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Sitting upon the floor beside him, I gazed around the vast ballroom. It was beautiful in its ornamentation, yet without the revelers, music and candlelight, it felt like a tomb. “We are trapped, you and I. ”

“I doomed myself. You were doomed by others. Do not forget that. You are an innocent. ”

“I’m killing her slowly,” I confessed. “Every time I drink from her, I take just a little more. She grows weaker as I grow stronger. ”'

“Does it bring you satisfaction?”

I thought of Csilla’s fading pallor and her growing lethargy. “Yes. ”

His rough hand unexpectedly touched my chin, turning my face toward him. “Be careful. Do not sacrifice what is good within you to quench your anger. ”

Tears flooded my vision as I gazed at him. “My family had no hope once she decided I was to be Vlad’s bride. Their fate was sealed. I still hear my father’s death cry, my sister’s sobs of terror, and see my mother’s desolation. Nothing I do can bring them back to me, but I will avenge them. ”

Withdrawing his hand, Adem inclined his head. “Very well. ”

We sat in silence, side by side, both locked within our own hellish thoughts. The whistling of the wind outside the windows reminded me of the castle. The sisters were trapped there by my own will. I wondered if they had starved down to bones yet, then I forced the thought away, unable to bear my own evil.

“There you are,” Csilla’s voice echoed around us.

Glancing over my shoulder I saw her in one of the doorways to the ballroom. She was clad in a simple gown and robe. Her long hair tumbled down around her bosom and she looked pale and sickly. Yet, she was beautiful and compelling in her own way.

“We were practicing. ” I held up my dagger.

“Odd how Vlad has you learning how to fight like a man,” she mused.

I slid to my feet and walked to her. “You don’t look well. Perhaps you should sleep. ”

“Sir Stephan is coming tonight. He has drawn up papers declaring that when I die, you are my sole inheritor. ” She laughed slightly. “When I die, I will be your eternal sister. The money will serve us both well then, won’t it? And Vlad shall be satisfied of my loyalty. ”

Impulsively, I touched her cheek and she cradled my hand against her fevered flesh. Her dark eyes gazed into mine with great yearning. “I will love you forever and do whatever you desire. ”

“Vlad will be pleased,” I lied. I kissed her forehead, feeling the heightened warmth of her skin.

Together we walked to the parlor where Sir Stephan would meet with us. He was leery of her decision to make me her sole inheritor, but would not deny her request. As we strolled through the long hallways, Csilla shivered. The freezing weather outside was seeping into the palace. Though flames raged in all the fireplaces and every candle was lit, the glowing warmth of the fires did not quite push away the worst of the cold.

Once seated in the parlor, she rested her head on my shoulder, her fingers wrapped around mine. “When will Vlad return to us?”

“I do not know. He comes and goes as he pleases. ”

“I dream of him often. He calls to me, but I can never find him. ”

Her words startled me. “Does he?”

“Yes. He calls to me and I search for him, but I always find you. Not him. ” Shifting her head, she gazed up at me. “What does it mean?”

“That I will be your mistress. You will belong to me and he will see that your love for him is true. ”

“Will you love me once I am your sister?” Csilla wondered, her eyes searching my face.

“Why do you think I don’t love you now?” I wrapped her up in my arms, playfully kissing her cheek.

“You love Laura more. I can see it. ”

“Now, now. Laura is my dear friend. Nothing more. You are my future sister of the blood. A future Bride of Dracula. ”

“No. ” She shook her head. “I am your future Bride. You will make me a vampire and I will be yours. I wonder if you will love

me then. ” Tucking her head under my chin, she clutched my hand tighter.