The Vampire And His Lady (Silver Hills #2)

Chapter 17

"Where's Diana?" Thornwood asked, quickly glancing around the cramped van. In the dark of night it was lit with hazy fluorescents, making even his eyes hurt.

Jax was still cramped in the corner, with the two witches brushing against each other next to him and not looking pleased about it. Henry was thrown towards the other side with as much care as a sack of potatoes, and Ezaryth kept his place at the head of the vehicle, sat on the table like a toddler swinging his legs.

But no Diana.

"She's with you," Genevieve snarled; her irritation was evident. "You've made this kidnapping extremely slow and boring. I'd appreciate it if we could actually arrive at our destination."

"Not a kidnapping," Ezaryth reminded them, "and Victor, you stormed off before I could explain my plan in full."

He'd almost forgotten why he'd left in the first place- other matters seemed more prevalent to him in that moment, especially with his lips still tingling.

"Don't call me Victor," he snapped. "And can someone please tell me where Diana is?"

Jax growled. "She's with you, Victor."

Thornwood marched over to the spare sofa where he promptly snapped the arm in half. With it still splintering in his fist, foam bursting out of the seams, he said in a low voice, "clearly she's not with me. The last I saw of her was heading towards the van."

With that they all fell silent. A crease of concern plagued Elisabeth's forehead, and even Ezaryth looked disturbed to hear this.

"Is it possible she's simply blowing off steam somewhere?" He asked, tapping his cane on the floor. "What were you two doing out there?"

Thornwood had the briefest glimpse of the way Diana leant into him, her lips moving against his exactly the way he remembered them from all those years ago. She was perfect. Diana Thorpe had always been perfect to him. "That's irrelevant. But you're probably correct. I didn't hear anything to indicate otherwise."

Even with this thought to calm him, he could feel his well-kept wilderness clawing at his skin. He hadn't fed in a while, not wanting to arise suspicion in Buxley, but now he was feeling the backlash from such resistance to his nature. Just standing in the van waiting felt unbearable. He needed to do something.

Genevieve sighed deeply. "I suppose one of us should go and collect her."

"Henry can go," Ezaryth volunteered.

Jax scoffed. "I'll go. That Buxley boy will be blacked out all night."

"I'll go," Henry chirped up. Almost everyone (except Ezaryth) jumped at the sound of his upper class drawl. "I've been awake for a while now," he confessed. "There never seemed to be a good time to mention it though."

How long is a while? Thornwood wondered. Did he have any clue about what had happened between him and Diana?

"You can both go," Ezaryth said. "And I'm glad you're feeling better, Henry."

Henry didn't look better. He was paler than death, and he looked like he'd been dragged through hell and back several times. Even his golden hair seemed leached of the colour, like coils of straw. "I just needed..." he paused. "I've had time to think it through now and I see."

"I bet you do," Ezaryth agreed.

Genevieve shuddered and somehow managed to do it dramatically enough that it elicited audio. "I'll be glad for that freak show to leave. His energy feels off."

Elisabeth nodded in agreement, casting anxious glances to the dark-haired witch besides her.

Where is she, Thornwood thought. His fingernails dug into his skin tightly and the world around him seemed to pass in a blur. Here they were, conversing so casually, when Diana was out in the dark somewhere.