Aleron: Book One of Strigoi Series (Stringoi Series) (21 page)

“Finally, I was looking directly at the door to her bedchamber. There was a man standing there half asleep. His duty to guard the door was prompted by Mynea’s father to guarantee her chastity. My frenzy took hold of me as I snatched the man from his half slumber into my bloodthirsty and vengeful grasp. Before he could utter a sound, I ripped out his throat with my mouth and drained him. I accomplished this without the slightest sound or detection.

“I opened the door swiftly and threw his body in. I closed it and turned to my nemesis. She lay fast asleep. I had to see Mynea. I had to see what drew him to her. What did she possess that I didn’t?

“Her quarters were lush with floral arrangements, gorgeous and vibrant. Dutch amaryllis accented by anthuriums. Purple lilacs and lilies highlighted a bed of pinkish-red roses. The arrangements numbered eleven, all situated in magnificent vases, her furniture simple and impressive, a vitrine and cabinet housing a tortoiseshell jewelry box. I stepped over the white animal fur lying on the ground and quietly examined the jewelry box. As soon as I opened it, my heart fell. A necklace identical to the one my beloved had given me lay gleaming within the confines of the tiny box. The once soft candlelight burst into an inferno as my fury climbed. I turned my attention back to Mynea.

“Quickly I appeared before her. I looked at her lying there, blissfully unaware of the fate before her. She was angelically beautiful, sleeping peacefully and completely unaware of my presence. I took in every
breath she took. I felt every move she made. I read every thought and examined every image within her dreams. Her eyes danced under her eyelids, consumed by visions, thoughts, and dreams of my prince, now hers. She was as I, when I was mortal.

“She was beautiful, as was I, her skin, an olive tone, as was mine, yet slightly darker. Height proportionate with weight, as was mine. We were twins. Mortal and immortal alike. I had to see her eyes.

“I laid my back on the headrest of her large epicurean bed. Gently I situated myself behind her, carefully raising her into my arms. Her head rested on my breast. I spoke to her mind,
Wake
, and her eyes opened. She wasn’t startled, for her mind was being controlled by me long before I ever approached her. She looked directly into my vampire eyes, hers a golden brown with slight hints of orange that were imperceptible to the eyes of mortals but radiantly visible to me. She couldn’t speak, for I wouldn’t allow her to in my presence. I wanted to see what my prince saw.

“The rage began to build again. Uncontrollable fury filled my thoughts. My body began to shake all over. This mortal woman had found fancy in the eyes of Vlad. And while my hatred was at its paramount, I sank my teeth deep into her neck, and I sucked rapidly. Her death would be the only solution. Vlad would look upon her no more. He’d return to me. My heart would be whole once more.

“I continued to drink. Visions of Vlad from her memories filled my thoughts. I realized the extent of his love, his passion, and his desire for her. And at that moment, that passion again belonged to me. This drove away all remaining sanity. I wanted to drain every drop of blood from her. Memories of her childhood, her parents, her teachers, her family. They were all mine. I was becoming the mortal I once was. With her death, I would have my life again!

“Being completely captivated by this bloodlust numbed the feeling of a powerful hand throwing me across the room and into the stone wall. Mynea’s body returned to her pillow with a soft thump. Her eyes nearly void of life remained open as her chin dropped to her chest.

“I felt pain for the first time in decades. The act was much too powerful for a mortal. My arms and legs were completely useless for the
moment. I could feel my lungs and heart begin to bleed inside. My vision was clouded by the blood that dripped from my eyes. It took tremendous strength for me to lift my head and see my assailant, though I already knew that there was only one who possessed such power.

“I could smell the unmistakable scent of death incarnate. His breath was heavy, his mind sharp, and his fury beyond measure. He came into focus as he knelt over Mynea’s withering body. He then whipped his head around, faster than my eyes could see, and pierced through my soul.

“I didn’t feel sorry for what I’d done. I didn’t feel fury for what was subsequently done to me. I felt devastated by the look of sorrow in the eyes of my master. It was the same look I had seen in his eyes on my last mortal night, when death was at my door. I knew then what he saw in Mynea that he didn’t have in me.

“He saw me in Mynea. He saw me as that mortal girl I once was. He was drawn to her mortality. He was living through her life. I realized he had made me what I am only because he couldn’t bear the thought of being without me. He lived by watching her life. He wanted to see her eat. He wanted to see her love. He wanted to taste her warm flesh without condemning her to a life of eternal damnation. He truly fell in love with our humanity, the tale of Beauty and the Beast told in this distorted form.

“My body began to heal rapidly. I could feel my bones realigning themselves. My internal bleeding came to a halt. The blood tears dried on my cheeks. Still dazed, I stood slowly to my feet. Vlad’s eyes had grown red with grief. ‘I have caused enough pain for this night,’ I thought. I vanished as quickly as I could. I left him there with Mynea. I robbed him of his attachment to the world of the living. For that, his forgiveness would take an eternity. So I thought.

“I returned to the castle and retreated to my bedchamber. I was noticeably shaken, and the servants knew something was amiss, yet they dared not query.

“Night transformed into day, and the vampire paralysis took its hold on me. Slumber was inevitable, and my eyes found the darkness they had sought since the night began.”

CHAPTER 17

efore I opened me eyes I realized I wasn’t alone. When I opened them, I saw Vlad. He was sitting in a chair staring at the flame of a candle. Without turning to me he began to speak, slowly, as if chewing and tasting each syllable: ‘I am regretful, my love.’ His voice was filled with pain and affliction.

“I lay motionless in my bed, silent. And he began again. ‘To hurt you is to hurt me. The betrayal you think you committed is not a betrayal at all. No doubt by now you have come to realize the meaning of it all and my desperation for mortal companionship.’

“He turned toward me and seemingly floated to my bedside, his open cloak flowing behind him. Remembering his gentle manner, he lay down with me and pulled my head to his chest.

“‘My love for you grew out of desire and necessity,’ he continued as I listened to his heartbeat. ‘Immortality is a death. To be immortal means to die slowly every day and every night. You witness the passing
of your family and loved ones. You cling to them desperately as you watch their bodies deteriorate with the victimization of time. All you’ve known comes to a slow and painful end. When I became what I am, I tried to live among the living. I tried to be like I once was. I hated the curse of bloodlust and the need to steal human souls to live on. I failed and became a beast. I fed on man and animal alike, without prejudice or regard. All of my humanity was lost. I vowed never to condemn another to this eternal death sentence. Then I saw, in the memories of one of my victims, an angelic face that demanded my attention. Once I looked upon this face in the flesh, I was captivated by its aura. A new desire was born within. A desire to live again. To thrive again. To love again. It was you, Pandora, who gave me back my way. Through our courtship, I came to regain what was stolen from me. My soul. My love for you has never changed. I love you now as I loved you then.’

“I looked into his eyes and knew this to be true. Not because I wanted it to be true or because I needed it to be. It just was. It just is. He never stopped loving me. He hates his endless existence. Only after living for centuries have I come to fully understand this notion. We all begin to question our immortality and begin to discover an alternative to life—living through the lives of mortals. For over two weeks it was just as it was before. For the first time in decades, we hunted together, four, sometimes five victims a night. We were again happy in our bloodlust, yet he still was distant at times. I tried to probe his mind, but it was completely blocked. Whatever it was, he didn’t want me to know. It didn’t matter much, for I knew whatever it was it would be discovered as an eventuality of time. That time came exactly twenty nights from the night I killed her.

“I awoke to a strange and unfamiliar scent within the walls of Castle Bran. It wasn’t of a mortal, and it wasn’t of Vlad. Though he was in the castle, he wasn’t in my bedchamber. I left the room in search of this strange scent and came to the door of another room where Vlad would often allow traveling aristocratic members of society to slumber. The door was slightly open, and I heard his voice. I opened the door and walked in. Vlad was kneeling at the bedside. There was another lying in the bed. Another immortal.

“I came closer, and in a moment of surreal reality, I saw my mortal
twin, once slain by my hatred, in the body of a vampire. I tried to move forward, but something was holding me perfectly still. It was Vlad. This was a power I’d not witnessed until that moment. He had complete control of my body, without even looking at me. He continued talking to Mynea, while I struggled to free myself from his paralyzing hold. It was futile. I couldn’t break his grasp.”

The sharpness of diction that accompanies rage returned to Pandora’s voice. I could see the anger in her eyes. Clearly she was reliving the moments she spoke of.

“Vlad stood and turned to me. ‘Be still, my love,’ he tenderly commanded. ‘Calm yourself. You have no enemy in me or in Mynea. She’s your immortal sister, same as you are hers. You’ll bring no harm to her as she’ll bring no harm to you. In time your anger will subside as you’ll find necessary companionship in her as she will in you. You’ll come to rely on her as she’ll rely on you, as I now rely on you both.’ His chest rose before he continued in a commanding tone, ‘I’m the master of this home and everywhere your travels will take you. You will do as I command, lest you suffer my ire. This has been explained to her as well. She won’t try to harm you, for I forbid it.’

“Mynea rose to her feet in the form you now know her to be. It was the first time I had laid eyes on an immortal woman without the help of a mirror. Though we were still similar, twins we were no longer. Beautiful we both remained.

“She walked toward me. Instantly I was able to move. Vlad had released his supernatural hold on me. Mynea stood in front of me with her arms outstretched and palms facing the ceiling, searching for acceptance. I looked at her, and the fury returned in me. I was totally enraged and utterly confused, so I did the only thing I could think of doing. I left. Right before their eyes, I vanished.

“I reappeared in my bedchamber and, to my surprise, Vlad was already there, standing facing the window, as if he were expecting me.

“‘How could you?’ I screamed. ‘How dare you follow your betrayal with this blasphemy. You told me it was forbidden to make another. To condemn another. To tear the soul from the living and condemn them to a life of death!’

“He remained utterly silent. His face showed very little emotion. He was a statue.

“‘Say something!’ I demanded.

“I rushed at him with all of my vampire speed and strength and struck him. This would have easily crushed the skull of another immortal. It would have turned the cranium of a human into dust, yet he didn’t even blink. He didn’t move. His face was misshapen for only an instant. It began to regain its supernatural form a thousand times faster than mine had when I was thrown against the wall. I struck him again and again, using all of my might, vanishing and reappearing where I thought I might have been able to provoke him, hoping to anger him, hoping to draw some emotion out of him. Nothing. I couldn’t hurt him. With this realization I swiftly ran to the one I knew I could hurt and possibly destroy.

“I lunged at Mynea as she walked through the corridor, and before my claws reached her, he had me. I was in excruciating pain. With both arms outstretched and legs subdued by his, I felt his powerful grip begin to crush my bone. None of the pain compared to what seeing her was doing to my heart. I didn’t care about his fury. I didn’t care about his rules. I wanted her dead, and he soon realized this. We broke free from the confines of the castle through the window in the corridor. Far from the castle we traveled into the mountains. I struggled to get free, but it was to no avail. Finally he let me go.