Page 59 of Bite at First Sight

She blinked and that lovely mouth of hers gave the most delightful moue. “Distracted by what?”

“You,” he said, blatantly staring at the curves of her breasts above her emerald brocade gown. How he longed to touch them again.

The way her cheeks pinkened and then turned crimson filled him with delight he’d never known. Tonight he would ensure that blushes covered every inch of her succulent flesh.

Rafe shook his head and sighed in exaggerated regret. “Alas, for now, I shall have to put forth the utmost effort to focus my attention on the game. Losing under such circumstances would be most humiliating for me.”

Cassandra grinned and opened her mouth for a rejoinder, but then she fell silent as they heard approaching footsteps in the corridor outside. Rafe cursed the interruption to the seventh circle of hell.

Anthony entered the library, pale and gasping with exertion. “My lord, Elizabeth is here with urgent news.”

Rafe looked up from the chessboard and sighed. “Bring her to me.” Meeting Cassandra’s concerned gaze, he attempted a glib smile. “I shall never have any peace here, it seems.”

“Perhaps the news is good,” she ventured. “Maybe the missing vampire has been found.”

Her hopeful tone warmed him more than the cheery fire in the hearth. He coughed and looked down at the game lest anyone see how calf-eyed he must appear.

The door opened and Anthony ushered in Elizabeth. She was tall, regal, and feminine despite her shabby male attire. And she looked terrified.

“What is it, Elizabeth?” he asked in as gentle a tone as he could manage.

She took a deep, shuddering breath. “My lord, I’ve just come from a meeting that Clayton arranged.”

“Clayton isn’t supposed to hold meetings without clearing them with me first,” Rafe growled. Then it dawned on him. He cursed himself for a fool. “He is plotting an insurrection.”

Elizabeth nodded and Anthony cursed behind her.

Rafe sighed and lit a cigar. “How many stand with him?”

“Nearly half of London, my lord.” She cringed as if expecting to be punished for bearing bad news.

“But you do not,” he mused aloud, warmed at her loyalty. “That is why you’ve come to warn me.”

A measure of anxiety left her features before she bowed. “Yes, my lord.”

“When is he planning to make his move?” He tried to sound unconcerned as he tapped his cigar in his little tray.

Elizabeth’s voice shook as she replied, “He will issue an official challenge on Guy Fawkes Night.”

“How terribly gauche. ‘Remember, remember the fifth of November…’” He shook his head. “At any rate, he’s a quick bugger. And a conniving one as well, for the Elders’ deadline would be up on the fourth and all his people would see Cassandra alive and still human.”

“There is something else you should know,” Elizabeth continued as if reading his mind. “William is with him.”

A bitter chuckle escaped Rafe. “I should have known.”

“What are you going to do, my lord?”

Rafe drew deeply on his cigar and considered the two vampires before him. It was far past time for him to have made this decision. “Well, since both my second- and fourth-in-command have betrayed me, I suppose I had better replace them before I can do anything else. Elizabeth, you have demonstrated sufficient loyalty. Are you willing to serve as my third?”

Elizabeth sank to one knee and bowed. “I would be honored.”

Rafe turned to Anthony. “And would you be second?”

“Of course, my lord.” He bowed as well, eyes sparkling with the smile he tried to conceal.

Cassandra frowned and shook her head.

“What is it, Querida?” Surely she would not see fault in his edict.

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