"Then why has he been sniffing around you?" Francesca asked coldly.
"Because maybe he likes me?"
"Or he was trying to use you to get to Prince Velkan," Raluca said. "That has been my theory. It is why the prince made sure that all mentions of you and your mother were purged from historical records. He didn"t want anyone to learn that Vlad Dracula had a daughter, and most especially he didn"t want them to know that you had married him. He knew that the order would pursue you to the ends of the earth if they ever learned of your existence."
"It makes sense," Andrei added. "The Corvinuses and the Danestis have a long history of bad blood between them."
Still Retta discounted their argument. "This is not the Middle Ages, people. In case you haven"t noticed, the wars are over."
"No," Andrei said, glancing past her, toward the door. "I think the war is only beginning."
Frowning at his dire tone, she turned her head to see what had his attention.
Her heart stopped beating as she saw the tall figure dressed in black armor, complete with helm and heraldry.
It was Velkan"s.
And he was heading straight for her.
Chapter Three.
Retta couldn"t so much as draw a breath as Raluca opened the door and Velkan swaggered in. At six foot four, he"d seemed like a giant to her when she"d been human. And again, she remembered the first time she"d seen him. Blood had coated that black armor. The blood of those out to rape and kill her. She could still recall the sound of steel sc.r.a.ping steel as he moved. The sight of his dexterity even though every inch of his body had been covered by armor.
More than that, she remembered the beauty of his face... the tenderness of his callused hands as they caressed her bare skin. The way he"d held her as if she were unspeakably precious, as if he feared she would shatter in his arms and leave him alone again.
Those memories surged and buried all the anger and hatred she"d nursed against him. There for a moment, she wanted to go back to the beginning of their marriage. Back to the days when she had lived and died for this man. When she had trusted him without question.
He had been her entire world.
She"d known this moment would come, and in her mind she"d practiced a thousand things to say to him.
A thousand and then some.
But every one of them fled her memory as he approached her and some foreign part wanted to embrace him after all these
centuries. She wanted to rush into his arms and just feel him hold her again.
She"d expected him to curse her or kiss her. To stare at her as if he couldn"t believe she was here. To try to strangle her.
Something. Anything. But in all her imagined scenarios nothing had come close to what he did next.
He walked right past her as if he didn"t know her and seized Francesca in a fierce hug before he danced around the room with
her.
Baffled, Retta put her hands on her hips as a wave of rage whipped through her body. How dare he grab another woman and
not even acknowledge her! She opened her mouth to speak only to be hushed as the knight started laughing in a tone that was nothing like Velkan"s. It was light and almost boyish.
"Oh, my little sister! It"s been far too long since I last saw you. How have you been?"
"Viktor," Raluca said with a laugh. "Put Francesca down before you bruise her."
Francesca pulled the bird-shaped helm from his head, exposing his laughing features, as opposed to Velkan"s serious
countenance. With brown hair and teasing blue eyes, Viktor quickly complied with his mother"s orders and set Francesca back
on her feet. Laughing, she hugged him close while Retta let out a long breath.
That had been close. Too close in fact and it made her realize that she didn"t want to meet Velkan on his terms. She needed to make sure that she had control of their first meeting. That her emotions and body didn"t betray her again.
"It"s so good to see you," Francesca laughed at her brother. "I"ve missed you so much."
And those words tugged at Retta"s heart as she saw the affection her best friend shared with her family. Retta"s own brothers had died hundreds of years ago, as had their entire lineage. There was no joyous homecoming for her. No parents.
No husband.
Nothing.
That hurt most of all.
Viktor paused as he realized that they weren"t alone. "Princess Esperetta?"
"Yes," Raluca answered for her.
Panic flickered in his blue eyes. "We must get her out of here before the prince sees her."
Finally someone who actually saw reason.
Raluca waved his words away. "He won"t come here this early."
Viktor shook his head in denial. "She can stay the night, but come the morrow, she needs to leave before he learns that she is here."
Francesca argued with him, "I brought her here for protection. She must stay."
"No," Retta said, growing tired of the way they spoke about her like she was a lost puppy who was out in the garage. "I came here because Velkan is planning on putting my father"s remains on display."
They exchanged a puzzled frown as Francesca turned a bit sheepish.
Absolute rage tore through Retta"s entire being. "Don"t tell me you lied."
Francesca cringed. "Only a little. I knew if I told you that, that it was the one thing that would get you to leave Chicago."
In all her life, Retta had never been more livid. "Unbelievable! Un-friggin"-believable. How could you do such a thing?"
Francesca was completely unrepentant. "I did it to protect you."
Retta held her hand up as pure disgust filled her. "Thanks, Frankie. It"s not like I have a life as well as clients who need me."
"You can"t have clients if you"re dead. Besides, Trish is handling them. They won"t even miss you."
"Save me the bulls.h.i.t." She looked at Viktor. "Get me a cab and I"m out of here. Right now."
He started for the counter.
"Viktor," Raluca said in a thick, drawn-out accent. "Touch that phone and you will regret it for the rest of your existence."
He arched both brows as he froze in place. "But Mother... the prince will-"
"I will deal with the prince. You need to prepare yourself for the tour. Now go."
Retta could tell he wanted to argue but didn"t dare. Instead, he cast a sullen look her way before he complied with his mother"s
orders.
"Where is Velkan?" Retta asked Raluca.
"Not to be flippant, Princess, but he is wherever it is he wishes to be."
"You won"t tell me?"
Raluca hesitated before she answered. "I will not allow you to blindside him in his home after all he has suffered for you,
Princess. I know of your feelings toward him from my daughter."
"And still you side with him?"
Raluca"s gaze went toward the blunted spike tip on the wall. "I will protect His Highness with every breath I hold in my body.
But for him, I would have been impaled, too." And with those words spoken, she turned around and left Retta alone with Francesca and Andrei.
Retta gave Andrei an expectant look.
"He will be in the b.l.o.o.d.y Dungeon later."