CHAPTER SEVEN
Kate’s gown was a sexy, off-the-shoulder, blood-red silk taffeta, complemented by matching slippers. It showed a generous amount of cleavage, as did all of our gowns, our motto being: “Don’t hide your blessings.” We had Sarah put Kate’s hair up in a style similar to ours. Rubies and diamonds at her neck and ears completed her outfit. We all had on the gowns we had agreed on days before, and with Kate’s hair finished, we had to admit, if there were any five girls more fetching than us, well, there couldn’t be anyone more fetching than the five of us.
“Stunning,” Sarah confirmed. “Jaws will be dropping, that’s for sure, and I bet the brothers are going to have to fight off a lot of competitors tonight. You’d better go, girls; it’s time for you to meet your fathers, so they can escort you to dinner. Does everyone have a handkerchief?”
“Yes,” we all chimed, pulling them out and waving them in the air.
“Just checking. Put them back up your sleeves and be off. Go, go on,” she shooed us out the door. The girls went to find their fathers, and Katherine and I went to find ours.
Cedrik had joined Thomas to be our Watchers until we were delivered to dinner. Then they would be off duty.
“Cedrik,” I said, “this is my sister Katherine.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Katherine.”
“Likewise, but please call me Kate.”
Father was pacing when we arrived. Gunter was joined by Avery, who was to be Mother’s new Watcher. We introduced him to Katherine and entered the apartment.
“How many more brothers are there?” Kate asked.
“Two, and not a bad one in the bunch,” I laughed.
Father smiled. “You two look stunning, absolutely stunning. Will the two of you please see if you can rush your mother along? It’s getting late.”
“No need Fredrik, I’m ready,” we heard her say as she came into the room.
Now it was our turn to gasp. Her hair was up in ringlets; her dress was the color of a blush pearl, with iridescent crystals edging the sweetheart neckline. Sleeves, puffed at the shoulders, ended slightly past her wrist, also edged in the same crystal detail. The dress was corseted in the back and featured a full pleated skirt that flowed to the floor.
“I don’t have words, Elizabeth; there aren’t any that could do you justice,” Father was actually flushing.
“You’re so beautiful, Mother, really,” I was awed.
“As always,” added Kate.
“You girls are ravishing. The young men don’t stand a chance, nor do any girls who try to compete with you,” It was obvious how proud Mother was.
“I’m just the luckiest man on earth,” sighed Father.
Smiling, he offered his arm to Mother and we left for dinner. As we crossed the courtyard, we could see all the others making their way to the dining room as well, the beautifully gowned women and dapper gentlemen talking and laughing as they entered the hall.
Dinner was wonderful. Candlelight danced across the walls like fairies fluttering in mid-air. Everyone looked splendid, and with all the business of the council now complete, the mood was light and happy. Much to my surprise Mother was welcomed graciously, and several times I noticed the adoring looks being exchanged between Father and her. The significance of those looks so excited me, I could hardly sit still.
Finally Father rose, and invited everyone to the ballroom, which was across the hall and down the stairs. We led the way, with Father and Mother gliding down the stairway arm in arm; we followed, wishing they would hurry. As we continued down, my eye caught sight of a very handsome group of gentlemen standing around the foot of the stairs, three on one side and three on the other. Having never seen the Voss brothers dressed in tie and tails before, I was stunned at how handsome they all were. There was not a man alive, here or anywhere else that was a match for any one of our escorts. And of course I had my eye on one of them in particular.
Kate squeezed my hand and whispered, “Easy Kat, you can’t kiss him right here.”
Finally we reached the bottom of the stairs. When Quinn smiled at me and offered his arm, I thought I would melt.
“You’re gorgeous, Kat.”
“You’re pretty gorgeous yourself,” I replied to him.
Cedrik escorted Kate over to sit down and we followed. Thomas would be spending the evening with El, of course; the other girls were working at keeping Avery, Simon, and Gregor guessing, but they could have any of the girls attending tonight. We danced the night away. Of our group I was the only one not surprised our Watchers knew how to dance, since while I was growing up they had taken turns teaching me. But I didn’t care about the rest of them; I could have spent the rest of my days in Quinn’s arms, looking into his beautiful blue eyes.
“Would you like to go out to the veranda?” he asked softly.
“I’d love to.”
“I would follow him anywhere,” I thought. It was a perfect spring night, with crisp air and a clear sky filled with thousands of twinkling stars. We walked to the edge of the building, our arms around each other’s waists. I leaned my head on his shoulder and sighed; the night had been perfect and I didn’t want it to end.
“So how are you coping with all the sudden changes in your life?” he asked as he ran his finger down my neck and across my bare shoulder, sending chills down my spine.
“Well it’s been only a day, but I think it’s going to be fine. I’m sure we’ll have times where we won’t be happy with one another - all families have such days - but after the initial shock wore off and Father explained what had happened, I couldn’t be upset. I’ve vowed to find a way to make this work, and look at the two them – they seem so happy. Looking back, it seems for all these years he must have been terribly lonesome; he must have missed her desperately. I know if you went away—”
“Shhh,” he touched my lips with his finger. Then slowly, he bent down and kissed me. I didn’t want that kiss ever to end, but when it did he whispered, “I’m not going anywhere.”
Kate called out, “Hey, you two,”
She was arm in arm with Gregor this time, and they were followed by El and Thomas, Rosa and Simon, and Letta and Avery. Cedrik was still inside, basking in the attentions of several young ladies, we were told.
“Look at all of us! I went from having no sisters to having four; and I will have to say, my brothers have never looked so good.”
Just then Cedrik came around the corner with a waiter in tow. The waiter was carefully carrying a tray full of champagne glasses filled almost to the top. We each took one.
“To what shall we toast?” Cedrik asked.
“To us,” I raised my glass. “The family I always wanted.”
“Hear, hear!” they all joined in as we clicked our glasses together.
Later, when we’d left the ball, the laughter rang out as we cavorted across the square in a group. Earlier in the evening we’d informed our parents Katherine would be moving in with us, and we had her with us as we made our way back to our quarters. Quinn and I entered the courtyard first, and when we turned we laughed to see that the procession of brothers and sisters seemed to go on for blocks.
“What’s so funny?” El asked.
“It’s just we look a little like a parade,” I turned and pointed
When she turned to see what I meant, she laughed too. We lingered for a moment while the rest paraded on, seeming at this moment, in a more serious mood now the evening was at its end. I wanted to sneak Quinn into my room, but knew that was a bad idea…wasn’t it? Yes, it was, I decided.
“I had a wonderful time, even though these suits are really uncomfortable.” Quinn pulled at his collar.
“Oh? And these dresses aren’t?” I indicated my corseted waist.
“At least you’re somewhat used to it.”
“Well, you wouldn’t know it, but all of you had every lady in attendance tonight drooling.”
“And you, my dear, are so funny. You can’t be totally unaware that men can’t take their eyes off
you; not just tonight, but wherever you go? You never seem to notice.”
“Well, I don’t know about that. All I care about is how you look at me, and where you look.”
“Just look?” he laughed.
“You’re right. I want far more from you than a look.”
We kissed again. I wanted so much more, but there would be plenty of time, I thought.
“Break it up, you two,” Thomas said, “We all have to be up early to train, and everyone has to work especially hard to impress your fathers.”
“Yes, sir,” I gave him a mock salute.
“I’m serious, and you’d better be, too,” he said, his brow furrowed in a deep frown.
“Oh, Thomas, you know how serious I am with my training, and you can expect the same from everyone else. I think we’ve found out this past week how important our training is. We have to be able to act on instinct at any moment. They all assured me they want to do just that, and I wouldn’t have asked Father to let them stay if I didn’t believe them.”
“True. How about your sister? Do you have any idea if she has any experience with weapons, riding or any kind of self defense?”
“No, but I’ll ask her when I get back. She is my twin after all, and if nothing else, you can bet she’s a fast learner. Did you send someone for her trunks, Thomas?”
“Sarah was way ahead of you, as usual. Katherine’s all settled in, including any additional supplies Sarah thought she might need.”
“I don’t know why I even bother to open my mouth. Sarah always seems to read my mind.”
“Well, let’s get you back so you can get some rest,” Quinn gave me a squeeze. “You must be ready right after sunrise.”
“Very well,” I pouted.
Quinn walked me to my door, gave me a quick kiss, opened the door, and wished me goodnight.
From inside we heard a chorus of four voices, crooning, “Goodnight, Quinn.”
I leaned against the door for a moment and sighed, “That was great.”
Everyone was in agreement.
“You were right Kat, there’s not a bad one in the bunch. Those brothers are amazing,” Kate said.
“Absolutely delicious,” El made a show of licking her lips while looking straight at me. “You know what I mean, right Kat?”
“What do you two know, we don’t?” Letta asked.
“You two have been getting personal attention at snack time, haven’t you?” Rosa said making the connection. “It’s always the quiet ones, isn’t it?”
“Is that true, Katrina?” Katherine said, her eyes widening.
“It’s true,” confirmed Eleanor, “Thomas told me he suspected, because he saw cuts on Quinn’s wrist and Quinn told him it was necessary.”
“Oh, please,” Rosa groaned.
“It was, Rosa. The first time I nearly went dormant from a lack of blood, and then after I fainted yesterday.” I defended.
“Very well, I’ll allow you that one, but that’s not why you’ll do it next time,” Rosa said.
“What do you mean?” Letta asked.
“Because it’s as good as having sex, that’s why.”
“Katherine!” we all exclaimed.
“It’s true, and I’ll bet you’ve compared the two. Am I right Rosa?”
Rosa nodded. “She’s right.”
“So, I’m the only one here who’s never fed directly from a human?” Letta frowned.
Kate laughed, “I guess so, but the way you were looking at Avery and the way he was looking at you, I doubt it will be long.”
“Well, I don’t have anything to compare it to, not that I wouldn’t like to, but it was amazing and that’s exactly what I was thinking when I was drinking Quinn’s blood, that this must be what it would be like to make love to him. What’s more, I could tell he was having the same experience I was.”
“Really? So Thomas wasn’t just doing it for my benefit, huh?”
“Yes, out of the goodness of his heart,” Rosa scoffed.
“Well, he probably only had Quinn’s word. It’s rather hard to explain to someone until you’ve experienced it yourself,” Kate explained.
“I can see why it’s forbidden though, can’t you? I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to stop myself. It’s like a drug; one could become addicted,” I admitted.
Rosa and Kate agreed.
El looked around at all of us, “Well, I think I’ll have to try a couple more times to make sure.”
We all laughed again.
We all were getting tired, so Sarah helped us out of our ball gowns, put on our nightgowns and we combed out each other’s hair.
“Remember, we have to be at the training grounds tomorrow just after dawn, so we’ll need to be up an hour earlier.” Everyone groaned.
“By the way, Kate, have you had any weapons training before coming here?”
“We did some fencing and archery.”
“Well, you will find this training will be a little more intense, but as you heard, it’s time to take it seriously, and you never know when you’ll need to defend yourself or those you love, right?”
I heard several voices chime in “right” along with Kate’s. I was glad we were all in agreement on this and suggested we climb into bed. I snuggled down into my soft comforter and promptly fell into an exhausted sleep.
I had the strangest dream. I was at the ball dancing with Quinn and I was so happy I gave him a hug and snuggled my head into his shoulder. When I straightened to resume my dancing form, I looked up expecting to gaze into the beautiful blue pools of Quinn’s eyes, but instead the smoldering dark eyes of Damien stared back at me. Strangely, I didn’t seem shocked, but just laughed and kept right on dancing as if nothing had happened, and then I woke up.
“What was that all about?,” I asked myself. I sat up trying to figure out what time it was. It was still dark. I flopped back down on my pillow. I loved Quinn; there was no doubt in my mind about that; so why had I dreamt about Damien? He was different from Quinn in nearly every way. Of course there were the obvious differences: Damien was a mature vampire, from an elite royal bloodline at that. Damien was my equal; I wouldn’t outlive him, which was a problem I would have to deal with eventually, because Quinn was human.
The girls and I had discussed the difficulties that came along with serious relationships and the quandary that falling in love with a human would bring. We talked of this often and had decided, like many of our kind, that the intensity of the relationship was the important thing. Such bondings were so uncommon, that to deny one just because the other party was a human was to deny ourselves the love we desperately needed to make life bearable. We also understood, just because you have a relationship with someone who lives as long as you do, doesn’t mean you will always stay together - or the relationship would not end by other means. Vampires can be killed or die too, for that matter. I didn’t want to dwell on the negative. Damien and Quinn were utterly different. Their personalities were different, and although they were both handsome, they were handsome in very different ways.
“This is ridiculous,” I thought. “If Damien was here - which he’s not - I would still choose Quinn, wouldn’t I?”
“Oh for crying out loud,” I told myself sternly. “Just get up!” I threw off the down comforter and swung my legs over the side of the bed.
Why did everything in my life have to be so complicated?
I was glad to be training this morning. The intense concentration and focus necessary to stay ahead of my trainers always cleared my mind. During a session, I felt complete and totally in my element, as if this was what I was meant to do.
I dressed and headed to the common room. The coals glowed in the darkness, giving the room a warm orange hue. I knew I had at least an hour and a half before I had to be at the training ground, so I went to the storage room to find something to eat; there was no sense waking Sarah, when I was perfectly capable of fixing something myself. There were two Watchers in the hall, and one positioned at the
bottom of the stairs. Entering the prep room, I could see fruit and yesterday’s bread covered with a towel. Good, I thought, something simple. A jug of water was all there was to drink; it was too early for fresh Crimson. I chose some grapes, a piece of bread and jam, and a slice of dried meat to round out the meal.
Satisfied, I drank some water and decided to go see Nulla, grabbing an apple for her on the way out. I double-checked my sword and dagger, which now seemed like part of my body and were never very far from my reach. Even at the ball I had strapped a dagger to my thigh. ‘Better safe than defenseless’ was my new motto. Maybe having to fight for my life every other day was affecting me more than I thought.
I strode confidently down the hall. I didn’t see anything of Thomas, which was fine, since I really wanted to be alone. The other Watchers had let me get this far alone only because I had convinced them I was meeting Thomas at the stables. As I headed across the courtyard, the sun was just about to make its appearance. The air was crisp but still. I took a deep breath and sighed; mmmmm, I felt good - strong, fit, and ready to take on the world.
I had almost reached the stable when I recognized his scent; Damien was close!
I swiveled and surveyed my surroundings, then closed my eyes and tried to ‘see’ where he was. ‘Finding’ him, I looked up and there on top of the wall in front of me was Damien looking down at me. I couldn’t believe it; he was here. He dropped off the wall to land gracefully at my feet and rose not inches from my face. My heart raced as his spicy scent filled my head.
“I missed you,” he whispered.
And then I realized, I had missed him too.
“What…how…when…?” I stuttered.
“My father sent Ivan to find me and relay that, thanks to your intercession, I had been cleared. My father was so thankful at least one of his children wasn’t to be hunted down and killed, he has arranged for me to go with the others to the Americas.”
He took my hands in his, raised them to his lips and kissed my fingers. Reminding me of the first time he did this, it felt like energy moved from his lips through my skin and tingled up my arms. While pressing his lips to my fingers, he never took his eyes, those dark sexy eyes, from mine.
“Thank you for telling your father I was innocent.”
“Believe me, Damien, you have many traits but innocence isn’t one of them. We can say ‘not guilty,’ maybe.”
He laughed, breaking the sexual tension between us.
“I’m going to see Nulla. Walk with me.”
He clasped his hands behind his back and walked beside me.
“I hear you had a surprise arrival this week. How are you?”
This stopped me in my tracks. I turned my head to see a concerned look on his face, and studying him for a brief instant I thought, “I really did misjudge him.”
I managed to reply, “Well, now the shock has worn off, I’m glad to have not only my mother, but my twin sister in my life, I’m fine. I think actually I’m better than fine. And Father has never seemed so content. So we’ll see what transpires, but for now we’re making our best efforts to get to know each other, and make it work.”
We started walking again.
“There have been so many times I wondered about my mother, and if she would ever come back.” Damien stopped walking, “Your mother being here gives me hope.”
He sounded so sad, I turned to look at him and after a few seconds reached out and gave him a hug. He seemed surprised, but adapted quickly, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close.
“If that’s what you want, I’m sure someday you’ll be together again.” I told him.
“There are many things I want, that I’m willing to wait for,” he added, holding me away and looking into my eyes passionately. Then he pulled me close again, and his breath on my ear and neck made my stomach quiver. How could I feel this way about two such different men?
He released me and we began walking again. We reached the stables moments later.
“Well, we’re here. I’ve brought an apple just for Nulla.”
He gestured for me to lead the way. It was just after sunrise and getting light now and the grooms were busy cleaning stalls and feeding horses. Nulla had had her bath, her stall was clean, and she was happily munching on fresh hay. How I loved the smell of fresh straw bedding and hay.
“Nulla?” I called, and she raised her head and whinnied in recognition. “Look what I brought you,” I teased.
She reached her head out to me impatiently.
“Very well, here you go.” I laughed and offered her the plump green apple.
She snatched it from my outstretched palm as if she hadn’t eaten in a week. I patted her neck, scratched behind her ear, and stroked her beautiful face.
“I’ll see you later, girl.”
“Maybe we could take her out later, unless you’re not staying. I know most people are getting ready for their trip home,” Damien said. “I came back to ready myself for the journey ahead, and then I’ll head to the port with the others.”
“I’d like to go on a ride, maybe this afternoon. Has there been any word of Luena?” I asked, changing the subject.
“No,” he said angrily, “and if I never see her again, it will be too soon for me; but I have a feeling I’ll never be free of her. My participation in her plot was only that I agreed to keep silent about it. I really had no idea she could actually convince anyone to join with her. And when it became apparent her plans actually had a chance of success, I vowed to stop her. I only agreed to keep silent, because I sought to protect my father. She told me she would kill him if I said anything about her army. I’d grown to see how deep the level of her evil ran, and believed her capable of actually doing harm to Father. After she revealed her full intentions to me, I was able to convince Father to resign, so she would have to change her plans, expose herself and her army before it was too late. Of course you know the rest.” He sighed.
“Well, now all we can do is to be vigilant. I, for one, am going to make sure the girls and I can always take care of ourselves. Speaking of preparation, I have to get to the training grounds. I’ll see you later, then?”
“Of course, I’ll meet you at the stables for that ride.” he called after me.
I waved as I walked away.
The closer I got to the training grounds the more excited I became.
“There she is,” Rosa called out to the others. “Where were you?”
“I woke up early, so I made a trip to the stables to see Nulla, and you won’t believe who I came across on my way.”
“Who?” Letta asked.
“Damien!”
“Really? Damien? When did he get back?” asked a shocked Eleanor
“Who’s Damien?” Kate wanted to know.
“You remember, Luena’s half-brother,” Rosa provided.
“Oh.” Kate shrugged her shoulders to show didn’t really know who we were talking about.
“We’ll have to talk about it later. Here are our fathers,” I said.
“All right, let’s get started, girls,” Gunter clapped his hands. “First, I just want to explain to those that haven’t had much training with Watchers, why we train as we do. Our methods develop your skills deliberately, slowly, so that the moves become routine and with time are mastered. When you then add your vampire speed, you will become almost unbeatable.”
“Why the swords and daggers?” Kate asked. “Why not pistols and bullets?”
“Good question, Katherine. Bullets are of no use against vampires. Because of your speed, by the time the bullet leaves the barrel of the gun pointed at a target, the target is no longer there. Against humans your speed and superior strength is your best weapon. The swords, especially the short swords you all carry, are light and lend themselves well to speed. They are also silent and lethal, and with them you are capable of killing your opponent before he even detects your presence. Each of you also possess special gifts, and we as Watchers are especially adept at recognizing
those gifts and will be helping you develop them as well. So let’s get started. First I’d like Katrina to come forward to show you what I’m talking about. Katrina?” He gestured to me.
I walked up next to Gunter smiling, and he gave me a wink. “Show them your skills,” he told me.
I replied, “Yes, sir,” and took up my weapon for the exercise.
Exchanging my real sword for a wooden one like those the brothers were all sporting - we wouldn’t want any fatalities, just injured pride - I got into my defensive crouch, closing my eyes so I could concentrate on my hearing. I could detect the brothers arriving at their positions surrounding me. “Ah my favorite,” I smiled to myself. It was up to them to begin. I could feel their apprehension. Then in an instant it was on. Six brothers, all taking their task very seriously, came at me from all sides. I ducked and countered each of their blows, rolled underneath Thomas and Simon’s jabs, and was out of the circle. Now they charged. I dispatched each one easily in turn. Gunter was right; it felt as if I were fighting in a slow ballet, compared to their human full speed. I was one step ahead of them at every turn. In minutes it was all over. The girls all erupted in cheers and clapping.
“Impressive daughter, now show us your skill against our vampire guard.”
Once again six men approached carrying wooden swords. These were the elite palace guard, but the rules were the same: if a weapon was dislodged or a blow struck, that in a real battle was deemed to be debilitating, the opponent was out of the exercise. As before, I began in the middle, surrounded by the enemy. I centered myself again, breathing in deeply so I could ‘see’ them. Then three charged, one from the front and one from each side. This exercise was at full vampire speed; humans could perceive us only as a blur. I jumped over the front guard and whacked him on the head; he was out. Then, as he took himself out of the fight, the other three guards now entered the game. I engaged two more, one from each side, ducking and slicing. I threw my wooden dagger, and even though this crude weapon lacked the balance and heft of my real weapon, it hit one right in the chest. That left four remaining, with one in each quadrant, surrounding me. The larger of the two lunged in for a chest wound, but I kicked his sword out of his hand and flipped backwards over the second, making a mock slice across his neck on the way over him. I swirled around, hitting each of the other two across the throat as well, finally taking my sword to the first, now weaponless guard, and held its point to his chest. Done! I was breathing hard but the adrenaline rush made me sorry it was over.
Again clapping and cheering filled my ears. I smiled, looking over at my thrilled roommates. Then someone rushed at me from the rear, I dropped to one knee and thrust my sword backwards towards the would-be assassin, aiming right for the gut.
Gunter applauded. “Good job, Katrina. Never drop your guard.”
I looked up and saw Damien in the audience, smiling and joining in the applause of those around him. Our eyes met. I rose, still breathing hard, and brushed some hair out of my face, all the while never breaking eye contact. Everyone started coming over, praising my work and patting my back.
I held up my hand in a mock show of modesty, “Please, it’s only because I have worked so hard all this time with great trainers,” I noticed Damien being joined by his repulsive Watcher, Ivan. The man was big and tall, had black slicked-back hair, a long face with beady brown eyes and a scar that extended across his left cheek and nose. More than his appearance, it was his manner that unsettled me and truly set me on edge. I had to look away then to speak to my friends and our fathers.
“She’s very accomplished my Lord, and very beautiful,” Ivan whispered to Damien, “but still very much interested in her Watcher boyfriend.”
“For now, but I have time on my side and I am willing to wait for her, she’ll be mine I assure you.”