights. As for Michael’s meal, only a few blocks from our plush hotel was the waterfront and with that came taverns and brothels. After we passed Bay Street he had his choice among many such establishments.

  “I can’t believe that’s really a brothel,” Claire said, looking up at the house Michael had just entered.

  “Trust me,” I replied. “It’s not nearly as interesting as your imagination might make it seem.”

  What was interesting, though, was the vampire who followed Michael out fifteen minutes later. He was tall and blond with a scar running down one cheek from the outer corner of his eye to the edge of his lip. Vampires heal without leaving scars so he’d had it when he was human. It gave him a dangerous look that I didn’t like.

  “Did you notice him?” I asked Michael when he joined us.

  “Yes,” he said as he took Claire’s arm and we began to walk back toward the hotel at a brisk pace. “He watched me go upstairs and I’m assuming he’s behind us now.”

  I was beginning to regret my and Claire’s choices of gowns tonight. There was no way we were going to give a vampire the slip with Claire wearing pink and me in pale yellow. In our voluminous skirts we looked like two brightly colored flowers on either side of Michael, which was probably why he didn’t even attempt to lose the vampire. He was hoping, I knew, that the public street would keep the vamp from confronting us.

  “What does he want?” Claire asked.

  “Who knows,” I said. “He’s probably not happy about strange vampires poaching on his preserves.”

  Claire craned her neck around. “I don’t see him.”

  “You won’t,” I assured her, “Not until he’s—”

  “Right in front of us,” Michael finished.

  The vampire was lounging against a light pole, arms crossed. He was young, I could sense that, and he was cocky.

  “I thought I’d sampled every beautiful neck in this city,” he drawled, his eyes on Claire. “But I reckon I missed one. What do you say you two share the bounty
, and I won’t tell my master you’re hunting in his territory?”

  “That won’t be happening,” Michael said flatly.

  The vamp pushed away from the light pole and walked to us. “You really don’t want to anger him. He’s got a lot more years on him than you two do.”

  “You’re just a babe,” Michael said. “You have no idea who we are.”

  Apparently Michael’s condescending tone didn’t sit well with him. Before Claire knew what was happening the vampire had snaked one hand out and grabbed her wrist. Michael went for the boy’s throat and the three of them ended up in a pile on the sidewalk. Claire was shouting for me and Michael and the vampire were snarling, neither one of them willing to let go of her. I stepped forward and calmly reached into the tangle of bodies, coming up with the hand that had hold of Claire’s wrist. The bone snapped and Claire struggled free, gaining her feet more quickly than I thought was possible for a human woman in hoop skirts. She rushed to stand behind me and Michael, seeing that she was free, rolled away from the vampire. By the time he stood up I had the boy by the throat.

  Perhaps it was because my black magic had been such an issue lately, or perhaps it was just the overpoweringly primal instinct of a mother guarding her young, but I felt the magic stir. I let it flow through me for a brief moment, pushing it back before Claire or Michael noticed. But in those few seconds my brown eyes turned black and a look of stark terror crossed the young vampire’s face.

  “What the hell is she?” he shrieked, more afraid of me than the fact that Michael now had one arm clenched around his neck.

  Michael laughed. “If your master is as old as you say he is, you go back to him and tell him that The Righteous let you live tonight. He’ll explain to you how very lucky you are.” Michael turned him loose and the boy ran. “Puppies,” my husband muttered with a shake of his head.

  “That was amazing,” Claire said breathlessly. “Did you see how fast he ran away?”

  She laughed heartily and I turned to her, shaking my head. “I do believe you mother was right when she said that trouble follows you. Let’s just try to return to the hotel, collect our bags, and get back to the boat without incident, shall we?”

  At least that plan went smoothly enough.

  CHAPTER 43

  The next afternoon was busy and, of course, Michael and I missed most of it. Occasionally Claire would pop in and give us an update on the day’s events, though she quickly learned to knock first. Late in the afternoon a barge had sailed across the inlet from the mainland to deliver our seed. This method of getting from Savannah to the plantation was easier for humans, but not for vampires. While a short boat ride from the island to the coast would mean we didn’t run the risk of encountering any Union gunboats, the subsequent journey to the city by carriage or wagon would have taken us all night. When you’re racing the dawn, as vampires did, it was wiser to go by boat and take your chances with the patrols, at least for the time being.

  Michael and I were lying in bed, listening to the voices of the men shouting back and forth to each other as they passed the house, moving the seed in wagons from the dock to the storage barns out by the fields. Lizzie had informed me that a couple of the younger men had spoken with her about going north, but that most of the slaves had families and extended families here and wanted to stay together, at least until the war ended. After that, well, I supposed we would all wait and see how the world changed for everyone on the plantation. At the moment, I was having a hard enough time keeping my own world together.

  “Will you talk to me about what happened last night?” Michael asked, pulling me from my reverie. “You thought I didn’t see it, but I did.”

  I knew Michael was talking about the fact that my eyes had turned black when I’d had that vampire by the throat. I’d been hoping that he had been too distracted to notice. I sighed, realizing that it was finally the proper time and place for us to have the conversation that had been coming for the past week.

  “Michael,” I said, “do you love me?”

  He propped up on one elbow and looked down at me. “I think I’ve loved you since the day I met you,” he said softly. “Why would you question that?”

  “I don’t,” I replied, “but if you love me, then I need for you to love all of me. And I need you to trust me. Morrigan wants me to have this dark magic. I don’t know why, but I have to believe she has some higher purpose than just driving me insane. The night I killed Edmund Gage and drank his blood, taking his magic inside me, Morrigan told me that I would one day be her greatest weapon. After the massacre in Edinburgh, when I asked her to cleanse the darkness from me, she refused. She said that I was now potentially everything she needed me to be. When I told her that I was not the sort of witch who practiced black magic, she said that I did not yet understand what I was.”

  “You never told me that,” Michael said.

  I shrugged. “You and Devlin and Justine, you tend to react badly if black magic is even mentioned in your presence. I suppose I felt that it was easier to keep the peace by keeping that to myself.”

  He brushed my hair back with his fingers. “I’m sorry if I ever made you feel that you couldn’t confide in me, Cin.”

  “It scares you,” I replied. “I understand that. It scares me too. But, Michael, my point is . . . why would Morrigan want me to have this magic if she didn’t want me to use it?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head. “But Morrigan thinks only of her own plans and schemes. She’s not thinking about your safety and happiness.”

  “I’m not sure that’s fair,” I said with a smile. “She gave me you, didn’t she?”

  He chuckled and pulled me close. I turned in his arms, snuggling against him.

  “Aye, well, I’d like to think my good taste had something to do with it,” he teased, then his tone grew serious once more. “I know that what Pandora offers is tempting for you. Just promise me that you’ll think about this for more than a week before you decide to do anything about it.”

  It was more than I’d expected from him and I didn’t want to worry him further by telling him that I’d already made my decision.

  Instead I simply said, “I’ve been thinking about it for forty-four years, Michael. Eventually I’m going to have to actually do something, before it drives me mad.”

  CHAPTER 44

  I had just finished dressing for the evening and was pulling my boots on when Evangeline popped up in front of me.

  “Lord and Lady,” I muttered. “I wish you wouldn’t do that.”

  “Well,” she said, holding her hands out, “I can’t very well knock, now can I?”

  “I think you’re just hoping to catch my husband naked.”

  “Oh, I would never!” she protested, but there was a wicked smile on her face that belied her words. “Where is he, by the way?”

  “Trying to summon Ares for Claire,” I replied. “He’s been at it without any success for about half an hour now.”

  “Hmm, I am in the wrong room,” Evangeline muttered. “Wait a minute, I thought Claire was the only one who could summon him.”

  “She was until she gave the urn to Boucher. Then Michael made Boucher give it to him, therefore he now has control of it. We all decided Claire was safer if we kept it that way for now.”

  “She told me she was considering staying on the plantation and that you’d given her your blessing to do so,” Evangeline said. “I want to thank you for that.”

  I waited for some impertinent comment to follow that statement, but when none did I turned to her, surprised.

  “Why, Evangeline, I believe that’s the first truly nice thing you’ve said to me,” I informed her.

  “At least the constant vomiting has stopped. She hasn’t thrown up in days, which is nice for all of us.” The ghost shrugged. “Besides, it’ll give me someone to talk to about how all your ‘improvements’ and ‘modernizations’ are ruining my plantation.”

  I smiled. That was more like it. “I
’ll do my best not to bankrupt Kenneway,” I assured her. “Of course, if you were really worried about that you could tell me where your father hid all his gold.”

  Evangeline laughed. “I think not. There isn’t as much money as gossip would have you believe, but I’ll be keeping that a secret until the time comes when we desperately need it.”

  I nodded. “Fair enough.”

  “Evangeline!” Claire shouted from down the hall. “Come and get your horrid beast out of my room!”

  “Poor Vendetta, no one understands her but me,” Evangeline said sadly, and disappeared.

  “That damned feline is a menace,” Michael said as he walked in the room. “Remind me of that if I ever again complain about Ravenworth’s cats being too affectionate.”

  “Evangeline was just here. She’s pleased that Claire wants to stay. She was actually civil, for the most part.”

  “I don’t know how you stand her constant harping,” Michael said.

  I shrugged. “She loved a man who lied to her about everything, and then murdered her. I think she has a right to be bitter. Besides, after you learn not to take anything she says personally, she’s really rather funny.”

  “I do admit that sometimes I feel a bit left out of the conversation around here, but all in all I think I’m glad not to be able to see her or hear her.”

  I put my arms around him and smiled. “Why, darling, she’d be so disappointed to hear you say that. She likes you.”

  He flushed a bit at that. “She isn’t in here when we’re—”

  “No,” I said. “Well, at least I don’t think so. If she is, I can’t see her.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel better,” he replied, looking around as if the ghost might suddenly appear to him.

  “Is Ares finally out of the urn?” I asked.

  “Yes, he is,” Michael replied, “which I believe is why Claire was so eager to get Vendetta off her bed.”

  I laughed and wrapped my arms around my handsome husband. “Then why don’t you and I take a walk?” I suggested. “We haven’t had the chance to explore the whole island yet and we have at least one more day before Boucher could make it back here. Let’s enjoy tonight.”