The Bathory Curse (39 page)

“Across? There’s nothing across but more Limbo,”
Ruxandra said.

“Is that so?” He pounded his staff against the side
of the boat and pointed, what had been barren waste land with more
unusual buildings holding souls was now a lush green meadow full of
tiny white flowers and there were people waiting on the other
side.

“Magic is so cool,” Daniela whispered.

“Now, are you coming or not?” He lowered a ramp to
the ground

“Goodbye sweetheart, I don’t know when I will see
you again, but I love you.” Jenica threw her arms around Nea,
stroking her hair like she had done when she was a little girl.

“Bye Mama.” Nea tried to hold in her sob, it felt
like she was losing her, again.

“Take good care of your grandma, sweet child.”
Jenica withdrew from Nea and kissed Daniela’s forehead and then
went to board the boat, “I think I see your father.” Jenica smiled,
waving to a figure on the other bank.

“Thank you. I can go see my husband now and my son,”
Mariska smiled, shyly and darted up the ramp.

“I guess this is goodbye, Bunica.” Ruxandra came to
stand in front of her grandmother.

“I am so sorry it ended like this, I wish there was
something I could do.” Nea gripped the other woman’s hand,
tightly.

“There isn’t. I have had a long and good life,
longer than it probably should have been. I died helping the one
person I have loved most in the whole world. Be happy Bunica.”
Ruxandra was openly crying now, which caused Nea’s heart to break,
her granddaughter was normally so stoic and calm.

“I love you,” Nea told her, she clasped her in a
firm embrace, taking in her scent and face one last time.

“Do you think my family will be there? My father and
mother? My brothers?” Ruxandra asked quietly.

“I don’t know about your father, but the rest, for
sure.” Nea let her go and gave her a push towards the boat.

“Come on then, I haven’t got all day, I have other
souls waiting for pick up.” The man was gruff, but smiling.

“Hold on to your breeches, I am coming.” Ruxandra
slowly made her way to the boat, she stopped and looked back one
more time, waved and then she climbed aboard. The boat took off at
a speed Nea didn’t even think was possible and the scary river
disappeared behind it and the River Lethe became normal once
again.

“What now?” The question was asked a second time.

“Now Ella, I guess it’s time for me
to give you your 18
^th
birthday present.”
Nea took a deep breath and linked an arm through her
granddaughter’s.

Before Daniela could blink, they were standing in
front of a large house, two story with the roof supported by
columns; there were multiple windows on the upper and lower floors
and both the second and first floors had porches. The house was
brick and wood, painted a lovely shade of pale yellow with white
roof tiles. There were all kinds of plants and trees surrounding
the house, the property stretched on several acres and was
surrounded by a large iron fence, in the back was a pond. There
were lanterns lit everywhere, and string of electric light, the
whole place was bright against the dark sky.

“Where are we?” Daniela asked.

“We are in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this is our new
home,” Nea told her, leading her up the path to the porch.

“It’s lovely!” Daniela told her.

“That it is, and the pond is clean and fresh, an
underwater spring supplies it and it’s deep enough to swim in and
wide enough for a small paddle boat.” Nea stopped before the front
door.

“Why did we move from New York?”

“Because you could not go to Radcliffe College if you
lived in New York.”

“I couldn’t go to…. Grandma!” Daniela’s eyes became
wide.

“Yes, I am paying for you to attend college, happy
birthday.” Nea was glad her day could end in happiness. The night
passing and this was what she wanted to remember most.

“Thank you!” Daniela hugged her grandma.

“I see you told her without us,” Mihail said
stepping from the doorway, Daniela squealed and threw herself at
her father, their reunion made Nea’s heart swell.

“Mama, I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for how I
acted; we both are, we know you would never hurt us on purpose.”
Stasi came out and stood next to her mother.

“It’s in the past, I don’t want to think about it,”
Nea stopped and looked at her children, “what are you wearing?”
Mihail was in a one piece short sleeved jumper that ended at his
knees, it was black with white stripping, while Stasi was wearing a
black swimming cap over her blonde hair and a matching swim suit
and bloomers with stockings.

“We are going to go swimming, join us?” Sabine
sauntered out in what Nea could only assume was her underwear.

“You better put some clothes on!” Nea exclaimed,
Mihail covered Daniela’s eyes as the girl began to giggle.

“Hecate gave it to me before we offed her, it’s
called a bikini” Sabine swirled around showing off the vibrant red
color.

“Well, put a robe on, at least to the water front so
the neighbors don’t think you’re a whore,” Nea laughed.

“Darling, who cares, I don’t have to live here, only
you do.” Sabine had a towel over one shoulder and began down the
path to the pond.

“Why don’t you go change, Daniela, and meet us in
the water.” Stasi nudged her daughter. Daniela sounded like a
little girl as she shrieked in joy and took off to find her
room.

“Again, I can’t say I am sorry enough.” Stasi
squeezed her mother, feeling like she could breathe again, it was
all over, she wished she could curl up against Nea like she had as
a little girl and cry in relief.

“I love you my darling.” Nea stroked her hair,
throat tight as she held back tears. She didn’t want to cry
anymore. It was so much emotion, happy and sad. She looked over
Stasi’s shoulder at Mihail, who simply bowed, they needed no extra
words.

“I think there is someone here who wants to speak to
you.” Mihail winked and hand-in-hand, he and Stasi walked away.

Nea could feel him before he even came on the porch,
“Vlad.”

He stood before her, handsome, strong and deliciously
dark, brooding and powerful. Nothing about him made her want to
weep and she loved that.

“You wish to stay and live here while Ella goes to
school?” He asked, eyes peering into hers.

“Yes.”

“Then we shall stay here together.”

“Together?”

“You promised once you broke the curse you would come
back to me, as my wife, did you not?”

“Yes” Nea smiled, slowly, unable to believe this was
happening. She had thought so long that she would never be able to
be with her husband again, her family and now it seemed like she
could have all of it, and “this feels too good to be true.”

“Why? You have spent centuries doing for others, why
can’t you have some peace and quiet?” Vlad placed both hands on the
side of her face.

“I am grieving for Ruxandra, sometimes that damned
artifact makes me feel almost too human,” he added with a
frown.

“I grieve for her as well.” Nea began to laugh and
stopped abruptly as Vlad kissed the tip of her nose down to the
side of her neck, scraping her skin with his fangs, causing her to
shiver.

“Later tonight I will make love to you in such a way
you will forget we were ever apart,” he murmured against her
skin.

“Later?” Nea asked, her mind a little fuzzy from the
work his mouth was doing on her skin.

“Yes. I believe our granddaughter wants you to go
swimming with her.” Vlad raised his head, a sardonic smile on his
wide and perfect mouth.

“No, I hate how bathing suits are fashioned.” Nea
gave a pretend shudder.

“I believe Sabine left one on our bed that will be
to your liking. She said she made Bendis go on a future shopping
spree; she didn’t know if her daughter would be as welcoming with
the clothing,” Vlad chortled quietly.

“Are you going to go swimming?”

“No, I am King of the Vampires, I do not…swim.” He
looked aghast she had even asked, “However I will enjoy watching
you in minimal clothing, all wet.”

“That is an evil look in your eyes.” Nea shook her
head and then went in search of her bathing suit.

Not thirty minutes later, Nea was walking with her
towel and listening to the happy sounds of her family splashing and
swimming, there were torches blazing all around the pond. Vlad sat
in a chair many feet from the water, watching with a bemused
expression on his face. When he saw her it turned to heat, she was
in a one piece suit in a royal blue; it had capped sleeves and a
skirt that brushed the top of her thighs.

“Isn’t grandma beautiful?” Daniela asked, dropping
her towel anxious to get in the water.

“Beautiful.” Vlad agreed, though he did not stand
up, Nea figured he probably couldn’t even if he wanted to.

Later,
his
voice flittered through her mind. She glared at him, was he trying
to give her a headache to use against him? She did, however, enjoy
knowing her body still affected him like it had when they were
first married.

“Go swim Ella, your parents are waiting.” Nea
watched as her granddaughter ran down the dock and jumped into the
water, such a courageous girl.

“Come on, Nea!” Sabine called from the middle of the
pond.

“Yes, I can’t wait to see that outfit wet,” Vlad
encouraged, Nea sauntered past him and down to the sand that
created the ponds shore line. She waded into the water, it wasn’t
too cold and felt good against the lingering heat of the day.

She dunked under the water and stood up, laying on
her back, floating and looking up at the sky as stars began to
appear, half in and half out of the water. She crooked her neck to
watch Mihail lift Daniela over his head and toss her back into the
pond.

Waves sloshed over her suit, she closed her eyes,
hearing only the water and mumbled sounds of talking, letting
herself relax. Hearing her named being called by Vlad, Cneajna,
Princess of Transylvania and Strega, opened her eyes, blinked, took
in a deep breath and made her way back up the sandy shore to sit by
her husband.