And even worse for that tiny blonde if Victoria did not intervene.
Hurrying on silent feet, she clung to the shadows of the noisy, well-lit house as she scurried across the brick terrace. Listening for the murmur of voices, she paused near a statue of Aphrodite, peering around its cold stone base to see if she could spot the man and his intended victim. She had to hurry; he wouldn't waste any time for fear of being discovered.
Then she remembered, and slipped her hand under the silky, flowing skirts to tug free the wooden stake she'd slipped into her garter. Gripping it the way Eustacia had taught her, Victoria left the protective shadow cast by the statue and hurried along the main path, listening intently.
And then she heard a throaty murmur, followed by a husky laugh. Turning to the right, she moved silently toward them and at last came to the end of the path. The couple stood under the canopy of a branch heavy with lilac blooms. The blond woman was looking up at the man, all innocence and delight; and he smiled down at her. Even though it was not directed at her, Victoria felt the power of his beckoning smile. She tightened her fingers on the stake and moved closer.
She was near enough now that she could see the rise and fall of the woman's bosom, and the sharp curve of her target's high cheekbone. He looked like an arrogant aristocrat, standing tall and dark with his handsome face and square-jawed chin.
What would it feel like to slam the stake into his chest? Would she have to shove it through clothing and bone? How hard would she have to push? Or because the heart was his weakness, was it unprotected and easy to penetrate?
She touched her crucifix, praying that she would have the strength. She would have only one good chance.
She couldn't wait any longer. He was smoothing his hands along the woman's bare arms, and she was smiling up at him, curving toward his body. They looked as though they were about to kiss; but Victoria knew better.
At any moment his face would change… his eyes would turn a burning red, and his canine fangs would grow, ready to sink into the pure white flesh of the woman.
Now. She must move.
Gripping the stake, Victoria launched herself from the shadows, arm high above her shoulder, her eyes focused on the broad chest of the vampire. And just as she moved, as she was ready to thrust that stake home, the woman's mouth opened with a flash of white.
Stunned, Victoria managed to pivot at the very last moment, whirling toward the tiny blonde, whose eyes glowed red and canines shone lethally. It happened so fast that the vampire did not have the chance to recover from her surprise. Using the force of her sudden change in direction, Victoria slammed the stake into the woman's bosom.
It drove into her skin with sickening ease. Victoria felt a minor resistance, a small pop, and then the weapon slid in. It was like shoving a wooden pike into a bowl of sand.
The vampire froze, her mouth open in shock and pain… eyes wide and glowing red. And then, suddenly, with a small poof! the woman disintegrated. She crumpled into dust and was gone.
Just like that.
Victoria stood, panting, staring at the place where the vile creature had been.
She had done it.
She had killed a vampire.
Her knees wobbled. Her breath shook. She looked at her stake to see if there was any blood on it.
It was clean.
"You were going to stake me, weren't you?" came a chill voice.
Victoria looked up and saw that the man was glaring down at her with a decidedly unkind expression. "I…" What did one say to the victim one had just saved from being bitten by a vampire?
"You thought I was a vampire. "
Victoria forbore to point out that it was an honest mistake; with his gleaming black hair and sharp-planed face, he looked dangerous and untrustworthy. "One would think you would be a bit more gracious, since I jus
t saved your life," she replied stiffly.
His laugh was sardonic. "That would be a fine day… one that I needed a girl to save my life. From a vampire. " He laughed harder.
At that moment, Victoria noticed that he was holding something in his hand. Was that a… stake? "Who are you?" she asked.
"I am Maximilian Pesaro, master vampire executioner. "
Chapter Two
In Which a Piercing Commitment Is Made