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I flicked my gaze upwards to regard him suspiciously. “Truly?”

“Truly. ” He reached out and ran his fingers lightly down my cheek. “Feed and renew yourself. But be mindful of the hunters. ”

I was unnerved by his gesture. I could not help but think of his words to the Baroness and her words to him.

He drew me to him and kissed me deeply. I remained limp in his arms, not responding. He licked my lips then turned my head and bit into my throat. I could not help but swoon and fell back in his arms. He lowered me to the floor and drank just a little from me.

I felt the hunger grow fierce in my belly.

“Go and feed your beast. Feed it well. Remember that you are more than Lady Glynis of England, but a vampire and my Bride. ”

I could taste my blood on his lips when he kissed me again, and I boldly bit his lip and took a bit of his blood into me. He crushed me to him and let me drink just a little then pulled free. Climbing to his feet, he motioned to me. “Go feed and return before sunrise. And do not fret over your brother. In a year’s time he shall be a part of our life and we a part of his. ”

I rose to my feet and he traced his fingers over the healing wound on my throat.

“Did you even like my brother?”

Vlad laughed and walked to the door slowly. “He was much like you, dear Glynis. How could I help but not like him. He will be a worthy servant and ally. ” And with that, he was gone.

His words angered me and hung in the air like a threat. Whether he meant it to be or not, his prediction of my brother’s fate in our lives terrified me. I could not bear the thought of Vlad wielding power over Andrew. Fighting down my fear and anger, I quickly formed a plan in my mind.

With quivering, desperate hands, I pulled on the fastenings of my dress and climbed out of the layers of blue silk. I quickly donned a frothy black gown that made me even more pale and striking. It was very lightweight and would allow me to move quickly, without restraint. I combed out my fussy hairstyle and allowed my long hair to hang down to my waist in gentle waves. Finally, I pulled off all my ornate jewelry; save the ruby ring Vlad had given me.

As I hurried from my bedroom, I wrapped a long black cloak around my shoulders and drew the hood over my long unfettered hair. Then I fled into the night, determined to save my brother.

The Journal of Andrew Wright

20th of April, 1820

I had the most frightful nightmare just now. I awoke with a start and I find I cannot return to sleep until I have written down what I saw in the dark world of dreams.

In the dream, I saw a drunken butcher staggering down the street, his bleary red eyes squinting through the thick fog rolling off the Danube. Mumbling incoherently to himself, he fumbled through the night. His meaty face was puffy and red from the strong liquor he had consumed and he stank of urine. He was an unpleasant sight and, in my dream, I knew he rather reveled in that fact.

Several common whores scampered away from him as he materialized out of the fog and he lewdly sneered at their fading forms.

He was nearly to his shabby home when he hard a strange noise whispering out of the misty darkness. It was a strange slurping noise, vaguely similar to his style of gulping down liquor. Staggering forward, he saw a dark shape emerge from the foggy night. It was a strange voluminous figure lying across the narrow alley. He stared at it for a long moment then he made out a slender hand emerging from the dark shape. It was a woman’s hand, pale and very dirty in the faint light from the gas street lamp behind him.

Trapped within this lewd creature’s mind, I knew he loved to hurt women and he was ecstatic at the thought of harassing some poor woman sleeping on the street.

“Hey, you there! You shouldn't be sleeping on the street, whore,” he declared in a brash voice.

The shape shifted and a white face rose up from the blackness. It was a beautiful face, pale and fierce, with blazing eyes and a huge red mouth. No, no, dear journal, the mouth was not huge. Now I remember. It was smeared with blood.

The butcher, with me trapped within him, stared stupidly as that red mouth opened and two long sharp teeth stood out starkly as the woman hissed at him.

“What are you doing?” the butcher asked in confusion.

The woman rose up and stood over the whore sprawled out on the cold ground. “You should have turned around and run. ”

The woman’s voice was soft, yet it sent chills down my spine and that of the butcher. Somewhere in the man’s muddled mind, the order to run resounded fruitlessly. But he stood there, gawking, not moving. The last thing he ever thought in his meager life was that a woman could never strike him down.

Then he was tossed through the air against the wall and his skull cracked open with a resounding crack.

Then I was free of his body and hovered over him as the woman drew closer.

It was then I saw my sister’s face within the dark hood as she knelt down and sank her long teeth into the man’s throat.

I awoke with a gasp, horrified beyond comprehension.