Chapter 30: Oleander, Part 3

William moved, but too late, struggling uselessly, shrieking as François bit into him.

Then he tripped, and they both went tumbling back, all the way down the main staircase.

Stregoni hovered for a moment, torn between which man he should go after - but of the two, Gilles was in the greater danger, and he sensed François would want him to choose Gilles anyway.

He lay far too still, and Stregoni saw immediately why there was so much blood. François had bit him hard and deep, and in the struggle which had clearly erupted, there had been no time to heal the wound.

Too much blood. Tears stung his eyes even as he moved to stop the flow of blood, refusing to admit that far too much of it had soaked into Gilles's clothes, into the costly rugs.

"Stregoni!"

He looked up, eyes blurry, and could just make out the moonlit figure of Aubrey - and Ruthven, standing just behind him.