Page 4 (1/2)
"Slashers," Rip finished, staring at Flash Jacky’s grisly remains "The bleedin’ Slashers"
"I would have to cos but I believe this is the cause of death" Creavey tugged at his apron strings "I thought Blade done for the Slasher gangs six h a vampire had actually taken care of that Its haunt had been in Undertown, the dark world that had once been the ELU underground line before half the tunnels collapsed Only the poor or the very desperate lived there – or the Slasher gangs that had once run rah this part of the East End Initiation into one of the gangs required the sacrifice of a lile one of therafted into the forearm in rudimentary rookery style Solass eyes that didn’t quite focus on the world properly
Slashers stole people froed them down belohere they drained a body of its blood to sell to the Echelon’s draining factories The type of scu afoul of – preferably with his own knife
"It’s the way of the East End," Rip explained gruffly "Take out one of the groups in power and others spring up like ht of Liza Kent’s flat, with its very obvious symbol carved into the door No Slasher could have es of Blade’s turf it was clear what this was "Whoever they are, they’re challengin’ Blade Takin’ one o’ ‘is"
"Someone with no interest in continued existence," Creavey muttered "Aye" Rip stepped back This explained the disappearance of Liza Kent Poor girl No doubt her withered carcass would surface in the streets, drained of all its blood "You ain’t seen a thing o’ this, you understand?"
Creavey wasn’t a foolish man "I’ll bury the body lared at him "Just you make sure you bury it I don’t ‘old with none of this cuttin’ dead bodies up, you ‘earhard to find bodies, Rip"
Rip stared at him
"How else is a man to know the secrets of death?" Creavey protested "You don’t kno ood this could do"
Rip took a step back, ready to leave the stench of death behind hioin’ to show you a first’and look at it, if you keep this up Just you think on that"
CHAPTER THREE
Esme tossed in her narrow bed as dawn silvered the sky, then finally gave a sigh and threw the covers back No point lying here All she’d do was start thinking about Rip and those sort of thoughts had kept her up half the night
No sense crying over spilt milk, her mama’s voice whispered in her ear
Easy to say Not so easy to do
Dragging on her heavy wool robe, Esme hopped across the chilly floors and sank her feet into her luxurious slippers Her breathin the air, Esme hurried out into the hallway and doard the kitchens She needed to stoke the coals in the enormous hearth so there would be hot water to ith and set the boilers to burning They puh the walls and floors to warm the Warren in these coldestThis was the time of day she liked best, when the world was hushed and quiet and she was coo when her husband Tom had died, she’d thrown herself into work like this too, trying to avoid her own sense of grief It worked For a little while And though this situation was entirely different, it didn’t make it hurt any less
Face it Esme, you were a fool, she told herself as she hurried upstairs to the washroo that so perhaps He’d been so distant in the last six ed in their friendship She wouldn’t have said he was courting her precisely, but they’d spent ether Sharing things about their lives that she didn’t think either of the teacake and biscuits because she kneould always appear in her kitchen just after lunch and stay until she had to shoo hi dinner
Doubt assailed her She could reh it had happened yesterday He’d been in the kitchen with her, leaning on the bench and watching as she rolled dough Looking at her with an expression that she’d alaze following his fingers as he stroked the hishis eyes Es in her chest as she stared helplessly up at hiaze lingered on her for another long
She’d never said a thing Hadn’t been able to And then the next she saw him, his throat was half torn open and Blade had been forced to infect hied everything Rip didn’t touch her anyhter had vanished She’d known he was fighting to control hi within She’d been determined to wait
But maybe the vampire had taken ive them some semblance of color and returned below, her hair tucked up neatly and heraround her ankles Above her she could hear people starting to stir, the peace of the day threatening to shatter Though she loved the odd little faht now she si her shawl and basket, Es and stopped, her breath catching at the glittering array in front of her The whole world hite, the drift of snowflakes floating slowly through the air Ess but even that was a thing of beauty The air tasted so pure, so clean, as if the snow had da to London’s steeples
Her boots crunched in the soft powder as she wrapped her shawl around her, tucking it tight It had been years since they’d had a downfall like this A clump slid off a nearby roof and Esme jerked her head up The silence suddenly took on an ominous sensation, all the little hairs on the back of her neck lifting
Nothing ing her gloves on slowly, she stared out into the street This was ridiculous Everybody in the ‘Chapel knew she belonged to Blade Nobody would dare lay a finger on her
Gathering her breath, she strode out into the narrow lane… and directly into a warm, hard surface
Hands locked around her upper arh her nostrils Panic flared as she instantly recognized whonise that distinct, slightly spicy scent of his cologne anywhere
Of all the people she didn’t wish to see thisher head back to stare up at hi out?"
"Ain’t been in," Ripdown at her with an unreadable expression in his green eyes Faint lines feathered the corners as his eyes narrowed "So it still ain’t ‘John’?"