I kept to my silent, watery path back to Vlad’s lair. The moon shimmered and wobbled above me, but I was strangely at peace in the dark depths of the Danube.
At last, I rose, sopping wet and disheveled on the banks near our estate and began the journey up to the great house. Already I could feel Vlad’s anger and his power seeking me out. Why he had not yet beckoned me, I am not certain.
As I approached the house, dripping wet, water flowing off my hair and gown and I was met by one of the servants. Seeing me, he screamed with fright. Turning on his heel, he fled back into the house, calling out for Vlad.
I was nearly to the back patio when Vlad exploded into view. His long black cloak swung about him and his hair was hanging in loose waves to his waist. Immediately, he glided toward me, his hand rising to strike me down as he unleashed an oath of curses in upon me.
“You should have told me of the dhamphir,” I shouted at him, stomping my foot.
This outburst stopped him rather abruptly. “What did you say?”
“I was hunted and nearly caught by a dhamphir last night! He killed my driver and hunted me across Pesth and Buda. I barely escaped by taking refuge in the Danube near the pontoon bridge. I nearly died!” I was so angry it gave credence to my words. Of course, I was furious at him for not telling me of the dhamphir, but I was also terrified to reveal where I had truly been.
“You escaped a dhamphir hunter?” Vlad looked impressed. His anger abated in that moment and he looked at me quite intently.
A thrill of terror swept over me as he examined my face and dress with great interest. I was quite waterlogged and he seemed to believe my story.
“It was not easy. He could have killed me. Luckily, I had fed so I was able to cloak myself from his sight and escape into the water. I am not certain of the limitations of his existence, but I guessed that perhaps being half-human, he would not be able to sustain himself without breath.”
“You are a crafty woman,” Vlad said after a long beat. “I must remember never to underestimate you.”
I brushed past him and into the house. I discarded my soggy cloak and shook out my hair. “I demand that you teach me how to defend myself. I think it quite rude of you to release me into the city but fail to teach me how to protect myself against all manner of predators. I also saw human hunters. I watched them kill a mad vampire.” I squeezed out the water from my hair all over the marble floor.
Vlad regarded me coolly, studying my expression. “Did you?”
“Yes, I did,” I answered firmly. I was worried that he was seeing through the lies of my tale even though they were wrapped in truth.
A maid came and laid a heavy towel about my shoulders while another got down on her hands and knees to dry the floor.
I pointed at Vlad and snarled, “I shall never forgive you for not teaching me to use my powers.” I whirled about on my heel and stormed up the staircase to my room.
I was in a hot bath, my naked skin growing quite flush as the maid washed my hair, when Vlad once more approached me. He merely entered my room and sat down in a chair, regarding me with great interest.
“You survived the attack of a dhamphir alone?”
“Yes,” I answered, and made a great show of scrubbing my toes.
“And hid in the Danube,” he continued.
“Yes,” I responded dismissively.
“You think me a fool?”
I arched an eyebrow at him.
“I think you saw the dhampir kill the other vampire and that you were so terrified you hid immediately in the river. I do not believe he came after you at all. You most likely stayed far too long in the water and the sun rose. And you were stuck, beneath the waves. You are quite lucky that you found a place of darkness.”
I frowned at him and tilted my head back so the maid could rinse my hair. “No. That is not the truth of it at all.”
“Is it not?”
“No.” I was quite insulted by his accusation that I was lying, even though I was. Yes, I am a complex creature. It is part of my charm.
“Leave us,” Vlad said to the maid.
She immediately obeyed.
I set my chin at a defiant angle.
Vlad rose slowly and walked to my bath. Reaching down, he grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet. “Then if what you say is truth, you are a far more dangerous creature than I realized. And I must remind you that I am the most dangerous creature in this room.”
I tried to twist away from him, but he held me.
“I merely demand that you teach me to protect myself against all manner of dangers,” I said.
“You demand?” His voice was growing softer, crueler.
I knew what was going to happen next, but I truly could not help myself. “Yes, I demand. I demand that you treat me as the valuable property I am to you.”
This drew out a loud chuckle from him, then it died as quickly as it rose. I was flung across the room and hit the wall with such force I felt bones crack. Of course, they immediately began to heal.
Then he was upon me, striking me down, splitting my lips, crushing my nose. And yet I healed only for him to brutalize me again. The pain had me trembling, but I continued to try and rise to my feet no matter how many times he struck me down.
“I shall teach you what I deem suitable,” he hissed at me.
I raised a hand and he grabbed it, crushing it. I screamed and he laughed. Grabbing my hair, he dragged me across the room then used it to propel me onto the bed.
“You are my wife, my servant; you shall do as I say. Learn what I wish for you to learn. Do what I wish for you to do.”
My wounds were healing with vampiric efficiency. The pain was fading, but I knew more was coming. I lay on they bed, my red hair falling in a tangle over my eyes.
“Do you understand?”
“Yes, Master.”
Then he was on me and I knew I could not fight him. His lips were harsh and demanding against mine. His hands rough and bruising. I gave myself to him to placate him. To make him feel I was subservient. His servant. His wife. His slave. I moaned for him and gasped for him, but it meant nothing to me. This time I found no pleasure in his touch.
In the aftermath, he left me nude and bleeding on my bed. He dressed in silence as I lay healing the wounds he had inflicted upon me.
“I shall make time to teach you the sword and some of our powers,” he said to me.
Then he left the room.
Closing my eyes, I let the silent tears come and trembled with anger. How I missed my beloved Ignatius. How angry I was that Vlad’s touch had nearly erased my body’s memory of my true loves’ embrace.
Magda entered the room and came to me. She was sweet and kind, helping me up to rest in a chair wrapped in a blanket while she prepared a new bath for me.
I wept at her kindness and at my frustration that I could tell none of the gloriousness of my night. Of my great love for Ignatius and the freedom I had felt with him.
I only feel true release now as I write this. For the truth is in these pages and I have a testament to the wonder that is Ignatius. I shall hide this new journal away and keep the other where Vlad can find it. But this is my deepest secret. My most wonderful of treasures.
How I miss him...
Chapter 24
The Journal of Andrew Wright-
Buda, Hungary
12th of March, 1820
The sun was blazing in the skies over Buda when our weather-beaten carriage finally rolled into the courtyard of Sir Stephen’s mansion. Before the driver could even dismount, I shoved open the carriage door and leaped down onto the cobblestone drive. Stretching my body, which was quite sore from our journey, I glanced about at our new surroundings taking in the lush foliage, marble columns, and the imposing house before me.
“He lives fairly well, this Sir Stephen fellow,” the mumbling voice of my companion came from behind me.
“Yes, it is quite impressive,” I agreed. Realizing my dear friend’s older body most likely had suffered more than its share of trauma during our journey, I held out my hand to him. “Here, Doctor, let me help you down.”
Groaning as he forced his stiffened muscles into action, Dr. Emil Baum cautiously lowered one foot to the ground. “I think I shall never again be able to walk.”
“It was a rather awful journey,” I conceded. My red locks flopped into my eyes and I smoothed them back with my hand. “I shall be indebted to you forever for accompanying me all this way.”
“Your father was a good friend, Andrew. I had to come for his sake and for your dear sister,” Emil responded, his craggy face quite solemn. “Hmm, no one seems to be about.”
“I sent word ahead. I had expected a better reception than this.”
I was anxious and on the verge of losing my temper. My journey had started off pleasantly enough, but soon after leaving Munich, terrible storms had haunted our travels. We had been holed up in Austria for nearly a week as fierce storms made every mode of transportation impossible. After such difficulties, it was almost impossible to believe I was finally in the city of Buda. There had been many a time on this journey that I had wondered if I would ever survive to see my sister.
There was a sharp cry and I turned to see a beautiful woman with ivory skin and raven tresses staring at me. She had come from around the side of the house and she carried a basket laden with freshly cut flowers. The startled expression on her fine features dissipated as a wonderful smile graced her lips.
“Oh my! You look so much like your father! You really gave me such a fright! I thought your father had returned from the dead,” she exclaimed in a delightful, airy voice. Moving quickly toward us, she tucked her hair back behind her ears and smoothed her dress. “I am Maria Ramsay, Stephen’s wife. We were expecting you later this evening.”
I could not help but return her smile and kissed her hand in greeting. “It is lovely to meet you, dear lady. I am Andrew Wright and this is my companion, Dr. Emil Baum, our family physician. He has accompanied me to examine Glynis.”
“How very nice to meet you, Doctor Baum,” Maria said.
“It is my pleasure, I assure you,” Emil quickly answered, his dark eyes bright with merriment. He was obviously glad to be free of the confines of the carriage and be breathing in the fresh afternoon air.
The front doors opened and there was a flurry of activity as servants hurried out to help the driver with our luggage. I gazed into the coolness of the marble hall with longing. The sun was awfully hot on my head and shoulders, and I could feel beads of perspiration slithering down my back.
“Come in, come in! How rude of me not to see that you need to relax and refresh yourself. Come in and I shall get you something cool to drink,” Maria said invitingly as she hurried up the steps into her home.
“I think this is a rather nice place, Andrew,” Emil said under his breath to me as he followed our hostess. “Glynis is probably well taken care of in such a place.”
“I hope so,” I answered, my voice a little lighter than it had been in a long time. Yet, there was weariness in my bones that did not originate from the journey, but from that fateful moment when I had opened up the letter that had informed me that most of my family had perished.
Maria seated us in the cool serenity of a lovely parlor before hurrying off to gather refreshments. I sat in a high-backed chair and stared out the French doors at the lush velvet lawn that flowed down to what appeared to be the Danube. A cool breeze wafted through the windows into the room and Emil sighed with contentment.
“You could almost believe you were in England,” he decided.
“More like France. All the furnishings of the house appear to be imported from there. It is all the finest quality. The marble hall we entered through was exquisite in craftsmanship,” I answered.
“It is all very lovely and rather expensive. I thought Sir Frederick Ramsay lost all of his money in outlandish schemes. Was not their estate bought by your family?” Emil asked. His salt and pepper eyebrows rose upward on his high forehead.
I nodded. “Indeed. My great-grandfather was a very good businessman. The family rose up in status because of his dealings. He became very close to the Crown and that is how he was bestowed with his title. When Stephen’s family lost everything, my great-grandfather purchased their estate.”
Emil leaned forward attentively. “Edric told me something about that. He seemed amused with his title most of the time.”
“Well, I do come from a family of self-made men, so the title has never been of any real importance to us except for business connections. Beyond that, my family is not very English. We have quite a bit of Welsh and Scottish blood in our veins.” I pointed to my fiery red hair and smiled roguishly. “Thus the family’s infamous contrary temperament.”
The doctor laughed with amusement. “Yes, yes, your family is prone to…how shall I say it-”
“Bad tempers and stubbornness?”
“To put it mildly,” the doctor said conceded.
“Yes, yes. I am afraid Glynis and I both have our fair share of those qualities.” I grew a bit somber. “That is perhaps why she alone survived. She always was the strongest of the lot of us.”