Chapter
19
Katiya stood in the middle of her
chamber, one foot tapping impatiently as her mother and Liliana
fussed over her gown and her hair. She did not want to be there,
did not want to marry Rodin’s oldest son. She had tried both anger
and tears, but, for the first time in her life, her sire had turned
a deaf ear to both.
Even her mother had refused to be
swayed. “We do not marry for love,” Stefanya had replied, her
patience quickly coming to an end. “You have a duty to our people
to produce as many offspring as you can, while you
can.”
Katiya heaved a sigh as Liliana and
Stefanya stepped back to admire their handiwork. There were no
mirrors in the room, but she could see herself reflected in her
mother’s eyes. The dress, of fine burgundy silk and satin, was
exquisite. They had piled her hair atop her head, leaving several
ringlets to fall artfully over her bare shoulders.
What would Lord Drake think when he saw
her? Not that she cared. She wanted nothing to do with him, or his
family, or this impending wedding. She didn’t want to live in the
Fortress, or—she shivered with revulsion—share Drake’s
bed.
“You look lovely,” Liliana said,
smiling.
“Thank you,” Katiya muttered. “How long
do I have to spend with Drake?”
“Katiya!”
“It is quite all right, Stefanya,”
Liliana said. “I think we all know that Drake is also opposed to
this match.”
“Then why must we go through with it?”
Katiya exclaimed. “Why must I do this? It is so unfair! I will not
even be his first wife!”
“Life is often unfair,” Stefanya said
calmly. “This will not be the last time you are required to do
something you find unpleasant.”
“I hate you!” Katiya cried. “I hate all
of you!”
The sound of Stefanya’s hand striking
her daughter’s cheek echoed like thunder in the room.
“Enough!”
Tears welled in Katiya’s eyes and
trailed down her cheeks like drops of scarlet rain.
“It is time,” Stefanya said. Turning,
she opened the door and left the room.
“None of us marry for love,” Liliana
said quietly. “We do what we must do. You may not love my son, but
you will love your children for as long as they let
you.”
Drake paced the drawing room floor, his
strides long and impatient. His future bride was late, adding to
his irritation. The sooner she arrived, the sooner they could get
on with this farce.
Rodin turned away from the window. “I
would remind you that Elena’s well-being depends on your behavior
this evening.”
“You have made that abundantly
clear.”
Rodin nodded. “See that you do not
forget it.” He lifted his head, sniffing the air, then strode
toward the door. “Your bride is on her way.”
Rodin had no sooner left the room than
the door opened again and Katiya glided into the room, a pout on
her pretty face. She closed the door behind her, then stood there,
her hands clasped in front of her.
“Good evening,” Drake
murmured.
She inclined her head, acknowledging
his greeting.
Mindful that his father could overhear
everything that was said if he so desired, Drake forced a smile
into his voice. “Would you care for a glass of wine?”
“Yes, thank you,” she replied, her
voice carefully polite.
“Please, sit down,” Drake invited,
gesturing at one of the green-and-beige striped silk
settees.
He scowled as he moved toward a table
that held a variety of crystal decanters and goblets of varying
sizes. How long was he supposed to entertain this stranger and what
the hell were they going to talk about until he could escort her
back to her apartment?
He filled two glasses. Then, schooling
his features into a more pleasant expression, he carried them
across the room and offered her one.
She took it with a murmured thank
you.
Blowing out a sigh, Drake sat beside
her. She was beautiful, of that there was no doubt. He supposed he
should be grateful for her comeliness, if nothing
else.
“So,” he said, “how soon are we to
wed?”
“Never, if I could have my way,” she
replied candidly.
Drake stared at her. “You do not want
this?”
“No!”
He sat back, his legs comfortably
stretched out in front of him as he mulled her
response.
“I have no wish to marry a stranger,”
she said, and he heard the tears in her voice. “I know it is our
way, for men and women to mate when the man is of age and the woman
is fertile. I know such matches are arranged between families”—she
sniffed loudly—“but I have read of other ways to choose one’s
mate.”
“Indeed?” Drake asked, intrigued by her
comment.
“Yes! There are places where people are
allowed to marry for love.”
“I fear that thought is akin to
treason,” he muttered. Vampire marriages were arranged much like
those of royalty in ancient times, mainly to unite families or
ensure continued peace between rivals.
Katiya met his gaze for the first time.
“You were married before, to that mortal woman. Did you love
her?”
“I will always love her,” Drake replied
quietly, and then he grunted softly. “You are also in love with
someone else, are you not?”
“Yes.” Her chin lifted defiantly. “Your
brother, Andrei.”
Andrei! Drake shook his head. He’d had
no idea.
“You did not know?” Katiya
asked.
“I had no idea. How long has this been
going on?”
“Since last November.”
Drake grunted softly. Andrei and Drake
were half brothers, born to different mothers only a few months
apart. “Perhaps this will work to our advantage,” he said, thinking
out loud. “Perhaps your sire would accept Andrei as your mate. He
is far more suitable than I.”
Katiya shook her head. “My sire thinks
only of power. As the eldest son, you are next in line to rule the
Carpathian Coven. My sire thinks to ensure the continuance of our
treaty.”
Exhaling a sharp breath, Drake took
Katiya’s hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “Maybe if we try very
hard, we can figure out a way for both of us to get what we want,”
he said, though he didn’t really have much hope for either of
them.
Drake thought about what he had told
Katiya long after he had bid her good night.
Vampires lived a very long time. Once a
male had fathered children, his obligation to the Coven was
fulfilled. And since vampires married out of a sense of duty and
not for love, it wasn’t uncommon for couples to go their separate
ways once their children were grown.
He raked a hand through his hair. He
didn’t want to sire a child with a woman he didn’t love. Nor could
he expect Elena to wait for him until his child was grown. He might
not age, but she grew older with every passing day. Dammit! There
had to be a way out of this!
He paced the floor in long angry
strides. He didn’t want Katiya. She didn’t want him. What if she
simply refused to accept him as her husband? He grinned inwardly.
In front of the Council, Rodin had decreed that the marriage would
be performed at a time of the bride’s choosing. And if she chose
not to marry, what then? Would Rodin hold to his word? Could the
answer be so ridiculously simple?
Elena sat in the library, a book open
in her lap, her gaze on the flames in the hearth. It had been
nearly two weeks since she had seen Drake. Their encounter in the
dungeon was never far from her mind. What would have happened if
she hadn’t forced him to stop? If she hadn’t had that candle, she
would have been helpless to fight him off. Would he have drained
her dry?
Driven by the need to see him, to
assure herself that he was still alive, she had gone back to the
dungeon two nights later, but Drake hadn’t been there and she had
lacked the nerve to try to find his room for fear of knocking on
Rodin’s door. Or Vardin’s, she thought with a shudder.
Lost in thought, she leaned back and
closed her eyes. In two weeks, she hadn’t seen anyone save for the
drone who stood guard at her door. Eager for company, she would
have asked to be quartered with the sheep if there had been anyone
to ask.
How much longer would Rodin keep her
here?
Elena was almost asleep when the
library door opened and Liliana stepped into the room.
Stepped wasn’t really the
right word, Elena thought, watching the vampire move toward her.
Vampires didn’t walk like normal people. They sort of glided
effortlessly across the floor.
“I hope I am not disturbing you,”
Liliana said, her voice as smooth and cool as her ice green
gown.
“No, of course not.” Elena closed the
book in her lap. “I’m glad for the company.”
Liliana lifted one brow. “You are
lonely?”
“Yes, very.”
“ Hmm.”
“Haven’t you ever been
lonely?”
“No.” The vampire glanced around the
room, as if gathering her thoughts. “We are having a reception
tonight to celebrate Drake’s forthcoming marriage,” she said at
last. “You are welcome to attend, if you wish.”
Elena started to decline, and then she
hesitated. The last thing she wanted was to see Drake dancing with
his bride-to-be, but if she refused, she might never see him again.
Forcing a smile, she murmured, “Thank you, I’d like
that.”
“You are a most complicated creature,”
Liliana remarked. “You will find something suitable to wear in the
wardrobe. Be ready in an hour. Your drone will escort you to the
ballroom.”
Elena nodded. She watched Drake’s
mother glide out of the room, then frowned. She had wandered all
over the Fortress but she hadn’t seen anything resembling a
ballroom. Had she missed something?
Laying the book aside, she went to her
room to get ready.
The formal gown Liliana had left for
her was exquisite. Pale blue in color, the full skirt was scalloped
around the hem, revealing a dark blue underskirt trimmed in yards
of white lace. Matching blue ribbons were woven through the
neckline of the bodice; a wide sash of the same dark blue as the
underskirt circled her waist.
Elena brushed her hair until it shone
like ebony, brushed her teeth, sprayed herself with perfume, and
told herself she wasn’t the least bit nervous.
Nevertheless, her stomach fluttered
with anxiety as she followed her drone down the corridor. He paused
halfway between the art gallery and the library. Elena looked at
him, askance, wondering what they were waiting for, when he placed
his hand on the wall. Much to her surprise, a door
opened.
She paused before following the drone
up a long flight of stairs, wondering, as she did so, if there were
other doors hidden in other corridors. Were there bolt-holes here,
as well? No time to think about that now.
Chiding herself for foolishly agreeing
to attend a gathering where she would be the only sheep among a
pack of wolves, she followed the drone down a narrow hallway that
opened onto a large, rectangular room. Three of the walls and a
good portion of the ceiling were made of glass, affording the
guests a splendid view of the valley below and the star-studded sky
above.
A trio of long tables covered in gold
damask held dozens of crystal decanters and wineglasses. No other
refreshments were in evidence.
The room, the view, the vampires—it was
the most amazing sight Elena had ever seen. If she hadn’t known the
truth, she would never have guessed these beautifully coiffed and
gowned women and handsome men were vampires. They looked more like
movie stars from a bygone era, when an air of mystery still
surrounded actors and actresses.
A woman with bright red hair sat at the
grand piano located on a small stage at the far end of the room.
She closed her eyes as her long, pale fingers flew effortlessly
over the keys, never missing a note.
Elena stared at the mirror that took up
most of the wall behind the stage. It reflected the woman at the
piano and the vampires who stood in clusters around the room,
laughing and talking, as well as the couples who were waltzing in
the center of the floor.
She frowned. There had been no mirrors
in Wolfram. All the myths said vampires couldn’t see their
reflections, and yet that obviously wasn’t true.
A tall, dark-haired man—one of Drake’s
many brothers by the look of him—approached her, a smile of welcome
on his face. “Good evening, Miss Knightsbridge. May I have this
dance?”
His request startled her, leaving her
speechless.
“I am Andrei. Do you
waltz?”
“Not very well.”
“Then I shall teach you,” he said, and
taking her hand in his, he led her onto the dance
floor.
“I fear your visit has not been a happy
one,” he remarked as he guided her around the floor. “For that, I
am truly sorry.”
“Thank you.”
“You are in love with
Drake.”
It wasn’t a question but a statement of
fact and she saw no reason to deny it. “Yes, I am.”
Andrei nodded. “Our people do not often
fall in love. They marry only to beget children.”
“I think that’s terrible,” Elena said
candidly, then bit down on her lower lip. “I’m sorry. It’s not for
me to judge you or your ways.”
He laughed softly. “Our ways are
changing, much to my sire’s vexation.”
“Oh? In what way?” She glanced around
the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of Drake.
“He is not here yet,” Andrei said with
a knowing smile. “As I was saying, our ways are changing as more of
us choose to leave the Fortress and spend time in the outside
world. Some of us, our women especially, are beginning to resent
being forced to marry men for whom they have no
affection.”
“That’s very interesting,” Elena said
politely, “but what does it have to do with anything?”
“Katiya does not wish to marry
Drake.”
Hope flared in Elena’s heart with all
the intensity of a Fourth of July sky rocket. Perhaps all was not
lost. “Can’t she refuse him?”
“She could, but she is young. I fear
she lacks the courage to defy both her sire and mine.”
“Oh.” Having seen Rodin up close, Elena
could understand Katiya’s reluctance to defy him.
“I understand how you feel more than
you know,” Andrei said quietly.
“I doubt it.”
“Ah, but I do.” He laughed, but it rang
hollow. “You see, my dear Miss Knightsbridge,” he said, swinging
her around and around, “I am in love with Katiya.”
“I’m sorry,” Elena said, though it was
hard to speak, he was making her so dizzy.
“And she loves me. So you see, I
understand exactly how you feel.” He stopped abruptly. “They are
here.”
The dancers drifted off the floor to
line the walls as the piano fell silent.
Rodin entered first, with Liliana at
his side. A couple Elena didn’t know came next. One look at the man
and the woman and she knew they had to be Katiya’s
parents.
Katiya and Drake came last. She wore an
exquisite gown of jade green velvet that showed off her perfect
figure. He wore black trousers, supple black leather boots, and a
long black coat over a white silk shirt open at the throat. They
made a stunning couple. Arm in arm, they walked across the floor,
glancing neither to the right nor the left.
Rodin looked every inch the master of
his domain as he took the stage. “Good evening to you all,” he said
jovially. “As you know, we are here tonight to celebrate the
forthcoming marriage of my oldest son, Drake, to the fair Katiya.
The wedding will take place tomorrow night. . . .”
Elena gasped. Tomorrow night! So soon?
She heard Andrei mutter, “Why didn’t she tell me?”
Gathering her wits about her, Elena
stared at Drake, but he refused to look at her.
“. . . and so,” Rodin was saying, “let
the festivities begin.” He smiled expansively. “Please, enjoy
yourselves. If the wine is not to your taste, there is other
refreshment available upon request.”
Elena’s stomach churned. “He means the
sheep, doesn’t he?” she whispered, looking up at
Andrei.
He nodded. “There are Master Vampires
here from many foreign lands. It is customary to provide
nourishment.” He took her hand in his cool one. “Come, the music is
starting again.”
“How can you be so cheerful?” Elena
asked. “They’re getting married tomorrow night!” She almost choked
on the words.
Andrei shrugged one shoulder. “It is
all an act. What would you have me do? Throw myself on the floor
and wail like a spoiled child? For now, we must make the best of
it. Relax, and follow my lead. And try to look as if you are having
a good time. It will drive Katiya and Drake crazy with
jealousy.”
Laughing in spite of herself, Elena
glanced around Andrei’s shoulder to see Drake watching her through
narrowed eyes as he waltzed by with Katiya.
“Did I not tell you?” Andrei exclaimed.
“He is green with envy.”
Andrei insisted they dance every dance.
Between sets, he kept Elena close to his side, made sure her
wineglass was always full. He regaled her with stories of growing
up in the Fortress.
“Those were happy times, the days of
our youth, before the need for blood overcame every other thought,
every other passion. I surrendered to the compulsion several years
before Drake. Though he is the eldest, he held out the longest. My
brothers and I tormented him terribly.”
“Why?”
“We were jealous of his determination
to resist the compulsion, envious of his ability to consume mortal
food, to roam outside in the sun’s light.” Andrei’s gaze focused on
Drake. “Once we poisoned his supper.”
“That’s terrible!”
“It only made him sick for a short
time. He got even with us, though. He fed the sheep absinthe. It
didn’t hurt the sheep, but it made the rest of us violently
ill.”
“That’s terrible, too,” Elena said, but
she couldn’t help laughing.
It was nearing four in the morning when
Elena insisted she needed to sit down. “You might have the staying
power of twenty men,” she told Andrei, “but I don’t.”
“Very well.” He escorted her to a
chair, stood beside her while she rested. She noted the crowd had
thinned considerably. Had the vampires retired early? Or were they
dining below? She was about to ask Andrei to walk her back to her
room when she saw Drake and Katiya gliding toward
them.
“Good evening, brother,” Andrei said
with a slight bow.
“Andrei,” Drake replied with a nod. “I
wish to dance with Elena.”
Andrei darted a glance in Rodin’s
direction. He stood on the other side of the room, conversing with
several men. “Do you think that is wise?”
“No, but it will be my last chance to
hold her. I am willing to suffer whatever punishment Rodin sees fit
to inflict on me.”
“Very well,” Andrei agreed. “Katiya,
will you dance with me?”
“You know I will.” She glanced at
Drake. “If Rodin says anything, tell him this was at my request.
Come, Andrei.”
Drake led Elena onto the floor as the
pianist began to play. The music was unlike anything Elena had ever
heard—soft and slow, yet there was a dark sensual edge to the
notes. She gazed up at Drake as he drew her into his arms. He must
have fed well, she thought. The burns and blisters accrued during
his stay in the tower had all but disappeared from his face and he
looked again like the dashing man she had fallen in love with such
a short time ago. How was she going to live without
him?
He held her close, his gaze never
leaving her face. “Forgive me,” he murmured.
“There is nothing to forgive, my
lord.”
“I could have killed you.”
“It doesn’t matter now.” Nothing
mattered now, she thought, and perhaps never again.
“I am not giving up,” he said
fervently. “No matter how long it takes, I will find a way for us
to be together.” He caressed her cheek with his knuckles. “Unless
you tell me you no longer love me.”
Conscious of the curious looks of the
other dancers, she blinked back her tears. “I’ll love you till my
dying breath,” she whispered. “And into eternity.”
“Elena.” He murmured her name and then
a curious thing happened. He swept his gaze over her lips, and even
though his mouth was not touching hers, she felt the press of his
lips, warm and sweet, on her own.
When the music ended, Rodin stood
beside them, his devil dark eyes glinting with barely suppressed
fury. Andrei and Katiya appeared as if by magic.
Elena glanced anxiously at the three
male vampires. Rodin looked ready to explode. Drake’s face was
expressionless. Andrei appeared faintly amused.
Katiya smiled at her future
father-in-law. “It was my doing,” she said, taking Drake’s hand in
hers and squeezing it tightly. “Please do not blame Drake. I wished
to dance with Andrei and Drake graciously permitted
it.”
Rodin studied her face for several
moments, as if trying to determine the veracity of her statement.
Katiya met his gaze unwaveringly.
With obvious reservations, or perhaps
to avoid a scene, Rodin muttered, “Of course,” and then, with a
courtly bow, he strode away.
Elena glanced from Andrei to Katiya. It
was easy to see they were very much in love. She wondered how Rodin
could be so oblivious, but then she recalled Andrei telling her
that vampires didn’t marry for love. Perhaps one had to experience
the emotion to recognize it.
When the strains of another waltz
filled the air, Drake reluctantly led Katiya onto the dance
floor.
Andrei looked at Elena. “Shall
we?”
“No, I think I’d like to go to my room,
if you don’t mind. I feel a headache coming on.”
“Of course.” Taking her by the hand, he
escorted her from the ballroom. “Maybe all is not lost,” he said as
they walked down the corridor toward her quarters.
Elena shook her head. “The wedding is
tomorrow night.”
“There is still hope that Katiya will
find the courage to defy Rodin and her sire. I know Cezar has
ignored her tantrums at being forced to wed against her will, but
if she can find the nerve to say no during the ceremony . . .”
Andrei swore softly. “All she has to do is say no. With so many
witnesses, her sire may concede.”
“Do you really believe
that?”
“I have to.”
He made it sound so easy, Elena thought
when she was alone in her room. Just say no. She didn’t know about
Katiya’s sire, but having seen how Rodin meted out justice, Elena
doubted she would have the nerve to disobey the Master Vampire. Nor
did she believe that Katiya’s father would accept her refusal. But,
as Andrei said, it was the only hope they had.
After undressing, she washed her hands
and face, pulled on her nightgown, and crawled into bed. She stared
up at the ceiling, determined not to cry, but it was no use. Her
tears came quickly, burning her eyes, scalding her throat. Tomorrow
night, Drake would be forever lost to her. He would marry Katiya
and give her children and Elena would never see him again, never
lie nestled in his arms, never taste his kisses or experience the
wonder of his body melding with hers.
Flopping over onto her stomach, she
wailed softly into her pillow, then cried herself to
sleep.
Elena woke abruptly, all her senses
alert. She didn’t know what had awakened her but something—some
innate sense of self-preservation perhaps—told her she was no
longer alone.
She sat up, reaching for the lamp
beside her bed. A scream rose in her throat and was trapped there
when a large hand wrapped around her neck.
“Not a word,” hissed a voice in her
ear. “If you cry out, I will break your neck.
Understand?”
Heart pounding like the hooves of a
runaway horse, she nodded as best she could.
Cool fingers caressed her cheek. “Ever
since that first taste, I have hungered for more of your
blood.”
Vardin! She shuddered as he ran his
tongue along the side of her neck, then bit down hard on her
earlobe.
He made ugly sucking noises as he
drank, then smacked his lips. “Even better than I remembered.” He
released his hold on her neck, then pulled her roughly into his
arms, his hands sliding suggestively up and down her back and
thighs.
“Why me?” she gasped, hoping to divert
him. “There are plenty of sheep to satisfy your
thirst.”
He snorted disdainfully. “I do not want
one of the sheep. There is no fire in their blood. I want a
tiger.”
Knowing he wanted resistance, she went
lax in his arms. Perhaps, if she didn’t defy him, he would drink
from her and let her go.
“Tomorrow night, Drake will wed Katiya,
and when it is done, I will see that you are returned to the
sheepfold. And then I will claim you as my own.”
She stared at him in horror. Could he
do that?
“You will be mine until I tire of you.”
Taking hold of the collar of her nightgown, he ripped it down the
front. “But that will not be for a long, long time.”
With a hoarse cry, she tried to cover
herself, but he trapped both her hands in his and began to kiss
her, his tongue plunging into her mouth. Sheer terror welled up
within her when he pushed her down on the bed, then covered her
body with his.
Certain she would rather die than have
him violate her, she screamed as loudly as she could.
The bedroom door flew open almost
immediately. In the pitch blackness of her room, she couldn’t see
much of anything, only a dark blur that hurtled inside, grabbed
hold of the man atop her, and flung him against the wall. There was
the sound of a scuffle, a sharp gasp of pain, and then
silence.
The unmistakable scent of blood filled
the air.
A moment later, the light came on and
Drake was at her side. Wrapping her in a blanket, he cradled her in
his arms. Shaking uncontrollably, she glanced over his shoulder. A
body lay on the floor, covered from head to midthigh with the
bedspread, now sodden with blood.
A number of other vampires materialized
in the corridor and inside the room as if conjured by witchcraft.
Rodin and Liliana were among them.
“What is going on here?” Rodin
demanded.
“Vardin attacked Elena.” Drake’s voice
was tight with anger as he grabbed Elena’s robe from the foot of
the bed. Shielding her from view with his body, he helped her into
the robe.
Rodin glanced at the body on the floor.
A muscle twitched in his jaw. Liliana dropped to her knees beside
her son, a harsh cry of denial rising in her throat. A single red
tear slipped down her cheek.
Rodin fixed Elena with a hard stare.
“Is it true that Vardin attacked you?”
Elena nodded.
“I want her sent home, now,” Drake
said. “Before anything like this happens again.”
Rodin ignored Drake, his gaze still on
Elena. “Why did my son attack you?” he asked brusquely. “There is
no shortage of nourishment here.”
“He said he . . . that he didn’t want .
. .” She shuddered. “He didn’t want one of the sheep.”
Liliana glanced up at her husband, a
question in her eyes.
Rodin nodded tersely. “She speaks the
truth.”
Stefan stepped forward. “I will take
Elena home.”
“Thank you,” Drake said quietly. “Take
Andrei with you.” He looked up at Rodin. “Any
objections?”
“No.” Rodin glanced from Stefan to
Andrei. “Take the woman and go. Now.”
Elena clung to Drake. The moment she
had dreaded had arrived.
Drake looked at his sire. “We will need
a moment alone, to say good-bye.”
A muscle twitched in Rodin’s jaw, but
he didn’t argue. Two of the vampires lifted Vardin’s body and
carried it out of the room. Liliana followed behind. Rodin jerked
his chin toward the door and everyone else left the
room.
“Do not take too long,” Rodin said, and
closed the door behind him.
Drake’s arms tightened around her.
“Elena?”
She looked up at him, her eyes swimming
with tears.
He wiped the dampness from her cheeks
with the pads of his thumbs. “Stefan and Andrei will see you safely
home. I have signed a paper deeding the castle to you. I have
opened a bank account for you in the city. A large amount will be
deposited to your account every month.”
She nodded, but the only thing that
registered was that he was sending her away.
He caressed her cheek with his
knuckles. “Be happy, Elena. I will never forget you.”
“Don’t make me go!” She hated the
pleading note in her voice, but she couldn’t help it. The thought
of being parted from him was unbearable.
“It is impossible for you to stay
here,” he said. “You must realize that.”
“I know.” She sifted her fingers
through his hair, slid her fingertips over his lips. “Kiss me
good-bye.”
Cupping her face in his hands, he
kissed her ever so gently. “I will love you as long as I draw
breath.”
She nodded, unable to speak past the
lump in her throat.
Drake pulled her close and she clung to
him, memorizing the feel of his hard-muscled body against hers, the
scent that was his alone. He kissed her again, hard and quick, and
then Rodin was striding into the room, ordering Drake
away.
What happened next passed in a blur.
Andrei and Stefan materialized in the room. With a reassuring
smile, Stefan took Elena in his arms. There was a familiar buzzing
in her ears, a sense of hurtling through time and space, a
queasiness in the pit of her stomach.
When she came to herself, it was early
morning and she was lying in her bed in the castle,
alone.
Elena rolled onto her side, her cheek
pillowed on one hand, and stared at the wall. She wondered without
really caring if Stefan and Andrei were still in the castle or if
they had returned to the Fortress.
She had known Drake such a short time.
How was it possible that he had made such a drastic impact on her
life?
She had fallen in love with
him.
She was one of the few mortals alive
who knew that vampires existed.
Wolfram Castle belonged to her
now.
She had a marriage license proving she
had married Drake Sherrad. No one would ever know that Rodin had
annulled her marriage. . . . She frowned. Where did Drake’s sire
get the authority to end her marriage, anyway? No matter. Drake was
lost to her. She could tell people he had died on their honeymoon
and no one could disprove it. The castle was hers now. She could
live here for as long as she wished. If she desired, she could hire
a cook and a housekeeper to help care for the castle. Doing so
would not only provide her with household help, but company, as
well. She could travel the world, go anywhere she
pleased.
But none of that mattered because she
was, and always would be, in love with Drake.
And tonight he was marrying someone
else.