As he was turning to leave, he spied a scrap of white fabric sticking out from under the bed. Striding across the room, he snatched it from its hiding place and held it up, a slow smile forming. It was a maid’s cap. He held it to his nose, scenting it, and his smile turned into a wide grin. Here, here was his proof. He imagined Marishka had always had the little chit strip before entering the cottage to keep his sister’s scent from her clothes, but the cap would have remained to protect her hair from the same thing. Fortunately, it must have come loose during one of their tumbles on the bed, and now, now he could go home and show Alliana that Hannah had indeed been with the enemy.
“What is it Sire? One of the minions had come closer, staring at his Master as he held the maid’s cap with such satisfaction.
“Tis my proof. The servant girl was here.”
“But you knew that, Sire. We all smelt her right off.”
“Yes, but my wife...” Damnation. How was he to prove to Alliana that the cap did indeed belong to Hannah? Alliana had no heightened sense of smell, and she wasn’t in the mood to take his word on anything at the moment. His sense of pleasure disappeared as he realized that the cap was not the treasure he thought it was, and a scowl came over his face. He would need more. Was there something else about? There had to be.
Mikhal quickly called his men back and ordered them to make a more thorough search of the cottage and the overgrown gardens surrounding it. If the girl had undressed before entering each time she came as he suspected, then perhaps he could find something outside that would be more sufficient to damn her in her treason.
He watched his men as they tore the cottage apart once more, and then went outside to supervise those minions as well. It was then that he remembered that Lucian had told him Hannah had been hobbling the night she came home reeking of Marishka. She’d broken the heel off one of her slippers, supposedly upon a rock in the field as she searched for the root for Natalya. Perhaps... perhaps it was here.
Getting onto his hands and knees, not trusting his idiot minions to do the task as well as it needed to be done, Mikhal, the mighty Mikhal the Merciless, crawled upon the fieldstone path searching for the object that would make things right again with his wife.
He ran his hands over the stones in the near blackness, looking, peering into the dark, feeling for a bump that felt unnatural, a bit of wood in a stony path, and finally he found what he was searching for. There lodged between two stones, was the heel to Hannah’s shoe.
Mikhal let out a whoop of joy laced with a snarl of evil intent as he pulled the evidence from the stone crevice. The man in him was pleased, but the demon in him was feeling the blood lust of revenge surging through it. He wanted to tear the little bitch apart for playing him a fool and daring to try to harm his wife, but first, first she would tell him of Marishka’s plans, and tell him where his bitch of a sister was hiding.
Oh yes, the beast in him couldn’t deny that he looked forward to the inquisition that would be taking place between himself and the treasonous girl whom had passed herself off as innocent, and almost cost him the life of his wife and son.
Mikhal gathered the troops and left, feeling heartened by his findings; the bits of evidence that were tucked safely in his pocket couldn’t be denied by his wife any longer. While it was true he hadn’t caught Marishka or Andor, he had caught Hannah at her game, and now the game of predator and prey would begin when he returned to the castle.
As the men mounted up, he tried to feel Marishka, tried to use his vampire senses to track her and make the night a complete success, but it was no use. She was his blood it was true, but not in the way of his kind now. She was his human sister, and that kind of tie couldn’t be traced through instinct.
Mikhal didn’t know how the pair had managed to elude them, but he was damn sure that they wouldn’t continue to for long. They had to be out here somewhere, and he was determined to search until dawn if need be, and then it would be home to speak to dear Hannah.
The sunlight would drive him indoors it was true and keep Marishka safe awhile longer, but it would also force his quarry to hole up as well, so there was consolation in that. What he didn’t know, was that Andor had planned for this day, and planned well, and he hadn’t shared his plans with Hannah or Marishka. That made Mikhal’s chances of finding them very slim.
While Marishka had spent her nights playing with her pet, forcing him to watch, cock straining, temper in a fury, he had plotted and planned, and decided to get a pet of his own to help him in his war against Mikhal the Merciless. He remembered the child who had been given to Marishka on the night Lord Arcos had wed the Gypsy bitch, and how the child had been tortured and turned. Marishka had made the boy her darling while she had still been at the castle, poisoning his mind against Alliana, and it was this that Andor used to secure his plan.
He’d snuck onto the castle grounds one night, certain in his ability to overpower any of the stupid minions who acted as sentry, and hunted for the child, certain that one as young as he would be apt to roam outside and play. He had been right of course; the boy was far from the actual castle when Andor spotted him, far from the sentries, far from anyone who would raise the alarm. Perfectly placed for what he had in mind.
He had captured the child that night. Taken him and reminded him of the deviant pleasure that could be had of the flesh, certain the child had been ignored within the walls of the castle where almost all of the vampire were men, and the boy had responded with gratitude, showing him adoration and purring under his gentle touch, just like Marishka’s pet did.
The boy had never known pleasure without pain, especially under Marishka’s hand, and he had whispered his fears to Andor, begging him not to hurt him as the other minions did when they sexually violated him. Hearing his pleas, knowing he had no choice if he wanted to succeed, Andor restrained his natural need for violence, and was in fact kind. He had shown the boy a love made of lies, simply to gain his loyalty and it worked like a charm.
Andor told the boy that he must remain silent, and reminded the child that to betray him would be to favor the Gypsy whore who had caused him such hurt, and the child had eagerly agreed, reaching for him, clinging to him, promising his loyalty and also promising to leave the castle grounds and meet Andor every other night to tell him of the gossip from the castle. In return of course, Andor, sly as could be, heart twisted and cold as steel, wanting nothing but to rip the child apart brutally through rape and torture, gazed at him sweetly and told him he was a good lad and where he should be in two days hence.
And so they had begun their secret trysts. Andor finding out what he needed to know, pleasing the boy and getting pleasured in return for a few brief hours every other night, while Marishka lay with her pet. On the nights he didn’t meet his toy; he plotted and planned, knowing they wouldn’t be safe forever, knowing he had to act sooner or later to steal the title of Master and Lord from the hated Mikhal the Merciless.
That was how it came to be that Andor had been warned of Hannah’s capture; as the men were mounting up in the stables, the vampire child was slipping out the gates and running straight to the cottage Andor told him about. He didn’t need to take time searching, didn’t need to waste time pursuing false leads, he knew where to go, and his knowledge saved Marishka and Andor from an untimely death.
Marishka had been shocked to see the boy come rushing in the door, but Andor knew at once it meant there was trouble. He grabbed his beloved Mistress though she shrieked and fought him, not understanding the urgency of their situation, and forced spoonful after spoonful of milk of poppy down her throat, until she was still and silent in his arms. Then, he scooped her up and rushed out the door, heading to a place deep in the woods where he had prepared a safe spot for his love.
The boy followed at his heels silently, waiting for instructions, beaming with pride that he had done well in saving his Master, though he wasn’t fond of the old Mistress. His smaller strides were quick as he raced to keep up, determined to ser
ve his duty until Andor no longer needed him.
Finally Andor stopped. There before them was an open grave, complete with a large pine box. Marishka would sleep from the elixir he’d given her for a very long time, and when she woke, if she were still in the ground, she would be disoriented and upset, but it had to be done to save her. Mikhal the Merciless would never find her buried here.
Andor laid her in the box and lowered it in the deep grave, then proceeded to push the dirt back into place with his hands. The shovel had been removed long ago, he hadn’t wanted it to attract attention, and also knew that on this night he wouldn’t be able to carry it when he left here. He needed to be swift and silent. Every few feet of dirt were followed by the placement of heavy rocks upon the buried coffin, then more dirt. He had dug the hole deep. His Mistress had risen from a grave once before, but she couldn’t do so this time. Not until he came back. Not until he found a safe hiding place for them and returned for her.
Once he was finally done, Andor wiped his hands on his breeches and turned to the boy, debating whether or not to kill him. The child had served his purpose well and could be of use in the future, but he also knew too much.
“You did well, Elias.”
“Thank you, Master. I wish only to serve you.”
“And you have. In many ways.” It was true. The boy was an asset. One he liked, a good toy.
“What are you to do now, Master? Where will you go? I fear they will catch you.”
“I will hunt for a safe place for my Mistress and myself. Tis all I can do until I can kill Mikhal the Merciless and return to the castle.”
“I... I know of a place.”
Andor grabbed the child’s arms, shaking him. Was he telling the truth or was it a trap? “Where? Tell me where. You had better not be lying.”
“No! No, Master. Tis a cave, I used to play there before I was captured and taken to the castle. Tis small and dank but tis also deep in the woods, behind thick brush.”
“And how did you find it?”
“Twasn’t me, twas my dog. He ran off when we was hunting squirrels, I searched and searched for him, and while I was doing so, I found the cave.”
“And you remember where it is? We can go there quickly?” The sound of horse’s hooves could be heard on the distant road accompanied by the shouts of Mikhal’s men.
“Yes, Master. I know the way.”
“Then we shall go and see this cave of yours.” He thought briefly of digging Marishka up then and there but knew she would sleep until the next night so decided she was safest where she was. Besides, he could move faster alone and he had yet to see this cave. It could prove to be far too small, or not as hidden as the child remembered.
With one last look at the plot of dirt that covered his beloved dark Mistress, Andor turned and followed the boy who was already heading off into the thicker part of the forest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Mikhal was continuing to lead his men on a search of the countryside and Andor was following the boy through the thicket to the cave, Natalya and Lucian were returning from their nightly trip to the village. It had been a long one. One of the women other than Rowen, had had some complications requiring extra care, and they had been forced to stay much longer than usual much to both Lucian and Natalya’s dismay. Both were worried about what was going on back at the castle, both wondering what Hannah might try in their absence.
Lucian had been silent on the subject during their evening together though he was very curious about Natalya’s feelings on the matter. If the feisty red head suspected him of abusing the girl it certainly hadn’t changed her demeanor towards him. If anything, she was even more of a spitfire with that tongue of hers, though that was due most likely from her embarrassment caused by the intimacy they had shared while he had caressed her wounds with his tongue.
Now he had her in his arms once again, held oh so closely, under his guard against those whom would dare cross the Master and endanger the women of the castle. Lucian knew bad things were afoot and he had no intention of allowing harm to come to the woman in his embrace.
Much to his surprise, she hadn’t balked when he’d tightened his arms unusually close around her waist; he suspected it was because they both knew the reason. It couldn’t be denied however that her warm soft rump felt wonderful pressed so snug between his hard thighs, and the curve of her breasts lay so deliciously upon his arm.
“May I ask you something, Natalya?”
She stiffened a bit. If he intended to speak of when he had tended her burns then no, he certainly could not, but if it were in regards to the girl, then yes.
“You are free to ask, Lucian, but it does not mean I shall answer.”
He gave a small chuckle, truly enjoying her fire and candor. “You always were one to speak the truth with your sharp tongue.”
“That shall never change. I cower to no one.”
“And I wouldn’t have you any other way.”
“You shan’t have me at all, sir. I thought I had made that perfectly clear.”
“Perhaps my vision is cloudy dear Lady for there have been times when I was confused.”
“Don’t be a cad, Lucian. I...”
“Now, now, my sweet wildcat, draw in those claws. That is not what I wish to speak of though the subject is intriguing. I do so love to see the color rise up in your cheeks. What I wish to know is, what are your feelings about the girl Hannah? Do you believe the Master has sound reason to suspect her? Do you believe me?”
“There is something off with the girl. Something not quite right, but I am not certain I am willing to condemn her for it. If there were more proof perhaps I could turn a blind eye and not feel any pangs when she was dragged away but as of now...”
“Proof! The girl is a liar. She had no dirt upon her hands or dress. No human, especially a woman, would dare to go outside during the night in these parts, her tale is utterly preposterous, and she reeked of Marishka.”
“The gowns...”
“If she had been in Marishka’s chamber then all of her would have carried the scent, but twas only her hair. Besides, the scent would have been faint, old.”
“What of her clothes? Why didn’t they have the scent as well?” This fact had bothered Natalya. She’d forgotten to bring it up with Lord Arcos.
“Marishka, as insane as she is, is not a fool. She would have had the girl strip before being near her; she would know we’d catch her scent if Hannah was in contact with her.”
Natalya grimaced at the idea of being nude in front of or in the arms of Marishka. Though she had never met Mikhal the Merciless’s sister, the tales of her cruelty and Alliana’s own experiences were chilling.
“I simply wish that Lord Arcos could...” Natalya had been about to spill Mikhal’s secret, much to her horror. It had almost flowed naturally from her lips as she was speaking to Lucian whom she suddenly realized she trusted beyond a doubt. The two of them had forged an odd bond during all their time together. She gasped then snapped her lips shut, ashamed, and Lucian felt her stiffen in his arms.
“Look at me Natalya.” He stopped the horse and moved her in his arms quite easily, turning her body so one leg slid up and over the horse so she was seated sidesaddle and held close to his chest as she gazed up at him. Natalya put up no struggle at his manipulations of her, getting lost at once in his dark hooded eyes.
“Tell me sweet. I think we both know of the secret you were about to spill. If we work together we can protect the Master and the Mistress. Do not be afraid.”
Natalya shook her head slowly. She couldn’t. Mikhal had confided in her. What if Lucian didn’t know? Then again, how could he not? He was Lord Arcos’s first in command.
Lucian too wanted to hold his tongue, not wishing to be the first to admit to knowing the truth. What if he was wrong and she hadn’t been about to say what he thought she was?
“Tell me what you were about to say Natalya?” Lucian opened his eyes wider and began to enthrall her but Natalya sh
ut her own at once, the memory of the night in the stable still vivid in her mind.
“You shan’t use your magick tricks on me, Lucian.” She struggled but he easily held her still, and then suddenly swept his lips down onto hers in a searing kiss that both shocked her and stole her breath away.
The kiss was like none she had ever experienced. His lips were demanding, but soft as well, and they urged her to open her own. His arms tightened around her, his hand caressing her back as he pressed his mouth to hers more insistently, causing her head to fall back. As she opened her mouth to gasp for air, he allowed one breath, then reclaimed her, sweeping his tongue across hers, dancing it lightly, teasing, playing, making her tingle in a way that was new and so very unnerving.
What was he doing? Was it some new magick? Danior had never kissed her like this. He had hardly kissed her at all. Her head felt light, her muscles weak, and a knot of something fiery grew in her loins.
Natalya shook her head and Lucian broke the kiss at once. This was a woman he wasn’t supposed to touch and he was violating vampire law by simply kissing her. He gazed down at her and saw the confusion in her eyes, but also scented the passion that had arisen in her body and he couldn’t deny that this pleased him. He had meant to kiss her into submission but it had turned out to be much more. Well truth be told, he knew it would. He’d been yearning to kiss her again.
“I would tell you I was sorry, My Lady, but it would not be the truth. I hope that you are not too horrified by my actions.” His words sounded sincere but there was just a hint of a smirk playing on the edge of his lips.
“You... no harm was done. You are forgiven. I...” Natalya was still flustered and it galled her, she was not one to be at a loss for words but Lucian’s kiss had left her shaken.
“I am pleased to hear it, sweet. You certainly do not look as if you were harmed. Your beauty is as radiant as always.”
“And your charm is becoming tiresome. I wish to go back to the castle.”
Beneath The Shadows of Evil... Torn Page 28