Claiming the Vampire (17 page)

She shook her head, her skin prickling. She had no idea what was going on in this realm or with Kel, but she was going to stay until she found out.

“Very well. I will return as soon as I may. If I find you gone, as I hope to, I will come to you in your world tomorrow night.”

His hands tightened briefly on her shoulders, and he looked into her eyes with more intensity than she’d yet seen in him. His cool façade had slipped a little, and she wondered what he was feeling.

She thought it might be fear.

In another minute he was gone. She went silently to the door he’d shut behind him and pressed her ear to the wood. Very faintly she could hear the sound of footsteps fading, and after counting to a thousand and hearing no other sound, she tried the doorknob.

It was locked, as Kel had said.

Jessica had little magic in her and no gift for spellcasting, but even the most magically-challenged Fae knew a few basic spells, including one to unlock doors. But when Jessica spoke the words, they had no effect. Either Earth Fae magic didn’t work here, or Kel’s door was warded.

She also had little hope of breaking through it by dint of physical effort. The door was thick and solid, and any attempt on it would attract the kind of attention Kel had told her to avoid. Attention she wasn’t ready for, either.

So what was her next move?

In spite of herself, her hand went to the portal stone at her breast.

She was filled with a sudden longing for Hawk, a longing so visceral she trembled with it. But she couldn’t give in to that longing. Now that she was here in the Dark Fae realm, she had to learn everything she could.

Which left her with three options. She could wait patiently for Kel to return, she could attempt to climb out the window, or she could try to open up that other door—the one he’d come through.

Since the prospect of climbing out the window over a thousand foot drop was somewhat daunting, she decided to focus on option number three.

She went to the place where the door had been and closed her eyes. She was a warrior, trained to observe—and to remember what she saw.

She called up her memory of Kel coming out of that door, and of the motions he’d made to close it. She opened her eyes and looked at the wall in front of her. It was largely smooth, marked here and there with shallow carving—stylized trees and flowers. She shifted a little to the left, and let her hand drift over the stone in front of her, over the pattern of what looked like an oak tree. She closed her eyes again, remembering, and her fingers found a place in the carving where all of her fingers slid into shallow grooves. She had to stretch her hand to reach all five slots, but for Kel it would be a perfect fit.

She pressed hard, and the piece of wall she was touching became a round dial, its edges distinct from the stone around it. She recalled the motions Kel had made. A turn to the left and one to the right, and with startling suddenness the door swung open as silently as it had closed.

A dark, narrow passageway opened up in front of her. A chill breath of air touched her face, smelling of dust and mold and dampness.

Well. She was here to explore, and to gather information. And if she ran into something she couldn’t handle, her portal stone would take her home instantly.

It was time to find out if any Earth magic would work here. Jessica spoke the words of the first spell every Fae child learned, and felt a tingle of relief when a small spark of illumination—what her people called a faery light—appeared in the air before her. It shone as brightly as a candle would, which would be enough to guide her.

She stepped from Kel’s sunlit room into the darkness of the corridor, and then paused a moment. Should she try to close the door behind her? If she did, there was no guarantee she’d be able to open it from this side again, which would trap her in here. And since Kel would assume she’d returned to her own dimension if he came back to find her gone, he wouldn’t come looking for her.

If she left the door open, anyone who came into the room would see the passageway. Most likely that would be Kel, but he would know immediately where she had gone.

After a short internal debate, she decided to close the door if she could. She’d rather be a free agent for the time being.

It didn’t take any mechanism to shut the door from this side; it closed easily. Of course, there might be some manipulation required to finish the job properly. The edges of the door might be visible, or something—but there was nothing she could do about that.

She turned her back to the door and started down the corridor.

Where Kel’s room had been polished and beautiful, this passage was dank and rough. It seemed to slope downward, and occasionally there were steps leading down as well. Jessica moved along carefully, taking her time , and when she caught a faint sound ahead of her she extinguished her light immediately.

She stood perfectly still, and listened. Voices, she thought—but she couldn’t be certain. With the faery light gone she was in utter darkness, so when she began to move forward again she did so very slowly. She hadn’t seen any stairs coming in the next stretch of corridor, but the floor was uneven and she didn’t want to trip and make a noise.

Before too long she was sure that there were voices ahead. There was also a faint light. As she continued on both the voices and the light grew more distinct, until finally she found herself standing in the shadows just outside the circle of illumination cast by a lamp on the wall. The corridor turned sharply just beyond the lamp, and the speakers were beyond the turn, which meant they were out of sight.

One of the voices was loud enough to hear now, although the other was still indistinct.

“I wish his precious highness wouldn’t come down here so often. It upsets the prisoners.”

The other voice murmured something in response.

“I know you’ve asked him to stay away, but that hasn’t done much good, has it? I’d suggest you speak to the warden but we both know that would be worse than useless. Well, what can’t be cured must be endured. Which reminds me—it’s time to take the new arrivals to the pit for training. No, you stay here. They don’t cause near so much trouble for me. They resent you, lass—you know they do. Stands to reason, considering you were once one of them. Until you caught the prince’s eye, eh?”

There was a low chuckle, as if the speaker had amused herself. “Now, don’t be giving me that sour face. They like to say you’ve got the devil’s own luck, but I must say you don’t act like it. And the way you talk to Kel! Anyone would think you hated him. If he is going to come down here, the least you could do is look kindly on the lad. Who knows what else he might be able to do for you!”

Another murmur, this one sounding agitated.

“All right, now, calm down. I meant no offense. I know you never asked for his favor. And I know the queen has had something to say to Kel about his preference for you, and that you’re trying to stay alive as we all are. Now, after I’m done at the pit I’m through for the day, so I’ll just take myself to my quarters. Don’t forget to bring round the water pail in an hour or so. I’ll see you tomorrow, Mary.”

Jessica froze. It was lucky for her that the first speaker didn’t come towards her, because she might not have been able to avoid being seen. But the owner of the voice went the other way down the corridor, leaving silence behind.

And the one called Mary.

Jessica crept forward slowly, staying in the shadows at the edges of the torchlight until she got her first glimpse around the turn in the corridor.

More torchlight here, illuminating a long, straight passage. About halfway down, there were several doorways on either side. But what Jessica was interested was the doorway just in front of her, which opened up into what looked like a guardroom. There were keys hung on the wall, and weapons, and armor and cloaks and other implements. And at a scarred wooden table along one wall, a dark-haired woman sat with her head buried in her arms.

She wore a gray tunic over gray trousers, and she was so still she might have been a statue.

Jessica had to see her face. Reminding herself that the portal stone was at hand if she needed it, she stepped into the doorway of the little stone chamber and cleared her throat.

Instantly the woman sprang to her feet, a look of guilty fear on her face. When she saw Jessica standing there, her expression became confused.

“My lady? Are you lost? This is the palace dungeon—I’m sure you didn’t mean to come here.”

The resemblance was unmistakable. It was there in the black eyes, and in the strong brow and wide cheekbones.

“Mary,” she breathed.

“How do you know my name?” Her frightened gaze swept over Jessica, noticing her clothing—jeans and a blue cotton shirt—for the first time.

“My God,” she said, her voice trembling. “You’re…you’re from Earth.”

Jessica nodded, stepping over the threshold. “And so are you. You’re Hawk’s sister, aren’t you?”

Mary stared at her with huge eyes. “You knew my brother?”

Jessica was confused by the past tense. “I know him, yes.”

Mary took a step closer to her. Astonished hope had flickered to life in her eyes. “My brother is alive?”

She started to reach towards Jessica and then stopped, her hand suspended in the air between them. Jessica stepped forward and took it in a firm grip.

“Yes, he’s alive. You thought he was dead?”

Mary nodded. “I was told he had died ten years ago.”

“He was told the same thing. That’s the only reason he didn’t try to find you. He only found out you were alive a few weeks ago.”

She could see Mary trying to take in the news. “And he sent you here to find me?”

Jessica hesitated. “Not exactly. I came on my own. I—”

“Who are you? What’s your name?”

“Jessica. Jessica Greenwood.”

All the hope died from Mary’s expression. Horror took its place.

She dropped Jessica’s hand like it was a live snake and retreated as far away as the small room would allow. “You lied to me. You don’t know my brother. You’re trying to trap me.” She took a quick, terrified breath. “I’ve never been disloyal to the queen. I’ve never—I’ve never—”

What the hell had happened? “I’m not your enemy, Mary. I swear it.”

“Don’t lie to me!” Mary’s voice had risen, and her hand clutched at the back of a chair. “You’re in league with them—with Talia and Navril. They sent you here.”

Jessica held out both her hands in a gesture of peace. She spoke in a calm, gentle voice. “I came here on my own. No one sent me. And I do know your brother. He told me about your tuberculosis, how he turned you to save your life. He told me about Hector. He told me about the mansion in Wales, where you lived for so many years.”

She paused, waiting. For a long minute Mary just stared at her, her gaze bewildered.

“I don’t understand,” she said finally. “Aren’t you Talia’s daughter?”

Jessica nodded cautiously. Was her relationship to Talia the source of Mary’s fear? “I am. But I’m not acting for her. She doesn’t know I’m here. She doesn’t know I—that I’ve spoken with Hawk. I came here on my own, like I said.”

“But you’re…” she paused, and a spasm of pain twisted her face. “You’re engaged to Prince Kel. Aren’t you?”

She remembered the conversation she’d overheard a few minutes ago. The other guard had indicated that Mary had once been a prisoner here. It was clear from her bearing that even though she was no longer a captive, she was not in a position of power. She might be a prison guard now instead of a prisoner, but she was still a slave.

What was it Kel’s brother had said? Something about dallying with a servant? And the conversation between Mary and the other guard…

I wish his precious highness didn’t come down here so often.

I know the queen’s had something to say about Kel’s preference for you.

Her stomach twisted. “I’m engaged to him, but I don’t know him. That’s another reason I came to this world. I wanted to find out for myself what he’s really like. Has he…” she swallowed. “Has he ever forced his attentions on you?”

“No! Kel…” Mary’s face and body crumpled, and she leaned against the table. “Kel has always been kind to me,” she said, her voice sounding broken. “He saved my life. Without him, I would have died in the pits years ago.” Her face twisted. “Now I send others to their deaths, instead. And I’ve learned that there are worse things than facing your own destruction. But when I told Kel I wished to return to the pits, he would not allow it. I know he still means to be kind, but…”

Her agonized eyes lifted to Jessica’s. “Why am I telling you all this?” She whispered. “It doesn’t matter. You will marry Kel, and he will be happy. And once he has forgotten me, perhaps I will be able to return to the pits, and cast my lot in with the other prisoners again, and die the death I was meant to.”

Jessica tried to sort through everything she was saying. “What are the pits? And who are the prisoners here? Are they all from Earth?”

Mary’s gaze searched hers. “Do you truly not know what this world is like? I thought all the Fae knew. Talia knows,” she added, her voice challenging.

Jessica’s jaw tightened. “If my mother knows anything about this world, she’s kept that knowledge to herself. Please tell me, Mary.”

For a long moment Mary just looked at her. Then she straightened up, as though she’d made a decision. “Earth prisoners are rare, but any vampires or shifters who come here are put into the dungeons.”

“What about humans?”

“Humans hardly ever survive the journey between dimensions. If a human stumbles upon a portal on Earth and travels here, they usually arrive dead.” She smiled humorlessly. “That’s the reason Navril was plotting an attack on Earth. She wanted Earth humans for breeding. Fewer and fewer Dark Fae women are able to conceive, and Navril believes that interbreeding with humans will strengthen the line. It worked on Earth, you see. The Earth Fae have multiplied with the Dark Fae have declined.”

Jessica nodded. “I know that much. That’s why Kel and I are engaged. I’m supposed to help with the breeding problem,” she said drily. “But what about Earth Fae? Don’t they ever come through the portals accidentally, like vampires or shifters?”