Vlad

by Stacey Rourke

  “Actually,” he pointed out, launching off the mattress, “you can’t. That’s the point of this whole rigamarole. You should also know that until you commit yourself to The Dragon, I will be able to manipulate it to my will. Yet another dark magic trick I picked up. That said, were you to submit, you could unleash its full fury, and protect Transylvania. Just a little something to think about.”

  Nostrils flaring, I stalked a circle around him. “And if I don’t?”

  Crossing one arm over his middle, Dorian rested the opposite elbow on it to support his chin in his palm. “If you don’t, Murad and his soldiers will storm this village and slice the life out of you. In which case The Dragon will be forced to find another vessel, and I can continue my pursuit.”

  “The dunes at the edge of the valley offer a great vantage point of the entire village.” My chest rose and fell in fevered pants.

  “How thoughtful, you don’t want me to miss a moment of the spectacle!” Dorian mused with a playful clap of his hands.

  “No.” For the first time, I found myself missing Drákon’s writhing from within. “Because I want you to stay and watch. Once this is over, it won’t matter where you hide. I will find you, and I will kill you.”

  Chapter fourteen

  Vinx

  Still buzzing from my hunt, I skid around the corner into my room, hoping to shower off the grime before the house roused for the night. Easing the door shut, I flicked on the light, and spun to find a figure lounging on my bed.

  “Have you heard the latest?” Hands behind his head, Carter’s long legs were crossed at the ankle.

  I handled the surprise in cool, vampress fashion. Meaning I squealed, threw myself backwards, and banged my funny bone on the doorknob.

  “Nice creature of the night reflexes.” Carter mused with the lift of one eyebrow.

  “You’re lucky I don’t lead with the fang!” Granted, my heart couldn’t race, but it did give one harried lurch in objection. “What in Vlad’s name are you doing sneaking into my room?”

  Kicking his legs over the side of the bed, he pushed to sitting and dropped his hands in his lap. “Vamp hours combined with jetlag aren’t working for me. I couldn’t sleep, so I turned on the news. What I saw …” trailing off, he chewed on his lower lip. “It was bad. I came in here to talk to you about it. When you weren’t here, I figured you found somewhere to follow the broadcasts and were glued to a screen. Now that I see your crusted blood mustache, I’m thinking I was way off the mark there.”

  “Couldn’t find anything in the kitchen,” I lied, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand.

  “So … you settled for one of the townsfolk?”

  Shoulders sagging, I glared up at him from under my lashes. “Hardly. Venison was on the menu. But, I do need a shower. Maybe we can pause this convo until I—”

  That’s as far as I made it before the door burst open, spilling Elodie and Thomas into the room.

  “Did you tell her?” Stern expression firmly in place, Elodie acknowledged Carter with a lift of her chin.

  “I was about to. Got momentarily distracted by her looking like an extra from a zombie movie.” Carter jabbed his thumb in my direction.

  Thomas sniffed the air, his nose crinkling. “You smell like moss and deer piss.”

  Jabbing my hands on my hips, I rolled my eyes. “As much as I enjoy all of you bursting in to insult my personal hygiene, how about if you get to the point of why you’re here?”

  “That vampire refugee camp we took you to?” Elodie waited for me to nod before continuing. “Somehow, Markus and his people found a way to dose every vamp there with artificial sulfur. All of them are on a spree through New Haven, looting and tearing the city apart. The town lines have been blockaded under a state of emergency. The military has been sent in armed with silver-laced ammunition.”

  Leaning one elbow on top of the antique bureau, Thomas rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “Our plans to go back are destroyed. Not only could we not land a plane there if we wanted to, but the public persona you’ve built isn’t broad enough to stand against something of this magnitude, Vinx. You’re known primarily in Connecticut. We need someone with a more global pull.”

  Elodie planted herself at the foot of the bed, and crossed her arms over her middle. “We need Rau.”

  “Or, Vlad,” Carter added.

  Slumping against the wall, I melted to the floor. “That won’t work. Not now. Even mentioning Vlad’s awake will fuel the panic. The media will spin it that it was the buckets of blood being spilled that woke him.”

  “You!” A deathly rattle rasped from the open doorway. Hood pulled back, a formerly cloaked member of the Court drifted into the mix. To my astonishment, his appearance was far more haunting without that woolen shield. Leathered skin stretched taut over bone. Sunken features were stained a deep, bruise purple. Flanked by an indifferent Rage, he rolled one gnarled hand from beneath his draped sleeve to stab a knotty finger in my direction. “I saw you with him, out in the woods.”

  Pushing off the bureau, Thomas snapped to attention. “Brother Renfield, you’ve broken your vow of silence!”

  Wincing as if each word pained him, the skeletal being I now knew as Renfield smacked cracked and arid lips. “She and the master hunted together, and … he gave her his prey.”

  A chorus of shocked gasps fluttered through the room. Even Carter blinked my way in astonished disbelief.

  “I knew I heard voices!” Micah stepped from the bathroom dressed in a robe. Squeezing water from her hair with a terry cloth towel, she recoiled the instant she caught a whiff. “Ugh, why does it smell like a petting zoo in here?”

  “That smell,” Elodie gulped, “would be Vincenza. It seems she … hunted with Vlad.”

  Batdog wove between Micah’s feet, scampering to my side to paint my face with sloppy kisses.

  Groaning at Elodie’s melodramatic announcement, I scratched the rump of my wriggly little furball. “Everyone keep their pants on, geez! It was one hunt. You all need to simmer down.”

  Hands falling limp to her sides, the towel slipped from Micah’s fingers and floated to a heap on the floor. “Vinx, have you forgotten everything I taught you? All of our lessons on vampire traditions and practices?”

  “No!” I countered with an indignant flare. “I put a pin in anything that could prevent me from getting killed. Which seemed like a stellar strategy.” Six sets of eyes burned into me without blinking. “Although, now I’m feeling I’ve missed a crucial factor in this equation. Anyone want to clue an undead sister in?”

  “There is only one reason a male Nosferatu of his station would deliver food to a female, and allow her to feed first.” Thomas bumped my hip with his heel, patiently waiting for me to catch up.

  Peering up at him, I shook my head and shrugged.

  Elodie sighed in annoyance. “Because … he views her as a suitable, potential mate.”

  Eyebrows disappearing into my hairline, all I could manage was a shocked, “Huh?”

  “Something about her must have struck a chord with him.” Micah peered my way, like she wanted to examine me under a microscope. “How fascinating.”

  Slapping my palms to the wall behind me, I shimmied up to standing. “Okay, can we all agree we might be overreacting to this just a tad?”

  A ripple of fabric, and Renfield stood directly in front of me. “You must marry him!”

  “Or, you know, we could hurdle straight into insanity.”

  Catching my chin with the crook of his decrepit finger, Renfield turned my head in one direction then the other. “You’re homely compared to his first wife, Jusztina. However, dim lighting may work in your favor.”

  “Like you’re Chris Hemsworth?” I jabbed, swatting his hand away.

  Catching hold of my fingers, he held them tight in both hands. “Without that nuptial bond,
I fear we will lose him again. In our time, the fact that you aren’t much to look at would have paled in light of doing one’s duty by honoring the marital vows.”

  “I liked you better as a silent, scary-ass phantom.”

  “What happened to Jusztina shattered his heart. He never fully recovered. Since then, I have witnessed him showing no interest in any woman.” The blood red orbs of his eyes gazed upon me with awestruck appreciation. “Until you, a scientifically engineered mutt.”

  Giving his hand a squeeze, I dropped my voice to a supportive whisper. “Is this your first time ever trying to compliment someone? You’re not good at it.”

  Face a mask of concentration, Elodie pressed her index finger to her lips. “He might be on to something. We could use this. A relationship between the two of them might give us the larger platform we need. With all the brutality splashed on every news channel, we flip the narrative. We sell people on the fairytale romance between the Nosferatu god and vampress nobody. The media will be banging down the door to cover the story of the century. Then, we weave our statements into what they think are going to be cutesy fluff pieces.”

  Suddenly feeling insanely exposed, I curled my shoulders inward and covered myself with my arms. “By pimping me out to the King of the Undead? I’m going to go ahead and take a hard pass.”

  “Seriously?” Micah tsked. “You don’t think he’s hot in a kingly, call me Daddy, kind of way?”

  “First of all,” I cringed, stabbing a finger of judgment in her direction. “Not that. Never that. We as a collective society need to agree that daddy shit is gross and icky. Secondly, yes. I’m very serious about not being prostituted.”

  Absentmindedly, Thomas scratched at the stump of his severed hand. “It’s not prostitution. It’s politics.”

  Shoving himself off the squeaky mattress, Carter’s face folded with regret. “More to the point, Vinx, it may be our only option.”

  “This is insane!” I exclaimed, casting a glare of blame on each of them. “Let’s circle back to the ‘Why is Vlad Awake’ argument, shall we? A staged romance isn’t going to prevent whispers that he snapped to just in time for a vampire uprising!”

  At that, they fell silent.

  “Oh, for Vlad’s sake!” Rage broke the hush with an exasperated groan from her post by the door. “The level of stupid in this room physically pains me. Has no one read or watched any of that teeny-bopper vampire-romance drivel? This is standard love story crap. It has been a ritual of the Court for, like, ever to bleed over the seal at Vlad’s tomb on every full moon. So, say her service to the Nosferatu community earned her a place on the Court. She moved in, and joined in her first bloodsharing. Vlad got a taste, saw into her soul—or some bullshit like that—and had to wake and make her his. Really, it’s pretty simple. But, if you all need me to draw you a diagram with stick figures, I can.”

  Defeat stealing over his features, Carter’s head tilted. Locks of golden hair fell across his forehead in a charming disarray. “It’s the right thing to do, Vinx. Even if I do hate it to the depths of my soul.”

  Dragging my hands through my hair, I tried to find any other alternative we failed to consider. “And, you’re all okay with me manipulating the Prince of Darkness into a relationship? No one sees that as a problematic scenario?”

  Renfield sauntered in a slow circle around me, dragging his stare up and down my length. “I will tell my Lord the truth about our agenda. Without a handsome dowry, or wide-brimmed hat to cover her harshly human features, I feel that will be the only way to sway him in our favor.”

  “I’m just going to say it, man, you’re kind of a dick.” I stated, chin tucked to my chest.

  “This is our plan, then? We’re really going to do this? Create some undead fairytale?” Bringing his hands together in a sharp clap, Carter swiveled on the ball of his foot, waiting for someone to confirm the agenda.

  Arms swinging slack at her sides, Rage’s head fell back. “Yes! Do you want it chiseled in flippin’ stone? The group decided that after tedious discussion! Ugh! You are all the worst!” With that as her parting sentiment, Rage stomped off down the hall.

  “For a human she completely lacks in compassion … or civility. I’ll go talk with Lord Draculesti at once. The moment I have a response, I shall return.” Renfield flipped his hood up, then floated from the room like the specter he resembled.

  Chest filling with a plethora of sentiments left unsaid, Carter feigned an enthusiastic grin that landed closer to a pained grimace. “Alright! Let’s do this. Vinx and Vlad, sitting in a tree. I’m going to go have a drink … or three.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Vinx

  A soft knock rattled the door of my suite. Stretched out on the bed, hands folded over my stomach, I stared up at the tapestry canopy without moving. Gold roses vined through a sky of crimson velvet. I had laid there long enough to follow the path of each branch of intricate embroidery to the bushel of roses at its end.

  “Vinx? I know you’re in there. Open the door.”

  “It’s not locked.” Rolling on my side, I turned my back to the door.

  Padding in quietly, Carter eased the door shut behind him with a soft click. Taking a seat at the foot of the bed, I felt the shift of the mattress beneath his weight. “I talked to Renfield. Vlad agreed to this crazy plan. A public announcement is being made later today. Interviews are already being scheduled. But none of that means anything if you don’t want to do this. Just say the word, and we’re gone. We’ll find another way.”

  “You heard Renfield. This may be my only chance to land a man.”

  “That’s not funny, or true.”

  Sitting up, I curled my legs under me. “No, none of this is funny.” I palmed the remote, clicking on the wall-mounted television.

  Screams filled the room. On the screen, vampires burst through clouds of black smoke. Crimson tears streaked their blister-pocked cheeks. Some fell to the ground, frantically clawing for escape while their flesh boiled.

  “In response to the recent outbreak of Nosferatu attacks in New Haven, the national guard has been called in.” The newscaster’s voice over explained with calm indifference. “The footage you are seeing is of silver-laced smoke bombs being released into the heart of the frenzy. While we have no word on if there have been any human causalities, all surviving Nosferatu at the scene will be taken into custody. From there, they will be transported to facilities donated by DG Enterprises. All of which are specifically designed to contain vampires.”

  Tears burning behind my eyes, my voice dropped to a raspy whisper. “They can kill and maim us in plain sight, without just cause or repercussions. To them, our lives hold no value outside of their own twisted delights. We need to rally the Nosferatu people, along with all our supporters. By standing together, we can shout to the world that our opposers do not decide who or what we are. We do. If taking part in some fairytale romance farce is going to put a mic in my hand, that can reach hundreds of thousands, then that is exactly what I’m going to do.”

  His hand drifting to mine, Carter dragged his thumb over my knuckles. “Why does it have to be you?”

  Reaching out, I smoothed his hair behind his ear, letting my fingers linger against the silken strands. “Because, this is what I’ve been training for. Since the day I woke up on Micah’s table, everything has been preparing me … for this. At one time, I thought I was meant to be the executioner of the vampire movement. Now, I’d like nothing more than to be its salvation.”

  “Where is my place in all of this?” He asked more to himself than me.

  “Where do you want it to be?”

  Catching hold of my hand, he clapped it over his heart, allowing me to feel the steady drum of his resolve. “By your side, until the very end.”

  Chapter sixteen

  Vlad

  “Jusztina!” Bolting into the kitchen, after
securing all the windows in the tower rooms, I sprinted in to pull the shutters. “Jusztina!”

  Clutching her knitting needles to her chest, as if such things could protect her, she crept from the sitting room to find me in the dining chamber. “I-is it The Dragon, Vlad? Has something happened?”

  “It has, yet this time Drákon isn’t to blame. I’ve called to the guards. They will be stationed atop the wall surrounding the square.” Catching her by the hand, I led her toward the stairs, ignoring her hesitation with firm yet gentle insistence. “Go up to our chambers, bolt the door, and stay there. When it’s safe, Renfield—you’ve met him, he’s Commander of the Transylvanian Guard—will come for you. Open the door for no one else.” Spinning on her, I collected both her delicate hands in mine. “Do you understand? No one else!”

  Jusztina’s chin quivered, tears tangling in her lashes. “How could I understand? You’ve told me nothing. What’s happening, Vlad? Why must I hide?”

  Afraid to lose the advantage of time, I resumed my hustle up the stairs. “Dorian convinced the Ottoman Empire that I have been plotting an uprising against them. To counter such a threat, Ruler Murad joined with the Saxons. They are headed this way, in search of answers … or my head.”

  Covering her shocked gasp with porcelain fingertips, Jusztina quaked with fear. “What possible reason could he have for committing such a wicked deception?”

  “Long story short? He’s a horrible person.” At the top of the stairs, I slammed shut the small circular window any skilled archer could easily sail an arrow through. “Once I know you’re safe, I will ride out of town and set up camp. There I will stay, to intercept them when they arrive. With any luck, I can convince Murad my loyalties remain in place.”

  Planting her feet, Jusztina pulled against me. “If he doesn’t, you’ll be killed! Vlad you mustn’t!”