The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire, Book 1) by Clay & Susan Griffith;Clay Griffith;Susan Griffith (37 page)

For a moment she couldn't think of what it was, but then she suddenly remembered and her excitement grew. "Oh!" She stood quickly,
gathering a disgruntled Pet in her arms. Stepping toward Baudoin's stiff
form she eagerly regarded the folded paper lying on the tray that glittered in the firelight.

Baudoin stepped back, almost as if reluctant to relinquish the note. His expression was bitter, but then the servant caught himself and
pushed the tray toward the princess. She claimed the note with a
grateful inclination of her head and moved to the fireside for better
lighting.

Baudoin lingered a bit, and Adele realized he did not know the contents of the note and was most likely curious. But he knew his place like
any good servant. With a straightening of his spine, he spun on his heel
and departed without so much as a "by your leave." How positively frustrating for him to witness the interactions of his master and the prisoner
and have no say in the matter, Adele realized with a grin. She returned
to the note, which had her curiosity on pins and needles. What could
Gareth have written? It was incredibly exciting to watch his creative
awareness growing.

She unfolded the paper quickly. Her breath caught, and she almost
dropped the note into the crackling fire. Pet squirmed to get a better
grip on her, with a plaintive meow, but Adele did not hear it. Her eyes
were glued to the words on the note.

I am sorry Adayla.

She had to reach out and hold the mantel. Pet dropped to the floor
under protest, but coiled around her feet inquisitively. The implications
of the note astounded her. A vampire understood a concept such as forgiveness, and craved it!

For the first time in so many weeks, Adele heard the voice of
Greyfriar speak to her. Her eyes slipped closed as she remembered his
masculine tone that once whispered of rescue and hope. The joy she had
known in his presence flooded her again. She recalled the weight of his
hands on her shoulders in Canterbury, and the utter concern for her wellbeing above and beyond the rescue of an heir of Equatoria. She had not
imagined it.

Her fingers brushed across the letters of the note. She smiled at his
attempt to spell her name. He had never seen it written, so he had no
idea how to emulate it. Such gentle precision had been given to each
letter. Only the letters of her name betrayed a slight tremor in his hand.
There was such power in names.

She had been wrong about him, so very wrong. If there was even a remote chance that he was sincere and true to all he had told her, she had
to see it through for the sheer possibility of peace and for her own wishes
for it to be genuine.

Perhaps there was as much Greyfriar in him as Gareth.

Perhaps even more.

D LOOSENED THE blanket around her shoulders as she
approached approached the great hall. She could feel a rush of warmth and
saw a great glow in the distance. For a moment she wondered if the
castle had caught fire. Her footsteps quickened toward the radiating
heat that filled the hallway. There was so much light blazing through
the door at the end she could have sworn it opened out to the daylight,
although it was evening and deep inside the castle.

The door swung back even as she reached for the wrought iron
handle. Baudoin stood there. She always expected him to bow deeply to
her like any manservant, but as always he only gestured her inside.
Eyeing him critically she could see he seemed a bit stiffer than usual, the
creases in his forehead furrowing deeper.

Puzzled, Adele stepped inside. Fires were roaring inside the three
massive hearths in the room. Gareth stood at the long table that was set
in elegant fashion. He was dressed in a fine waistcoat with no shirt
underneath, though his pale skin could match any white linen. The
breeches were black and tight, disappearing into equally ebony high
boots, shined to perfection. Gareth's wardrobe was an eclectic mix of
periods and styles. He stood regal, his eyes bright with excitement. The
moment she approached, he stepped to a chair to his left and pulled it out for her. Politely, she took a seat, marveling at how well he knew
human courtesies.

The table was laden with wonderful foods. Automatically her mouth
watered. Even though she ate regularly, this feast was far beyond the
normal fare.

"I trust you are warm," Gareth said as he sat to her right at the head
of the table.

"Yes, I'm wonderfully warm. Thank you." In fact, she felt beads of
sweat on her neck from the roaring blaze. Studying him openly, she saw
tenseness to his smile. "Aren't you awfully uncomfortable?"

Gareth shrugged. "I can tolerate it."

"This is a lot of food."

"Eat what you like. I'll have the remainder sent to the people in
town. They prepared it. I wasn't quite sure what you liked."

"You arranged all this?" The myriad of meat and vegetables must
have taken days to collect and prepare. "It must've been a great deal of
work for everyone."

"It was a challenge. We actually enjoyed it."

"Thank you." It seemed strange to say, but Gareth's efforts warranted it. In a way she was honored that she was worth the endeavor.
Reaching for venison that was nearest her, she piled food on her plate.
Food always seemed to be a primary need. It was Greyfriar who had
drummed that into her. Eat and drink when you can, as much as you
can.

Glancing at Gareth, she noticed he wasn't eating. With a sigh she
sat back. "I don't particularly like eating alone."

The vampire prince turned his gaze to the food on platters in front
of him. "But I don't eat.... I mean to say ... I don't. .." Words failed
him.

Adele understood all too well. In an instant he became a vampire yet
again. It was still disconcerting.

Gareth realized he was losing her. He reached for a tray and served
himself a piece of steak. "But if it means something to you, I'll be happy
to join you."

"Can you actually eat?"

"It doesn't provide any nourishment, but I can go through the
motions."

"It's all right. It doesn't matter."

"It does matter. To me. I want you to feel at ease." He studied the
hunk of meat on his plate. He had chosen a rare piece of flesh so that at
least he could taste some blood. But the blood was dead. The meat itself
held little taste, like eating wood pulp. "It has been several weeks since
you came here. I've seen no sign of Flay or hunters. I want you to know,
you are getting closer to returning home."

"How close?" Adele asked quickly.

Gareth held up his hand. "I don't know. I just wanted you to know
it is going to happen. As I ... as Greyfriar promised."

"Why don't you contact my father? He will send ships for me."

"I tried that in France. But here in Edinburgh, there is no one to
send with the message. Baudoin would be killed instantly if he went,
and I cannot go without leaving you unprotected."

"My father would not kill Baudoin."

Gareth's eyes rose to meet hers, cold as steel. "I am not prepared to
risk it."

His natural distrust stilled Adele into silence. Her appetite waned,
but she forced herself to eat a bit of everything. So many people had
labored to cook this meal that she refused to let their efforts be wasted.

"Is this food considered good quality?" Gareth asked, chewing
methodically and ignoring the bland texture in his mouth.

Adele nodded. "It is very good. You did well."

"I had nothing to do with it. Everyone was excited to cook once I
told them it was for you. They did it of their own volition."

"They are wonderful people here." Adele felt a warmth course
through her. She brought her gaze up to study him. "And they seem to
care for you very much as a sovereign."

"Humans deserve to be treated well. They have the power to give us
life."

"Could it ever be possible that your humans leave here and come
with me to Equatoria?" It was a foolish question. Adele knew it immediately and regretted putting Gareth on the spot. It looked as if she was spoiling for an argument, which she wasn't. She waved her hand, dismissing the question before he had a chance to answer it. "Ignore me.
I've become fanciful thanks to a blazing fire and a full stomach. I know
what I ask is impossible."

Gareth nodded. "Not impossible. Maybe someday."

Adele resumed her meal with more interest. She reached for the wine,
but Gareth lifted a decanter. He filled her glass and then his. It was dark
ruby port, and she tried not to imagine what it resembled in the firelight.
She sipped it generously and held back a cough as the peppery taste hit
the back of her throat. It warmed her inside as much as the roaring fire
warmed her skin. In truth, she hadn't felt so content in a very long time.
Reclining in the high-back chair with her wineglass, she sighed with satisfaction, which brought a small chuckle from Gareth.

She arched an eyebrow at him. "I enjoy good port."

"I'm glad. This was a gift to Greyfriar from the free people of
Lisbon. I've been saving it for a special occasion."

Adele allowed a gentle smile. He was trying so hard. "Thank you for
sharing it with me."

Gareth smiled at that, his sharp teeth showing ever so slightly
before he clamped his lips tight once again, lest the sight disturb her.
His frost-rimmed eyes glinted, the pallor of them both haunting and
mesmerizing. Despite the fact that his entire race possessed them, his
alone shone with something akin to warmth and life.

He stood and offered her his hand. "I would like to show you something, if you please. It would mean a great deal to me."

Adele's hand lifted to his, and he pulled her to her feet and led her
to the eastern door. The princess wondered what was so important for
her to see. Her curiosity grew deeper as he led her through the castle like
a man with a secret. Her excitement grew with his. Finally they came to
a room she hadn't seen yet.

"My library," Gareth whispered respectfully with his hand on the
half-open door. "I have long wanted you to see it."

"A library!" Her delight was physical. She knew such a castle as
Edinburgh must have a vast library, and what better way to pass her
time here than by reading mysterious books long thought lost.

"It isn't much, but the collection is my most prized possession. In
this room I feel most human."

The door swung open to reveal broken and empty walls. There were
no towering bookshelves and endless rows of books inside. The crackling
fire in the hearth cast light on a room that was vacant save for a lone
leather chair and an ancient trunk.

Gareth, still excited, showed her to the chair. She slumped into it
while he opened the trunk with care. The lid lifted to reveal a stack of
about fifteen books. His library. Adele could not find the words to
respond to his exhilaration. She only stared at the musty books, packed
with great care inside the trunk.

Gareth realized something was wrong by the expression on her face.
Confused and embarrassed, he slammed the trunk shut. He stood and
backed away.

Adele stopped him with a touch of her hand and, without speaking,
gently reopened the trunk. She saw the volumes on top, the most well
read, were an elementary grammar text, a book of French poetry, an etiquette pamphlet, two adventure novels for young readers, and the
anatomy text she had seen in Europe. So of all the books in the world,
these were books he treasured. Suddenly she understood so much more
about him.

"How long did it take you to collect all these books?"

"Since my first excursion to the mainland as Greyfriar. Some thirty
years ago."

All that time and he had gathered only these few? It was a sad statement of how rare books had become in the north.

She told him softly, "There was a time when I would have never
believed this. A vampire with a library. Yet here you are."

"Perhaps the world isn't what we think it must be. Perhaps someday
our species do not have to be at war."