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Vlad leaned over and kissed my pout. “I shall return. ”

I waved a hand at him and flopped back on the bed. I stared at the ceiling and sighed. My fingers played with the buttons of my traveling coat, but I had no desire to undress and put on one of my long robes. Completely morose, I merely lay there and remembered the touch of Ignatius' lips upon my own.

By then I had realized we were returning to the place of my captivity. Up until then I had been uncertain of our destination. When we reached Bistri?a , I understood we were returning to the castle.

I could make sense now of the terrible gnawing within me. As we drew closer to the castle, I could feel the hunger and madness of the three women that we had left behind. My anxiety formed a tight knot in my stomach.

Closing my eyes, I drifted off to sleep for a mere moment, but in that moment, I had the most vivid and terrifying dream.

Cneajna rose up next to the bed, her body restored and once again the Hungarian beauty she had been for four hundred years. Lying down beside me, she wrapped her arm about my waist and laid a gentle kiss upon my lips.

“My little one returns to me. ”

“Cneajna,” I whispered.

She smiled gently, tears on her cheeks. “My darling daughter, please come back to me. I miss you so. ”

“Cneajna, I am sorry I was away for so long,” I answered.

She lay down, curling herself around my body, kissing my cheek softly.

“I need you to make me feel alive once more. Come home to me, my lost daughter. Come home. ”

“I am coming home. I promise. ”

I kissed her cold cheek and hugged her tightly. I felt a great love for her in that moment, my cold vampire mother who had helped bring me into this world of eternal darkness. How could I have forgotten her when I was in Buda? What betrayal was this that my heart could forget her calm presence in my life?

Then in my dream, she drew back and I was horrified to see her drawn, skeletal countenance. Before I could escape, her fangs tore into my throat.

I awoke with a start and sat up, my bonnet falling off my head onto the floor.

Vlad stepped out of the shadows dwelling in the corner of the room with a young woman in his arms. Her long blond hair fell over his arms to brush against his legs as he walked. She appeared to be in a deep swoon. When he set her on her feet, she blinked dreamily at me. The languid expression on her face spoke of her thrall, and, as I rose, she held out her hands to me.

“This is Katya,” Vlad said. “The proprietor’s daughter. ”

I gave him a dark look. “Do you wish for him to turn against us?”

Vlad laughed. “Drink what you need. No more. ”

He released the girl into my arms, and I caught her easily.

“His kisses make me feel so drowsy,” she said. “I must be dreaming. ”

My arm about her waist, I let her fall across the bed. She laughed drunkenly and lay in a seductive little pile on the covers.

I unbuttoned my coat and let it slip off my shoulders. Hungrily, I climbed onto the bed beside her and looked down into her transfixed blue eyes.

“Katya,” I said softly.

She focused upon me.

“Think of that which you desire most. ”

I was not surprised when her gaze flicked to Vlad as he settled in a chair near the bed. Glancing over my shoulder, I gave Vlad a bemused smile.

“I drink from her often,” he answered.

Looking down at the girl, I willed her to look at me. She smiled and reached up her hands to touch my shoulders.