Lord Lukas Horvath was standing less than a metre away. He didn’t flinch – in fact, as far as I could tell, he was the epitome of cool, calm and collected vampire poise. He looked relaxed, his expression was bland and his arms were held loosely by his sides. His confidence was such that he didn’t appear remotely out of place, even though he was wearing clothing that made him look as if he’d stepped out of the pages of a Victorian romance. I’d seen him wearing ruffled shirts before, but I’d never seen him wearing one that was open almost to his navel with blood-red frills artfully sewn in so many places. His inky-black hair had been blow dried and was swept upwards from his face. On anyone else that hairstyle would have looked ridiculous but it suited Lukas perfectly. All he needed was a swooning woman in a corset hanging off his waist and the picture would have been complete. Fabio, eat your heart out.
I glanced down at my jeans and plain T-shirt. If I’d known this was supposed be a fancy-dress party, I’d have taken more care. Truthfully, if I’d known I was going to be in Lukas’s company, I’d have taken more care full stop. I couldn’t deny my attraction to the vampire. And I couldn’t allow it to go anywhere.
Lukas’s priority would always be the vampires, and I knew that vampires couldn’t be trusted. They desired blood, power and sex, not necessarily in that order. After what had happened to me at the hands of my boyfriend, who had killed me twice, I wasn’t willing to do anything that might jeopardise my fragile heart. But that didn’t prevent the lurch in my stomach when I looked at the vampire Lord.
‘Are you suggesting, Mr Hannigan,’ Lukas enquired, ‘that the pages of tomorrow’s newspapers are more important than a person’s life? Perhaps we should hope for a gust of wind to knock the poor fellow off his perch? Then you can clean up the bloodied mess of brains and splattered internal organs while the tourists get back on board for their selfies.’
Uh-oh. Usually Lukas could charm the pants off anyone he spoke to. The belligerent edge to his words spoke of his genuine anxiety about whoever was clinging to the observation wheel above our heads.
I jumped forward before an argument ensued. ‘Detective Constable Emma Bellamy,’ I said by way of introduction. ‘I’m with Supe Squad. I need to know what’s going on here, then we’ll see about the best way of talking that man down. Who is he, and how did he get up there?’
Lukas turned to me, his black eyes searching my face. What he was looking for, I had no idea. ‘Hello, Emma,’ he said. He moved a fraction closer. ‘How are you?’ His tongue darted out and wetted his lips. ‘You’ve been avoiding my calls.’
I pointed at the wheel, ignoring his attempts at pleasantries. My uncle would have been proud. ‘Who is that?’
If Lukas was irritated, he didn’t show it. ‘We haven’t been able to get a decent look at his face so I can’t tell.’
‘But he’s definitely a vampire?’
‘Yes.’ Hannigan gestured towards a young woman wearing a London Eye T-shirt who was staring at Lukas with wide eyes. Considering the clothes he was wearing, I didn’t blame her. ‘Paige,’ he snapped. ‘Tell her what you saw.’ When she continued gazing at Lukas, Hannigan nudged her. ‘Paige!’
The woman shook herself and focused on me. I estimated she was about twenty. She was probably a student working at the Eye during her holidays. No doubt it was a good gig – most of the time. She scratched her head and blinked rapidly. ‘Er, I was getting ready to open up when he came past me. Half the security team were on his tail but they couldn’t get close. I tried to stop him too but he was too fast. He’s definitely a vampire. I got a good look at him and…’ She opened her mouth and tapped her canines.
‘Fangs?’ I asked.
She nodded. ‘Big ones.’
‘How do we know he’s suicidal?’ I asked no one in particular. ‘How do we know that this isn’t some kind of stunt?’
‘Stunt?’ Lukas growled sharply.
I gave him a long look; just because he believed his vampires were above reproach didn’t mean it was true. As their leader, he was powerful and he garnered considerable respect but at the last count there were almost two thousand vamps under his control. He couldn’t possibly keep track of all of them.
‘If someone wanted to commit suicide,’ I said calmly, ‘why would they choose such a public place? Any bridge would do. Picking a tourist attraction seems like vanity.’
Lukas’s face darkened but he didn’t answer, probably because he knew I was right.
‘I don’t care why he’s up there,’ Hannigan said. ‘Just get the blighter down!’
Easier said than done. ‘Tell me about the wheel. What do I need to know?’
‘We’ve shut down the power,’ Paige told me. ‘Obviously.’ She pointed at the immobile glass pods. Some of them still contained people; anxious faces were peering down at us then up at the precariously perched vamp. ‘It’s 135 metres high. It’s not the tallest observation wheel in the world—’
Hannigan’s expression soured further.
‘—although it used to be and,’ Paige continued, ‘one revolution takes around thirty minutes.’
I scratched my chin. ‘I suppose you’ve already considered turning it back on and waiting for our would-be jumper to rotate to the ground.’
‘We don’t want to do anything that might provoke him to step off.’
‘Or,’ Lukas added, his expression shuttered, ‘fall off by accident.’
‘He was halfway up before we managed to shut everything down,’ Paige said. ‘I don’t think he’ll fall by accident. He seems pretty nimble.’ She cast another wide-eyed look at Lukas. ‘Is that a vampire trait?’
He glanced at her then smiled slowly without taking his eyes away from hers. ‘It is. Typically, we’re more athletic and stronger than humans.’ The intensity of his gaze increased. Paige was all but melting.
I frowned. What exactly did he think he was doing?
Hannigan’s cheeks were turning a vicious shade of red. He was obviously immune to Lukas’s obvious charms. ‘Get that freak down from there!’
Lukas placed a hand on his arm. ‘Don’t worry,’ he murmured, power vibrating through his words. ‘Everything will be fine.’
The London Eye manager opened his mouth then closed it again, as his body subsided. ‘Everything will be fine,’ he repeated robotically.
‘Lukas,’ I warned.
He raised an eyebrow. ‘What? You can’t tell me that he didn’t need calming down.’
I tutted.
‘That’s so cool,’ Paige breathed.
Yeah, yeah. I sighed and looked up again. What comes up must come down, I decided. One way or another.
‘Do you have any safety harnesses for climbing up the structure?’ I asked.
‘They’re being collected,’ Paige answered. ‘They should be here soon.’
Soon might be too late. I nodded before moving away and examining the web of steel. It didn’t look too difficult, and fortunately I had a head for heights. I raised one foot and tested my weight.
‘Emma,’ Lukas said, ‘what do you think you’re doing?’