Turning his face, he kissed her fingers, then drew her down beside him. “Come, Countess Dracula. Introduce us to your progeny.” His voice was deep and slightly musical.
I glanced at Laura and she regarded me with large, frightened eyes. Squeezing her hand to reassure her, I guided her through the tombstones to stand before Ilinca and Gavril. The siblings regarded us with some interest with their matching eyes.
“She’s so lovely, isn’t she?” Ilinca gushed. She rested against Gavril, her fingers sliding over his arm playfully. “And her progeny is delightful as well.”
Gavril stilled her hand under his as he continued to scrutinize me. I lifted my chin a bit and did not cower. I refused to show fear in the face of his power. It was dark, like the waters of the Danube hidden beneath the ice. It flowed around us like a great wave washing ashore. I suspected he was testing me to see if I would fight against him, but I refused to even acknowledge his power. I was so very tired of being afraid. If Laura and I were to die at the hands of Gavril and Ilinca, I would fight until the bitter end.
“Introduce yourself and your progeny,” Gavril ordered. “Or do you not know vampire custom?”
My eyes narrowed slightly. “I am Countess Dracula, Princess of Wallachia. This is my progeny, Laura of House Dracula.”
Gavril chuckled slightly as Ilinca beamed at me. Neither expression was particularly reassuring.
“Impressive title. Your husband is our ally. You are aware of this, are you not?” Gavril tilted his chin downward, his face moving into shadow. Only his eyes remained visible beneath the lock of his dark hair.
“That is what I was told. I was informed that I could abide in Buda without molestation from the ruling party due to my husband’s negotiations.” I sounded flippant even to my own ears. I supposed that was better than sounding terrified.
“So you are aware of your husband’s dealings,” Gavril’s voice echoed around us as he slipped into shadow and vanished.
Unnerved, I steadied Laura as she gasped. “I am aware of my husband’s truce with you and your sister due to Lady Astir being kind enough to divulge the details on the matter. My husband tends not to include me in his dealings.”
Gavril’s cold fingers touched my cheek as he slipped out of my shadow to stand beside me. “Why does he keep you in darkness?”
Tilting my head toward him, I answered, “I am his wife, not his business partner. He expects me to tend to our households and perform my womanly duties. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Yet you are in Buda alone.” Gavril narrowed his eyes as he faded from my view.
“There were complications at our country estate. He felt it best that I return to Buda. I now understand that he anticipated that you would respect your treaty with him and give me sanctuary.”
Ilinca clapped her hands in approval.
“Well said,” Gavril commended as he drifted out of the shadows to take his place beside Ilinca. “We did promise your husband that he could live in the city with his wife with no interference from us due to his allegiance during our war against Baatar. But we did not give either of you permission to create another vampire.” Shadows played along his face, framing his dangerous eyes. Fires burned within their depths. “We are very particular about who we allow into our conquered territory.”
Laura cowered behind me. I could feel her fear and resolved not to show my own. “Did you not offer your hospitality to the House of Count Dracula? That would include his Brides, would it not?”
Ilinca cocked her head to regard her brother. “That it would, Gavril.”
“Borbála told us about your new progeny. We know she is not a Bride of Dracula.”
“But I am the first among his Brides. It was my choice to make her into a vampire. I am his Bride, therefore, she is his as well.”
Gavril frowned at my words. Sitting back in the shadows, his face disappeared into the gloom. Ilinca’s smile faded and she swept her attention back and forth between me and her brother.Laura’s body trembled against mine. I cast a reassuring smile in her direction as she chewed on her bottom lip.
“Why is Count Vlad Dracula not here?” Gavril asked at last. “I have sensed his power in the city, yet he has not revealed himself to us.”
“As I have said before, my husband does not divulge his business dealings. I am merely his wife. He sent me to Buda and told me to stay with his mortal mistress. Yes, he has visited me, but only for a night, here and there.” I hesitated, then added, “We are newly wedded. He comes to bed me. He has even spurned his usual mistress when he visits. Whether or not he pays homage to you and your sister is not information he would tell me.”
“He is a complicated man with great ambitions, is he not?” Ilinca did not seem to be truly asking for my opinion, but rather stating a fact.
“Yes, he is,” I answered truthfully.
“Is his ambition to usurp our control of Buda?” Gavril wondered aloud. “But you would not know this, would you? Since he does not speak with you about his plans.”
“I can only speak for myself in this matter. I have no desire to become involved with the politics of this city or any other. I only desire to live my life as peacefully as I can in the guise of a very mortal Countess Dracula. I have taken great pains to establish myself in my social circle.”
“This has been noted by Borbála,” Ilinca said. “You have the reputation of being a bit of a scandal due to your English background. Even the tragedy of your family’s death has added to your allure. And, of course, your marriage to Count Vlad Dracula has made you the center of attention since he first brought you to Buda. It is very clear to us that you are established among the mortals. Yet, you are a mystery to your own kind. What are your passions? Your desires? Your plans? Surely they cannot be intertwined with your husband’s, for you are not even privy to that information. So tell us, Countess Dracula, Princess of Wallachia, who are you?”
This had never been asked of me before. I felt the question pierce deep within me and echo in my mind. For so long I had asserted who I wished to be only to be told it was an impossibility. Then I was forced to take on the visage Vlad had imposed upon me. I had not stopped to consider the woman I had evolved into over the course of the last two years. In a flash of a second, I saw all that had led to this moment. It was beautiful and terrible, wondrous and horrific, healing and painful. For the last year I had fought so hard against Vlad, struggling to not become the woman he wanted me to be, that I had forgotten the life that had come before. I was more than just a creature of the night created by Vlad. I was an aristocrat, an Englishwoman, and the member of a loving family. I was not just pain and pathos born of a cruel Master.
“At my core, I am Lady Glynis Wright. My desires are simple. To be with the ones I love and choose for myself the path I travel through this world. I wish to live here in Buda in peace.” I found it difficult to speak, but the truth of my words rang clear in the night.
Ilinca slid from the step and gracefully slipped through the snow like a swan over still water. Stopping before me, her gaze met mine. Leaning toward me, she said, “Answer me truthfully. Who do you love?”
I could not take my eyes from her face. I sensed the danger in her words, but did not dare recoil. Ilinca’s gaze did not waver as she waited for my answer. I knew that Astir would advise me to lie, but I was sick of lying and hiding.
“Ignatius,” I answered. “He is my heart.”
A smile slowly turned up the corners of Ilinca’s lush mouth. “You did not lie. A wise decision on your part, Lady Glynis Wright.” She returned to where Gavril continued to lounge on the steps. Standing at his side, she looked pleased with the course of events.
“We extend our treaty with your husband to all in your household,” Gavril declared. “Adhere to our edicts and we shall have no trouble between us.”
I bowed my head and sank into a deep curtsey. Laura followed suit. It seemed only proper. Through my lashes I saw a slight smile upon Gavril’s lips before he motioned for us to rise.
“Let the gathering begin.” He rose to his feet and raised his arms. The candles flamed high around him and I felt the power of his Beckoning unfurl from within him as he summoned his progeny.
Within moments, the vampires began to arrive. The first was a woman with shimmering white hair clad in a blue cloak that matched her ice blue eyes. She emerged from the snow like a wraith to sit upon a gravestone.
The next was a pack of black wolves that tore into the graveyard before transforming into three young men. They scrambled over a small tomb and sat along the curved roof.
Laura gasped beside me. “Can we do that?”
I nodded, though I was not certain how. I had seen Vlad and the sisters transform into wolves, but Vlad had never taught me.
A black raven soared over the graveyard to the mausoleum and alighted on an angel. In the blink of an eye it was replaced by a young girl with curly black hair and lavender eyes. She sat upon the angel’s wings, staring down at us with interest.
One by one, the progeny of Gavril and Ilinca appeared and took their places among the graveyard. Each was strikingly perfect to behold except for one twisted little man no taller than my waist with a hump on one shoulder. His unruly brown hair, gentle face, and keen green eyes were his finest feature. He walked with a slight limp and sat at the feet of Gavril.