Page 52 of The Doctor and the Devil
“Time,” she answered. “The one thing you have more of than anyone, Rafael. Justtime.”
18
MINA
April 27, 1768
Château de Ruisseau Magdelaine
The damned foolstared at me, too stunned to reply. Beyond frustrated, beyond exasperated, and more fatigued than I’d been in a long while, I stepped back from him and turned toward the door.
“You could do me the honor of allowing me some time to work through these events. You had twenty years to think and plot and wait. I hadnothing, Rafael. Nothing! No word from you, very little news of your family, no support while I mourned the loss of our relationship or the deaths of my parents, or rationale for your decisions—nothing. You showed up in Gévaudan a few months ago and approached me mere weeks ago. It’s rather a lot to take in, and it’s been incredibly difficult. Since you have all the time in the world to wait, perhaps you’d lend me some,” I said.
The words came out harsher than I intended, but I was hurt by his actions. I could understand if he was losing patience with me given that he’d waited twenty years to confess everything, but he failed to grasp that this was all still new for me. I was tired of feeling pressure from him to move on, and I was tired of feelingless thanmy supernatural friends because I was simply human. My pride smarted at being coddled by Daphne and Charlotte for this all-important mission, and I was done with people trying to manage mefor my own good. I’d had enough of that with my mother, God rest her soul.
Well, no longer. Perhaps it was the breeches that gave me the courage I needed, or perhaps I’d simply reached my breaking point. Whatever it was, I would no longer stand for it.
Rafael’s dark eyes softened, and his gaze fell. A lock of raven hair draped over his forehead, just like it used to when he was a young rake. My fingers itched to tuck it back behind his ear, to place my warm palm against his cool cheek and kiss the downturned corners of his beautiful lips, but I didn’t. My need to touch him—to be near him was almost overpowering, but this time I was listening to my head, not my heart.
Rather than sit in the path of temptation, I left Rafael to his thoughts and headed for the front hall. With everything we had ahead of us tonight, it was time for me to regain my focus.
Charlotte, Daphne, Étienne, and Antoine entered the hall shortly after I did. The air in the room was heavy with anticipation—even Charlotte was quiet and introspective. Each of us was dressed similarly, in snug black breeches, black shirts, black waistcoats, black hats, and black cloaks. At a great enough distance in the black of the night, it would be difficult for any human to tell us apart. Vampires, however, were another story. I hoped the Order didn’t employ too many—it could prove tricky for our work this evening.
The grandfather clock in the hall struck eleven, and Rafael emerged from the dining room. I avoided looking at him, partly because I wanted to keep my mind clear and partly because tendrils of guilt whispered through me at my outburst. Had I been too hard on him?No.No! If he was upset with me for speaking my mind, that was his problem—not mine.
Daphne cleared her throat. “Is everyone feeling well? Are we all together?”
Silent agreement all around.
“Good. To the carriage, then. Charlotte, Antoine, we shall see you soon. Good luck and be safe.” Daphne patted Charlotte on the shoulder and threw Antoine a determined glance. Without another word, there was a nauseating explosion of flesh rending and fur and claws knitting together, and the two massive wolf creatures that had been Charlotte and Antoine raced out the front door in the direction of the cemetery.
“I think, perhaps, I might be more useful flying alongside the carriage,” Rafael said quietly. “I’ll keep an eye on things from above.”
I shuddered, remembering the massive bat demon I’d seen him become in my opium haze.
“As you wish,” Daphne said with a shrug.
I turned to him uneasily, but he didn’t spare me a glance as he walked down the front steps. In the blink of an eye, he’d shifted into a small, normal looking bat.Rather cute, I thought.
Daphne’s eyes widened a bit at the transformation, and I remembered she’d only seen Charlotte and Antoine shift before. But she kept whatever thoughts she had to herself and blew Étienne a kiss as he perched atop the carriage in the driver’s seat. Daphne and I climbed inside. Étienne uttered a gentle command to the horses, and we lurched forward. Rafael had flitted off into the night, but I sensed his presence nearby.
Even in the ink-dark interior of the carriage, I knew Daphne was staring at me. As the carriage trundled on, shafts of light from the full moon outside filtered in through the windows and I noted her pensive expression.
I suspected she’d heard everything Rafael and I had argued about inside. In a household full of supernatural beings, the walls had ears—and claws.
“What?” I snapped.
“I didn’t say anything,” she said defensively.
“I can feel you staring at me,” I argued. “Out with it, Duchess.”
She sighed. “You seemed very angry with him.”
“Did you bait him?” I asked.
I could see moonlight glinting off her fangs as she smiled—answer enough.
“Why?” I asked, anger rising. “Things between us are complicated enough. I don’t need your help to muddy the waters any further. Is it because you dislike him? Hate him for what he is—what he has done?”
