“Why did you ask me to come here? You don’t treat me like a prisoner nor do you demand anything from me. I don’t understand.”
Vincent rested his elbows on the armrests. “You looked too much like Eva for me to pass you by, but there was also another reason for my actions.”
“What was it?”
“Back in that room, you were suffering as much as that vampire, Lucious, yet there was no one physically hurting you.” He paused and waited, measuring her response with his steady gaze.
She looked down at her hands. He’s a Council member. He can’t be trusted.
“Helena, if I wanted to harm you, I would have done so already. I am merely interested in your circumstances, nothing else.”
She studied him for a long moment. He didn’t appear to be the type who would gossip or lie. Everyone in this household loved and respected him. She blocked out her doubts that screamed for her to remain silent.
“We share a bond. It binds us together.”
A slight widening of his eyes told her that he had heard her. His body remained stock-still. Vincent leant in, resting his hands on the table. “Are you certain of this?”
“Yes. I am.”
“I best not ask any more questions on the matter as it is a personal one.”
She flopped back in her seat. “Aren’t you going to ask me why I was possessed?”
“I believe the less I know about that the better. If Eliza senses there’s something wrong with my reports, she will force me to answer through our connection.”
“She can force you?”
“She is my sire. I cannot defy her as long as she is more powerful than me.” Vincent smiled and called for Rupert who arrived promptly. “I believe we will have our dinner now. Could you inform Hans of this?”
The butler bowed and excused himself.
“Well then,” Vincent said, “shall we talk about something else?”
18
Father J. R.
The next morning, she busied herself by reading through what seemed to be an endless amount of tomes. The library was the exact replica of the one in her nightmare, and it unnerved her. Lazarus was able to reproduce the room in perfect detail, and the thought of Perri’s death resurfaced when her eyes wandered over to the lit fireplace.
Since Madeline left, Lazarus hadn’t done anything to her. There were no dreams and no darkness searching for a way into her shields. It was as if he had vanished. But, she knew better than that. That was why she was searching for anything to help her in the future.
Helena came across a large leather-bound tome she brought to the desk, letting it land with a loud thud. There was no title obvious to the eye. She flicked through its pages. The rash action made the fine dust rise into the air, causing her to sneeze. She covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve to stop breathing in any more dust.
A few pages in gave her an idea that it was a collection of diary entries, clipped together in a random order. She skimmed over the unreadable scribbles until she found something legible.
January 19, 1629.
At last, I have set sights on the information of great importance that shall aid us in the war against evil. Tis of my personal belief that there are thousands of demons entering our world and each monstrosity was created from one of us. How those atrocities came to be, I do not know.
Upon birth, they are branded with a new heart. I do not understand what the shamans meant by there being many difficulties in finding it. Where else could such an organ lay other than in one’s chest? They speak of flowers being the source of their power. It makes little sense, but they speak no more on the matter.
Father J. R.
February 1, 1635
An exorcism did not go well. The afflicted maiden held great beauty before evil took hold of her gentle form. She would not cease her nightly screams. In her deluded state, she invariably declared her willingness to accept whatever the devils had offered her. Is that how they steal our souls, through foreign magics that we cannot understand?
I shall be careful in my investigations. I can feel that same evil watching over my shoulder.
Father J. R.
July 16, 1639
I did what I could! Oh, Our Lord in Heaven, I swear I had wasted no time or resources searching for an answer to this blighted curse. We were betrayed by one of our own, a father at that. His possession has shaken the morale in our ranks. We, the men who fight in His name, have suffered a great loss tonight. Father Frederic will be remembered for who he was and not for tonight’s misdemeanours.
I am starting to believe that we are fighting a losing battle.
Father J. R.
Helena yawned. She glanced at the small clock Perri left for her. It was coming close to noon. Her stomach decided to let itself be known by a sonorous rumble that echoed throughout the library. She flicked through more pages, seeing that the man whose diaries she was reading continued in the same dramatic tone. The order he was a part of witnessed four possessions. In that same year, it fell apart. In their desperation, the Catholic Church took off the reins of morality. She flipped the book and opened the last page.
December 1, 1640
The witches chose to ignore us! We fight on the front lines between good and evil. Is that so hard to understand? They will not be spared in the eyes of God. No, they shall suffer for their wicked deals with the devils.
In many a year of my life, I had come to learn one thing: if they are not with us, they are against us. Tonight, we rally our forces. They shalt not be given a chance to use their corrupted magics against us. Perhaps they have used them to cloud our judgement to this day.
I made certain the news will travel far and wide. They will be burned at a stake for their betrayal of the human kind and Our Lord.
J. R.
Helena stared at the final words. The man was crazy and seemed to be responsible for the witch hunts because witches refused to participate in their insane war against the powers they couldn’t understand.
She closed the heavy tome with both hands and pushed it away with disgust. Taking a moment to stretch in her seat, she wished for a brighter room to read in. Vincent gave her full access as long as she did not take any of his possessions outside.
There were three rapid knocks on the door, and Helena rushed to open it.
Perri beamed at her. She balanced a wobbling silver tray of food and coffee in one hand. “I thought you’d need a distraction, so I brought freshly made cookies.”
Helena held the door for her. “Thank you. I thought you’d forgotten about me.”
The maid left the tray on the table next to the books Helena had finished reading. She poured some coffee into a porcelain cup and handed it to Helena.
Settling back into her seat, Helena watched the maid doing the same in the seat across from her. The calming aroma of black coffee soothed her.
Perri’s fingers fiddled with the edge of the silver tray. They fell away and soon found the hem of her apron where she tugged at the frayed ends. “Would you mind if I ask you a personal question?”
Helena put down the cup, not certain where this was going. “Go ahead.”
Her large brown eyes searched Helena’s face for something, and Perri glanced down. “Have you ever confessed your love to anyone?”
Glad that she had put down the cup first, she straightened in her seat. “Not exactly, no.”
Perri’s shoulders slumped.
“Are you planning to confess to Hans? Is that what this is about?” Helena hoped she was wrong. He wasn’t a bad guy per se. His single downfall was that he was undead, and Perri was a gullible young girl, blinded by her affection toward him.
“Yes. I believe I will tell him tonight.”
“But he’s a—” Helena paused. She picked the next best word that came to her mind. “He’s a little too old for you.” She reached for her coffee with a shaky hand, needing something to hold on to. Lifting it to her lips, she took a long sip of her drink.
“He told me he was twenty-five, which is five years older than me.”
To keep from spitting her drink on Vincent’s books, Helena clenched her jaw. She concentrated on swallowing the burning liquid down as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. “You’re older than me?”
“By a year or so, yes.”
“You look younger.”
Perri’s bubbly laughter filled the room. “I get that a lot.”
Helena decided that eating could be just as dangerous as drinking with her around. She put the cup as far away as was possible and thought of what to say. Her fingers came upon something in her pocket. “Ah, I almost forgot.” She pulled out a white envelope. “Could you post this for me today?”
The maid took the envelope and studied the address. “Is this a letter to your family?”
Helena fell silent. There was nothing she could tell her parents without getting them involved in her situation. That letter was addressed to Andrew. He was the sole person who could understand what she was going through and since she didn’t have her laptop with her, she couldn’t send him an e-mail.
“Sorry, I won’t ask anything more and get someone to post it,” Perri said, sliding the letter into her apron’s pocket. A second later, she clasped her hands together in excitement. “I figured out how you can help me with Hans!”
Helena watched her cradling her arms and swaying from side to side. Laughing, she managed to ask. “What’re you planning?”
“A Halloween party, of course! He may not see me as a woman now, but wait until I put on a fine dress.” Perri stopped moving and waited for Helena’s reply.
“I don’t know—”
“Please, as a guest you may be able to convince Master Vincent to hold one. He used to like such festivities.”
She wasn’t about to reveal that the ‘guest’ Perri was referring to was also under constant watch. In her mind, Helena began putting together something that sounded as an easy let down, but Perri knelt in front of her. She looked at Helena with so much hope in those brown saucers that it hurt her to even think of ever upsetting her new friend.
“Please, Helena. Please…”
She pursed her lips. “Tell me one thing before I sign my death warrant. Why Hans?”
After rising from the floor, Perri fixed her skirt. “Are you sure you want to know?”
“I may as well know what kind of man he is.”
Perri stopped fussing with the already impeccably straight skirt and took her seat. Her eyes lingered on the dancing flames that licked at the thick logs in the fireplace. With her bubbliness gone, she appeared older.
“You know that I lived in an orphanage. The mistress there never liked us and abused the kids under her care. So, I escaped and begged on the streets for months until Master Vincent brought me here. He gave me an education, a home, and a job for which I will be forever grateful. A few years after I settled in, the villagers began giving me trouble, calling me names, saying that I lived in a cursed castle.”
They weren’t too far off, Helena thought.
“They threw rocks at me, telling me to never return. That’s when Master Hans appeared, and they left me alone. When he was here, he would go shopping with me and, since then, not once did I hear those hurtful comments. I fell in love with his kindness as there was no need for him to go to such an extent.”
Helena bit her lip. Did Perri know about vampires and was hiding that knowledge behind her smiles or did she choose not to see it? If this happened years ago, Hans would have aged.
“I hope you know what you’re signing up for,” Helena mumbled.
Perri reached for her cup. “I’ll make you another. I bet it has gone cold while we were talking.”
“I still think that this is not a good idea!” Helena repeated as Perri pushed her out of the library.
“It’ll be fine! Master Vincent is a kind man.”
Perri’s words didn’t cheer her up in the slightest. Vincent’s study was mere metres away from the library. Her legs turned as soft as cotton at the thought of asking for such a ludicrous request.
They stopped. His study door seemed like a towering gate to Hell. Helena closed her eyes to gather enough courage to knock. When she opened them again, her mind was set on the goal.
“Come in,” Vincent’s deep voice permeated through the wood the second she raised her hand to knock.
“Damn it, here goes…” She pushed the door open and turned to find that Perri was already gone. That traitor!
Vincent sat behind an antique desk which was covered in paperwork. He reminded her of an older version of Alexander. She imagined Alexander with Vincent’s moustache. The image alone made her clear her throat to prevent a giggle.
“Is anything wrong?” he inquired, reclining in his office chair.
Helena clasped her hands behind her back and stepped into the room. “I’m sorry for the intrusion. We—I—Well…”
“Is the demon causing you trouble?”
“No, it’s not that.” She shook her head, trying to clear her panicked jumble of thoughts. No, this is impossible after all. “It’s nothing.”
“Don’t you and Perri wish to request that I host a party?”
Stunned, she eyed him with suspicion. She knew he could command humans and vampires with his voice, but an ability to read minds was on an entirely different level. “How did you know?”
“You two were loud enough for the whole of Scotland to hear your plans.”
A blush heated her cheeks, and she was glad he couldn’t read her mind.
“And no, I cannot read your mind. I simply observe.” He brushed his moustache and scribbled something down. “To answer your request, you may have your Hallows Eve celebration tonight. It would be a good distraction.”
She frowned. “Why would you accept a request from me?”
“You are a guest here, even if you don’t believe that to be true. I was only curious about your involvement with Mr Ellwood.”
Her brows jumped in surprise. “What kind of guest is not permitted to leave for a month?”
“I did what I could to separate you from Lucious. If he was found guilty, you would be executed alongside him. This way, I can report that you were uninvolved and, therefore, should not be touched.”
Helena let out a strangled breath. It was such a relief to know he believed in her. “Why would you do that for me?”
Vincent’s usual stern features softened. “In the past two weeks, you could have tried to escape or harm my family, but you chose not to. And Perri, who is a great judge of character, has grown attached to you. That is enough for me.”
“Just because Perri likes me, you would help me?”
“She is like a daughter to me. Her opinion matters a great deal, even if I do not show it.” He cleared his throat. “I should get back to my work.”
“Right, sorry for interrupting.” She whirled on the spot to head for the door.
Vincent’s voice stopped her one foot short of her goal. “One last thing. Could you send Perri here? I have something to discuss with her.”
Helena glanced over her shoulder. Vincent couldn’t possibly tell her off for this.
He must have noticed her struggle because he added, “I want to discuss the details of the party.”
She left his study and the discomfort in her chest perished. A chance that she could soon return home remained. Full of hope, she quickened her pace to find Perri and tell her the good news.
Helena spent the rest of the day reading through manuscripts and books in the library while Perri was determined to find the perfect dresses for them. Having gone through a few dozen dresses Vincent had provided for them, Helena gave up on having an opinion since Perri countered her choices with better ones. She could already tell that Perri and Laura would become friends in a heartbeat.
When six o’clock struck, Perri dragged her back to her room and left Helena there to wait until her imminent return with their chosen attire for the night.
; To stop wearing the carpet down, Helena crawled onto the bed. A second later, she clambered off and resumed her pacing. She couldn’t put her finger on the source of her agitation.
Perri squealed from the doorway. “I brought your dress!”
“Let’s see what you’ve got.” Helena’s voice reflected a tiny portion of her friend’s enthusiasm.
Perri laid the dress on the bed with care and unzipped the plastic wrapping that held the mysterious gown. Paying little attention to it, Helena couldn’t take her eyes off Perri. Her green faille dress trailed along the ground, shimmering in the fire-lit room like an emerald in the sun. The uniform she wore on the daily basis did her full figure little justice. Her blonde hair was styled back and the make-up she wore made her look her age.
Perri pouted. “Helena, are you paying attention?”
Helena diverted her attention to the short cream lace dress spread out on the bed. A thin pink belt was strapped around the waist.
“I was, I mean am. Sorry.”
Perri grinned. “Good. So, how do I look?” She twirled around for Helena to get the full impact of her dress.
“I think you look amazing.” Helena searched for any sign that could tell her if Perri was supposed to be dressed as someone famous. Nothing came to mind. “Isn’t this a Halloween party?”
“We can always be somewhat unorthodox.” Perri ran her hands over her dress fabric with a question in her eyes. “Do you think he’ll like it?”
Helena drew her into a crushing embrace. When she pulled away, her eyes burned into Perri’s. “Are you kidding me? Any man in that room will be begging for a dance and counting every male in the building that gives you five to choose from.”
“I’m so happy right now. This is the most fun I’ve had in years,” she gushed and pushed Helena to sit on the bed. “Now don’t move. Let’s do something about that hair.”
Helena raised a brow. “That hair?”
Perri shrugged. “You don’t seem to do much with it. Sometimes, you forget to brush it.”
Russian Roulette (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 1) Page 28
