She was drifting to sleep when the dormitory door opened. She tasted fear on her tongue as someone stepped into the room. But it was only Liliana.
“Come,” the vampire said quietly.
Slipping out of bed, Elena followed Liliana into the clothing room, afraid to ask what was coming. To her surprise, Liliana thrust the clothing Elena had worn to the Fortress into her hands. “Dress quickly. The Council awaits.”
The Council. All too clearly, she recalled Drake’s words: The Council judges those who have broken our laws, and executes them, if necessary. Were they going to execute her for marrying Drake? Or worse, execute them both?
Unable to still her trembling, she removed the nightgown and tossed it aside. She quickly donned her undergarments, then slipped the lavender silk dress over her head and smoothed it over her hips. Sitting on a low stool, she pulled on her heels, thinking how good it felt to wear her own clothes again.
When she started to rise, Liliana put a hand on her shoulder, forcing her back down, and then, to Elena’s surprise, the vampire began brushing her hair.
Feeling like a sacrifice being readied for the altar, Elena folded her hands in her lap to still their trembling.
“It is time,” the vampire said. “You will keep silent when we reach the Council chambers. Do you understand ?”
Elena nodded. Hoping her legs would support her, she followed Liliana up the winding staircase and down the candlelit corridor to the Council chambers. She hesitated when Liliana opened the cathedral-like door. Feeling like a lamb being led to the slaughter, she took a deep breath and stepped inside.
The first thing she saw was Drake. Clad in nothing but a pair of black sweatpants, he knelt in front of the dais, head bowed, hands shackled behind his back. In the light of a hundred candles, the ravages of the sun’s heat were clearly visible. His skin was badly burned; in some places, it was almost black.
Rodin sat on his throne, as regal and powerful as any king. A girl sat in the chair beside him. She was young, surely not more than sixteen. Her hair was a rich chestnut brown, her eyes a shade lighter beneath delicately arched brows. She had an aristocratic nose, a generous mouth, a long, slender neck. Her skin was almost luminescent. Liliana’s beauty paled beside that of the younger woman.
The members of the Council, dressed in ubiquitous black, sat like statues.
When Elena would have gone to Drake, Liliana put a staying hand on her arm. “No. You must not go near him. You must not speak to him.”
And with that admonition, Liliana went to stand beside her husband’s chair.
Several moments passed before Rodin spoke. “As Master of the Coven, I call this Council to order. Drake, here present, has violated the laws of our kind in that he has taken a mortal female as his wife. As his sire and Master of this Coven, I hereby declare his marriage void from this night forward.”
Elena stared at Drake. He had told her that Rodin wouldn’t annul their marriage if it was consummated. Had he lied to her? She willed him to look at her, but his head remained bowed.
“Drake, do you, of your own free will, agree to abide by this annulment?”
“Yes, sire.”
“No!” The word was torn from Elena’s throat.
Rodin glared at her. “Remain silent, woman! As spoken and agreed, the marriage between Drake and the woman, Elena Knightsbridge, is declared null and void.”
As one, the twelve members of the Council said, “As spoken and agreed, let it be done.”
“Done and done,” Rodin said. “Drake, arise.”
The heavy chains binding his wrists rattled as, with an effort, Drake gained his feet.
Rodin stood. He smiled at the young woman sitting quietly in the other chair, then extended his hand. “Come, Katiya.”
She rose gracefully, her head high and proud as she took her place at Rodin’s side.
“By my will and authority,” the Master Vampire declared, “I do hereby approve and affirm the betrothal between Drake Sherrad and Katiya Belova, here present. The marriage will be performed at a time of the bride’s choosing. This Council is dismissed.”
Chapter 17
Once again, Elena found herself being led out of the Council chambers. But she wasn’t taken downstairs to the women’s dormitory this time. Instead, Liliana escorted her into a large chamber at the other end of the corridor.
“This will be your room for the remainder of your stay,” the vampire said, her voice cool. “Please, make yourself at home. You may have the run of the Fortress during the daylight hours. I would advise you to remain in here, with the door locked, when the sun goes down. You may dine in here, or join the shee . . . the other women at mealtimes. Is there anything you wish?”
Elena clasped her hands, took a deep breath, and said, “I would very much like to see Drake.”
“My son is no longer your concern.”
Elena bit down hard on her lower lip. It was the only way to stifle the angry words of protest that rose in her throat. She would have gone down on her knees and begged, but she knew doing so would accomplish nothing but her own humiliation. Instead, she straightened her spine and said, “You’re right, of course.”
Something that might have been compassion flickered in the depths of Liliana’s deep green eyes, and was quickly gone. “There is a nightgown and a change of clothing in the wardrobe. If you have need of anything at all, there will be a drone outside your door. Just tell him what you want.”
Elena nodded. A drone? What on earth was that?
“I bid you good night,” Liliana said, and with a last look around the room, she took her leave, quietly closing the door behind her.
Elena stood in the middle of the room. It was a far cry from the dormitory where the sheep were housed. Several landscapes adorned the pale yellow walls. Plush beige carpeting muffled her footsteps. A ceramic pitcher and several glasses sat atop an ornately carved three-drawer chest, along with a hair brush and hand mirror. A flowered quilt covered a large brass bed. A wooden shelf held a number of books written in several different languages, as well as numerous DVDs and CDs for the TV and stereo housed in a small entertainment unit. Curious, she opened the door to the left of the bed and stepped inside, surprised to find a small bathroom. There was no tub, just a commode, sink, and shower. A shelf held several towels.
Returning to the main room, she went to the window and pulled back the heavy drapery. A bright yellow moon shone on the snowcapped mountains in the distance. It was too dark to see anything else, but she stood there for several minutes, staring at the wispy gray clouds drifting across the inky sky.