Page 7 (1/2)

With a gruff nod he started down the hallway Ti for one ht ‘ave told me sooner"

The same words he’d heard Blade repeat for the last hour Rip’s jaw tightened as he bent low and heaved the sewer grate out of the cobbles, his biceps straining "Thought I could ‘andle it"

And he hadn’t been able to, after all

Blade put both hands on either side of the open grate and dropped his body through Leaning the grate covering against the wall, Rip knelt and followed him Darkness sed him whole as he landed with a splash

Undertoas a rabbit Warren of tunnels and boarded up rooms carved into the world below the East End Once an atteround train lines into the East, the scheme had collapsed with the tunnels Nearly two hundred workers had died in the shadowy depths, trapped beneath rubble or buried alive in the small niches of tunnel still open

Rumour said the tunnels were haunted, but that didn’t stop the poor or the hos

However this seas e but rats They skittered in the dark, their frantic hearts beating loudly in the stillness as Rip splashed along in Blade’s wake

Blade paused at an intersection, faint light strearate above Shadowy bands crossed his closed eyes as he scented the air "This way," he said, turning with unerring focus to the left "I can smell the blood"

The stench of the sewers killed any hints of blood that Rip could s a blue blood And his virus count was h in fact As such, his senses were alo first," Rip said, pushing past Old habits died hard and he’d been too long Blade’s bodyguard not to be cautious

As he followed the tunnel, he finally caught a hint of copper Blood They’d tracked the trail froie’s house So Not heavily though He could al into theinstantly

At least she’d still be alive She had to be The Slashers needed her blood flowing through her veins to extract it properly Blue bloods refused to drink what they called ‘stale blood’ Or deadoin’ on with Esme," Blade said suddenly

Rip’s shoulders tensed and he paused, glancing back over his shoulder "What do you mean?"

Blade sloshed past, as if his words hadn’t thrown the cat aht you ht ‘ave some idea as to why, seein’ how close you two been Why?" Blade glanced back "You two ‘ad a fight?"

Rip wasn’t fooled by hisBlade took extremely seriously was the health and happiness of those he considered under his protection

Still… if there was one person whoon, it was Blade Rip’s experience of woh and followed "Don’t know," he admitted "She ain’t ‘appy withto lad Blade wouldn’t see the hot flush that swept his cheeks

"You said somethin’?" Deceptively casual

"Nothin’ I know of" A pause Then, "She got it in ‘er ‘ead I ht but she took it wrong"

"You don’t want that?"

"Jaysus," Rip swore "No I don’t know--We’re friends Don’t want nothin’ comin’ between that" He sed hard "You knohat it’s like, the ‘unger Don’t want to scare ‘er, to ‘urt ‘er" Another curse under his breath "It ain’t just the blood lust Don’t want Esive hts"

"What if she wants to be your thrall?"

Rip laughed under his breath, an incredulous sound "Aye Just what every woman dreams of"

"You undervalue yourself"

"No I don’t Knohat people see when they look at iant of a ed it

"Course they do That’s the problein’ a reputation in our line o’ work Don’t know you, do they?" Blade asked "But Esme does Don’t insult ‘er by stickin’ ‘er with that bunch o’ fools"

Rip splashed along, the leather of his boots daht?

"She said anythin’?" he asked suddenly "To you?"

"Ain’t ‘ad et ‘er alone lately," Blade replied "Can see she’s upset though You two actin’ like a pair o’ stray dogs, thrown in a rooether"

"We’ll work it out" He hoped

"Aye" Blade paused, cocking his head to listen "’Ear that?"

Rip stilled

Eerie laughter suddenly echoed through the tunnels Rip’s hand found the fa knife as he waded to Blade’s side "They knoe’re ‘ere?"

"Aye" Blade’s expression tightened "Let’s go greet ‘em"