Scion's Freedom (Siren Publishing Classic) (15 page)

He threw her the rest of the way down the stairs. She rolled to a stop just past the last step. She tried to crawl under the nearest table for relief. A foot landed in the middle of her gut before she reached her goal. All the sharp air left her body in a harsh huff.

“Where do you think you’re going,
Princess
?” He sneered. He bent down with his hand on his knees, talking to her like a small child. “I’ll tell you where, outside.”

Tears rolled down her face. She managed to ask, “Why are you doing this?”

“Because, you bitch, you ruined my life! And now, I’m ending yours.” He grabbed her ankles and headed for the front door. She clawed at anything she could to slow her progress.

She screamed, “Who the hell are you? What do you want?” Her mouth was parched. The sobs she could feel building up inside her stuck in her dry throat. Her tongue burned with thirst.

“I’m Gregory, son of Baron Peter Dubrovsky, grandson of the House of Romanov. But that doesn’t matter to you,
Princess
. Does it? You stuck-up whore. You’d screw a damn mutt and bond him, but not me. You wouldn’t even meet me. Now I’m aging. I’m not vampire enough to be immortal. None of the others would take your cast-off. What if you changed your mind later? Daddy Dearest made me just for you like a damned plaything. Well, this plaything has teeth. Just ask the Russian clan.” He paused. He pretended to think.

“Oh, that’s right! You can’t!” He laughed. “The revolution was the best damn thing I ever did after The Fall. It got rid of the whole Russian gene pool.”

It took a second to sink in and for her mind to piece together what she had just heard. Her father and brother did not cause The Fall. This monster standing before her did. The Russian human and vampire nobles were not victims of the Bolshevik revolt. They were the targets, just like he planned to frame her family for The Fall. That was what Erica had discovered. The documents implicating them were false, and this man bore the blame.

“Night above, it was you! You murdered Erica,” she almost whispered. She screamed and kicked at him. “Help me! Please, somebody help me!”

With the sun still up, she was too weak to do much good. The kicking was more like useless flailing. It did nothing but make him grip harder.

He laughed. “You think anyone can hear you? They’re all down at the nursery complex. There’s a fire all right. It’s just not in the main house. Their abominations are in danger. Wouldn’t want all the little science experiments to roast, now would they?”

“David! David, please! Help me!” She could feel a thin thread coil away from her body searching for him. She could not find him. Either he was not in the house, or he was too injured to respond. “What did you do to David?”

“He’s busy bleeding in the library. That secret passage behind the fireplace mantel and the second floor guest quarters was real handy. The mutt went down with only a few blows. He’s a good cop, but a lousy boxer. The fool didn’t even get to his gun. He took a beating from a little girl,” he chuckled.

He shoved the door open and flung her down the stone steps. The skin on her arms began to blister. She was burning. A scream ripped from her, shattering the brilliant, peaceful day.

“Burn in hell, bitch! Burn for all the things you took from me,” he spat.

He pulled an oak executioner’s stake from his waistband. He lifted it above his head, ready to plunge it into her chest. “They promised to turn me after you had your fun. I would have been a real vampire then. But you took that, too. I’m just a freak. But I’ll get rid of the rest of you freaks before I go!” He started driving the stake down. She could see it as if everything were in slow motion. A shot rang out.

Partway down, he froze in place. Blood poured from his mouth and a dark red blossomed on his chest. His eye rolled up to stare at the sky. He fell first to his knees, then off to one side. Everything went dark as a heavy quilted coat covered her upper body. Someone shouted into the house. She could feel herself levitate off the ground and float along like a raft towed behind a much larger boat. The doors shut with a heavy
ka-clack
. It was the last thing she remembered.

* * * *

“David! David, please! Help me!”

A hot stinging finger caressed his face. He came to enough to see a thin mist make its way to his ear. He could hear her panic and feel a shadow of her pain. The thread had linked them. He rallied strength and lifted himself off of the floor. There were a few broken ribs, and he was sure he had a concussion.

Her screams were echoing through the house. Why was no one rushing to help her? Why could he hear her and no one else could? He had to get to her. The house was enormous. He was not sure how to find her.

The answer came. A tugging behind his navel led the way. Shambling as fast as he could, he got to the entry way in time to see Cap toss Cassy out into the bright sunlight. Her ear-splitting screams sent a blinding stab of pain through his head. He went down on all fours but didn’t stop. He crawled into the entryway. It took a moment to recover his vision.

David heard Cap tell her to burn in hell. He saw an executioner’s stake rise above Cap’s head. Without another thought, David pulled his gun from the shoulder holster, took to his knees, and fired. He watched Cap go down.

Mills rushed forward and threw his jacket over Cassy. A witch in a pink gossamer gown ran across the yard behind him. She shouted into the house for help and made an intricate hand gesture.

Cassy levitated off the ground and floated inside. The witch lowered her into the nearest shadow. Mills shut the doors with a heavy
ka-clack
.

Knowing Cassy was safe, David collapsed again.

* * * *

When she woke, a blurry figure sat in the chair next to her bed. Her head pounded like a hammer was banging around on the inside. The room was dark except for the light from the fireplace. It gave everything a warm glow and made the shadows dance as the flames flickered.

There was enough light to see her arms. They were willowy thin, creamy pale, and perfect again. She blinked a few more times to clear her vision. She wanted to see David sitting with her better. A lump formed in her throat and tears threatened to spill over. David was not here.

“Welcome back to the real world. Father is really, really pissed at you,” Max said. He was looking at his fingernails rather than at her.

“Max, do not be so harsh,” slinked a more formal bell-like feminine voice from the doorway. Long, rustling petticoats under heavy silk brocade could be heard as the woman moved.

“She has been unwell. You should be more kind.” Elisabeta came into the light and sat on the end of Cassy’s bed. She shifted her waist-length auburn hair over one shoulder. “Please forgive your brother. It has been a very trying few days.”

“Few days? Did you say days? As in plural?” Cassy’s voice was horse, her tongue thick and clumsy. She attempted to sit up but had to lie back immediately. Her head spun. The room swirled in a kaleidoscope of colors. The red velvet bed curtains blended with the dark woodwork.

“I need a drink and for the world to hold still. Where’s David?”

“The drink you can have now. You are not well enough for visitors yet,” her slender sister-in-law instructed.

A glass of warm, thick, red liquid with a straw seemed to appear out of nowhere. Cassy did not see from where she produced it. The scent wafted her way, dropping her fangs. Blood. Sweet, whole, fresh blood. Cassy gave a timid pull on the straw. The sip coated her mouth, bathed her tongue. The feel of it brought a need to finish the glass. When she was done, she felt better. It took two more attempts to sit up. The room stood still after another glass. By the third, Cassy wanted to stand.

First one foot touched the Persian rug by the bed. She tried her weight. It held her steady. She put down the other and climbed out of the bed. The white silk gown tangled around her body, restricting her movements. She wanted to rip it loose and run from the room. There was a hole in her life. She needed to find her missing piece.

She gave them a stern look and repeated her question. “Where is David?”

“He is not your concern anymore. Leave him to Father,” Max ordered. “You never did know what was good for you.”

Cassy hissed at him from between her teeth. She turned to Elisabeta, giving her a cold, determined look. “Do you know where he is? Liz, you know I’m going with or without your help. He is mine, and I will claim him,” she said with a determined ferocity.

“I have seen that look before, Cassandra. It comes from being a conquering Dracul. There is no point refusing,” she sighed.

“No! You will hold your tongue. Father’s wish is our command. He said she was not to see this man. He wants to speak with her before she sees anyone,” Max ordered. “She has to pay!”

“Oh, bite me, Max. I know a woman’s determination better than you,” she said. He looked at his wife with shock. Cassy imagined her own face to be similar to her brother’s. Elisabeta was brought up to be as much a servant as a wife. This was out of character for her.

“If not for her, we would still be sucking down quicksilver-poisoned food. She can go where she pleases, and I will go with her.”

“No, you will not. You will obey me,” Max demanded.

“Did you say quicksilver?” Cassy was puzzled. This did not make sense.

“Before Father executed Gregory, he extracted a great deal of information from him. Come to find out, he was having Elisabeta and my food poisoned with mercury. Even the fresh donors were given small amounts. It would not kill us, of course, but it stopped us from conceiving. He planned to blame us for The Fall and cause a second collapse amid the scandal. It would have ruined us, and maybe brought about our execution.”

“Gregory? I saw him shot in the chest. He died. How could Father have executed a dead man much less have gotten information?” If Cassy was puzzled before, she was outright confused now.

“He was almost a full vampire, sister. Think. Would a single standard bullet to the chest kill you or me?” He waited for an answer as if she were a school girl.

“No. Not if it didn’t obliterate my heart. So, he started healing. I can’t say I’m sorry to hear he’s dead. Now, where is David?”

“In the stables locked up.”

“Liz! I said hold your tongue,” Max fumed.

“And I said bite me. I will no longer live as though this were the 1500s. I am sorry about this, my love, but you leave me no choice,” Elisabeta apologized in advance. She balled her fist and punched him hard enough to knock him out with the single blow.

“He will not be out long. We must hurry,” she said to Cassy.

Cassy was more than shocked. She was flabbergasted. “Elisa…Liz…I didn’t know you had it in you! When did you learn to do that?”

“Oh, please. I grew up with five brothers. It required a certain level of self-preservation. Doesn’t Father always say to let them underestimate you?”

She tossed Cassy a lightweight white silk robe. She tore the sheet into strips and bound Max’s hands and feet. She and Cassy sat him in the chair beside the bed.

“The windows have been warded. We cannot crawl down the wall. There is a secret passage down to the billiards room. We will be able to get out that way. I saw the servants use it earlier.” Elisabeta pointed.

The two women crept out from behind the panel behind a heavy, ornate billiards table. The room was dark, but enough light from the dining room spilled in to allow them to dodge the furniture. Two centurion guards were on the front door. Elisabeta held up a hand to Cassy, stopping her.

“This is how Gregory escaped his room to set the fire.” She strode up to the young women. When they crossed their spears to bar the door, Elisabeta stared them each in the eye in turn. She waved her hand to move the spears. Maintaining contact with one then the other, she spoke in a soft but firm voice. “You shall let me and my friend pass. You will ask no questions. When it is noticed we are missing, you will tell them you saw no one.” The women resumed their posts, nodded, and stared straight ahead.

“You would have thought they would have learned not to use children when vampires were so near,” she said shaking her head. “Let’s go.” She motioned for Cassy to follow her.

They ran down the stone front steps. The memory of her last visit here gave Cassy a full body shiver. It was at the foot of those steps where she was nearly killed by a spurned suitor. It came back to her as they rounded the left corner of the house and entered the courtyard between the main house and the converted stables. Someone had covered her to stop the sun. But who?

At one time, the stables had been converted to a number of shops. Shortly after acquiring the property from the financially challenged previous owners, the witches had turned the stores into a potions workshop. The last door on the left was guarded by a young woman in a pale blue gossamer gown. The gatekeeper held up her hand to stop them.

Neither vampire could move. Every muscle was locked in place. Cassy tried to speak and found she could still use her voice. She took a moment to gather her thoughts.

“Please, Maiden. Let me see him. I need to know he is safe.”