“Does it matter? I very nearly was skewered by a bolt of lightning. If it had not been for Victor I would not have survived to rescue you.”
“Sacre bleu. Why would you tell the bloodsucker that I was captured?” Levet demanded in a horrified voice.
“It was not as if I had a choice. He followed me to the docks.”
“That is no excuse for revealing my very private business. I thought our trust was sacred.”
“Do you wish to be rescued or not, Levet?”
“Oui, but I do not desire to be made the source of mockery throughout London.”
Juliet thrust aside her annoyance, reminding herself that the tiny gargoyle was inordinately sensitive when it came to his manly reputation.
“I can promise you that Victor will tell no one you were captured by the Jinn,” she soothed.
There was a moment of startled silence. “Since when do you speak for the vampires, ma belle?” Levet at last demanded.
“Just be patient. I am coming for you,” she said, in no mood to endure her friend’s outrage when he discovered her recent mating.
Levet detested vampires.
“Please hurry,” he said, then without warning his scream of pain echoed through Juliet’s mind.
“Levet?” She grasped her head, her ears ringing. “Levet?”
“That bastard just destroyed my wing,” Levet panted, clearly in considerable agony. “When I get free I am going to turn him into a pile of steaming fairy dung. No…wait. Let us be reasonable—”
There was another scream and with an unpleasant wrench the sensation of the gargoyle was abruptly gone from her mind.
“Levet?”
She was distracted as the door to the lair was shoved open with enough force to make it snap off the heavy iron hinges, revealing Victor with his eyes glowing and his fangs fully extended.
“What has happened?” he growled. “I felt your distress.”
Juliet shivered, caught between a terrified awe at Victor’s power and a smug pleasure at the knowledge he would battle through the fires of hell to protect her.
“Levet,” she said, forced to halt and clear her throat. “We have to find him.”
Not surprisingly, Victor’s brows snapped together at the mention of the gargoyle.
“I should have known the ridiculous creature would be troubling you the moment the sun set.”
“He has been hurt.”
He planted his fists on his hips, the long caped coat doing little to disguise the various swords and daggers strapped to his lean body. With his hair pulled back to reveal the elegant beauty of his pale face and the lethal shimmer in the silver eyes, he appeared to be an ancient god come to earth.
“I do not care.”
She lifted a warning brow. “Victor.”
His jaw tightened, but with a muttered curse he turned to lead her down a narrow corridor to a door hidden by a cleverly woven enchantment.
“The carriage is waiting for us.”
Ignoring his cold disapproval, Juliet smiled wryly and followed him through the narrow tunnels that crisscrossed beneath the vast estate. Despite their intense connection, they were both strong-willed individuals who were destined to quarrel on occasion. And while she might not have much experience with being a mate, she did know that Victor’s natural arrogance would overwhelm a woman who did not have a stiff backbone.
“Good,” she said. “I need to return to Justin’s house before we go to the docks.”
“Why?”
“Because there is an amulet that might be helpful to us.”
He turned into another tunnel, this one with a flight of stairs at the end.
“What is its power?”
“It is capable of absorbing our scent.”
He paused at the base of the stairs, glancing over his shoulder in puzzlement.
“Forgive my ignorance, but how would that be helpful?”
She shrugged. “It can be divided and left in several tunnels, ensuring our scents are in many places instead of just one.”
The silver eyes flashed in appreciation. “Clever.”
“We shall see.” She grimaced. “First I must find the means to take the amulet without alerting Justin. It is one of his more valuable possessions.”
He turned to smoothly climb the carved stairs, pushing open the trapdoor at the top.
“You have no need to fear Hawthorne.”
Juliet gritted her teeth as she hurried to catch up with her aggravating mate, not surprised when she stepped directly into the stables. Vampires delighted in being able to travel from place to place without fear of sunlight.
“Victor?”
He inspected the sleek black carriage that was already attached to a pair of restless black steeds.
“Yes, little one?”
“You are feeling remarkably smug,” she accused. “What have you done to Justin?”
He turned to meet her frown, casually leaning against the back of the carriage.
“Hawthorne arrived at the front door demanding to see you.”
She shook her head, not surprised by Justin’s brazen stupidity. Indeed, she had expected him to arrive hours ago. Not out of any love for her, but out of sheer greed. And, of course, a petty refusal to allow Victor to steal what he considered to be his personal property.
“Is he…”
“Dead? No, but he was foolish enough to threaten Uriel with a nasty spell.” A cruel smile touched his lips. “My servant decided the intruder was in need of a lesson in manners.”
A chill inched down her spine. “I do not think I want to know.”
“He will survive.” With a sudden motion, Victor straightened and opened the door to the carriage. “Which is more than he deserves.”
Rolling her eyes, Juliet climbed into the carriage, waiting until Victor was settled at her side before offering her opinion on overly arrogant men.
“I am not certain who are more annoying, vampires or mages.”
He flashed a smile that would have been a great deal more reassuring if it had not revealed his massive fangs.
“You shall have an eternity to decide, my love.”
She settled back in the soft leather of the seat as she watched several vampires appear from the shadows, one climbing on the carriage to urge the horses into motion while the others ran silently at their side. It would be a waste of breath to continue the argument. Besides, Justin no doubt deserved a bit of punishment for being idiotic enough to enter a vampire’s lair uninvited.
Leaving the estate, the vampires once again disappeared, no doubt headed directly for the docks while the carriage turned toward Mayfair. Their pace slowed as the streets became flooded with vehicles rushing from one glittering society event to another. Juliet smiled as their frantic gaiety filled the night breeze with the sound of laughter, for once not feeling the least pang of envy.