The Tale of the Vampire Bride (27 page)

“Please stop! Please be silent! It is not true!” I did not want to hear his words. They were brutal and they were, unfortunately, true. I was loath to admit it to either one of us, especially, myself.

Vlad slowly stood, laying his book down. Turning to me, he fastened his fierce green eyes upon me and said in a low voice, “Do not lie to me, woman. You are a killer the same as I.”

I turned away from him, hiding my face in my hands. I trembled with the passion of my anger and shame.

“I thought so, dear Lady Glynis.”

The wolves began to howl. Angry voices began to shout from below. I lifted my face to see Vlad standing near the windows, peering down into the night.

“What is it? What is wrong?”

I joined Vlad and gazed down. Several men with torches and rifles were moving toward the main entrance of the castle. A priest was among them carrying a large crucifix. As I gazed upon it, my eyes felt as though hot needles were stinging them. I quickly slid my gaze away from the cross and fastened it on the men warding off the wolves with flaming torches.

Vlad began to chuckle. “Once more they try to defeat me.”

“Who are they?” I asked, but turned to find myself alone in the room.

Curiosity seized hold of me, so I rushed out the door and down to the great hall. Who was brave enough, nay, foolish enough, to defy Vlad?

When I reached the great hall, Prince Vlad’s heavily armed gypsy guards were already spilling out the front door. Their expressions were fierce and determined as they prepared to defend their Master.

“The priest is mine,” Vlad’s voice drifted through the air, disembodied and cold.

I rushed toward the open doorway, anxious to see what would happen next. As I reached the courtyard, the gypsy guards opened fire on the villagers. Several of the men fell immediately. Others began to return fire striking one of the gypsy men. With a cry, he fell to the ground. The smell of blood, warm and inviting, began to waft on the night breeze.

The priest began to chant as the gypsy guards approached him, but he was fighting against mortals not vampires. A gypsy seized the crucifix and began to wrestle it from his grasp.

The wolves raced into the courtyard, evading the torches and leaping onto one man who had wandered too far from the rest of the attackers. They overcame him and ripped him to shreds.

The scene was chaotic and brutal. I was dazed by the noise, the violence, and the scent of blood. I stood in the doorway, my mouth agape, unsure of what to do.

A man raced at me, a wooden stake raised high above his head with both hands. He screamed with fury, his face contorted as he bore down, determined to strike me down.

Perhaps it was because I was haunted by my conversation with Vlad in the library, but I reacted in a way that I never anticipated. I grabbed hold of my bodice and ripped it open, exposing my chest. Throwing back my head, I waited for the stake to plunge between my breasts and into my heart, ending my misery. Tears streamed down my face as I gazed upwards, praying fervently that God would let me into the Kingdom of Heaven so I could be with my family.

It was not the pain of death that jolted me out of my self-pitying reverie, but a moan and large, grimy, callused hands grabbing hold of my flesh.

Startled, I staggered back as the filthy man tried to pull my dress down my body. His ugly face strained to reach mine as he fumbled with one of my breasts. Screaming with rage at his violation, I seized hold of his head with both of my hands and twisted his head clear about. There was a loud snap and he fell dead at my feet.

Anger burned in me as I looked up to see several village men stumbling toward me. One shielded his eyes from me, turning away. The others moved toward me, struggling with desire as they were beguiled by my appearance. Yet, they were prepared to strike me down.

It was then that the heat of my power enveloped me and I understood the magnitude of my new abilities. Despite their fear, despite their desire to strike me down, they wanted me.

I began to laugh at their stupidity. How feeble and weak they were! I extended my arms and a young, handsome creature fell into them. He tried to kiss me, but I yanked his head to the side and bit down savagely. Crushing him against me, I fed deeply, pulling his life blood into my undead body. The blood flowed hot and glorious into me, empowering me, renewing me even as the other men groped at me.

Ariana flitted past me and another man surrendered to her embrace. Elina growled and bit into the throat of another man pawing at me. Cneajna materialized behind the man who had turned away from me and caught his face in her hands. She enraptured him with her gaze and he submitted to her charms.

“Whores of the devil!”

I dropped my dead prey. Wiping the blood from my lips, I saw a man staggering toward me.

Ah, the priest.

Only three villagers remained alive, including the priest. The smell of blood permeated the night air. My sisters had wrestled their prey down to the ground and were noisily feasting. The gypsy men were covered with blood; a few were wounded. Vlad inspired great loyalty.

Without his crucifix, the priest looked smaller, fatter and more pathetic. He stood before me, flushed, angry, and afraid. Drunken with power and blood, I stared at him. He looked like no priest I had ever encountered. His robe was dirty and he stank of liquor.

“You are all damned! All of you are foul disgusting servants of the devil!”

Ariana rolled off her victim and onto her knees. She began to laugh. “And what of you? A real man of God would never be stupid enough to come here in a drunken stupor to kill us when we are awake!”

The two remaining villagers were trembling with terror, their eyes wide. Yet, despite their fear, they stood straight and defiant, averting our gaze, clearly stronger willed than the others.

“You took a child from the village,” one of them shouted, spittle flecking his lips and beard.

“Our husband brought him to us. We would have returned his body for holy burial,” Cneajna said coldly.

“Your husband is Dracul! The devil!”

I laughed at the priest’s words. They were so terribly accurate.

Vlad emerged from the thin air, a shadow swirling into solidity, and stood before the men. “Yes, I am Dracul, the dragon, the devil. And I told you and your people to stay away from this place.”

“You took a child!”

“His father owed me a debt. Did he not tell you? He came to me pleading for money. We entered a business transaction and I informed him that I would collect what was owed me when I so desired. He never asked my price. He did not want to know what he would have to surrender to me.”

“You swore that you would not take our people if we sent the travelers to you,!” a man shouted at Vlad.

My gaze flicked toward him, and I frowned at his words.

“The agreement still stands,.” Vlad assured him. “This was a far more personal exchange. It does not include the village. But look what you have done. You have stormed my castle, killed some of my men, attempted to rape my wives, and you bring this poor drunken bastard with you.”

Ariana giggled and waggled her fingers at the priest as she sidled up to Vlad. “He is not very scary is he, Master?”

“Yes, it is a pity the former priest died. He was a worthy opponent. That is why he died in peace and not by my hand. I could not touch him.”

Two gypsy women strode out of the castle, dragging long wooden stakes behind them.

The priest bristled at Vlad’s words. “I am your equal! Do not doubt that, sir!”

Vlad laughed. “You are not a worthy opponent. Do not flatter yourself. Even now your eyes stray to my wife.” He reached out and took hold of my arm. He pulled me to his side. “Does not her vampire flesh glow with such lovely radiance?”

The other two men deliberately looked away, but the Priest looked straight at me. I caught him in my power and his mouth dropped open, a slight trickle of saliva trailing down his chin.

I felt flush with power as I watched his reaction. These mortal men wanted me so badly their own bodies betrayed their lust. Vlad gently pulled my hands away from my naked breasts. I did not feel ashamed, but thrilled. The two men fighting not to look upon my nakedness faltered. One of them stumbled toward me. He was knocked back by the meaty fist of one of Vlad’s guards.

“Is this what you want? A vampire whore? A bride of the devil? You are betrayed by your own lusts!” Vlad laughed at them, mocking them. He pulled my long locks over my shoulders to hide my flesh.

I released them from my power. They stumbled back, terrified by how close their lust had drawn them to death.

“One may go to warn the others what foolish actions shall bring about. Two die as an example,” Vlad said casually.

“I must go back,” the priest exclaimed.

Vlad moved swiftly. Snatching up one of the long, sharp stakes, he rammed it up through the thick man’s body until it exploded out of his skull.

I turned away, sickened as brain matter splattered me. I heard the second man cry out as I was showered with droplets of blood.

“Go! Never return! I have spared you,” Vlad shouted.

The remaining villager ran from the castle screaming. The wolves rushed after him nipping at his heals, spurring him on faster.

“Do not kill him! Frighten him, but do not spill his blood! For his obedience in delivering my message, he will have my protection,” Vlad declared stalking about the courtyard with triumphant fervor.

His two victims were hanging on their stakes: one dead, the other dying. I could not bear to look at them. This form of death seemed too horrible to witness for it was the death my father had also suffered.

My blood fever was gone. The rush of power faded. I covered my breasts with my hands in shame.

What had overcome me?

Vlad was flushed with power. His eyes glowed brightly. He was truly magnificent when he indulged in his own evil. He grabbed Ariana and began to ravish her right there, surrounded by the carnage and his own guards. Elina sulked away into the shadows as Cneajna faded away dejectedly.

I moved away slowly feeling quite tired. I knew the day was approaching, but some of my lethargy was from the emotional trauma of the night. Deep despair, heights of euphoria, flashes of anger, had all drained me.

“Glynis,” Vlad called out to me.

I turned to see him watching me as Ariana covered his chest with kisses.

“You see, we are the same. Seducers and killers of mortals.”

I closed my eyes tightly so I would not see the bodies of the men we had killed being dragged away by the servants.

“No,Vlad, we are not.”

Ariana giggled as she tugged at Vlad’s clothing. His eyes were dark and cunning as he gazed upon me. It was all too obscene to absorb. Blood and gore were splattered everywhere and the two of them were virtually ripping each other apart in a sexual frenzy while Vlad tried to converse with me.

“You shall see the truth, Glynis. I promise you, you will see the truth.”

I left them to their passion and sought refuge in the chapel tombs below the castle.

And here I sit, waiting for the dawn, writing down all that has occurred.

I have decided that I have no choice.

I will fight the hunger.

I will not be what Vlad is.

I must defeat him and the hunger.

I must.

Chapter 14

The Journal of Lady Glynis Wright

The Castle

13th of September, 1819

Am I doomed to fail in my resolve? This night has been torture from beginning to end.

As always, my torment began with Prince Vlad.

As soon as we awakened, he was upon me. I was in no mood to have him accost me. As soon as he drew me close for a kiss, I smashed him with a candlestick and fled the chapel as he recoiled.

I did my best to outrun him. I evaded him quite well as we rushed through the castle. His laughter brought me to seething rage as he pursued me. At times he would grab hold of me, twirl me about, then vanish. His nails, long and sharp, tore at me. I slashed back at him, hissing savagely.

Furious, I realized he was merely toying with me.

I finally ran into the Brides’ chamber, the heavy door swinging back and striking the wall with a resounding crash. It bounced back, almost closing, then was shoved open again.

I whirled about to face him. I was covered in blood by now, my own of course, the cruel tears in my flesh already mending. My lovely dress was torn and nearly falling from my body. Most certainly, I was quite a ridiculous sight to behold.

Vlad stood in the doorway, his brow furrowed, his eyes burning with green fire. I was satisfied to see the angry scratches I had inflicted trailing across his features.

“Come here!”

“I am not your slave! I am not your whore! I will not do as you say! I am not here to service you!”

“But you are!” Vlad moved swiftly into the room, a smirk twisting his full lips. “The sole purpose of your life now is to serve me.”