Abandoned to the Night (The Brotherhood Series, Book 3) (17 page)

“No!” Ivana threw herself to the floor, knelt at his feet. “Do not do this, Nikolai. They have been loyal servants to me all these years. You can make us forget. Take what it is you want and leave us be. Do the vows you made to me mean nothing to you?”

“As I said, did you remember your vows when you took Leo to your bed?” Nikolai grinned. “But as this is the last time I will see you, it may ease your conscience to know that you are not my wife. I have married many women over the years, in many countries. You were not the first. You were not the last.”

Relief flooded Leo’s chest. If Nikolai was not her husband, then he had no real hold on Ivana.

“What?” Ivana shook her head. “You mean mine is not the only life you have destroyed out of greed and a need for revenge. Your heart is black. Your wickedness taints your soul. May God damn you to Hell.”

“Yes, yes. I have heard it all before.” He grabbed his cane and stood as Ivana scrambled to her feet and shuffled back to Leo’s side. “Now, I must leave here within the hour. Forgive my impatience but time is of the essence.”

The sharp slicing sound of the blade as it came free of its holder echoed ominously through the room.

Ivana raised her chin defiantly though Leo could sense her fear. “I will not let you do this.”

“You always were naive. But you will watch your lover die and know you were to blame. Your eagerness to turn him has cost him his life.” Nikolai grinned in response to the tears welling in her eyes. “The blood of animals has made you weak.”

“The blood of humans has made you a monster,” she countered.

Nikolai shrugged, but then turned sharply, his penetrative gaze boring into Leo’s soul. “Kneel before me, Leo. You will kneel before me now.” Nikolai’s stern voice gripped him like talons, puncturing his chest to curl around his heart. It tugged, pulled him forward. Leo tried desperately to hold onto the arm of the chair, but his legs had a will of their own. “Do not fight me. You will kneel before me.”

You must fight him
.

Ivana rushed forward and yanked on his arm. “Stop, Leo. You will step back. You will listen to me.”

Nikolai snorted. “I do not need him to kneel. But perhaps you should be the first to lose your head. Disloyalty is a crime punishable by death in my country. Kneel, kneel before me, Ivana.”

Leo watched her struggle, the pain on her face evident as the vice-like grip around his body disappeared. “You must fight him, Ivana.”

“I cannot.” Ivana tumbled to her knees as Nikolai stepped forward.

Anger burst forth, forcing Leo’s fangs from their sheath. He darted forward, but Nikolai raised his hand, an invisible barrier bringing Leo to an abrupt halt. “You will not kill her,” he repeated over and over again. “Step away, Nikolai.”

“Step away,” Ivana repeated weakly but then regained her confidence. “Step away.”

Nikolai faltered but only for a few seconds. “You are too weak to stop me.”

“Do not surrender, Ivana. We must fight him together.”

Nikolai threw his head back and laughed. “I am too strong. It will take more than two feeble minds to prevent me from achieving my goal.”

The thud of booted footsteps captured their attention.

“How about four feeble minds?” Elliot’s arrogant tone brought instant relief. “What say you, Alexander? Do you think we should show the gentleman our teeth?”

Chapter 15

Nikolai stared at Elliot and froze, his look of supreme confidence replaced with one of subdued enquiry.

“Step away,” Elliot roared. Years of strutting around the ballrooms of London had given him an air of arrogance and conceit. His commanding presence roused a flicker of uncertainty in Nikolai’s beady black eyes. “Put your sword on the floor and step away.”

Leo put his arm around Ivana and helped her to her feet, pulling her back to a safe distance for fear Nikolai would lash out in a sudden fit of temper. As his brothers came to stand behind them, he caught Elliot’s gaze and gave a look that conveyed his gratitude for their timely assistance.

As two, they would struggle to overpower Nikolai.

As four, they stood a much greater chance.

Strength came in the form of loyal friendships forged during times of hardship. It came from knowing others loved you enough to sacrifice their own happiness to stand at your side. It came from the realisation that, despite all thoughts to the contrary, you were not alone.

A smirk touched the corners of Nikolai’s mouth as his gaze drifted over them. “My, you have been busy, Ivana. I have underestimated your skill in combat it seems. You have amassed an army of night creatures to do your bidding.”

“We are not creatures.” Leo squared his shoulders as his lips curled down in disdain. “We are brothers. We are men willing to stand together for what we believe in. Now you will put your sword on the floor as instructed.”

Nikolai’s expression remained impassive. When he surrendered his weapon, he showed no sign it was because he had been compelled to do so.

“Kick the sword away,” Elliot commanded, and Nikolai obliged without question.

Nikolai tugged at the ends of his coat sleeves. “What is it you want?”

Ivana turned and looked at Leo. An hour earlier, he would have been happy for Nikolai to walk away. But he knew they could not trust him. Should Nikolai escape, he would return. He would kill them all one by one. He would seek retribution.

Nonetheless, one thought took precedence and refused to be tempered. Nikolai knew of an answer to all of their prayers. “There is only one thing you have that interests us.”

Nikolai narrowed his gaze. “You speak of the cure. You wish for an end to your nightmare.”

He heard his brothers gasp, could sense their shock and disbelief. “We will all take the cure together.” Leo’s heart soared at the thought that there could be a tonic or a pill to swallow that would eradicate all the horrendous effects of their affliction. “Only then will we all be equal men. Only then will we let you leave here.”

A heavy silence permeated the air.

“That is not an option,” Nikolai said with a sinister chuckle. “I will not surrender the cure. Not under any circumstances. You will just have to kill me. If you think you can.”

“I knew it was all a lie.” Ivana threw her arms up, her anger evident in her venomous tone. “He finds amusement in other people’s misery. He gives hope when he knows there is none.”

But Nikolai had returned for something important, something worth killing for. Hope blossomed in Leo’s chest. To feel the sun warm his face again would be a dream he had never believed possible.

“Perhaps you could be persuaded.” Leo kept his voice calm for fear of revealing a hint of desperation.

What if they combined their efforts and compelled Nikolai to do their bidding? But to do so, would give him open access to their thoughts. There was a chance Nikolai would manipulate one of them, force a mutiny amongst ranks.

Nikolai dropped into the chair with languid grace. “Of course, I am willing to fight for the right to leave, fight to the death if necessary. If you win, you would have access to the cure.”

The temptation to accept was great indeed.

“You think you are a match for all of us?” Leo asked incredulously though he suspected Nikolai knew a way to even the odds.

“No, Leo,” he replied with a smirk as he folded his arms across his chest. “I think I am a match for you. As a gentleman, it is a question of honour. This is my home, and you have come here and taken something that belongs to me—”

“I belong to no man,” Ivana yelled.

“There is a debt to be paid,” Nikolai said in an amused tone. “To refuse would mean you deem Ivana unworthy. To refuse would mean you are a coward.”

Damn him! The man was a master of manipulation.

Leo’s respect for Ivana, his pride, and years of aristocratic breeding forced him to accept. “It would need to be a fair fight. It—”

“No!” Ivana turned to him, gripped his arms and made him look at her. “It is a trick. He will kill you and then we will be too weak in our grief to stop him. Let us just kill him now and be done with it.”

Leo doubted it would be so simple. He shook his head, glanced at his brothers’ solemn expressions. “It is a matter of integrity, Ivana. Nikolai has laid down the challenge, and I must accept. I must fight for you. I must fight for us.”

“No. I won’t let you. Do you hear me?” She thumped his chest with her clenched fists, the sound like a hollow drum. “I don’t want you. I lied when I said I loved you.” She fell to her knees, wrapped her arms around his leg and hugged it tight as she sobbed.

Leo glanced back over his shoulder. He locked gazes with Alexander, who came towards them and helped Ivana to her feet. “You are certain this is what you want to do?” Alexander said as he held Ivana to his chest.

“It is the only way. Would you not do the same in my situation?”

Showing some reluctance, Alexander nodded.

Elliot stepped closer and placed his hand on Leo’s shoulder. “After all that has happened, I cannot lose your friendship now. But I understand your desire to do what is right, what is needed.” He sighed deeply. “Forgive me, for the way I acted earlier. Know that I will never fail you again.”

“There is nothing to forgive. You have been my constant companion these last few years and during all that time you have always had my best interests at heart.”

“All this sentimental talk makes me feel nauseous,” Nikolai complained. “Well, are you man enough to accept the challenge, Leo?”

Leo’s mouth curled into an arrogant grin. “I think you know the answer.”

Leo did not wish to reveal his preferred method of engagement, but he suspected from Nikolai’s dress and cane that a sword would be his weapon of choice. Or, at least, he hoped that was the case. Besides, a fight to the death meant one of them must lose their head. Hence, a blade was a necessity. “Are we to fight in hand-to-hand combat?” he said feigning ignorance.

Nikolai sneered. “There is something so unrefined, something so vulgar about using one’s fists.”

“If we are to duel, I doubt you will find someone to act as your second.”

“A pistol is the weapon of a coward. There is little skill involved, and I am not a man who gambles his life on the efficiency of a trigger. We will fight as our ancestors did. We will fight with swords.”

Leo grinned inwardly. He would soon discover if Calvino’s tutoring had been worth the extortionate price he had paid. “As you have chosen the weapon, I feel it only fair I should choose the place.”

Nikolai rose from the chair and gave a dandified wave. “As you wish.”

Spatial awareness was the key to winning any fight. Leo knew he must choose an environment that worked to his advantage. His tuition had taken place in an empty room. Calvino believed one must not rely on barriers or objects as a means of defence. To hide behind a chair or table only served to weaken the mind: it gave a false sense of security. A swordsman must possess the skill necessary to defend in the dark. He should not need to see his opponent to anticipate his movements.

“I choose the courtyard.”

Nikolai appeared surprised.

Elliot bent his head and whispered, “It is raining. The cobblestones will be slippery underfoot.”

Leo suppressed a grin. “I know.”

The terrain must never be a disadvantage. Calvino’s words drifted through his mind as he recalled the time he had ridiculed his teacher for forcing him to parry whilst standing in a pit filled with small lead balls.

Ivana looked up at him. “Please, Leo. We will find some other way. If you care for me at all, please do not do this.”

Leo cupped her cheek, wiped a tear away with the pad of his thumb. “I love you, Ivana.” He felt the truth of it as the words left his lips. “But there is no other option open to us. I will not take a man’s life when he is outnumbered. To do so, would make me a coward, a murderer.”

“But he wants to kill you.”

“Yes. And I will defend myself when necessary.”

She clutched his shirt. “I can’t watch you die.”

“Have a little faith,” he said knowing that all of their lives were dependent upon the outcome of this battle. “But know that whatever happens, I believe death brings peace. It brings freedom from our affliction.”

“Don’t say that.” She wrapped her arms around him. “Don’t leave me again.”

Leo could feel sorrow’s empty cavern opening up in his chest. Such an emotional exchange was not the best way to prepare for combat. He nodded to Elliot, who understood his concern without him needing to say a word.

“Come, Ivana,” Elliot said, taking her by her arms and guiding her away. “We must let him prepare.”

Calvino’s methods were influenced by many philosophies from the ancient world. A warrior must embrace battle not fear it. The mind must be calm, focused, the body relaxed. In combat, one must follow a code of honour. Leo had an unusually long reach, which had served him well on many occasions. He suspected Nikolai would use any tactic necessary to win. And so, he would need to be prepared to do the same.

“There are many swords littered about the walls of the castle,” Nikolai said. “You may take any one of them.”