“I’ll do anything you ask,” she purred, lurching toward him and throwing her arms around him.
“I’m glad to hear it from both of you,” Samuel said, gently prying Josephine’s arms off his neck. “But only one of you can be my new right-hand woman. I’ve devised a little test. Would you girls like to hear it?”
Molly nodded eagerly.
“Terrific. Whoever can get inside and have Mr. Robert Cecil come to the door and invite me in will receive a very fine reward indeed. Now go. Make me proud,” he said, sending them both off with a tap on each of their backs.
Molly turned and practically skipped toward the guards. She was humming under her breath, and any casual observer would assume she was drunk. Josephine slowly followed after her, glowering the whole way.
Samuel stepped back toward Lord Ainsley and smiled, as though they were his two prize show ponies being sent into a ring. “Lesson number one, Ainsley. Get the girls to fight each other. One of them will get us invited inside. Because the only thing more fearsome than a vampire is two female vampires with something to prove.” The two men guffawed as hatred welled within me. I wanted to spring forward now and tear Samuel limb by limb. I wanted to pluck his heart from his chest with my bare hands, then parade it around town.
“Coward!” Damon hissed. I’m sure he was having similar revenge fantasies.
Cora shook her head, then held her hands together as if in prayer.
The two women approached the guards, neither of them seeming especially aware of the fact that this was the prime minister’s home or that it required more security than a simple residence.
“Hold up!” a guard called, raising his arm toward Molly.
“I need to get in,” she said slowly. Each word was over-enunciated. The guard’s gaze flicked to his partner, then locked on to her. I held my breath. The vervain would protect the guard from compulsion. But what would Samuel do when he realized they’d been dosed? It wouldn’t take long.
Cora gripped my arm so tightly her nails dug into my skin.
Quickly realizing her Power wasn’t working, Molly made her exit and shuffled back to the waiting coach. Josephine seized her opportunity and ran, shrieking, up the path to the guards. “Help! Please! I need help!”
“What’s the matter, miss?” the guard asked, focusing his attention on Josephine.
“I’m being chased!” she said in a breathy voice. “This man has been running after me for blocks—I’m afraid he’s the Ripper! Please, help me.”
The guards turned to each other and had a hushed conversation before the guard stepped aside and nodded to Josephine.
A crack of thunder followed by scattered drops of rain sealed the decision.
“All right, come in,” he offered, opening the door and ushering her inside.
The door closed with a thud. Damon and I locked eyes. Josephine had gotten in, and there was nothing my brother or I could do about it.
“Cora, you’ll have to go in after her. Stefan and I won’t be able to compel our way inside without an invitation,” Damon said under his breath.
Cora nodded, but she was visibly nervous. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it once to comfort her, before we stealthily made our way along the line of bushes toward the back of the house. Samuel’s hawklike gaze was trained on the front door, so we slipped by unnoticed. Around the perimeter of the lawn, large plants were covered with heavy burlap sacks to protect them from the frost. In the darkness, the covered plants looked like tombstones.
“I’ll get rid of the guard,” Damon said tersely as he brushed the dirt off his hands and strode up to the man protecting the home’s back entrance. Midway up the slate path, he locked eyes with him.
“You need to leave this post,” he said.
“Who are you, sir?” The man squinted suspiciously at Damon as he reached for the nightstick that hung by his side. The compulsion wasn’t working.
Without bothering to answer, Damon charged toward him at vampire speed and knocked him to the ground, his head smashing into the stone. His body fell limp.
Cora’s hand flew to her mouth in fear. “Is he dead?” she asked.
“No,” I said, hoping that was the truth. I squinted and saw the man’s chest rising and falling. He was merely unconscious.
I raced up the garden path with Cora, not wanting to waste another second. I was simultaneously horrified and impressed by Damon’s quick actions. I sometimes forgot that we didn’t always need to rely on magic or compulsion to get what we wanted.
Another crack of thunder sounded, and Damon quickly punched a downstairs window during the noise. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. Damon turned toward us, his eyes wild.