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

by L. D. Goffigan

  “There used to be more of us—many more,” Hugo said bitterly. He was a brawny vampire with sand-colored hair and striking blue eyes; he had the look of a Viking from a foregone age. “There was a purge of Order members after Vlad’s supposed death—many were killed or fled. For years now, we have lived outside the city in a small village. Francois keeps a sharp eye out for vampires in his city. You are either loyal to Bathory and those who want to end the human world or you are dead.”

  “Why rejoin the fight now?” Seward asked.

  “We were encouraged by Skala and Vlad’s deaths,” Noelle admitted. She was petite for a vampire, with dark hair and eyes the color of burnished gold. Though she was small, as Szabina had been, she exuded great strength. “You must understand…you were not the first to attempt to kill them. There may be only three leaders of the Old Families, but they have many loyal followers. We no longer want to hide…we want to help end this.”

  I studied each of them carefully, wondering if we could trust them, or if this was yet another betrayal.

  “I looked into their minds,” Anara said, as if reading my mind. “They are telling us the truth. I would not have brought them here if I suspected deception.”

  Noelle told us they would join us in subduing Francois at his ball, but they would arrive separately to not arouse suspicion. Hugo would be the one to approach Francois; he was the physically strongest of our group, and unknown to Francois.

  We were still discussing details of our plan when I heard another carriage pull up to the house. I excused myself, trailed protectively by Gabriel as I went to the front door. Emma entered, carrying a large garment bag, which Gabriel took off of her. I noticed that she looked slightly pale.

  “I have procured your invitations to the ball,” she said, avoiding our eyes as she closed the door behind her. “Your invitations are several unique phrases; you will have to tell them to the guards when you arrive at his chateau, I will write them down for you. I have clothing and masks for the men from the dressmaker’s shop I frequent, they should suffice for the ball. Mina, your and Anara’s dresses will be sent here tomorrow… they will be used since it is such short notice.”

  “Thank you,” I said, following her down the entrance hall. She seemed shaken. “Emma…are you all right?”

  “I had to go to Clement for your invitations…the vampire who is infatuated with me. He wanted to seal my request for invitations with—with my body. I had to fight him off. I barely escaped.”

  At the thought of this creature attempting to force himself on Emma, a surge of rage rippled through me. Gabriel looked just as furious.

  “Tell us what he looks like,” I said.

  “Mina, it’s not—“

  “Please,” Gabriel interrupted. “Tell us. We don’t want to risk him coming after you.”

  “You are already putting yourself into so much danger. There is no need for you to—“

  “Don’t worry about us,” I said, but I was already visualizing how I would kill Clement.

  Emma reluctantly described Clement; shorter than most vampires but muscular, with red hair that he wore long, and severe grey eyes.

  Gabriel and I remained with Emma, leaving Abe and Seward with the members of the Order in the salon. I already knew every detail of our plan of attack for tomorrow night; I wanted to spend as much time as I could with Emma before the ball—we would have to leave France after determining Bathory’s location. Though Emma was still rattled from her encounter with Clement, our presence seemed to calm her.

  We ate lunch together, and Emma plied us with questions about our lives; she was insatiably curious and wanted to know every detail. I told her about my previous life in London, my father, Clara, and even Jonathan.

  “You were engaged before?” she asked. “It seems as if you and Abraham have always been together. I am sorry—I hope that does not offend you.”

  “It doesn’t,” I replied, with a reassuring smile.

  The Order members did not leave until the early evening, continuing to discuss both the plan for tomorrow and sharing their stories about the war in general. They bid us solemn farewells before they left; the next time we saw them would be at the ball.

  The dresses that Anara and I were to wear arrived by messenger early the next morning. I gasped as I pulled mine out of the garment bag. It was made of fine black silk, with a daringly low-cut bodice stitched with fine silver threads, and sleeves made entirely of sheer black lace. It was paired with a fashionable silver moretta mask. Anara’s dress was made of gold satin with an even lower-cut bodice, paired with a black and golden mask that was shaped like a crescent moon. They were the perfect dresses for a masquerade ball with a night theme.

  “These are used?” I asked Emma in disbelief. I had expected far simpler dresses.

  “Yes. The dressmakers’ clients often attend fine balls in the country,” Emma replied.

  As the time for our departure rapidly approached, the sinister excitement I’d felt after learning of my connection to Bathory was replaced by apprehension. This was the first time I’d be on the offensive against a vampire after my encounter with Skala. The thought of my capture and torture by yet another vampire made my body go cold with fear. I had barely survived the first time; I was unsure if I could survive another such ordeal.

  When it was time to change into my gown, I realized that my hands were trembling. I took several deep breaths to calm myself. I just needed to focus on our ultimate goal—locating Bathory through Francois, and ending this war for good.

  “You look beautiful, but that is the case no matter what you wear. I, however, look quite ridiculous,” Abe muttered from the doorway, pulling me back to the present.

  I turned as he entered the room. He was dressed from head to toe in a fine black suit, an ornate gold mask covering most of his face. He looked darkly handsome, and my breath caught at the sight of him, though I smiled at the perturbed look on his face. Abe hated dressing formally; he rarely attended society events, finding them overbearing and pompous.

  “I think you look handsome,” I said, beaming at him.

  “I brought you something,” he said, approaching me. He reached into his pocket and took out my kukri knife.

  I stared at it, frozen. I’d not seen my kukri since the night I’d approached Skala. The memory of Skala carving into my flesh with its blade flickered through my mind, and I instinctively took a step back. Abe looked guilty, lowering the kukri.

  “I am sorry. I thought—“ he began.

  “No. I will take it,” I said, holding out my hand as I recalled Anara’s words from last night. I would not allow Skala to continue influencing my mind.

  Abe handed the kukri to me. I wrapped my hand firmly around the handle, expelling a breath before tucking it into my bodice. The coolness of the sheathed blade against my skin was comfortingly familiar, and I relaxed. This weapon had been my protection before Skala used it against me, and it would continue to be.

  Abe met my eyes, concerned, but I gave him a nod of assurance. He took my hand, and we went downstairs to join the others. Anara looked more beautiful than usual in her gown, its golden color complimenting her skin. Gabriel and Seward also wore fashionable black suits and masks of gold and silver. With our fine clothing, we didn’t look as if we were about to head into battle, to kill one of the most powerful vampires in France.

  The others streamed out the front door to our waiting carriage. I turned to Emma, who hovered by the doorway, and gave her a long embrace. For her safety, she would stay with a human family in the village with whom she was acquainted while we were away; we didn’t want to risk leaving her alone.

  “Please…be careful,” she urged me.

  I took my seat in the carriage next to Abe, turning to watch Emma’s silhouette fade as we rode away from the house and towards Francois’ masquerade of night.

  17

  The Night Masquerade

  Just after nightfall, our carriage arrived at iron gates that guarded a s
prawling chateau in the northern suburbs of Paris. A throng of carriages were already clustered at the gates, dropping off scores of guests.

  I remained close to Abe’s side as we descended from our carriage, trailed closely behind by our friends. I took in the other guests who approached the gates. From their great height, otherworldly beauty, and frosty gazes, I could tell that most were vampire. They were all dressed as living impersonations of night or death. I saw silk gowns of black and midnight blue, studded with diamonds to resemble a starry night sky; gowns of silver and gold that hinted of the celestial; I even saw some vampires dressed as literal angels of death, their fashionable gowns of black brocade paired with finely crafted black angel wings. Their masks ranged from the decorous to the macabre—there were masks like Anara’s that resembled the crescent moon or stars, decorative silver or gold masks that glittered with gemstones, blood red plague masks, or black Venetian masks.

  I stifled a gasp when I noticed that the human guests who accompanied vampires were completely nude. They wore nothing but masks, trailing obediently after their vampire companions. I wondered if they were here of their own accord or in a thrall; none of them seemed ashamed or bothered by their nudity, and gazed upon their vampire chaperones with unbridled adoration.

  I tore my eyes away from them as we drew closer to the gates. Our small group began to pair off, human to vampire. Gabriel moved to my and Abe’s side, Anara to Seward’s. Once we reached one of the foreboding vampire guards who stood by the gate’s entrance, Gabriel smiled, and spoke the phrase that served as our invitation.

  “Monde de la nuit.”

  Abe and I stood completely still as Gabriel spoke, and the vampire’s gaze settled on us. I was afraid that all humans were required to be nude to gain entry, which would most certainly give away the kukri tucked in my bodice, but the vampire ushered us inside the gate.

  I glanced behind us to make certain that Anara and Seward had also gained access. They were waved inside after Anara spoke the required words.

  I nervously linked my arm with Abe’s as we made our way down the long winding cobblestone path towards the chateau up ahead. The exterior brick facade of the chateau was accentuated by yellow gold stone arches that surrounded each of the windows. Two imposing statues of the Greek gods of night and death—Nyx and Thanatos— stood on opposite sides of the two open front doors.

  The crowd around us hummed with excitement as we drew near, but a sense of foreboding had seized control of my senses. We were approaching a lion’s den.

  We entered a cavernous entry hall that led directly to a grand ballroom. I took in our surroundings with astonishment as we entered. This ball was nothing like the stiff society balls I used to attend in London.

  The ballroom was only dimly illuminated, despite the row of chandeliers that cast miniature dots of reflected light onto the black ceiling, giving them the appearance of stars in a night sky. Black velvet tapestries, decorated with golden moons and stars, were draped across the walls. White moonflowers and evening primroses decorated most surfaces—the plush chairs and couches, even the marble floors.

  Vampire and human guests lounged on the couches that lined the walls, openly making love or feasting on blood, their eyes closed in erotic bliss. The guests who weren’t engaged in lovemaking or blood sharing danced to the strains of a macabre-sounding waltz on the dance floor, played by a small orchestra at the head of the ballroom.

  The atmosphere was both erotic and ostentatious, a lurid celebration of both night and death. It was as if I’d stepped into an alternate world in which vampires had indeed taken over, humans were subjugated, and we now lived in an eternal realm of night.

  Anara was the first to speak, moving to stand before us.

  “I have seen much worse in my lifetime,” she whispered. “You all need to stop gaping. We need to appear celebratory if we are to assimilate.”

  She turned, her gaze straying to the left side of the ballroom. I followed her gaze. I’d been so distracted by the lasciviousness of the guests that I’d not noticed the dais that was set up there.

  Several vampires were gathered on the dais, surrounding a male vampire who sat on a chair so ornate it might as well have been a throne. He held a nude human woman in his lap, drinking hungrily from her throat. His dark hair fell over his prominent brow as he drank. He matched the description Emma had given us—tall and lithe, vivid green eyes, and black hair, with the subtle lethalness of a snake. The vampire was Francois.

  There were two vampires hovering around Francois. One was distinctively tall, even for a vampire, with a jagged scar running down the left side of his face, silver-blonde hair, and deep blue eyes. The second vampire was focused on the woman Francois drank from, his gaze roaming lustily over her nude body. He matched Emma’s description of Clement; a jolt of anger hit me at the sight of the creature who’d nearly raped my cousin.

  “No,” Anara suddenly whispered.

  I frowned, wondering to whom she was reacting—but my confusion didn’t last for long. Another vampire now approached the dais; a vampire I recognized.

  It was Matyas. Matyas, the vampire we’d approached in Budapest for help with our attack on Vlad Draculesti. He had betrayed us, warning Vlad that we were coming for him. He’d also been one of the vampires who tortured and murdered my mother. The anger I’d just felt towards Clement was replaced by a white-hot rage. I wanted nothing more than to charge across the ballroom and sink my kukri into his heart.

  “This changes nothing,” Anara whispered, sensing my thoughts. She looked at Gabriel, who also radiated with quiet fury. “We stay on task. It is now even more essential that we maintain our anonymity for as long as possible. I want nothing more than to kill him, but we must keep to the plan. Watch the dais, wait for Hugo to approach Francois, and then we make our move.”

  Much of Gabriel and Anara’s faces were hidden behind their masks, but I could see the furor in their eyes at the sight of Matyas. Anara’s beloved father Radu had been killed during the confrontation with Vlad, and I knew that she blamed Matyas for his death.

  At her words, I nodded. For now, I would have to put aside my desire for revenge against Matyas.

  Anara took Seward’s arm and moved into the rambunctious crowd, blending in with the other guests. Gabriel followed suit.

  Abe took my hand, leading me towards the throng of swirling dancers. I still felt shaken by the sight of Matyas, and struggled to quell my burning fury.

  “We are enjoying ourselves. We are happy to be here,” Abe reminded me, a forced smile on his face as he began to twirl me around to the music.

  I made myself smile as well, though it was deeply unsettling to dance amongst the very creatures we were trying to destroy; vampires who wanted to take over the human world. My heart pounded unsteadily as I took in the vampires who danced around us. They must have smelled our human scents; I feared they would try to drink from us or put us into a thrall. Fortunately, they seemed to only be concerned with each other or their human companions.

  I looked around, wondering where the other members of the Order of the Dragon were. I wouldn’t be able to recognize them amongst the sea of masks that populated the ballroom. I desperately hoped they were here and had not backed out…our plan wouldn’t succeed without them.

  I turned my focus back to Abe. He was still smiling, but I could see the lines of strain around his mouth. The last time we’d danced together at a ball was the fateful night of the London Law Society ball…the night that Jonathan was abducted by Vlad and Ilona. The night my life had forever changed.

  “One day,” Abe murmured, his blue eyes now twinkling with genuine amusement. “We should attend a ball where there are no vampires.”

  “One day,” I agreed, my smile matching his.

  “Toutes les personnes!” an authoritative male voice rang out. The music immediately ceased. Abe and I turned towards the dais.

  It was Francois who had spoken. He stood, gesturing towards a cluster of humans who wer
e gathered in front of the dais. Matyas now hovered next to Francois’ chair, and I had to force my eyes away from him.

  The humans gazed up at Francois with rapture. I again wondered if they had all been put into a thrall…or if they were here willingly. I couldn’t decide which was worse.

  “These humans have agreed to take the Blood,” Francois continued, in rapid French. “Tonight they will be turned and join the dead who live.”

  All of the guests applauded at his words. I clapped along with the others, though I felt ill, as Francois continued, “My newborn children are spread throughout Paris. Though we mourn our brethren who have fallen, we will not falter. Tonight, make more children in our image. We will continue to unleash the Blood Plague upon the humans. We will make the world as it should be. Tomorrow night…Paris will fall.”

  Fear flooded my senses as the rapturous applause soared. I recalled the empty streets of Paris when we’d arrived. Abe looked at me, his expression fraught with the same fear. We had to succeed tonight—and not just to obtain Bathory’s location. We needed to prevent Francois’ vampires from attacking Paris.

  “I have a final surprise for you,” Francois continued, his green eyes shining with excitement. “Our great leader is here tonight. Our queen.”

  Gasps of delight punctuated the crowd. I frowned. Who was he referring to?

  The crowd parted as a female vampire approached the dais from a side corridor. She was flanked by a dozen vampires. As she ascended the stairs, the vampires on the dais and the guests all around the ballroom kneeled in reverent bows. Hiding our confusion, Abe and I followed suit.

  The female vampire kissed Francois on both cheeks before facing the guests. She wore a black brocade domino cloak over a silk gown of deep scarlet. A lavish mask made of black diamonds partially covered her face, the top of the mask extending above her head like a crown. From beneath her mask, I could see that the ivory features of her face were finely carved, like a marble statue. She had glittering midnight black eyes, and wavy auburn hair that flowed to her waist.