“Speak of the devil and he appears,” Drake muttered as his sire opened the tower door. It took every ounce of what strength he had left to gain his feet.
“I have brought you something to drink,” Rodin said.
“I want nothing from you. Nothing but Elena’s freedom.”
Closing the distance between them, Rodin held up a tankard made of gold. “Drink this.”
“No.”
“Do not make me force you.”
Drake glared at his sire. What would be worse, drinking of his own free will, or resisting? One way or the other, Rodin would have his way, and with that thought in mind, Drake reached for the goblet.
The contents were thick and cold but he drank greedily, his eyes closing as the blood took the edge off the worst of the pain. After draining the goblet, he licked his lips, then met his sire’s gaze. “How long are you going to keep me locked up?”
“That is what I have come to discuss with you,” Rodin said. Taking the goblet, he tossed it aside.
Drake took a deep breath. From Rodin’s tone, it was obvious he wasn’t going to like what was coming.
“Tomorrow night, in front of the Council, I will annul your marriage to the mortal female and formally announce your betrothal to Katiya. Since the night of the new moon has passed, you will wed at her pleasure.”
“And if I refuse?”
“I will leave you here until your flesh is dry and your veins empty and you beg me for mercy.”
“Ever the loving father,” Drake said bitterly. “Is that the worst you can do?”
“If you continue to defy me, I will give the woman to Vardin to do with as he pleases.”
“He has already fed on her,” Drake said, unable to keep the fury from his voice. “Twice!”
“You know what he is capable of. Be grateful he has done her no permanent harm.”
It took every ounce of his willpower, honed over five centuries, for Drake to choke back the rage that engulfed him. “I will never forgive you for this.”
Rodin nodded. “I have your word that you will do as I have decreed?”
“You will release Elena tomorrow and send her back to Wolfram.”
“No. I will release her the day after you and Katiya are wed.”
“I have your word?”
Rodin straightened to his full height, his eyes flashing with anger. “Do you doubt it?”
Drake snorted with contempt. “I told Elena you would treat her well, that it was not your way to make war on women.”
“I have done what was necessary. I will have your word that you will do as I have commanded.”
“You have it, on three conditions. I will marry Katiya, but then the two of us will be free to leave the Fortress.”
“So you can abandon her as soon as you are away? Do you take me for a fool?”
“I will not abandon her.”
“The woman, Elena, will pay the price if you do.”
“I have no doubt of that.”
Rodin paced to the far end of the tower, his hands clasped behind his back. Returning to stand in front of Drake, he said, “You may leave the Fortress when Katiya is with child. In the meantime, there is the matter of the Council. . . .”
“That’s the second condition. I do not belong on the Council and we both know it. There is no law that says all the members must be of your direct bloodline. Liam would be an admirable addition.”
Rodin grunted softly. Liam was a liaison between Rodin and Lucien, the Master Vampire of the Italian Fortress.
“And your third condition?”
“Elena will not be quartered with the sheep, or used as sustenance by anyone. She is to have the run of the Fortress, and all her needs met. She is . . . was . . . my wife and I will have her treated with the respect she deserves.”
“Very well. Now I have a condition of my own. You will not attempt to see her.”
“I demand the right to bid her farewell when she leaves.”
“Need I remind you that you are in no position to demand anything?”
Drake clenched his jaw, then blew out a breath. “Must I beg for the opportunity to tell her good-bye?”
“No,” Rodin said through clenched teeth. “I will allow it.”
“I would ask one more favor. She will need someone to take her home.”
“I will see that she arrives safely.”
“She is to have Wolfram Castle. I will need pen and paper to make it legal.”
Rodin nodded.
“I promised her the wherewithal to provide for her needs as long as she lived.”
Rodin folded his arms over his chest. “Anything else?” he asked tersely.
“No. If you will do these things for me, then I vow to take Katiya as my bride. I will see that she conceives a child. I will put her happiness before my own. You have my word on it.”
“And you have mine.” Slipping a heavy glove on his right hand, Rodin touched the thick silver leg iron that bound Drake’s ankle to the wall. The manacle fell away with a harsh clatter.
“Come,” Rodin said. “Your mother is anxious to see you.”
Elena paced the floor of the dormitory, scarcely aware of the other women who were preparing for bed. It had been a very long day, her every thought for Drake. After seeing him last night, she could think of nothing else, could not begin to imagine the pain he was feeling. How did he endure it? How had he even survived? She could not comprehend such torment, or understand how any man, vampire or not, could be so cruel to his own flesh and blood.
They had to get away from here, but how? Drake was helpless as long as he was imprisoned in the tower. There was no way she could break down the dormitory door, or fight her way through a nest of vampires. She shuddered to think what her future would be if something happened to Drake.
She lifted a hand to her neck, remembering the pain, the horror, of being bitten by Vardin. She knew now why the other sheep feared him. He was cruel, oblivious to the pain he caused. Or maybe he simply enjoyed it.
After washing her hands and face, Elena changed into the long white gown she had been given to sleep in and crawled under the covers of her narrow cot. She had been too upset to sit and talk with the other girls while they readied themselves for bed but now, as Northa blew out the last candle, Elena recalled Marta saying it wasn’t uncommon for the vampires to come for one of them in the middle of the night.
Elena folded her arms over her chest. How was she supposed to sleep knowing that Vardin or one of the other vampires might come looking for a midnight snack?