by Lora Edwards
“Alas, the ball was a disappointment.” Her face lost its pleasure, and the pout of a young child who hadn’t gotten their way replaced it. The expression caused Amora to shudder.
“I am sorry you didn’t enjoy the ball, milady,” she replied as the countess flounced down in front of her dressing table so Amora could remove the pins from her hair.
The countess’s eyes caught hers in the mirror, evil shining out of them as a cruel smile curved her blood-red lips.
“I actually ran into a friend of yours,” she said coyly as Amora continued to remove pins from her hair with shaking hands. The countess could only be referring to one man.
“Victor,” she whispered, and then she covered her mouth with her hand.
“Yes, and that handsome creation of his, Armand. Victor was not at all happy to see me, which was a disappointment, as I remember we had so much fun together—well, as much fun as you can with a man as straitlaced as him. As you remember, he objected to some of my more”—she tapped a long, pointed, red nail against her red-dyed lips—“exotic activities.”
Amora did not respond, although her heart was racing in her chest. She knew the countess would be able to hear the sound and would know she was not quite as unaffected as she appeared.
“I attempted to rekindle our affair again tonight and he declined.” The countess’s eyes flared a burning red. “He rejected me again—me, the countess. No one rejects me. So, I served him pain. As he should understand by now, you do not cross me and get away unscathed.”
Amora finished with the pins, and the countess stood so her prisoner could unlace and help her out of the gown she was wearing.
“Amora, don’t you want to know what pain I visited upon him,” she asked, looking over her shoulder with a simpering smile.
Amora refused to meet the countess’s eyes. She would not let the other woman see how much her words affected her.
“Fine, if you won’t ask, I will just tell you. He knows now that I was responsible for your disappearance. I let him believe I used you and tortured you until you begged for death.” She giggled as she stepped out of the dress and turned to Amora wearing only her underthings. “He was quite distraught. He mourns you even after all this time. He even threatened to end my existence.”
The countess once again turned so Amora could undo her corset. After doing so, she picked up the countess’s night clothes and held them up to her.
“Oh no, that won’t be necessary. Fetch me a day gown as we will be leaving tonight. I would hate to see him destroy some of my newer children, and it is only a matter of time before he discovers our place of lodging. Pack the trunks, will you? We will be leaving in an hour.”
Amora kept her head down and just nodded, going over to the wardrobe and reaching for one of the many gowns that hung there. It would prove to be a long night as she would have to rearrange them again in whatever place they would be going. She could not believe she had been so close to the place she had called home and had not known it. She had looked out at the landscape and it had felt familiar, but it had been so many centuries and she had been to so many places…
“Oh, and Amora,” the countess said lightly, interrupting her reverie, waiting for Amora to turn and look at her. “When we reach our new destination, I will be so very hungry. You will need to prepare me a snack.” The countess turned and walked away, her laughter trailing out of the room, and she could be heard barking orders to others.
Amora sat on the edge of the bed and put her head in her hands. She could not think about what she would be made to do when they arrived at the new place. At least she had discovered she had a weakened version of the countess’s own powers and could put the innocents in a trance where they would not feel what was about to happen but would show the countess all the pain she expected.
Amora felt her resolve harden once again. She would keep searching. The countess was careless and believed Amora’s spirit had been broken. She would find a spell, break the hold the necklace had on her, and then she would be free from the terrible woman. She would continue to search, and one day she would be free.
Chapter 2
Present day
“Old friend, it has been too long.” Victor’s voice boomed across Armand’s office, bringing a smile to his face.
“It has. The institute keeps me busy.”
“As does my quest. It has not been fruitful, but I never lose hope.”
“It may have finally borne fruit, my friend, as I told you during our call. I have a lead on the countess’s whereabouts and some other information that may be of use to you.”
“You have seen her,” he asked, his voice going hard.
“No. I would have contacted you immediately had that been the case. However, during a recent mission, there was contact of a sort. She attacked and left for dead one of the lady’s maids who lives and works in 1888 in the Draconus mansion.”
“You are positive it was the countess?”
“Yes, it was confirmed. There is more to the story, but it is best told by another…”
“You are being quite cryptic, my friend.”
Armand could hear Victor’s frown as he took a seat across from him.
“Just wait a few minutes and all will be revealed.” Armand was firm. It was not his place to reveal Victoria’s whereabouts to Victor as it was something she had requested to do herself in person.
“If you will not divulge how you know then tell me of the recent lead, if you are able.”
Armand rolled his eyes, a modern gesture he had picked up from some of the American members of the institute.
“Don’t be cross, Victor. When you learn of the reason for my discretion, you will understand.”
“Did you learn it from this same anonymous lady’s maid?”
“Victor, please, we can discuss this in the morning. I need to bring another into this conversation.”
“I want to know of the lead before you bring this anonymous lady’s maid in here and she wastes my time .”
Armand took a deep breath. Victor could be stubborn, but as his friend and sire, he deserved respect. Armand would control his temper. “Yes, as a matter of fact, it was the same source—a very credible one, as you will soon see.” Armand rushed on before Victor could interrupt again. “She brought me a French newspaper. They have had a rash of deaths of young women who have been found, drained of their blood.”
“That could be any rogue vampire. That alone does not point us in the direction of the countess.”
“I am well aware of that. I reached out to some of my contacts in France and they have found that all the women are blonde virgins, all have been tortured, and a certain symbol has been carved into each one’s wrist,” Armand said through clenched teeth, a small bit of his irritation leaking into his voice.
“All right, you have intrigued me with your mystery woman and your newspaper. I will wait and discuss this tomorrow when she is available.”
“Good, let’s meet at nine AM sharp in my office.”
“And all will be revealed,” Victor asked with a thread of humor in his voice.
“I will see you in the morning, Victor.” Coming around the desk, he gave his sire a hearty handshake and opened the door to his office. Victor walked through then turned to Armand. “You are one of the few I would be this patient for. I hope this information is as credible as you believe it to be.”
“It is, I promise.” Victor nodded and strode away.
Armand went back to his desk and sat in his chair. Dealing with Victor could be exhausting; the man was infuriating when he was on a quest. He had been hunting the countess for hundreds of years, repeatedly getting close and then having her slip away. Being a powerful witch and a vampire was a deadly combination, one that so far had allowed her to elude Victor. Armand had offered the services of the institute many times but Victor had declined, reminding Armand that it was a personal vendetta and he wanted to be the one to bring her down.
Armand thought mayb
e this time because of Victoria he may have a chance of getting Victor to accept his help. She had just as much reason to want to see the countess brought down as Victor did. Armand was ready for an adventure. The last few centuries had been busy getting the institute up and running. It now involved a vast number of people, resources, and outposts in different times, countries, and worlds, for that matter. It ran like a well-oiled machine, and Armand had found the day-to-day running of things becoming dull. It was time to get back out there into the action, take on this personal mission, and then retire and find another passion. He was not sure exactly what his new passion would be, but for a few years, spending some peaceful time at his vineyards would satisfy him. It always amused him to pose as his many great-grandsons and to see the people he had known in a different incarnation as old men and women remark on the striking resemblance he had to his father or grandfather. He also had to deal with their wonderment as to why he had never come to the vineyard as a child.
Armand had a well-practiced speech that was a bit different for each incarnation, though it did become tiresome to answer the same questions. It saddened him as well to watch people he had known as young, vibrant souls fall prey to the ravages of time. It was the lot of an immortal and the reason why he chose not to befriend humans. All supernaturals had uncommonly long lives—dragons, witches, and shifters lived for thousands of years. They eventually succumbed to death, but their extended life span made it worth establishing a relationship with them. The hurt of losing someone you had known for centuries was extremely painful, but Armand would not have been happy limiting his circle of friends to only other vampires.
The phone on the desk signaled with a short ring and a blinking light, pulling him from his thoughts. “Armand, you have a dinner reservation at Sanguine at seven,” came the bored droll tone of Cleo through the phone.
“Thank you, Cleo. You may go for the day.” She didn’t respond, just replaced the receiver, and he could hear the sound of her stilettos as she walked across the polished black marble to the outer door.
Some members of the institute thought Cleo was just a decoration for the outside of his office, someone who answered his phone and dealt with paperwork. Little did they know, she ran the place almost as much as Armand did. He knew she was feeling restless as well; he could feel it coming off of her in waves. There would be quite a few changes coming to the institute in the near future. That was the nature of life, change being the only constant.
Armand stood and left his office. He would stop at his rooms and change for his dinner date. It was with a local vampire who possessed everything he should want in a companion—intelligence, wit, and beauty—but he could not find it in himself to want to take the relationship beyond a friendship.
Victoria’s face swam into his mind and he felt his interest stir. Victoria was intelligent, strong, and intriguing. She had been through a trial and had just recently been able to discover herself and what she really wanted for her immortal life. She no longer had to hide as a lady’s maid, keeping her identity secret, concealed from the countess. Now was not the time to try to start something, though a dinner to get to know each other before the mission would not be out of line.
Armand shook his head as he unlocked the door to his rooms. It was the utmost of rudeness to be thinking of one woman while getting ready to go out with another. He would dress and go to dinner in order to let Felina know where he stood. He was a gentleman, and she would understand.
Chapter 3
The knock on the door had Armand looking up from the paperwork on his desk. Running a multinational, multi-timestream business came with a lot of paperwork and a lot of headaches. He was grateful to have a reason to take a break from it.
Sitting back in his chair, he stretched the stiffness out of his limbs. He may have been an immortal being who healed at an alarming rate, but he was still prone to the same aches and pains of anyone who sat hunched over a desk.
The door swung open to reveal a large man who filled the door frame, tall with well-developed muscles, a broad chest, and hair the color of flame, a nod to his Celtic heritage.
“Victor.” Armand stood from the desk as Victor strode over to him, looming a bit at the edge of his desk.
“Are you ready to reveal all,” Victor asked as Armand gestured toward a chair in front of his desk and resumed his position behind it.
“You are ten minutes late—I am surprised,” Armand needled.
“I had a bit of a flirt with Cleo before alerting you to my arrival.” Victor’s eyes twinkled.
“She is quite accomplished at flirting, our Cleo,” Armand said, laughing at his old friend. Cleo had a habit of purring at any eligible handsome man who came through the outer office, even some of the ones who were off the market, which had led to a massive blow up between her and Ovidia during the last mission. A fight between a transformed dragon and a Valkyrie was not something anyone wanted in the lobby of their office. He had defused the situation before it had gotten out of hand, but it had been touch and go for a moment. The two women were currently observing a truce, but that didn’t preclude throwing snarky remarks each other’s way any time Ovidia had business in Armand’s office.
“Aye, she was telling me of the dust-up she had with the Valkyrie recently. Sorry I missed that sight.”
“Funny, I was just thinking of that incident. Cleo knows better than to poke that particular sleeping bear. I think she was spoiling for a fight. She is getting restless behind a desk, and it is time to let her out to stretch her wings a bit.”
“Is she to be part of this business? Helping us to bring the countess in?”
Armand let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. Breathing was not necessary for his kind except for speaking, but old habits die hard.
“No, she is not right for this mission. This will be a vampire-only mission, as we will need to go places our society will not allow others. As you are aware, there are still large swathes of the vampire community that do not believe the races should mix. No, this is not the right mission for Cleo, but I sense that the right one will come along soon.”
“That bit of the seer in you always did give me pause.” Victor leaned back in his chair and regarded his old friend. “There were times on the battlefield I believe that intuition of yours saved lives, including both of ours.”
“It was a brave thing you did, Victor, putting your immortal existence on the line, knowing that with enough effort or force, we can be killed.”
“Ack, don’t make me sound like some undead hero. It was mostly out of sheer boredom and to help keep as many Irishmen as I could alive—and as it turns out, one Frenchman,” he said with a saucy wink at Armand. “Enough chit chat. I have come a long way, and now you must reveal this mysterious lady’s maid you have secreted away. Worried she may prefer my company to yours?” Victor laughed deeply.
“No, that is something that is not on my mind.” Armand’s voice was more sharp than he intended.
Victor’s eyebrows rose in surprise at Armand’s tone. It had been a long time since his friend had engaged in a real relationship. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he realized Armand had always been one for light flirtation where each person enjoyed their time together and then went amicably on their way. They had never in their long friendship snapped at one another over a woman. She must have meant something to him.
“I apologize, my tone was sharper than I intended. Victoria is a lady with intelligence and wit, and she deserves to be treated and talked about as such.”
Victor fought a grin from crossing his face. His friend was infatuated with this woman. It’s about time, he thought to himself.
“You will feel the same once you meet her.” It was Armand’s turn to grin in a mysterious way.
“Well, man, what are you waiting for? Get the lass in here and let’s find out what she knows about the Bloody Countess.”
Armand held up his hand in a just a moment gesture. “I think we need
to discuss where she came from and the time she has spent with the countess before we bring her in.”
“All right, if you believe she is too delicate to tell her own story.”
Armand ignored the jab from Victor and continued on. “Victoria was captured by the countess and made to serve her for hundreds of years. She was taken as an act of revenge, the countess using her to hurt someone who had scorned her. I will allow Victoria to tell the entire tale, but she was able to escape and became an employee of the institute as a lady’s maid in the House of Draconus, as I mentioned previously.”
His friend just waved at him impatiently to continue the story.
“During a mission to eradicate the society, which I told you about”—Victor nodded—“it came to her attention that the countess was in town and responsible for a set of murders the local institute and Garda had been investigating. She came forward and told the institute what she knew of the countess, and as she was leaving the Garda offices, she was kidnapped, beaten, and drained to the point where she should have died. Her body was dumped on the side of the road as the countess left town. She was found quickly and recuperated. She then came here for the wedding of Delphine and Flynn, two of my operatives. After the wedding, she came to me, revealed her identity, and told me of the murders in France and her fear of what would become of her if the countess found out she had survived.”
“The lass has been through a lot, but none of this information is shocking, Armand. I am not sure why we needed to have this discussion before I met her.”
Armand simply folded his hands in his lap. “Victor, the story should seem at least a bit familiar to you.” He paused briefly. “Victoria is Amora. She changed her name after she escaped the countess to protect her identity. The countess did take her life, as she told you, but she then gave her a new one.”
