Page 27 of Bitten By Mr. Darcy

“No?”

“When she was a small girl, she was quite sweet, but she has grown haughty and dismissive the older she gets,” said Mr. Wickham. “I do not like her being looked after by that fiend, but what am I to do? They claim he is leashed, that he will protect the family at all costs, some sort of kept demon, but I don’t know if I think it’s true.”

“You think he’s dangerous,” she whispered.

“He’s bitten you, hasn’t he?”

She went entirely still, unable to look in Mr. Wickham’s eyes.

“Oh, God in heaven, Miss Bennet, I am sorry.”

She started to walk again and he came with her. They were quiet for some time.

He spoke again. “How could it be anything other than dangerous, Miss Bennet? He is a monster. He thirsts for your blood. He could take too much and kill you. You would have no ability to stop him. You’d likely enjoy it when he made your heart stop beating.”

She swallowed hard, for she’d had these thoughts. “Well, he is not paying me any mind anymore. I have not seen him in days. I think he means to leave me alone.”

“For your sake, I hope so,” said Mr. Wickham. “Because they are very hard to kill.”

“You don’t wish to kill him!” said Elizabeth.

“They kill us,” he said.

“No, they do not,” said Elizabeth. “They told me several times that they didn’t.”

Wickham scoffed. “And a monster who was going to kill you would never lie, of course,” he said sardonically.

Elizabeth nodded. “I see your point.” She let out a breath. “Truthfully, something happened with… with one of the Bingley sisters. I think she might have tried to kill me.”

“The Bingley sisters.” Mr. Wickham’s voice cracked.

“You know of them,” she said, for she knew before that he had recognized the name.

“Aye, I have been well acquainted,” he said caustically.

“Bitten?” she said.

He squared his shoulders.

She licked her lips. “Mr. Darcy rescued me and he gave me his blood, which made me strong and whole, but… now, I feel him all the time.”

“What?” said Mr. Wickham, turning on her in alarm. “Miss Bennet, he has taken the first step to turn you into one of them.”

Her eyes widened. “No.”

“He may have thought he had little choice,” said Mr. Wickham. “After all, you would have died otherwise. But the fact remains that you are now halfway to becoming one of them.”

“Halfway?” she said. “What does that mean?”

“It means that if you were to drink a human’s blood, you would turn,” said Mr. Wickham. “Do you find yourself craving it?”

“No,” said Elizabeth, for she definitely was not craving blood.

“There is only one way to put it all back to rights for you,” said Wickham. “You must kill the vampire who gave you his blood.”

She drew back. “I would not kill Mr. Darcy!”

“Shh!” He looked about.