“I fear your visit has not been a happy one,” he remarked as he guided her around the floor. “For that, I am truly sorry.”
“Thank you.”
“You are in love with Drake.”
It wasn’t a question but a statement of fact and she saw no reason to deny it. “Yes, I am.”
Andrei nodded. “Our people do not often fall in love. They marry only to beget children.”
“I think that’s terrible,” Elena said candidly, then bit down on her lower lip. “I’m sorry. It’s not for me to judge you or your ways.”
He laughed softly. “Our ways are changing, much to my sire’s vexation.”
“Oh? In what way?” She glanced around the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of Drake.
“He is not here yet,” Andrei said with a knowing smile. “As I was saying, our ways are changing as more of us choose to leave the Fortress and spend time in the outside world. Some of us, our women especially, are beginning to resent being forced to marry men for whom they have no affection.”
“That’s very interesting,” Elena said politely, “but what does it have to do with anything?”
“Katiya does not wish to marry Drake.”
Hope flared in Elena’s heart with all the intensity of a Fourth of July sky rocket. Perhaps all was not lost. “Can’t she refuse him?”
“She could, but she is young. I fear she lacks the courage to defy both her sire and mine.”
“Oh.” Having seen Rodin up close, Elena could understand Katiya’s reluctance to defy him.
“I understand how you feel more than you know,” Andrei said quietly.
“I doubt it.”
“Ah, but I do.” He laughed, but it rang hollow. “You see, my dear Miss Knightsbridge,” he said, swinging her around and around, “I am in love with Katiya.”
“I’m sorry,” Elena said, though it was hard to speak, he was making her so dizzy.
“And she loves me. So you see, I understand exactly how you feel.” He stopped abruptly. “They are here.”
The dancers drifted off the floor to line the walls as the piano fell silent.
Rodin entered first, with Liliana at his side. A couple Elena didn’t know came next. One look at the man and the woman and she knew they had to be Katiya’s parents.
Katiya and Drake came last. She wore an exquisite gown of jade green velvet that showed off her perfect figure. He wore black trousers, supple black leather boots, and a long black coat over a white silk shirt open at the throat. They made a stunning couple. Arm in arm, they walked across the floor, glancing neither to the right nor the left.
Rodin looked every inch the master of his domain as he took the stage. “Good evening to you all,” he said jovially. “As you know, we are here tonight to celebrate the forthcoming marriage of my oldest son, Drake, to the fair Katiya. The wedding will take place tomorrow night. . . .”
Elena gasped. Tomorrow night! So soon? She heard Andrei mutter, “Why didn’t she tell me?”
Gathering her wits about her, Elena stared at Drake, but he refused to look at her.
“. . . and so,” Rodin was saying, “let the festivities begin.” He smiled expansively. “Please, enjoy yourselves. If the wine is not to your taste, there is other refreshment available upon request.”
Elena’s stomach churned. “He means the sheep, doesn’t he?” she whispered, looking up at Andrei.
He nodded. “There are Master Vampires here from many foreign lands. It is customary to provide nourishment.” He took her hand in his cool one. “Come, the music is starting again.”
“How can you be so cheerful?” Elena asked. “They’re getting married tomorrow night!” She almost choked on the words.
Andrei shrugged one shoulder. “It is all an act. What would you have me do? Throw myself on the floor and wail like a spoiled child? For now, we must make the best of it. Relax, and follow my lead. And try to look as if you are having a good time. It will drive Katiya and Drake crazy with jealousy.”
Laughing in spite of herself, Elena glanced around Andrei’s shoulder to see Drake watching her through narrowed eyes as he waltzed by with Katiya.
“Did I not tell you?” Andrei exclaimed. “He is green with envy.”
Andrei insisted they dance every dance. Between sets, he kept Elena close to his side, made sure her wineglass was always full. He regaled her with stories of growing up in the Fortress.
“Those were happy times, the days of our youth, before the need for blood overcame every other thought, every other passion. I surrendered to the compulsion several years before Drake. Though he is the eldest, he held out the longest. My brothers and I tormented him terribly.”
“Why?”
“We were jealous of his determination to resist the compulsion, envious of his ability to consume mortal food, to roam outside in the sun’s light.” Andrei’s gaze focused on Drake. “Once we poisoned his supper.”
“That’s terrible!”
“It only made him sick for a short time. He got even with us, though. He fed the sheep absinthe. It didn’t hurt the sheep, but it made the rest of us violently ill.”
“That’s terrible, too,” Elena said, but she couldn’t help laughing.
It was nearing four in the morning when Elena insisted she needed to sit down. “You might have the staying power of twenty men,” she told Andrei, “but I don’t.”
“Very well.” He escorted her to a chair, stood beside her while she rested. She noted the crowd had thinned considerably. Had the vampires retired early? Or were they dining below? She was about to ask Andrei to walk her back to her room when she saw Drake and Katiya gliding toward them.
“Good evening, brother,” Andrei said with a slight bow.
“Andrei,” Drake replied with a nod. “I wish to dance with Elena.”
Andrei darted a glance in Rodin’s direction. He stood on the other side of the room, conversing with several men. “Do you think that is wise?”
“No, but it will be my last chance to hold her. I am willing to suffer whatever punishment Rodin sees fit to inflict on me.”
“Very well,” Andrei agreed. “Katiya, will you dance with me?”
“You know I will.” She glanced at Drake. “If Rodin says anything, tell him this was at my request. Come, Andrei.”
Drake led Elena onto the floor as the pianist began to play. The music was unlike anything Elena had ever heard—soft and slow, yet there was a dark sensual edge to the notes. She gazed up at Drake as he drew her into his arms. He must have fed well, she thought. The burns and blisters accrued during his stay in the tower had all but disappeared from his face and he looked again like the dashing man she had fallen in love with such a short time ago. How was she going to live without him?
He held her close, his gaze never leaving her face. “Forgive me,” he murmured.
“There is nothing to forgive, my lord.”
“I could have killed you.”
“It doesn’t matter now.” Nothing mattered now, she thought, and perhaps never again.
“I am not giving up,” he said fervently. “No matter how long it takes, I will find a way for us to be together.” He caressed her cheek with his knuckles. “Unless you tell me you no longer love me.”
Conscious of the curious looks of the other dancers, she blinked back her tears. “I’ll love you till my dying breath,” she whispered. “And into eternity.”
“Elena.” He murmured her name and then a curious thing happened. He swept his gaze over her lips, and even though his mouth was not touching hers, she felt the press of his lips, warm and sweet, on her own.
When the music ended, Rodin stood beside them, his devil dark eyes glinting with barely suppressed fury. Andrei and Katiya appeared as if by magic.
Elena glanced anxiously at the three male vampires. Rodin looked ready to explode. Drake’s face was expressionless. Andrei appeared faintly amused.
Katiya smiled at her future father-in-law. “It was my doing,” she sai
d, taking Drake’s hand in hers and squeezing it tightly. “Please do not blame Drake. I wished to dance with Andrei and Drake graciously permitted it.”
Rodin studied her face for several moments, as if trying to determine the veracity of her statement. Katiya met his gaze unwaveringly.
With obvious reservations, or perhaps to avoid a scene, Rodin muttered, “Of course,” and then, with a courtly bow, he strode away.
Elena glanced from Andrei to Katiya. It was easy to see they were very much in love. She wondered how Rodin could be so oblivious, but then she recalled Andrei telling her that vampires didn’t marry for love. Perhaps one had to experience the emotion to recognize it.
When the strains of another waltz filled the air, Drake reluctantly led Katiya onto the dance floor.
Andrei looked at Elena. “Shall we?”
“No, I think I’d like to go to my room, if you don’t mind. I feel a headache coming on.”
“Of course.” Taking her by the hand, he escorted her from the ballroom. “Maybe all is not lost,” he said as they walked down the corridor toward her quarters.
Elena shook her head. “The wedding is tomorrow night.”
“There is still hope that Katiya will find the courage to defy Rodin and her sire. I know Cezar has ignored her tantrums at being forced to wed against her will, but if she can find the nerve to say no during the ceremony . . .” Andrei swore softly. “All she has to do is say no. With so many witnesses, her sire may concede.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“I have to.”
He made it sound so easy, Elena thought when she was alone in her room. Just say no. She didn’t know about Katiya’s sire, but having seen how Rodin meted out justice, Elena doubted she would have the nerve to disobey the Master Vampire. Nor did she believe that Katiya’s father would accept her refusal. But, as Andrei said, it was the only hope they had.
After undressing, she washed her hands and face, pulled on her nightgown, and crawled into bed. She stared up at the ceiling, determined not to cry, but it was no use. Her tears came quickly, burning her eyes, scalding her throat. Tomorrow night, Drake would be forever lost to her. He would marry Katiya and give her children and Elena would never see him again, never lie nestled in his arms, never taste his kisses or experience the wonder of his body melding with hers.
Flopping over onto her stomach, she wailed softly into her pillow, then cried herself to sleep.
Elena woke abruptly, all her senses alert. She didn’t know what had awakened her but something—some innate sense of self-preservation perhaps—told her she was no longer alone.
She sat up, reaching for the lamp beside her bed. A scream rose in her throat and was trapped there when a large hand wrapped around her neck.
“Not a word,” hissed a voice in her ear. “If you cry out, I will break your neck. Understand?”
Heart pounding like the hooves of a runaway horse, she nodded as best she could.
Cool fingers caressed her cheek. “Ever since that first taste, I have hungered for more of your blood.”
Vardin! She shuddered as he ran his tongue along the side of her neck, then bit down hard on her earlobe.
He made ugly sucking noises as he drank, then smacked his lips. “Even better than I remembered.” He released his hold on her neck, then pulled her roughly into his arms, his hands sliding suggestively up and down her back and thighs.
“Why me?” she gasped, hoping to divert him. “There are plenty of sheep to satisfy your thirst.”
He snorted disdainfully. “I do not want one of the sheep. There is no fire in their blood. I want a tiger.”
Knowing he wanted resistance, she went lax in his arms. Perhaps, if she didn’t defy him, he would drink from her and let her go.
“Tomorrow night, Drake will wed Katiya, and when it is done, I will see that you are returned to the sheepfold. And then I will claim you as my own.”
She stared at him in horror. Could he do that?
“You will be mine until I tire of you.” Taking hold of the collar of her nightgown, he ripped it down the front. “But that will not be for a long, long time.”
With a hoarse cry, she tried to cover herself, but he trapped both her hands in his and began to kiss her, his tongue plunging into her mouth. Sheer terror welled up within her when he pushed her down on the bed, then covered her body with his.
Certain she would rather die than have him violate her, she screamed as loudly as she could.
The bedroom door flew open almost immediately. In the pitch blackness of her room, she couldn’t see much of anything, only a dark blur that hurtled inside, grabbed hold of the man atop her, and flung him against the wall. There was the sound of a scuffle, a sharp gasp of pain, and then silence.
The unmistakable scent of blood filled the air.
A moment later, the light came on and Drake was at her side. Wrapping her in a blanket, he cradled her in his arms. Shaking uncontrollably, she glanced over his shoulder. A body lay on the floor, covered from head to midthigh with the bedspread, now sodden with blood.
A number of other vampires materialized in the corridor and inside the room as if conjured by witchcraft. Rodin and Liliana were among them.
“What is going on here?” Rodin demanded.
“Vardin attacked Elena.” Drake’s voice was tight with anger as he grabbed Elena’s robe from the foot of the bed. Shielding her from view with his body, he helped her into the robe.
Rodin glanced at the body on the floor. A muscle twitched in his jaw. Liliana dropped to her knees beside her son, a harsh cry of denial rising in her throat. A single red tear slipped down her cheek.
Rodin fixed Elena with a hard stare. “Is it true that Vardin attacked you?”
Elena nodded.
“I want her sent home, now,” Drake said. “Before anything like this happens again.”
Rodin ignored Drake, his gaze still on Elena. “Why did my son attack you?” he asked brusquely. “There is no shortage of nourishment here.”
“He said he . . . that he didn’t want . . .” She shuddered. “He didn’t want one of the sheep.”
Liliana glanced up at her husband, a question in her eyes.
Rodin nodded tersely. “She speaks the truth.”
Stefan stepped forward. “I will take Elena home.”
“Thank you,” Drake said quietly. “Take Andrei with you.” He looked up at Rodin. “Any objections?”
“No.” Rodin glanced from Stefan to Andrei. “Take the woman and go. Now.”
Elena clung to Drake. The moment she had dreaded had arrived.
Drake looked at his sire. “We will need a moment alone, to say good-bye.”
A muscle twitched in Rodin’s jaw, but he didn’t argue. Two of the vampires lifted Vardin’s body and carried it out of the room. Liliana followed behind. Rodin jerked his chin toward the door and everyone else left the room.
“Do not take too long,” Rodin said, and closed the door behind him.
Drake’s arms tightened around her. “Elena?”
She looked up at him, her eyes swimming with tears.
He wiped the dampness from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. “Stefan and Andrei will see you safely home. I have signed a paper deeding the castle to you. I have opened a bank account for you in the city. A large amount will be deposited to your account every month.”
She nodded, but the only thing that registered was that he was sending her away.
He caressed her cheek with his knuckles. “Be happy, Elena. I will never forget you.”
“Don’t make me go!” She hated the pleading note in her voice, but she couldn’t help it. The thought of being parted from him was unbearable.
“It is impossible for you to stay here,” he said. “You must realize that.”
“I know.” She sifted her fingers through his hair, slid her fingertips over his lips. “Kiss me good-bye.”
Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her ever so gently. �
�I will love you as long as I draw breath.”
She nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat.
Drake pulled her close and she clung to him, memorizing the feel of his hard-muscled body against hers, the scent that was his alone. He kissed her again, hard and quick, and then Rodin was striding into the room, ordering Drake away.
What happened next passed in a blur. Andrei and Stefan materialized in the room. With a reassuring smile, Stefan took Elena in his arms. There was a familiar buzzing in her ears, a sense of hurtling through time and space, a queasiness in the pit of her stomach.
When she came to herself, it was early morning and she was lying in her bed in the castle, alone.
Elena rolled onto her side, her cheek pillowed on one hand, and stared at the wall. She wondered without really caring if Stefan and Andrei were still in the castle or if they had returned to the Fortress.
She had known Drake such a short time. How was it possible that he had made such a drastic impact on her life?
She had fallen in love with him.
She was one of the few mortals alive who knew that vampires existed.
Wolfram Castle belonged to her now.
She had a marriage license proving she had married Drake Sherrad. No one would ever know that Rodin had annulled her marriage. . . . She frowned. Where did Drake’s sire get the authority to end her marriage, anyway? No matter. Drake was lost to her. She could tell people he had died on their honeymoon and no one could disprove it. The castle was hers now. She could live here for as long as she wished. If she desired, she could hire a cook and a housekeeper to help care for the castle. Doing so would not only provide her with household help, but company, as well. She could travel the world, go anywhere she pleased.
But none of that mattered because she was, and always would be, in love with Drake.
And tonight he was marrying someone else.
Chapter 20
“It is time.”
Drake glanced over his shoulder to find his mother standing in the doorway. She looked as beautiful as always. Sometimes it was hard to think of her as his mother, since they appeared to be about the same age. Tonight, she wore a gown of cloth-of-gold that made her pale skin glow and added shimmering highlights to her long blond hair.
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