The Vengeance of the Vampire Bride (28 page)

“It sounds splendid!” Csilla took
another sip and I could see that her cheeks were flushed. It would
not surprise me if she attempted to seduce Percy again.

“And that is where I met the most
intriguing fellow. I almost forgot.” Percy rummaged around inside
his coat pocket and withdrew a letter. “This is for you,
Countess.”

Startled, I took the envelope from him
and studied the seal. The blue wax had an eye imprinted upon it.
“Who is it from?”

“Well, he said he knows you and your
husband well. Father Ignatius is his name. I met him while I was
attending a party thrown by one of my business
associates.”

I gasped and stared at the letter in
shock. The eye represented the first letter of his name, of
course!

“He was a very interesting man to speak
to. He knows so much of the history of this part of Europe and
actually suggested locations for my future trips to acquire new
textiles.”

“I know Father Ignatius,” Csilla said.
“He sometimes attends parties here in Buda when he is visiting. An
odd man, to say the least. So handsome. Pity he is such a pious
priest.” Thoughtfully, she turned her gaze toward me. “Did you meet
him through your husband?”

“They are acquaintances,” I answered,
avoiding a direct answer. I tried not to clutch the letter to my
bosom or rip it open. I laid it upon my lap and covered it with a
trembling hand. “He also made friends with my brother, Earl Wright,
when he was visiting.”

Percy’s gaze was also upon me, and I
brightly smiled at him in an attempt to hide my excitement. “Tell
us more about your visit!”

“Would you like to read your letter
first? Father Ignatius said it was about a personal matter he had
counseled you about when he was in Buda.” Percy’s eyes studied me.
His look was sharp though his tone casual.

“It is not important. I shall open it
later,” I said with a gay laugh.

The next two hours were the most
difficult I have ever had to endure. I held the letter in my hand,
my fingers tracing over the seal, but not breaking it. It was
difficult not to rip it open and read the letter within, but I
resisted the temptation.

It was not until after Percy had
departed and I escaped Csilla’s company, that I was at last able to
retreat to my suite. Adem and Magda were talking when I entered and
fell silent when they saw my face. The bolt of blue silk was set
upon a chair. The blue perfectly matched my eyes. It was a lovely
gift and I would have to remind myself to send Percy a thank you
card.

“Is something amiss?” Adem
asked.

Beside him, Magda was smiling
slightly.

“I have a letter from Ignatius. He sent
it with Percy.” I held it against my bosom with a trembling hand. I
strode past them to my bedroom. I could feel their eyes upon me as
I closed the door behind me.

Sitting upon the edge of my bed, I
stared down at the small envelope, tears filling my eyes. I lifted
it to my nose and under the scent of Percy’s cologne I could
faintly smell Ignatius. Pressing my lips together, I gently eased
the envelope open, careful to not completely break the seal.
Sliding out the letter, I tried not to spill my tears upon it.
Unfolding the thick paper, I saw Ignatius’s strong, quick strokes
spilling across the page.

Dearest Glynis,

My heart is quite weary and
I must write this quickly. Words cannot fully express my deep
despair that I am not at your side at this most dangerous of times.
It is my understanding that you are in Buda without Vlad Dracula
and this concerns me greatly. If the rumors are true, you may be in
great peril. Astir assures me that he is protecting you and keeping
you from harm, but this gives me very little comfort when I cannot
be with you.

I shall do everything
within my power to return to you and be at your side.

I love you deeply. Do not
doubt that.

We shall see each other
soon. I promise.

Love always,

Ignatius

“When?” I whispered. “When will you
return?”

“Now,” Ignatius’s voice whispered. His
hand closed about mine as his lips touched my cheek.

The letter slipped from my fingers.
“Ignatius!” I gasped when I realized he was standing beside
me.

“I am here, Glynis,” he said, drawing
me to my feet.

I raised my face and his lips met mine.
His hair fell around my face as I lifted my hand to rest against
his cheek. Our kiss was sweet and full of yearning, yet gentle.
Drawing back, he smiled at me, his dark blue eyes gleaming with
pleasure.

“You’re here!” I gasped, my palms
pressed against his cheeks. It was almost impossible to believe he
was finally with me again.

“I am here,” Ignatius assured me. “I am
not a phantom. I am truly here in flesh and blood.” He appeared
just as I remembered: hair as black as raven feathers fell around a
long face with a strong nose and finely shaped mouth. His tall,
lean form was clad all in black, and his long, white fingers
tenderly pulled my hands from his face so he could kiss my palms.
“I could not bear to be away any longer.”

My breath left me as I felt my heart
stuttering within my bosom. Tears fell down my cheeks to stain my
dress, but I did not care. Words had left me and I could only cry
with joy.

Drawing me into his arms, he kissed me
again and again. My love for him burned bright within me,
illuminating my tattered spirit. All my anger, bitterness, fears,
and darkness were swept away by his love. I no longer felt alone,
but complete. The taste of his lips and tongue were exquisite and
the strength of his body comforting. I slid my fingers into his
silky hair and clung to him as we kissed. He swept me about in
circles in his arms, as joyous as I to be reunited.

Tangled in my petticoats, I giggled
against his lips.

Ignatius laughed as he saw me kicking
my feet in a futile attempt to free myself from my predicament. The
heavy lace and embroidery were wrapped about my ankles like a vise.
Setting me down on the bed, he leaned down to carefully untangle
the skirts, straightening out the hems and patting them into
place.

Another reminder of his wonderful
nature.

“Where have you been?” I asked, my lips
still burning from his kisses and joy filling my heart.

“Vienna, with the Mistress,” he
answered as he removed my slippers. He gently folded my dress and
petticoats over my legs and his fingers began to undo my garters.
“Just as the letter said.”

“Why send the letter then come
yourself?” Reclining on the pillows, I watched as he slowly rolled
my silk stockings down the length of my leg. His fingertips were
cool against my skin and I felt my body stirring with
desire.

“I realized a letter would not be a
sufficient explanation of my absence from your side. I decided to
risk coming here for one night to speak to you
truthfully.”

“One night?” My voice trembled and my
anger stirred.

Setting the folded stocking aside, he
nodded, then began to gently remove the other. “What has Astir told
you about the situation in Buda?

“Very little.” My anger dissipated as
he slid his hands slowly over my legs and kissed my knee. “That
there are powers in this city it is best I avoid.”

Ignatius chuckled. “Then he has not
told you of the great vampire war that is tearing apart the cities
of Buda and Pesth?”

I shook my head. “No he has
not!”

Ignatius’s body slid between my legs as
he lowered himself over me. His hand lightly plucked at my hair,
pulling it free of its design. His weight upon me was heavenly as I
slipped my hands beneath his clothing to rest upon his
skin.

His face close to mine, he said, “A
vampire of great power has claimed Buda and Pesth as his own for
many centuries. His name was Baatar and he invaded this land long
ago with his Mongolian brethren.”

I remembered the words of the vampire
who had attacked me on my journey. He had claimed to be of the
House of Baatar. I was beginning to understand how much Astir had
hidden from me.

Ignatius continued: “He remained after
he was transformed into a vampire. Vampires are not always
civilized, but Baatar was a man of vision. He saw himself as an
undead king over his claimed land. There was a time when crazed
vampires rose from the grave to feast on the living, creating more
of their own kind. It was an epidemic that threatened all of the
vampires. Villagers staked as many as they could find, but it was
dangerous for those of us who were more civilized. In the fervor of
the vampire hunts, we could also be slaughtered. Therefore, we
killed hundreds of the mad creatures to save ourselves. Baatar
killed not only the ones infected with madness, but those who were
not. Vampires such as you and I.”

“Why?” I gazed up at him, enraptured by
his voice and beauty as he unfurled my long hair.

“He did not want to be usurped. For
centuries, he controlled this land and only allowed his own progeny
to feed here. Vlad and Baatar did not like one another, but they
respected each other. They created a truce between them as the
world became more civilized. Baatar had no love for my Mistress and
she feared him. Therefore, Baatar enjoyed making Vlad his
ally.”

“You speak of Baatar as if he is no
longer alive.”

“He is not. He is dead. Two vampires
conspired to kill him. Their names are Ilinca and Gavril. They are
brother and sister not only of vampire blood, but mortal blood.
They are Magyar and they found it quite distasteful that a
Mongolian controlled their home country. Vlad swore fealty to
Baatar, but agreed to stand aside and allow Ilinca and Gavril to
kill Baatar. It was Ilinca and Gavril who sent the vampire hunters
to kill the progeny of Baatar and weaken him.”

“But they attacked us!”

Ignatius kissed my forehead gently as
his hand lightly caressed my neck. “Yes. Sometimes when you create
a fire it burns out of control. Ilinca and Gavril lost control of
the vampire hunters once their leader realized their benefactors
were vampires themselves.”

“And who killed Baatar?”

“Vlad.” Ignatius stated.

“Why? If he was just going to stand
aside?”

“So that you and he could stay in Buda
without any threat from Ilinca and Gavril. They would have
eventually killed Baatar, but Vlad saw an opportunity to gain their
favor. He killed Baatar and stepped aside for them to rule. He has
no designs on Buda, but desired a safe haven here. Ilinca and
Gavril are still attempting to exert their control over the
territory. Now that Baatar and his progeny are gone, other vampires
are challenging Ilinca and Gavril. It is a difficult
time.”

“And thus why Astir told me to act
merely as a mortal countess and not draw attention to myself,” I
said, understanding completely the danger of my
situation.

Ignatius tenderly kissed my lips. “And
why I cannot be in the city. I am seen as a threat. I have been in
correspondence with Gavril, but he is adamant that I cannot return
to Buda. I am a threat to their power. I would not have stayed away
for so long after I knew of your whereabouts if not for the
complications brought about by Baatar’s overthrow. My only solace
was that Astir was protecting you in my absence.”

“Yet now you came here for me,” I said,
my voice soft with emotion.

“I came to realize that to not reveal
the truth of your predicament was a folly no matter what my
Mistress, or Astir may say. You have the right to know what has
occurred so you may tread carefully.”

I slid from his grasp and rolled from
the bed. The letter lay at my feet, a comfort and a curse. The
truth was a bitterly cold sharp pain within me.

“So we cannot be together,” I
whispered. “Despite everything I have done, we cannot be
together.”

“Glynis, what have you
done?”

His touch was gentle against my skin as
he took hold of my arms and pulled me back against his chest. I
could feet his chin resting on my head as he enfolded me in his
arms.

“Where is Vlad?” His voice was very
soft, yet frightening. “Why is he not here?”

I swallowed hard and stared down at the
letter.

“Tell me, Glynis,” he urged
me.

A strangled sob escaped my lips.
Holding onto his hands, I fell back against him. Tilting my head to
one side, I invited his bite. His mouth trailed over my ear to my
throat and I waited for fangs to pierce my flesh. It came sharp and
delicious, and I swooned against him. His mouth pulled three deep
drinks from my neck before he stopped.

“Oh, Glynis, what did you do to Vlad?”
he moaned.

“He is alive. I did not kill
him.”

Turning me about, he stared down into
my eyes, seeking the truth from my gaze.

“I did not kill him. He is not
dead.”

“His power is now yours. I taste
it.”

“It is mine now.”