Modern Day

Edmond Dantès led Ludovic de Vauban away from Belle Morte, and through the mansion's grounds, nodding silently at the black-uniformed security guards that they passed. Between trees and sculpted hedges, rosebushes and flowerbeds, they headed right, until they reached the furthest corner of the grounds, tucked away in the shadow of the wall. Towering trees cut off the natural moonlight in this little space, but Edmond's vampire vision could make out the blocky shape of the garage, beyond the thick trunks on either side.

When Edmond had told Ludovic there was something he needed to tell him, in private, Ludovic hadn't questioned him or pushed for details. He'd quietly followed Edmond out here, and now he stood in the shadows, his blond hair a slash of gold against the darkness.

"Before I say anything else, I need you to understand that I am telling you this in utmost confidence. You must not breathe a word of this to anyone," Edmond said.

Ludovic looked vaguely insulted. "Have I ever betrayed your trust before?"

"No, but this isn't about my trust. It's about Ysanne's," Edmond said.

Ludovic waited.

"It's about June Mayfield," Edmond said.

Ysanne had come to Edmond shortly after she'd discovered June had been killed and turned into a rabid, and after she'd already told Isabeau, but in the months that had followed, she hadn't told a single other person. It was a secret that the three of them had guarded from the rest of the house.

But things were changing.

June's sister, Renie, had arrived at Belle Morte, initially believing she was just another donor, and had immediately started hunting down the truth of what had happened to June. As much as it had pained Edmond to watch Renie tear herself apart to get answers, he had been forbidden from telling her what was really going on. That hadn't stopped her. Renie had blazed through Belle Morte until she'd ripped the truth from Ysanne's hands.

"She hasn't been transferred," Edmond said.

Ludovic's eyes narrowed a little. "So where is she?"

Edmond glanced back at Belle Morte, a huge, proud shape against the star-sprinkled night. "She's still in the house."

"What?" Ludovic looked at Belle Morte too.

"She's in the west wing."

Understanding settled in grim lines on Ludovic's face. "So that's why no one's allowed in there."

Edmond nodded.

Ysanne had told the vampires and donors of Belle Morte that June had been transferred to another house, and if anyone thought that this was highly unusual – no donor had ever been transferred before, let alone so abruptly – they were all forbidden from speaking of it.

"What happened to her?" he asked, though his tone of voice suggested he could guess.

"Someone turned her," Edmond said.

Ludovic softly snarled. "Who?"

"We don't know." Edmond waited a beat because the next bit would be particularly hard for Ludovic to hear. "She's not a vampire. She's rabid."

Ludovic recoiled, his eyes sparking red. "And Ysanne's let her live? Is she mad?"

Edmond had expected this reaction. Even vampires who had no personal experience with rabids understood how dangerous they were, and it had always been agreed that rabids should be killed on sight, but Ludovic's hostility towards rabids ran more deeply.

His human life had ended painfully and messily at the teeth of a rabid, until that rabid's vampire husband had taken pity on Ludovic and had granted him a new life, turning him into a vampire.

Under different circumstances, Edmond would not have involved Ludovic in something that would stir up the ghosts of his past, but he and Ysanne both needed someone they could trust.

Edmond trusted Ludovic with his life.

"Ysanne has brought Renie here because she believes that Renie may be able to help June," he said.

Ludovic's eyes were like glittering rubies. "No one can help a rabid. You know that."

Edmond's mind went back to the vampire who had turned him – Francois – whose life had ended at the hands of an angry mob. At the time, Edmond hadn't realised that Francois's increased aggression and bloodlust had been rabid warning signs. It wasn't until after Francois's death, when Edmond had reunited with Ysanne, that she'd explained to him what rabids were. Edmond had tried to help Francois turn from the dark path he was heading down, but nothing he'd done had made any difference.

"June and Renie are sisters. Ysanne believes that their emotional bond may help Renie to restore June's mind," he said.

Ludovic made a low, angry noise, and turned away. "Do you believe it?"

"I believe that Ysanne is trying to help."

"That's not what I asked."

Edmond was silent for a while, thinking. "I don't know," he said. "I have faith in Ysanne, but . . . I really don't know."

"But you think it's worth trying."

"Ysanne was going to try with or without me. I'd like to maintain some hope that she could be right."

"She's not," said Ludovic shortly.

"Perhaps not, but that won't keep her from trying."

Ludovic shook his head. "This is madness. How is she stopping the creature from escaping?"

"June has been chained up in one of the spare rooms. Isabeau is responsible for feeding her."

"Feeding her what?"

"Wildlife. I promise you, not a drop of human blood has passed her lips."

"That changes nothing. The rabid is a threat to everyone inside Belle Morte. Is Ysanne seriously exposing Renie to this?"

"That's why I'm telling you this. Ysanne wishes Renie to spend time with the rabid as often as possible, but she's not so foolish as to leave Renie alone with June."

"You want me there to help in case something goes wrong?" Ludovic said.

Admitting the next part wouldn't make Ludovic look on this any more favourably, but if he was going to help then he needed to know everything.

"Something already did go wrong," Edmond said.

Ludovic's jaw tightened.

"When Ysanne first found June, she thought she glimpsed a lingering shred of sanity. That's why she brought Renie here. But by the time Renie arrived, June's condition had deteriorated."

"Of course it had. She's a rabid."

"Ysanne thought it better to hide the truth from Renie until June's condition had improved."

"But Renie had other ideas," Ludovic guessed.

"She did." Edmond fought to hide a smile.

Ysanne had underestimated Renie. Any other donor would have jumped when Ysanne told them to, and if any of them thought there was anything suspicious about June's sudden departure from Belle Morte, they wouldn't disobey Ysanne by saying so.

Edmond had known Ysanne longer than anyone, and he knew exactly what she was capable of.

But Renie had refused to be cowed by her.

It had been a long time since Edmond had met anyone as bright and fierce and stubborn as her, and much as he tried to ignore it, even thinking of her sent a spill of warmth through his chest.

He tried to push the feeling away.

"By the time Renie managed to get into the west wing, someone had set June free."

Ludovic said nothing, but his eyes shone brighter red, and his hands curled into fists.

"I suppose you don't know who that was either?" he said.

"Not yet, but that's not my job. My job is to help Renie, and now I'm asking you to help me," Edmond said.

"Why would anyone set June free?"

"Ysanne thinks that whoever it was, they were trying to kill Renie."

"But why?"

Edmond shrugged.

"I don't like this," Ludovic told him.

"I know. I don't either, so I'll understand if you don't want to be involved. But you still can't tell anyone."

"How long does Ysanne think she can keep something like this secret?"

"I honestly don't know," Edmond admitted.

Ludovic looked toward Belle Morte again, his eyes red and angry. "I think this is a mistake," he said. "But I will help."

Edmond put a hand on his old friend's shoulder. "Thank you."

"Do I get to say I told you so when this doesn't work?" Ludovic asked, as they started walking back to the mansion.

Edmond laughed. "If you insist."

"I think I do."

The fear of whether this would work and how badly it would blow up in their faces if it didn't, the anger that someone inside Belle Morte had killed June and was trying to kill Renie, and the growing feelings for Renie that he was trying very hard to ignore, all still churned inside Edmond, but maybe the burden would feel a little less heavy now that Ludovic was here to share it.

A/N: This story was already posted, but I've only just realised that it was posted to the first Belle Morte book, rather than this short story collection. Not sure how that happened, but I have a lot of work on at the moment, so I must have dropped the ball. Anyhoo, it's now been deleted from the main book and reposted here, so some of you have already read it. Sorry about that :)