by Adele Clee
Leo continued with his ministrations, feeling a little easier when he discovered nothing in the third bottle. To leave only one of them suffering from the affliction would be the worst punishment of all. After checking the last two bottles, it was as he suspected.
He closed the lid gently and turned to face them. In their disappointment, they had stepped back into the middle of the room. Alexander and Elliot held their wives in their arms. Indeed, the realisation that their husbands were immortal, and there may be no cure, had finally roused painful emotions.
Elliot cleared his throat. “From your grim expression, I suspect it is not good news.”
Leo gazed at the sorrowful look on their faces. “I’m afraid we cannot all take the cure.”
“All?” Elliot asked. “You mean not all of the bottles were empty?”
Leo shook his head, struggled to suppress the wave of sadness consuming him. “No, not all the bottles were empty. There are two left. Only two of us can take the cure.”
Chapter 18
The sudden sound of whimpering permeated the stunned the silence.
Ivana glanced at the men whose lives had been forever altered by her bitterness and resentment. Their wives looked weak and helpless when enveloped in their strong arms. Many times, while tending to a child plagued with a fever, while trying to persuade Christoph to speak, she had felt justified in her actions. But now she had come to know Evelyn and Grace, to know the love they shared with their husbands, it made her doubt her decision.
Ivana pushed past Leo, desperate to see the evidence for herself. But she knew her eyes and ears had not deceived her. Watching Leo check the bottles, counting in her mind all the times Nikolai had taken the cure, convinced her there was not enough to save them all.
“I thought it might be in a large flask or similar vessel.” She ran her hands over the tiny bottles as though the process would make them magically refill. She turned to Leo as he came to stand at her side. “I hoped there would be enough for all of us.” Years of suppressed emotion filled her throat, and she gasped a breath. “What can we do, Leo?”
Alexander cleared his throat. “Forgive me, but I need to take Evelyn somewhere to sit down. Is it safe for me to go up into the Great Hall?”
Ivana turned to him, her heart aching when she noticed Evelyn’s blotchy face. “In an hour or two. I’m afraid you will have to wait in the crypt until then.”
He nodded to the room beyond the secret chamber. “We’ll sit out there. It will give you a chance to talk privately.”
Elliot looked at Grace, cupped her face and kissed her softly on the lips. “Are you alright?”
She shook her head numerous times in response. “It never mattered to me before, that you were different. But now,” she paused and hung her head. “Now I feel as though there is a huge divide separating us. Every day I age only serves to widen the gap, only serves to take me further away from you.”
Elliot glanced at them, his rueful look causing guilt to flare. “We will go and sit with Alexander.” He took Grace’s hand and led her from the room.
Ivana fell into Leo’s arms. “Oh, it is all so terrible. It is all my fault.”
“Do not be so hard on yourself.” He stroked her hair, the motion going some way to soothe her. “We have all moved beyond the need to apportion blame. We all understand you did what you thought was best. Indeed, in a strange way, our lives have been enhanced by our experiences.”
She looked up at him and without another word gripped his shirt and claimed his mouth. The kiss was desperate and rough, a way to banish the pain of regret. Even in her despair, she wanted to feel his naked body covering hers. And she would have given anything to join with him in that instant.
Leo stroked her cheek as their lips parted. “We must decide what to do.”
“Will we ever be truly happy?” The question fell from her lips without thought. “Will we ever be able to move forward?”
“While my heart aches for my brothers, it soars with joy at the thought of sharing my life with you.”
“I love you,” she said, a radiant light flowing through her body at the thought.
Leo smiled weakly. “And I love you, which is why I must be honest with you now.”
Fear sparked in short, sharp bursts. “You’re not going to take the cure, are you? You’re going to go back to England with your brothers to live as you did before.”
Her mind was a jumbled mess of chaotic thoughts.
He smiled. “If you think I could go and leave you here then you do not know me at all.”
“I’m scared, Leo,” she admitted. “You don’t know how hard it was for me to say goodbye to you. I don’t ever want to feel that way again.”
“And you won’t.” He took her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it tenderly. “I want to stay here with you. I want us to be married. I want us to live with our affliction so we can give my brothers the chance of living a normal life with their wives.”
She stared at him while the gravity of his words penetrated her addled mind. He wanted her to give up all hope of walking in the sun, all hope of ever having a child of her own. A moment was all she needed to reach a decision. In truth, she had never expected such dreams to come to pass. She had never thought to reunite with her one true mate. The thought of living an eternity with Leo was reward in itself.
“Very well,” she nodded pushing aside all doubts. “We will give the cure to Elliot and Alexander. I took their humanity in payment for a debt. From what I have witnessed, they deserve some form of recompense for their plight.”
“It is the right thing to do, Ivana.”
“I know,” she said with a heavy sigh. “Shall we go and tell them?”
Leo closed the lid on the mahogany box and secured the catch. Taking her hand, they walked out into the crypt.
Alexander and Evelyn were sitting on the floor against the wall on the far side of the room. His eyes were closed. Evelyn was curled up against him, her head resting on his chest as he stroked her hair. Elliot stood against a pillar. Grace was nestled between his legs and encompassed in his arms. Upon hearing their approach, both couples came to stand before them.
“It was always going to be unlikely we would find the cure and all live happily in human form again.” Elliot’s words were logical. But his dull eyes and harrowed expression tore at Ivana’s heart. “But despite our disappointment, we are truly happy for you both.”
Grace nodded in agreement as she held hands with her husband.
Alexander and Evelyn stepped forward.
“Please, do not mistake our subdued response for bitterness,” Alexander said. “We, too, are pleased you have another chance of life.”
“We want you to be happy,” Evelyn said hugging Alexander’s arm. “We do not want you to hide your true feelings from us.”
Other than the first time she had said goodbye to Leo, Ivana had spent the last ten years barely shedding a tear. Now, in the space of a few days, she had become a blubbering wreck.
“You are so kind,” she said, failing to stop the tears running down her face. They were tears of happiness, she realised. The cure gave her the power to make amends for all the despicable things she had done.
She nudged Leo, as she wanted him to be the one to tell them the news. As always, he interpreted her actions without her having to say a word.
“I won’t prolong your misery by spouting flowery words of love and friendship,” Leo said. “But know that we are both in agreement regarding how we wish to proceed.” He paused. “We have decided neither of us will take the cure.”
All four of them appeared bewildered. They blinked and shook their heads, glanced at each other, then glanced back at Leo.
“You do not have to spare our feelings,” Elliot said with a hint of compassion. “We understand how difficult it must be for you.”
“You mean you want to wait,” Evelyn clarified. “I suppose there is no need to rush. Now you know it is here you have time to decide w
hat to do.”
Leo brushed his hand through his hair. “No. You mistake me. I do not want to take the cure myself. I want to give the cure to my brothers.”
“We want Alexander and Elliot to take the last two bottles,” Ivana added.
Elliot covered his mouth with his hand to suppress a gasp as he stumbled back.
Alexander put his hands on his knees and bowed his head while he exhaled deeply.
“Why would you do that when you could live a normal life together?” Grace asked as her eyes grew wide in disbelief. “You could both be free of the affliction.”
Leo shrugged. “How could we be happy? Love binds us all together.” He glanced at Ivana. “This is the most logical solution to our problem.”
“What Leo is trying to say is that we have each other. Whatever we do, we can do together. The same is not so for either of you. While one walks in the day, the other walks at night. While one eats food for sustenance, the other drinks blood.” She did not wish to stress the differences in terms of mortality. “This way, the natural balance will be restored. This way, the wrongs of the past will be put right.”
“You should take some time to consider it,” Elliot managed to say. “You should not be so hasty in your decision.”
Ivana smiled. “We have taken all the time we need. Besides, Christoph needs a father who can take him riding across the meadows, who—” Ivana stopped abruptly. Her emotions always ran high when she spoke of the children. “We have made our decision.”
Alexander straightened. “Then I thank you both for being so selfless, for giving me a second chance at life.”
Elliot echoed his friend’s sentiment, and Ivana was somewhat shocked when both gentlemen embraced her.
“I am not afraid to admit the thought terrifies me,” Alexander said with a frown. “What if it doesn’t work? What if something should go wrong?”
“Don’t say that.” Evelyn implored, patting him on the arm. “After everything we’ve been through I cannot lose you now.”
“Are we supposed to drink the liquid in the bottle?” Elliot asked.
“I have a vague memory of Nikolai drinking the cure, yes.” Ivana scoured the recesses of her mind. Some memories were still hazy. “But I do not remember it being in little bottles.”
Leo walked over to his brothers, hooked an arm around each of their necks. “Come. We cannot leave this room for at least an hour. Let us go and study Talliano’s notes in the hope the answer lies there.”
It suddenly occurred to Ivana that Elliot must make another decision before he took the cure.
“I promised Herr Bruhn we would go and see the children.” Ivana knew how much the old man looked forward to her visits and hated breaking her promises to him. “With Nikolai’s surprise arrival, I will have missed a whole day if I do not go this evening.” She turned her attention to Elliot. “You must decide if you wish to see Christoph before you take the cure.”
Elliot pursed his lips whilst lost in thoughtful contemplation. He looked at Grace, who nodded but said nothing. “If something should go wrong I would not want to hurt the boy any more than I have already. At present, he is blissfully ignorant of my existence and so the loss will only be mine to bear.”
Grace smiled weakly. “I agree. We should wait to make sure the cure works. In the meantime, there is nothing preventing me from leaving the castle. Evelyn could come with me to visit the children, play with them for an hour and convey your apologies to Herr Bruhn for your absence.”
Ivana clasped her hands to her chest. “You would not mind?” After the heavy storm, the old man would be worried. He had too much to fret over without Ivana adding to his woes.
“Not at all. It will give us something to do, something to occupy our minds.” Grace turned to her husband. “You will not do anything until I return? Promise me you will wait until I am by your side before you attempt to drink the cure.”
Elliot nodded and offered a reassuring smile. “I promise. We will simply look through the notes while we wait for you to return.”
“Speak to Sylvester. He will escort you.” It would also give her servant something to do. He had been quiet since the incident in the courtyard and Ivana hadn’t had a chance to talk to him privately. Killing a man, even one as cold and heartless as Nikolai, still roused feelings of guilt and shame.
The ladies bid their husbands farewell, climbed the stairs and disappeared from view.
Ivana followed the gentlemen into the secret chamber. After spending an hour watching them decipher Talliano’s notes, they seemed to be clearer on what needed to be done.
Alexander ran his finger across the scrawled words, stopping periodically before starting back at the beginning. “It says the potion must be drunk after ingesting infected blood. Talliano found that waiting five minutes proved to cause the least pain.”
“Pain?” Elliot shivered visibly. “I suppose it will be a similar feeling to the night we were turned, though, other than a fiery heat flowing through my veins I cannot remember much about it.”
His words roused the memory of the night Nikolai first bit her and made her drink his blood. The body’s natural instinct was to fight against the foreign liquid in a bid to cleanse it of its impurities. Small, sharp stabbing pains came first, like driving pins into the skin. It was quickly followed by an intense heat like hot coals burning in the belly.
“Then it will not be pleasant,” she said solemnly. “But I suspect it will last no longer than a few hours. Leo and I can assist by compelling you to sleep. It works when the mind is weaker but might not be as effective now you can resist thought manipulation.”
Elliot narrowed his gaze, a frown marring his brow. “In your honest opinion, do you believe it is it safe for us to drink?”
Ivana shrugged. “I assume so. Nikolai would not risk his life on a whim. That much I do know. He came here prepared to take it again. But you must heed Talliano’s words, be certain you have interpreted them correctly.”
While some Latin phrases seemed familiar at first glance, Ivana had no skill with the language and could not help them.
“As I said, we must drink infected blood,” Alexander reiterated.
“Leo can drain some of his blood into a vessel.” Ivana did not think they would wish to drink her blood again.
Alexander picked up the leather-bound notebook, scanned the page and shook his head. “No. It says the blood must be the hosts. We are to drink our own blood. The healing properties of the stone, and whatever else is in the bottle, will draw out the toxins. Once the process begins, it will continue working until all the blood in the body has been thoroughly cleansed.”
Leo gave a heavy sigh. “It’s hard to believe it could work. Then again, had someone told me one bite would cause an aversion to the sun and force me to consume nothing but blood, I would have believed them to be a sure candidate for Bedlam.”
They all chuckled, but anxiety and apprehension still hung in the air.
“I shall read through the notes once more.” Alexander took the book and sat down behind the desk. “When our wives return, I suggest we follow Talliano’s instructions and begin the process.”
Elliot brushed his hand through his hair and sighed. “In a matter of hours, we may be free to walk in the sun.”
Ivana noted the glimmer of sadness in Leo’s eyes. Despite it being his decision for his brothers to take the cure, her heart still ached for him. In a matter of hours, he would be different from his friends. He truly would be alone and abandoned to the night.
Chapter 19
“I pray everything will work out well,” Grace said, touching Evelyn’s arm as they hovered at the top of the stairs leading down to the crypt.
Despite spending a pleasant couple of hours with Herr Bruhn and the children, Evelyn’s shoulders sagged from the weight of the heavy burden. “I cannot imagine a life without Alexander, and so I must have faith that we were all sent here for a reason. Whatever happens in this castle was always destined to be.�
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Grace covered her heart with her hand and sighed wearily. “I wish I could share your optimism.”
“I may look calm and composed, yet inside my heart is breaking. In truth, I do not want Alexander to take the cure. But then I do not want him to watch me grow old and frail, either. I couldn’t bear to see pity in his eyes when I am used to his heated gaze and looks of desperate longing.” Evelyn shook her head to eradicate all sorrowful thoughts. Being subdued and downcast would only cause Alexander to worry. “But we must be brave for our husbands. We must let them believe we are confident in their success.”
Grace grasped her hand and held it tight. “We will help each other through the next few difficult hours. If you see me looking all sad and forlorn, I give you permission to pinch me.”
Evelyn smiled. Although they had been friends before the long journey to Bavaria, the three weeks spent confined to the carriage had brought them closer. “It is comforting to know we have each other.”
Graced nodded but then her faint smile faded. “I do worry about Ivana. She looked terribly distraught earlier. By rights, the cure belongs to her. It was more than generous of her to offer it to our husbands.”
The gesture had helped to ease their husbands’ bitterness towards the woman who had changed their lives. Ivana’s love for Leo shone like a bright beacon, which had eased their fears for their friend, too.
“Then we will offer her the hand of friendship. We will let her know that we forgive her for everything that has happened before this day.” Evelyn knew it was the right thing to do. “Leo loves her, that much is obvious, yet I am still a little confused by it all. We will embrace them as a couple, as our kin.”
“You have a kind heart, Evelyn.”
Evelyn forced a smile. “Let us hope God sees fit to reward us both for our generous spirits.”
They descended the steps to the crypt with a renewed sense of confidence and determination.
“There you are.” Elliot came towards them. He took Grace’s hand. “We have decided to remain down here when we take the cure. We have no notion how long the recovery period will last and cannot risk being in a room where the sun’s harmful rays can penetrate.”