Wynter's Bite by Brooklyn Ann

Author:Brooklyn Ann
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: regency romance, historical romance, paranormal romance, Historical Paranormal Romance, gothic romance, gothic, victorian, Vampire series, va, vampires, asylums, urban fantasy, scandals with bite, Brooklyn Ann
Publisher: Brooklyn Ann
Published: 2017-02-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

Bethany dreamed of the quiet room, cold and enclosed, screaming for help, but none came. She curled into a ball and shivered until she heard Keene’s brisk footsteps coming down the hall. The knob on the quiet room door rattled and turned...

She awoke, sore and muzzy-headed. But even though the surface she lay on was cold and hard, her back felt deliciously warm. As awareness imbued her, she noticed the well-muscled arm draped around her waist, and locks of deep red hair draped around her shoulder.

Happiness swelled her heart to bursting. Justus had saved her from the prison of Morningside last night, from Dr. Keene’s abominable tonics and Greeves’s lechery. Not only was she finally released from that abominable asylum, she was also reunited with her love at last.

She basked in the sheer bliss of it all for several moments before taking note of her surroundings. The dusty, crumbling stone chamber, dimly illuminated by the coals of a dying fire and a meager shaft of sunlight from the top of the stairwell on the far side of the room made stark reality rear its head.

They were in here because Justus was a vampire. He couldn’t go out in daylight. Furthermore, he was a rogue, hunted by others of his kind. And it was all her fault. If she hadn’t blurted that he was a vampire in front of her parents, and especially in front of Lord Tench, Justus wouldn’t have been exiled. Shame curdled her belly. How could he have forgiven her? Yet he had. And after eight years of misery, they were together again at last.

But now they were both fugitives. She prayed they’d be able to make it to Cornwall, and that the Lord Vampire there would indeed provide refuge. Their predicament was already far too precarious for her to be able to contemplate what would happen if he refused them. Justus had said they’d flee to the Americas in that case, but how would they secure passage on a ship, much less endure such a long voyage without him being exposed to the sun?

Taking a deep breath, she willed herself to be calm, for her relentless trembling to abate. Justus had a plan. He would know what to do. Just then, her stomach rumbled, reminding her of more pressing matters.

“We need to find food for you, but we have to wait until the sun goes down,” Justus said, and stroked her shoulder, easing her shivers. “I do have a skin of water to tide you over until then. I am so sorry not to have gathered victuals for you.”

The remorse in his voice tugged at her heart. She grasped his hand and snuggled against him, reveling in the warmth and security of his embrace. “It is not your fault. You did not know we would be departing last night.”

He eased them to a sitting position and adjusted the blanket around her. “Let me fetch you water and build the fire, and then we can plan our next move.

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