“Virginia my dear, for your information, there are many people in this city who already know me. I am quite a popular man, who attends many high-society functions. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago I attended a cocktail party at the mayor’s house, a fundraiser for the Red Cross, I believe it was. You have heard of the Red Cross, haven’t you—what they are about?” His smile revealed those fangs again.
The count dismissed my threat by waving his hand in the air. He sneered. “After all, this city is extremely—how shall I say this ... yes, extremely honoured to have such a dignitary as me living here. As for Teresa, she understands. She expects these things to happen. She does know, however, she will always be my number-one lady. She was my bride. She is my wife. Nothing will ever change that. I told you I would make love to you, care for you, and give you something beyond your comprehension—maybe even the prospect of living forever. I did not say you would be replacing my wife. Do not even try to fool yourself with such an illusion, my dear. If you cooperate, you will have a pleasant life with us, possibly forever. If you decide to do something foolish again, you will end up like the rest!”
“The rest?” I questioned. I was shocked to think that there had been others here before me. The thought of him and Teresa being serial killers crossed my mind again.
The count’s response was sarcastic: “Oh, what a foolish young woman you are! Do you really think you are the first insignificant idiot who has come snooping around this estate, or any other place where we have lived? No, my dear, there have been many over the years, many...” The room emanated evil as the count smiled at me and ran his tongue along his lips.
“As you might have guessed, we have to move periodically. It is not wise for us to stay in any one place for too long. We have been in Brantford for about ten years; we can probably get away with a few more, but not too many. I have already had the odd acquaintance comment on how ageless I seem to be.”
“Why this city?” I asked.
The count looked thoughtful, as though he was pondering just how much he should tell me. “Well,” he started slowly, “I met someone who said he could help me with certain needs, but he insisted it would be easier to do that if I moved here, where he lived. Besides, it was time for us to leave where we were living.
“My friend told me of this place and said it would be ideal for my lifestyle. He said he would introduce me to the right dignitaries and help me to fit in.”
“Why would this person do all that for you?” I inquired.
“That is another story, one that I don’t feel is necessary to share with you at this point. Briefly, though, he had made it his goal in life to study our kind. He was fascinated with us and thought he could glean more information if he were to help us. Of course, I allowed him to think that, for a time—until we were well settled here. He would not dare to betray us now because that would mean he would lose the comfortable life he has become accustomed to.” The count smiled. “I must be going. I am to meet my friend shortly and have missed him the last couple of nights ... I cannot afford to do so again tonight.
“I will return within a couple of hours and shall expect you to be waiting for me in your room. Tonight, darling Virginia, you will be mine, willing or not, although willingly would be a much pleasanter experience for you!” With those final words, the count rose from the table and departed.
As I followed him with my eyes, I noticed Max lingering outside in the hallway. There would be no escape attempt tonight. Of this, I was absolutely positive.
I could not finish my meal. The final morsel of food I had bitten off stuck in my throat. I coughed. My stomach felt queasy. If I fought against him, my life would be worth nothing. If I did not fight him, I would become his prisoner, and my soul would be linked with someone who appeared to be the spawn of the devil. He might be offering me eternal life, but in reality it would be a living hell! What was I going to do? Was I so in love with life that I would be willing to sell my very soul in order to stay alive?
~
It was a clear night, from what I observed through the barred windows. Stars twinkled dazzlingly. The moon glowed full and bright. There was not a cloud to shroud their destinies. A small breeze rustled the leaves on the trees. The distant street lights reflected eerily on the dancing leaves. I paused a moment longer, searching the shadows, watching and waiting for my destiny to return.
I felt like a coward. I had decided I had no other choice but to take my chances with the count. I kept telling myself that it was the only way to remain alive. I was terrified of his anger, having seen what it could do, but I thought if I could get him to fall in love with me, he might let his guard down. And even if it were for just a moment, I might have another opportunity to escape. This was the one and only hope I could cling to.
Watching a falling star plummet from its pinnacle in the heavens, I clasped my hands together, made a wish, crossed myself, and then whispered a fervent prayer. Somehow I knew, though, deep inside, there was little hope that my wish or my prayer would be answered. I turned around and went to sit on the edge of my bed to wait for him.
~
I was startled by a warm breath on my neck. My first impulse was to struggle, but then my better senses took over as I remembered my plan. I looked up into the eyes of the count. I pushed gently on his chest, feeling the hardness of his muscles beneath his shirt. He stood up and backed away from me, waiting. His presence filled the room with a commanding aura.
“Wait,” I whispered huskily. I slipped off the bed and began slowly to undo the buttons on the red gown. I reached behind my head, loosened the ribbon from my hair, and gave a little shake so that my long red tresses could flow freely. They cascaded down over my shoulders and covered my breasts. I had always cursed the thickness of my hair, but now I prayed it would be part of my salvation. I gazed intently at the count, trying to show a facsimile of lust in my eyes and to note what effect I had on him. I ran my tongue across my lips and continued to unbutton.
The count was watching me attentively. I sensed—no, I knew—he did not trust me. To this point, I had given him no reason to; therefore, my deception was going to have to be foolproof. The count sauntered over to me, his eyes fixed on mine, penetrating––eyes that were like an inferno as they burned into me, mesmerizing me. He moved with the grace of a panther closing in on its prey. My entire body began quivering. I wished it were with fear, but that was not the case. I was quivering in anticipation. I could not wait for this man to gather me in his arms and take me. It had been so long since I had slept with a man. Damn John for betraying me, as he had. And damn the count’s eyes; damn them to hell!
I raised my hand and slipped one of the sleeves off my shoulder. As I reached for the other sleeve, my hand brushed the cross. The cross! Oh God, my whole plan could fail! It was too late to conceal it from him. He had detected the crossed piece of gold at the same time as I had.
The count backed away from me, snarling. Quickly, I undid the clasp and threw the cross to the far corner of the room. Hopefully I would be able to find it later and place it somewhere safe. The count looked at me, amazement written on his face. My action seemed to have puzzled him. I prayed that I had taken a step toward gaining a fraction of his trust.
I allowed the other sleeve to fall from my shoulder, and the gown dropped to the floor. I reached behind my back and unclasped my bra; it joined the gown on the floor. I slipped from my panties and then stood tall, facing the count. The Count Basarab Musat emitted a pleased whistle.
“I did not realize, Virginia darling, there was such perfection under that gown. You are beautiful indeed, more so than any of your predecessors. Beauty and spunk, wonderful indeed,” he added with a smile. This time, at least I thought so at that moment, he did not appear to be quite so evil.
As I stepped provocatively toward the count, unabashed by my nakedness, he began to undo the buttons on his shirt. Within no time, he stood before me as naked as I was. Such perfection had never been painted on any canv
as. Game of survival or not, what I wanted at this moment was this man, or whatever he was. The count swept me up with his muscular arms. I leaned into his massive chest as he carried me to the waiting bed. I was sure I could hear the rhythmic beating of a heart!
~
When I awoke, I was alone. I glanced toward the window. Of course! Rays of sun filtered into my room, circulating amongst the diminutive particles of dust that danced in their warmth. I started to get up from the bed and then realized I was still naked.
I gazed around the room, searching for my gown. My eyes travelled to the spot where I had disrobed and were rewarded with the sight of a red heap of material on the floor. I began to remember. Every minute. Every second. The count had made love to me as no other man ever had. Of course, I had actually only known one other man in my life, and I realized now what a fumbling schoolboy John had been. The tart he had cheated on me with could have him—I had a real man!
The count had been slow and deliberate. He had been gentle but firm. He had taken my body with a tender lust that I would never have believed possible from a man like him. I had been levitated on clouds of ecstasy, and when one cloud would commence to drift away, another would float in to take its place. Thunder and lightning had spewed forth from those clouds and seared my entire body with a raging fire.
I had responded with a zealous fervour, matching him with all my passion. I had not dreamed that such a level of excitement existed within me. His lust had fuelled mine. I had been like a wild animal unleashed from a lifetime of captivity as I devoured every inch of his body and surrendered to him every element of mine!
I slid out from under the blanket the count had thrown over me before leaving, stepped into the red gown, and pulled it onto my still-trembling body. I detested myself for the way I was feeling. These emotions were contrary to my well-laid plans. I tried desperately to loathe him for the way he had made me feel, but I could not. All I felt was a fiery desire when I thought of him. I yearned for him to walk through the door, sweep me into his arms, and devour me once again with his endless appetite. The one thing that could have been my salvation—my cross—was totally forgotten in a dusty corner.
I ached only for him—with all my body and soul.
Damn him!
Damn me!
The Bargain
Chapter Seven
I was shaken back to reality by a light knocking on the door. I walked over, turned the knob and, to my surprise, found that it was not locked. Maybe all he had wanted was to have his way with me and then let me go. I did not believe the count to be a careless man. Or had he left the door unlocked on purpose, testing to see if I would attempt another escape? I presumed it was the latter. I swung the door open.
Max stood there with my breakfast tray. It looked as if he had been about to put his key in the lock. I noticed the shocked look on his face as he said, “The door is not locked?” He was scrutinizing my face. “You have an unusual glow this morning, miss,” he observed. I could have sworn I saw a shadow of sadness pass over his eyes. He shuffled over to my little table. “Your breakfast, Miss Virginia. The count ordered me to prepare you something special.” Max hesitated over the word special. He gazed around the room, his eyes resting on the rumpled bed. “It appears you slept very well last night?” There seemed a hint of sarcasm in his question.
I smiled sheepishly and stretched my arms upward to the ceiling. It was useless to try to hide how I was feeling. “Very well, Max; very well indeed.” My body still tingled from the burning flames of lust that had devoured me during the night.
To my surprise, the conversation took an unexpected turn. “You realize, I hope, Miss Virginia, you are just another plaything for the count? You will never, ever, replace my Teresa,” Max stated bitterly.
I studied the hunched-over old man. Once again, pity pierced my heart for his plight. “I have already been told that, by the count,” I answered back curtly, not wanting Max to think he was informing me of something of which I was not aware.
“Then forgive me if I do not understand your actions. Yesterday you could not wait to flee from this place, and now you have the appearance of a contented little kitten who has just found a warm, secure basket to nestle in. I must warn you, Virginia—the count is not a security blanket for anyone. What he did to you, or with you last night, he has done with hundreds before. Most have not lived to tell the tale.” Max took my chin in his hand and turned my head from side to side, gazing intensely at my neck.
“What are you doing?” I demanded, brushing his hand from my chin and backing away from him.
“What do you think I am doing?” Max said. He sighed. “Good, there is still hope. He did not take you in that way.” He paused a moment and a look of puzzlement crept into his eyes. “I wonder why... no, you couldn’t be. Yet you do have a rugged beauty, unlike most of the others, but I thought he had given up on that ...” Max was rambling.
The full realization of what Max was saying began to penetrate the warmth of what I thought to be my new-found love. A chill raced up and down my spine. “What are you driving at, Max?”
“The count has been searching for some time now for a woman to beget him an heir. You see, Teresa was unable to conceive children, the result of an unfortunate accident in her youth. She was thrown from a horse and certain parts inside her, which are crucial to bearing a child, were damaged. The doctor who examined her said that she would never be able to have children. The count desires a son, a younger version of himself to follow in his footsteps. To be a true heir, the child must be flesh of his flesh. But the count is exceptionally selective, and few have been acceptable to him, let alone survived one night with him. There was a woman, a year or two ago. I thought she might have been the one, but somehow she angered the count. One night, right in front of Teresa and me, he ended her dreams of becoming his. Then he ended her existence. I had tried to warn her. I tried to warn them all—none ever seemed to listen, though. The shame of it.” Max glanced again toward my neck but kept his hands to himself. “The fact that you have not been bitten leads me to surmise he may have a much different plan for you than you think.”
My mouth dropped open in amazement. I could not believe that the count was only going to use me as a vessel to carry his child—not after a night of passion such as the one we had just shared. Surely he loved me! A man could not consume a woman’s body with the lust he had manifested and not love her—or at least be slightly taken with her! I was not that naive, was I? Max had to be lying. More than anything right now, I needed to believe that the count loved me!
As for the other women, I did not want to think about them or what might have happened to them when the count was through using them! After all, for all I knew, Max was lying. Maybe he was even trying to make me jealous in order to preserve his daughter’s place in the household. I had no idea at that time just how wrong I was!
It seemed as though Max had read my thoughts. “You think the count loves you, Virginia? Wake up! Count Basarab Musat loves no one but himself. He will cast you away like yesterday’s garbage when he is finished with you! Only my Teresa will remain—and only because of the bargain.”
“The bargain?” I asked. “What bargain are you talking about?”
“You know a portion of the past from Teresa, but she did not tell you all. She did not elaborate on what the count actually did to her mother, my wife!” Max’s words echoed throughout the room like a cold, bitter wind. His face took on an almost youthful look as if remembering the woman he had loved and cherished had given him a new spark for life.
“But I thought your wife left you to be with the count? I presumed from your story that she did not love you anymore!”
“My wife, my precious Lilly, loved me dearly, at least she did until he exerted his mysterious powers over her—the same powers, I might add, he wielded over you last night. At first she begged me to take her away from the castle, for us to flee and begin a new life far away from him, somewhere he would never be able
to seek us out. However, I was too weak. Despite everything that he had done to me, I still felt beholden to him for the life that he had breathed back into me when I’d been deserted by my family as a child. You must remember, it was a debt that the count was unwilling to allow me to forget.
“You see, dear Virginia, the count could not tolerate that such a beautiful woman could belong to someone other than himself, especially if that woman was living under his roof. It was not really my Lilly he craved; there were many pretty maidens in the villages, or on the surrounding farms, who would quench his thirst. It was just that he did not wish me to have her.
“He began to mock me in her presence. He dangled pretty things in front of her, things I could only dream of giving her one day. I did not work for wages, so I had no cash of my own to buy her the little baubles that so fascinate the fairer sex. I was, in essence, the count’s slave. I owed him my life, and as I already said, that was a fact he constantly reminded me of, especially in front of Lilly. It was just another way for him to humiliate me in her eyes.
“There were moments I wanted to end it all, but I did not have the strength. I always felt that as long as there was a glimmer of hope for me and my Lilly...” Max paused a moment before continuing.
“As I mentioned, for a short time at the beginning of our marriage, Lilly was able to resist the count’s advances, and she remained true to me. It was during these days that Teresa was conceived. The count was consumed by jealousy. He began sending me away on business trips, and then, while I was gone, he would work his wickedness on my Lilly.
“Finally, she succumbed. That day sealed her fate. You see, Miss Virginia, it had been nothing more than a mere matter of pride, a game for the count. Lilly had rejected him far too long, and now that he had her where he wanted her, under his complete domination, he was finished with that part of his game. The prize was finally his! She was compelled to do his bidding, or the baby and I would meet with the harshest of punishments!” Max’s face was lined with anger.
Night's Gift: Book One of the Night's Vampire Trilogy Page 7
