Ylenia brightened. "That'd be nice."
When she was gone, I started helping Mindy unpack again. I felt a little better, but she had gotten very quiet. She started moving her shoes from her suitcase to the floor of the wide, double-doored closet, which looked like it might not be big enough to hold them all.
I didn't say anything, either. I was preoccupied as I hung up a dress that looked perfect for a party we probably wouldn't have.
How worried am I about Lucius?
Where was he last night?
All of a sudden, Mindy interrupted my thoughts with a question I'd never thought to ask before. But when I heard it voiced, it really intrigued me.
"That Ylenia girl..." She said it almost offhandedly. "She's, like, a real vampire, right? Like, her teeth grow and she drinks blood? Just like you started doing after Lukey bit you."
I turned to look at her. "Yeah, I think so."
"Hmm..." Mindy knelt down to arrange her shoes more neatly. "I wonder who the heck bit her? "
Chapter 26
Lucius
To:
[email protected] From:
[email protected] Raniero—
I will forego expressing my dismay to learn that another young vampire defects to the beach. (Is this to be a trend? I know that we do not disintegrate in sunlight, but should there not be limits on exposure for beings who rule the dark side of the universe? Can one induce awe while reeking of coconut-scented lotions?) And I will also postpone the lecture about burritos—which is, as you predict, inevitable—to inform you that the news is true. Claudiu is destroyed.
I imagine this intelligence inspires in you the same conflicting emotions that I experience at losing an uncle who was without scruple and who tormented us both, often with a sneer of pleasure upon his lips—and yet who was so fiercely, proudly a Vladescu. Or perhaps you see nothing but his viciousness at this point in your own existence.
As for who committed the act ... that is yet undetermined, and a topic which I would much prefer to discuss face-to-face.
I imagine that you have little to pack, even for an extended stay, which should make your journey much easier on your muscles, if not your mind.
L
P.S. Melinda has arrived—and in quite dramatic fashion, as is her endearing way. Rest assured that of course I will protect her—although I reiterate that the job would be better done by a trouser-clad second-to-the-throne.
P. P.S. You will note that I chose not to even address your use of the word "dude," a course which I will continue to follow. It pains me enough to write the term once, here, without ever bringing it up again.
Chapter 27
Antanasia
LUCIUS PACED IN his study, hands locked behind his back and head bowed, no doubt mulling over everything we'd— he'd—just read aloud from all the old books that outlined who did what when a vampire got destroyed, because there were no official police for the undead.
Sitting on the leather couch, I followed his progress back and forth, counting every time he stepped on a dark mark on the Turkish carpet. A bloodstain, which no amount of scrubbing seemed capable of removing. It was as if Lucius's uncle Vasile—whom Lucius had destroyed on that spot—refused to leave us.
And then, just as he stepped right on that stain for the fifty-fourth time, Lucius turned to me, arched one of his dark eyebrows, and jolted me by suggesting the very question I couldn't quite figure out how to ask without making it seem like I doubted his innocence. Which I didn't.
"Do you not wish to ask where I was last night, Jessica?"
Chapter 28
Antanasia
"NO, LUCIUS," I promised him. "I don't need to ask."
He smiled and came over to sit next to me. I moved to make room for him, but he grabbed my hand, trapping me at his side. "That is interesting, because I've seen the question in your eyes for at least an hour."
I flushed. "Lucius, no!'
"It is all right," he reassured me. "Like the others, you saw me threaten Claudiu. And unlike the others, who will be suspicious based only upon that, you came to this office late and found me gone."
I felt my eyes get wide. "How did you know that?"
Lucius smiled again. "I do not track you in secret, Jessica. When I came to bed and dismissed him, Emilian merely mentioned that you had sought me here and found me missing." He grew serious. "And you did not even feel me shift you in the bed, so I imagine you have no idea when I joined you."
"Yeah ... Yes, I slept hard last night." After seeing another stake on the bed. That awful feeling of premonition came creeping back, and I tried hard to dismiss it.
But it didn't help when Lucius added, "The fact that I have destroyed before..." His gaze flicked to the stain on the carpet. "Including another of my uncles, an act for which I was tried ... I am certain that none of those things helps to quell anyone's suspicions about my actions last night."
"So where were you?" I asked. "Not because I don't trust you. But if the Elders are going to ask questions, I should know."
Lucius squeezed my hand. "Are you certain that you trust me?" His eyes clouded. "Because I did warn you, in this very room, that I would always be a vampire prince, and always treacherous. I am certain that is the exact word I used, for I remember that night more vividly than any other, as it was the worst—and best—of my existence so far."
I stared into Lucius's incredibly dark eyes, where I'd seen even darker aspects of his heart reflected. I knew that he was capable of things that made me shiver both in good and bad ways. He was definitely capable of destroying another vampire, and wouldn't hesitate to do it...
He didn't even blink, allowing me to search his soul.
But Lucius would only destroy another vampire if doing so was unavoidable, just, and legal according to the code that he hopes to better establish in our kingdom.
"I trust you, Lucius," I told him. "No matter where you were last night, I know you didn't destroy Claudiu."
There were a lot more things we should have talked about before going to meet with the Elders, but I forgot them all—including Ylenia's suggestion about calling for a show of stakes—when Lucius leaned forward and kissed me, saying, "Thank you for your faith, Jessica. I fear it may be the only trust I possess now, and I will need it in the days to come."
"Mindy believes in you, too," I told him. It sounded silly when I said it, because really, what did her support mean? She wasn't even a vampire, let alone an Elder.
But Lucius had always liked Min, and he seemed grateful. "She has a good heart." He smiled wryly. "Perhaps she can speak on my behalf, if I ever need what you Americans call a character witness. I'm sure she would assure the Elders that I 'rock'—although they'd have no idea what that meant."
"Oh, Lucius..." I was laughing, but also gripped with fear at the reminder of a possible trial, and I leaned closer and kissed him.
We stopped talking then, but it was like we were still speaking as we continued to kiss, tenderly but deeply. Every few seconds, we would pull back to see each other's eyes, and I got so wrapped up in his arms, and so lost in the feel of his lips against mine and our silent but intense communication, that it was days before I realized he never did tell me where he'd been that night.
And by then it was too late to ask him anything.
Chapter 29
Antanasia
"AND SO IT is agreed that we will inter Claudiu five days from today?" Lucius asked the Elders. He closed the leather-bound planner that he used in meetings because the laptop he'd tried to bring once had unnerved some of the older vampires who'd been around for papyrus and inkwells. "We are in accord on this?"
"Yes, yes." The murmur of assent went around the table, and gray heads nodded.
I let out my breath, and it felt like I'd been holding it for hours. I hadn't even realized how tense I was until the meeting started to look like it was wrapping up without incident. Maybe without Claudiu, the Elders were less likely to make trouble.
; I looked at Lucius.
Or were they terrified that what had happened to Claudiu would happen to them if they dissented? There was definitely a quiet sense of distrust in that room.
"I thank all of you for coming on such short notice," Lucius added. "Antanasia and I will keep you informed as we determine the next steps in the inquiry into this crime."
My breathing got steadier, and I managed a shaky smile at Dorin, who seemed to share my relief, no doubt because Lucius hadn't put him on the spot. Or maybe he was just happy that nobody else had gotten murdered. The whole agenda had revolved around reassuring the Elders that we would conduct a thorough investigation and deciding when to bury Claudiu, because we had to leave time for word about his destruction to spread all the way through the global rumor mill, since there was no newspaper, let alone CNN or a website, for the undead.
Lucius sat back and began to say, "We are adjourned."
But of course my relief had been premature.
"What, exactly, will this 'inquiry' entail?" Flaviu Vladescu asked. "And who, precisely, will conduct it?"
Oh, no.
I shifted to look at Flaviu and my heart sank. He had always been overshadowed by his older brother, Claudiu, but it was clear that now it was Flaviu's turn to step up, just like Claudiu had risen in power after Vasile's death. Already the bony, beak-nosed vampire sat a little straighter, and he drummed his thin, knobby fingers on the table like his brother used to do. And Vasile before him.
I had a flash of suspicion. Is there a chance Flaviu had something to do with Claudius destruction? I looked at the younger vampire savoring his new status while trying to appear grief-stricken, and it seemed possible.
"As you undoubtedly know, our laws regarding punishment are extensive," Lucius reminded his uncle. "But investigation has been virtually ignored. Suspicion alone has been enough to unleash mobs to dispense 'justice.'" He looked at me. "Antanasia and I wish to establish a more modern, empirical protocol. We ask only for time to discuss what should occur next so we can put this to your vote."
Although I hated drawing attention to myself, I nodded to support that plan. We definitely agreed that vampire justice placed too much emphasis on getting revenge and moving suspects to trial—and the stake—as quickly as possible. And the closest thing to police were vampires who sounded more like bounty hunters, chosen for their especially ruthless natures.
"Rest assured that Claudiu's destruction will not go unanswered," Lucius added.
But Flaviu didn't seem reassured. He seemed angry, and looked around the table for support. "Are none of you brave enough to speak what we are all thinking? Which is that the one who claims to believe in 'law' was the last seen quarreling—"
I felt my fear bubbling up inside me and struggled to keep it under control. This is how it started yesterday.
"Be careful if you are about to make accusations," Lucius interrupted, with a sharp, warning look at his uncle. "This is not the time or the place. I promise you, we will determine who committed this act."
"How?" Flaviu pressed for details. "What does this 'empirical' process entail?"
Although Lucius was opening his mouth to answer, we didn't have a process yet, and I imagined the whole situation sliding out of control, just like it had with Claudiu. That was probably why, although I'd hardly spoken a word during any of my meetings with the Elders, I blurted out, "The first thing we intend to do is call upon each Elder to produce his stake."
Flaviu seemed shocked to hear me pipe up, but he whipped around and asked, very quickly, "When, Antanasia?"
I hadn't considered that, but I had to say something. And it was probably the sooner the better. "Tomorrow. We'll meet here at the same time."
There was dead silence at the table. I thought they were all stunned that I'd finally announced anything.
Then, all of a sudden, instead of dismissing me—or laughing even, like I half expected—I heard murmurs of approval and saw heads nodding.
In spite of the awful circumstances, I felt a rush of relief that bordered on pride.
I'd finally done something right, as a princess, and I looked at Lucius for his endorsement. But when I met his eyes, I realized that he didn't think my suggestion was so great. And although he publicly supported me, saying, "We shall do this as Antanasia decrees, and meet tomorrow at dusk," I knew from the way he rubbed his jaw before adding, again, "Meeting adjourned," that I'd really messed up this time.
I just couldn't figure out how, because it seemed like my—well, Ylenia's—plan to determine who had destroyed Claudiu was pretty foolproof.
Chapter 30
Lucius
To:
[email protected] From:
[email protected] R—
My apologies for my brusque tone and even more terse command: If you have not already departed for Romania, as I suspect, because you ARE a noble Vladescu, your presence at the estate is required now.
L
P.S. There is no need to pack any of your jew belongings. My tailor is preparing a suit for you to wear to the interment, where you may be called upon to serve as my surrogate—the funereal equivalent of a best man—as there is a strong possibility that attendance on my part will be impossible.
Chapter 31
Mindy
"THANKS FOR BRINGING these," Jess said, real quiet. Her head was hanging down, and she picked at the icing on her favorite butterscotch krimpets. "I get really hungry here sometimes."
I reached across the big mattress where we were sitting cross-legged, like we used to sit on Jess's bed back in Pennsylvania, and grabbed another pack of chocolate juniors. "How can you get hungry here? Don't the servants get you anything you want?"
Jess looked up and her eyes were red and tired. "I don't know how to talk to the cook. So sometimes if Lucius isn't around, I just don't eat. It's easier."
I looked at her like she was crazy. "Jess, you gotta eat!" She was down to like a size six. Maybe four—which was way too skinny for her.
"I know." But she still picked at the icing.
I watched her for a sec, then asked, "You're not still upset about that meeting, are you?"
"You didn't see Lucius's face when I called for a show of stakes," she said again. "And then, when everyone was gone, he acted all distant and said, 'We need to talk later.'" She looked up at me with miserable eyes. "It's never good when a guy says, 'We need to talk.'"
Yeah, that was true—when girls said it, too. I'd said that every time I broke up with Raniero. But Jess and Lukey weren't gonna break up.
She pushed away the krimpets and gave a big sigh. "I don't know what I did wrong."
You listened to that cousin of yours. That's what you did wrong. I wanted to say that, but I didn't. I just watched my best friend, who I'd known since we were little kids, thinking that even though we'd never been popular, she'd always had a lot of confidence. It was weird how being a princess and having a husband that most girls would kill for was sucking all that away.
Seriously, where was the girl who had put on a hot black dress and marched into the winter formal and stole Lucius Vladescu away from the world's most evil cheerleader?
"I'm failing at this." She dug her hands into her curls. "The whole thing. It's so frustrating."
"Jess, unlike yours truly, you've never even failed a quiz," I reminded her. "You're gonna be an awesome princess. You just need a little time."
"I don't have any time," she said. "That's the problem."
I reached out and shook her too-bony knee. "Jess..."
"I'm sorry to dump all this on you, Mindy," she added. "But I'm really struggling." Then she got this weird expression on her face and asked, much softer, "Would you believe me if I told you that I've started seeing things sometimes?"
I stopped licking chocolate off my fingers. "What?"
"I think I'm hallucinating. From the stress."
I dropped my Tastykake and got crumbs on the velvet blanket. "Um ... what are you seeing?"
&nbs
p; Jess watched me, like she wanted to see my reaction when she said, "A stake. I see a stake. And I swear it's REAL. I didn't think much about it, at first, but..."
Wow. I was not a psychiatrist, but I did believe in visions and dreams. "Whaddya think it means?"
"Nothing, except that I'm exhausted." She tried to laugh it off. "But Lucius says—at least, I think he said—that dreaming of a stake means... betrayal."
"Betrayal..." I didn't know Jess's vampire circle too well, but I understood people—undead or not—and right away a bunch of faces came to mind. But I didn't get a chance to name names, 'cause somebody knocked on the door, and Lukey came in without even bothering to check if we were decent. He probably had other stuff on his mind.
"I apologize for interrupting your reunion, Melinda Sue." He came over to the bed and held out his hand. "But it is getting very late, and I need my wife." He arched an eyebrow at Jess, just like Raniero used to do to me. It was, like, their Vladescu thing. The one way Lucius and Ronnie were actually alike. "If you are ready?"
Jess untwisted her legs and shot me a look like, Here we go! But she told Lukey, "Yeah ... yes, I'm ready."
Then he helped her off the bed, and when she stood up, he closed his eyes and bent down and kissed the top of her head, and it was like the sweetest thing I'd ever seen. I mean, it had been intense when they got married. There were sparks flying everywhere. But when he did that ... it was the most romantic thing ever. Then he opened his eyes and told me, just like Jess had, "I feel certain that you are completely safe, Melinda. Whatever is happening here, it has nothing to do with you. But I will leave Antanasia's guard, Emilian, at your door." He looked down at Jess. "Because you will be safe with me."