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“She would be enamored by any vampire. Vlad has twisted her and darkened her soul,” I responded with a frown. My clothing was already mussed and dirty from our mock battle, so I sank to the ground beside Adem, grateful to take a moment to rest. I gazed at our surroundings, drinking in the rich beauty of the night. The darkened valley spread out before us with the Arges appearing as a silver serpent winding through the forest. TheCarpathian Mountains enclosed the valley like imposing sentinels and I could see the castle perched high above, illuminated by the full moon hovering low in the sky.

A pang of loneliness swept over me. I felt the yearning for Vlad once more rise inside of me, the false love created in me by his blood, and I hated him. I thought of my vampire sisters and my throat tightened with the pain of their betrayal. I had lost not only my human family, but my vampire family as well. If not for Adem, I would be terribly alone.

“It is beautiful here,” Adem decided.

“Yes, it is,” I conceded, my heart heavy, “but it is my hell. ” My gaze strayed to the glittering ribbon of the Arges River. I remembered far too well how I had tried to plunge myself into its depths to escape Vlad Dracula.

“I am sorry for the loss of your family. I miss mine very much and it has been centuries. ” Adem’s brow furrowed over his dark eyes, the scars on his face appearing deeper and darker, almost as if they were fresh wounds.

I plucked at the grass with my fingers. “I miss my sister’s ridiculously delicate composition. I miss my father’s completely calm, rational mind. I miss my mother’s fiery temper and undying faith. ” I felt tears well in my eyes, my vision distorting as I returned my gaze to the castle. “Strange. In life I considered myself closest to my father. He was

my confidant, my fervent supporter, and constant defender. But in death, it’s my mother I think of most often. ” I could not bring myself to confess that it was I who had taken her life when Vlad had trapped me in her prison cell, ravenous with hunger and desperate to feed. My mother had given herself willingly to me. It had been a sacred act, her blood a sacrifice to give life to her daughter. I missed her and my heart stuttered as a tear fell down my cheek.

“Are they buried there?” Adem gestured toward the distant shape of the castle rising above the mountains.

“No. ” I shook my head, miserable in my mourning. “I desire to bury them in Buda if possible. I wish I could return them to England, but. . . ” I shrugged. “Their bodies are secured in a chest in the hotel’s storage. The gypsies gave me their bodies when I left the castle. ”

“Vlad allowed you to do this?” Adem tilted his head, his eyebrow arched.

I bit my bottom lip. I wanted dreadfully to confess to Adem all that had happened, but I did not dare. I was certain that I should keep my terrible act against Vlad a secret. Vlad had never instructed me in the ways of vampire society and Adem had a distinct advantage over me in that regard. I could not be certain that what I had perpetrated against Vlad was acceptable. I suspected it was not. Additionally, I was a wife, a bride, a woman. I could not believe that vampires would be any more lenient toward my sex than humans were toward women.

“You keep much from him, do you not?”

“A woman always has her secrets,” I answered coyly.

Adem laughed heartily. “So you do. So you do. ” Looking toward the castle, he tilted his head slightly. “Shall we go visit your husband?”

“No!” Before I could rein in my emotions, I cast a look of utter horror toward Adem. “No. I mean. . . I would rather not. ” I floundered in my panicked state, averting my face quickly, my heart thudding hard within my chest.

“I see,” he said, and I feared he did.

I fussed with my skirt and struggled to find words to speak that would diffuse the tension that had risen between us. None seemed sufficient to divert suspicion and I remained silent.

“Well, let us return to the hotel. I have a surprise for you there,” Adem said after several long, painfully silent moments in which he had sat beside me in quiet contemplation. He now seemed to have dismissed my outburst altogether.

“Truly?” My interest was piqued and my nervousness lessened. “What is it?”

“Would it be a surprise if I were to divulge that information?” Adem laughed and climbed to his feet.

“I would be surprised in this moment,” I assured him. “Therefore it would not be ruined by telling me what it is because you would reap the reward of seeing my reaction. ”

Leaning down, he took hold of my hands and drew me to my feet. “Yes, perhaps. But I would much rather leave you in suspense until you lay your beautiful blue eyes upon my gift. ”

I stomped my foot at him. “I want to know now!”

Chuckling, Adem strode to the horses, summoning them.

“Really, Adem. You are truly being most cruel. ” I rushed after him, holding my skirts up as I lamented the condition of my torn petticoat.

“It will lift your spirits, I can assure you,” Adem replied, helping me up onto my horse.

“My spirits are fine,” I said quickly. “Truly. I have recovered from my maudlin repose. ”

Shaking his head, Adem’s dark curls bounced under his turban. “Ah, my Countess, I may not have known you very long, but I can see that you are lonely. Otherwise, you would not be so willing to befriend your guard and make slips with your pretty pink tongue that you can ill afford to make in our world. ”

I clutched my reins tightly in my gloved hands and swallowed my gasp. Adem’s dark gaze met my own and the solemn set to his lips chilled me.

Without another word, Adem climbed onto his horse and we were off.