If only I were criminal enough to steal. But he could never do that. Using innocent mortals to sustain his own life was cruel enough without stealing from them also. This outfit would have to do.
He flipped the cover of his gold pocket watch open and checked the time. He pressed it between his palms, sensing Angelique’s gentle touch upon its shiny cover. No, I cannot do this. She mustn’t see me.
Perhaps she won’t come. He couldn’t imagine that she would. Angelique would never accept an invitation with her sister in mourning. Maybe Jacques would come.
“I hope my plan works.”
Sebastian tossed his wool cape around his shoulders and stepped out onto the streets, spying a haggard cat watching him from a window ledge across the calle. His new apartment was a ten minute walk along the Rio della Sensa to the Palazzo Bellange.
When he arrived, Rico had him run upstairs and retrieve Catrina. “Our guests are just arriving. The Duchess la Poozan has returned this evening, I’m sure you’ll remember her. And Signore Bassano is here also. I’m afraid the Duchess LeReaux and her son had to decline. But off with you now, Bastian. Run along up to Cat. She will bring you down and announce you later.”
With great relief, Sebastian strode up the stairs. She was not coming! Thank God. He would not have to enact his plan after all.
Catrina greeted him with a hug and a deep kiss that instantly warmed his frigid bones. “Ice cold again?” she noticed, placing her hands on her damask covered hips. “It’s the middle of winter, Bastian, why is it you don’t see fit to dress any warmer? Ah, don’t tell me, I think I know. But here, I’ve solved the problem.”
She went to a silver-hinged dressing trunk, about as high as her shoulders, and opened it to reveal a wardrobe adorned with crisp white laces and shimmering jewels. “For you, mi amore. If you are to perform for society’s finest than you should also have the finest. Don’t be shy. Come.” She held out her hand. “Try them on.”
Sebastian stepped over to the trunk and ran his hands over the black silk and then the kitten softness of the fur that graced the cuffs of a new wool coat. Catrina kissed his cheek and her vanilla scent lingered sweetly.
“Wear the red for me tonight, will you?”
The red silk slipped between his fingers like blood in the rain. “Yes, red. How exquisitely perfect.”
“Now, my love, I’m going downstairs to help Rico greet our guests. Did Rico mention that the Duchess LeReaux declined?”
“Yes, but with her sister in mourning I’m sure—”
“Sì, but I’ve already planned for her to come share a drink with us in the near future. I’ll come for you shortly, Bastian.”
Sebastian caught Catrina by a handful of her white skirts and pulled her to him. He kissed her, milking her body of a long and precious moan, as he felt her body slacken in his arms.
“Oh,” she said, recovering slowly from his kiss. “What was that for?”
“For the most beautiful woman in all of Venice,” he said. “Thank you, Catrina Bellange.” He kissed her hand. “For everything.”
She backed away with a sly grin curling up her lips.
“Why Catrina, I do believe I’ve made you blush.”
In an elegant movement of grace she retrieved a fan from her vanity, snapped it open and disappeared out the door.
***
He felt a prince in the red silk velada his lover had provided. White lace, imported from Belgium tickled his hand, and the same lace tied at his neck. Standing before the floor mirror, Sebastian summed up his appearance.
“Not so terribly pale,” he said. The white jabot matched his un-fed complexion, while his dark hair framed it in midnight elegance. And with all worry of meeting his mother vanquished, Sebastian relaxed. “What?”
Hearing a strange noise out in the hallway, Sebastian rushed out and looked toward the marble stairs. No one there. He looked the other way, the hallway stretching yards beyond him, and saw there was someone down the way, someone crawling, or maybe had fallen.
His new shoes clicked across the parquet as he rushed to assist. As he neared the person, he saw it was a young girl dressed in a thin gauze night robe. Must be one of the unfortunate children Catrina took in.
The girl looked up to him, her hair tousled about her head and crusted in spots by what seemed to be and smell of vomit. “Please, Signore.” She pulled herself forward with her hands and clutched Sebastian’s ankle, pulling the white hose down into furrows. “You must help me.”
“Oui, I must get you back in bed.” He had to pry her bony fingers from his ankle and was ready to hoist her into his arms when he noticed she had only one leg. And where her other leg should have been, her nightgown was stained a deep brown and stank of the most vile odor he had ever encountered.
“No!” She hissed and with a great thrust, pushed her body upright so she leant back against the doorjamb. “You must get me out of here, Signore. Please! I don’t want to die! I am strong…I can fight this. She is mad!”
“You will surely die if I don’t get you back into bed.”
Sebastian scooped up the girl and carried her over to the bed. His senses were flooded with the foulness of her odor, but he persevered. Her arms flailed madly, hitting him across the side of the head and her hands pulled at his hair. He cringed as he lowered her to the bed and she ripped many strands of hair from his scalp.
“No! You do not understand! She is mad!” Long strands of hairs floated through the air as she waved her hands back and forth, as if fending off an unseeable demon. “The red-haired woman who comes to me, she is wicked! She will bleed my veins dry—” “What is this!” Rico appeared at the doorway, shadowed by Catrina who peeked over her brother’s shoulder.
“She was on the floor,” Sebastian turned to explain but found himself instantly being escorted out of the room by Rico. “But—”
“No, Signore, do not leave me!”
“She is delusional,” Rico reassured firmly as he pulled Sebastian out into the hallway. “They are always like that right before they expire.”
Expire. There was that word again, always used so casually by Rico. Sebastian sucked in his bottom lip and tried to see back into the bedroom but Rico steered him the opposite direction.
“Help me, Signore!”
What was it she had said about the red-haired woman? She will bleed her dry? Were these the words of a delusional girl or a truly frightened child?
“Leave her to Catrina. Ahh—” Rico stopped and held a finger in the air as he eyed Sebastian. “You hear that?”
The screams had silenced. Quite abruptly, Sebastian noticed.
“She has already settled down. Now then, you run along and change your coat.” Rico lifted the hem, stained a slippery brown, most likely from the girl’s gown as Sebastian had carried her to the bed. “I’ll be right there. I just want to check with Catrina to see everything is well.”
With one last glance toward the sickroom, Sebastian unbuttoned his coat and gingerly removed the soiled silk as he disappeared into his room.
Rico peeked into the sick room to find Catrina examining the brown stain across the front of her skirt. “Any problems?”
Catrina blew a strand of hair from her face then lifted the thick goose feather pillow from the bed to reveal the girl’s face, frozen in a death stare. “Not at all.”
***
When all had left for the night, Rico remained, his arms spread across the back of the divan, his sister’s head resting upon his chest.
“Come, Bastian.”
Catrina patted her lap and Sebastian went to lay his head across the flowered yellow and blue damask. He wasn’t sure why she had changed from the white dress but the blue fabric certainly captured the brilliance of her right eye. She spread her palm across his cheek and lifted the silk ribbon from his hair, releasing it from its bindings.
He hugged her legs, feeling safe, welcome, and loved.
“So you are happy with the way things went tonight?”
Rico pushed back the hair from his sister’s neck and kissed the vein, causing the roots of Sebastian’s teeth to tingle with hunger. He swallowed, reminding himself he should be going soon.
“You are like a brother to us, Bastian.” Rico’s hand glided over Catrina’s exposed décolletage and pushed softly through Sebastian’s hair, savoring, and pulling it spread across the yellow flowers on her bodice, a black veil of satin. “My heart is happy when you are happy.”
“So is mine.” Catrina twined her fingers through Rico’s and rested their hands over Sebastian’s hair.
At this moment, everything felt right. He held his palm open to receive Rico’s hand. “I love you both, truly. But you must know I am envious.”
“Of what?”
“The two of you. The love you share, the way you love one another. You are so close. I only wish I had been half as close to my brothers.”
“Well then.” Catrina bent to kiss Sebastian. “We shall be your, mm…foster brother and sister.”
“Yes, how perfect. I want you to have this, my brother.” Rico twisted a thick silver ring from his finger and laid it on Sebastian’s palm. “It was a gift from Cat.”
The silver circle had been divided into four strands and interwoven into a laced design. It was lovely, and certainly quite expensive. “If you gave this to Rico, Catrina, I could not—”
“No, no, I think it is a very good choice. It is from both of us. Your brother and sister. Let me put it on.”
She slipped it on his finger and followed it with a kiss to his lips. After the glorious night he had already had this was truly the topping. Sebastian buried his face in Catrina’s breasts and spread his arms to encompass Rico, holding tight to the new family he had found.
“You have enriched our lives beyond measure, Sebastian. Grazie.” He kissed Sebastian’s forehead and the threesome nuzzled and talked for another hour before Sebastian finally left.
***
Pulling his wool collar up around his face so only his eyes peeked out, Sebastian braved the shrill wind and tromped around the side of the Bellange palazzo. He had decided to take the Grand Canal home tonight, thinking perhaps the Canal de Cannaregio, where the ale shops stayed open into the wee hours of the morning, might produce a warm-blooded donor to quench his thirst. And he knew the Palazzo Gilianni, where his mother stayed, was down the same way.
Moonlight shone across the slushy puddles of melting snow, making them to sparkle like diamonds scattered across black velvet. It was a fairy tale sight, quickly dashed as Sebastian nudged through the iron gate that opened to the docks.
A gondola docked behind the Palazzo Bellange, a wide boat covered with a long black felze, the one Sebastian knew belonged to the Venetian mortician.
Slipping close to the wall of the palazzo, Sebastian peeked around the corner and watched as two lackeys dressed in dull brown stood waiting by the servant’s entrance.
Suddenly they jumped into motion as the end of a long wooden box appeared from inside, and they helped to guide it into the gondola. It was a coffin!
“Mon dieu, but who?” Sebastian felt his heart squeeze as he realized the girl with the missing leg must have died.
Expired, he heard Rico’s strangely casual voice announce.
With a slap of the oar across the chilled water the death dirge began its silent journey down the Grand Canal.
Sebastian’s breath formed in thick clouds before him as he watched it slink quietly away. “She had been so afraid…” He couldn’t shake the teeth-gritting sound of the young girl’s screams as he and Rico had walked down the hallway leaving Catrina to care for her. Her screams had ended so abruptly.
***
The crisp blue paper of Rico’s stationary crinkled in Sebastian’s hand. A messenger from the Bellange estate had just delivered it. Come immediately, it read, we have exciting news. Sebastian flipped the paper to the harpsichord, and retrieved his coat from the brass coat rack by the door. He had no idea what the news could be but it did not matter as long as it was good.
The music room flickered madly with dozens of candles set all about as if a shrine to Diana, the Italian goddess of light. While he waited Rico and Cat, Sebastian went around blowing some flames out until he felt comfort with the amount of light glowing across his un-fed face.
He stared into a flame, sensing the heat burning in his own heart. Could he keep the charade up forever? How would they react if they found out? They considered him family, a brother. He twisted the thick silver ring around his finger. But would a blood drinking brother send them, and all their goodness, running in fear? Yes, it most certainly would.
As it would his mother. He’d received news from a spy this afternoon, Angelique and her son were still in Venice. When would they leave? The spy had seen Angelique’s servant packing things in her room, but he’d also heard Jacques was due to meet with the Council tomorrow morn.
If only they would leave before Catrina had a chance to make good on her invitation.
“Bastian!”
Catrina floated down the marble stairs, her diamond necklace catching the candleglow in flashes of blinding light. On her arm was Rico, dressed in matching blue velvet, a perfect complement to their eye color. They were too lovely not to touch. Sebastian crossed the room and hugged each of them, taking in Catrina’s delightful vanilla flavor and Rico’s brisk strength.
“And what is your exciting news?” he gushed. “Not another performance?”
“Far greater than that,” Rico said. “Let’s have a toast.”
“Oh, I should think so,” Catrina pealed delightfully.
“Catrina.” Rico handed her over to Sebastian and strode to the bar. “I think we should open the special cask for our dear friend this evening, don’t you?”
“Yes, please, dear brother. It is time. Sit, Bastian.”
Sebastian found it hard to sit still with his energy at such a high level, but he tried to relax.
Rico crossed the room carrying three wine goblets. The wine’s color was so deep it appeared almost black as Catrina took one goblet from her brother and kissed his lips delicately. Rico held the other out for Sebastian.
“We are forever indebted to you, Sebastian de la Court, for the riches you have brought to our lives. May you reap the rewards you justly deserve, and to us…” he glanced to Catrina, “…all good things. To good friends, and life eternal. Salute!” He raised his glass to drink.
Catrina brought her glass from her lips, leaving behind a thick droplet of glistening red which Rico quickly kissed away.
Sebastian was about to drink when the scent of the wine jarred him. He sniffed, then joggled the liquid around trying to make out its color, but was unable to see inside the dark colored glass. It smelled so familiar.
“What is this?”
Rico draped an arm over his sister’s shoulder. For the first time his smile seemed wickedly mocking as he examined Sebastian’s shaking hand. “Why surely you know, Signore.”
Catrina tilted her glass back, finishing its contents in a hearty swallow.
Appalled, Sebastian stood and pushed the goblet from her hand, sending it flying across the room and crashing in a thick red stain of across the tiles.
“This is blood!” He held his own glass up in example before thrusting it to the tiles too. “Are you mad?”
“I’ve never known you to have such a temper, Sebastian.” Rico wiped the smear of blood from Catrina’s cheek and handed her his goblet. “Why do you act as though we commit a great crime? It is a crime you commit nightly.” His eyes narrowed to slits. “We know this.”
“You…know.” Sebastian’s words barely whispered out. He stepped back and nearly fell onto the couch but maintained his stance as he looked Rico up and down. He was am
azed when Catrina boldly put Rico’s goblet to her lips and drank again as if he had never had an outburst. “Why? How…” He choked. “How long? I don’t understand…” His knees wobbled and he fell onto the couch.
“We’ve known all along.” Rico bent before him and laid a hand on his knee. “And now it has come time for us to ask for our repayment.”
“Who told you this?” Sebastian burst out, unable to think straight or to focus clearly. They had known all along? But how? Why had they waited so long to reveal their knowledge? What did they want?
“Francesco Volierre.” Catrina stepped forward and casually tossed the goblet behind her to land in a sparkling crash near the other pieces.
“Francesco?” Rational thought ceased. Sebastian’s mind spun as dizzily as the snowflakes that melted in the Venetian lagoon.
“An acquaintance merely,” Rico began. “As I’ve already explained, we spent a few days with him this summer at one of my Paris apartments.”
“But…” Sebastian could not tear his eyes from the blood splattered across the floor, littered with shards of glittering glass. “How did you know—”
“Ah, well,” Rico began. “Let us simply say that while we were there, Francesco…took advantage of my sister’s charms.”
“He bit me,” Catrina added in a passionate breath.
“Yes, and we started thinking after that,” Rico continued. “We approached Francesco with our intentions, but he was firmly against granting my sister’s wish. Of course, he freely mentioned you…”
“Well it is no wonder.” Sebastian clenched his fingers to his palm so his nails pierced his flesh.
So this was Francesco’s revenge? Telling the world he was a vampire!
“It was a pity he did not feel comfortable with the proposed task.” Catrina sat next to Sebastian, casually stretching her arms across the back of the divan. “He was an exquisite lover.”
Sebastian pushed away from her and slid down the couch. “I can’t believe what I am hearing. What is it you want from me? Why have you given me these things and taken me in when you have known what I am?”
Dark Rapture Page 58
