Chapter
16
Drake sank back on the cold stone
floor, more miserable than he had ever been in his life. Yesterday
had been bad. Today had been worse. He breathed a sigh of relief as
the sun went down. His body twitched uncontrollably, his fangs
ached. He needed blood. But worse than any of that was the
knowledge that Vardin had fed on Elena, and there was nothing he
could do about it.
He rested his forehead on his bent
knees, thoughts of vengeance and murder chasing through his mind
like mice in a maze. Closing his eyes, he imagined driving a stake
through his brother’s black heart. But it wasn’t Vardin who was
responsible. True, he had fed on Elena, but it was Rodin who had
allowed it to happen. For all Drake knew, Rodin had suggested it.
One thing was certain, Elena would not have been quartered with the
sheep if Rodin hadn’t ordered it.
“Speak of the devil and he appears,”
Drake muttered as his sire opened the tower door. It took every
ounce of what strength he had left to gain his feet.
“I have brought you something to
drink,” Rodin said.
“I want nothing from you. Nothing but
Elena’s freedom.”
Closing the distance between them,
Rodin held up a tankard made of gold. “Drink this.”
“No.”
“Do not make me force
you.”
Drake glared at his sire. What would be
worse, drinking of his own free will, or resisting? One way or the
other, Rodin would have his way, and with that thought in mind,
Drake reached for the goblet.
The contents were thick and cold but he
drank greedily, his eyes closing as the blood took the edge off the
worst of the pain. After draining the goblet, he licked his lips,
then met his sire’s gaze. “How long are you going to keep me locked
up?”
“That is what I have come to discuss
with you,” Rodin said. Taking the goblet, he tossed it
aside.
Drake took a deep breath. From Rodin’s
tone, it was obvious he wasn’t going to like what was
coming.
“Tomorrow night, in front of the
Council, I will annul your marriage to the mortal female and
formally announce your betrothal to Katiya. Since the night of the
new moon has passed, you will wed at her pleasure.”
“And if I refuse?”
“I will leave you here until your flesh
is dry and your veins empty and you beg me for mercy.”
“Ever the loving father,” Drake said
bitterly. “Is that the worst you can do?”
“If you continue to defy me, I will
give the woman to Vardin to do with as he pleases.”
“He has already fed on her,” Drake
said, unable to keep the fury from his voice. “Twice!”
“You know what he is capable of. Be
grateful he has done her no permanent harm.”
It took every ounce of his willpower,
honed over five centuries, for Drake to choke back the rage that
engulfed him. “I will never forgive you for this.”
Rodin nodded. “I have your word that
you will do as I have decreed?”
“You will release Elena tomorrow and
send her back to Wolfram.”
“No. I will release her the day after
you and Katiya are wed.”
“I have your word?”
Rodin straightened to his full height,
his eyes flashing with anger. “Do you doubt it?”
Drake snorted with contempt. “I told
Elena you would treat her well, that it was not your way to make
war on women.”
“I have done what was necessary. I will
have your word that you will do as I have commanded.”
“You have it, on three conditions. I
will marry Katiya, but then the two of us will be free to leave the
Fortress.”
“So you can abandon her as soon as you
are away? Do you take me for a fool?”
“I will not abandon her.”
“The woman, Elena, will pay the price
if you do.”
“I have no doubt of that.”
Rodin paced to the far end of the
tower, his hands clasped behind his back. Returning to stand in
front of Drake, he said, “You may leave the Fortress when Katiya is
with child. In the meantime, there is the matter of the Council. .
. .”
“That’s the second condition. I do not
belong on the Council and we both know it. There is no law that
says all the members must be of your direct bloodline. Liam would
be an admirable addition.”
Rodin grunted softly. Liam was a
liaison between Rodin and Lucien, the Master Vampire of the Italian
Fortress.
“And your third
condition?”
“Elena will not be quartered with the
sheep, or used as sustenance by anyone. She is to have the run of
the Fortress, and all her needs met. She is . . . was . . . my wife
and I will have her treated with the respect she
deserves.”
“Very well. Now I have a condition of
my own. You will not attempt to see her.”
“I demand the right to bid her farewell
when she leaves.”
“Need I remind you that you are in no
position to demand anything?”
Drake clenched his jaw, then blew out a
breath. “Must I beg for the opportunity to tell her
good-bye?”
“No,” Rodin said through clenched
teeth. “I will allow it.”
“I would ask one more favor. She will
need someone to take her home.”
“I will see that she arrives
safely.”
“She is to have Wolfram Castle. I will
need pen and paper to make it legal.”
Rodin nodded.
“I promised her the wherewithal to
provide for her needs as long as she lived.”
Rodin folded his arms over his chest.
“Anything else?” he asked tersely.
“No. If you will do these things for
me, then I vow to take Katiya as my bride. I will see that she
conceives a child. I will put her happiness before my own. You have
my word on it.”
“And you have mine.” Slipping a heavy
glove on his right hand, Rodin touched the thick silver leg iron
that bound Drake’s ankle to the wall. The manacle fell away with a
harsh clatter.
“Come,” Rodin said. “Your mother is
anxious to see you.”
Elena paced the floor of the dormitory,
scarcely aware of the other women who were preparing for bed. It
had been a very long day, her every thought for Drake. After seeing
him last night, she could think of nothing else, could not begin to
imagine the pain he was feeling. How did he endure it? How had he
even survived? She could not comprehend such torment, or understand
how any man, vampire or not, could be so cruel to his own flesh and
blood.
They had to get away from here, but
how? Drake was helpless as long as he was imprisoned in the tower.
There was no way she could break down the dormitory door, or fight
her way through a nest of vampires. She shuddered to think what her
future would be if something happened to Drake.
She lifted a hand to her neck,
remembering the pain, the horror, of being bitten by Vardin. She
knew now why the other sheep feared him. He was cruel, oblivious to
the pain he caused. Or maybe he simply enjoyed it.
After washing her hands and face, Elena
changed into the long white gown she had been given to sleep in and
crawled under the covers of her narrow cot. She had been too upset
to sit and talk with the other girls while they readied themselves
for bed but now, as Northa blew out the last candle, Elena recalled
Marta saying it wasn’t uncommon for the vampires to come for one of
them in the middle of the night.
Elena folded her arms over her chest.
How was she supposed to sleep knowing that Vardin or one of the
other vampires might come looking for a midnight
snack?
She was drifting to sleep when the
dormitory door opened. She tasted fear on her tongue as someone
stepped into the room. But it was only Liliana.
“Come,” the vampire said
quietly.
Slipping out of bed, Elena followed
Liliana into the clothing room, afraid to ask what was coming. To
her surprise, Liliana thrust the clothing Elena had worn to the
Fortress into her hands. “Dress quickly. The Council
awaits.”
The Council. All too clearly, she
recalled Drake’s words: The Council
judges those who have broken our laws, and executes them, if
necessary. Were they going to execute her for
marrying Drake? Or worse, execute them both?
Unable to still her trembling, she
removed the nightgown and tossed it aside. She quickly donned her
undergarments, then slipped the lavender silk dress over her head
and smoothed it over her hips. Sitting on a low stool, she pulled
on her heels, thinking how good it felt to wear her own clothes
again.
When she started to rise, Liliana put a
hand on her shoulder, forcing her back down, and then, to Elena’s
surprise, the vampire began brushing her hair.
Feeling like a sacrifice being readied
for the altar, Elena folded her hands in her lap to still their
trembling.
“It is time,” the vampire said. “You
will keep silent when we reach the Council chambers. Do you
understand ?”
Elena nodded. Hoping her legs would
support her, she followed Liliana up the winding staircase and down
the candlelit corridor to the Council chambers. She hesitated when
Liliana opened the cathedral-like door. Feeling like a lamb being
led to the slaughter, she took a deep breath and stepped
inside.
The first thing she saw was Drake. Clad
in nothing but a pair of black sweatpants, he knelt in front of the
dais, head bowed, hands shackled behind his back. In the light of a
hundred candles, the ravages of the sun’s heat were clearly
visible. His skin was badly burned; in some places, it was almost
black.
Rodin sat on his throne, as regal and
powerful as any king. A girl sat in the chair beside him. She was
young, surely not more than sixteen. Her hair was a rich chestnut
brown, her eyes a shade lighter beneath delicately arched brows.
She had an aristocratic nose, a generous mouth, a long, slender
neck. Her skin was almost luminescent. Liliana’s beauty paled
beside that of the younger woman.
The members of the Council, dressed in
ubiquitous black, sat like statues.
When Elena would have gone to Drake,
Liliana put a staying hand on her arm. “No. You must not go near
him. You must not speak to him.”
And with that admonition, Liliana went
to stand beside her husband’s chair.
Several moments passed before Rodin
spoke. “As Master of the Coven, I call this Council to order.
Drake, here present, has violated the laws of our kind in that he
has taken a mortal female as his wife. As his sire and Master of
this Coven, I hereby declare his marriage void from this night
forward.”
Elena stared at Drake. He had told her
that Rodin wouldn’t annul their marriage if it was consummated. Had
he lied to her? She willed him to look at her, but his head
remained bowed.
“Drake, do you, of your own free will,
agree to abide by this annulment?”
“Yes, sire.”
“No!” The word was torn from Elena’s
throat.
Rodin glared at her. “Remain silent,
woman! As spoken and agreed, the marriage between Drake and the
woman, Elena Knightsbridge, is declared null and
void.”
As one, the twelve members of the
Council said, “As spoken and agreed, let it be done.”
“Done and done,” Rodin said. “Drake,
arise.”
The heavy chains binding his wrists
rattled as, with an effort, Drake gained his feet.
Rodin stood. He smiled at the young
woman sitting quietly in the other chair, then extended his hand.
“Come, Katiya.”
She rose gracefully, her head high and
proud as she took her place at Rodin’s side.
“By my will and authority,” the Master
Vampire declared, “I do hereby approve and affirm the betrothal
between Drake Sherrad and Katiya Belova, here present. The marriage
will be performed at a time of the bride’s choosing. This Council
is dismissed.”