Page 34 of The Shadow of the Count
“Come then, we have needs to meet all together, yes?”
“We do.” They disembarked not too much later, and they were on the train in no time, chugging toward London and Clark and Jeb.
They didn’t speak—weighed with sorrow and exhaustion, and when Clark arrived with a car, it was welcome. So was the warm embrace he received from Clark. No platitudes about Lyle. Just true sympathy.
Donnie closed his eyes and wept, not for long, but enough that he felt bare inside. He felt Douglas’s hand on his back—he would know that touch anywhere—while Jeb and Yvgeny collected their luggage.
Peter stayed to one side, looking utterly drained and confused, as if he’d aged ten years.
He wanted to hold Peter, to find even a moment alone with him, but this was not the time. Not yet.
“Come on, Donnie. We need to go inside and figure out what to do.” Douglas led him into Lyle’s family home, where they had returned to, and Donnie wasn’t sure where to look.
Thankfully, Lyle’s parents were…not there. Perhaps they had withdrawn to their rooms, but there was no sign of them. Richard came to him immediately in the drawing room, though, taking his hands. “Donald.”
“What happened?” He held on, then surprised himself by sobbing, clinging to the doctor.
“He was drained of all of his blood. I—we tried to stop it. There was a beast.”
Clark sighed softly. “I tried to drive it away, but he was strong.”
“I saw him in a dream.” Peter blurted it out, and Clark turned a sharp gaze on him.
“Tell me.”
Hearing the story again made Donnie shudder, but Clark looked amazed. “That’s just how it happened.”
“I didn’t know it was real, I swear to you. I thought I was simply worried about Don.” Peter looked stricken, wringing his hands.
“I told you.” Peter’s friend Yvgeny crossed himself. “You are connected now.”
“Did you share blood? Did he bite you?”
“No. No. I—I did cut myself shaving once and he might have had access to my razor, but he never bit me.”
“He has your flavor under his tongue,” Yvgeny muttered, and Donnie shook his head.
“Stop saying that!” He didn’t want to hear that.
“I wish it wasn’t true,” Clark said, “But it probably is. We have to be willing to accept the facts or we can’t stop this. If we kill him, the connection breaks.”
“How do we find him?” Donnie couldn’t start to imagine.
“He will find us,” Yvgeny said. “He will come back for…” Yvgeny jerked his head at Clark. “Will you walk with me?”
“No! I need to know this.” Donnie grabbed Clark’s arm to keep him from leaving with Yvgeny.
“He’s going to come back for Lyle. Lyle belongs to him now—is one of his slaves.” Clark was unflinching, even as he said the terrible things.
“Lyle is dead.” The words almost stuck in Donnie’s throat, but he forced them out.
“He will rise.” That came from Peter, and he turned an incredulous stare on his lover.
“That’s a myth.”
“So are mummies that come back to life,” Douglas pointed out.
“So were the women that hunted Peter in the night,” Yvgeny added.
