The Vampire’s Priceless Treasure

by Painter, Kristen

  “I do.”

  “Excellent news. Most excellent. Why don’t we sit?” Pavlina gestured to the grouping of silk upholstered armchairs positioned by the fireplace, which didn’t look as though it had been used in centuries. The rug under the chairs was probably equally as old.

  Kora sank into a chair, seemingly grateful not to have to support her own weight any longer. Greyson’s heart went out to her. What a gut punch this had to be.

  To find out that the mother you thought was dead was still alive and living what appeared to be a rather extravagant life and hadn’t reached out to you in, what, seventy-five years? A hundred? Nor did Pavlina seem particularly excited to see Kora. No wonder she was in a state of shock.

  He didn’t know how to protect her in this situation. Or how to fix it. There was no life experience that prepared you for this kind of business. So he did the only thing he could think of. He made small talk. At the very least, it would buy Kora some time to compose herself. At best, he might learn something that would explain why Pavlina thought abandoning her daughter had been the right move.

  “Have you lived here long, Pavlina? This estate is beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” Her smile seemed more genuine now. “I’ve lived here quite a while, but I don’t live here alone. The southern wing houses quite a few others.”

  That was an odd answer that only created more questions. “Others? Other vampires?”

  “Yes.” Her expression turned serious. “We are the Prosvita. Perhaps you’ve heard of us?”

  He had, but he played dumb, preferring to see what she might tell him about the splinter group of Russian vampires who claimed they would someday rule the world, as was their birthright. Crazies, as far as he was concerned. “No, I’m sorry. What is the Prosvita?”

  “We are the Enlightened Ones. The elite vampire children of Rasputin and the heirs to his power, which has lain dormant since it was hidden a century ago.”

  Wheels turned in Greyson’s brain. “You’re a descendant of Rasputin?”

  “I am.” She looked at Kora. “As is my daughter. All the Prosvita are. It’s a requirement for membership.”

  And the jewel they’d unearthed was supposed to be the source of Rasputin’s power. No wonder the Prosvita wanted it. They thought it was their inheritance, so to speak. “Why is the Brotherhood after the jewel?”

  Pavlina’s eyes gleamed with sudden emotion. “Did the Brotherhood come after you? Do they know what Kora found? That she brought it here?”

  “Yes, they came after us. Several times.” There was no point in lying. He didn’t like Pavlina enough to spare her from the truth anyway. “If you mean do they know that Kora found the source of Rasputin’s power, then yes, they know what we were after and that we found it. I don’t think they know we brought it here. We were careful not to be followed.”

  Pavlina was quiet for a moment, but before she could speak, Kora did.

  “I want answers.” Kora’s shocked expression was gone, replaced by an unyielding look of determination. “Why did you disappear on me and Dad?”

  Pavlina turned toward her daughter. “Because the Prosvita had work for me. And sometimes that work was dangerous. It was safer to stay away. Besides, your father was perfectly capable of raising you, a fact he enjoyed proving to me over and over again. Eventually, my work won out.”

  That answer did nothing to quell the growing anger in Kora’s eyes. “So you just abandoned your child for some organization. Did it ever occur to you that I might need you more than a bunch of vampires?”

  “Kora, be reasonable. The Prosvita are much more than that. You have no idea what we’re working toward. What the jewel you found will enable our people to do.”

  “Then tell me.”

  Pavlina slanted her eyes at Greyson. “He is not one of us.”

  Kora lifted her chin. “He’s with me, and that should be good enough.”

  “It’s not,” Pavlina shot back. “What our father, Rasputin, has provided for us will make us the envy of all other vampires. We will be their superiors. I will not speak of this further in front of him.”

  Kora was clearly fed up. She shifted her gaze to Greyson. “I guess this is where she explains how we’re going to be able to turn into bats.”

  Pavlina snorted and rolled her eyes. “As if such pettiness would drive us all these years. No, what I speak of will change the lives of all who bear Rasputin’s blood in their veins. It will lift us to our rightful place. And because of your efforts in finding the stone we have been searching for, because you are my daughter, I offer you a place here with us, Kora.”

  “You want me to join you.” Kora shook her head. “Was this all some kind of test?”

  Pavlina seemed confused that Kora wasn’t jumping at the offer. “Not a test, no. The stone has been missing for nearly a century. All we had was the half of the locket to go on. None of us could make sense of the small portion of the inscription we had. What you did was above and beyond any test.”

  To put it mildly, Kora was miffed. “But now, after all these years, now that I’ve done something you deem worthy, you want me with you.”

  Pavlina didn’t seem to grasp Kora’s bitterness or the irony of the situation. “Your rightful place is here with me. You are my child.”

  “Was your child. I’m an adult now. My own person.” Kora stood, practically vibrating with anger. “But you know what? None of that matters. I’m done. I can’t believe you’re alive. And yet, I find myself not really caring.” She nodded at Greyson. “I’m ready to go.”

  Pavlina jumped to her feet. “You will not leave without turning over Rasputin’s Stone. It belongs with us. With his children.”

  “No can do, Mommy Dearest. For one thing, it’s not on me. For another, if I’m a descendant of Rasputin, then it belongs with me just as much as it does you. But the bottom line is we’re going to negotiate new terms. You want that stone? Fine. I want to be paid for my time. Scratch that, I need to be paid. For my time, effort, and expenses. Greyson’s, too, since he only came along at my bequest. Ten million in gold, diamonds, or cash. Your choice, because I’m easy like that.”

  Pavlina opened her mouth to respond, but the doors to the sitting room burst wide before she could say a word.

  The manservant from before came flying in, eyes glowing with urgency. “Signorina, there are wolves in the garden and more at the gate.”

  Greyson and Kora looked at each other and simultaneously spoke the same words. “The Brotherhood.”

  Pavlina pointed at Greyson, her fangs bared. “You led them here.”

  “I did nothing of the kind,” he snapped back. “Kora, we need to get out of here.”

  She nodded, but Pavlina snatched her arm. “Give me the stone.”

  Kora pulled free of her mother’s grip. “I told you I don’t have it with me. We’ll discuss payment and the exchange later, if we’re all still alive.”

  She grabbed for Kora again, but missed. “You cannot leave.” Then she shouted at the manservant. “Aldo, alert the others.”

  “Yes, signorina.” He left as quickly as he’d entered.

  Again, she pleaded with Kora. “You cannot go. They will follow you and take the stone. Better to stay here and fight with us. The odds are in our favor. We are more than fifty strong.”

  Kora looked at Greyson. He frowned. “I hate to admit she might be right, but that’s a lot of vampire power.”

  “Fine,” Kora said. “We’ll stay and fight, but this business with the stone is not resolved.”

  “No, it is not,” Pavlina said. “Follow me.”

  She led them through the estate and upstairs. On the way, they passed numerous other vampires getting ready for the onslaught. Once, through a window that looked out onto the garden, Greyson swore he saw the glow of eyes.

  But even without that, the scent of wolf was strong. There was no denying they were surrounded. What he couldn’t understand was how the Brotherhood had found them. He and Kora had been
so careful.

  He went around a corner after Kora and her mother, bumping his arm against the wall as he did. The contact made him wince. His arm was no better. In fact, it might be a little worse. He put his hand to the wound. Heat seeped through the fabric of his shirt, and the welts felt like they’d swollen.

  Whether it was poison or infection, he was starting to feel the effects of it on his system. His reaction time was a fraction off, and his other senses were not as sharp. He was going to need medical help soon.

  But he’d be fine until the Brotherhood was dealt with.

  He hoped.

  Kora didn’t want to fight. She also didn’t want anyone to die, but more than that, she wanted all of this to be over. The Fox was her mother. And her mother was still very much the woman Kora had recently come to understand her to be.

  Selfish. Uncaring. Concerned only with her own interests and what was best for Pavlina. She wasn’t any more interested in being a mother to Kora than she ever had been.

  The pain of that realization seared through Kora like a hot blade.

  There was no way on this green earth that Kora was going to give her Rasputin’s Stone. The woman didn’t deserve it. Not even for ten million dollars. No amount of money or jewels or gold would make Kora hand it over.

  She still wanted very much to know what power it held, but what did it matter? She knew enough. If Pavlina and the Prosvita thought it was going to turn the Rasputin vampires into superior creatures, Kora understood the trouble that would create.

  No wonder the Brotherhood had said it would start a war.

  The room Pavlina took them to was large enough to be a ballroom. It overlooked the garden with a small balcony, but on the other side, the estate backed up to a narrow span of ground and then the exterior wall. Beyond that was a sidewalk and a road.

  For all its palatial expanse, the palazzo was still in Rome, and Rome was every inch a city.

  The room was dark, giving them the benefit of some cover, although the wolves had excellent eyesight as well.

  Kora sidled up to the edge of the doors that opened onto the balcony. She looked into the gardens, trying to spot the wolves.

  Greyson went to the windows on the opposite side. “There are several on the street. I’m sure we’re completely surrounded.”

  Pavlina paced the floor, wringing her hands. “Come away from the windows. They’ll spot you.”

  Kora frowned. “They already know we’re in here.” She went back to searching the garden. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness outside, shapes began to form. She counted quickly. “At least twelve. No, make that fourteen. Fifteen. At least that many.”

  Pavlina made a sound of disgust. “Foolish creatures. They will die in their attempt to stop us. But I suppose some of them might prefer that to servanthood.”

  Kora detected what sounded like madness in her mother’s voice. “What on earth are you talking about, Pavlina?”

  Pavlina stopped pacing. “When we take over, the wolves will become subject to us again. All shifters will. They are lesser creatures.”

  Greyson made a rude noise. “The wolves were right. You are going to start a war.”

  Pavlina’s lip curled. “Perhaps, but it will be a short one, I assure you. And we will win.”

  “What makes you so certain? Shifters outnumber vampires in vast amounts. You think all you have to worry about are the wolves?” He walked toward her. “Every supernatural that can transform into another creature will join with them.”

  She only looked more defiant. “Our strike will be swift. And unexpected. They will have no choice but to bend to our will.”

  Greyson’s eyes narrowed. “You are hell-bent on destruction, aren’t you?”

  Kora shook her head. “I wish I’d known it was you who’d hired me. And how insane you truly are. Why did you call yourself the Fox, anyway?”

  Pavlina shrugged. “It’s a loose translation of the name of this estate, after the man who built it. Edwardo Volpini. So I went with it.”

  Greyson met Kora’s gaze with sympathy. “I’m not dying here. Not for her. And neither are you.”

  Kora nodded. “I know what I need to do. But it’s going to take a few uninterrupted minutes.” She hoped he understood what she was asking him to do.

  He smiled. “I’ll give you all the time I can.”

  Pavlina took a step toward Kora. “What are you going to—”

  Greyson blocked her path. “Take another step toward her, and we’re going to have a problem.”

  “Thanks,” Kora said.

  Then she opened the doors to the balcony and stepped out to face the wolves.

  More pairs of gleaming, glowing wolf eyes looked up from the garden than Kora could count. She’d never faced that many angry shifters before. And certainly not a group that most likely wanted her dead.

  Intimidating, to say the least.

  But she was half vampire, half reaper, and she was not about to let this moment in time get the best of her.

  She cleared her throat. “I wish to speak to the leader of the Brotherhood.”

  Behind her, Pavlina cursed. “What are you doing, you fool girl?” Then, “Let go of me.”

  “No,” came Greyson’s immediate response. “Not until Kora’s done what she needs to do.”

  That bolstered Kora’s resolve. “Well? Which one of you is in charge? Don’t tell me you came here without a leader.”

  Another moment passed, then a woman with short gray hair and a Roman nose stepped into the clearing near the fountain. “I am Vittoria Ricci, and I am the captain of the Rome Brotherhood.”

  Kora wanted to make a comment about how it should be the Personhood, then, but knew that wouldn’t get her anywhere. “Nice to meet you, Vittoria. I’m Kora Dupree.”

  Vittoria’s expression didn’t change. “We know who you are. What do you want?”

  “To put a peaceable end to all this.”

  Vittoria snorted. “Is that so?”

  “Yes, it is.” Kora glared at the woman, hoping to make her see that she was being serious. “Why do you want the stone?”

  “Because it’s too much power for one small group to possess. Do you have the stone?”

  Kora ignored the question. “What is this power?”

  More noise behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see that Greyson had his arms wrapped around a struggling, snarling Pavlina.

  Pavlina attempted to lunge forward when she made eye contact with Kora. “The wolves are full of lies. Don’t listen to them. They only want the stone for their own uses. They want to destroy all vampires.”

  “They haven’t said anything yet.” Kora focused her attention on the garden again.

  “We don’t want to destroy anyone,” Vittoria snapped. “We have no feud with peaceable vampires. The Prosvita are not peaceable. They mean to rule the supernatural world.”

  Kora couldn’t argue that, since Pavlina had said as much. “Please, Vittoria. What power does this stone hold?”

  “You went after the stone without knowing its value?”

  “I did, because its value to me was the exchange of information promised upon its delivery.” She glanced at her mother before looking at Vittoria again. “But that information proved to be less than satisfactory, and now I find myself thrust in the middle of this…unfortunate situation without knowing why.”

  Vittoria held her hand out. “Give me the stone, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

  Kora tilted her head with disbelief. “Do you really think I would agree to that? Your people tried to kill my partner and me. The Brotherhood lost any chance to be trusted in Saint Petersburg.”

  Vittoria dropped her hand. “They wouldn’t have killed you.”

  “Really?” Kora raised her brows. “Because they sure tried.”

  Greyson snorted. “Ask them what kind of poison they laced their claws with.”

  Kora nodded, trying not to let her worry for him show. She hated that he’d been hurt
. “Good point.” She turned back to Vittoria. “If they didn’t mean to kill us, what kind of poison were they using on their claws?”

  She shook her head. “Just a little laudanum to slow you down.”

  “She’s lying,” Greyson muttered. “My arm’s on fire. Laudanum wouldn’t do that.”

  Kora stared down at Vittoria. “What else? This is your last chance to tell the truth.”

  Vittoria frowned. “They also imbedded a tracker in the male who was with you.”

  “A tracker?” Greyson snarled. “No wonder my arm hurts so bad.”

  Pavlina hissed. “I told you that you brought the Brotherhood here.”

  “Yeah,” Greyson said. “You did. But that changes nothing.”

  Kora held her hands out. “Tell me what the stone does.”

  “First, tell me if you have it,” Vittoria responded.

  Kora nodded, resting her hands on the balcony railing. “It’s in a safe place. What does it do?”

  “Stupid child,” Pavlina started. “Why are you bothering with these wolves? We could crush them under our heels if you would only—”

  Kora spun around. “Greyson, shut her up.”

  Greyson clamped a hand over Pavlina’s mouth. “This won’t last.”

  Kora returned to Vittoria. “Answer me. Now.”

  Frustration clear on her face, Vittoria lifted her chin. “The stone gives all Rasputin vampires immunity from the sun.”

  Kora’s mouth dropped open as the stunning news registered. “We could daywalk?”

  “Yes,” Vittoria answered. “Making your people unstoppable.”

  No wonder the wolves didn’t want them to have it. What would it be like to feel the sun’s warmth on her face? To see the world bathed in the brilliance of daylight? She had no idea.

  She’d never been human. Never had that other life in the mortal world.

  From the garden, Vittoria said, “You see why we cannot allow one sect of vampires to own such a thing?”

  Kora was lost in a literal daydream, but pulled herself back to the moment. “I do. But what would the Brotherhood do with it?”

  Vittoria’s eyes narrowed. “Destroy it.”