"He did not seem in too much of a hurry when he left here," Ethan said.
Calmet looked at Ethan and laughed. "You think he should have just finished me off, then?" he asked.
Ethan scratched his head and chuckled a bit. "Yeah, I suppose that would have been the logical thing to do," he said. They both laughed again.
Calmet laid his head back against the wall and thought for a moment. "He's toying with me," he said.
"What do you mean?" Ethan asked.
"I don't know. But you are right, he should have finished me off. I've killed three of his females, yet he does not seem enraged or worried. There is something else."
"Something else?" Ethan asked.
Calmet did not respond. Ethan figured it was a feeling Calmet had that he could not explain. Ethan looked down at the vial of fluid that he had placed on the floor. It was almost empty, but he figured any little bit might be handy, so he packed it back in his pouch. "What is this stuff?" he asked. "Holy water?"
"Sort of," Calmet replied. "It is actually an herb that has been boiled with holy water, like a tea."
"A tea?" Ethan asked. "It treats scratches?"
"Not just any scratch and not just any tea. That herb is called aconite. It is extremely rare. It treats sicknesses brought on by vampire scratches." Ethan's eyes widened.
"Can it prevent vampirism?"
"No, nothing can prevent vampirism," Calmet explained. "Vampirism is caused when a person is bitten by a vampire, and there is no cure for that. Well, I guess now people can be born vampires, too."
"Then what is the aconite for?" Ethan asked.
"Oh, if a person is scratched by a vampire, then they become very ill, delirious, feverous, and hysterical. It is usually deadly. The aconite is a cure for that only. It can be drunk as well, but it doesn't work as quickly as direct application."
"Oh," Ethan replied, deflated.
"Sorry," Calmet replied. "I know what you were hoping."
"It doesn't matter," Ethan replied. "I am sure she will never forgive me now."
"What do you mean?" Calmet asked.
"I threw her medallion into the gorge surrounding the castle."
Calmet burst out laughing. "You didn't?" he asked.
"Yes, I did," Ethan answered.
"Why the devil did you do that?" he asked.
"She wouldn't stop following me," Ethan said.
"Ah. She torments you?" Calmet thoughtfully asked.
"In a way," he replied. "Since she has to die, she was making that fact very hard to live with by following me and being kind to me and trying to help me. But, then again, I couldn't…I wouldn't want to…she has always…I don't know."
"She is a part of you," Calmet finished for him. Ethan nodded. "Is she a threat to us?" Calmet asked.
"What do you mean?" Ethan asked.
"I am trying to evaluate our situation. There were six females who attacked the village the other night. I killed one then, and I have killed two so far tonight. How many did you kill after we got separated?"
Ethan paused. "None," he finally said.
"Had to think about that, did you?" Calmet asked. "So we have three females left, including the head female. Then the two males."
"Only one male," Ethan said.
"One male?"
"Yes. If you were just now fighting the lord, then the lesser male was killed by Victoria a little while ago."
"How do you know that?"
"I saw her. She impaled him with one of our stakes. I don't know where she got it."
"She killed one of her own kind? The one she was supposed to mate with?" Calmet asked, confused. "Why would she do that?"
"It looked as though he was attacking her," Ethan explained.
"Oh, that makes sense." Calmet began to move to stand up. "Let's get moving. We are running out of time." Ethan reached out and helped Calmet stand.
"What do you mean that makes sense?" Ethan asked. "About the male attacking her?"
"Vampires are very obsessive, controlling creatures," Calmet explained. "They have to have everything a certain way. They have to eat at certain times, sleep in certain places, have everything just so in their lives. When things are out of sorts, they act irrational, even violent toward their own kind. Our being in their home has unsettled their weaker ones. That male was probably quite disturbed. She most likely acted out of self-defense. That is probably why the lord took off so quickly when he heard her scream. I would wager another vampire was after her. He had to protect her."
"Dangers seem to lurk at every corner for her," Ethan said. "She cannot find solace even among her own kind."
"I am sure the others do not see her as their own kind," Calmet said, walking toward the door.
Ethan felt incredibly sad at that thought. All this time, he had thought of her as other, as wicked, as vampire. He had never thought of the possibility that other vampires would see her as human. How alone she must have felt all these years since he left. Not fitting in anywhere, an outcast among all kinds, kin to none.
Calmet looked back and saw the sadness in Ethan's face. "You know," he said, "when this is all over I am going to need an assistant. Perhaps you could travel with me."
"I thought you would retire after this," Ethan said.
"Oh, you think I'm getting too old?" Calmet retorted.
"No," Ethan explained. "It's not that. Didn't you already clear the vampires from England? You said that this vampire was one of the strongest. If you kill him, I just thought there would be less vampire hunting to do."
"Hardly," Calmet said. "England is a small place. And Lord Vladimir is not just one of the strongest, he is the strongest. It is my belief that he was the first vampire. He is thousands of years old. I believe that all vampires owe him their life."
"What?" Ethan asked in disbelief. "How is that possible?"
"In all my travels, my research, my dealings with vampires," Calmet explained, "I have never met a male vampire that could turn a human male into a vampire. If a man is bitten, he simply dies. If a woman is bitten, not only does she become a vampire, but she becomes owned by her lord. She has a single-minded devotion to her lord far beyond any other type of bond. But where do male vampires come from?"
"The devil?" Ethan guessed.
"That is just silly," Calmet said. "I believe Lord Vladimir created them, one by one."
"So are all male vampires subjected to him?" Ethan asked.
"Not quite as blindly as females to their lords," Calmet said, "but, yes, in a way all vampires serve Lord Vladimir. If a tiny vampire society here in this castle is beginning to crumble merely because of our presence as I suspect it has, can you imagine what it is going to do to the entire underworld of vampires throughout the earth when I kill their overlord? It will shatter."
"How will they react?" Ethan wondered. "What will they all do?"
"I don't know for sure," Calmet said. "I am sure it will not be good, but it must be done. I can't do it alone. I will travel the world after this. I have heard of vampire-type creatures living in every corner of the earth. Asia, Africa, even the Americas. Have you ever heard of the Salem witchcraft trials?
"Of course."
"I read a court transcript once in which a girl said the devil would appear to her in forms of animals and would suck nourishment from her body. Sound familiar?"
"That is incredible," Ethan said. "How could he have gotten to the New World? Or anywhere without encountering the danger of sunlight?"
"That is one thing I wish to find out before I die," Calmet said. "Why would they take such a risk? So, will you join me? It will be quite an adventure."
"I don't know," Ethan said. "Can we just get through tonight? I will give you my answer in the morning."
"Fair enough," Calmet said.
"How are you feeling?" Ethan asked.
Calmet looked at Ethan and smiled. He lit a torch and opened the door to the hall. "I feel like slaying more vampires," Calmet said.
23
&nbs
p; Vincent carried his daughter upstairs to his study. He placed her gently on a chaise and poured a glass of wine laced with blood. He knelt next to Victoria, held her head up, and poured the liquid into her mouth. She swallowed some of it but a few drops ran down the side of her face. Vincent laid her back down and watched for a moment as the dark red fluid dripped down her jaw and ran down her white neck. She was so thin and pale, he could almost see the little bit of blood that did pump through her veins pulse in her neck. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the drink from her neck and cheek.
She groaned a little and he could see a bit of pink color returning to her flesh. She moaned again and held her hand up to her forehead. Then, suddenly waking up, she opened her eyes, sat up, and coughed up some of the drink that Vincent had given her.
"Oh," she grunted, wiping the blood and wine off her lips. "What happened? What did you do?"
Vincent stood up and smashed the glass on the table. "I wish you would not so callously spit on your heritage!" he growled.
At seeing that the drink came from a carafe of wine, she sighed in relief. "Sorry," she said. "I was just surprised. Thank you." He did not respond. "What happened?" she asked.
"Jessenda…" he whispered.
She could hear the sadness in his voice. "Yes," she interrupted. "I remember. I am so sorry."
"It is not your fault," he said, turning back to her and sitting by her on the chaise. "She made her choice."
Victoria took her father's hand in hers and looked up at him appreciatively. He leaned over and kissed her forehead.
"What about Calmet?" she asked. "Is it over?"
"No," he replied. "I was about to do away with him when I heard you scream. It is no matter, he was quite injured. He will be easy prey now." Vincent stood up to leave the room.
"Wait," Victoria said, standing. "Is Ethan still alive?"
"He is," Vincent nodded. "But I did promise him a quick and painless death."
She winced at the thought, which surprised her. After what he had done, what he had said on the wall, she had been so angry. But that had quickly faded and once again she realized that it might not be possible for her ever to recover from his death.
"If he runs," she stammered. "If he wishes to flee, would you allow him to escape?"
Vincent sighed and thought for a moment. "What if I didn't kill him?" he asked her.
"And let him escape?" she questioned.
"No, I don't think I could do that. He is too dangerous. But," he continued, "what if I turned him into one of us?"
"What?" she asked. "You can do that?"
"Yes," he slyly replied. "It is one of my many powers."
She took a step back and considered the idea. If Ethan became one of them, perhaps he could be her mate. Perhaps he was the one, the one who could help her free her people from this awful curse. Her heart leapt at the idea. She nearly laughed at the thought of them finally being together. But how could that be possible, she began to wonder. Turn Ethan into a nosferatu? The words of Xavier came flooding back to her mind. It had been her father's choice.
"How can that be?" she asked, turning back to her father. "I thought we were cursed. How could a human turn into a nosferatu?"
Vincent did not reply. He realized his love for his daughter, his desire to make her happy, might, in fact, be his undoing. He had forgotten he had told her nosferatu were only descendants of those who sold their souls to the devil. Ethan, a monk, certainly was not under the power of the devil. Vincent had made a mistake. "Never mind," Vincent finally said. He turned away from her and again tried to leave the room.
"No," she said. "Tell me, tell me the truth. What are you? Who are you?"
"How dare you?" he asked, turning back to her, his ire rising. "How dare you question me? I, who have sacrificed so much for you. I, who risked valuable connections to keep you pure. I, who have killed for you."
"Did you kill my mother?" she asked firmly.
He eyed her suspiciously. Where would she even get a question like that? He stepped menacingly toward her.
"Why do you ask me that?" he asked.
She pulled the gold sword pin she had found with the remains of her mother out of her pocket. "Because of this," she said, showing it to him.
He reached up and touched the identical gold pin he was wearing that very moment. The one he always wore. "Where did you find that?" he asked her.
"With the bones of my mother, in the gorge surrounding the castle," she said, her voice cracking.
"That was an accident," he muttered.
"Was it?" she demanded. "Awfully convenient since she was taking me away from you."
"What are you talking about?" he asked. "She fell. I could only grab you. I saved your life."
"That is not what Xavier said," she revealed.
His eyes narrowed at the mention of the wolf prince. "Xavier is a liar," he said firmly. "Why would you ever believe the word of a wolf?"
"Then why are you threatened?" she asked. "If it is all lies, why are you angry?"
"My daughter is accusing me of murdering my wife!" he yelled.
"You accuse yourself!" she replied. "Your answers are riddled and contradictory. I do not know truth from fiction. What am I? Why am I here?"
"You are a blessing," he said, trying to soften his anger and pull her back into his confidence. "You are here to free us from eternal damnation."
"Is that even true?" she asked. "Or am I only here to make the nosferatu more powerful beings like Xavier did for the lycans?"
Vincent growled. Damn that Xavier and his vindictive nature. The cunning wolf prince would indeed pay for his loose tongue.
"That is enough," Vincent said. "You repeat what you do not know or understand. There is no time for this." He turned away again.
"Then make me understand," she pleaded. She ran up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder to coax him back. "Help me."
"I cannot tell you more," he said, turning back to her. "I have told you. I am your father. You must trust me." But he knew the doubt he saw in her eyes was permanent.
She looked away from him and crossed the room. "Then kill Ethan," she said. "I would not wish this life on my worst enemy. He might not understand, but sending him to heaven may be my last act of love."
Her words, slandering the life he so loved and valued, hurt Vincent far more than her declaration of love for a worthless human.
"This life," he said, walking back toward her, "is a blessing. I gave everything for it. I gave it to you and I would like for you to appreciate the gift that has been bestowed upon you."
"What do you…" she began, but Vincent raised his hand to silence her. She listened and they both looked toward the door.
The humans were about to make their move.
24
Ethan and Calmet could hear the vampire lord and his daughter conversing all the way down the hall. At times, their voices were raised as if they were arguing. Other times, they were so soft they could barely hear a word.
"Apparently the girl is still alive," Calmet whispered to Ethan.
"I wonder if that means there is one less vampire female to deal with," Ethan replied.
"Perhaps," Calmet replied.
The two crept toward the door the voices were coming from and waited for the right moment. Calmet drew his sword and motioned for Ethan to stand back. Calmet did not bother reaching for the doorknob, but with one powerful thrust, he kicked the door in.
"Prepare to meet your maker!" Calmet yelled. He threw a vial of holy water into the room and both Vincent and Victoria dodged to miss it. Vincent pushed Victoria aside and growled at Calmet.
"You ready to die?" Vincent asked.
"You first!" Calmet said. Calmet charged at Vincent, who easily evaded him.
Vincent laughed. "This will make for good sport!" Vincent said.
Ethan stepped into the room and met Victoria's gaze. She held up a hand, telling him to stay back. Calmet raised his sword again, but before he could
move toward Vincent again, Victoria stood in front of her father.
"No," Victoria said, locking eyes with Calmet. Calmet stood, poised for attack, but unable to move. He felt transfixed, the same way he had felt the first time he saw her in the woods. "It is not time," she calmly said to Calmet.
She turned to her father. "I must know the truth. No more games, no more lies. Tell me what you are, what I am."
"After," Vincent said, taking her arm and trying to move her out of the way.
"No," she said. "I must know."
Vincent looked at Calmet and Ethan and saw that, for some reason, they were not attacking. He looked at his daughter and wondered if she held some sort of power over humans that he had never seen in another of their kind. Perhaps she was not so weak. Maybe she was more nosferatu than he had ever realized. Perhaps she was right. The time for lies had come to an end. There was nothing she could do about it now. She was his child, she was half nosferatu, and when this ordeal was over, he would find her a suitable mate and she would strengthen their race. She would do what she was born to do.
"You," Vincent slowly said, "are a gift. You were promised to me millennia ago when I made my vow."
"Vow to whom?" she asked.
"To this day, even I do not know," he replied. "As I awaited the carrying out of my sentence in a dark and gloomy cell, an apparition appeared and promised me immortality and all the power in the world in exchange only for a single promise. I would give it my soul, and when I died, I would receive an exalted position in hell, a Lord among the Dark Prince's ranks. But I was not so foolish as to give of myself so witlessly. If I was truly immortal, how could the creature receive payment? I made it promise me a child, a child to carry out my desires, my wrath, my power. The deal was struck, and I was freed.
"It took me a long time to realize exactly how a child was to be procured, but here you are. With you, all my dreams are about to come to fruition. Even without Sebastian, there are others who would make a suitable mate and will produce powerful progeny through you.
The Vampire's Daughter Page 22
