A tall, dark-haired man—one of Drake’s many brothers by the look of him—approached her, a smile of welcome on his face. “Good evening, Miss Knightsbridge. May I have this dance?”
His request startled her, leaving her speechless.
“I am Andrei. Do you waltz?”
“Not very well.”
“Then I shall teach you,” he said, and taking her hand in his, he led her onto the dance floor.
“I fear your visit has not been a happy one,” he remarked as he guided her around the floor. “For that, I am truly sorry.”
“Thank you.”
“You are in love with Drake.”
It wasn’t a question but a statement of fact and she saw no reason to deny it. “Yes, I am.”
Andrei nodded. “Our people do not often fall in love. They marry only to beget children.”
“I think that’s terrible,” Elena said candidly, then bit down on her lower lip. “I’m sorry. It’s not for me to judge you or your ways.”
He laughed softly. “Our ways are changing, much to my sire’s vexation.”
“Oh? In what way?” She glanced around the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of Drake.
“He is not here yet,” Andrei said with a knowing smile. “As I was saying, our ways are changing as more of us choose to leave the Fortress and spend time in the outside world. Some of us, our women especially, are beginning to resent being forced to marry men for whom they have no affection.”
“That’s very interesting,” Elena said politely, “but what does it have to do with anything?”
“Katiya does not wish to marry Drake.”
Hope flared in Elena’s heart with all the intensity of a Fourth of July sky rocket. Perhaps all was not lost. “Can’t she refuse him?”
“She could, but she is young. I fear she lacks the courage to defy both her sire and mine.”
“Oh.” Having seen Rodin up close, Elena could understand Katiya’s reluctance to defy him.
“I understand how you feel more than you know,” Andrei said quietly.
“I doubt it.”
“Ah, but I do.” He laughed, but it rang hollow. “You see, my dear Miss Knightsbridge,” he said, swinging her around and around, “I am in love with Katiya.”
“I’m sorry,” Elena said, though it was hard to speak, he was making her so dizzy.
“And she loves me. So you see, I understand exactly how you feel.” He stopped abruptly. “They are here.”
The dancers drifted off the floor to line the walls as the piano fell silent.
Rodin entered first, with Liliana at his side. A couple Elena didn’t know came next. One look at the man and the woman and she knew they had to be Katiya’s parents.
Katiya and Drake came last. She wore an exquisite gown of jade green velvet that showed off her perfect figure. He wore black trousers, supple black leather boots, and a long black coat over a white silk shirt open at the throat. They made a stunning couple. Arm in arm, they walked across the floor, glancing neither to the right nor the left.
Rodin looked every inch the master of his domain as he took the stage. “Good evening to you all,” he said jovially. “As you know, we are here tonight to celebrate the forthcoming marriage of my oldest son, Drake, to the fair Katiya. The wedding will take place tomorrow night. . . .”
Elena gasped. Tomorrow night! So soon? She heard Andrei mutter, “Why didn’t she tell me?”
Gathering her wits about her, Elena stared at Drake, but he refused to look at her.
“. . . and so,” Rodin was saying, “let the festivities begin.” He smiled expansively. “Please, enjoy yourselves. If the wine is not to your taste, there is other refreshment available upon request.”
Elena’s stomach churned. “He means the sheep, doesn’t he?” she whispered, looking up at Andrei.
He nodded. “There are Master Vampires here from many foreign lands. It is customary to provide nourishment.” He took her hand in his cool one. “Come, the music is starting again.”
“How can you be so cheerful?” Elena asked. “They’re getting married tomorrow night!” She almost choked on the words.
Andrei shrugged one shoulder. “It is all an act. What would you have me do? Throw myself on the floor and wail like a spoiled child? For now, we must make the best of it. Relax, and follow my lead. And try to look as if you are having a good time. It will drive Katiya and Drake crazy with jealousy.”
Laughing in spite of herself, Elena glanced around Andrei’s shoulder to see Drake watching her through narrowed eyes as he waltzed by with Katiya.
“Did I not tell you?” Andrei exclaimed. “He is green with envy.”
Andrei insisted they dance every dance. Between sets, he kept Elena close to his side, made sure her wineglass was always full. He regaled her with stories of growing up in the Fortress.
“Those were happy times, the days of our youth, before the need for blood overcame every other thought, every other passion. I surrendered to the compulsion several years before Drake. Though he is the eldest, he held out the longest. My brothers and I tormented him terribly.”
“Why?”
“We were jealous of his determination to resist the compulsion, envious of his ability to consume mortal food, to roam outside in the sun’s light.” Andrei’s gaze focused on Drake. “Once we poisoned his supper.”
“That’s terrible!”
“It only made him sick for a short time. He got even with us, though. He fed the sheep absinthe. It didn’t hurt the sheep, but it made the rest of us violently ill.”
“That’s terrible, too,” Elena said, but she couldn’t help laughing.
It was nearing four in the morning when Elena insisted she needed to sit down. “You might have the staying power of twenty men,” she told Andrei, “but I don’t.”
“Very well.” He escorted her to a chair, stood beside her while she rested. She noted the crowd had thinned considerably. Had the vampires retired early? Or were they dining below? She was about to ask Andrei to walk her back to her room when she saw Drake and Katiya gliding toward them.
“Good evening, brother,” Andrei said with a slight bow.
“Andrei,” Drake replied with a nod. “I wish to dance with Elena.”
Andrei darted a glance in Rodin’s direction. He stood on the other side of the room, conversing with several men. “Do you think that is wise?”