“How could you do that to her,” I demanded.

Vlad grabbed me and pulled me roughly against him. His hands gripped my face tightly and he kissed me with dark, hungry desire. I trembled under the power of his kiss and hated him with a rage that felt like it would consume me. Yet, the passion of that moment enraptured me and despite myself, I swooned. Breaking his kiss, he leaned his forehead against mine.

“As I did this to her, I will do it to you. Do you understand?”

His fingers wound tightly into my hair and he pressed his face hard against mine.

“Do you understand?” he asked.

“Yes,” I finally answered, my voice catching with fear.

“Will you write your brother?”

My gaze slid upwards to the great iron stake looming over the top of the sepulcher. I shuddered at the thought of such a fate. Slowly, I nodded.

“Tell me, Glynis. Will you write your brother?”

“Yes,” I said, and wept as he kissed me.

Chapter 16

The Journal of Lady Glynis Wright-Continued

The Castle

Vlad returned to the castle wearing the form of a wolf. The moment my bare feet touched the icy stones of the courtyard, he bounded off, his anger as tangible as the cold night wind.

Gathering my skirts, I hurried toward the entrance of the castle. The great bronze door opened and Cneajna stood there, her long blond hair falling around a face so forlorn it made my heart ache. I immediately seized her hands in mine and kissed her cool cheek.

“What is it, Cneajna? Why do you look so heartbroken?”

“He took you to her, did he not?”

I nodded, trying not to think of the agonized screams and wild laughter of Erzsébet. “Yes, he did.”

Cneajna sighed, then shook her head as she drew her hands quickly away. Turning on her heel, she strode back into the castle, one hand pressed against her lips.

“Cneajna,” I called out, pursuing her. I reached out and touched the gentle curve of her shoulder.

She hesitated, then turned to face me.

“Please, do not leave me. I am troubled and afraid. What I have seen and heard tonight has me shaken. Please, let us take solace together. Let us bind together our strength to carry us through this wretched night.”

She gently smoothed my hair back from my face, then drew me against her. I flung myself into her embrace and clung to her. She whispered that if she had given birth to a daughter she might have looked like me. That her mortal husband had the thickest, most fiery locks she had ever seen until she had seen my hair. Her long fingers stroked my cheek and she kissed me lightly.

“What he did to Erzsébet, he said he will do to me if I do not obey him, Cneajna.”

“Now you know why I plead with you to obey our husband. Now do you understand what he is capable of?”

I drew away from her and flung out my hands dramatically. “But it is monstrous what he has done! She is alive and in so much pain. I was so horrified and afraid of her fate, I betrayed my own brother to Prince Vlad!”

“I love Erzsébet. I love her more than I can say. She is the most beautiful of women and I adore her as I would my own sister. When she lived with us, she made life here more bearable…more civilized. Erzsébet wanted to be happy here, but Vlad did not allow her the freedoms she craved. Over the years, her love for him turned to hatred until at last, she tried to kill him. And he did what had to be done.”

“Why did he not just kill her? It would have been so much better than impaling her alive. To suffer that way for an eternity.”

“One night he will destroy her when his ambition grows greater than his love for her. To keep her alive is to endanger himself. But it is his way. Vlad has always impaled those who defied him, even when he was a mortal man. Erzsébet is a vampire and she cannot die from such a punishment unless the stake pierced her heart.” Cneajna’s expression became troubled as she turned away from me. “I weep for her. I weep for her because she went mad and destroyed herself. And yet, I still love her.”

“He did it to her! Can you not see that? He drove her to hate him!” I paced back and forth, wringing my hands. “I can understand far too well how she must have felt. How he drove her into madness and she had no choice but to seek his death. He is a monster! A monster! And I have betrayed Andrew to him!” I fell back against a pillar and buried my face in my hands.

“What do you mean? Who is Andrew? Is he your brother? Does he live in England? And if so, in what way have you betrayed him?”

In a trembling voice, I told her all that had happened. Cneajna listened in silence; one hand gently grasping mine. When I finished my story, Cneajna kissed my forehead tenderly, stroking my hand lightly with her long, slim fingers.

“Do not fear, sweet Glynis. If our husband wishes for your brother to help him move to England, then he will certainly not kill him.”

“But he wanted my family to help him and he killed them,” I pointed out to her.

“For you, dear Glynis. For you! He wanted you desperately. When you first arrived, we followed in the shadows admiring you. We were all taken with your haughtiness and your beautiful red hair. Later, after you were asleep, Vlad came to me and told me how much he desired you. I could see it in his eyes that nothing would stop him from claiming you as his own. And now you are one of us.” She smiled with contentment. “Your father never should have defied our husband. That is what doomed them all. So you must not defy Vlad if you wish for your brother to live. You must do as our husband commands and your brother’s life will be spared. Vlad can be generous if he is obeyed and given the respect that is his due.”

I sighed with exasperation, drawing away from her. “In this world, I cannot win. I am so utterly trapped by his power and his will.”

“It is his world and we must obey him without question.”

I could see Cneajna truly believed those words. But I cannot. Yes, it may be Vlad’s world, but there has to be a way to break free. But to save Andrew, I have to capitulate. I realize that truth though I hate it. There truly is no other way.

“Cneajna, how can you stand it? Living in his power, submitting to his every wish and whim.” The intensity in which I spoke those words demanded an answer.

Cneajna hesitated, then said softly, “It is better than my mortal life.” She drew away from me, moving across the stone floor to the staircase. “Memories are strong on this night, calling to me, compelling me to speak to you, but not here. Come with me to our chambers. Let us rest there as Elina and Ariana deliver our Master’s message to his servant in the village.”

I hurried after her and soon we stood huddled together before the cold hearth in our chambers. For some reason, the cold on this night seemed to pierce through us with exceptional viciousness. Cneajna waved her hand over the blackened wood beckoning forth a fire that immediately sprang to life. Sinking to her knees, Cneajna stared deeply into the fire. Drawing a fine brocade coverlet from a nearby couch, I sat beside her, wrapping us in the warm fabric.

“Staring into the fire, I can feel the memories unfurling in my mind. I can almost see my mortal past,” she whispered. “All tonight, the memories have been there, trying to speak, to make me remember. Remember why I came to be here and why I fear for you.”

Curling up into her side and snuggling into the warmth of the coverlet, I whispered, “Please, tell me. Let me know who you are.”

“I was happy in my mortal life until I married. My family was a fine aristocratic Hungarian family. My father was a great man and a loving father. My mother was beautiful and kind. I had two elder brothers who became great soldiers and strong leaders. Growing up, I loved them all and I was so very happy. Then I married István. He was a great warrior and had favor in the court of my mother’s cousin, King Matyas of Hungary. My husband had fought under my cousin and it was Matyas who wished for me to marry István. At first I refused, but when I finally met him, I loved him.

“I thought István loved me and we would be happy forever. I truly believe that he did love me in the beginning, but when I failed to give birth to the heir he desired, his love faded.”

Her voice trembled, and I reached out to take her hand to soothe her. She did not take her gaze from the fire, but fastened it even more firmly to the dancing flames.

“Years passed and I had no children. István eventually stopped coming to me and would instead lay with a young woman he had brought into our home. Her name was Piroska. At first, I did not mind her so very much.”

“I do not understand. How could you allow his mistress into your home?” I shook my head, shocked at the mere proposition of such a thing. I could barely comprehend how easily Vlad and the women embraced polygamy as the norm.

“It was my husband’s right to have a heir,” Cneajna said with a slight smile on her lips. “As the years passed, she gave birth not only to one son, but to three. I was still without child. Piroska began to torment me with her snide words. Then she began to usurp my position within the household. If my cousin had not been King of Hungary, I think István would have turned me out in favor of Piroska.”

“That is too horrible, dear Cneajna. You did not deserve that! He was an utter beast to you!” I threw my arms around her, hugging her tightly. She smiled at me, and I was relieved until I saw the tear trickling down her cheek that she did not even seem to notice.

“He would often ridicule me in her presence. He would say my beauty was wasted and that I should be as dry and shriveled as my womb.” Her eyes were riveted on the flames, watching as they writhed and danced before her. “Piroska would taunt me without mercy and belittle me before my servants. She took my chambers and I was forced to move into her small rooms. She took my gowns and jewels and rose up to control my household. I was frustrated and angry. I begged István to come to me, to give me a chance to have his child. At last, he did. To my delight, soon after, I was with child. I was so happy I could barely contain my excitement.” More tears fell and Cneajna’s face seemed almost human: vulnerable and soft. “Then, one day, Piroska came to me and demanded that I stay away from her child. The youngest, János, had become too fond of me and she was jealous. We argued and she pushed me. I fell to the floor and began to bleed. By nightfall, I had lost my child. My only child.” Her words faded as she ran her hand over her features and realized she was crying. Slowly, she wiped her tears on the coverlet, and sighed. “I was devastated, but István was disgusted with me. I tried to tell him that Piroska had pushed me, but he would not listen. He never touched me again.”

“Oh, Cneajna, how utterly awful for you. Could you not return to the home of your family?”

She shook her head. “No, no. My parents had long passed from the world and my brothers were busy fighting the Turks. I thought of going to Matyas and begging for sanctuary in his household, but, alas, I was too proud. So I suffered in my own home and watched another woman live the life I should have had.”

I began to understand the great emptiness in Cneajna’s eyes: her quiet desperation and pain. Her vampiric life was a pale reflection of the life she had craved as a mortal. A household of servants, a strong husband, and children…but in this reality she had gypsies as servants, a vampire lord as a husband, and young vampire brides as children. It was an utter mockery of her heart’s desire, but she could not see that.

“One day,” she continued, “Piroska came to me and told me she was pregnant once more. She was mocking me, laughing at me, dressed in my clothes, wearing my jewels, carrying my husband’s child. I could not stand the sight of her anymore. I had been eating my meal when she had entered and did not realize I still clutched a knife in my hand. I meant to slap her, but instead, I slashed her cheek. Her blood splashed me as she began to scream. I do not know how to explain what happened, but the sight of her blood and the sound of her screams only seemed to fuel my anger against her. I slashed her face again and she fell to the floor, and before I realized what I was doing, I brought the knife down over and over again until she was silent.”