CHAPTER SEVEN

Lifting the goblet to her lips, Ivona gingerly sipped a small amount of the coveted serum with strained grace.

Unbeknownst to the others, the composed incubus before them secretly wrestled the beast within her, struggling to keep it at bay even as its black tentacles stretched throughout her body until it coiled itself around each vessel in eager antic.i.p.ation of the feed.

Its malevolent nature insisted she down the entire contents like the ravenous beast she really was, and appease the voracious hunger racing through her insides like liquid fire, leaving a searing path of agony in its wake-an agony only blood could pacify. When the warm fluid touched her tongue, it was all she could do to keep from allowing it total reign.

She knew the contents of the chalice would hardly suffice, for The Evil's hunger was fierce. A room full of unsuspecting victims whose bodies surged with the desired life-giving nectar hovered just beyond its grasp. Only through her could this parasite from h.e.l.l attain its need.

Years of experience had afforded Ivona the craft of controlling the demon within her. She was its master. Like a helpless convict isolated within a room of one-way gla.s.s, itcould do no more than glower at the unsuspecting patrons from behind Ivona's cloaked stare.

Her appet.i.te temporarily sated, she gently set the cup back on the table and returned her attentions back to the others. "Prince Vlad managed to evade his pursuers and made his way through Transylvania to Hunedoara Castle, but if he had hoped for a warm welcome from King Corvinus, he was sorely surprised. Upon arrival, he was arrested and imprisoned in one of the royal towers."

Ivona sighed. "My revenge was to be delayed yet again."

Then she smiled at the man across from her. "Time, they say, heals all wounds and erases ill memories. Perhaps this is true, for within a few years, Vlad was able to win his way back into the graces of the King and soon married a member of the royal family. From that point on, he became almost untouchable, heavily guarded, and always seemingly just beyond my grasp."

Her head dipped forward as a smirk touched her lips. "So I patiently waited, studying him with relentless perseverance until, I dare say, I knew him better than even he did himself.

I memorized his every mood and mannerism, meticulously tucking away the information for future use. It was only a matter of time before I would taste victory."

Unable to resist, Ivona reached for her goblet. She held the chalice beneath her nose, inhaling the content's intoxicating scent. Blood tasted so much better when it was still warm.Once again, she gingerly sipped the coveted elixir with forced control, carefully concealing the raging bloodl.u.s.t soaring through her veins as the sweet serum touched her lips. Only a faint sparkle in the depths of her eyes betrayed the truth, and to anyone else, it was merely a flicker of a nearby candle flame.

"During Vlad's detainment at Hunedoara, Radu became the successor to the Walachian throne," she announced with a note of mockery. "But Radu had inst.i.tuted a pro- Turkish policy, if you will, which didn't bode well with the King of Hungary. Even though Radu's reign was cut short by succession of a member of the Danesti clan, Basarab the Old, his predecessor continued in his footsteps and welcomed Turkish influence into the Walachian territory."

With strained tolerance, she gently set the cup back down in its place. "In the year fourteen hundred and seventy-six, Vlad tasted freedom once again. The King released him with the hope that he would regain control of Walachia and reinstate Catholicism to the Walachian people. With the help of Prince Stephen Bathory of Moldavia, Vlad invaded Walachia and quickly secured a victory, becoming the Walachian Prince for the third time. But this was to be a limited triumph, for my moment of reckoning was soon to be coming. Shortly after retaking the throne, Prince Bathory and most of Vlad's Moldavian forces returned to Transylvania, leaving him vulnerable to attack."

Losing control of her animalistic urges, Ivona scooped up her goblet and quickly gulped down the rest of itscontents. She swallowed hard, her body visibly trembling as she reveled in the memory of her revenge and once again tasted the sugary flavor of triumph.

Slamming the chalice back down, "It wasn't long before the Turks made their move on the defenseless Prince of Walachia," she declared in a rush. "In nary a month's time, Vlad engaged in a battle with the Turks near Bucharest.

From the safety of the nearby Vlasia Forest, I watched the melee unfold, patiently waiting for a moment to attack. My revenge was at hand."

Ivona's breaths became pants of antic.i.p.ation. Her eyes danced about the room like the shifty stare of a lunatic. As though trying to contain her escalating excitement, she gripped the arms of the leather chair so tightly her knuckles nearly burst through the pale flesh of her hands.

Lucian felt his own breaths quicken in comparison. After learning the true reasoning of why his forefather was slain, he found himself eager to know the manner of his murderer's death. Forgetting the others about them, he leaned forward in his chair, his stare unwavering as he waited for Ivona to deliver the antic.i.p.ated satisfaction.

If she thought his behavior odd, she gave no indication.

Rather, she seemed pleased by his intense interest. Her eyes sparkled like two Forth of July firecrackers and her chin lifted a notch with pride."There are many rumors as to how Prince Vlad died that day. Some believe one of his own men accidentally struck him down at the precise moment of victory because he was dressed in Turkish garb in order to confuse his enemy.

Others think he was killed by a Turkish arrow that managed to pierce through the protective borders of his Moldavian bodyguards."

The corners of Ivona's mouth curled up into a wicked smile. She looked like a pleased cat having just eaten its latest kill. "Both are wrong. Broken and beaten, his life force slowly seeping from multiple wounds, Prince Vlad stumbled away from the smoke and confusion of the battling men and made his way to a nearby swamp where I was waiting," she boasted.

Feeling her features begin to shift as The Evil clawed at her self-control, Ivona willed herself to calm down and attempted a smile, but she knew it probably looked more like the snarl of a ferocious beast on the verge of attack. Her gaze darted about the room, taking in the expressions of fear and disbelief of the others. Only the man across from her seemed completely at ease, and Ivona couldn't help but wonder why.

Was he her nemesis? Was he the one she'd come here for? She sensed he hid something, seemingly beneath hisclothing, or perhaps beneath his flesh. He kept his soul carefully guarded against her probing.

Few mortals had the power to resist her inquisition.

There was certainly something different about this one, and she had the uncanny notion she'd discover it before night's end.

Ivona closed her eyes and murmured a chant of control.

Several moments pa.s.sed before she felt in charge once again. "Please forgive me," she began, training her gaze on one of the terrified faces before her. "I tend to get...excited when I reminisce." As all traces of her former animosity dissipated, Ivona's mouth curled into an irresistibly devastating grin that instantly placed everyone at ease.

"Shall I continue?"

"Yes, please," the bartender chimed without hesitance.

Ivona smiled. "As Vlad's footsteps began to falter and his gait became unsteady, I realized the moment I had antic.i.p.ated for nearly seventeen years was now at hand.

Finally, the mighty Prince fell to his knees in the stinking slime of the bog. It took nary a swift kick to fall him to his face in the gelatinous goop that was to become his grave."

"So that he may see his slayer, I rolled the helpless Prince onto his back, taking little care to protect his painful wounds," she sneered, finding intense pleasure in the memory of his suffering.

"His eyes began to glaze as I leaned over his dying body.

His expression clouded with confusion, as though he couldn't believe The Evil had forsaken him, leaving himdefenseless and frail on the brink of death. He almost seemed afraid, so I spoke to him softly, as though soothing a small child, explaining to him that it was time to pay for the atrocities he'd committed against my friends and family, against mankind itself."

Ivona ran a shapely finger along the rim of the empty goblet beside her, lovingly stroking its smooth contour.

"His eyes widened with shock as I produced the chalice that had remained untouched in the Targoviste Square during his entire reign."

She laughed then, the sound cruel and harsh. "Even in his weakened state, he was instantly outraged, aghast that I had broken one of his ridiculous rules and dared flaunt it before him. I could see the condemnation forming in his gla.s.sy stare, the verdict he formulated, and the punishment he so desired to enact. However, his time for penalty was over. He would no longer pa.s.s judgment on anyone else, or derive pleasure from torturing the innocent. Sentencing was at hand, and I was the new executioner."

A slow, satanic smile spread across her sensual lips. It looked as though the devil himself now filled her chair instead of the beautiful and mysterious woman of before.

Maintained only by the will of those in power, life is held in a delicate balance by the sentinels of good and evil. Ivonawas one such guardian, and all h.e.l.l was about to break loose.

Lucian understood the barely restrained power coiled within her. He knew what she was, what she had become through circ.u.mstance. What startled him even more was his own undeniable attraction. It was an awakening realization that left him reeling with confusion, and strangely wondering to which side he belonged.

"These were the final words heard by the mighty Prince Vlad Dracula," she said, in an unearthly tone that rumbled from deep inside her immortal frame. "You have murdered my people, preyed on the weak, and tormented the innocent. Your deeds have condemned you and your children to death, and I shall be the slayer. I will hunt your descendants until the end of eternity, and I shall stamp out all traces of your lineage. Your family shall be my prey, your loved ones my victims. Your blood shall taint no souls but mine. The Evil that worked through you shall be imprisoned within me. I curse you and all those to come. I am your deliverance"

Ivona's gaze became an unfocused stare as she recited her message. Her eyes flashed with anger and her nostrils flared with growing fury. A vaporous whine echoed each word like the sound of violin music spilling from the funnel of an antique phonograph. She appeared mystified and dazed, as though she were once again speaking directly to Prince Vlad himself."Using the blade belonging to my dearly beloved Dragomir," she explained, "I slowly drained the lingering life force from the dying Prince, filling his golden goblet to the rim with his poisonous nectar." Her eyes were still intent and distracted on an imaginary object viewable only by her.

Then her vision suddenly snapped back into focus, coming to rest on Lucian. Undaunted, he returned her stare, willing her to finish her tale. The prolonged antic.i.p.ation was almost unbearable. It took everything he had to remain in his seat.

"As I drank his essence, willingly accepting The Evil from his soul into mine, Prince Vlad's spirit slowly faded away into nonexistence. He became naught but a mortal man. The monster that had destroyed my life, the fiend who had taken away all I loved, was naught but a drained-out vessel. In conclusion to my ritualistic curse, I decapitated him and mutilated his lifeless body. I scarcely remember much else."

Ivona became somber. "His reign was finished." Her voice dropped to a low murmur, forcing Lucian and the others to strain to hear the ending of her amazing tale. "But mine...mine was just beginning. Bound by my promise to rid the earth of his kin, I'm cursed to walk through the miasma of eternity and fulfill my pledge. I a.s.sure you, it's no easy task. I dare not develop friendships or fall in love. My engagements are nothing more than temporary indulgence,for whosoever lingers by my side eventually falls to the lure of The Evil that resides within my tainted soul."

Her expression grew sad. "My existence is little more than a vacuum of lonely isolation, interrupted only by the occasional lure of limited companionship from a temporary beau and the call of duty. I am a vestibule of The Evil, a knight of immortality. I am vampyre."

Ivona tossed her head and gave an irritable tug at her sleeve. "That is my story."

Clapping instantly erupted throughout the tavern.

"Bravo!" one man called. "Wonderful tale!" another chimed. Even the women seemed equally impressed.

Lucian could see why Ivona had survived as long as she had. She had just revealed her true ident.i.ty to a room full of people, and yet, none of them seemed to have really noticed. Perhaps it was the atmosphere, perhaps the alcohol. Whatever the cause, it was apparent how ignorant humans could be.

However, Lucian was not like the others. He did notice, and now, he understood why he'd come to the tavern that night-he had sought her, or maybe, they'd sought each other. It made no difference.

When the bartender called for the next storyteller, Lucian raised his hand. When no one objected, he settled back into his chair, stretched his feet out before him, and crossed his ankles. Then he stared directly at Ivona, pleased to see that she continued to watch him just as intently. Now he wantedher to see what he hid deep inside of himself. There was no denying their destiny.

Ivona...our paths have crossed yet again.

Seemingly hearing his thoughts, her eyes grew round with surprise. Then one shapely brow arched with intrigue.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at him with an expression of challenge.

Lucian smiled and pulled the pendant free from beneath his shirt. With a newfound sense of purpose, "My name is Van Dragos," he announced. "Lucian Van Dragos. I am Dragomir's heir."

About the Author

Shannon Leigh Shannon Leigh is a practicing registered nurse who graduated with a B.S.N. R.N. from the Indiana University School of nursing in May of 1996. She lives in Indiana with her husband, four sons, two cats, and new chow-chow named Aysia. When she's not chasing after her four rambunctious boys, Shannon enjoys tole painting, drawing, reading, writing paranormal fiction, and watching vampire flicks. Coincidentally, one of her favorite movies, Dracula 2000, which stars Gerard Butler, was released on her birthday, December 22.

Shannon loves to hear from her fans!

You can write to her at: Shannon Leigh c/o Chippewa Publishing, LLC.

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