“I’m just trying to understand.” Sasha paced around the cell. Radu enjoyed his youthful energy. He had a lot of spunk and fire. That impressed the old vampire. He couldn’t help hoping the young monk would stay with them on their travels.“You sent the other witches away?” Sasha shook his head, looking at Radu in complete bewilderment. “Are you crazy?”

“I guess,” Radu laughed as he thought about that question. It wasn’t too far off the mark. The other witches had offered the vampire the blood he needed. They were willing, and they came of their own free will. The situation was ideal.

“Can you explain it? Will you explain it?” Radu noticed Sasha was completely unafraid to stand in front of him, his arms crossed over his chest, staring him in the eye. It was a vast difference from the first time they had met. Sasha had respect for him now.

“Have you ever had a moment?” Radu said, mystically.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Sasha sounded suspicious and curious at the same time.

“I remember a night, it was likely 500 years ago now,” Radu lay back on his ledge and put his hands behind his head. “The snow was falling lightly, and it twinkled as it caught the light from the castle windows. I was standing in the middle of the courtyard, and there was a banquet going on inside. I heard a door open, and I turned as the noise of the party seeped out.

“She was standing there,” Radu looked up to the portrait of Nevasta. “She was standing there in the doorway. There was a torch on either side of her. She was wearing a black dress, and a white fur. Her eyes were catching the fire light, and her dark curls were spilling off her shoulders—“

“Got it,” Sasha was shaking his head. “She looked good.”

“You don’t understand, because she didn’t just look good, she looked magical. In that moment there was only the two of us, and nothing else mattered. We lived inside a snow globe, and the only thing that mattered was that moment.

“Every now and again I can still go back and live in that moment. I can close my eyes, and there I am standing in that courtyard, and I turn, and there she is. She looks radiant and she is looking at me. It is more than beauty.”

“I understand, Radu. You must have cared deeply for her. It is obvious.” Sasha stood, loosening his stance and listening to the old vampire.

“I had a moment with Carrie,” Radu explained to the monk. The young man had cut himself off from this very essential part of the human experience and it pained Radu to know that Sasha would never have a moment. “When you brought her into the room, I saw her, and something just went off inside of me. I knew that she was special. You can’t expect me to accept blood from these other witches, not once I tasted hers.”

“You do seem different tonight,” Sasha admitted. “A little more alive, I guess.”

“Poor Sasha, that is the one thing I can never be,” Radu teased as he walked with the monk out to the monastery. He could already feel Carrie getting closer to him. She was heading back at that very moment and Radu couldn’t wait to see her again.

“What if she doesn’t want to feed you?” Sasha asked. “You will eat from the others then, right?”

“I have tasted her,” Radu laughed as he clapped Sasha on the back. “I will accept no substitute.”

In the monastery the witches were all standing around the altar. They were taking in the beautiful stonework. The extraordinary beauty of it still amazed Radu after 235 years of living in the monastery. The person who carved the altar had been a true master.

“How did they do this?” Sasha asked when he entered. Radu knew he had been in the place plenty of times. But Sasha also knew that Radu was much more knowledgeable than he was.

“The knowledge has been lost unfortunately,” Radu said, making his presence known to the witches. He could see that Helga was in his monastery, but he was not going to engage her. Radu was focused on Carrie, and only Carrie. If that meant dealing with Helga, so be it.

Carrie was wearing a black jacket and jeans, with a blue backpack slung over her shoulders. Her hair was resting on the top of the backpack. Radu was memorizing every detail. Her chin was tilted up as she took in the decorative flourishes surrounding a giant, wooden cross on the wall behind the altar. The monks had lit a few of the candles, and they were sparkling in her eyes.

“What do you mean?” the blonde witch asked as she ran a finger along the stone. He had met the other two witches the night before, but they hadn’t mentioned their names.

“The masons who cut this church out of the rock jealously guarded their craft. It had been passed from father to son for generations, but then things changed. Sons stopped following their fathers, they found their own professions. The fathers stopped passing on the skills, and the knowledge. The new stone masons know how to place a stone, but they don’t know how to bring it to life.”

“That was beautiful,” a dark-haired witch said as she breathed in the wonder and majesty of the monastery. Radu was feeding off of their energy; he loved to see them enjoying the beautiful stonework. He looked over at Carrie, and even though she was trying to hide her amazement, he could tell that she was impressed.

“So, you need my blood,” Carrie said when she noticed that Radu was looking at her.

“I didn’t say anything about that,” the vampire smiled. “I thought we were enjoying the artwork. I actually had this commissioned. The original monastery burnt down and during my first reign I ordered the monks to build this wondrous church. I had three built in total, but this is the only one to be cut out of the rock.”

“It’s been a long time, Radu,” Helga said.

“I enjoyed the time,” Radu smirked as he let the words hang in the air for a second. “I only wish it had been longer.”

Helga nodded, and walked about ten feet away from where she had been standing. Out of the corner of his eye, Radu could see Carrie smiling. She seemed to enjoy the insult as much as the vampire had enjoyed delivering it.

“Can we talk?” Radu asked as he offered his arm to Carrie. He was so relieved when she took his arm, and he tried in vain to keep the smile off his face.

“This doesn’t mean what you think it means,” Carrie said as they started to walk down the tunnel that led to his chambers. “I need to talk to you about the book, and about getting your strength back. That is it.”

“Absolutely,” Radu smiled and patted her hand. Carrie rolled her eyes at Radu, but his smile didn’t fade. He had Carrie on his arm and that was all that mattered. “I need to talk to you about the book as well.”

They got to the cell and Radu walked past the doorway and headed down the earthen corridor. “Where are we going?” Carrie tensed on Radu’s arm and for a moment he thought she was going to stop, but she kept walking with him.

“I am going to show you something,” Radu said as he pushed a protruding rock on the wall. “We may need to use this, and I may be dead by that point.” The rock was a leveler that opened a doorway. “This tunnel leads to the other side of the mountain. It is the only way out if we get stuck down here.”

“Why would we get stuck down here?” Carrie seemed a little freaked out. Radu didn’t want to say anything to upset her, but he had a suspicion that he couldn’t not tell her about.

“Solomon is in Jgheaburi,” Radu frowned as he let the words pass out of his mouth. He wasn’t excited to relay this news. “He sent a few people to test me, but he hasn’t attacked. He is letting you and your friends pass in and out of the monastery without trying to stop you. He knows as much about magical blood as anyone.”

“It’s a trap,” Carrie gasped as she put the pieces together.

“Helga may not be in on it,” Radu admitted. “There’s a slight chance that she didn’t set this up, but there’s no chance she doesn't see what’s going on. She knows that something is wrong. Your coven shouldn’t have made it into town.”

“We found the open road,” Carrie was analyzing the words as they came out of her mouth, hearing the problems as the words flowed.

“Who found the path?” Radu knew the answer before he asked the question. The look on Carrie’s face only further confirmed the information. “I want to help you. I want to get the book to safety, but Helga is definitely going to turn you and the book over to Solomon.”

“Why?”

“Solomon serves his dark master, and Helga serves him,” Radu said as he looked Carrie in the eye. “Do you have the strength to run with the book if you need to?”

“It’s loaded in my backpack,” Carrie huffed as she tried to get as much air into her body as she could. Radu put his hands on Carrie’s shoulders. “I’ll be okay.”

“I know you will,” Radu said as he hit the leveler again and the wall of the tunnel moved back into place. “I don’t know how much time we have, but I need you to know that I will do everything in my power to protect you and your friends.”

“I know,” Carrie said. He could tell by the look on her face that she meant every word she said. Radu was watching her intently as they walked back into the cell. She was making up her mind. He couldn’t read it, but he could see the wheels spinning.

Carrie walked into the room and sat down on the rock ledge. She looked Radu in the eyes. The old vampire had stopped in the doorway. He wanted to remember this moment forever. He could already see the answer to the questions she was asking herself, it was right there in her sea blue eyes.

“I need you to feed off me,” Carrie said as she moved the hair off of her neck. Radu smiled and walked across the room to the ledge. “Do it before I change my mind.”

Radu didn’t say a word. He walked over to Carrie and looked her in the eyes. She was filled with nervous energy. He could feel her skin starting to sprout goose bumps. The tiny white hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end. Her skin was alive with anticipation.

Radu twisted his head to the side and let his teeth glide up her neck. Carrie shuddered, and as the tingling shake took over her body, the vampire bit down. Carrie gasped, it sounded more like a moan of pleasure than pain.

“Oo, that surprised me,” Carrie whispered.

Radu let a hand drop to her thigh. He was standing right in front of her, and Carrie let her thighs open. The vampire took a step closer as he continued to draw blood through her neck. Radu could feel the connection running between them, he could smell the endorphins being released as their bodies pressed together.

Radu pulled his teeth out and his head went back as he let the blood drain off of his teeth. He didn’t want to waste a drop of the precious blood. Carrie was resting her head against his chest. Radu could feel her heart beating, and her breathing was calming him. Radu was worried about Carrie and her friends.

He sat up on the ledge with Carrie and put his arm around her. He could feel a shift in her soul. He was winning her over. As her trust in him built, her trust in Helga faded away. It felt like a major step for them. Radu sat beside Carrie and drank in the moment, trying to enjoy it as much as he could.

“Katrina was the one who set it up,” Carrie said, breaking the silence. The name came out as if she was expecting a reaction from Radu. Radu held in a grin. She wanted to know who he’d fed on before her. It was cute. She was jealous already.

“She was one of my girls,” Radu reflected fondly on their meeting. “She asked me to keep her memory intact. She knew that no one would believe the stories that I told her, but she wanted to remember our time together. She was the one who came to check on me after Brother Vladimir disappeared. I treasure her as a friend.”

“I think I almost killed her yesterday,” Carrie admitted as she looked over at Radu. “What am I even doing right now? I’m not the girl that you want me to be. You seem to think I am. But what makes you say that? I simply can’t believe it.” She wanted to believe it. She wanted it with everything inside her. But it just seemed so… so… unfathomable.

“I can guarantee that you are,” Radu assured the young witch. “I am not expecting you to be anything that you’re not, and I don’t want you to think that I have any great expectations.”

“I am not a romantic,” Carrie stated emphatically. “I am just not going to be that person who endangers the world to have the man she loves.”

“I will never ask that of you,” Radu promised, his voice dropping to a deep, sultry tone. “I just want you to be you. That is enough for me.”

They were about to kiss. Their eyes locked. Carrie had licked her lips. Radu was moving closer, his breath coming and going quickly. Suddenly, screaming filled the halls, causing both of them to turn their heads sharply in the direction of the sound. Carrie’s eyes filled with panic, but Radu held her tight. “There’s nothing we can do for them, we need to get the book out of here.”