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“That you should come to my haven on a night such as this means only one thing,” Astir decided as he escorted me into an elegant study in his haven. The walls were a deep red and the furniture was gilded in gold. Paintings portraying the fall of man and Lucifer decorated the walls. Dressed in a red robe, his blond hair pulled back from his face into a cascade of curls, he had a devilish l

ook about him.

“And what is that?” I stood before a painting of the Garden of Eden and watched as he poured himself a drink from a crystal decanter.

“Either you are going to beg me once again to use my power to rescue Glynis, which I will not do since I enjoy my haven being filled with the House of Gavril, or you plan to awaken Vlad Dracula,” he answered.

“I do plan to awaken him,” I confessed. “It is the only way. Cneajna’s words will weigh heavily against Glynis. We both know this. ”

“And you will not launch an ill-conceived attack against the House of Gavril like so many others would if they were in your situation?”

“If I were to kill every single member of that house, it would not matter in the end. My own Mistress would come to kill me and Glynis for defying her. I will not risk our lives. ”

“And you do not feel you are risking your life by awakening Vlad?”

“He cannot kill me. ” My confidence seemed to startle Astir. I rather enjoyed the moment. “Though I was a priest, how often you forget that I am a very old, very powerful vampire in my own right. Though I do not often make grandiose plays of power, I am a man to be reckoned with. ”

Astir laughed with delight. “You hide so well in your priest habit, sometimes I forget what a bastard you can be. ”

I shrugged slightly. “I would think you of all people would understand that once I have made up my mind, I will not be deterred. ”

Astir sipped his wine and stared at me thoughtfully. “What will you promise me if I do this for you?”

Tucking my hands behind my back I regarded the fallen one in silence. I was not about to make an offering to the creature, and knew if I held my tongue it would spur him into speaking. It would not take him long to disclose a vital bit of information I could use to bargain with him. I could already see the excitement in his eyes at the thought of somehow bringing me into his power.

“Well?” Astir’s eyes sparkled with delight. “What shall you offer me? Your loyalty? Perhaps a bit of your blood so I can take a little look into that mysterious mind of yours?”

“You’re drunk on the emotions filling the haven,” I noted.

The House of Gavril was enjoying a night of festivities in the haven. Obviously, Astir was glutted on the unfolding drama.

“I love it. It is intoxicating after starving for so many months. Only Glynis provided any substance. All her wonderfully complex emotions were delicious. ”

“Is that why you were so anxious to guide her?”

“Are you suspicious of me?” He laughed, smirking a bit.

“Always. ”

Astir inhaled deeply, as though drinking the air. “Ah, such a heady bouquet tonight. Lust, desire, passion, a tinge of anger, sorrow…”

“What is the one emotion that you can never truly find within the haven?” I asked him suddenly, catching him off guard.

“The purity of love,” he answered, peering at me over his wine glass. “It eludes me always. I can feel the pain, the despair, the desperation of the emotion, but never the bliss. ”

“I will give you that bliss,” I offered.

“How?” he asked, intrigued.

“Are we agreed?” I asked, evading his question.

Astir stared at me intently, swirling the wine about in his crystal goblet. I knew he would be unable to resist. “Yes!”

“Once she is free, we shall share the bliss of our love with you. Agreed?”

“Yes!” Astir twirled about with delight, sloshing his wine over his robe. He did not seem to notice. With a swift motion, he charged me, struck the center of my chest, and tossed me back.

I landed in the snow as Astir’s form and his study vanished into the visage of the exterior of an old and crumbling castle.