Alexander-Fyn-Sanguinarian

me.”
    “I don’t know what you are talking about.” Harding’s voice shook. Faced with the Raven and no crowd of villagers to back him up, he was terrified. “I have not seen her since the day you tried to marry her.”
    Furious at the humiliating reminder, Raven’s immensely strong hand shot out. He grabbed Harding by the neck and began to squeeze.
    “Let him go, you’ll kill him, my lord, please!” the vicar begged.
    Deriving immense satisfaction from the discomfort he was inflicting, Raven watched while young Harding’s face turned purple.
    When he let him go, Harding clutched at his throat, gasping for breath. “He’s a madman, you must see that, vicar. We can’t allow him near Miss Rutledge.”
    “Let me in or I’ll finish him off.” He looked at the vicar. “And when I’ve done with him I’ll move on to you.”
    The vicar looked up at Raven fearfully. “Now look here, my lord, after what you have done to that young lady already I think you should leave well alone.”
    Raven’s eyes pierced him with their intense gaze. The vicar began to shake. “Move!” Raven ordered.
    “Look at him.” Harding pointed, his hand shaking violently.
    “Look at those mad, yellow eyes. He’s not even cold after walking 260
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    across the moors wearing nothing but a suit of black silk. He’s a vampire, vicar, see for yourself.”
    His temper gone, Raven took them both by their shirt fronts and pushed them inside, kicking the door closed behind him with the heel of his boot. The fire blazed and several candles were lit, casting a soft light over the parlour. Raven released both men to tumble backward to the floor while he raised his arm to shield his eyes. He counted slowly to ten which was often long enough for his eyes to adjust to sudden light. When he could see he went quickly about the tiny room extinguishing the candles.
    “There,” he said, in control again. “And there is my dear Evangeline.” Lying asleep in the armchair beside the fire she looked quite angelic, making him smile until a little snore escaped her. “You drugged her, you imbecile,” Raven ground out.
    “Only because she was fighting me. She is already showing signs of vampirism.”
    “You drugged her?” the vicar asked, shocked.
    “I had to. She was already going mad, vicar.” Harding’s eyes were wild, darting everywhere. “She fought with me. She doesn’t know her own mind anymore.”
    “She didn’t want to come with you, did she?” Raven’s heart surged with pleasure. “She wanted to stay with me.”
    “He has turned her, Vicar. I’ve been reading about it. There is quite a body of work on vampires. He has bitten her neck and made her a vampire like him. She needs medical help. She needs a doctor.”
    “You’ll need a doctor by the time I’m done with you.” Raven grabbed Harding by his lapels and threw him up against the wall, holding him so high that his feet dangled off the ground. Several times he lifted him higher and banged his back against the wall.
    “My lord, put him down.” The vicar tried to sound calm, but it was clear he was in a panic. His eyes were as wild as Harding’s. For a moment he disappeared through a door, returning moments later with the large silver cross from the altar. He thrust it at Raven and when it Sanguinarian 261
    did not have the expected effect of causing him to rear back hissing, he said loudly, “My lord, put Mr. Harding down this moment or I will be forced to thrust this cross against your very skin which will have the effect of burning you horribly.”
    “Oh dear, I’m scared.” Raven mocked him. He dropped Harding and grabbed the cross from the vicar’s hand, pressing it against his cheek. Feigning pain intense pain, he cried, “Ouch.”
    The vicar saw with increasing alarm that the tools he thought would help him were of no use at all. “I don’t understand it, that cross has been blessed with holy water.”
    “Give it to me.” Harding was on his feet again grabbing at the cross with a wild look in his eyes. “I know where to put it.” The heavy icon in his hand, he lunged at Raven’s heart.
    Taller, quicker and much stronger, Raven grabbed the cross from him. “I know precisely where I will put this ridiculous piece of bric-a-brac if you don’t start behaving yourself. Securely up your arse.”
    “My lord!” the vicar interrupted. “Please, the young lady is waking up.” Raven handed the ornament back to the vicar. All three knelt