The Mina Murray Series Bundle, A Dracula Retelling: Books 1-3

by L. D. Goffigan

  “No!” I protested. “I will not—“

  “We don’t have time to argue!” Gabriel shouted, as the door began to splinter behind us.

  I yelped as Gabriel grabbed both me and Seward. I struggled to dislodge myself from his grip, but it was firm as he raced towards the balcony and leapt from the edge, still holding us in his arms.

  We were temporarily airborne, and panic flooded my body until we landed in a heap on the ground. Gabriel held us steady, even as we landed, his hold breaking our fall. Winded, I stumbled to my feet.

  Clutching my sides, I took in great gulps of air before looking up. Abe’s head was poking out of the balcony above. He looked relieved that we'd landed safely.

  But in the room behind him, I could hear the door crashing in. In only seconds, the ferals would be inside the room.

  “Gabriel—get him out of there! Please!” I cried. “I will go back inside if I must!”

  “Abe—you need to jump!” Gabriel shouted. “Now! I will break your fall!”

  To my relief, Abe did not protest. He braced himself before leaping from the balcony.

  In a lightning-fast move, Gabriel reached out and grabbed Abe by his waist before he reached the ground. His muscles strained with effort as he slowed Abe’s momentum, carefully lowering him to the ground.

  Once Abe was steady on his feet, I flew towards him, burying my face in his neck.

  “Thank God,” I whispered. “Do not risk your life like that again.”

  “I will always risk my life for you,” Abe said fiercely, cupping my face with his hands. “Always, my heart.”

  “This is all very touching,” Seward shouted from behind us. He had taken out his weapons and stood next to Gabriel, who surveyed both the surrounding grounds of the estate and the window above. “But we are still under attack. Anara is fighting those damned vampires by herself! They’ll soon be on us again.”

  “I will go back to fight with Anara and hold off these ferals. Go to the stables. If there are no horses, make your way to town on foot—stay off the main roads,” Gabriel said.

  “No—come with us!” I protested.

  “Your safety is my priority,” he said. “Get out of here. Now!”

  “We’ll go to Berlin,” Abe said, grabbing my arm. He turned to Gabriel, giving him an address in the city. “You’ll find us there.”

  Gabriel nodded, his gaze now trained on the window above as he moved his body into a fighting stance.

  I reluctantly ran with Abe and Seward towards the stables, praying that Gabriel could hold off the ferals on his own. The surrounding grounds of the estate were also empty; I hoped this meant all of Rosalind's vampires were still inside the estate and her servants had indeed fled.

  When we reached the relative safety of the stables, we found only two horses inside. Seward mounted one horse while Abe and I mounted the other.

  As we galloped away, I heard a cacophony of hisses and snarls behind us. I reached for my kukri, but the sounds were coming from the increasingly distant estate, and I saw no ferals on our tail. Gabriel, I thought, with both relief and worry. He must be holding them off.

  “Gabriel and Anara are strong,” Abe shouted, as we galloped into the forest that surrounded the estate. “They have dealt with ferals before.”

  But his words did not ease my worry. Stay alive, Gabriel, I prayed, turning to watch the estate disappear behind us. Stay alive.

  It felt odd to be seated in the backseat of a cab, clattering through the bustling streets of Berlin, as if we hadn’t just barely escaped with our lives. But hours later we were doing just that, sitting in disoriented silence as our driver made his way to the address Abe had given him.

  We'd cut through the forest to make our way into town, where we’d taken the main road into Berlin. I'd kept my kukri out the entire time, expecting an army of ferals to descend on us at any moment, but our brief ride had been uneventful. When we arrived in Berlin, we left our horses at a stable yard and flagged down a cab.

  Now, as I looked out at the passing streets, a plethora of emotions flowed into my heart. Grief over Szabina, fear for my brother and Anara, rage towards Rosalind. By the time our cab stopped outside of a modest home in the Tiergarten neighborhood, I realized that I hadn’t even asked where we were going.

  “Whose house is this?” I asked, as we made our way to the front door. The block was dominated by a row of multistory apartments; we were approaching one of the few residences that appeared to be a townhome.

  “Professor Hans Becker. He was a friend of your father’s,” Abe replied. “He is not here; he attends a biology conference this time of year in Boston. He offered me his home as accommodation any time I am in Berlin.”

  “I don’t recall Father mentioning him.”

  “Robert kept his correspondence with him private. I only found out about him when he contacted me after Robert’s funeral. He was one of the few—perhaps the only—scientist your father confided in. He knows about vampires. I was not anticipating our stop in Berlin—I do not have a key,” Abe hastily added. “I fear that we must break into his home. I do believe the professor will understand when I explain the circumstances.”

  “I can handle this,” Seward said. He looked around to make certain no one was watching us, before reaching down to fiddle with the lock. The door easily swung open, and he ushered us inside.

  “Well done, Jack,” Abe said, impressed.

  “When I started at Scotland Yard, my main job was arresting pickpockets and thieves. I learned quite a bit."

  The professor’s home was middle-class and spartan, with hardly any decorations or personal touches. It looked like the home of a bachelor who hardly spent any time there.

  I hurried into the sparsely furnished drawing room, opening the curtain to peer out the window. Seward joined me, his apprehension matching my own.

  “How long should we wait for the others?” I asked.

  “Patience,” Abe said, approaching us. “I know you are frightened…but you both forget—our companions are strong vampires. They can fight Rosalind.”

  “Szabina was strong and powerful,” I reminded him, fighting back a wave of tears as I thought of our fallen friend. “She was killed.”

  “That was different. She was betrayed. We all were. We could not have known what Rosalind was planning. We shall have to act with more caution going forward.”

  We remained inside the house for the rest of the day. I periodically looked out the drawing room window as the hours passed, hoping to see Gabriel and Anara each time. Abe spent most of his time in the professor’s study, poring over some new research he’d left behind. Seward was as restless as me, pacing each room, cleaning his revolver, continually looking out of the windows for any sign of our friends.

  "You care for Anara, don't you?" I asked him, as we both looked out the window at the quiet street for the dozenth time.

  He hesitated, avoiding my eyes.

  "I do," he finally replied. "I have come to know her. Anara has gone through much in her long life. She… she is quite remarkable. I am worried for her. Rosalind and her vampires are strong."

  "Anara is strong as well. They both are," I assured him, my words meant to comfort us both.

  I tried to occupy the rest of my time by reading a book on biology in the study next to Abe, but I could barely concentrate on the words, wondering what was taking so long for our friends to return. I thought of Rosalind’s two strong henchmen who'd initially been able to overpower them. What if Rosalind had an army of such vampires? My mind continually circled around various dark scenarios—each one ending with my friends captured or killed.

  “My brother doesn’t know that I love him,” I said suddenly, just after evening fell, looking up from my book. Panic seized me at the realization. “If Gabriel dies, he’ll never know—“

  “You do not know if any harm has come to him,” Abe said gently. “He knows you care for him.”

  “I tried to kill him when he told me who he w
as,” I reminded Abe. “I was cold to him. He’s done nothing but keep his promise to our mother by watching over me, and I left him at Rosalind’s estate to die.”

  “Mina—“

  A sharp knock at the door interrupted him, and hope ignited in my chest. I was instantly on my feet, racing into the entrance hall and throwing open the door.

  Relief coursed through me at the sight of Gabriel and Anara. But they weren’t alone.

  In between them, they gripped the arms of a woman who could barely stand upright, her entire form concealed by a hooded black cloak.

  Anara reached out to yank down the woman’s hood. It was Rosalind.

  8

  Pale Shadow

  I stood frozen in the doorway, my mouth agape.

  “What the bloody hell is this?” Seward demanded, stepping into the entryway behind me.

  Gabriel and Anara stepped inside without a word, Rosalind moving limply along with them. I instinctively jerked back, though she was hardly threatening in her current state. Her bright hair was matted with dried blood, her eyes dazed and unfocused. She seemed to be in a thrall, a pale shadow of the haughty malevolent creature who had slaughtered Szabina.

  “We need a cellar or an empty room,” Anara said, closing the door behind them. “Whose house is this?”

  “It belongs to a friend. He is not here,” Abe replied, surveying them with unease.

  “We need a secure room,” Anara repeated.

  “Why? What is the meaning of this?” Abe asked. “This is a private home. Why would you bring—“

  “We do not have much time,” Anara barked, glaring at Abe. “We need to restrain her; this thrall will not hold.”

  “Use the cellar,” Abe replied, after a tense pause.

  He stepped back, gesturing to a door at the end of the hall. Anara and Gabriel headed towards it, dragging Rosalind along with them. Stupefied, I watched them go. My joy at their safe arrival had been replaced by shock at the sight of Rosalind.

  We scurried after them, descending the rickety stairs that led to a large, empty cellar. Gabriel used rope to secure a seated Rosalind by her neck to a wall post, while Anara held both her arms still. Once she was secured, Anara lifted Rosalind's wrist, removing a wooden stake from her bodice. She pierced Rosalind’s flesh with the stake, watching calmly as her blood seeped from the wound.

  “You should not be in here,” Gabriel said to us, not looking up. “Leave now.”

  “No,” I snapped, weary of their continued evasiveness. “Why did you bring her here?”

  “Because we need to find Skala quickly, on our terms, rather than waiting for him to kill us. We know that Rosalind was deceiving us the whole time—he could bring an army with him. We need to find him before he finds us,” Anara snapped.

  “How do you intend to find out where he is?” I demanded. “From Rosalind?”

  “I have my ways,” Anara said, her eyes flashing dangerously as she looked up at me. “Your brother is right. You three need to leave.”

  My gaze slid to Rosalind, who still looked as if she were only half conscious. I wondered how they had been able to capture her—and put her in thrall. Though I felt no sympathy for this creature who had murdered Szabina, I was hesitant to leave. Anara’s expression was ominous as she continued to drain blood from Rosalind's wrist, while Gabriel hovered, barely containing his fury at the sight of her.

  I knew that Gabriel had grown close to Szabina during our journey; with their peaceful demeanors, they were very similar. Szabina had also been Anara’s friend, the only person I’d seen her confide in besides her late father Radu. They wouldn’t be able to objectively question Rosalind, not when they were in such emotional torment.

  “We can make you leave,” Anara warned. A slight chill went through me; I was reminded of my initial fear of Anara when I first met her in Budapest. Even Gabriel’s warning look did not soften the sharp gaze she trained on me. “I will give you one minute.”

  “Come, Mina.”

  Abe’s grip was firm as he pulled me back towards the stairs. Seward lingered for a moment, studying Anara with concern, before trailing after us.

  Seward left to fetch us a meal from a neighboring pub, assuring us he had his wooden stake and revolver. He returned moments later with several porkpies, bread, and ale. We sat at the dining room table to eat, but the food was tasteless to me, and I kept straining to hear any noise that came from the cellar. But there was no sound at all, which I found even more disconcerting.

  After our meal, Abe and I headed to the sole guest room upstairs, while Seward remained on the couch in the drawing room. I suspected that he wanted to wait for Anara to come up from the cellar.

  Once Abe and I were alone, I began to pace the room.

  “I know what you are thinking,” Abe said, as he changed into his nightshirt. “Let them be. You need to sleep. We both do.”

  I grudgingly agreed, recalling the coldness in Anara’s eyes as she asked me to leave. If I went down there again, I’d receive another frosty reception. Perhaps they will be able to obtain answers from Rosalind, I thought, setting aside my niggling doubt as I changed into my nightdress and slid into bed, easing into the warmth of Abe’s arms.

  I awoke just past dawn. Abe was still asleep; I untangled myself from his arms to change and slip out of the room. I made my way downstairs, stopping at the entrance to the cellar. The door was partially open.

  I hurried down the stairs, freezing at the gruesome sight.

  Rosalind was lying on the floor in a pool of blood. For a moment, I thought she was dead. But her chest unsteadily rose and fell. Her eyes were open, filled with a sheen of blood, and her emerald green gown, so elegant only a day ago, was now soaked straight through with blood.

  Anara was the only one in the room with her. She sat cross-legged, the wooden stake hanging limply from her left hand, staring straight ahead at nothing.

  “You need to leave,” Anara said, not looking at me. Her usually commanding voice was hollow and empty.

  I ignored her request, entering the cellar further. There was something different about Anara. Something broken. Her desire for revenge had been appeased, leaving her with the chasm of emptiness that defined grief.

  “No,” I said, though my voice quavered a bit.

  “There is no time for your insolence,” Anara said, with a barely controlled snarl. “If you do not leave—“

  “When my father died, I could hardly think—my despair was so great,” I interrupted.

  Anara looked up at me, her expression dark with rage and sorrow.

  “I have lived more lifetimes than you! Do not talk to me of grief!”

  “I know you cared for Szabina,” I persisted. “But torturing for the sake of revenge is not the way to—“

  “Do not speak of matters you know nothing about!” Anara shouted. “I am warning you, if you do not leave—“

  “Did it work?” I asked, gesturing to Rosalind's still form. She had not moved a muscle since I entered. I wondered if she was even conscious, despite her opened eyes.

  “It will,” Anara said stubbornly. “Now get out!”

  “Let me try to get through to her.”

  “You think you can accomplish what I cannot?” Anara cried, getting unsteadily to her feet, her deep purple traveling dress splattered with Rosalind's blood.

  “I think I am calmer than you. We know I have the ability to enter the mind of a vampire,” I pointedly reminded her. It was during a violent training session with Anara that I’d first realized I could enter a vampire’s mind.

  “She is blocking me out,” Anara said, after a brief pause. “If I couldn’t get anything from her—“

  “Let me try,” I repeated. “We don’t know where Skala is—he could be in Berlin as we speak. We don’t have much time.”

  “Mina!”

  I turned. Gabriel hurried into the cellar, his worried gaze sweeping from me to Anara. His cheeks were flushed with blood—he must have left the house to feed. �
��You should not be in here.”

  “We need to know where Skala is, and your method isn’t working,” I said, moving towards Rosalind. Gabriel was instantly at my side, gripping my arm, preventing me from moving forward.

  “Do not go near Rosalind—she is still dangerous,” he insisted.

  “She’s been drained of her blood and she’s weak,” I returned. “I need to enter her mind to see what she knows.”

  The vampires exchanged uneasy glances. I expelled an impatient breath.

  “Skala could be in Berlin, or he could be anywhere. She’s our best way of finding out where he is. Let me try to reach her.”

  After a long moment, the vampires moved towards Rosalind. Despite her weakened state, Gabriel insisted on retying her, and he gave me a wooden stake in addition to my kukri.

  Once she was tied to the post, Rosalind began to stir from whatever haze she was under. I kneeled before her, staring into her disoriented brown eyes, but I was too distracted by the intensity of Anara and Gabriel’s gazes on the back of my neck to concentrate.

  “I need you both to leave,” I said, turning to glare at them.

  “We’re not leaving you with her,” Gabriel protested.

  “Very well—one of you can stay. But if I'm going to reach her, I need to concentrate. I can’t do that with both of you here.”

  Gabriel looked at Anara. Something silent was exchanged between them, and she gave him an abrupt nod, turning to leave the cellar.

  Gabriel hovered behind me as I turned my focus back to Rosalind. Suppressing my fear at my proximity to her, I placed my hands on the sides of her cold face, gazing into her eyes.

  Soon, the cellar around me faded away.

  I was at a society ball. A handsome man danced with me, smiling as he whirled me around, his flaxen hair gleaming beneath the light of the chandeliers, his grey eyes intent on every inch of my skin.

  He was kissing me passionately in a drawing room. Though I knew it wasn’t proper…I was kissing him back. His lips were at my throat, and I gasped in pleasure.