The Bathory Curse (17 page)

“I told you many years ago Lizzy that unless you
stopped, this would happen and that I could not save you.” Nea was
miserable. Bendis’ words had come true, now when people spoke the
Bathory name all they would think about was Elizabeth.

“Please, with your magic you have to be able to do
something.” Elizabeth pleaded. She looked no older than she had the
last time Nea had seen her, even though she had another son Miklos
in 1600. Nea couldn’t believe the blood had worked, she could only
assume that like a vampire, Elizabeth had consumed the life force
of those young women through the blood.

“I have. You shall not be killed like all your poor
servants and I shall protect your daughters as best I can.” Nea
rubbed her eyes, she didn’t want to be here, she wanted to be home.
Stasi had been spending all her time at the castle of late and Nea
didn’t want to miss a moment.

“You can’t protect them from our curse,” Elizabeth
cried, curling into a ball, she wore nothing but a linen chemise,
the guards refusing to give her finery except while she was on
trial.

“No, I cannot. But I can make sure their deaths are
merciful and their lives as happy as possible.” Nea sat next to her
and stroked her blonde hair.

“Make sure they are not like me, you mean.” Lizzy
whispered.

“Yes. Of all your ancestors you are one of the worse
and now the Bathory name with live on in infamy because of your
horrid deeds. The men cannot hide this now.” Nea felt remorse, this
is what her family line had come down to.

“They say I have slaughtered more than 600 virgins;
it isn’t true.”

“I know, but truth won’t matter now.” Nea leaned
back against the bed, still stroking her goddaughter’s hair.

“Why did you go after the noble girl?” Nea wanted to
know.

“I was too distraught to think after Orsolya’s death
last year. I only thought about how beautiful the girl was and how
I wished I was 18 again,” Elizabeth sobbed. Nea had to pity her.
Elizabeth had lost Andras in 1603; he had only been seven and
hadn’t been able to fight off an illness. Then the past year
Orsolya died in a horseback riding accident, she had been 20, and
engaged to be married. Her curse had never come to fruition, but
since she had reached puberty she now resided in Limbo.

“I wish you had listened to me when Paul was born.”
Was all Nea could say.

“If I had I would be an ugly crone now.”

Still vain as ever; Nea wondered if Elizabeth’s only
regret was getting caught, and perhaps leaving behind her
children.

Anna was 25 now and though she had been at court,
now she was being ostracized due to her mother’s crimes.
 Katalin was 17 and to be married within the year. Nea had
used magic to ensure her fiancee would not leave her when Elizabeth
was arrested. Paul was 13 and still at home with Miklos, 11, both
boys being packed up and moved to live with Bathory’s who were
farther away from the scandal.

“I have to go now Lizzy, I won’t be coming back.”
Nea stood, pain in her chest, she looked down at the older woman,
crying on the floor, but all she could see was the scared girl she
had been, delivering a baby and being told it had died.

“Say something to me, anything before you go,” Lizzy
whispered.

“Anastasia lived,” Nea said.

“What?!!! My mother lied? Of course she lied.” Light
dawned in her eyes, “she has been with you all this time, hasn’t
she?” Elizabeth sat up, rubbing her arms, staring incredulously at
her Godmother, sickened with the news, furious and betrayed.

“Yes, she has been cared for and loved and has grown
into a beautiful woman.” Nea took a step towards the door,
preparing to leave. She really wanted to get home she was a little
worried about Stasi, she had seemed so tired of late and pale. She
didn’t have the appetite she used to either.

“You kept this from me? Maybe if I had been able to
raise her I wouldn’t have turned out this way!” Elizabeth
yelled.

“Please continue your hysterics, the guards have no
problems physically forcing you to be quiet.” Nea stated, eyes
serious, sarcasm dripping from her words.

“You won’t save me and you have kept my daughter
from me, I can’t believe there was ever a time I adored you,
thought of you like a mother.” Elizabeth couldn’t even cry, her
eyes were hot and dry.

“I did everything I could possibly do for you and
your sisters, everything I could do for your children.”

“I hate you.” Elizabeth struggled off the floor, sat
in a chair facing the mirrored vanity.

“Goodbye Lizzy.” The last time Nea saw her she was
bending over a bottle of plain face cream that Nea had brought. Nea
watched in disgust as she pricked her finger and let her own blood
drip into the cream and then sighed in pleasure as she stirred it
and began to rub it into her skin.

Nea appeared back at home to find Stasi, Mihail and
Sabine waiting for her, there was an air of misery between them,
Marina came over and took her coat. They all knew where she had
been and what was happening with Elizabeth. At this point, Stasi
pretended not to care that her mother was a murderer, she refused
to speak about or even hear about her birth mother.

Sabine and Mihail knew it tore Nea up inside, but
they also knew this was her cross to bear and they couldn’t help
her. So Nea was sure the dark emotions filling the room didn’t have
to do with the Bathory Curse.

“Nea, do you have time to look at the books?” a
pleasant voice asked. Nea turned to see Renata standing behind
Marina.

Renata had only been in her
household a few weeks. She kept out of the way and was her new
accountant, Nea barely saw her. She was from 21
^st
century France and had been a psychologist with their
government. She had asked Bendis for help with a brutal serial
killer who killed 38 women, and they couldn’t find him. His victims
kept getting younger and younger. The last victim had been 12.
Renata was paying off the debt of Bendis giving her the information
she needed to solve the case before he killed number 39.

“Not right now, but I promise later.” Nea smiled at
the new girl, she really liked her and enjoyed conversations with
her about the troubled people she arrested and helped.
Nea had seriously questioned how she could be in charge of
her household finances with her psychology background, but the girl
was smart and good with numbers. Renata had turned out to be quite
capable.

Marina narrowed eyes at Renata as she left the room
and leaned down next to Nea’s ear.

“Prepare yourself.” Marina muttered, which for her
was downright friendly. The woman had now worked within Nea’s
household for 26 years and was a stubborn matron of 51, still going
strong. Nea often caught her dancing around the house while doing
her duties singing crazy songs from her era about eyes of tigers,
sacrilegious rumors and how voices shouldn’t carry, whatever that
meant. Bendis had offered her a permanent trip home about ten years
before which she had denied, saying she was used to this time and
the people and didn’t feel like uprooting herself again.

“What’s happened?” Nea rushed forward, looking at
her daughter. Stasi had aged well, though it hurt Nea’s heart to
see her baby girl so much older than herself and know she would out
live her. Stasi was tall with long platinum blonde hair and eyes
brighter blue than the sky, she had just turned 37.

So far the curse has not appeared to affect Stasi,
aside from giving her a vicious temper when provoked.

“I’m sick Mama.” Stasi’s words brought Nea’s whole
world crashing down.

“No.”

“It’s true Nea, Marina checked her out, she thinks
it’s a disease that in the future, it doesn’t matter…There isn’t a
cure.” Sabine put her hands on her best friend’s shoulders, but Nea
only had eyes for her daughter. She had thought something was wrong
and chosen to ignore it, this was the punishment for Stasi being
such a happy and good person. Nea watched as Stasi leaned a little
on Mihail who seemed grief-stricken.

“No.” She shook her head, “we’ll just heal you with
magic.”

“Some things magic cannot fix, Lesson 32.” Sabine
touched her nose to Nea’s and then backed away.

“This cannot be happening; it’s the curse isn’t it?
So far you haven’t been touched so it must ruin your life in
another way, you are not even married yet, haven’t had a family!”
Nea cried.

“I talked to Bendis, she does think it is the
curse,” Sabine agreed.

“Don’t worry Mama. I think I have a solution.” Stasi
came forward and took her mother’s hands, leading her into the
library.

“As long as it doesn’t end with you dying and your
portrait gracing my wall I am all ears,” Nea said, anxiety and
panic beginning to build in her mind.

“Mihail and I talked; we think you should make me a
Strigoi.”

“No!” Nea backed away, horrified.

“You did it for Mihail and he enjoys his life,”
Stasi gently reminded her. Nea sat down, heavily.  Yes, she
had turned Mihail and Ruxandra, they were good at it, the killing,
the emotion eating, but, she looked up at her baby. She couldn’t
see forcing her precious bright one to kill.

“Father said if you won’t, he is willing to turn her
for me.” Mihail’s words were like ice water on her soul.

“I forbid it.” She stood frantically. A vampire?
They had no soul! Most were cold blooded killers and insane.

“Is this really what you want Stasi?” Nea asked.

“It’s the best option,” Sabine chimed in.

“I don’t want to die,” Stasi said.

“You will never be able to have children.” Nea
warned, coming closer to her daughter, “you will have to do as
Mihail and Ruxandra do, eat emotions and do my killing. I won’t be
able to favor you.”

“I have never been interested in children, at this
point most call me a rich spinster.” Stasi sounded dejected and
resigned, “Plus it sounds like a better adventure than death and
Limbo.”

“Alright,” Nea took a deep breath and gathered her
daughter to her breast, “now?”

“Yes, sooner the better. It hurts Mama,” Stasi
cried.

“Why did you hide this from me?”

“I didn’t realize something was wrong until a few
weeks ago. I have been so tired, I thought it was just my age
getting to me.” Stasi rested her head on her mother’s shoulder, “I
didn’t want to worry you until I knew…”

“Just relax” Nea squeezed her tighter, tears falling
from her own eyes.

Her magic swept over them both, ripping Stasi’s soul
from her and burying it in Nea’s chest, she held on tightly to her
little girl as her magic swam through Stasi’s veins repairing
damage that had been done and molding it into something else,
something no longer human. Stasi shuddered in her mother’s arms,
occasionally moaning with pain as magic nipped and tugged, caressed
and shaped her into something else. Then, quietly Nea released her
soul back into her body, her magic flowing back into her like a
tired puppy as it greeted her own flesh.

“It’s done.” Nea pet her daughter’s hair and looked
down into a face that had less wrinkles than ten minutes before.
Stasi was 25 again, her physical peak, but even with new youth she
seemed tired.

“You’re sure?” Mihail came over, worry creasing his
brow.

“Of course. I have taken people from death’s door
way, this disease didn’t have a chance.” Nea helped her daughter to
sit down.

“I feel so strange.”

“Yeah, it takes a bit to get used to,” Mihail
laughed, strained.

“You look beautiful,” Sabine praised, “I would love
to stay but there is a Strigoi all fed up on lust waiting for me.”
She kissed Stasi’s cheek, winked at Nea and was gone, like
always…that was just Sabine.

“She should probably feed.” Nea told her son, “go
on, show her how.”

“No one showed me how,” Mihail fake pouted. Stasi
punched his arm, “okay, okay.” He stood and held out a hand, Stasi
beamed up at him, took his hand and Nea was left alone in the
library. There she cried like she hadn’t cried ever before, like
her heart was dying and could never feel right again.

“I am here Cneajna.”

Nea gazed up into black eyes she had adored her
whole life and just crumpled more, “how did you get in?” It was a
weak question, but since vampires could not enter unless invited, a
valid one.

“Your housekeeper.” He swept her up and in seconds
they were in her bed chamber.

“We can’t,” she protested.

“I need you,” was all he said as their clothes
melted away. He placed her on the bed, quickly sliding between her
legs, relishing in her soft pale skin, still warm with her own
blood.

“You’re warm,” she murmured as he kissed her mouth,
then her chin, slowly making his way down her neck, his fingers
sliding over her skin, causing her to tremble.

“I fed; I would not come to you as a cold thing.”
His breath was warm over her nipple and she arched, drawing in a
gasp as he took one into his mouth, licking and sucking it,
shooting pleasure down to her womanhood, she hadn’t felt like this
in years.

His hands moved down her hips, lightly brushing
between her legs, she trembled beneath him, mouth open, moaning in
pleasure, her hands buried in his hair, loving the feel of his soft
beard against her tender flesh. She bucked beneath him as his
fingers slipped between her folds and delved into her wet heat. His
fingers moved in rhythm with his mouth and she could feel his hard
shaft pressed up against her stomach.

She craved him inside her after all these years, he
bit down a little, his fingers moving faster as a building pressure
yearned to tear through her. She felt his teeth graze her breast
and didn’t even think to stop him when his fangs slid into her skin
like butter. He drank her blood, groaning against her, the feelings
were so intense, his mouth sucking her, fingers stroking her that
she came, screaming his name, writhing below him.