The Vengeance of the Vampire Bride (42 page)

“Then kill me quicker!” Csilla spun
about. “Kill me quicker so the dreams may cease and I will be with
you.”

Despite my drowsy condition, my mind
grasped her words as a threat. “What are you dreaming?”

Her fingers clutched my shoulders as
she drew uncomfortably close to me. “I dream of him. Of Vlad. He
calls to me out of the darkness.” Her voice dropped into hushed
tones. “He tells me all is forgiven if I will obey him.”

I swallowed hard against the
constriction of my throat. “What does he ask of you?”

Csilla’s fingertips traced over my
collarbone to my throat. They fluttered there like butterflies
against my skin. Her mouth was so near to mine, I could feel her
warm breath when she spoke. Beneath her lowered lashes, her dark
eyes were dangerous and seductive. “To bring you to
him.”

I was staggered by her words though I
had anticipated them. The curse upon the ring had kept him from me,
but not from those around me. I had been foolish to believe he
would be so easily dissuaded from his attacks. I turned my gaze
away from her, trying to organize my thoughts and fight away the
growing panic within me.

“In my dreams, I see the castle. I hear
him calling out from within it. He promises such lovely things.”
Her hand slid into my hair and she rested her forehead against
mine. “He promises to exalt me and to love me above all others if I
bring you to him.”

“And what will you do?” I
asked.

“He’s lying,” she said, bitterly. “I
know it.”

I gripped her face tightly with one
hand. “Do you?”

“You have broken away from him, haven’t
you?” Her tone was savage. “He never forgave me! He never forgives!
I wanted it to be true, but he does not forgive! If he does not
want me, do you, Glynis? Do you?”

“Yes,” I answered, releasing her. “I
want you. He does not. I came here to establish a life without him.
He has fought to reclaim me, but I will not bow to him ever again.
I went against his wishes by being here with you and promising you
a place at my side.” How easily I mixed the truth with
lies.

“Of course!” She laughed with relief.
“Of course! You are building your own House of Dracula! If you are
defying him, then you must want me.” Fear drained away from her as
she grabbed my hands and kissed them ardently.

“I could not tell you the truth. I am
sorry, but I will not be under his control ever again.”

“I am relieved in so many ways that I
will be with you and not him. I loved him for so very long, yet to
know that he has not forgiven me, it has hardened my heart. But to
know that you would defy him to be my friend, to make me your
Bride, I am touched so deeply.” Tears of relief trailed over her
flushed face.

I was no fool. The Baroness Dosza’s
only desire was to be immortal and forever beautiful. If Vlad would
not grant her wish, then she would embrace me immediately as her
only chance at fulfilling her desires. I wanted to slap her, but
instead I let her press kisses to my hands in gratitude.

“Dear Countess Dracula, I will do as
you wish and I will be your faithful child forever. I promise you
this.” Her eyes fleetingly flicked to Laura, but she directed her
full gaze to me. “I will do whatever you desire and shall always be
at your side.”

I touched her cheek and her hand folded
over mine, pressing her face into my palm. Her eyes closed with
rapture; she was a lovely, beautiful, selfish woman. “Your loyalty
has already been confirmed. All shall be well,” I
promised.

She pressed her lips against mine in an
ardent kiss. The gesture unnerved me and I slid my lips away from
hers, over her cheek, to bite into her neck. She swooned against me
as I drank, holding her close.

I could not help but think I have
complicated my life beyond salvation.

Later-

I awoke nestled between
the two sleeping women. For a moment I thought I was in the castle
sleeping with Cneajna, but then I saw the serene face of the
baroness and remembered. She seems content with my bites for now,
but as a woman who uses her feminine wiles to obtain what she
desires, I am not certain how much longer I can keep up my farce. I
understand that it is Laura’s nature to love other women, but I
feel that Csilla is only trying to bed me so that she can be my
favorite. It disturbs me that she would think me so low as to give
her favor for sexual gratification. Besides, I do not regard my own
sex as romantic interests.

Perhaps it is not my
womanly wiles which have seduced Katya and Csilla. Perhaps it is my
vampiric nature. They were both corrupted by Vlad. He feasted on
both of them, shaping them to his desires. Perhaps I am not a woman
in their eyes, but merely a vampire. A vampire who can give them
the pleasure of the bite and the promise of immortality.

I am uncertain of those two
women, but I am sure that Laura will stay by my side because of who
I am as a person, not because I am a vampire.

Perhaps I should not write
these words, but can my life become any more complicated than it
is?

I fear that the answer is
simply yes.

Chapter 28

The Journal of Countess
Dracula

November 29,
1820

The Dosza Palace

Upon rising tonight, I fed
from Csilla before sending her to her rooms. Laura was surprised by
her presence, but said nothing. I then summoned Katya, who bared
her throat for Laura. Though I hovered over Laura like a worried
mother, I was pleased when she took only a few sips. It appears she
will not struggle with the madness of the hunger as I did. But then
again, Vlad kept me half-starved.

Almost immediately
thereafter we were inundated with visitors. Many of our peers
desired to see Laura and express their condolences over the deaths
of her family. But they were also keen to ogle the girl who had
been inadvertently buried alive. Brice was given the difficult task
of sending away the callers that had dared to venture out in the
cold. To my dismay, I was told Borbála was among one of the first
to visit.

As Adem had anticipated,
the authorities arrived to speak with Laura. I accompanied her
downstairs to the parlor where two policemen awaited us. Her pale
complexion and demure aura immediately had both men trying to
comfort her while questioning her. I sat in silence listening to
their inquiries, prepared to impose my will upon them if need be.
Perhaps Laura’s own powers are already manifesting, for neither man
looked at me while speaking to her. Both appeared completely
beguiled by her. They departed after a short interview, both
obviously satisfied with her story. Neither seemed to notice that
she had not cried when speaking about her dead parents.

I was impressed.

“Are all men so easy to
persuade?” she asked once they were gone.

“You did control them!” I gaped at her
in surprise.

“It was astoundingly easy. I merely
thought in my mind that they should see me as a timid little mouse
and tried to project that image. I even heard their thoughts as I
was controlling them.”

“What were they thinking?”

Laura frowned slightly, plucking at the
lace of the lavender gown I had given her to wear. “One was
thinking he would like to place his manhood inside of
me.”

I gasped.

“And the other thought I was a sweet
little girl and that his wife would have loved to take me in and
take care of me if I were not an aristocrat.”

I could not repress my laughter. I was
pleased with Laura’s strength of mind and will, but a little taken
aback by her already growing powers.

Brice appeared in the doorway, his
solemn expression unreadable as always. When he announced Percy had
arrived, I was not surprised. Percy had become the inadvertent hero
in Adem’s and my make-believe drama about the rescue of Laura. I
was gutted that I had to create memories in his mind to fool him
into believing he had saved Laura. It felt like a violation of our
wonderful friendship. But I could still remember the terror in his
eyes after she had ripped open his throat and I felt the moment was
better forgotten.

“Please escort him in,
Brice.”

He bowed his head and left to
obey.

Laura moved to sit beside me on the
sofa, her hand gripping mine. “What shall we say?”

“Let him lead the conversation. He
believes he found and rescued you. Remember that.”

Nervously nodding, she tried to take on
the pose of someone who had suffered a great trauma. I tried to
wipe away my smile of bemusement.

“Laura, Countess!” Percy entered the
parlor in a rush of motion. He gripped my hands tightly as I
greeted him, then abandoned my side to kneel next to Laura. He
clutched her hand and kissed her fingers. “Dear Laura, it is such a
relief to see you safe and far away from that dreadful mausoleum.
When I think of you trapped and cold it breaks my
heart.”

I felt a cold finger of discomfort at
his words. He did not seem quite himself, and I feared my tampering
had altered him in some way.

“But you saved me,” Laura answered in
her lovely voice. “And I am far away from there now. Glynis is
taking very good care of me.”

“Your hand is still chilled.” He rubbed
it vigorously, attempting to warm it. “It is a relief that your
illness has not reclaimed you after spending so much time in the
cold.” Percy drew up a chair to sit close to her.

“I believe the coffin kept me from the
elements.” Laura glanced at me for reassurance, and I gave her a
slight nod.

Percy’s keen blue eyes gazed deep into
hers as she spoke and he shook his head sorrowfully. “I only wish
that I could have returned you to your parents. It was a terrible
scene to witness. I am glad that you were safely away with Countess
Dracula when I discovered them.”

“I am grateful to you and Adem for
handling the matters with the police. They did come here, but were
very kind.”

“It is a remarkable story, Laura. That
you were buried alive is a tragedy unto itself, but for you to be
rescued just as thieves murder your parents...” He trailed off. “It
is almost unbelievable.”

“And yet it happened,” I said
swiftly.

“You hear of such things, but it is
difficult to believe until you witness it with your own eyes. Yet,
I vividly recall Laura calling out from the mausoleum in terror. It
is something I shall never forget. For a moment, forgive me, Laura,
I thought you were a wraith.” He laughed, a nervous sound. “How
could I, a reasonable man of my time, believe such a thing I do not
know. But I am glad you are here, safe with Countess
Dracula.”

I returned the affectionate gaze he
cast in my direction, but I felt uneasy.

His visit was short-lived. Though he
spent most of his time with his attention focused on Laura, I had
the strange sensation that he was watching me. I dismissed the
observation, believing I had become paranoid since I altered his
memory. I resented Vlad for forcing his will upon me. Wouldn’t I
anticipate the same from Percy? When he finally said goodbye, he
kissed my cheek and regarded me with one of his inscrutable
expressions.

“You are a remarkable woman to take her
in as you have,” he said as he prepared to depart.

“What else could I do?”

He merely smiled, donned his hat, and
ventured out into the night.

I turned to find Brice standing near
the doorway. He was studying me with some interest. I had the
impression that I was being constantly measured on his moral scale.
I wondered briefly how I was faring.

“A letter for you,” he said, presenting
it to me.

Taking the envelope, I gazed down at
the unknown seal. I glanced up at him. “Who sent this?”

“It arrived by messenger. He merely
stated he was instructed to deliver it immediately.”

Mystified, I thanked Brice and broke
open the seal.

Come to us tonight on St.
Andrew’s Eve. The gathering is in the graveyard outside of
Borbála’s estate on Castle Hill. Bring your progeny with
you.

Ilinca

I let out a gasp and tried to not
panic.

Brice watched me with his aloof
expression. “Is there something amiss?”

Shaking my head, I waved him away.
“Leave me.”

He inclined his head and
departed.

Frightened, I stood in the foyer
clutching the letter. Ilinca and Gavril knew about Laura, of
course. It was not so difficult for a vampire to view the events of
the previous night and ascertain what had occurred. But how would
that affect their treaty with Vlad?

Shredding the invitation to bits, I was
angered by my own fears.

“Enough of this,” I chastised
myself.

Striding to the parlor to collect
Laura, I admonished myself for hiding constantly from the ones I
feared. I would never be able to stand upon my own two feet amongst
the supernaturals if I did not speak up for myself. I had listened
to Astir and done her bidding. Perhaps I had gained enough goodwill
from Ilinca that I could stand before her unafraid. As for Gavril,
I would have to determine my course of action once I met
him.