Chapter Fifteen
Sienna pulled the second glove tight as they continued to wait for the duke’s man to return. The duke paced in front of the popping fire. Nikolai stood stone-like near the door, fully dressed and ready to depart, but without the thick winter attire she wore. She still wondered at how vampires could withstand such cold without hat or gloves, but then immortality had its rewards.
Immortality. Her heart clenched. She was beginning to understand her grandmother’s sorrow. To love a vampire was to love someone you could not keep. Was it love? She felt as if she’d been running in the woods and tripped on an unseen root only to fall over a cliff that seemed to have no end. There was no way to stop herself. She glanced at him to find his gaze fixed on her as if he could divine her thoughts. One look, that was all it took for her pulse to trip faster.
The experience of being in bed with him, or actually even out of bed with him, was beyond what she’d imagined. His rough commands weakened her knees and melted her body till all she could do was obey and hang on. Then his tenderness afterward melted her heart, no matter that he couldn’t see how wonderful he truly was.
What a fool she was. She’d thought she could give her body and somehow keep him away from her heart. But the way he made love to her with such fierce intensity, the way he’d looked at her when he drove inside her, it was too much, his power over her too great. With every thrust inside of her, every worshipping kiss on her skin, every quiet murmur in her ears, he pounded on the feeble wall she’d built around that soft organ that pumped lifeblood through her body. The moment she orgasmed and cried out his name, the wall crumbled well and good. And now she faced the heartache of letting him go when their mission was over. But she wouldn’t take it back. Not for the wide world. The door opened. All three of them snapped their attention to Grant as he entered. “It is clear, my lord.”
“Well done,” said the duke. “Time to go, my friends.”
Sienna flipped up the hood of her cloak and followed Grant into the darkened corridor outside the duke’s private parlor.
The Duke of Winter Hill was not at all what she had expected. Well, perhaps his appearance was what she expected in a vampire duke. Shiny brown hair to his shoulders that looked silky to the touch. Sharp, regal lines of cheeks and nose; broad, intelligent brow; and fine, square jaw. He stood evenly in height with Nikolai, but his carriage was different. Whereas Nikolai seemed always on alert, even when he was in a relaxed posture which wasn’t often, the duke had a casual swagger to all of his movements. Not a care in the world. And yet the keen intelligence in his gaze warned that he noticed everything.
All of these traits were expected of royalty in the Varis line, but it was his demeanor and attitude that was unexpected. Yes, she knew that he was their ally long before they’d come to Winter Hill. But he was more than an ally, allowing them to quietly hide in his castle. He was actively making plans against the crown. And he trusted his human servant, Grant, to keep his secrets. Not many vampires, especially royalty, kept close company with humans who weren’t their bleeders.
Their footsteps echoed on the stone floor. The duke paused outside a great door that must lead into another part of the castle.
“The house servants are all abed for the night, so our coast is clear. But that doesn’t mean one of them isn’t wandering about.”
With that he opened the door, and they crossed into a huge ballroom. The chamber was dark but for the moonlight gleaming through tall floor to ceiling windows along the far wall. When Sienna tripped over the lip of a carpet she couldn’t see, Nikolai grabbed her arm to keep her upright. She smiled her gratitude rather than say a word. His otherworldly eyes glowed in the dark as he laced his fingers with her gloved hand to keep her close.
They crossed the wide chamber, two man-sized fireplaces on either end. Though both grates were cold and unused, she could imagine how they would fill this large chamber with warmth and light for a ball. Once they reached the far corner, Grant opened one of two tall double doors with some kind of lovely iron scrollwork embedded there. He peeked on the other side first, then turned and stepped aside for them to walk through.
They followed the duke into another long hall, this one bordering an exterior wall, for there were the same tall, thin windows with pointed arches lining the length of it. They walked briskly, their boots echoing on the stone floor. The moonlight created a patchwork through the casements. Sienna marveled that if they weren’t running for their lives, she would be able to appreciate the beauty of this place. The unique architecture and unexpected artistry here reflected its owner.
Right as they came to the end of the corridor where a wooden door led somewhere else, the door began to open slowly. Grant waved them to the wall behind the door. Nikolai lifted Sienna off the ground and pulled her against him. The duke ducked flush against the wall as well.
“Sylvia,” said Grant, “what are you doing here this time of night?” He gripped the edge of the door with one hand, blocking the woman on the other side from crossing into the hallway. The yellow glow of a candle shone on Grant’s face.
A soft voice replied, “I was looking for you. Why did you not come to my bed?”
Grant’s voice dropped low and seductive, as he lifted a hand and placed it somewhere they could not see. “I will be there soon enough, darling. The duke asked me to run an errand for him.”
“What sort of errand?” she asked, her question coming out breathy from whatever Grant was doing with his hand not gripping the door.
“That’s not your concern.”
Sienna heard the rustle of the woman’s skirt, then she whimpered.
“Now get back into my bed. I’ll be along and take care of you shortly.”
“Yes, sir,” she answered.
The glow of the candle disappeared as he stood there and watched her go. He closed the door and turned to the duke.
“Give her a moment to get back to my chamber.”
“Sylvia?” asked the duke, referring to the secret they’d all become privy to just now.
Grant seemed wholly unaffected about them witnessing his run-in with his lover. He simply shrugged and said, “She’s pretty. And energetic.”
“She’s barely eighteen,” retorted the duke.
Grant scoffed with a shake of the head. “She doesn’t act like it. Not with that enthusiasm for—”
“Wait,” said Nikolai. “Isn’t Sylvia the name of the one who is friends with the nosy schoolteacher?”
“That she is,” replied Grant.
“And you decided it wasn’t important to let me know you’re tupping a possible spy among my servants?” asked Friedrich.
“What better way to get close to a spy?” Grant replied with a mischievous smile.
“Enough,” said Nikolai, noting once more that this servant didn’t behave like a servant. “We need to move on.”
“Right,” replied Grant, opening the door and scouting for any other stragglers in the hallway.
When he deemed it safe, he waved them forward, and they continued on down a narrow spiral staircase. Nikolai kept hold of her hand, moving ahead of her. They came out on a small landing. One way led down another narrow corridor with several doors.
Grant mouthed servants’ quarters, then he pointed in the opposite direction. The duke had already stepped ahead, leading them down a short hallway into a vast kitchen. Rounding a large butcher block table past a huge cast-iron stove, the likes of which Sienna had never seen, he led them down a dead-end hallway with several pantries. The duke stopped at the last door and ushered them inside.
Grant turned, shut the door, and slid a heavy bolt home, locking them in the pitch dark. Nikolai grabbed hold of her waist, suddenly on alert. A match sparked as Grant lit a torch he had apparently stashed off to the side.
The duke stepped toward Nikolai with a hand raised. “Relax, Nikolai. The counter-latch doesn’t engage until this room is bolted shut.”
“Come again,” he said, his voice even, though his hands still gripped her in a tight vise.
Grant rolled his eyes on a sigh, another tell that this man wasn’t a mere servant. “The lock spins a set of cogs embedded in the wall that run along there”—he pointed along the shelving and stopped on a narrow shelf loaded with sacks of flour and dry goods—“and sets the lock free there.” He lit a handheld candle with his torch.
“Where?” asked Sienna, still confused.
The duke turned a charming smile on her that had surely lured many women to his bed, then gripped the edge of the shelf and pulled, sliding it open on a hinge to reveal an iron door behind it. With the turn of another latch, metallic clicks rolling one, two, three, four, five, then a pop and the door opened inward. The duke pulled it as wide as it would go, a gust of winter wind sweeping in and guttering the candle. Sienna sucked in a quick breath.
“After you, my lady,” said the duke with a polite bow.
Grant handed her the candle and she moved forward into the tunnel. There was no light at all, but the biting air told her that it would open up to the outside. The candlelight threw long shadows along the cavernous wall, the stone uneven but smooth. Nikolai kept close to her back, giving her confidence to move swiftly through the dark until they rounded a small bend where she could see gray light up ahead. As they drew closer, the opening revealed itself as a very narrow crag where she had to turn sideways to squeeze through. Directly on the other side stood a thick grove of evergreens, casting ghostlike silhouettes against the moonlit sky.
The others followed quickly behind her. Grant stepped ahead and waved for them to follow. “This way.”
“Your candle, my lady,” said the duke, holding out a hand.
“Oh.” She blew it out, for there was no need under such a bright night.
He placed the candlestick near the passage entrance and the three set off after Grant who had snuffed his torch. Winding through the thick trees, Sienna asked, “Are these evergreens native to this area? They grow so thick here.”
“Yes and no, my lady,” answered the duke. “They are native, certainly. We have patches of them all through these northern hills. But my grandfather had these purposefully planted ages ago to hide our little family secret.”
“So it was your grandfather who built the passage?”
“To be sure.”
“Was there a specific reason or was he simply a cautious man?”
“My grandfather?” The duke laughed. “He was a vicious, cruel man. Not unlike my uncle, I regret. There was a human uprising during his time. They stormed the castle. After the rebellion, he had this passage built, so there was always an escape route should he need it.”
Sienna glanced at the duke whose gaze was dead ahead, his expression distant. “And what happened to the rebellion? Were the humans able to get their demands met?”
“Oh no.” His voice lost some of the lightness that seemed to thread his every sentence. “He slaughtered them all.”
Nikolai pressed a hand to the small of her back, bringing her within the crook of his arm. “I’m not sure if horses are needed,” he said. “I’d rather be on foot.”
“What?” Puzzled, her mind reeling from the fact the duke’s grandfather had been a monster of a man, she glanced up at Nikolai in surprise at his odd comment. “What horses?”
They rounded another evergreen into a clearing just as a horse whickered where Grant stood holding the bridle. Of course Nikolai could hear and smell them long before she could.
“I think you need them. These are two of my fastest racers.”
Sienna stepped up to the one where Grant held the bridle, a beautiful pale blond from mane to tail, the tufts of hair above their hooves and their height giving their breed away. She noted the full black, his coat glistening blue under the moonlight tethered to a nearby tree. “These are Arkadians, aren’t they?”
“They certainly are,” said the duke, his words inflected with pride. He moved to the head of the blond where Sienna stroked her silky muzzle. “This is Astrophel, my shining star. Aren’t you, my beautiful girl?” He stroked her neck and she nuzzled his chest in return.
“Oh my. Your Grace, we cannot take these horses.” She let Astrophel snuff her hand as she brushed another under her downy soft mane, falling in love by the second. “They are too precious.”
He laughed, his breath coming out in a white huff. “Nikolai wants to refuse because he trusts his own feet more than my fastest Arkadians. And you want to refuse because they are too fine and valuable. Heed me well, the both of you. You need them. First, understand that you will both tire too soon crossing the north on foot to Dale’s Peak. And Nikolai, you know as well as I that you can’t move at the speed you normally would when you brought Sienna here. Her equilibrium cannot handle it. You’d need a day to recover if you returned the same way you came here. My horses will get you to Dale’s Peak within two days. They are strong and fast. And do not worry, my lady, about the expense. These beauties are on loan only. Whenever you’ve arrived to Hiddleston safely, send word and Grant will come and fetch them.”
Sienna beamed up at Nikolai. “That settles it then. I’ll ride Astrophel.”
Nikolai’s scowl fell. He shook his head with a chuckle. “Seems I’ve been overruled.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll get used to that with this one,” said the duke on a wink.
Sienna didn’t mind his innuendo, because the only woman who could persuade Nikolai of anything would be the woman who held his heart. She hoped that the duke was right as Grant helped her into the saddle. She hid her wince, sitting down gently after the day’s events.
“And this is Ramiel, my thunder god.” The duke unhitched the bridle and walked the giant black over to Nikolai.
Nikolai stared straight into the beast’s eyes, its giant head a foot higher than his own. The two seemed to be communicating telepathically. Ramiel neighed and tossed his great head, his mane flying up. Nikolai didn’t budge. After another tense moment, Ramiel lowered his head almost in a reverent bow. Nikolai scratched his muzzle and whispered something low in his ears. The black whickered softly as if he understood. Then Nikolai launched himself into the saddle.
Nikolai nudged Ramiel forward and reached down, holding out a hand to Friedrich. “Thank you, brother. For all you’ve done.” There was deep sincerity underlying his words.
Friedrich gripped his forearm in a hand-clasp Sienna had seen other soldiers do. “You are more than welcome. I imagine we’ll be needing each other quite often in the coming days.”
Nikolai sat straight in the saddle. “All you need do is ask. I’m in your debt.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.” Sienna echoed the sentiment.
“Please call me Friedrich, my lady. And take good care of yourself.” He graced her with one of those brilliant smiles. And while they didn’t have the effect of one of Nikolai’s, her stomach fluttered all the same like a mandatory response when the duke turned his charm on a lady.
“I will,” she promised with a returning smile, then hitched Astrophel alongside Nikolai.
Grant stepped forward and pointed to the east. “Right through there, you’ll find a crossroads. Take the eastern path, which is the peasants’ road to the village of Murdoc. It’s craggy and bumpy as hell, but it is the safest for you two. No peasants will be wheeling carts to Winter Hill after last night’s snow, but it is easily traversed on horseback. The other roads are for human and vampire aristocracy and soldiers.”
“Thank you, Grant.” Nikolai gave a nod. “You’d best get back to Sylvia now, lest she haunt the halls in search of you.”
He chuckled as Nikolai nudged Ramiel forward. Sienna followed alongside, smiling when she heard Friedrich say, “I believe that’s the first joke I’ve ever heard the man say.”
Nikolai didn’t even look her way, so they moved on in silence with only the sound of their horses’ hooves crunching in the snow. They found the crossroads easily enough and turned east as Grant had said. The road was more narrow than the wide, smooth roads the aristocracy would travel in their large, posh carriages.
Astrophel tripped on a rock hidden under the snow but caught her footing quickly enough. Still, the sudden shift caused Sienna to suck in a painful breath.
“Are you all right?” asked Nikolai, nudging Ramiel closer.
“I’m fine.” She waved him off. “Really.”
Nikolai veered Ramiel in front of her, bringing Astrophel to a stop. After unsaddling, he rounded to her side and pulled her down to him, setting her gently on her feet.
“What are you doing? Why are we stopping?”
“Because you are not fine. You’re a poor liar. Riding a horse is the last damn thing you should be doing right now.”
A flush of heat crawled up her neck, remembering why she was so sore. Recognizing the flare of anger riding his vocal cords, she put a reassuring hand on his arm.
“Nikolai, this is natural. It will heal and go away.”
“Not soon enough. We have a hard, two-day ride. Give me your hand.”
She did. He took her by the hand, palm skyward, and rolled her sleeve up a few inches above the line of her glove.
“What are you doing?” she asked, heart kicking faster.
“I’m going to give you enough elixir to numb the pain.”
She tried to pull away, but he held her in an iron grip. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?” he asked, scowl noticeably deep, even in the soft light under the starry sky.
She laughed, but it was tinged with anxiety not mirth. “You apparently don’t know the true effect of your elixir. Now is not the time to have me…in that state.”
She tugged. He held his grip and eased closer, backing her against Astrophel who whickered but didn’t move.
“If I thought you’d consent, I would turn back and let Friedrich give you his blood and have it healed instantly. But we both know what would happen then.”
The duke was descended of the Varis bloodline and held the power to change a human into an immortal. “I’d become vampire.”
“Yes. And since that is certainly not your wish, I must relieve your pain in the only other way I know how or I will go utterly mad knowing it was I who caused it.”
She had no reply, simply stared up at him with his earnest expression. “If I say yes, then you must drink.”
“I don’t need to feed.”
“Nikolai, you’ve been pale as a sheet since I woke up. You have circles forming under your eyes, and I know it’s from the exertion of the journey to Winter Hill. To bring me to safety. That is the only way I will agree.”
His eyes slid closed, and he raised her wrist to his nose, nuzzling along the sensitive skin. “You undo me, woman.” He opened his eyes, shining with a preternatural glow, his sharpened canines extending. “Over and over again, you undo me.”
He sank his fangs into the tender flesh for a brief few seconds, releasing his elixir. Then he set to sucking from the punctures, his mouth warm, his lips firm. Then his potion hit her like a hot blast, the seductive nectar that was Nikolai—a burning concoction of raw need and sensual ecstasy laced with his dominance and power.
She moaned, gripping her free hand into his hair, wishing she didn’t have on these damned gloves. Or these damned clothes for that matter. He finished drinking and lapped his tongue three times across the wound, then rolled the sleeve back into place.
“Nikolai, please,” she begged, clenching both hands into his jacket and pulling him toward her.
He didn’t resist but lowered his head and met her feverish kiss with his own. “Bloody hell,” he whispered, wrapping her nape and gripping her waist under the cloak.
Sienna stroked her tongue inside, meeting his aggression. Her own sensuality rose above the fog of desperation. She grabbed his hand at her waist, pulled up her skirt, and guided him between her legs.
The thunderous growl that rumbled in his chest raised the hairs on the back of her neck. She bit his lip to press him on. Banding one arm around her waist beneath the cloak, he caged her close. His fingers set to work, sliding into her folds and stroking her sex, already slick with need. She moaned and rocked against him. The pain and soreness had evaporated the moment his fangs had punctured her skin.
“I want you inside me,” she said in a quick breath before nipping his lip again between her teeth.
He glanced sideways. “No. It’s too dangerous,” was his defiant and very dominant reply. “You’ll come on my fingers. Right here.” Then he maneuvered a second finger, stroking the bud of her sex with his thumb. She widened her legs for him, dropped her head back, and soaked up the heady feeling of Nikolai giving her pleasure, unable to match the quick rhythm with her hips. Staring skyward at the stars, she let the erotic sensation wrap her into a tight ball and explode apart.
“Oh, Nikolai,” she cried, trying to keep from screaming to the heavens, her mewling moans a constant roll as the climax rippled through her.
He brushed her arched neck with his mouth, nipping softly. “That’s it, sweetheart.” He cupped her sex with the warmth of his hand and massaged gently while she came down, her panting breaths puffing out in little white clouds. She still had a firm grip on his coat. He eased her skirts back into place, keeping her steady with his hands wrapping her waist.
With a tender kiss to her lips then one cheek, the other, her nose, then her forehead, he asked, “Better?”
She laughed into his chest where she’d lain her cheek. “Much.”
“Well then.” Without warning, he lifted her up and set her in the saddle. “Pull your hood back up. It will keep your body heat from escaping through your head.”
She swung her leg back over to sit astride Astrophel, noting that her body was still warm on the inside, a steady buzz thrumming through her veins. Indeed, there was no pain anymore.
Pulling her hood back up, she fell back in line alongside Nikolai. He kept his eyes forward, except an occasional scan of the woods on either side of them. Still flying from the euphoria of what had happened a moment before, Sienna could do nothing but stare at him, trying to bite back the giddy, infantile smile that kept creeping up.
He must’ve sensed her, for he finally looked her way. His brooding features slipped into an expression of pure contentment. “I like that look on you.”
“I hope you’ll provide me the opportunity to look at you this way many times more.”
“I most certainly plan to.”
“And to think that I—” She bit her lip. Heavens! His elixir not only loosened her limbs but also her tongue.
He cleared his throat, sidling Ramiel closer. “To think that you what?”
She dared a sidelong glance, then shook her head. His devilish smile made her swoon all over again.
“Oh no. I can see that blush in your cheeks. I’ll bet that pretty pink is flushing your neck all the way down.”
“Nikolai.”
“That means this is something good. You’ll tell me, or I’ll stop this horse and wrestle it out of you. To think that you…?” He waved his hand for her to complete the sentence.
She inhaled a deep breath and let it out on an exasperated sigh. “I used to dream about you. All right?” Though there was nothing ahead but the snowy path under the moonlight and a never-ending line of evergreens, she pretended to be intensely focused.
He didn’t respond at first, then finally, “What kind of dreams?”
She arched a brow at him. “What kind of dreams do you think?”
“I don’t know what sort of dreams a lady has about a vampire. You’ll have to be more specific.”
“The kind of dreams a lady should not have…about a vampire or any other man.”
“Ah.”
She chanced another glance his way to find him grinning like a fiend. “Oh, stop it. Now that you know I’ve been…thinking about you for some time. You must divulge to me a secret.”
“What kind of secret?” he asked, his voice grave and cautious.
“When were you first attracted to me?”
“Woman, I wanted to tumble you to the ground and take you the second I saw you.”
Her belly flip-flopped at the intensity in his words. “And when was that?”
He continued, his voice taking a dreamlike quality as he remembered. “You were riding Duchess through the rain in the dark into Sylus. The night-watch and I saw you from a distance, barreling into town with that fierce look of determination, the rain soaking you through. I drank in the sight of you. I thought how remarkable you were rushing into a circle of vampire Legionnaires at night when there was talk of the blood madness, straight into danger, your head high, without a fear at all. Your white hart wolf wouldn’t come all the way to us so you stopped, slipped off her back and marched right up in our circle with your chin up in defiance. I couldn’t keep my eyes off you.”
Sienna swallowed hard at that confession. “I wasn’t fearless. I was scared to death. But I had to help Arabelle and Marius.”
“All the more reason to admire you for it.”
They continued on, Sienna’s memory wandering back to that time many months ago. Her fateful encounter with Arabelle that night in Silvane Forest had changed her life forever. And though her path had been treacherous ever since, she wouldn’t change one moment. Especially not now with the man at her side. But her heart ached for those who’d come to peril, reminding her why her mission was so important.
“Poor Kathleen.” She finally broke the silence. “Mina’s lady-in-waiting was more than her servant. She was Mina’s blood host and dear friend.” Sienna shook her head as if trying to wipe away the image the duke had put in her mind. “I can’t imagine being murdered in cold blood that way. And poor Mina having to watch it.”
“That queen is a cruel bitch. And to put Mina in a bloodless sleep. Pure evil.”
“What is a bloodless sleep like for a vampire? You said to the duke it’s an old practice. What did you mean?”
Steering Ramiel closer so that they rode mere inches from each other, he spoke in a melancholy tone. “It was long before my lifetime. But my father, he was alive during the Thorn Wars. Do you know of them?”
“Yes. Grandmother used to tell me all kinds of stories. Fairytales, legends, even stories of times gone by.”
“Mm. Do you know the Tale of Breeton’s Bluff?” he asked, tightening his fist around his reins.
“Oh yes! Grandmother told me that one often.”
“I’d like to hear her version of the story. In brief, if you will.”
Sienna paused, letting her mind wander back. She could see her grandmother, a fiery redhead like herself, though her hair was streaked with gray and had turned almost white in the end. They’d sit by the fire together after a good dinner, and Sienna would listen. This tale had always been one of Sienna’s favorites. Perhaps, it should’ve been a warning that she’d fall for her own vampire one day.
“Well, I remember it was about a heroic vampire general named Soren who stood up against a pack of rogue vampires terrorizing the villages. Soren and his Legionnaires tracked them to the town of Breeton’s Bluff and defeated them, saving everyone. The lord’s daughter who lived in the mansion overlooking Breeton’s Bluff watched from on high and fell in love with the vampire general. The story ends with Soren sweeping her off her feet and carrying her away to marry her where they lived happily ever after.”
Nikolai heaved out a sigh. “That’s what I thought.”
“What do you mean?”
A twig snapped in the dark off to Sienna’s right. She jumped and scanned the woods, unable to make out what was walking close beside them.
“It’s all right,” assured Nikolai. “It’s just a deer. I can see him.” Then he veered back to their conversation. “General Soren was infected with sanguine furorem. The blood madness. He was the one who had gone rogue, ordering those men who had remained loyal to him to take whatever they wanted from the humans. So they went on a killing spree. When they got to Breeton’s Bluff, the royal Legionnaires killed most of his men and the rest surrendered. But the general had spotted the mansion on high. The lord’s daughter did indeed watch what was happening below. She was carried away by General Soren as the tale claims and was forced to marry him. He thought to tie himself to the daughter of an important human would save his life. Her father was the king’s most loyal human ambassador in the eastern provinces.”
Sienna’s stomach twisted into a knot, the fairytale unraveling into a warped reality. “So what happened to the daughter? To General Soren?”
“He held her captive in his fort, taking his husbandly privileges. My father says it was known he was trying to sire a child on her to save himself from imminent death. He’d gone utterly mad, the disease addling his mind. He was lucid enough apparently to never drink too long from his wife. He needed her alive.”
“My God. What a nightmare for her.” Sienna shivered. “Did she become with child?”
“Yes. She did indeed. When the soldiers finally arrived, she was full with child. General Soren demanded they could not kill him as he was the child’s father.”
“Why would that make a difference?” asked Sienna, confused.
“Vampire children are rare,” he said, his gaze shifting from the road to her, seeming to gauge her response. “Many vampires are incapable of having children at all. So when it happens, it is a precious gift. Even a half breed.”
“I see.” Sienna had a feeling the way he said this had a deeper purpose than the telling of the story. “But it could not save him from his crimes, I’m sure. What did the Legionnaires do?”
“They took him prisoner back to the Glass Tower where the king agreed he would not die. Instead, he and the rest of his rebellious army were sentenced to a bloodless sleep in the dungeons. My father said it was the worst kind of torture. Those that had lived through it and had awoken when their sentence was finished claimed they could hear everything that happened around them. But they could not move or speak or even open their eyes. It’s a form of induced paralysis for a vampire. They could last years, decades, even longer in such a state.”
“And what happened to General Soren? Did he ever awaken? How long was his sentence?”
“Father said he died, for he was never heard of again.” Nikolai glanced her way with a sad smile. “You see, we immortals are mortal after all.”
“I know,” she said with a reassuring smile. “But Nikolai, think of poor Mina. Paralyzed and captive in her own home. We must tell Arabelle.”
“I spoke with Friedrich. He’s already sent a courier with the news to her and Marius.”
“Good.”
“We’d best pick up the pace while we have the advantage of night,” he said with a subtle click of his tongue and kick of his heel.
Sienna loosened her reins, and Astrophel quickened her step, falling into a steady gallop alongside Ramiel. The four of them headed swiftly on down the path.
The wind gusted through the trees. The leaves rustled, and a layer of snow drifted in a swirl across the road, sparkling like faerie dust. The night was silent and lovely. The world seemed at peace. But Sienna felt the coming storm, whirling in her breast and building for the dark days ahead. For now, she would try to savor this time with Nikolai. Heaven only knew what fate had in store for them around the bend.