Chapter Five
The Bull’s Head tavern was on the farthest tip of Hiddleston, where a rougher lot milled about well past midnight. Scantily clad women cackled on the corner. One of them, who bared her leg clear up to her thigh through a slit in her dress, tipped her ample bosom forward as they walked by.
“Oy, there, love. Want somethin’ a bit juicier to play with tonight?”
Nikolai took Sienna’s hand, pulling her closer, and tossed a sovereign at the prostitute. “Not tonight, dear lady.”
She cackled heartily. “Ye ’erd that, Mable? I’m a lady t’night.” More laughter.
Heat flamed up Sienna’s chest and neck. She’d seen women selling themselves in the streets of Dale’s Peak before, but something about walking past them with Nikolai at her side and him receiving a brazen offer tied her stomach into knots. She whispered to Nikolai as they approached the door to the tavern, “Do you partake of women like that?”
He glanced over his shoulder with a baffled expression and shook his head before pushing open the door. Sienna didn’t know if that meant no, he did not partake of such women or that he thought her question ridiculous. Either way, he didn’t answer her.
The pub rumbled with boisterous laughter, filled with mostly men. A round table of five gruff card players sat at the center. None looked up as they entered. Booths along the wall were full of working men spending their meager wages on ale and a pot of tavern stew. One or two eyed Sienna. She tucked herself behind Nikolai, keeping the hood of her cloak pulled forward, no longer with the telltale red exterior showing. Two waitresses bustled between the table tops, refilling tankards and serving bowls of hot stew.
A giant stuffed head of a black bull hung over the bar. His nose ring and black eyes gave the beast a fierce look. Sienna thought it an appropriate mascot for the place. The barkeep was a brawny middle-aged man, drying glasses with a rag and watching the newcomers as they approached.
Nikolai didn’t slow his pace as he rounded the side of the bar and tossed a sovereign down. “The Barrow brothers.”
The barkeep gave a stiff nod over his shoulder. Nikolai tugged her down the corridor, releasing her hand when they reached a door that opened to a narrow staircase leading down. There were murmurs of voices from below but not nearly equaling the raucous noise from above. Nikolai placed a gentle hand on her back to usher her ahead of him, then they made their way down to the basement. Sconces along the wall lit the chamber lined with barrels of ale along two walls. A group of nearly thirty men and women milled about the room.
“I’ll be damned, he finally showed.” Sienna recognized the merry countenance of Ivan Barrow, all broad chest and beefy arms as he clasped Nikolai’s hand.
“Did you think I wouldn’t?”
“Of course not. Our lieutenant never fails,” said Evan, stepping forward, Ivan’s twin brother. Evan handed Ivan a tankard of ale. A serving wench carried a tray of tankards from man to man, tucking the coin in her pocket as she went along.
Ivan gulped his beer, then said, “Aye. Just thought you might have trouble getting to your cousin.”
“Not with Sienna’s help,” said Nikolai, nudging her forward with a hand at the small of her back where he let it remain.
“Ah, we welcome your aid once again, my lady,” said Ivan with a bow and a bright smile.
“I will do all that I can,” she assured them.
Last time she came to their aid, she was in the company of Duchess and Luca. Without her steady guardians, she felt more vulnerable. Nikolai slid his hand to her opposite hip and squeezed reassuringly, which eased some of her insecurity but also stirred a small tempest low in her belly.
Glancing over his shoulder, he leaned in and asked low, “Did the goods come through from the duke?”
“Aye,” replied Evan, also keeping his voice low, though there was no one too close to overhear. “Not just goods. That man bought a sloop here in Hiddleston’s harbor and had it stocked with food, clothes, and blankets. Even some livestock. Chickens and goats. It was waiting when we got here.”
“Was Friedrich here as well?”
“No. His man Grant was waiting to sign over the title of the ship. Took care of business, then slipped off in the night, heading back to the north.”
“Marius will be pleased.” Nikolai shifted his body closer to her, his hip pressing to her side. “We were running dangerously low. With more recruits coming in, we’ll need as many supplies as we can get while on the mainland.”
“Don’t you worry,” said Ivan, his merry face more grave. “We’ve got gold to barter for more. We’ll be well-stocked for a long winter before we leave here, I assure you.”
“Good.” Nikolai’s hand tightened on her waist. “Then all is going as planned.”
“Aye. So far. Come on, then,” said Ivan, nodding his head toward the center of the room. “There’s a few I’d like you to meet.”
Sienna followed with Nikolai still protectively at her back.
“Gentlemen, I’d like you to meet Lieutenant Nikolai and Lady Sienna,” said Ivan to three older gentlemen with an air of importance, though they wore working men’s clothes. He gestured to them. “Mr. Mills, Mr. Surry, and Mr. Lowe are the elder members of the masonry guild which comprises of all skilled masons of Hiddleston, Lobdell, and Dale’s Peak.”
The village of Lobdell was the smallest of the three, about the same size as Sylus. But the town of Dale’s Peak was even larger than Hiddleston. They would certainly do well to recruit there though Sienna had her reasons for wanting to stay clear of it.
“Pleasure to meet you,” said Nikolai with a slight bow, noting none of the men offered a hand to shake.
“I don’t care for vampires,” said the sternest of the three, Mr. Surry, his white brows drawn tight as he puffed on a pipe.
“Aye,” said Nikolai lightly, not at all put off by the sentiment. “Most intelligent men do not.”
“How’s that?” asked Mr. Mills, the man with the roundest belly.
Nikolai rattled on in his lighthearted manner. “It seems logical that a man would steer clear of another who would prefer to drink a cup of blood than a cup of ale.”
Mr. Mills chuckled. Mr. Lowe smiled. Mr. Surry did not.
“But, rest assured, gentlemen. I am devoted to my prince, who is devoted to his wife, Arabelle, the leader of the Black Lily. We are all of the same mind.”
“And what mind is that?” asked Mr. Surry, his frown having vanished.
“That no man should live under the yoke of fear and oppression. And every man, woman, and child has the right to live free.”
Mr. Surry added, “And no man should worry if his daughter will come home safe at night.”
“Aye,” agreed Nikolai. “If there is to be a change in the regime, your best chance is the Black Lily.”
The three men exchanged glances.
“Why don’t you all get one more round from Lizzie?” suggested Ivan. “I see she’s brought down another tray.”
They shuffled off, and Ivan urged them forward where three crates had been stacked together, a makeshift stage for speaking. Evan followed behind them.
“And those three curmudgeons are on our side?” asked Nikolai with a lift of his cynical brow.
“Not yet, but they are open to listening to what we have to say.” Ivan glanced around. “These three men have the eyes and ears of the Masonry Guild, which is comprised of more men in the peasantry than any other from here all the way to Terrington under the palace of Winter Hill. If we gain their support, then your work will be easier going forward.”
“When do you and Evan return to Cutters Cove?” asked Nikolai.
“Tomorrow morning. And hopefully with more men in tow. Evan will return with some men in two weeks’ time. Now that we have the sloop from the duke, a faster ship than our own, he can return with empty cargo and load up the recruits you two send to Hiddleston.”
“Ivan, I believe Mr. Surry is calling us over,” said his brother.
“Excuse us.”
Nikolai scanned the crowd, so Sienna did the same.
“Not many men are here,” she noted.
“But many head of households are. It’s safer not to meet in too large of numbers, but these older gentlemen represent a larger faction.”
Sienna wasn’t accustomed to the workings of an underground resistance, but what he said made sense. Especially when it was known that the queen had spies everywhere. It also reminded Sienna there was danger for Nikolai even showing his face in a place like this. Not only because he was considered a natural enemy to most peasants but also because if the queen set a spy amidst this crowd, she could track his whereabouts and capture him.
“Well, well, lieutenant. Such a fine pleasure to see you here.”
Sienna was taken aback by the sultry tone of a brunette woman who sauntered forward. One hand on her rounded hip, her full bosom on display, she was obviously a woman who was proud of her assets and who knew how to use them.
“Good evening, Colette. I wasn’t aware you sympathized with the cause of the Black Lily.”
“Why ever not?” She positioned herself between Sienna and him, clasping his arm in an all-too-familiar way. “I am a mere peasant as well. But unlike most of those here”—she leaned closer and whispered—“I do not fear our vampire brethren.”
Sienna seethed. The woman was certainly no lady, but the fashion and quality of her blue dress and the silver bracelet on her arm denoted she had far more money than most of her class.
“I am well aware you do not, Colette. No need to be coy.”
“Then let me tend to you, lieutenant. Are you not hungry?”
His gaze flicked for the first time in the conversation to Sienna. She could hardly hide the anger sealing her lips shut so tightly as her neck flushed with heat.
“May I introduce my friend, Lady Sienna?”
The woman turned, still clinging to Nikolai’s arm, as if shocked to find someone standing there. Sienna knew good and well she was aware of her presence.
“How do you do?” She dismissed Sienna in a blink, returning to Nikolai. “It is a dark night, lieutenant,” she cooed.
“Hear ye, friends!” shouted Ivan, drawing everyone’s attention to the makeshift stage of crates where he stood. “Lady Sienna, if you’ll please step forward and join me, we’ll get started so these good people can be on their way.”
Sienna swallowed her ire and waltzed forward. Ivan offered his hand and helped her up.
She let her eyes rove the crowd before beginning. “You all know why we are here.” The room fell silent. “It is no mystery that the Varis monarchy, that the queen herself, is set on destroying the Black Lily.”
“Then why the hell should we join?” asked a young farmer. A few in the crowd grumbled, and a few laughed in response.
“Because if the Black Lily falls, our people will fall further still.”
“We’ve been fine up till now,” said a barrel-chested man in the back. “Why should we risk our lives for a lost cause? I have a family of my own to take care of. If I join the Black Lily, who will care for them if I die in this revolution of yours?”
“Pardon me, sir,” interrupted Sienna. “You say you have a wife and family?”
“Aye.”
“How many children, sir?”
“Two sons and a daughter.” He nudged his companion on his right. “So far.”
Another round of masculine laughter.
“So if you do nothing and stay here, who is to say that you will be safe after all?” Silence and gloomy countenances flickered in the dim torchlight. “Let me assure you, ladies and gentlemen, that Queen Morgrid is raising her own army, spreading the blood madness as fast as she can. Rest assured, no matter what the crown promises, we are beyond the security we once had. I have seen the carnage of the blood madness in Sylus and the woods beyond.”
Sienna heard a woman whisper to another, “She’s the Witch of the Wood.”
“Aye.” She lowered the hood of her cloak. “I am the Woman of the Wood.” Murmurs rose amongst them, but no one interrupted. “And I can tell you from what I’ve seen, the deaths are growing. The corpses of men, women, and children are piling up. Was it not that long ago that the sweet potato farmer’s son here in Hiddleston went missing?” Nods around the room. “He was a victim of the vampires with the blood madness at Glass Tower.” More grumblings of discontent. “I tell you this, sir.” She aimed her word at the man who spoke out. “If you all remain here and do nothing, you are sure to fall under increasing danger as the blood madness spreads abroad. And so will your families. Do not think that by staying home you will be safe in your warm beds.”
“Then we’ll move away,” shouted a thin woman, clinging to the arm of her husband. “We can go north.”
Sienna leveled her gaze, the audience seeming to hang on her every word. “There is no place far enough that you can run. If a doe flees into the forest as far as her legs will carry her, does not the wolf simply follow? Our only chance is to stand and fight.”
The burly man who started it all bellowed out, “And what if my family comes to harm while I am gone? Who will protect them if I’m off fighting your revolution?”
“Bring them with you,” said Sienna, remembering Arabelle’s letter and all that she offered to those who would fight alongside them. “I have been assured by Arabelle, the Black Lily herself, that where they are now is safe from prying eyes with room enough for soldiers’ families if they care to join them. And this is not just my revolution. It is yours, as well.”
“Where is the Black Lily? Why didn’t she come herself?”
“Too busy with her vampire prince,” the burly man’s friend said with a sneer.
“Hold.” Ivan stepped in with a hand up. “If it were not for Prince Marius, all of Sylus would surely be dead.” The room fell silent again. Only the guttering of the torch standing by the stage made any sound while Ivan let that sink in. “You’ve all heard the tales that Queen Morgrid held the peasants of Sylus captive. Her plans were to hang them all on the gallows, but it was Marius who staid her hand. And it was Marius’s lieutenant”—Ivan pointed at Nikolai who leaned against a side wall, arms crossed, watching in pensive silence—“who abandoned his post, his king and queen, and the safety of the Glass Tower, not only to join the Black Lily, but to train us for battle. And let me tell you, brothers, we are ready for battle. All because of him. This vampire on our side.”
“Aye!” shouted Evan, usually the quiet one. He threw a fist in the air, facing the crowd. “And I will fight and bleed with my brothers and sisters of the Black Lily until the tyranny of Queen Morgrid is no more. I will not sit by and die a slave. I will stand and fight as a man.”
A clamor of excited shouting ensued. A few men punched their fists into the air as well. Ivan grinned at Sienna and winked. “Come forward if you mean to join the Black Lily,” he said, jumping down from the crates.
The crowd rushed forward, shouting over one another. The three men of the Masonry Guild pulled Evan to the side, nodding and whispering urgently. Nikolai remained where he was, Colette now reasserting herself, pressing her breasts against him, and saying heaven knew what, her mouth mere inches from his.
Sienna balled her fists at her sides and leapt down from the crate. She pushed through the horde, bumping one then another before coming out of the crush to find the woman’s hand sliding past his belt and going lower. Nikolai caught her by the wrist and said something Sienna couldn’t hear.
She marched up to him and cleared her throat rather noisily. Both she and Nikolai swiveled their attention to her, the woman still glued to his side, her cleavage spilling out for his pleasure.
“Pardon me, Lieutenant Nikolai, but may I have a word?” She realized the tone of her voice was bordering on shrill, but she could hardly contain the anger humming through her body. “Alone,” she emphasized when neither replied.
Nikolai turned to the damnable woman and said in his low, soft voice that Sienna had begun to believe was held in reserve only for her. “Colette, will you please give my associate and me a moment alone?”
She let her hand graze his crotch as she leaned off of his body. Certainly not an accident. “Don’t be too long, my lieutenant.”
Her lieutenant? Sienna inhaled and exhaled out of her nose, willing her blood to stop boiling.
“What can I do for you?” he asked so casually that Sienna felt her pulse pound even faster.
“Are you utterly mad?”
“Sweetheart, you will have to come right out and tell me what has made you so furious.”
“Lieutenant, she could be a spy for the queen.”
“Who? Colette?” Nikolai’s perfect mouth slid into a salacious grin, his canines sharp and ready. “Highly doubtful. Colette is motivated by other means.”
“You’re a fool to fall into such a woman’s trap.”
His smile faded. “Am I?” He edged closer, standing straight. “And what trap is that?”
“She’s just using you.” Unable to bite back her tongue, Sienna continued on. “She’s a…a blood whore.”
He corralled her till her back hit the wall. “Oh, she most definitely is that.”
“You’ve been with her before, haven’t you?”
“A vampire must feed.” He braced one hand above her head, his gaze intent and watchful. “And I am very hungry, sweetheart. The voyage from Cutters Cove was over a week on the ocean, and I haven’t fed since we set on land. I came directly to find you, my primary objective.” His voice dropped two octaves when he said the last, his body inching closer. “You do not like Colette? Fine then. Choose another for me, and I’ll proposition her.”
“Proposition?”
“A vampire must pay for his services. Either in coin. Or pleasure.”
Her breath came rapidly as she remained transfixed on his vampire eyes, glowing a supernatural blue. “Which did you offer Colette? For her services?”
“Ah, well, Colette is one of those women who pretends to be a bleeder for the money and the hardships she must overcome in life.” He swept a long lock of Sienna’s hair over her shoulder, one finger trailing across her collarbone and shoulder. She tried to hide her shiver but failed. “But what she really wants is the pleasure. If Colette upsets you, I will certainly choose another. There are at least two more in the room who would be willing.”
Sienna’s mouth fell open in shock. “How do you know that?” she asked, darting a glance to the side but seeing no one. The crowd still hovered close to the Barrow brothers, and Nikolai effectively blocked out the world, forcing her attention only on him.
He grazed a finger along her jaw, sliding it down her neck to where her pulse beat rapidly in her throat. She thought his canines grew even longer right before her eyes, but it must’ve been a trick of the light.
“I know, because I have been alive over a century. And in that time I have studied the mannerisms of mankind. I know all the tells a woman makes when she wants me. The furtive glance. The parted mouth. The rapid heartbeat. The light sheen of sweat on her skin as she pretends I cannot tell it is all for me.”
Hoping her voice didn’t tremble too much, she asked, “And there are others in this room who fit this description?”
“Indeed. The barmaid, Lizzie, is one. And there’s a farmer’s daughter still sitting on a barrel of ale in the back who will serve. So tell me, sweetheart. Who will it be? I’ll let you choose.”
The thought of his lips, his mouth, his teeth on the skin and inside the flesh of another woman lit a raging fire in her belly. Night after night, she’d experienced erotic pleasures from that mouth, even while the real lieutenant had been across the woods and the wide Cimmaron Sea in Cutters Cove. Even so, she’d somehow laid claim to him, and she wasn’t about to let Colette get her hands on him.
Tilting her chin defiantly, she said, “None of them.”
He smiled again, though there was no mirth in it. “You would have me starve, my lady? I can hardly protect you on our journey north if I do not feed.”
She’d kept her hands at her sides for the duration of this abominable conversation in an attempt to quell the darker emotions swelling up to take hold. She wasn’t aggressive by nature, but something about the thought of Nikolai drinking from another woman made her want to hit something, or someone, very hard.
Her hand shot up, gripping the collar of his shirt into a tight fist. “You will drink from me, lieutenant. I will not allow you to put yourself in danger with strangers.” She lied with such ease she almost laughed. If her grandmother could see her now. “It would be too easy for a spy to entrap you…us.”
His voice was steady but his eyes had dilated, the only change in his features. “I cannot allow you to make that sacrifice for me.”
The memory of her grandmother cocking a dubious brow at her rose to mind. She willed her away. Sienna was in no danger of falling in love with the lieutenant from a bite or two. It was physical attraction. Nothing more.
“Lieutenant,” she said clearly and sternly. “Nikolai.” She had his attention then, for it was the first time she’d spoken his first name. “You will feed from me and me alone for the duration of our journey. It is not my sacrifice. It is my wish. Do you understand?”
He remained quite still as if carved in stone. The only movement was the clenching of his jaw.
“Lieutenant, I’d like you to meet someone,” called Ivan, drawing closer behind them.
Nikolai shoved off the wall and stood straight. Ivan stepped forward with the barrel-chested man who had questioned Sienna during the speech. He seemed much more affable now than before.
“This is Harrison. He is in charge of the wheat fields of Hiddleston for Lord Percy. We worked the fields many years together in our time.”
Sienna tried to focus on the conversation, but her thoughts were solely on the man, the vampire, standing at her right, and whether he would take her up on her offer. She couldn’t explain to him that thinking of another woman giving him succor and pleasure drove her nearly mad with jealousy. She hadn’t known he could evoke such feelings from her. And until she could tame—or quench—this undeniable desire, it would hold the reins. All she knew was that no other woman would get hold of her lieutenant.
Harrison shook hands with Nikolai, then nodded at Sienna. “I’ve decided to take you up on your offer. I’ll be making arrangements for my uncle to watch the farm while we’re gone. Ivan says the ship sails from Hiddleston’s harbor in three days’ time. Though he still won’t tell us where to.”
Nikolai spoke, his voice remarkably steady and sure after their heady conversation. “For the safety of all, it is imperative that no one who remains behind knows the location of the Black Lily. We are glad you’ve decided to join the fight.”
“Aye. Not sure my wife will be,” he added with a grunt.
Ivan clapped a hand to the man’s back. “Harrison offers a place of rest to you two for the night. A safe place out of town.”
“It isn’t much. The loft of our barn is warm and away from prying eyes. My extra field-hands use it on occasion. But it’s empty now, and you’re welcome to it.”
Nikolai’s gaze slid to her before answering, “We are happy to accept the offer.”
Though something in the tightness of his shoulders and the clenching of his jaw told her he was not happy at all.