The Vengeance of the Vampire Bride (49 page)

Cneajna snagged my hair and yanked me
backward onto the floor, twisting my legs painfully beneath me. I
caught her neck with one hand as she tried to grip my head. The
blood beneath us prevented her from acquiring a solid handhold.
Slipping, she fell over me. I planted my knee in her stomach and
thrust her off. She ripped a handful of my hair from my scalp, but
it was better than losing my head.

As I rolled to my knees, I saw Adem
racing into the foyer through the broken door. Snow and ice swirled
around him as he drew his sword and rushed toward Cneajna. Before
he could draw back his blade and decapitate her, Ignatius
materialized before him and pushed Adem from the blond
vampire.

“You cannot kill her!” Ignatius
shouted. “The treaty stands!”

Cneajna rose and flung her hands
outward.

Her power hit me like a hammer. My body
was flung through the air like a leaf in the wind. I struck the
great chandelier hanging over the foyer. Glass, wax and flames
showered me as I fell to the floor below. Stunned, I struggled to
regain my senses as I heard Laura and Magda screaming.

It was only a few seconds, but it felt
like an eternity before I managed to climb to my feet. I
immediately surveyed the battle.

Magda was pinned to the wall by Adem’s
body as he stood guard, sword drawn. To my surprise, fire was
burning in the palm of Magda’s hand.

Meanwhile, Ignatius grappled with an
enormous white wolf, his teeth bared as the wolf snarled and darted
for his throat. Cneajna was quick in her wolf form, but Ignatius
held her off with his bare fists, knocking back her every
attack.

Near the staircase, Laura lay on the
marble floor, covered in blood, staring at her arm that lay halfway
across the foyer.

With a howl, Cneajna abandoned her
battle with Ignatius, and darted toward me. She transformed as she
ran, her long nails attempting to rake me.

“We cannot kill her!” Ignatius
shouted.

I ducked under her attack, and brought
my elbow back to strike her between her shoulder blades as her
speed propelled her past me. She stumbled and nearly fell to her
knees. Grabbing her hair, I circled her, wrapping her tresses
around her throat, drawing it tight. Planting my foot on her neck,
I pinned her to the floor and pulled back her head. My intention
was to rip her head from her body.

“Do not kill her!” Ignatius
shouted.

As I stared down at the struggling form
beneath me, I felt no love for Cneajna. Only hate.

“She killed Percy!”

Her body lost substance as she turned
into an icy mist and slid along the floor toward Laura. I screamed
in frustration. Ignatius darted across the foyer to stand guard
over my fallen fledgling.

The mist swirled up into a funnel
before Ignatius. I could see Cneajna’s form in the swirling wind
and snow.

Reaching out my hand toward Adem, I no
longer cared about the treaty with Gavril and Ilinca. He saw the
determination in my eyes and tossed the sword to me. I caught it in
mid-air and moved to strike down Cneajna.

“Cease!”

I was startled by the command and
turned to see Ilinca standing in the broken doorway. Behind her
were the wolf brothers. Clad in a long black cloak, Ilinca strode
swiftly into the foyer. The wolf brothers followed, fanning out
behind her.

“That is the one we've been following,”
one of the brothers said pointing to the woman taking shape out of
the whirling mist.

Ilinca’s face was a picture of regal
authority as she motioned for all to lay down their
arms.

Ignatius held Laura against his chest,
her amputated arm a mass of ragged flesh and broken bone. Katya
struggled to rise to her feet, her complexion almost as white as
the snow. Magda extinguished the fire in her hand and trailed
behind Adem as he moved to stand beside Ignatius.

Cneajna fully materialized and the snow
drifted to the floor around her. She stood majestically in the
ruins of the foyer.

Reluctantly, I lowered the sword and
stepped away from Cneajna. My robe was in tatters and my flesh was
covered in blood and wounds. I was a sorry, defiant sight, I was
certain.

“Who are you?” Ilinca demanded as she
glowered at Cneajna.

Dipping into a deep curtsey, Cneajna
replied, “I am Princess Cneajna, Bride of Count Vlad Dracula of
Wallachia.”

“Rise, Princess Cneajna of House
Dracula,” Ilinca ordered. Her mismatched eyes studied my appearance
with interest, but there was no softness to her
expression.

One of the wolf brothers plucked
Laura’s arm from the floor and handed it to Ignatius before
returning to his position. The sight of it made me sick with
despair. How had I been so foolish not to have realized that Vlad
would send Cneajna to return me to the castle? Had not Csilla
mentioned a white wolf?

“Now, inform me as to what this
conflict is about,” Ilinca said, her tone clipped.

Ignatius and I exchanged glances. Laura
was still in his arms as she clutched her severed forearm against
her chest. Katya was wise enough to keep her mouth shut and take
refuge at Ignatius’s side. Adem and Magda remained silent. I felt
every eye upon me waiting for me, yet I knew not what to
say.

Cneajna resolved the issue. “I came to
seek vengeance against the Bride who betrayed Prince Vlad when she
slaughtered him for his power.”

“And who is this Bride?” Ilinca asked,
her eyes straying toward me.

A smile curved on Cneajna’s blood red
lips as she pointed at me. “Lady Glynis Wright.”

It was then I knew I was
doomed.

Chapter 32

The Journal of Countess
Dracula

December 4,
1820

Buda

Though I despise being
imprisoned, I feel strangely safe. I have been locked away in a
cell with no windows. The door is made of solid white birch with
silver bars. There is apparently a ward upon my jail for I cannot
use my powers. I have attempted only once and the pain was so acute
I dare not try again. I heard Cneajna’s scream soon after, and I
assume she also tried to escape.

After her proclamation, we
were both carted off by the wolf brothers. Ilinca’s face had been
void of compassion or any other emotion after Cneajna’s accusation.
She merely ordered us both to be taken into custody. Magda and Adem
attempted to protest, but Ignatius silenced them. I trust that he
is the wisest among us and will deal with the situation to the best
of his ability.

I have made a fine mess of
it all, yet I do not regret any of my actions. I wanted to live my
own life and for a short period of time I was my own
mistress.

Should I die, I will only
feel pride that I did not capitulate to the unfairness of this
world.

“Glynis,” Ignatius called
out as the cell door opened.

I stood quickly, gathering my torn,
bloodstained robe about me. I had very little dignity left, but I
was determined to keep my held head high.

One of the big wolf brothers, whose
name I discovered was Ferenc appeared in the doorway. “You have a
visitor. My master has been kind enough to allow him to speak to
you despite the charges against you. I suggest that you be grateful
and do not cause trouble.”

“I won’t,” I promised.

With a nod, the big vampire stepped
away, allowing Ignatius to enter. He carried a bag with him. As the
door shut, I pressed a firm kiss to his mouth.

When our lips parted, he looked
relieved. “I feared you were angry with me.”

“No. Never!”

Ignatius’s fingers nestled in my hair
as he kissed me again with great passion. My lips worshiped his as
we indulged in our love for one another. His lips kissed my cheek
and brow then he held me tenderly for several precious moments. At
last, he set down the items he had brought with him.

“I spoke with Ilinca and she agreed to
allow you to freshen up. Gavril has declared that you will face
your accuser two nights from now.”

“Why so long?”

“Actually, it is terrifyingly quick. I
suspect they already believe Cneajna and are only giving us an
obligatory time period to collect evidence in your defense.”
Ignatius drew out a dress, underclothes, and a single petticoat for
me to change into. The blood that had splattered me in my battle
had absorbed into my skin leaving it fresh and clean to the eye.
“Here, change into these things. Magda says it is your favorite
dress.”

Disrobing, I sighed. “What shall we do?
How can I prove that I did not kill Vlad?”

“Leave that to me,” Ignatius answered
as he sat on the cold floor, his back to the wall, his feet planted
apart, and his hands on his knees. “I have a plan.”

“I should have killed her,” I
grumbled.

“If you had, you would be dead now.
When she attacked Laura first, I knew that Cneajna was attempting
to rouse you into a hasty act against her. If you had struck her
down, you would die.”

“You think her mad enough to sacrifice
her very life to take mine?” I pulled on my chemise and fumbled
about with my short stay. I despise corsets, but I knew Magda sent
it so I would appear like a proper lady. I laced up and reached for
my petticoat.

Ignatius nodded slightly as he watched
me dress. His expression was somber, but his eyes did tend to
wander over my curves. I enjoyed his attention despite my horrible
circumstances. “She is crazed enough to wreak complete vengeance
upon you. I spoke with Brice after your arrest. I realized he had
been determined to hasten Csilla’s death for a reason. Not just to
be free from her, but because Cneajna was compelling him to kill
her. Once Csilla died, Cneajna could enter the palace. Servants
could not invite Cneajna in. She had attempted to have Brice allow
her entry, but Csilla was the only mortal who could claim the
palace as her home. Once Cneajna realized this, she compelled Brice
to kill her.”

“That traitor!”

“He was under her influence. His mind
is muddled. You cannot blame him for his actions. He was like a man
trapped within a dream. I also think it is evident that Cneajna
killed Percy.”

The name of my beloved friend made me
wince. I touched the cameo about my neck. Fighting back tears, I
donned my favorite light blue gown. Ignatius rose to help me button
it.

“How long has she been in Buda? Do you
know?”

“No, I do not.” His voice held a hint
of a warning and I understood that Ferenc could be listening to our
every word.

“What shall we do?” I asked in an
agonized voice. “How shall we prove that I did not kill
Vlad?”

Taking me by the shoulders, Ignatius
gaze at me. “Do not fret. I shall find a way. Do not be
afraid.”

“I trust you,” I said
passionately.

He smiled, then kissed me.

Later-

Ignatius brought me a
book and a journal to keep me occupied while I await my fate. The
journal is new and quite lovely. The leather is supple to the touch
and the pages are edged in gold. I fear I shall not fill many of
the pages of this lovely tome. Despite all I have endured, I may be
in the final days of my life
.

As I sit here alone,
listening to Cneajna’s laughter, I may not have hope, but I have
lovely memories of those who love me. Perhaps that is
enough.

Letter from Father
Ignatius to the Immortal Beloved of Vienna

My dearest
Mistress,

Much has occurred since my
last correspondence. Decisions have been made in the passion of the
moment and I pray that you will have mercy on me. I have perhaps
been unwise in consideration of your dealings, but pursued the only
course of action my heart would allow. Sadly, this entailed a deal
with that most foul beast, Astir. I had no choice. I will do
anything I must to save the woman I love.

I feel I must explain my
actions in detail...

As soon as I rose, I gave
Laura and the household over to the protection of Adem. He
understood immediately that I had made a most difficult and
possibly ill-conceived decision. As I dressed for travel, Adem
brought me a fine sword and silver daggers for
protection.

“Ignatius, you do realize he will rise
angry and thirsting for revenge. Who is to say he will not hand
Glynis over to the regents and allow her to die?” Adem said in his
low tones, his dark eyes regarding me thoughtfully.

“He will not,” I said with confidence.
“He will defend her and have Gavril release her.”

“Because he loves her?” Adem appeared
skeptical of such a thought.

I donned my thick wool coat and
regarded him as I pondered his question. “Partially, yes, but
mostly because he needs her. Glynis contains his power and is a
lynchpin to all his plans.”

“But you are forcing him to rise
without her.” Adem handed me my gloves, scowling.