His two victims were hanging on their stakes: one dead, the other dying. I could not bear to look at them. This form of death seemed too horrible to witness for it was the death my father had also suffered.

My blood fever was gone. The rush of power faded. I covered my breasts with my hands in shame.

What had overcome me?

Vlad was flushed with power. His eyes glowed brightly. He was truly magnificent when he indulged in his own evil. He grabbed Ariana and began to ravish her right there, surrounded by the carnage and his own guards. Elina sulked away into the shadows as Cneajna faded away dejectedly.

I moved away slowly feeling quite tired. I knew the day was approaching, but some of my lethargy was from the emotional trauma of the night. Deep despair, heights of euphoria, flashes of anger, had all drained me.

“Glynis,” Vlad called out to me.

I turned to see him watching me as Ariana covered his chest with kisses.

“You see, we are the same. Seducers and killers of mortals.”

I closed my eyes tightly so I would not see the bodies of the men we had killed being dragged away by the servants.

“No,Vlad, we are not.”

Ariana giggled as she tugged at Vlad’s clothing. His eyes were dark and cunning as he gazed upon me. It was all too obscene to absorb. Blood and gore were splattered everywhere and the two of them were virtually ripping each other apart in a sexual frenzy while Vlad tried to converse with me.

“You shall see the truth, Glynis. I promise you, you will see the truth.”

I left them to their passion and sought refuge in the chapel tombs below the castle.

And here I sit, waiting for the dawn, writing down all that has occurred.

I have decided that I have no choice.

I will fight the hunger.

I will not be what Vlad is.

I must defeat him and the hunger.

I must.

Chapter 14

The Journal of Lady Glynis Wright

The Castle

13th of September, 1819

Am I doomed to fail in my resolve? This night has been torture from beginning to end.

As always, my torment began with Prince Vlad.

As soon as we awakened, he was upon me. I was in no mood to have him accost me. As soon as he drew me close for a kiss, I smashed him with a candlestick and fled the chapel as he recoiled.

I did my best to outrun him. I evaded him quite well as we rushed through the castle. His laughter brought me to seething rage as he pursued me. At times he would grab hold of me, twirl me about, then vanish. His nails, long and sharp, tore at me. I slashed back at him, hissing savagely.

Furious, I realized he was merely toying with me.

I finally ran into the Brides’ chamber, the heavy door swinging back and striking the wall with a resounding crash. It bounced back, almost closing, then was shoved open again.

I whirled about to face him. I was covered in blood by now, my own of course, the cruel tears in my flesh already mending. My lovely dress was torn and nearly falling from my body. Most certainly, I was quite a ridiculous sight to behold.

Vlad stood in the doorway, his brow furrowed, his eyes burning with green fire. I was satisfied to see the angry scratches I had inflicted trailing across his features.

“Come here!”

“I am not your slave! I am not your whore! I will not do as you say! I am not here to service you!”

“But you are!” Vlad moved swiftly into the room, a smirk twisting his full lips. “The sole purpose of your life now is to serve me.”

I backed away, holding my hands out to him. “Come no closer! I will not be treated in this manner!”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Ariana seated upon her divan. She watched us, fascinated.

“You do not dictate to me how I treat my own wife!”

“I am not your wife!”

I avoided Vlad’s first swipe of his hand, but the second landed me full in the face. I impacted with a thud on the floor. Kicking furiously, I pummeled his legs with my feet trying to topple him over.

I glanced at Ariana to see her studying her doll. The face was cracked and one of the eyes seemed on the verge of falling out. Did she not care for what was being done to me?

Another blow to my face brought my attention back to Vlad.

“I hate you!”

With a look of absolute joy and dreadful lust, he pinned me to the floor.

“Hate is such a passionate word, my dearest Glynis.” He griped a handful of my hair and pulled my face close to his. “That you hold such passion for me ignites my desire for you.”

“I hate you!”

He smiled with satisfaction. “I know.”

When he entered my body, I screamed in his face with rage. Then I was squirming and fighting beneath him.

“Help me,” I cried out to my sisters in desperation. Of course, there was no response. In the midst of my degradation, my gaze sough them out. I saw that Ariana had joined Cneajna on her bed. Cneajna was busily trying to embroider. Her lips were pursed while her gaze was fastened with great determination upon her work. It was as if my rape was not occurring before their eyes.

“Get off of me!” I slapped Vlad, and he, of course, slapped me back.

Elina entered the room and slowly walked over to where we struggled.

“Help me,” I pleaded with her.

She merely stood over Vlad, watching him thrust into me, her arms crossed across her chest.

Vlad finally finished and sat up.

I thrust out my foot and kicked him in the stomach. He simply backhanded me in response. With princely grace, he stood, adjusted his clothing, and swung his deep auburn hair back from his face.

“I hate you,” I spat at him.

“So you said.” He took particular care to adjust his cuffs, then glanced at Elina.

“Master, if you are done, I have the most urgent news for you.”

“What is it, Elina?”

“There is a carriage approaching the castle.”

Vlad chuckled with delight and whirled about. His long hair swung heavily around him, then settled against his waist. Clutching Elina to him, he swept his gaze over us. “Unannounced guests, my wives! We feast tonight!”

Ariana leapt up from Cneajna’s bed, clapped her hands with delight, before rushing to Vlad to embrace him tightly. He gave her a long, piercing kiss. Laughing, he released her and kissed Elina.

“A feast, my dark one. A feast of blood, rich and dark, to feed your hunger, to feed your beauty,” Vlad said seductively into Elina’s ear.

Ariana joyously danced around them, her long curls swinging around her.

Cneajna stood silently, her eyes gazing at me. I struggled to my knees, cursing Vlad in my thoughts. Vlad moved to her and grabbed hold of her face between his long hands.

“Are you not pleased, my dear first wife? Tonight we feast!”

Cneajna gazed into his brilliant green eyes, smiling. “Oh, of course, my dear husband! Of course I am pleased!” She pressed herself against him, kissing his lips passionately.

“Good! Dress finely. I want our guests to be impressed by your great beauty!” He glanced toward me as I still struggled to overcome the pain of his intercourse and stand. “Get her up and dress her as well. The miserable girl must feed as well. She must remember what it is to be a vampire.” He strode over to me and knocked me onto my back. “Will you not, dear Glynis?”

“I will not feed,” I hissed back.

“What did you say? You will not feed? Are you still refusing to answer the hunger? How many days has it been since you last fed? You can barely heal yourself you are so weakened.”

I averted my eyes. “A week.”

“Ah, the child! Did you not feed from the hunter…ah…five days ago? Or the lovely young woman I found lost in the forest three days ago?”

“She fed from neither,” Elina said with disgust. “She refused and ran off to hide in the dungeon. More for us, I told her.”

Vlad growled at me. “Why are you so tediously stubborn about this, Glynis?”

The week had been a horrible struggle. To not feed has been desperately hard, but I remained determined.

“Yes, why are you so stubborn?” Elina asked snidely. “Do enlighten us.”

I looked up, raised my chin, and said in a fierce voice, “I despise you! I hate you! I will never be what you are!”

Vlad began to laugh, obviously very amused by my words. “You are so painfully pathetic, Glynis. You are what I am and there is no denying it no matter how much you hide behind your English arrogance. You are a vampire. You are a killer.”

Gritting my teeth, I rolled over and pushed myself to my knees. “I will not feed. I would rather die than please you.”

Vlad chuckled with delight. “Oh, you will feed. You will. Now, I must prepare for our guests.”

With that, he simply vanished from the room.

Ariana spun about in her wild dance, singing to herself. Elina just smirked and strode away. Cneajna came to help me rise to my feet.

“You will feed,” Cneajna said softly. “You will. There is no other choice.”

And as I write this I fear her words are true and I am damned. But I shall remain here in our empty chambers and refuse to feed. For I will not be the monster Vlad wishes me to be. I cannot give into the hunger. I just cannot.

The Journal of Lady Glynis Wright

The Castle

Same night-

Can I confess to what has happened? Yes, I must. I must. I must write down all that is happening to me. I must retain my humanity despite this dreadful place. Let this be my confession, for I have sinned, and I fear there is no absolution.

Soon after my defilement, Vlad left me to change from my tattered dress into something more appropriate. I had been ordered to join my sisters in waiting for his summons. Instead, I crawled up onto the ledge of one of the windows overlooking the courtyard and perched there to watch the events unfold below.

Vlad greeted the guests warmly, invited them in, and entertained them in the great hall. Cneajna dressed in a beautiful gown, obviously the proud possession of one of Vlad’s former victims, and had accompanied Vlad as his wife. Elina and Ariana had been beside themselves, their excitement ghoulishly joyful. They had left to wander the shadows soon after the guests had settled in to their last supper.

I remained behind, perched in the window, afraid if I bore witness to the slaughter, the hunger would overcome me. I watched as the gypsy men led the horses to the stables and the gypsy women dragged the heavy traveling cases of Vlad’s victims into the castle. I knew the trunks were not for Vlad’s guests, but for the Brides to pick over once the guests were dead and gone.

So I waited.

Strangely, I had been dangerously close to accepting this world and all it offered. I have to admit I enjoyed feasting on the gypsy girl. I could feel the sheer glory of the power of the blood within me. I had reveled in it.

It was only when Vlad brought us the child that I realized I could go no further into this darkness. It was that night I decided that I would fight the hunger until the madness descended and forced Vlad to destroy me. I did not know if my soul would find peace in heaven or torment in hell, but I did not care. I had to escape. I had promised my Mother, and death, though not quite what she had planned for me, was an escape.

All these thoughts flitted through my mind as I curled up in the window and stared over the mountains. I could feel the hunger gnawing at my bones, ripping at my mind, demanding to be quenched. The weakness in my body was almost pleasurable. It spoke of defeat of the vampire within me.

Then…

A horrendous scream rent the night air.

I gasped, shivered, and dug my fingers into my palms.

The slaughter had begun.

Then…

Another scream.

Vlad’s roar of pleasure.

The sly laughter of my vampire sisters.

Terrified shrieks.

I clawed at my hair with my fingers: my stomach quivering, clenching, and demanding. I flung myself from the window onto the floor.

“No! No! I cannot listen!”