The Vengeance of the Vampire Bride (30 page)

My lover appreciated the bath so much
that he only pulled himself from the tub when the water grew cold.
Magda left us so he could dress. As she closed the door, she gave
me such a sweet smile it warmed my heart.

I could not help but watch Ignatius as
he dressed. I wanted to savor the vision of him within my room and
a pang of sorrow slipped through me as I realized how short our
time together had been. I was mesmerized by his every movement. I
loved the way his hair fell about his face and how his muscles
moved beneath his pale skin. When he saw me observing him, his
smirk of amusement made me giggle.

“Enjoying yourself?”

“Immensely.” I was tempted to drag him
back to my bed, but I could see the growing tension in his posture
and knew he would be leaving soon. Instead of seducing him, I
helped him button his shirt and waistcoat before arranging the
cravat around his neck. Every piece of his clothing was black. “You
look rather morose.”

“Every bit of camouflage is necessary
when dealing with the spies of Gavril.”

“You do look handsome.”

“I’m glad it pleases you.” His kiss was
passionately loving.

“You always please me.” Again, sorrow
stabbed deep within me and I forced myself to smile.

A soft knock on the door made me shiver
and I called out, “Yes?”

“Lady Astir is here,” Adem
answered.

“It is time for me to depart.” Ignatius
plucked his tall hat off my vanity and sighed.

I took him in my arms and rested my
head against his chest. His heart was stilled. He had not fed, nor
had I. We were cold dead creatures. Yet, we loved each other and
when we kissed our passion was alive and warm.

Together we stepped out into my sitting
room where Lady Astir was seated on my blue couch. Clad in an ivory
gown with thick, ornate gold embroidery, she was quite the sight.
Her golden hair was twisted and braided into an ornate style
beneath her fashionable hat adorned with large ivory bows and gold
feathers.

“Lady Astir,” Ignatius said, bowing
slightly. He was obviously not surprised by the fallen angel’s
change in gender.

“Father Ignatius, are you prepared to
depart?” Astir rose, her tall, slender form an imposing sight as
always.

Adem lingered at her side, his dark,
scarred face a mask of indifference. Yet, I suspected he would have
much to say once my lover departed. Magda stood a little apart from
us, her head bowed, and her eyes sparkling with tears.

“Regrettably, I am.” Ignatius squeezed
my hand before releasing it.

Astir leaned over to kiss his cheek
before moving on to greet me with a kiss on either cheek. “I did
this despite my better judgment, you know.”

“I thank you.” My voice was hoarse with
emotion. “With all my heart, I thank you.”

“Hrmm,” she merely said, then turned to
Ignatius. “All has been said that needed to be said?”

“Yes.” Ignatius gazed at me somberly,
his lips slightly twitching with emotion.

“Then it is time for you to return to
Vienna. Close your eyes, see your haven, and give yourself to me,”
Astir instructed, her low voice purring with her power.

I moved toward Ignatius, a
protest forming on my lips, but Adem stepped between us. I gripped
my guard’s arm tightly, my eyes filling with tears, and he gently
guided me away from Astir and Ignatius. My gaze did not leave my
love as he reluctantly closed his eyes, concentration furrowing his
brow. He gave a brief nod and Astir raised her hand over his face.
I heard her voice whisper words in an unknown language as she
slowly circled about him. On her third pass around his still form,
he vanished.

“Ignatius!”

Astir turned slowly toward me, her eyes
full of fire. “No time for tears, little one. It is time to
talk.”

“Have you no heart? You have taken him
from me, and I am in pain!”

Adem crushed me against his chest and I
clung to him for comfort. I felt Magda’s gentle hand on my back,
her touch soothing. I sobbed as my tears came. My dead heart gave a
shuddering gasp as I glared at Astir.

“I gave you a gift against my better
judgment! When he summoned me, I refused him until Adem told me how
desperately you needed him.” Astir’s words were clipped and harsh.
“Sit down and stop being a foolish child. If you want him to return
then dry your tears and stop being a simpering foolish
woman.”

The fallen angel’s words enraged me,
but also saved me from wallowing in my despair. Anger rushed up to
chase away my tears. Lifting my chin, I withdrew from Adem’s
comforting embrace and walked over to my favorite chair. Securing
my dressing robe tightly around me, I sat down and glared at
Astir.

“That is much better,” she decided, her
thin lips twisting into the semblance of a smile. She seated
herself on the sofa and arranged her heavy skirts around her. Once
she was done plucking at her shawl and setting it right about her
shoulders, she turned her fiery gaze upon me. It was disturbing to
see the fire burning where her eyes should be, but I refused to
look away and be cowed by her.

“Did you tell him about
Ilinca?”

I was startled by the bluntness of her
question and blinked my eyes in confusion.

“I am certain by now you have pieced
together that the vampire that assaulted you and Adem was Ilinca.
Correct?”

“Yes.”

“So did you tell Ignatius about your
encounter with her?”

“No, I did not. If he knew that Ilinca
had interest in me, he would immediately return to Buda and risk
his life to be at my side.”

Astir threw back her head and laughed
with delight. “Ah, you have grown wiser, my little vampire. You are
exactly right.”

“Why did you not respond to my requests
to see you after I saw Ilinca? You abandoned me!”

“You had Adem at your side. My
instructions were clear that you should remain in the role of a
mortal countess. By all accounts, you have done just that. Well,
done, Countess Dracula. So far you have fared well. Do not
disappoint me now.” Astir pointed a long finger at me. “Do not make
me regret assisting you.”

“I have done all you have instructed. I
have established a mortal life in this city. I even have mortal
friends who visit often. I attend parties and concerts. I am well
respected among the mortals, even if I am seen as a bit scandalous
by some due to my marriage. I even have sympathy from those who
believe my husband has abandoned me for far too long while he
travels abroad. So do not threaten me, Astir!”

She snorted and looked away, appearing
to be the wounded party.

Adem moved to stand behind my chair,
his hands resting on the back of it. It was a subtle move of
loyalty I did not expect and it touched me. “She has not been
foolish, Lady Astir. She has been wise. But you have kept her
ignorant of facts that could adversely affect her for far too long.
I strongly advise you to tell her all.”

Astir snapped her head about to glare
at him. I was surprised to see she appeared hurt by his show of
devotion. “Don’t tell me you’re in love with her!”

Magda, lingering in the shadows,
stepped forward. “No. He is in love with me. But we both love her.
So please tell her the truth.”

My mouth dropped open in surprise,
though I should have realized much sooner that they had formed a
close bond. How many times had I seen them talking and smiling
together in the shadows? I glanced up at Adem and he reached down
to squeeze my shoulder.

“Very well. Ignatius has told you most
of the story, I am sure. Now for the rest. There is no order to the
vampire world. They do as they please and that has always been the
way of it. It is rare, but sometimes vampire cabals claim certain
cities or territories as their feeding ground and defend it against
all outside supernatural forces. This is most common in areas of
the world where there have been recent conflicts that flow over
from the mortal world into the realm of the unnatural. Buda has
been one of the cities that has always borne conflict in both the
mortal and immortal worlds. There are other parts of the world
where conflict is rare and vampires and other supernaturals merely
live their lives as they see fit. London is one of those cities.
That is why Vlad desired to go there. There was a brutal conflict
many centuries ago that wiped out most of the supernatural
creatures in the British Isles. Those who remain keep to
themselves, remembering far too well the violence and death that
nearly destroyed them all.”

“And where do you sit among all the
violence and intrigue, Lady Astir?” I stared at her angrily,
wishing she had told me all this before.

“In the center of the web, of course,”
she answered with a smirk. “But, I must admit Buda is my home. I
fell to earth here and I am fond of it. I have seen it rise up over
the many centuries and it is now on the brink of greatness. When
the vampire hunters came, I thought at first that it was merely
coincidence. Then Ilinca and Gavril appeared in my haven and
demanded that I stand apart from the conflict.”

“You’re afraid of vampires?” I was
shocked, but also a bit smug about that fact.

Astir pursed her lips together and cast
her eyes away from me. “They threatened to reveal the haven
entrance to the vampire hunters and compromise my home. I am
powerful, but even I have my limitations. I cast out all the
vampires from my haven and it has cost me dearly. But I promised
Ilinca and Gavril that I would give refuge to none. That I would
not assist any vampire who sought me out.”

“I don’t understand why you would
obey.”

“Because if they destroy Lady Astir’s
haven, they rob her of her power.” Adem’s voice was gentle, but his
words obviously upset Astir. She looked away from him, her hand
resting on her bosom. “Lady Astir feeds on the emotions that fill
her haven. She grants the supernatural creatures and mortals within
her haven their greatest desire and is empowered by their emotions.
She is, in her own way, a vampire, too.”

“You are weakened by the vampires not
being in the haven,” I said, understanding.

“I am weakened by no supernaturals
being in the haven!” She stood up and clutched her hands tightly
before her. “They are all staying away because of this damned
vampire war which I desire to be over! It has gone on far too long!
And if Ignatius were to return, Gavril would see it as a threat and
it would escalate once more! Ignatius cannot return until Gavril
does not see him as a menace to his sovereignty.”

“How does this concern me? I don’t
understand!”

“They are watching you as well,
countess! You are Vlad’s wife and he is not in the city. They
suspect you are his spy, his minion, watching for their weaknesses.
Yes, Vlad killed Baatar, but only once Baatar was in battle with
Gavril and Ilinca. Vlad was fighting on Baatar’s side and switched
allegiances. Despite this, they do not trust him, which is actually
quite wise of them.”

“He won’t do anything. He
can’t!”

“But they do not know that!” Astir
turned about and flung out her hands dramatically. “As far as they
know, he could be creating a vampire army to swoop down and kill
them!”

I covered my face, overwhelmed by my
fragile position in the world. I was trapped in a far more tangled
web than I had ever imagined. It was made even more complex by my
own actions against Vlad Dracula. If he were here, he would know
exactly how to deal with Ilinca and Gavril. I was lost without him
and I grieved me.

“The vampire who sought to kill Vlad on
the road to Buda, he was of the House of Baatar. He sought
revenge,” I said.

“Yes. I delivered his head to Gavril
and Ilinca as a gift from Vlad hoping that it would dissuade them
from suspecting him. It mollified them for a while. And then Ilinca
saw you and here we are.” Astir flung up her hands.

“So how do we resolve this issue?” I
looked up at Astir, feeling humbled by all I now knew.

“Continue as before.” Astir sighed and
handed me a kerchief to wipe way the remains of my earlier tears.
“Do as I said. Be a mortal countess in all ways. If Ilinca or
Gavril approach you, tell them you do not know where your husband
is. That he sent you to the city to stay with your friend and you
are uncertain of when he will return. Pretend to have an empty head
and a frivolous heart. Cower before them if you have to, but do
nothing that would make them believe you are a threat. So far they
appear to be satisfied that you have no designs against them. If we
are lucky, they will not know that Ignatius was here.”

“How can he return?” I felt so lost. I
may have to leave Buda to be with him and I felt certain that would
be fraught with difficulties as well. I was surprised to realize it
would wound me deeply to leave behind Laura and Percy.

“He will need to negotiate with Gavril.
It is the only way.” Astir reached down to grip my trembling hand.
“I do not want to cause you pain, my dear little vampire. I am your
greatest ally and most loving friend.”

I laughed at her words, not truly
believing them. “Are you, Astir? Or are you feeding off me now as
we speak?”