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

by L. D. Goffigan

  Abe and I tore off our masks and dashed towards the window, climbing out. I hiked up my skirts as we raced towards the forest that lined the edge of the chateau’s empty back grounds.

  We reached the edge of the forest. From its depths, we heard the sounds of animalistic growls and snarls. Weapons in hand, we darted into the forest, freezing when we reached a small clearing.

  It looked like the aftermath of a battle. Anara, Marceau, and Hugo were strewn on the ground like discarded puppets. Hugo was still and lifeless, his throat completely torn out. Anara and Marceau were alive but injured; both of Anara's legs were twisted at odd angles, and her face was tight with pain. Marceau bled copiously from a gaping wound that was slashed across his torso; it looked as if Francois had attempted to tear out his heart.

  "Go. It is too late for Hugo. Marceau and I will heal," Anara rasped. "Gabriel and Noelle are fighting Francois on their own…he is injured. Keep your distance and use your weapons."

  We obliged her, moving cautiously as we ventured further into the forest.

  “Anara is right. We keep our distance,” Abe whispered. “If several vampires cannot take him down…then we certainly cannot. We will take aim at him from afar.”

  I nodded in agreement. I wanted to keep Francois alive to find Bathory, but I would do whatever it took to save Gabriel’s life.

  We halted when we saw Francois, Noelle, and Gabriel in another clearing a dozen yards ahead. Though they moved swiftly, I could see that Francois was indeed injured and bleeding; his face and throat bore gaping wounds, his suit was soaked with blood.

  From our vantage points, we'd have a clear shot at injuring Francois further if Gabriel or Noelle could subdue him for just a moment. We angled our weapons, waiting for our moment to strike.

  Francois suddenly jerked his head in our direction, his eyes finding us in the darkness. Gabriel and Noelle used his temporary distraction to their advantage, charging towards him with their fangs bared, but Francois grabbed them both by the throat. He tossed Noelle across the clearing with such force that I could hear her bones break upon her impact on the ground. He then reared towards Gabriel’s throat with his fangs bared, and tore out a chunk of his flesh. Dark red blood seeped from Gabriel’s throat as his eyes widened in agony, and he slumped to the ground.

  “NO! GABRIEL!” I screamed, ignoring Abe’s shout of warning as I charged forward, tears of grief and rage blurring my vision. I aimed my kukri at Francois as he lunged towards me. In that moment, I no longer cared about Bathory, only revenge. I was desperate to sink my blade into his flesh.

  But Abe and I were instantly paralyzed as Francois trained his eyes on us. I flew through the air, my body slamming against a nearby tree. Francois was on me in an instant, his hand gripping my throat in a vise-like grip, and he began to squeeze the air from my lungs.

  “You are the human woman who killed my brethren,” he seethed.

  His grip tightened. It would be mere seconds before I ran out of air. I shuttered my panic away, focusing on the depths of his green eyes as I cleared my mind.

  I was riding through the countryside. My horse suddenly grew restless and violent, rearing back and tossing me from its saddle. I landed on my back in a heap, looking up to find a beautiful woman with auburn hair and eyes as black as night gazing down at me. She told me her name was Elizabeth Bathory, and she wanted me for her own.

  I was making love with Elizabeth, our bodies melding together. Her teeth sank into the flesh of my throat. I cried out in pain and pleasure, until there was nothing but swirling blackness.

  A weeping servant girl was crouched before me in a large bedchamber. Elizabeth walked in a circle around her, giving me a seductive smile. She wrapped her hand around the girl’s braid, yanking her head back to reveal the ivory skin of her throat.

  “Drink, my Francois,” she whispered, and I obediently leapt onto the servant girl, hunger driving me as my fangs sank into her soft skin. The girl began to scream; I took pleasure in the screams as I drank from her.

  “They taste better when they are frightened,” Elizabeth said, her face alight with pleasure as she watched me. She kneeled down and latched her fangs into the other side of the girl’s throat.

  I was in the grand hall of a hunting manor. Human heads were mounted on the walls like prized game. Outside the windows, a thick patch of forest surrounded the manor.

  I knelt in front of Elizabeth, trying to hold back angry tears.

  “Vlad and Ilona…they were murdered by humans…by a human woman,” I spat, fury scorching my insides. “They were our brethren.”

  “It is no matter,” Elizabeth replied, tilting my head back to gaze into my eyes. “We will make more children. The world will still be ours.”

  “The Order of the Dragon…they are looking for the leaders of the Old Families,” I said, a sudden fear filling me at the thought. “They will try to kill you, my queen. You are not safe!”

  “They will not succeed. Transylvania has been my home for generations. It is safe here. It is where I shall remain until it is time,” Elizabeth said, gesturing around the grand hall. “The world will be ours, my love.”

  “I still fear for you, my queen,” I whispered. “I fear for you.”

  I was jerked back into the present as Francois released me. I gasped, taking in much needed air as he stumbled back, his body quaking with horror.

  “How did you—“ he gasped.

  I did not waste the moment. My kukri was lodged into his heart before he could complete his sentence. He sunk down to his knees, blood spilling from the sides of his mouth. Abe raced to my side, but I gave him a sharp look. Francois was mine to kill.

  I kneeled down in front of Francois as he struggled to breathe, twisting the blade in his heart. Francois howled in agony, reaching out towards me, but he was too weak to do any harm.

  I leaned forward, and whispered, “You were right to fear for your queen. I will kill her. She will die in agony. This I promise you.”

  I yanked my knife out of his heart, and Francois’ eyes widened at my words, before the life seeped out of their green depths.

  20

  Hunter

  I held Gabriel's dying body in my lap as our carriage raced away from the forest that surrounded the chateau. My brother was trembling, his once vibrant skin pale, his silver eyes growing dim as he tried to focus on my face.

  “Mina,” he whispered. “Sister. I am glad to have known you…I only wish I could have known you longer. My life…it has been a lonely one.”

  “Gabriel,” I said, trying to keep my voice firm, in spite of the tears that streaked down my face and the grief that seized my heart. “Listen to me. You will not die. Do you understand me? You will not die!”

  I looked up at Abe, Anara, and Seward, who sat across from us in the large carriage. Abe’s worried eyes were pinned on us, while blood tears streamed down Anara’s face. Still pale from his own injury, Seward’s face was stricken with grief.

  Sebastien and Seward had bribed a carriage driver, who waited for us at the edge of the forest. To avoid detection, the carriage now dashed down a back country road instead of the main street to take us back to the countryside. Noelle and the other members of the Order had urged us to leave, insisting they'd be able to escape the chateau on their own.

  “We are good at hiding,” Noelle assured us. "And…we want to bury Hugo in the forest before we leave," she added, her words laced with sorrow, before she sent us on our way.

  “Gabriel needs blood to heal,” I said now, as I looked at the others, my words catching on a desperate sob. “I can’t give him my blood—I’m human and we’re of the same family line. Abe—it needs to be you or Seward—please—he doesn’t have much time—“

  “No,” Gabriel protested. “No—I do not drink blood from humans— “

  “You will!” I shouted, glaring down at his pale face. “Do you think this is what our mother wanted for you? Dying over some misplaced sense of honor? You will not die. Our family�
��we have already lost too much. You will live, Gabriel. Do you understand? You will live!”

  Terror snaked through me as his eyes drifted shut, and I feared he would still refuse. But my fears were assuaged when he gave me a weak nod.

  Abe moved over to our side of the carriage, kneeling down in front of Gabriel. He pulled back his sleeve, pressing his wrist to Gabriel’s mouth. Gabriel hesitated for just a moment before sinking his fangs into Abe’s flesh.

  We watched with quiet anxiety as Gabriel ingested the flow of Abe’s blood. There was a time when revulsion would have flowed through me at such a sight, but now I only felt hope as I watched Gabriel drink.

  The color gradually returned to Gabriel’s face; the ravaged skin of his throat began to heal. For the first time, I was relieved that he was half vampire. A human would not have survived such an injury.

  Even after his color returned, and the skin of his throat had mostly healed, Gabriel continued to drink, his silver eyes turning black. Abe tried to remove his wrist, beginning to look faint.

  “Gabriel,” I whispered. “Gabriel, that’s enough.”

  But Gabriel tightened his grip, continuing to drink, and Abe grew increasingly pale.

  “Gabriel, enough!” I shouted. Abe looked as if he were about to lose consciousness. I tried to wrench Abe’s wrist away, but Gabriel was far too strong.

  Anara shot forward, forcefully removing Abe’s wrist from Gabriel’s mouth. Abe stumbled back to the opposite side of the carriage, woozy and pale. Gabriel let out an animalistic snarl as he sat up from my lap, but Anara gripped him by his shoulders, gazing into his eyes.

  “You are tired now,” she whispered. “Sleep."

  Gabriel’s eyes fluttered, their blackness slowly replaced by silver, and they drifted shut. Anara settled his sleeping form back against the plush seat.

  “There is no need for concern. That was his first taste of human blood. It happens to most vampires when we get our first taste. He will learn to control his urges.”

  I nodded, turning to look at Abe. He leaned back in his seat, clutching his wrist, his breathing ragged. He still looked far too pale.

  “I will be fine,” he whispered. “But I will need a transfusion when we return to your cousin’s home.”

  “Thank you, Abe,” I whispered, reaching out to touch the side of Gabriel’s face. I could not bear the loss of yet another family member. Besides Emma, Gabriel was the only family I had left. I didn't realize how much I loved him until he came so perilously close to death. A fresh wave of gratitude filled me. “Thank you.”

  “Transylvania,” Seward said with a groan, rubbing his now-bandaged throat. “I thought I’d never have to see that bloody place again.”

  Hours later, we were gathered in the salon of Emma’s home. Under Abe’s direction, I’d given both him and Seward a small transfusion of my blood as soon as we arrived. Their color had returned, and Abe now sat resting on the couch with a mug of tea. Anara, whose broken legs had healed with astonishing vampiric speed, had settled the sleeping Gabriel in one of the guest rooms, and searched the grounds to make certain we hadn't been followed. We now had the home to ourselves; Emma was not to return until tomorrow.

  I'd just told them what I saw in Francois’ mind—the hunting lodge in Transylvania. When I mentioned the wall of human heads I’d seen in his memory, Abe and Seward recoiled; even Anara had paled.

  "We don't know exactly where in Transylvania," I said, frustrated. "There are dozens of hunting manors in the region. How are we—"

  "Wait," Abe interrupted, sitting up so quickly that his tea sloshed over the side of his mug. "I recall something from one of Robert's journals. He spoke with a group of villagers in the Britz region about a vampire who lured humans to his hunting lodge…where he would hunt them for sport. I assumed they were referring to Vlad Draculesti. Mina…you mentioned a wall of human heads in Francois’ memory. What if they were indeed referring to Bathory?"

  We looked at each other, chilled. Seward swiftly retreated from the room, returning moments later with our well-worn map of the Transylvania region. He spread it out on the center table, and we gathered round.

  "The markers here indicate two manors in the Britz region,” Seward said, pointing to two specific areas of the map.

  I studied them. One was nestled at the base of the Carpathains, while the other bordered a massive forest.

  "It was this one," I said, pointing to the marker that bordered the forest. "There was a forest right outside the windows."

  “If she’s still there,” Seward said. “She could be anywhere by now. She must know we're after her. Once she receives word of Francois' death…”

  “Then we must make haste," I said. "At the moment, this is our strongest indication of where she is. We should depart tomorrow."

  The next morning, I awoke just as the sun rose above the horizon. I wrapped a cloak around my nightdress and padded down the hall to Gabriel’s guest room…but he wasn’t there. Worried, I raced down to the dining room, where Seward and Anara sat closely together, in quiet discussion.

  “Have you seen Gabriel?” I asked. “He’s not in his room."

  “He’s out back taking a walk. I warn you—he’s damned grumpy,” Seward replied, with an irritated scowl. “You should remind him we saved his life last night.”

  I hurried outside, finding Gabriel walking amongst the hedges. He looked completely restored; his skin flushed and vibrant, his silver eyes bright. There was no indication he'd been on the edge of death the night before. He paused mid stride when he saw me.

  “I want to be alone," he said shortly.

  “What is the matter?” I asked, frowning. “Gabriel…please. Talk to me.”

  He hesitated, his expression filling with both anguish and disgust.

  “Last night…I would have killed Abe had Anara not stopped me,” he bit out. “You do not understand…I vowed to myself that I would never drink human blood…that I would never become like the ferals we’ve seen. I hate what I am! I always have. You were right to try to kill me when you first met me,” he added bitterly. “Now please…leave me be.”

  Disbelief swirled through me at his words. I deliberately moved in front of him to block his path.

  “Mina—“

  “How many times have you saved my life and the lives of others? The character of a man is defined by his actions," I said, repeating the words I’d once spoken to Szabina. “You insult those of us who love you by insisting you're a monster. When I first met you, I thought all vampires were evil—but I was a fool to think so. You were the one who convinced me otherwise. I will save your life a thousand times over if need be.”

  Gabriel was looking at some point past my shoulder as I spoke, but his eyes filled with emotion at my words. I reached up to touch the side of his face, making him look down at me.

  “I didn't know how lonely I was until you came into my life. Yes, I had Jonathan and Clara...and now I have Abe. But you are my brother, my family, and I love you.”

  "I love you as well, sister,” he replied, giving me a halting smile. “I…I wish we had known each other as children. My life would have been less lonely."

  "As would mine," I agreed. "But we know each other now. There will be no more talk of how monstrous you are. I will not have you insulting my family." I reached out to link my arm with his. “Now…please come back inside.”

  We made our way back to the house in companionable silence. Gabriel was more relaxed now, the strain in his shoulders gone, and a hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

  Abe was now in the dining room with the others, including Emma. She looked relieved at the sight of me and Gabriel, rushing forward to enfold us both in a warm embrace.

  Over breakfast, I informed her of the previous night’s events. Her eyes widened as I spoke, and she paled when I told her of Gabriel’s brush with death, reaching across the table to grip his arm.

  “We succeeded in killing Francois and determining Bathory’s p
ossible location,” Anara said, once I’d finished my tale. “But I regret that we were unable to kill Matyas.”

  Anger ricocheted through me at the thought of Matyas. I had been so consumed with Gabriel’s near death in the aftermath of our confrontation that I’d nearly forgotten about him.

  “He’s likely fled to Bathory’s side,” I said bitterly.

  “If he’s with her, we can still kill him,” Gabriel said.

  “Matyas is not who we are after,” Seward reminded us. “We need to remain on task. Francois’ surviving followers may be searching for us in Paris. We can’t stay here for much longer—we’re too close to the city. Tonight, we should depart from Calais instead of Paris.”

  “And we should send Noelle a wire before we depart, letting them know we escaped safely and our next destination,” Abe said to Anara. “Perhaps they will join us when they can…perhaps not. They did lose one of their own.”

  Anara nodded her agreement. I turned to Emma as a troublesome thought occurred to me.

  “You shouldn’t stay in this house,” I said. “They may track us here—only to find you. Until this is over and we know it's safe, you should find someplace safe to live.”

  “I have no intention of staying here,” she assured me. “I am coming with you.”

  The dining room fell silent. We all looked at her in astonishment.

  “No,” I protested. “You told us you want no part of this war, and you are right. It is far too dangerous for—“

  “I thought it over last night," Emma interrupted. “I couldn’t live with myself if I allow Isabel’s children to go after Elizabeth Bathory on their own. Now, I do not intend to fight,” she hastily added. “I am not a fighter. But I would like to remain with you and Gabriel. I can make myself useful in other ways.”

  “It's too dangerous,” I insisted. I thought of our friends and allies who'd already sacrificed their lives…even Gabriel had nearly died last night. How could I allow someone else to put herself in mortal danger—especially a newly discovered relative?