Guildhall Guardian: Thamesian #1 (Thamesians) (8 page)

Scoundrel. The word made my mouth tingle only from impersonating the way Roydon said it.

His car was parked near the Olde Pub again. The Cathedral loomed, and the lamplights were mildly working. Perfect scenery for what I had in mind.

I approached the graves in slow-motion. At least it seemed like that to me, I was fighting for each step forward, battling against my cowardly side not to break into a sprint back into my safe bed.  'Fear won't do. Not now, not ever.''

Those were my mum's favourite words.

Come on, Gioia. Don't be a sissy.

The two nearest graves were hermetically sealed. I forced myself to come closer to the one which had attracted my attention from the beginning.

Not only wasn't it ajar anymore, it was fucking open. A dark pit.

The invitation couldn't be clearer.

My legs wouldn't cooperate. Walk will you! 

I leaned over the unfathomable chasm. The stuff of nightmares waiting for me to jump in.

I turned my flashlight unto it.  Thanks God, it had stairs! Well, small, mossy, slippery steps.

Well there was only one way around it, wasn't it?

Addio. Here lies Gioia Di Terzi, whose nosing underground had killed,I thought before beginning my descent.

*

  Roydon was drenched in sweat. He took off his T-shirt with one brisk motion.

Working out for almost nine hours in a row was nearly not enough to exhaust his boisterous mood.  Bloody hell, he needed to put a face on his enemies, he needed the wine, he needed Gioia, so many things to fuel his frustration and ignite his controlled temper.

A discreet knock at the door. The butler.  So he was still up and dressed in his work attire, faithful Blacksmith. 

  "Sir" he said very sternly ''the alarm is set off. Trespassing in one of the graves.''

Roydon's body drummed with excitement. There, he had what he wished for, an opponent. 

He rushed out of the gym. "Thank you for the notice.''

*

  I made a very slow progression. Wouldn't want to slip and break my neck before discovering anything worthy. And I was scared shitless. The thin ray of light bounced on the four stone walls of the tomb. It was like being trapped in a well. I counted twelve steps so far. I startled at every dancing shadow against my light, waiting for the flock of bats to attack me and give me a well deserved heart attack.

How did I get there? Oh yes, fine just going with the seemingly unstoppable flow of throwing my life away.

Two more steps and...he we are.  I activated the torch on my phone to get more light. It was a very small, square crypt.

I stopped dead. Haha, not literally.

A coffin. The coffin.

I wish I had an organ background music right now. Would have been awesome.

I approached. Dark wood, mahogany maybe, sixteen century approximately, nice carpentry.  I stood there transfixed by it.

And now what? Did I have the guts to try to open it?

  " Tell me Ms. Di Terzi, to what lengths should I go to stop your busybody's actions?"

I jumped so high I collided with the coffin and cursed. Fuck you Roydon Thamesian, you nearly killed me, you sneaky, sneaky beast.

I turned around and Holy fire, was he standing there, towering with his arms crossed, wearing nothing but a black short. His arms bulged. His torso gleamed and every sinew and muscle of him jumped to attack my brains.  Creepy, sexy, creepy, sexy, I just couldn't seem to settle on which was the more accurate. His blond hair was stuck on his forehead. Been working out, Mr Thamesian ? He looked so fit!

  "How did you know I was there?" I asked.

I was pretty dumbed out by his near nakedness.

  "Surely you could expect that I have alarms all over the place. After all, careless as I may seem, I do guard the place. You just passed by a motion detector."

Oh he was snarky tonight. And he stood very, very close. Granted we had no space to spare in here, but still, I could almost feel his sweaty, powerful body leave an imprint into mine. His breath was really hot. He irradiated with surprising heat.

  "Got me. I just wanted to do some going around before sleep. I was so not about to open this coffin, I swear. Who would want to do this?"

Roydon's eyes narrowed on me. ''Of course you would. Let me show you the way out.''

He took my hand.

  "While we're here, can we open it?"

Roydon breathed  in against my face, his beautiful, angular face half in darkness.

I itched to put my hands around his strong neck and kiss him.

  "What it is with you, Gioia di Terzi?" he asked with a groan.

I whispered "I don't know."

Roydon took my hand in his mouth and kissed my fingers, his mouth lingering on my wrist, he scraped the flesh, as if feeling up my skin.

  "You're a malefactor.'' he said in the crook of my neck, putting down my hoodie and brushing off my hair delicately.

I put my hands on his flanks to prevent my fall into him. We were nearly embraced in the dark.

  "Just one look and I'll leave it alone.'' I pleaded. 

He was just so close to kiss me, I would snap with the want.

My body screamed for Roydon Thamesian. Would he give me a soft then hard kiss which would spread like fever into me?

  "Allright" he surrendered.

He didn't lose time or linger, clearly exasperated by the task. Dragging me against the box he trapped me against it, his model body pushing into mine with intent.

  "You want to see for yourself" he said against my back "so let's take a look at the house of horrors Ms. Di Terzi. But I won't always be there to keep you company into the night."

I stiffled a moan, forgetting about the total creepiness of being bent against a coffin, mollified by Roydon spectacular muscles and arms around me.

  "A very ardent regret of mine Mr Thamesian" I said, without ever looking at him.

My hands were on the coffin's heavy lid.  I could do it. Just do it.

It was very hard to ignore Roydon's presence against me. It was very hard to ignore the hardness of his body.  Fuck!

As hard as I tried to lift it up, the lid was too heavy for me.

  "Let me" said Roydon. He carefully held me under his arms so that I felt under his wing.

With one thrust he got it open. No pun intended, thanks please.

I tentatively directed my flashlight in the coffin.

  "You can do it frankly" he said "no risks of seeing him rise. They sleep heavy."

I frowned.

  "Well, this one is not sleeping here anymore." I dragged the light over the very empty coffin. "the bat has flown the nest."

I saw several nuances of shock on Roydon Thamesian's face.

This. Was. Really. Bad.

*

  He had almost attempted seduction in one of his masters's grave.  Gioia's  own arousal was smearing the confined, dark, tomb. 

She was no taking no for an answer, this one.

Opening the coffin in order to confirm whatever theory had hatched in her restless mind, she lacked any human normal flight response before hazard.  No common sense would distract her from her inquiry.

Resolute to scare her off with Hendry's sleeping form, he had broken one of the rules, the vampirical "do not disturb"  the privacy of the grave.

Hendry's body was gone.

  "How fucked are you, let's say on a scale of dying happily ever after to supernatural apocalypse ?" Gioia asked,putting the flashlight  between her teeth.

She jumped into the coffin.

  "What are you doing, Ms. Di Terzi?"

  "Checking the crime scene. The thief must have left a trace, something."

  "Nobody could have broken into the grave without the alarm, you're proof of it yourself."

She climbed back to his side. She looked severely disappointed.

  "What were you thinking?"

  "Maybe a message from the kidnapper. A signature. Such feat is hard resisting boasting off."

  "There is no thief."  asserted Roydon.

He dusted her clothes from the earth to be found in the coffin.

Himself was feeling rather moldy standing there in his shorts and barefoot.  The last centuries had taken a toll on his dirt tolerance.

  "So where is the Vampire ? He couldn't just have gone for a walk if he was sleeping ."

He wondered. "Couldn't he?"

Gioia sighed. "I wish I could tell."

Roydon took her hand and pushed her toward the stairs.

  "Be careful what you wish for, Ms. Di Terzi."

VI

  We emerged out of the grave and I took a deep breathe of the humid, night air. It was good to be back on the surface.

I took advantage of the street lightening to ogle Roydon. Damn he was walking hotness, not giving a single fuck about his lack of clothes. I must have freezed while perving about him because he said ''Come with me, we have to talk."

While walking back to the Guildhall we crossed path with a bunch of drunk students. The girls giggled and almost fell of their heels at Roydon's sight, one of the boys, very much inebriated, said "Wow, looking super fit, man! You put the rest of us to shame."

I laughed. Roydon Thamesian, Calvin Klein's new vampire prawling the streets.

His broad shoulders twitched but he didn't answer. He was probably running amok about the disappearance of one of his bosses. Going into crisis mode.

Well at least he was realizing the extent of his situation. He could blame me all he wanted for not minding my business but I was onto something.

It was nearly midnight. It was nearly Monday.

The morning would be hellish. What else can you expect when you're back from the grave?

*

He had a vampire on the loose. Thanks to the most challenging human ever met, Roydon was beginning to see an outline.  She had been right.

The attempt to take him down had been prompted by the graves photos and all signs led to the mysterious auction sale.

He unceremoniously shoved Gioia into the Guildhall's hobby.

  "How could you even think about opening a grave and getting away with it?"

  "I just had this idea about your vampires being artifacts..."

"To be stolen for the private auction, yes."

  "You believe it now, don't you?"

They stop in the middle of the stairs, facing each other.  Gioia held his gaze and he felt his something twitch in his chest, a heart. 

*

  "It takes place in less than six days.  You have to let me help, Roydon."

I did dare. Called him Roydon.  It seemed the perfect moment for that, while we shared this look of realization. 

He nodded. He lead me through the corridor to the arched door of a beautiful living room, the guy really lived in a museum!

A fire was burning in the mantelpiece.

Roydon stopped us on the threshold.

"My Lord." he said. 

He fell into a curtsy, before my bewildered eyes. 

The presumably stolen good was here in front of us.  He wore a cardigan, ripped jeans and his face was lost in the mass of black curls and an unshaved beard. And he looked
young
.

  "Rise, Roydon Thamesian."

Roydon bowed a second time. "You were scheduled out of the grave only in two years or so, my Lord of Lancaster."

Scheduled? How unexciting did that sound?

"I was dead thirsty, my friend. I had to slake the thirst betimes."

Roydon took a step forward to shield me.

  "Is that a human damsel? I didn't think you inclined to drink something other than wine."

I stood on the spot, unable to observe the vampire more than seconds. Fangs. This time it was the real deal.

  "Would you care to let me taste her?"

Roydon tall stature was blocking my view now. He didn't move yet I felt his surge of power shield me completely.

"No", "I am sorry my Lord, but no.''

"You weren't always such a naysayer." said the vampire.  He laughed then.

His voice really bugged me. As if he was an impersonator rather than a real man-well, vampire.

  "Let me at least be polite with the maiden, Roydon. Step aside."

Roydon reluctantly did as he was asked.

He was pale, a little shorter than Roydon, with  heavy lidded,blood-coloured eyes.

My mind was blank. As if my brains had stopped working.

  "I am Hendry from the house of Lancaster, my lady." he said.

It was purely the animal instinct kicking in, I told myself. Natural reaction of the prey faced with the predator. I refused to be a prey!