“Laura!” Rushing to her side, I fell across her bed and clutched her hand. “Laura!” My elation was short lived for I saw that the light of life was a distant spark in her eyes. I unleashed my power, thrusting it into her. I could feel her life slipping away like water through a sieve. “Laura, no!”

“Glynis.” Her voice was barely audible and her breath was shallow. I could barely hear it. My power filled the room as I willed her to live. Yet, I knew she was drifting away to a world where I could not follow.

“Adem, summon her parents!” I screamed, then returned my attention to Laura. My hands slid over her face, trying to warm it. The fever was gone and a deep cold was taking its place. “Please, Laura, do not leave me.” My tears dotted her nightgown and face with blood as I pulled her into my arms. Her breath was barely a whisper against the skin of my neck. Cradling her in my arms, I tried to will life into her. Instead, she released a low, terrible rattling breath and her body sank deeper into mine. “Laura!”

To my relief, she drew in a short, shallow breath, but her heartbeat was fading.

In my desperation, I did a rash thing.

I bit into her throat.

I am lost in grief. Laura is dead. My bite did nothing but hasten the stilling of her heart. I can still taste her cool blood in my mouth. It was nearly devoid of life when I took the three sips I had irrationally hoped would grant her immortality.

Instead, she is dead.

My darling sweet Laura is dead.

Chapter 26

The Journal of Countess Dracula

November 27, 1820

The Dosza Palace, Buda

Percy attended Laura’s funeral. Of course, I was absent due to the funeral mass being held during the hours of the day and in a church. I had considered swathing myself in dark garments and veils to attempt to venture out into the dim winter sunlight to watch her be laid to rest, but Adem would not allow it. We argued heatedly, but at last I relented. It was far too dangerous to even attempt. Despite my fervent desire to be at Laura’s funeral, I did not truly want to risk bursting into flames.

Instead, I fell asleep weeping for my lost friend.

When evening fell, Percy came to visit and share his recollections of the mass and the funeral. He described it all so beautifully, I felt as though I had witnessed it myself. Lost in the emotions of my bereavement, I wept openly in Percy’s arms as he gently wiped away my tears of blood.

Understanding my desire to pay my respects, Percy was kind enough to offer to join me. We ventured into a world filled with snow, grief, and the endless night sky. Clad in mourning clothes, we traveled by sleigh with Adem and Enre as our escorts to the mausoleum where Laura had been laid to rest.

The mausoleum belonged to Maria’s family and sat upon the edge of their property. It was an ornate structure of dark stone with an arched doorway between weeping angels. It stood in stark contrast against the drifts of snow that sparkled under the crescent moon. The snow began to fall again as we stood in silence before Laura’s final resting place.

“I wish I could have somehow saved her,” I sighed at last.

“We all did what we could. We gave her all our love and support to the very end.” Percy patted my hand gently as I gripped his arm. Though I had fed, I felt weak with grief and leaned against him for support.

“It wasn’t enough.” My bitterness and anger seeped out in my tone. “I desperately wanted to save her. I tried so hard to will her to stay alive and she still died in my arms.” The memory overwhelmed me and I covered my face with one hand. Feeling Laura’s last breath leave her body had devastated me completely. I had collapsed with her in my arms and Adem had to pry her from my grasp so her parents could hold her.

“There, there, Glynis,” Percy whispered, sounding so much like my father. He held me in his arms as I clutched his coat tightly with my fingers, burying my face against the scratchy wool fabric.

The cold wind buffeted us as it swirled around the family crypt and sent the boughs of the trees creaking. Snowflakes fell wetly against my cheeks and dotted our clothing. I could hear the snow crunching beneath Adem’s boots as he shifted on his feet behind me. The small clearing amongst the pine trees felt far away from the rest of the world.

As Percy and I stood in silence, I began to feel uneasy. The isolation should have felt peaceful, but instead it was oppressive. I slowly drew away from Percy as I became aware of a slowly swelling power. It pricked along my skin and set me on edge. I glanced toward Adem and saw that he too was alert to the growing presence. Enre drew his sword as I searched the darkness dwelling in the trees that ringed the small graveyard.

“Glynis, what is it?” Percy asked, his voice no more than a whisper.

The tension in his form and in his face revealed that he felt it, too.

“Do not move,” Adem ordered, his daggers flashing as he scanned our surroundings. His rugged, scarred face frightened me with its ferocity.

“Ghouls?” I asked as quietly as I could. The power felt hungry, full of desire and pain. Despite my supernatural nature, it frightened me.

“Perhaps,” was his simple reply.

To my surprise, Percy drew a pistol from within his coat. His cool blue eyes met mine for a moment, then he swept his gaze away to look over the clearing. “We should go.”

Behind us the horses neighed anxiously as the driver of the sleigh tried to calm them.

“Agreed,” Adem said at last.

Percy gripped my arm and pulled me along with him as we backed toward the sleigh. His fingers bit into my flesh, but I allowed him to guide me. As we moved, I managed to lift my petticoat and draw one of my silver daggers. I would not stand idly by should we be attacked.

A thin, wispy mist skimmed over the snow drifts as the power continued to swell. Icy cold, it touched the hem of my skirts and flowed around my feet. The simple touch of the dark magic manifesting around us was terrifying with its great need.

“Bloody hell!” Percy gasped as the mist suddenly roiled and twisted around me toward him. “What is that?”

I had barely ascertained what was about to happen when the banshee scream of a ravenous vampire filled the night. The mist solidified into Laura as she cruelly pulled Percy’s head to one side by his hair. He gasped in terror as her long fangs glinted in the light from the lanterns on the sleigh.

“Laura, no!” I screamed.

Like a viper, she struck. Her small frame drove Percy down into the snow as she tore at his throat.

The driver cried out in surprise as the horses tossed back their manes in fright. Unable to contain the beasts, the driver was borne away by the petrified horses and out of sight.

Unable to fathom the terrible scene unfolding before me, I could only stand and gape. It was Adem who sprang into action. He flung himself at Laura, managed to get his arm about her throat, and wrestled her away from Percy. The reek of blood filled my senses as it splattered across the snow, melting the drift with its warmth. Adem struggled to contain Laura as she thrashed in his arms. Her face and burial gown were stained dark with blood. She hissed in frustration as Adem bore her away from her prey.

Recovering my senses, I flung myself to my knees beside Percy. His blue eyes stared at me in shock as blood coursed about the fingers that he had pressed to his torn throat. “Forgive me,” I said before seizing his hand, pulling it away, and biting into the torn flesh. I took only one swallow, then licked the wound, willing it to heal and save him. I could hear Laura screeching like a wild cat as Adem and Enre struggled with her, but I had to save Percy. I stared into his eyes, my hands pressed to his forehead to keep him from moving as I watched his throat slowly mend. His blood pulsed out of the wound one more time than the flow was reduced to a trickle as it healed. Staring up at me, I could see his fear and repulsion, but also some deeper emotion I could not discern.

The sounds of the battle behind me drew my attention. Laura broke free from her captors and lunged toward Percy again. Instinctively, I leaped to my feet and deflected her with a sharp blow to her chest. The dagger punched into her body just above her bosom and she gasped in shock. Staggering back, she looked upon me with a mixture of hurt and anger.

“Laura, no!” I ordered.

Bloodied lips drew back from her sharp teeth as she hissed. Twirling about, she darted way into the trees.

“Catch her!” I screamed.

Adem and Enre plunged into the dark woods after her as I fell back to my knees beside Percy. He gripped my arm with one hand as he tried to pull himself up. I rested my hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him back down.

“Laura,” he gasped.

I kissed him softly on the cheek and cradled his face against mine. “I will take care of her. Now, look into my eyes.”

I believe he obeyed me out of love, not because of the power of my blood that I was calling upon. His expression was one of tenderness as I took his face between my hands and compelled him to obey me. “Forget what has happened...” I whispered. “Forget...”

I placed Percy in the doorway of the mausoleum and left him sleeping. I rushed into the trees, calling out to Adem. My acute vision allowed me to follow the footprints pressed deep into the snow. Laura’s were not visible, but I could see where Adem and Enre had pursued her. The prints separated near the edge of the gardens that ringed the rear of Sir Stephan’s house. Unsure, I stood in the falling snow, looking back and forth, trying to decide. It was an agonized cry that settled the matter. I turned and pursued the tracks that led toward the house.