Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
JADEON
Frantic, I entered the ballroom where I had last seen Alex with Lord Velde.
An overwhelming guilt caught in my throat.
Had I been less self-absorbed and more attentive to him, he would not have sought friendship elsewhere.
Pushing through the crowd, almost tripping on the long, generous dresses of the female guests, I was caught up in a frenzied dizziness by the twirling dancers.
Beads of perspiration spotted my brow when there was no sign of Alex.
Please, God, don’t let anything happen to him.
Taking three steps at a time, I ascended the central stairway and headed toward the candlelit corridors. Alex had mentioned showing off Father’s art, and as the majority of it was presented here it was a good place to start. The passageways were empty.
In a frenzy, heart thundering with panic, I cursed the fate my father had drawn upon us. For this vampire’s visit was no cruel chance, but a summons born of our bloodline, of who we were. The grandest lords of Cornwall and hunters of their kind.
I bolted outside toward the secluded rear of the castle near the waters edge, aware that this was a favorite place for both of us. I searched along the castle walls. The cool sea air stung my nostrils.
The clouds gathered low and heavy across the darkening sky. A storm approached . . .
And another kind of storm approached, too.
One born of the weeping heavens, the other of a vengeance I feared to contemplate. Sunaria’s death had turned this creature into an unspeakable threat. I turned to head back toward the castle steps.
I flinched. Lord Velde stood before me.
Must close my thoughts.
“Did he tell you that was possible?” Lord Velde asked.
He drew toward me.
He stood tall before me, dark-haired and chiseled like a statue carved by a master sculptor, an abomination of preternatural beauty, elegance draped over something ancient and terrible. He carried himself like a lord, all poise and charm, yet beneath the surface was a creature of the night.
I had witnessed their strength before, their danger, their haunting allure. And now, I felt it again—that eerie sensuality, that pull like silk and smoke emanating from this beguiling man—not a man but a vampire. Stunned; a barrage of thoughts.
“Some call me Orpheus.”
I recalled where I had first heard his name, called out by the terrified female held captive here. That striking creature with turquoise eyes.
He grimaced. “Her name was Sunaria.”
“Where is Alex?” My hands shook and I held them behind my back, hoping he would not notice. I had to keep calm.
“He’s taking a nap,” he said.
“Will you take me to him?”
“Why wake him?”
“I need to see him.”
“Do you now?” He smiled.
Silence. His stare was shocking.
The quiet threw me. “What is it that you want?” I asked.
“I want her back.”
“I’m afraid that—”
“Impossible, I know. Your father—”
“The woman we saw, she was Sunaria.”
“She was the woman I loved. She was no threat. She lived in the shadows, harmless and innocent.”
“As innocent as a vampire can be,” I replied, wishing I had not.
“You judge her? And yet you never met her.”
“She murdered—”
“Your brother is in love with me.”
I shook my head. “No.”
“You know this to be true. He is infatuated with me.”
“What is it that you want?” I considered my chances of escape.
“What I want . . . and do not attempt to run, for I will stop you. What I want is merely revenge. A life for a life. Your brother, Alex, is to be that life.”
“There must be another way.”
“No.”
“Perhaps a duel?”
He shook his head. “It’s not enough.”
“My father’s men are on their way as we speak.”
Orpheus glanced at the castle. “This very night . . .” He knelt down and picked up a small rock, standing again. He crushed it effortlessly, exaggerating his point as the rock dissolved into dust. “I will extinguish your brother’s life.” He pulverized the stone.
“Stay back!” I said.
“Or you will do what? Have you any idea what it is to love a woman with your entire being as I did? Oh, but you do! Her name . . . yes, I hear it now—Catherine!”
Trying to fathom how he knew about her, a wave of panic hit me. “Do not say her name!”
“Beautiful long blond hair, full lips, fuller breasts.”
“I said do not—”
“Your mind is as transparent as your brother’s,” Orpheus said.
“We will duel and that will decide this.”
He vanished.
I searched the area. “Orpheus?” I called out.
The air was chilling. Crashing waves hit the rocks and sprayed foam. Cursing my ineptitude, I headed toward the castle.
Fighting for breath, my thoughts slipping like water through trembling fingers, reason lost in the haze of disbelief. This couldn’t be real, this horror, vast and vivid, a nightmare of unbearable proportions. And yet, deep within, I knew what I had witnessed was no illusion.
Halfway up, Orpheus reappeared before me as though out of nothing.
Relieved I had a second chance, I began, “You have been wronged. For that I am sorry, but Alex is—”
Orpheus held a necktie. “I’m going back to him. Only this time, instead of helping Alex with his tie, I’ll strangle him with it.”
I recognized the material. It was Alex’s.
“Yes. Pity really, because he’s so vibrant, so—Alex.”
“You dare touch him!”
“Consider this place without him.” Orpheus turned.
I flew at him.
Orpheus leapt out of the way, and I hurtled to the ground. Easily, he flipped me onto my back and his fist struck my chest. Air left my lungs. Struggling to catch my breath, I clutched at his jacket, fearing he would disappear again.
“You were saying?” he said.
“Don’t harm him.”
“Are you begging?”
“Take my life instead. Take me in his place.”
“How honorable. But you see, you have no idea what you are offering. I am taking your brother to Stonehenge to perform the very same ritual that was performed upon Sunaria, before I strangle him. That is how it must be for me to feel any kind of peace again.”
Orpheus helped me to my feet.
Everything was wrong.
He carried himself like a man in control, because he was. Beguiling, unsteady, and laced with danger, he was a volatile force cloaked in charm.
“Take me,” I said.
Orpheus appeared to think upon this for a moment.
“This is nonnegotiable,” I said.
“Very well. There is a boat waiting by the water’s edge. Once upon the mainland, you will see my carriage. Its horses are white. This will take you directly to Stonehenge. If you deter from this route at any time or delay it, I will kill Alex. Do you understand?”
“How can I leave you here with my family, all these people?”
“Our agreement is over, then?” Orpheus pulled on the necktie, testing its strength.
“Wait!” I said. “If I do this thing, you must assure me, promise.”
“I am a gentleman who seeks nothing other than some kind of retribution for the death of a loved one. Such a thing is a nobleman’s right.”
I could see no other way through this. Father was here. He could take care of the guests. I would take care of Alex. “How will I know that you will not kill him anyway?” I asked.
“So long as I can take the life of an Artimas, I will be satisfied. A life for a life. Yours instead of your brother’s.”
“Very well.” Although reluctant, I walked past Orpheus and headed toward the boat docked in the bay. “Orpheus, if you harm my family, if you break your word, I shall personally pour your ashes into the stones.”
“Spoken like a true Stone Master.” He handed me the tie.
I stared at it. Not wanting to give my thoughts away, I quick-footed it down to the boat. Although this man had strength and speed, I hoped my adroit mind could outwit him.