The Vengeance of the Vampire Bride (15 page)

“We are only stopped for a short while,
then we will continue. Lord Astir has arranged lodging for tonight
so you may freshen up, feed, and relax.” Adem withdrew his hands
and sat across from me.

Within, I felt ravaged by Vlad’s words.
Perhaps it had merely been a dream, but I knew if he were in any
way able to form thoughts, he would be planning his recapture of
me.

“When you saw him,” I said in a
tremulous voice, “in the castle, how did he appear?”

What if the Brides had fed him? What if
they were restoring him?

“A shriveled husk. I would not have
known it was him save for the crest above his head and where he was
laid to rest. I could faintly feel his presence, but it was like
that of a wraith.” Adem hesitated, then continued. “If you are
asking me if he could reach out and attack you from afar even in
that condition, I do not know. But his power was barely
discernible.”

I swallowed words of fear that were
filling my mouth and forced myself to be silent.

“May I ask you a question,
Countess?”

“Why did I do it?”

“Lord Astir told me why you did it.
Vlad was attempting to kill the other Brides. I suppose my question
is how could you? Do you not love him?” Adem spoke gently, but his
words wounded me.

“Yes, but, I hate him as well,” I
confessed. My words were harsh with emotion. The nightmare was
still fresh in my mind. “I hate him, and I love him.” I shook my
head. “I hate him more than I can bear. It burns like a fire inside
of me. At times, I dream of slashing his head from his shoulders.
And yet...” I shrugged. “I love him. But I do not think it is a
pure love. It’s twisted, painful, and cruel. It hurts me to not be
near him, yet...” I was rambling on, spilling out my heart to a
stranger, yet I could not stop. I felt tears spring into my eyes
and my rage returned. “I do not want him in my life though it is
like a dagger inside of me twisting away to not be with
him.”

“It is his blood in you. A bond between
the Master and the fledgling.” Adem nodded his head, not surprised
at my outburst. Perhaps Astir had told him more than I
suspected.

“Do you know much about
vampires?”

“As much as can be learned in the time
I have spent around them. And I have known Vlad for a very, very
long time.”

This surprised me, yet I quickly
realized that any knowledge Adem might possess about Vlad could
indeed be valuable in my quest to be completely free of him, both
body and soul. “Did you know him well?”

“Yes. I perhaps know him better than
any other vampire that Astir entertains.” Adem smirked. “And there
is no love lost between us. I am a Turk and was once a devout
follower of Islam. I am everything that your husband and Master
hated when he was a mortal prince fighting the Ottoman invasion of
his lands.”

“He impaled the Turks. On stakes.
Thousands,” I whispered. The horrible opera created in Vlad’s honor
had depicted such a scene, but I had also witnessed the atrocities
in Vlad’s memories. I had seen the dead and dying impaled on stakes
in a terrible forest of blood while Vlad drank and ate at a grand
table laid out beneath them.

“And his own people as well,” Adem
remarked, shaking his head. “It was a brutal time. All men of power
were such as him. Cruel beyond what modern man could conceive.
Death was ever tangible in their world and just a blade away. They
were adept at plots and maneuvering through ever shifting
loyalties. I knew Vlad then as I know him now. If he could kill me,
he would.”

“But he can’t?”

Adem grinned in such a way that it
seemed all his teeth gleamed in the light. “No, he cannot. So I
have no love for your dear husband, as you apparently do
not.”

“Tell me more. I must know
more.”

“What do you wish to know?”

“What did he do to me? Why do I feel
bound to him though I hate him?”

“I have seen this bond that you speak
of. The great love born of the blood that binds you. When
corrupted, it twists into something...hateful. It is cruel for
though you hate your Master with all your soul, that very soul
cries out for the one who created you.”

“Yes! That is it! But it was not always
this way! It has grown...stronger. I felt nothing for him when
first created. All I felt was rage, but in Buda it began to change.
Strengthen!”

Thoughtfully, Adem leaned forward. “Did
he feed you often from his veins? Did you feel his power filling
you? Did he...join with you?”

“Yes! All those things!” I remembered
all too well the night Vlad had forced me to drink from him, then
ravished me as the memories of his life filled my mind. Ignatius
had told me that Vlad had bound me.

“Dark magic of the vampire blood, then.
He bound you with his blood. He deliberately encompassed you in his
power. Yet, while he was creating a stronger bond between you, he
was also empowering you. Surprising, really. I have known him for a
very long time and he usually is loath to share any of his power
with his fledglings.”

I made a soft sound of distress.
“Apparently, he has treated me in a far different manner from the
other Brides.”

Adem lightly touched my hand to comfort
me. “I can tell you what I have observed and learned from Astir.
When a vampire creates another, it automatically has dominion over
the other. They can beckon you, confine you to a certain area by
will alone, cause you to feel pain, and so forth.”

“Yes. I experienced all of those
things,” I admitted.

“Some vampires create other vampires
for companionship. There is a bond of love between them. The Master
vampire feeds its fledgling his or her blood, infusing it with
power until it can become its own Master. They become equals. Of
course, the former fledgling can leave or strike down their creator
if they choose, and that does happen, but oftentimes it does not.
From what I know of Vlad, he creates only female vampires and does
not infuse them with his blood and power. He keeps them strictly
under his authority and does not allow them to be anything more
than his harem and minions.”

I mulled over Adem’s words, seeing the
truth in them. Vlad had kept the sisters inexorably under his
influence. I had also been treated in the same manner, but that had
changed on the journey to Buda. Vlad had begun to feed me his blood
and toward the end, he often forced me to drink when he lay with
me.

“But you are different. He has given
you a far greater gift than I would ever imagine he would. And,
obviously, you must mean a great deal to him for him to have done
such a thing.”

I laughed bitterly. “It was when I
struck him down and his blood poured out of the wound that he
willed his power to me. He didn’t do it out of love. He did it out
of spite. I understand that now.” I felt tears in my eyes and
refused to spill them. “He forced his power upon me as one last
attempt to ensnare me.”

“That you hate him and love him at the
same time speaks of the bond he has created between you.” Adem
leaned forward, adjusting his sword so he could rest one elbow upon
his knee. “You wear his ring. You have his title. He has made you
love him by more than blood, has he not?”

Our last night together came fresh to
my mind. He had been unusually kind to me. He had treated me as his
beloved wife. His words and touch had been a gentle balm to my
anxious nerves. In our last nights together after we left Buda, he
had been all I had craved and wanted him to be: my loving,
faithful, compassionate, protective husband. I had felt utterly
entwined with him and truly his wife. I had despaired at the bond
between us, fearful that I had betrayed not only my dead family,
but also Ignatius.

“That bastard!” I clenched my hands at
my side. Anger coursed through me as I realized how expertly he had
manipulated my emotions to the very point that I thought I had
chosen to be with him. I wanted to rush back to the castle and lop
off his head. He had thoroughly deceived me. Our lovely night of
lovemaking and peaceful repose had been the result of his cleverly
crafted plan to ensnare me from Ignatius and firmly into his grasp.
In retrospect, it was all too clear to see. My thoughts were a
storm within my mind, battering against my skull, and giving me a
wrenching headache.

Adem chuckled as I stomped my foot.
“Truly, my Countess, you are far more than I think even he could
ever dare hope to contain. My dear Lord Astir told me of your
boldness, strength, and cleverness. He was not amiss in his
assessment of your nature.”

I pointed an accusing finger at Adem.
“Astir sent you to spy upon me and discover Vlad’s whereabouts.
Astir told me all. I trusted you and it was all a deceit.” I was so
angry at Vlad, I knew I was lashing out at Adem in proxy, but I did
not care. I was wounded to the core of my being by Vlad’s
manipulation and betrayal.

“I was asked to come here to protect
you, which I intend to continue to do to the very best of my
ability. You are caught in a complex web of Vlad Dracula’s
creation, yet you are joyfully your own person. I find that
enthralling and I rejoice that I am protecting someone who truly
deserves my devotion, and not a pretty simpleton.”

Mollified by his words, I folded my
arms over my bosom. “I dare say you are an odd man. You are very
unlike any servant I have ever encountered.”

“I am, like you, caught in a web. And
I, like you, desire to be free of it one day. We are very much
alike, you and I. That is most likely why Astir sent me to
you.”

“He is a duplicitous, terrible
creature!”

“Oh, yes, when he desires to be. He can
also be your greatest ally. It is best to remember
that.”

I pondered his words and all that had
come before and slowly a thought dawned on me. “He sent you to tell
me of Vlad. He wanted you to expose Vlad’s cruel deception, didn’t
he?”

Adem tilted his head and gazed at me
solemnly. “No. That was my choice. Your spirit, your spark, is
appealing in one who is one of the undead. It is rare. I do not
wish to see it lost.”

Touched by his words, I could not find
any to respond.

“What you did to Vlad Dracula is
terrible, yet I commend you. I hope you will truly find freedom
when we reach Buda and you are far from him. I hope that your
nightmares recede and you find what will truly bring youhappiness.”
Leaning over, he took my hand and kissed it. “Now, close your eyes
and sleep until the night comes.”

As my fury seeped away, I did feel the
need to rest. I slouched down, leaning my head against the velvet
fabric of the seat. Adem carefully covered me with Astir’s coat,
tucking it around me to hide my face and hands.

“Sleep well, my Countess,” he said
softly, then departed.

I was asleep before the carriage door
closed.

Chapter 11

When I next woke, a cool evening breeze
flowed through the carriage, sweeping away the stale air trapped
during the hours of the day. The palest swath of pink and lavender
over the tops of the mountains revealed the descent of the sun. The
wind rustled through the leaves of the trees lining the road as an
owl called out. Night had come again.

I tossed Astir’s coat aside and noted
he was not in the carriage. Katya was asleep again, curled on the
seat across from me. As Magda finished opening the last window, she
realized I had awakened and quickly moved to help adjust my bonnet
and smooth my skirts.

I am usually a tad surly when I awaken
and the cramped confines of the carriage annoyed me. Glancing out
the window as Magda fixed my curls, I noted our escort was missing
from view.

“Where are the guards? Where is
Astir?”

“I am uncertain. Lord Astir disappeared
after we stopped to freshen the horses and have a bite to eat,”
Magda replied.

I snorted with frustration. “He is most
likely in Buda while we are doomed to a long journey. If only I had
his power we would have already arrived. I despise
traveling.”

Impulsively, I leaned out of the open
carriage window to seek out Adem. With relief I saw that the guards
were trailing behind on horseback.

Adem caught sight of me and spurred his
mount to match the pace of the carriage. His curls bounced against
his broad shoulders as the horse drew alongside.

“Where is Astir?” I
demanded.

“He will return shortly,” Adem answered
in a tone that was slightly evasive.

“Truly?” I said doubtfully. “When do we
reach the inn?”

“Soon, but there may be a dire
situation developing. We believe we are being followed,” Adem
explained.

“By whom? Hunters?” I frowned at the
thought. The last time I had been confronted by the vampire hunters
I had been gravely wounded and forced from Buda.

“Perhaps. I have Enre scouting behind
us to determine if they are actually pursuing us and if so, who
they are.”

“Keep me informed,” I ordered, before
sitting back in my seat and scowling.

“As you wish,” Adem answered, pulling
up on the reins to fall back.