The creature’s face mottled blue and gray, but she responded evenly. “Oh, do not think that it was only you, or Maximilian, who drew me to this cold city. I was not even certain he was here until Sara discovered him at that masquerade party. The two of you are only added little trinkets to this business.” Her expression challenged Victoria to ask more.
“Was it you who set Bemis Goodwin onto me?”
“It was not that I made the request, but that I gave him leave to do it. He is a valuable member of the Tutela, and though I haven’t all that much use for them—mortals, I’ve found, are not as predictable as undead, to my great dismay—I saw no reason to disallow it. He has kept you busy, and distracted . . . and nearly incarcerated,” she added with a pale smile. “That has left me free to put my other plans in place.”
“You dare not tell me, for fear that your prediction doesn’t come to pass,” Victoria said dismissively.
Lilith narrowed her eyes, then they lit with malicious humor. “You already feel the tug of consciencelessness, Venator. The seed of everything evil begins with self. When one places oneself before every and all, evil sprouts, and spreads, taking over. And already, you’ve done so, even when you knew it was wrong . . . have you not?”
Suddenly, the door behind Victoria opened. She turned to see a pair of vampires dragging in two struggling, crying young women.
Her heart began to race, and she tightened the grip on her stake as Lilith stood.
“Ah, how lovely,” said the vampire queen. She inclined her head regally and one of the undead prodded his burden forward.
Victoria knew what was to happen, and braced herself. There was nothing she could do to save the victims . . . it was as if she were at the horrific Tutela meeting in Venice again, watching the starving, thirsty undead feast and ravage several young women. She gripped her stake . . . she could get one vampire, maybe two . . . but then what? There were five, including Lilith.
The smell of blood permeated the chamber, and Victoria felt her head began to swim as the heavy, iron essence filled her senses. As saliva pooled in her mouth, she swallowed,shook her head, felt her limbs growing loose and weighty.
The girl’s screaming subsided into soft gurgles and gasps of breath, and Victoria found herself struggling to stay in her chair, to sit upright. Lilith lifted her head from the distended vein of her victim’s neck, looking at Victoria. She ate daintily, and even when she smiled a knowing, horrible smile, her teeth gleamed pure white.
“You fight it even now,” Lilith said to Victoria, then waved her hand in dismissal. Her vampire minion dragged away the unconscious girl, and the second one moved forward into her place. As before, the servant held his mistress’s meal steady while she fed. This time, Victoria couldn’t tear her eyes away from the long, slender teeth sliding into the whimpering girl’s neck.
She hardly felt the stake in her hand any longer; all of her attention and focus were gathered up in a net of bloodscent and need. Blood racing, bounding through her . . . her vision blossoming red . . . her fingers trembling as she curled them around the edges of her chair. Only that death-tight grip kept her in her seat.
Lilith finished eating, and the unfortunate girls were taken away. Now the vampire queen looked at her remaining captive with relish. “Perhaps I should taste you again, my dear. I see that the bloodscent has set your own veins to singing . . . it could certainly help the process along. And I do like the taste of a Venator . . . even if it is swamped with Beauregard’s blood.”
Victoria tried to fight them off, even brandishing her stake. But it was knocked from her fingers, clattering hollowly to the floor and rolling quietly away as the two Guardians dragged her to stand once more in front of their mistress.
“Think about how much easier it will be when you give in,” Lilith sighed like a lover against Victoria’s cheek.
She strained to break free, but her vision was still colored and the scent of blood and roses from the queen’s mouth beckoned and teased.
“Think of how much easier when you have only to think of yourself. Only to do what is right for you.”
This time, she bit into the top of Victoria’s shoulder, at the juncture of neck and collarbone. It was painful, but pleasure seeped into her almost immediately. Liquid, hot, coursing pleasure . . . the delicate touch of lip to flesh . . . the brush of skeletal hands over her hair . . .
Victoria felt dizzy, the words of Lilith piling into her mind, crushing reality, destroying her conscience . . . she felt her body weakening, the bloodscent filling her awareness . . . and the release of pressure against her skin.
The last thing she knew was a pair of blood-soaked lips covering hers . . . and then she tipped into a hot, red oblivion.
When she awoke, Victoria found herself sprawled once again on the floor. She dragged herself up, her head light, but, blessedly, her vision had cleared of all but the faintest pink tinge.
Slowly, she climbed up onto her hands, then her knees, using the wall for support. As she became more upright, the room shimmered less, her head felt more stable, and her strength returned. The cloying smell of blood had faded to a bare essence, weak enough for her to ignore.
Turning slowly, she faced the chamber, expecting to see Lilith seated on her throne, watching with those laughing eyes.
But the throne was empty.
The room was empty but for a single Guardian vampire, who stood at the door. He looked at her, his eyes ruby pink, his fangs exposed in a lascivious smile.
Victoria scanned the chamber quickly, spotting her stake not far from the chair on which she’d been sitting. She pretended not to notice the vampire; her mind was working now, and she’d keep it straight and focused in order to make her escape.
Feigning a weakened state and staggering heavily, she made her way toward the forgotten stake, tumbling to the ground on top of it. The slender wood in her hand made her feel powerful again, and she waited, breathing long and deep like Kritanu had taught her . . . long and deep . . . long . . . deep.
She felt for the vis bullae that, so far, had brought her greater strength than anyone could expect. The cool silver, warmed on one side by her flesh, sent a wave of power radiating through her and Victoria knew she was ready. Keeping the stake hidden in the folds of her gown, she put her plan into action.
Pulling slowly to her feet again, as if in great pain, she staggered more, slowly, randomly, but deliberately toward the Guardian vampire. She saw through her lashes that he watched her, but with amusement rather than wariness.