Ian suppressed a growl and whispered against her ear. “Enough have taken it seriously. In fact, due to a substantial wager that I am indeed a vampire, my silk waistcoat and neckcloth were soaked with holy water last week by none other than your former suitor, Baron Osgoode.”
Her skin was like satin against his lips. Her scent was heady and overwhelmed him with the temptation to taste her once more. Ian drew back before he gave in to temptation and plunged his fangs into her right then and there.
Heedless to her danger, Angelica smiled, her lips twitching with mirth over the incident with Osgoode. Ian didn’t know whether to kiss her or take her over his knee for such impudence. The couples surrounding them had given up all pretense of dancing and were watching them with avid interest. He fixed them with an icy stare and they backed slowly away.
“It was not in the least amusing, I assure you.” Ian gave her a stern frown. “I had to call him out to prevent other foolish young bucks from daring the same and ruining my wardrobe.”
This time, Angelica could not restrain her humor, and her musical laughter trilled through the ballroom. Ian fought back his own laughter. Perhaps the situation was a bit comical. “Enough, imp, do you want to hear why I seek your troublesome hand, or not?” His arms gripped her tighter, savoring the feel of her warm flesh despite his ire.
She sobered immediately, her chin lifting back to its previous angle to display her scorn. “Very well, I shall listen most attentively.”
Ian felt a twinge of regret for destroying the light mood, temporary though it was.
He sighed and bent to whisper in her ear. “I decided that if I married within the peerage, the gossip would weaken and gradually cease.” Her tantalizing scent spurred his hunger even further and he fought to regain his composure. “After all, no lady would marry a monster. And if I treat my bride well enough, perhaps she will vouch for my good character as well. Since you did not seem to be afraid of me, and I quite like you, I concluded, why not save your reputation as well?”
Instead of placating her as he had hoped, Ian’s explanation brought Angelica’s temper to a boil. Her eyes seemed to shoot onyx sparks. “Your magnanimity quite overwhelms me, Your Grace. But surely you realize that when you made your offer, I did not accept?”
He’d had enough of her ingratitude and vituperative tongue… and her intoxicating scent. It was well past time for him to feed.
“I will call upon you tomorrow evening to sort out the details of our engagement. I pray I find you in a better humor then.” Before the music ended, he promised in a low voice, “You will be more than willing to accept soon enough.”
As Ian prowled the streets of London in search of his next meal, he struggled to find a reason for her unseemly behavior. After feeding on a pickpocket, he lit on an idea. Could the cause for her hostility be that she was now frightened of him? She wasn’t before, but now that she had time to think about what he was… Of course! She wasn’t afraid before because she had a safe home to go to. But the thought that she would now spend her life under the same roof as a vampire would terrify any sensible person. Another uncomfortable thought crept up on him. My God, what if she thinks I intend to kill her?
Remembering her fearlessness in their last two encounters, Ian was determined to charm her back to that state long before their wedding night.
Nine
Ben Flannigan breathed in the thick, fetid London air as he stepped off the gangplank and onto the dock. A city this size would be teeming with vampires, which practically guaranteed that he would have a great many kills here. Perhaps he would even take down an ancient. His breath caught in anticipation at the compelling thought.
He caressed his silver crucifix as he walked down the street, searching for an affordable but decent inn while glancing back over his shoulder to see if he was followed. He had so many kills to his name that the evil creatures would soon seek to discover his identity.
Ben expressed his relief with a whispered prayer as he immediately discovered an inn that appeared to suit his requirements. He ordered a room and a meal before adding a handsome sum in exchange for every newspaper that could be found. Ben had long since established a routine of checking the death notices for strange circumstances and the gossip pages for nobles with odd habits before approaching the locals for information. In his experience, dedicated research always paid off.
While he waited for his meal and the papers, he composed a brief advertisement. In the morning he would make his rounds to the offices of every likely publication and pay to have the notice printed at once.