Caressed by Moonlight (22 page)

Jacque nodded. “I know not how, but yes, it has happened.

I can sense the change upon her. It won't be finished until the next full moon, when the vampire within her awakens.”

“That's in three more nights,” Horace announced.

“It is also the day that Kal will be conducting his ceremony,” Raphael added. “He obviously won't be doing it the traditional way since every member of the four vampire royal families will not give their consent and the few shifter clans we are allied with won't be present.”

“No, but every remaining clansman will be there.”

“Do you know if he plans on finishing them off?”

“He has not confided in me,” Jacque said. “I am a witch after all. He trusts me to an extent. He is wise in that regard, I’ll give him that.”

Raphael rubbed his temples. His head was pounding from all the stress, worry, and sadness filling his thoughts. Vampires do not handle emotions well. He sighed heavily as he fought to keep his control. He would deal with his feelings later. Right now, he needed to make a plan and arrange his friend’s burial.

Turning back to Dorian, he removed the cloak. His eyes fixed on the dagger buried in the king's chest, what little color he had in his face vanished.

“Jacque, did you look at this?” he asked, his voice a scant whisper.

Jacque stepped forward, his sharp black eyes studying the intricate carvings on the hilt of the blade. “It's Shaw.”

“How would Kal get a Shaw dagger?” Raphael pressed.

“The letter we received last night from Queen Sonya mentioned that King Dorian and Sir Falcon had sailed to Shaw country,” Horace declared.

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“The Shaw would never give a blade to a vampire,” Jacque pointed out.

“The only way an outsider would get their hands on one is if it were given as a gift. Maybe it was given to the queen!”

Raphael's eyes were wide, his face alight with hope. “Jacque, are you positive that Kal killed Dorian?”

“I have no reason to believe that Dorian's own wife would want to do him harm,” he answered. “And Kal seemed mighty pleased with himself when he announced Dorian’s death.”

“We should clean him up. Get all the blood off him.”

“Especially the witch blood, that smell is absolutely repulsive,” Horace added, with a chuckle he turned to Jacque, “I meant no offense.”

“None taken,” the witch smiled. “I must be heading back, my presence will be missed. I will keep a close eye on the queen and will personally guard her. Kal will not lay one finger on her.

You have my word.”

“Thank you, Jacque. You do not know how comforting it is to hear you say that,” Raphael clapped the witch on the shoulder.

“You are a good man.”

“I'm only doing what is right.”

“I'm positive that I speak for everyone here when I say that we are glad you are on our side,” Horace admitted.

“For now,” Raphael added. “He is still a Red Order witch.”

“Indeed,” Jacque agreed. “You must never forget that.”

Horace nodded before turning his back on their temporary ally. He slowly removed the dagger from the king’s chest.

“I will tend to Dorian,” Raphael stated as he took up the king’s body.

“Please return this to the queen. She may need it,” Horace said.

Jacque nodded. “And your plan for Kal?”

“We’ll take care of him. He will see his last full moon in three nights.”

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Chapter Thirty-Three

Victoria’s head screamed with pain as she pushed herself up. Her eyes slowly opened to a spinning room. Nausea gripped her as she sat up and tried to scoot to the edge of the bed.

“Dorian?” Her voice scratched her sore throat. He did not answer. She called to him again and again silence was all she received.

Her mind began to clear as death scraped its cold razor like claws down her back. He was dead. Images of the night before sliced through her. She heard her own screams echo in her mind.

He had lain in a pool of blood while she cried. She had begged him to come back to her and shouted her love for him as loud as her little lungs would allow. But nothing had helped. Nothing had made a difference.

Tears ran down her face and dripped from her chin, a steady stream of agony. Her heart stopped beating and she knew that it would never beat again. Dorian was gone.

She threw herself back down and buried her face in the pillows. The warm scent of Dorian washed over her as she breathed in deep, trying in vain to control the sobs that shook her body. His scent covered the linens.

Victoria let out a broken sigh then froze at the sound just outside the door. For the first time she became aware of her surroundings. Where was she? And who was outside the door?

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she struggled to bring into focus the man standing in the doorway of the room.

“I'm relieved to see you awake, my lady,” the man said as he closed the door. “You took quite a blow to the head. If the change was not upon you, I fear you would have died.”

Victoria scrambled from the bed and darted across the room, placing as much distance as she could between herself and the stranger.

“You needn’t fear me, my lady,” he said, crossing the room. His face was creased with lines of concern as she stumbled and had to grab hold of an armchair for balance.

“Who are you?” she demanded, surprised at how regal her voice sounded. She did not want this man to know she was injured.

Her vision was blurred and she swayed on her feet but she refused
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to acknowledge the pain that swelled in her head and sprinted down her spine.

The intruder chuckled. “Forgive me for not introducing myself. I am Jacque Spinle.”

“You’re a witch.” It was not a question but a statement of fact. She was not completely sure how she knew what race he belonged to. Perhaps it was the odd aroma that seemed to ooze from his every pore or was it his swirling black eyes?

“Yes, I am a general of the Red Order, but I mean you no harm.” He stood next to the bed with his back to her.

“Why should I believe you,” she challenged. Her vision cleared, she looked the witch over and noted the sun-bleached bucket he carried.

“I am not sure how I can answer that question,” he said, dumping the contents of the bucket on the bed, herbs, tiny flowers, and berries tumbled out. “I suppose I will have to earn your trust.”

He gently sifted through his collection, spreading it across the bed.

Jacque turned to the queen. She stood behind the chair now, her arms crossed over her chest, her emerald eyes watching, studying his every move.

“I have something that belongs to you.” Reaching inside his coat, he removed a dagger, its blade wrapped in a deep blue cloth.

“Where did you get that?” She was feeling faint once more. It was her weapon. It was the tool of Dorian's death. Just a few moments ago she had thought she never wanted to see that piece of metal ever again but now she fought the urge to run to it.

She could use a weapon of any kind at the moment. The witch laid it on the bed. For all she knew, it was a trick. He could be using the dagger to lure her closer to him so he could grab her.

“What I am about to say to you must never be repeated. If Kal learned that I helped Raphael and his allies, he would have my head. Do you understand?”

She nodded.

“Kal planned on retrieving your husband's body and putting it on display in the great hall.” She inwardly flinched as she imagined Dorian's bloody body lying like a slaughtered beast on the hall table for all to see. “He can't claim the throne until he has hard, undeniable evidence of King Dorian's death. However, you may be glad to know that this afternoon I rode out on my own, retrieved your husband, and delivered him to his allies.”

“Do you mean Raphael?” she asked

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Dorian had shared with her the bloody details of the feud as they traveled. Raphael had followed him to London with suspicions of Kal’s betrayal. Appreciating the loyalty and honesty that Raphael had given him, Dorian decided to make him his heir.

Unfortunately, Raphael was attacked and nearly killed before he reached the Mylonas strong hold. Falcon’s clan rescued the noble vampire before the sun could take him.

“Yes, my lady, your husband will be well taken care of.”

Victoria could only assume that he meant his body would be cleaned and given a proper burial, she only wished she could have said goodbye to him.

“Why do you care about what happens to my husband?

He's a vampire.”

“Because I am a witch I must loathe all vampires?” He shook his head and sighed. “It is the natural thing to assume, but it's not always the case. For example, the Shaw witches and the Voidukas clan lives side by side under Queen Sonya's rule. I won't lie to you, my lady, I do hate vampires but there are a few that I respect and Kal is not one of them. He is a dirty, double crossing, liar who is hungry for power.”

“Is that why you are helping Raphael and the resistance?

You despise Kal?”

“Yes, but I also have great respect for your husband.

Dorian has tried his hardest to protect his clan and the mortals that live within his territory. He is a most humane ruler. Kal, however, is the very opposite.”

It was clear to Victoria what the witch meant by opposite.

Kal had made a pact with the enemy, the Red Order. He betrayed his clan, the very subjects that he had sworn to protect. Victoria cringed when she thought of what he may do to the humans in the surrounding areas.

“I will die before I see Kal become king. That is why I have decided to help.”

Victoria had slowly begun to inch from behind the chair.

The witch spoke with such conviction that she found it hard not to believe him, but what worried her was the fact that she
wanted
to believe him. She greatly needed an ally. Perhaps he could help her escape. She had no doubt that Kal had brought her to the keep or that he had something very special in store for her.

“What about your loyalties?” she pressed. “You are a member of the Red Order and yet you would go against your people?”

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“It may surprise you to learn that the counselors of the Red Order, the men in charge, never declared war upon the Mylonas Clan. As a matter of fact, they frown upon what is going on.

However, this fake feud works to their advantage.”

“Vampires are being slaughtered.”

“Correct. You see, Kal knew that the council of the Reds would never agree to his plan. Witches and vampires never do anything together, let alone fight together. So Kal approached Mark. The two of you have met?” Victoria nodded and Jacque continued, “The witch had recently fallen out of favor with the council for betraying his oath to protect humans; he had brutally murdered a group of women and is suspected of killing his own father.”

“Why would he kill his father?”

“His father was a general of the Red Order, like me. The way the Order is formed is much like England was during the middle ages. Each general is like a lord with his own private army that the king, or in this case the Council, can call upon at any time.

Sometimes, the leadership of the small army is passed down from father to son and sometimes, the general names an heir. Mark's father had made it clear to all that he had no intention of giving his men to his son but he died before he could name a successor.”

“So, the army automatically went to Mark.”

“Very good,” he praised her. “Kal approached Mark and talked the young witch into helping him.”

“I don't understand why Mark would do such a thing. What did he stand to gain from helping Kal?”

“Money and a harem of young beautiful girls from all over the world, a mixture of vampires, shape-shifters, and humans,” he answered. “Mark had always had a weakness for lovely women.”

“I know.” Her flesh crawled up her cheeks as she recalled the times she had the unfortunate experience of running into him.

“However, since Mark is dead, Kal is having trouble keeping the witches in line. They are deserting and joining other armies.”

“He is losing support?”

Jacque nodded, Victoria caught on quick. It amazed him how fast she processed and accepted this new world in which she found herself. She was adjusting well.

“Have I earned your trust, my lady?”

She gave him a cold once over with her eyes. As if measuring her steps, she slowly made her way to the bed. Never
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taking her eyes off him, she picked up her dagger and hugged the weapon to her chest.

“Some,” she conceded.

“I will take what I can get.” He went back to his herbs and flowers, this time he was separating them into piles. “Now, allow me to enlighten you on the position that you are in. This is Dorian's bedchamber. You may have noticed that his scent is on everything.

This is your cell. Kal has asked me to place a spell on this room.

No one is to come in or go out. A guard will also be posted outside the door.”

“I figured there would be a guard. Do you know what Kal has planed for me?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

She swallowed hard and sat on the edge of the bed. “What is it?”

“He plans on making you his first fledgling."

“But he can't, I'm already changed.”

“You have begun the change, it won't be complete until the next full moon, which is in three days.” He paused; rubbing is index finger absently along his chin. “I suppose I will need to make you a tonic for the pain.”

“Pain?” Her eyes narrowed on the witch. “What pain?”

“The pain you will experience during the transition. It is excruciating, so I have been told. I’ve also had the unfortunate privilege to witness a transformation take place.” He shuddered from the memory. He had taken pity on the man who had once been his brother-in-law, and killed him. It had been his duty, his obligation. His sister should have never married a human and Jacque knew he should have never allowed the man to come hunting with him. He shook his head, shattering the memories, and cleared his throat, “But I can make a sweet tasting tonic that will dull the pain while your body goes through the changes. I may also need to arrange for a bleeder.”

“A bleeder? You mean the helpless slaves the vampires keep and use to feed from?” Her face twisted with disgust.

Dorian had explained to her that human slavery had been a fact of vampire life in the early days, before Dimitri made it illegal.

Since his death some elitist vampires had taken up the practice again. Dorian tried to maintain the law to the best of his ability, as did the other rulers. However, bleeders were necessary to a vampire’s survival and so groups of willing humans were allowed to live within the walls of all the castles. But Victoria could only
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imagine what Kal had done to those poor people and she had no doubt that he was the type to keep slaves.

“You will need to feed in order to survive the transition.”

Victoria’s eyes dropped to the rich rug, a fresh set of tears ready to fall.

“I know, but I assumed Dorian would be the one to get me through all this.”

“Yes,” Jacque said, his heart tight. “I’m sure that was what he intended.”

Not wishing to cry in the presence the witch, she pinched herself, with a wince her thoughts turned back to the present.

“So what does Kal plan to do with me until the ceremony?’

“You are to remain in here.”

“That's all?”

“For your sake, I hope that’s all.”

“What do you mean?”

“Kal detests everything that once belonged to Dorian, the clan, the castle, even this very room, hence the reason he has refused to move into the master's quarters. However, his hate seems to end where you're concerned. Kal never once even imagined touching a woman who had been with Dorian. But you,”

he shook his head, “might be a different story. My lady, no one can deny that you have been blessed with great beauty, but I fear in this situation your beauty is a curse. I admit that I was absolutely shocked when Kal entered the hall with you slung over his shoulder.”

“Are you saying that he might–” She could not finish the sentence as bile burned her throat. Just the thought of that evil creature touching her was enough to make her retch.

“Yes, I strongly doubt he will try anything but one never knows what a man will do when his passions are raging.” Jacque now began to pluck every petal from his pile of flowers. “I must warn you, he does believe you are a whore that Dorian brought back with him from England.”

“A whore!”

“Hush!” he snapped. “You don't need to wake the entire keep.” She slapped a hand over her mouth. “But I do suggest that you play along, we can’t allow Kal to discover your true relationship with Dorian, for it would mean your immediate death.

You would be a threat to his power. As Dorian's wife you have the right to rule the clan. Do you understand? Kal can never know.” He paused just long enough for her to give a stiff nod. “Good. Now
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there is only one more thing I must warn you about. Kal will want to know how you and Dorian managed to get so deep into enemy territory with no one knowing. He will question you.”

“I will tell him nothing,” she snapped. She would say and do nothing to help the bastard that murdered her husband. Her fingers lightly traced the hilt of her dagger as she imagined slicing his throat.

“I have a better plan. I'm sure that you're aware of your husband's talents of mind control.”