Page 75 of Bite at First Sight

Rafe tapped him on the shoulder and captured Wakley’s gaze with his amber eyes. “You do not need to know the details of the operation. You will box with me tomorrow evening.”

“Yes, tomorrow.” Wakley blinked suddenly as if awakened from a dream. “I would be delighted, Villar. How about tomorrow evening, say at six o’clock?”

“That is most agreeable, thank you.”

Cassandra fought back a gasp at Rafe’s power to hypnotize the surgeon. This was what he’d tried to do to her when he caught her in the cemetery. Why didn’t it work on her? Before she could wonder more, Wakley bade her good-bye.

“I want an article on atrophy next.” He squeezed her shoulder in a fatherly fashion before heading out the door.

“All right,” she murmured to his retreating form. If she lived to write it.

Lydia and Vincent peered at her curiously. Lydia recovered herself first. “What was that about?”

Rafe shook his head. “It is a long story. Now I want to see what Wentworth wants before we turn to important matters.” He withdrew his envelope and looked to Vincent to open his.

Cassandra’s eyes widened as the vampires opened cards that looked like invitations.

Rafe came to the same conclusion as he scanned the contents. “We’re invited to a ball.”

Vincent nodded with a slight smile. “I think we should accept.”

Rafe rounded on Deveril with a fierce scowl. “Why in God’s name do you think we should do that when everything is going to hell?” He shook his head, eyes blazing. “Especially when you despise mingling with people almost as much as I do?”

Cassandra nodded. He had snatched the words from her mouth.

Vincent smiled slowly, indifferent to the angry outburst. “Because I think this will be the perfect opportunity to prepare to announce your engagement to Lady Rosslyn.”

* * *

The earth seemed to plummet beneath Rafe’s feet. Was Deveril in fact as mad as he was reputed to be?

Cassandra’s jaw dropped. “Whaaaat?”

Rafe shrugged helplessly, having no idea what he could say to reassure her, not until after he’d wrangled a number of explanations from Vincent.

“Lady Rosslyn, perhaps you could show Lady Deveril your laboratory,” Rafe commanded, eyeing Vincent.

Cassandra visibly bristled, but either she grasped his sense of urgency or was won over by Lydia’s enthusiastic grin. She nodded slowly and led Lydia up the stairs.

Vincent followed Rafe up to the study, declining a cigar and accepting a glass of Madeira.

Rafe clamped his teeth around his cigar. “What is the meaning of this?”

Curling his long fingers over the glass, Vincent regarded Rafe solemnly. “First, tell me everything about your situation with Lady Rosslyn.”

Drawing deeply on his cigar, Rafe exhaled with a sigh and explained, beginning with their encounter in the cemetery and ending with her healing his arm and the Elders dictating a deadline for him to kill or Change her…which would end the night before Guy Fawkes Night. He omitted mention of the development of their intimate relationship, though he had the feeling that Vincent already suspected as much.

Vincent leaned back in his chair, eyes gleaming with sympathetic understanding. “So you cannot Change her, but you care for her too much to bring yourself to kill her, despite the fact that it is the law.”

Rafe nodded slowly. “Yes, I’m certain you are laughing at me after how I treated you during your trials with Lydia.”

“I had a brief chuckle at the irony, though to be honest, my heart aches for you.” Vincent shook his head. “I would not wish your dilemma on my most hated enemy.”

The sincerity of his words made Rafe’s chest tighten. Humbled, he replied slowly and hoarsely. “I cannot thank you enough for coming to my aid. I have never done well with making friends, and I—”

Vincent held up a hand. “Do not thank me yet. My efforts to aid you may very well come to naught.”

“Then I suppose we should move to the next concerning subject at hand.” A measure of tension left him as he turned his scrutiny on Deveril. “Now tell me why I should become engaged to Lady Rosslyn.” He fought back a tendril of pleasure at the idea.

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