The Bathory Curse (15 page)

“Nor do you ever. I don’t know what to do now.” Nea
hated that she sounded young and lost, but things were spiraling
out of control. She had been so certain she could do it all: raise
Stasi and make sure Elizabeth and her sisters went untouched by
their curse. She had stretched herself too thin and now all three
of them would wind up as portraits in her gallery.

“Go home and rest, Sabine shall be there in a few
days….you haven’t failed, you will try again. As long as you are on
this side fighting for your family, I believe it will be ok,”
Bendis was always more cheerful in her younger versions, youthful
hope and optimism.

Nea didn’t believe Bendis and closed her eyes,
feeling a slight breeze as the Goddess left her alone, again.
Defeated she returned home as the sun set, glad Stasi wasn’t at
home, but was with Ruxandra. She was trying to do her own research
and felt the best place to start was where she was born. She had
turned 24 this year and had grown into a beautiful, smart and
pleasant woman. Nea felt blessed she chose to still spend most of
her time at home, with her mother. Though Nea knew it was only a
matter of time before the curse took that happiness and beauty and
warped it into something unrecognizable.

Nea walked into her home, enjoying the rich aromas
coming from the kitchen and met with an almost panicked looking
Marina. Nea had decided not the send her back, she still didn’t
like her as much as Valora but Marina was a competent house
keeper.

Marina was very tall with dark hair she always had
in a bun. Unless she was going out she wore clothing from her own
time period.  She had on what she called low rise jeans, a
black t-shirt that said, “Blood Draw? Yes Please” and there was a
yellow smiling face with fangs.

“Did you hurt yourself again? I’ve told you barefoot
in this century isn’t always a good idea.” Nea scolded, the former
nurse was opinionated and didn’t like to be told what to do.

“No. You have company…I wasn’t sure what to do…I
didn’t let them in the house, of course….but I don’t like having
these sorts of visitors.” Marina blurted out, playing with a locket
around her neck, it was a miniature silver time piece, it must have
been sentimental but Nea never pried.

“What kind of visitors?” Nea’s eyes narrowed, she
opened up her senses and magic. Marina almost never lost her
composure and she was very close to doing so. When she noticed the
black cold spot out near the gardens she recognized a vampire’s
presence.

“Make sure the staff stays inside, I shall deal with
this.” Nea stormed out, pulling her magic around her like a
blanket, she was not in the mood to deal with Vlad today, or
possibly, any day. She stopped cold upon seeing the two women
waiting for her, two female vampires, not quite what she expected.
She tried to ignore the bit of disappointment that surfaced.
Instead she focused on the vampires.

One was quite tall with curling red hair and vivid
green eyes tinted red, she had a haughty look on her face and her
skin was so pale it was almost translucent. The second cowered a
bit behind the other; she was smaller, more rounded with dark brown
hair. Her eyes were overly large, frightened, like mud and blood
and been mixed in a cup, her skin was much darker than the other
girl’s, neither of them were older than 20. Both wore clothing
common to what was popular; tightly laced long gowns over linen
chemises, and on their heads caps with fluted frills.

“Greetings Princess Cneajna, we bring you greetings
from one who has long watched this house and you,” the redhead
announced.

“I no longer go by that name. I am called Nea now,”
she corrected, coming a few steps closer, wary. She had already
figured Vlad was the dark presence she sometimes felt around, but
it was nice to have 100% confirmation.

“Either way we bring you greetings and blessings
from your husband, Vlad Dracul.” The vampire’s green eyes flashed
in irritation.

“He has not been my husband in many years; tell me,
where is the little crazy blonde one?” Nea was trying to keep her
off balance.

“Lily? She’s at home, he doesn’t let her out much,
he-” the plump brunette received an elbow to the side for her
blabbering.

“She is of no concern or threat to you.” The ginger
one came a few steps forwards and Nea halted her with one hand.

“That is close enough, tell me who you are.”

“I am Siobhan and this is Marisol, we and Lily are
the current wives of Vlad Dracul. He has sent us to extend an
invitation for you to come to Snagov Monastery as soon as
possible.” Siobhan seemed annoyed.

“Not happy at being his errand girl? Thought life as
a vampire bride would be more exciting?” Nea teased.

“She doesn’t want to be a vampire at all, I don’t
either,” Marisol said.

“Hush.” Siobhan scolded.

“Stop being mean to her, she can speak if she wants.
I have no problems with either of you. I don’t care for being
accosted by vampires in my home, but as long as you stay peaceful
say what you must and then go.” Nea looked at Marisol and felt
sorry for her. Between crazy Lily and overbearing Siobhan, her
undead life must be unpleasant.

“It is true, I have no wish for this life and
neither does Marisol, only Lily seems to enjoy it, and you have
seen her. I have no desire to be at the end of my Master’s temper
however. Please come to the Monastery.” Siobhan gave her a tight
lipped smile, but the strain on her face relaxed.

“I appreciate the offer, but I cannot.” Nea wished
she could. She had wanted to see and speak to Vlad for years and
she was angry at the path he had chosen and how he had treated
Mihail, but she knew it was best if she stayed away.  

“You have to come, he will be furious if you don’t!”
Marisol exclaimed, eyes brightening with red light.

“Yes. There wasn’t an option for no,” Siobhan
frowned.

“I understand all that, but the answer is the same,
I cannot come. I’m sorry. Now if you will both please leave, and
never return, that would be wonderful.” Maybe it was the despair
she was still feeling clouding her judgment but Nea turned her back
on the vampires and began to walk inside. She didn’t see the attack
coming, didn’t even feel it until it was too late to defend
herself, all she saw were Siobhan’s Christmas colored eyes as
blackness enveloped her.

Chapter 9

Nea woke up chained to a cold slab of marble in the
murky basement of Snagov Monastery. She could hear rats munching in
the corners and smell the moldy wetness of an underground chamber
that wasn’t built properly. With her good eyesight she could make
out the tombs of the monks who used to reside upstairs and see the
dust, dirt and cobwebs that crowded the corners in the dim
light.

She knew it was night again and a shiver ran down
her spine, it was cold and she had no cloak, just the dress and
hood from the day before.

“At least they didn’t take my boots,” she muttered,
straining against her chains, she had more strength than a mortal,
but not like a vampire did, the chains were too much and her head
hurt from being hit. The ache made doing magic near to impossible.
She tried to loosen the chains and managed to give her circulation
a little more room for blood flow, but doing magic made the pain in
her head radiate into her teeth and she knew she had to wait a
little longer.

“Hello!” She called out and in answer heard a
giggle, she stilled, Siobhan or Marisol she could handle, but Lily?
She might decide that Nea was a dish ready to be served. She turned
her head and screamed at the face that had suddenly appeared next
to her, fever bright blue eyes with red rims and a large fang
filled smiled.

“Gotcha!” Lily squealed and backed up, dancing in
her night dress. If possible she seemed dirtier and more insane
than the first time they met.

“You’re Lily, right?” Nea said, calming down her
heart and taking a few deep breaths.

“Yes, I am a flower, my dark husband’s flower, ripe
for picking.” She giggled again and spun in a circle, Nea could see
blood stained the front of her gown and her fingers.

“Where are Siobhan and Marisol?”

“They told me to watch you until you woke…I promised
not to kill you…” She hid behind her hands and hair, shyly peeking
out, “and I didn’t! Not even a snack! My dark husband will be
happy….They say you didn’t want to come.” She snuck closer, silent,
like a deranged spider.

“I did not want to come. I have no interest in your
husband. Let me go and I will leave.”

“Oh, I can’t! Siobhan will be angry!” Lily squinted
towards the stairs, “I better tell her you’re awake.” Eyes wide she
got closer and leaned down, smelling Nea’s skin and warmth, and
licked her lips. Nea noticed she stank like blood gone bad and
wished Vlad would at least make the poor unhinged thing bathe. How
did he feed from her, let alone bed her?

“I wish I could taste you, they only let me have
animals right now, don’t trust me with humans.” She pouted and then
after licking Nea’s neck, causing Nea’s stomach to roll, she flew
up the stairs, lightning fast.

Nea didn’t know how long she waited for Siobhan and
was relieved to see her, at least she was mostly sane and didn’t
smell like a butcher shop floor.

“I apologize for the manner in which we brought you,
but we couldn’t allow you to say no,” she said, leaning over Nea to
see her properly.

“But you didn’t tell Vlad I was here, so what do you
want.” Nea was smarter than Siobhan had given her credit for. Had
Vlad known about her presence she never would have been stuck in
the cellar.

“I didn’t want him to know. Lily took great pleasure
in telling him you refused.”

“Why did you let her do that? He was probably
furious!”

“Yes and when he is he either kills some poor
peasant and feasts or he fucks one of us until we are bruised, and
broken.” Siobhan looked disgusted and Nea chuckled.

“Why do you laugh, you find amusement in our pain
and degradation?” Siobhan snarled.

“I always enjoyed his roughness; I assume Lily does
as well?”

“It is the only time he will touch her since she
started refusing to bathe. She has killed the last three maids who
went anywhere near her with a water basin or a brush.” Siobhan
stalked away, pacing.

“Why don’t you just tell me what you want?” Nea was
tired of the theatrics.

“I want free of him. You are a perfect bargaining
tool. I would rather not be a vampire but I can manage it. I hate
being bound to him. I never wanted to be any man’s bride, let alone
to be one for all eternity,” Siobhan admitted.

“Did he force himself on you then?” Nea couldn’t
believe it, Vlad might have been dominant, but rape had never been
his way.

“No, my father sold me to him fifty years ago,” she
paused and shuddered, “after enduring years of my father and my
brothers raping me. Dracula promised me revenge on them if I became
his bride, which included fulfilling wifely duties. I agreed, it
was hasty,” a crimson glow filled her eyes, “though the revenge was
sweet.”

“And now you figure offering me to him will grant
you freedom,” Nea summarized, she would have to ask later why he
was now calling himself Dracula.

“Yes, I just want him to let me go and make my own
way.”

“Does Marisol feel like this too?”

“Marisol is too afraid. He rescued her when her
coach overturned and she stayed with him for a while. She would
have spent her life crippled, he offered and she accepted. She is
afraid to anger him or displease him, the meekest of all mice.”
Siobhan rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know if your plan will work, but I am not
going to help you if you leave me chained in danger from Lily,” Nea
was firm.

“You have too much magic to be set free.” Siobhan
crossed her arms over her chest.

“Yes, she does.” Came another voice, startling both
women as Sabine stepped out of the darkness. She held a large sword
in her hands and was wearing men’s clothes, all brown and soft
leather, Nea had only ever seen her in pants before when they were
hunting Strigoi.

“Who are you?” Siobhan hissed, barring her
fangs.

“Her best friend and you are a stupid cunt. Back
down now or the entire Monastery will be swarmed by Strigoi who
have no problems sucking you and your sisters’ dry of emotions and
leaving you to deal with the repercussions on your own.” The threat
was a good one, though Nea didn’t understand how they had gotten
past the gypsy magic.

“Hi.” A whispered voice said near her, Nea smiled as
her son began to undo her bindings.

“You shouldn’t have come, I was fine.”

“We couldn’t leave you here with a bunch of crazy
vampires, mother. Stasi is upset and worried; I promised I would
bring you home as soon as possible.’ Mihail helped her sit up as
Sabine was advancing on Siobhan.

“It would be too bad if I had to kill you.” Sabine
flirted, smiling at the woman who probably had come from Scotland
as well.

“How did you get through the magic?” Siobhan was
losing the fight and she knew it.

“You brought a Strega here, I can find other Stregas
blindfolded with only one leg,” Sabine snorted, “plus one of her
sons in a Strigoi, you were stupid and now you must admit
defeat.”

Siobhan seemed to be thinking about her options.
Mihail helped Nea to her feet and she was embarrassed that the head
wound was making her wobbly.

“Sabine, I need to get her home to Marina.” Mihail
called.

“Go, I will deal with this blood slut.” Sabine’s
laugh was dark. Mihail vanished with his mother and Sabine raised
her eyebrows, “your decision?” The whole cellar reverberated with
her laughter as the ginger vampire chose that moment to simply poof
out in a cloud of mist.

Sabine found Nea sitting at home with Marina tending
her head wound.