Chapter
21
Time passed, one day blending into
another. Elena kept busy as best she could. There was always
something to do in the castle—a bit of dusting or sweeping, windows
to clean, tapestries that needed airing and beating, clothes and
sheets to wash and dry.
Once, leaning over the wooden washtub
in the kitchen, she grinned, remembering how she had once
contemplated doing her laundry on a rock in the river.
The nights were better. She had only
Stefan for company now. Stefan claimed he didn’t know why Andrei
had returned to the Fortress, but she didn’t believe him for a
minute. Something was going on.
But she was too unhappy to wonder or
care what it was. Drake belonged to someone else now. What else
mattered?
One night, a month after Andrei’s
departure, she coaxed Stefan into accompanying her to the lake. It
was as beautiful as she remembered, but it lacked the magic she had
felt when Drake had taken her there, and she realized then that it
hadn’t been the lake or the moonlight that had cast the magical
spell on the place, but Drake’s presence beside her. Had she loved
him even then without knowing it?
“You are very quiet tonight,” Stefan
mused when they were seated side by side on a fallen
log.
“Will I ever stop missing him?” she
asked. “Will the pain ever go away?”
“I know little of the ways of mortals,”
he replied, gazing out over the water. “Sometimes I think it would
be a blessing to be human.”
“How so?”
“You may miss Drake for decades, but I
have centuries to grieve.”
“Have you lost someone you cared
for?”
“Yes, but it was long
ago.”
“But you’re still mourning for her,
aren’t you?”
He nodded.
“Would you like to talk about
it?”
“No. It only freshens the
pain.”
They sat in silence for several
minutes. Elena gazed into the distance, thinking how sad it was
that the only place where men and women lived happily ever after
was in fairy tales.
“Are you truly immortal?” Elena asked
after a while. She couldn’t imagine living forever. Of course, if
you never got sick and never got old, it might not be so bad. But
to live forever—when you had been everywhere and seen everything,
what else was left?
“Not exactly immortal,” he said.
“Everything that lives can be killed. But some of us take a lot of
killing.”
“Drake is five hundred. How old is
Rodin?”
“He turned one thousand and one this
year.”
The number was staggering, she thought.
“How many children does he have?”
“I am not sure how many his other wives
have borne him, but Liliana has given him five sons and three
daughters.”
“I thought Drake said female vampires
were only fertile for a short time.”
“They are fertile four months of the
year, but many have difficulty conceiving or carrying a child
full-term.” Stefan laughed softly. “Liliana is obviously not one of
them.”
“Would it be rude of me to ask how old
you are?”
“Only mortal women are vain about their
age,” he said, grinning. “I am four hundred and
fifty-three.”
She pondered that a moment, then
sighed. “Do you think he misses me?”
“I know he does.”
“Why can’t vampires and humans have
children together ?”
“I do not know,” he said with a shrug.
“I am not sure it has been tried very often. The penalty for mating
with a mortal is death. If not for the fact that Drake is Rodin’s
favorite, and the favorite of our mother, he would be dead
now.”
“How many wives does Rodin
have?”
“Twenty. He has taken two wives every
fifty years for the last five centuries. Our women outnumber the
men, so it is not uncommon for a Master Vampire to have more than
one wife. Liliana is Rodin’s first, and his favorite.”
“Do they all live at the Fortress
together?”
“No,” Stefan said, laughing. “When
Liliana comes to the Fortress, the other wives go
elsewhere.”
“I can’t say as I blame them. Oh! I’m
sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“It is all right. Liliana never loved
Rodin, but she is extremely jealous of the other wives and refuses
to have them under the same roof. As the first wife, it is her
right. She has always been good to me, spoiled me because I was her
youngest son, but she can be cruel and uncaring to those not of her
family.”
Stefan glanced at Elena, his expression
solemn. “Trust me, you are well out of it. Take my advice. Forget
this place. Forget Drake. Start a new life somewhere else.
Somewhere far from here.”
Elena was thinking about what Stefan
had said the following morning when the clang of the bell at the
front door announced a visitor.
She opened the door cautiously, then
stood there, staring at a man in overalls and the enormous moving
van that loomed behind him.
“Miss Knightsbridge?”
“Yes?”
“Got a delivery for ya. Sign
here.”
She glanced at the clipboard, noting
her name and directions to the castle were neatly typed in the
space that said, Deliver
to. “But I didn’t order anything.”
“Well, somebody did. I got a truckload
of goods here, all paid for.”
The words had barely escaped his lips
when four big burly men began carrying furniture into the castle:
bedroom sets in gleaming walnut and antique oak, an oak dining room
table with eight chairs, an enormous flatscreen TV, an
entertainment center, three antique oak curio cabinets, flowered
sofas and matching love seats, overstuffed chairs, oak end tables
and coffee tables, and lamps. Except for the TV and the
entertainment center, all the pieces appeared to be antiques, which
was only fitting, she thought, considering the age of the
castle.
An hour later, she stood in the middle
of the main room surrounded by more furniture than she had ever
seen in her life. Who had sent it? What was she going to do with it
all? And how was she supposed to get it up the stairs?
A short time later, the bell rang again
and a man stood on the steps. His eyes grew wide when he looked
past her. “Holy hel . . . heck,” he muttered. “This place really is
a castle. I’m gonna need a lot more help,” he said, pulling a cell
phone from his back pocket.
“Excuse me?”
“Got a job order from the power company
to wire this place.” He shook his head. “You must know somebody
mighty important, that’s all I can say. We’ll get started as soon
as I get more help. Won’t be done for a couple of weeks, big as
this place is, and that’s pushin’ it. We’ll try to stay out of your
way as much as possible. Like I said, it’ll take time, but we’ll
get ya hooked up, never fear.”
Elena nodded. Then, feeling as though
she was living in the twilight zone, she closed the
door.
A short time later, men were swarming
around the outside of the castle, like ants at a
picnic.
The biggest surprise of the day came
with the setting of the sun. There was no knock at the door this
time. Elena was sitting on one of the new sofas, reading a book,
when there was an odd ripple in the air and suddenly Drake, Katiya,
and Andrei were standing in front of her.
“Drake.” She murmured his name, her
gaze devouring him. She was certain she was dreaming until he swept
her off the sofa and wrapped her in his arms.
“Elena! How I have missed you!” He held
her close, crushing her body to his until she could scarcely
breathe. But she didn’t care—he was here. He was real, and nothing
else mattered.
“I missed you, too.” Tears fell
unchecked down her cheeks as she hugged him close. He was here.
“Oh, how I missed you!”
She didn’t know how long they stood
like that, just looking at each other—a moment? A lifetime?—before
she noticed that Andrei and Katiya were also
embracing.
“Elena, beloved, let me look at you.”
So saying, Drake put her on her feet and held her at arm’s length.
“You are more beautiful than ever.”
“How long can you stay?” she asked,
dreading the answer.
“As long as you wish.”
She glanced at Katiya. “I don’t
understand.”
“I want to be your husband,” he said.
“Always, if you will still have me.”
“But . . . how is that possible? And
what about Katiya? She’s your wife now.”
“Rodin’s decree has no authority in the
outside world. According to the laws of the land, you and I are
still man and wife.”
“So, what is Katiya doing
here?”
“We left the Fortress together. Rodin
believes we are on a belated honeymoon.”
“And Andrei is here because . . .
?”
“He is here because Katiya is here,”
Drake replied, as if that explained everything.
Elena continued to stare at him while
her mind tried to process what he had told her. But none of it
seemed to register save for one fact—he was still her husband, if
she wanted him.
“Say something,” he demanded. “I do not
like your silence.”
“Drake.” She caressed his cheek, ran
her fingertips over his lips. “Read my mind.”
His gaze met hers, a moment only, and
then he swept her into his arms again and carried her swiftly up
the stairs.
A thought closed and locked the door
and they were alone in the bedroom.
Drake set her on her feet ever so
slowly and then he stood there, just looking at her. “Never again,”
he vowed. “Never again will I be parted from you.”
Fresh tears welled in Elena’s
eyes.
“You are my heart, my soul.” He drew
her into his arms again. “There is no life for me without
you.”
Pressing her face against his chest,
Elena closed her eyes, her hands moving restlessly up and down his
back. “Drake . . . ?”
“Yes, wife?”
“I can’t wait any longer.”
He murmured her name and the next thing
she knew, they were in bed, lying naked in each other’s
arms.
She smiled into his eyes. “And to
think, I once refused to take you to my bed.”
He laughed softly. “Tonight, it will be
even better than the first time.”
“I don’t think that’s
possible.”
“You doubt me?” He rose over her, his
eyes blazing red with his desire.
“Oh, no, my lord,” she
exclaimed.
“See that you do not,” he warned with
mock fierceness. “I am no puny mortal who grows weary after one
encounter. Or two. Or three.”
“I remember,” she said, grinning.
“Shall we try for four?”
“As you wish, my sweet wife. As you
wish.”
Elena awoke with a smile, and a fervent
hope that the night past hadn’t been a dream. But no, for Drake was
there, asleep beside her. He loved her. He had vowed never to be
parted from her again.
Last night had been so wonderful, she
wished they could make love again, now. But he was resting and she
really needed a shower.
She was about to get out of bed when
his fingers curled around her wrist.
“Where are you going,
wife?”
“Well, it’s morning, and I’m
hungry—”
“As am I.”
“I don’t think we’re hungry for the
same things,” Elena remarked dryly.
“No. Were you not just lusting after my
body?”
“I wouldn’t say lusting, exactly,” she replied, choking back
a laugh.
“Wishing for?”
“Perhaps. A little.”
“If you want me, woman, you had better
take me now, before the sun climbs any higher in the
sky.”
“Take you?” she asked with a
grin.
“Every way you can,” he said, his grin
matching hers as he pulled her under the covers. “As long as I can
reciprocate.”
It was midafternoon when Elena slipped
out of bed. Humming softly, she grabbed her robe and went
downstairs.
To her amazement, most of the furniture
that had cluttered the main room was gone. The old sofas and
couches and tables had been replaced with the new ones. Only the
scarred trestle table remained. Did it have some special
significance for Drake, that he had kept it? And where was all the
old furniture?
Going down to the kitchen, she could
only stare in wonder. The old oven was gone and a shiny new one
stood in its place. There was also a small refrigerator. The old
sink with the pump had been replaced by a stainless steel basin and
a new counter. An apartment-sized washer and dryer just barely fit
at the end of the counter.
Elena shook her head. It was amazing.
How had Drake accomplished it in such a short time?
The ringing of the bell at the front
door drew her back upstairs.
“Morning, miss,” the electrician said
cheerfully. “We’ll be needing to work inside today.”
“Of course.” Elena stepped back to
allow the man and his crew into the castle.
“You might want to consider getting rid
of that bell pull and installing a real doorbell,” he
said.
She nodded. “That’s a wonderful
suggestion. Thank you.”
While the men were at work, she went
upstairs and discovered where the rest of the furniture had gone.
Apparently, while she slept, Drake, Andrei, and Stefan had carried
the bedroom furniture upstairs. All the bedrooms had beds now, as
well as chairs, nightstands, and throw rugs. And dressers, Elena
noted. Dressers with mirrors. She would have to ask Drake about the
whole reflectionin-the-mirror thing.
She spent an hour making all the beds,
then went downstairs to see how the electrician was
doing.
“Just about finished in this room,” he
said. “You’ll need a cable hookup for the TV, but the stereo and
DVD player will work just fine.”
“Thank you.”
“Tomorrow, we’ll begin wiring the
kitchen.”
Elena nodded. Then, realizing it was
late afternoon and she had skipped breakfast and lunch, she went
downstairs to the kitchen for something to eat, thinking how
wonderful it would be when the electricity was hooked up in all the
rooms. She could hardly wait to fill the new refrigerator with meat
and cheese and eggs and milk. And ice cream.
She was sitting at the table, finishing
a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, when the big gray cat hopped on
the chair beside hers.
“Smoke!” she exclaimed. “Where have you
been?”
The cat yawned, then curled up on the
chair.
“You are a most peculiar creature,”
Elena murmured. “Drake said you’re not his, yet when he’s not here,
neither are you. . . .” She frowned, remembering the night she had
asked Drake about the cat, and he had replied that he didn’t own
one. Yet Drake had returned only last night. And this afternoon the
cat was back. Was it possible? No, the very thought was
absurd.
Still puzzling over the odd comings and
goings of the remarkable cat, Elena went up the stairs to the main
hall. After slipping a DVD into the player, she stretched out on
one of the new sofas. Moments later, Smoke joined her there. He
rubbed up against her arm, licked her cheek, then curled up beside
her and closed his eyes. What a life he led, Elena thought. All the
creature did was sleep.
It was near sundown when the cat jumped
off the sofa and padded out of the room.
Sitting up, Elena rubbed her eyes, and
then she smiled. Drake would soon be here. A thrill of excitement
bubbled up inside her, and then he was there, striding toward her,
tall and dark and handsome. Wordlessly, he pulled her up into his
arms, one hand cupping her buttocks to draw her tight against him
while he kissed her. And kissed her again, until she clung to him,
breathless.
“So, wife of my heart,” he said, “did
you miss me while we were apart?”
“You know I did.”
“What do you think of the new
furniture?” he asked, glancing around. “Do you like it? If not, I
will send it all back.”
“I love it. But why did you decide to
furnish all the rooms upstairs when there’s just the two of
us?”
“Andrei and Katiya will be staying with
us for a while.” He stroked her hair, his gaze moving over her
face. “Do you mind?”
“Of course not. What about Stefan? Will
he be staying here, too?”
“No.” He settled on the sofa, drawing
her down beside him. “He has gone back to the Fortress. But I
thought he should have a room, should he return.”
“How did you persuade Rodin to let you
leave?”
“Katiya and I convinced him that we had
decided to make the best of things.”
“And he believed you?”
“Yes, but only after Katiya
conceived.”
Elena stared at him, shock rolling
through her like an icy wave. “She’s pregnant?”
He nodded. “It was the only
way.”
She shook her head, unwilling to
believe that Drake had slept with the vampire.
“Elena. Wife. The child is not
mine.”
“No?”
“No. Andrei is the
father.”
“Andrei? How did that happen?” she
asked. But the answer was obvious. “You had this all planned out,
didn’t you?”
Drake smiled smugly. “Katiya is quite a
good actress. We spent the first month of our marriage pretending
to dislike each other,” he said with a laugh. “Although it didn’t
take much pretending, at least in the beginning. Gradually, we let
people think we were growing fond of each other. Katiya told her
mother that she was falling in love with me. Her mother naturally
told mine. We were quite convincing.”
“And when you had convinced everyone,
Andrei returned to the Fortress.”
“He had returned every night since the
wedding. He slept in my bed. I slept in his. No one knew. I think
she must have conceived the first night. A clever plan, do you not
agree?”
“I guess so, but what will happen if
Rodin finds out?”
“That, I cannot predict.”
“Nothing good, I bet,” Elena
muttered.
“Of that you can be sure,” Drake
agreed. “But let us not worry about that now. We are together. Let
us make the most of it.”
“Your cat came back.”
“Have you forgotten what I told you?”
he asked with a laugh. “I do not have a cat.”
“It’s you, isn’t it?” she asked,
stabbing him in the chest with a forefinger. “You’re the
cat.”
He grinned at her. “Finally figured
that out, did you? It took you long enough.”
“How is that possible?”
“Those of us born to Liliana are able
to shape-shift. It is a rare ability, but useful, when you have a
stranger in the house.”
“You could have told me!”
“It was more fun this way. And it
allowed me to watch over you during the day.”
She blew out a sigh, wondering if she
would ever learn all there was to know about this extraordinary
man. But there was no time to ask now, because he was kissing her
again, leading her up the stairs, pressing her down on the bed, his
body covering hers. And there was no more need for
thought.
Later, lying in his arms, Elena ran her
fingers down the crooked scar along his neck. “How did you get
that?”
“Does it matter? It is an old
wound.”
“I thought vampire wounds healed
without a scar.”
“Most do, but not ones inflicted with
silver.”
“Oh. I’d still like to know how you got
it.”
He looked past her, as if traveling
backward in time. “Many years ago a band of gypsies camped down by
the lake. I heard their music one night, and because I was lonely,
I went down to watch them dance. Luiza was one of the dancers. She
was young, no more than fifteen or sixteen, and very beautiful,
with clear olive skin and long red hair. I went back to their camp
every night for several weeks, drawn by the music and the dancing.
They were a happy people, filled with the kind of joy that was
lacking in my own life, in my own kind.
“One night, Luiza followed me home. She
declared she was in love with me. I told her there was no future
for us, that her band would be leaving in a few days and that I
could not go with them. She begged me to make love to her.” He
shook his head. “She was too young. For all her flirtatious ways,
she was innocent in the ways of men and women.”
“What happened?” Elena
asked.
“I sent her away. Late that night, she
came to the castle. I was on the ramparts, watching the gypsies
pack, when she burst into the room. She told me she did not want to
live without me. She pulled a dagger out of her sleeve and dragged
the blade over her wrist. I do not think she meant to cut so
deeply, but she was young and foolish and the dagger was very
sharp. I am afraid the scent of her blood brought out the vampire
in me.
“Luiza stared at me, her eyes wide. I
imagine my own eyes had gone red by then. She backed away from me.
I tried to tell her not to be afraid, that I would not hurt her. I
knew I had to get to her soon, to stop the bleeding. When I reached
for her, she flailed wildly with the knife. When I reached for her
again, she stumbled and fell on the blade. It pierced her
heart.”
“That’s so sad,” Elena murmured. “But
it wasn’t your fault.”
He grunted softly. He had carried the
guilt for Luiza’s death for centuries. It was one of the reasons he
had stayed away from people, never letting himself get too close,
never letting himself care, until Elena wandered into Wolfram
Castle and turned his life and his world upside down.