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Stephen jerked back so quickly he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

Vlad gave me a sharp warning glance, then leaned down to help the man to his feet.

“My wife can be overwhelming,” Vlad said, slightly smiling.

I realized he was amused.

“Yes, very,” Stephen responded breathlessly.

When Vlad lead me into the house, I cried out in delight. It was beautiful and modern. Fine furniture, lush draperies, and exotic carpets adorned every room. Forgetting my manners, I rushed from room to glorious room in a frenzied tour. Vlad let me be and disappeared into a study to talk with the still very wary Sir Stephen.

After plunging through the house, I flung open one last door and found myself in the most exquisite modern bedroom. It was completely decorated in white and gold. Gazing up at the crystal chandelier, I began to laugh as I whirled about. I stumbled and landed on the bed and stared up at the silk canopy above me. It was almost like coming home.

A maid entered the room followed by several footmen. “Over there,” she ordered, and my traveling trunks were set down.

“I shall begin to unpack immediately, ma’am,” she said in her precise enunciation. She was obviously Hungarian but she spoke English flawlessly.

“Thank you, err…”

“Magda, ma’am” the maid responded.

I sighed with sheer delight, smiling at her. “Magda, it is wonderful to see you. ” Finally! A decent servant. No gypsies lurked in the shadows in this fine home.

The brilliant shimmering of the light outside my windows lured me onto the balcony. The evening greeted me with the gentle kiss of the night breeze and the soft whisper of the trees swaying in the wind. Leaning against the cold white marble railing, I gazed out past my balcony at the cool waters of the Danube flowing lazily past the lush lawn below. A night bird called out to me and I lifted my head.

With awe, I found that I was blissfully happy.

Later -

Vlad summoned me to his side a few hours after our arrival. I supervised the unpacking of my trunks and had luxuriated in the wonder of being a mistress of my own household. I was in such a lovely mood that when he called for me, I went without hesitation.

“The servants know what we truly are,” he explained when I joined him. “I pay them well for their service to me. Most of their families have served me for centuries. They know better than to defy me. We are safe here. ”

We were standing in the foyer of the house, and I tilted to my head to gaze at him. “Have vampire hunters found the house previously? You spoke of precautions. ”

“No, but just in case, I had this built for us. ”

Vlad turned into an alcove at the base of the stairs and motioned for me to follow him. He slipped easily through a small crack in the wall that was hidden in the shadows of a corner.

I took a deep breath and let my power rise up within me. I felt myself drifting as I slipped through the slim passage between the bricks making up the wall. I found myself standing in a small room draped in red velvet. A bed was centered in the room and candles lined the walls.

“If the hunters come, this is where we will retreat. Another room exactly like this one is being built above us. There is no way for a mortal man to enter. There are no doors, no windows. These walls surrounding us are four feet thick. Even if they try and burn us out, they will not reach us within this room. ” Vlad sat down on the bed and smiled with satisfaction. “I am prepared. Let them come. ”

I glanced about the small room and sighed rather dramatically. “It is so very much like a tomb. ”

“We are vampires. ”

“Must we always remind ourselves of that fact?” I stomped my foot at him irritably. I turned and slipped through the wall into the foyer.

It was so much more comforting in the house than that horrible little room.

Sir Stephen rounded the corner, a sheaf of papers in hand. He caught sight of me and froze. “Lady Glynis! I mean…rather…Countess Dracula, how may I be of service. ”

I smiled at him coyly. “Sir Stephen, how nice to see the lying bastard who condemned my family to death,” I said in very polite tones. I gave him my brightest smile. I was bemused when he staggered back at the sight of my teeth.

“That is enough,” Vlad said as he appeared. “Glynis, you cannot harm Sir Stephen. I forbid it. ”

“So, if I cannot harm him, may I kill him?” I asked innocently. “I promise it will not hurt too much. ”