Page 118 of The Diary of the Vam'pir Jacques

“Leave Elizabeth alone! Do you hear Du Mont? I’ll not let youruinEliza’s life like you did Caroline and my brothers. Eliza is agood person, and you’ll not destroy her! Our wedding has been cancelled more times than necessary,” James ranted, pushing me up against some railings.

This I allowed, as I understood James was worried about Elizabeth.

“James, I have no intention of hurting—”

“Du Mont, I don’t care what your intentions are. Stay away from Eliza, or I’ll hunt you down and end you.”

I couldn’t help myself and laughed.

“Do you think you could really kill me?” I hissed, putting my face close to his, “You can’t; you’re not strong enough.”

“I can bloody well try.”

“Stop this!” a voice demanded, and we spun to see Elizabeth.

Elizabeth’s expression showed she’d overheard and was furious.

“Is this how you behave, threatening my friends? Howdareyou?” she spat, going up to James and slapping him across the face.

“Elizabeth, you don’t understand. Du Mont is dangerous—”

“James, I understand full wellwhat Jacques is. The question is, do you?”

“You told Elizabeth? Why?” James asked, spinning in shock.

“Because I needed help, and Elizabeth provided it,” I answered. “The question that remains is, have you been honest?”

As I stared at James, it became clear he hadn’t. Elizabeth caught on.

“You’re a vampire too?” she questioned incredulously. “When did you intend to inform me?”

Speedily, I left, leaving them to resolve this themselves.

???

Seven days later, Elizabeth sought me out. I’d lacked the courage to face her myself and thought that Elizabeth would not want to know me.

When Marks admitted Elizabeth to my study, I braced for a furious onslaught, yet all she did was sit down calmly.

“James has explained everything.”

“All of it?”

Nervous, I kept clenching and unclenching my hands.

“Yes. Jacques, you behaved disgracefully. How you sleep at night is a mystery. The only decent thing in the whole sorry mess was that you killed Caroline. She would have become another Julia. What happened to the Hamiltons is vile, Jacques.”

“Oh, I’m aware,” I whispered.

That was the end, then. Elizabeth hated the sight of me and didn’t want to see me again. I was surprised when she rose and took my face in her small hands.

“It doesn’t matter how disgusted I am. Strangely, I find myself loving you,” Elizabeth muttered as she kissed me on the lips.

Hope rose within me. “Join with me and become my forever beloved.”

“And what of James?” she asked.

“Leave James to his life. Elizabeth, I don’t care what he does.”

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