Crina's head was spinning. She still had no idea who Vlad really was, how he came to be in possession of the castle she had always thought was deserted. How had he gotten into her room? Why had he taken her? Why did he keep helping her? And why in God's name did he keep kissing her?
She closed her eyes. Why did she keep kissing him back?
She loved Ioan. She had vowed never to kiss anyone else.
Tears ran down her face as she thought of her love. How she missed him. How she wished he was here right now, to kiss her tears away, to stroke her hair, to whisper that he loved her.
The door opened with a loud creak, and Crina looked at it, startled, to see a young woman enter, carrying a tray of food. She smiled at Crina and stepped slowly into the room, tossing her long, toffee coloured curls of hair over her slender shoulder elegantly.
"Who are you?" Crina asked automatically.
The woman was incredibly skinny, wearing a tiny, translucent pink dress, revealing a lot of white skin. Sharp violet eyes were fixed in a pretty, yet haughty face. Still, she wore a friendly smile. "I am Brianna. You must be Crina. I'm delighted to meet you." Her accent was English, polite and cool.
Crina cocked her head. "Thank you," she said, "but I still don't know who you are."
Brianna crossed over to Crina, placing the tray down in front of her. Crina saw that there was a dish of soup, some bread, and a glass of wine. "I hope you find this satisfying," Brianna said. "As for who I am, I told you. Brianna."
Absent-mindedly, Crina raised a piece of bread and tore off a chunk with her teeth. "Are you a servant or something?"
Brianna's laugh was high-pitched and tinkly. "No, no, no. I'm Vlad's wife, Crina."
Crina felt a pang in her chest she couldn't quite explain as she surveyed the woman closely. "H-his wife? Vlad is married to you?"
"Yes, darling," replied Brianna with another laugh. "You sound almost disappointed."
Crina found it strange that Brianna did not sound at all jealous of the fact she had noticed. Crina was indeed disappointed, though it hurt to admit it. She was getting feelings for Vlad. She loved how she felt when he kissed her, when he looked at her, even though he scared her. Still, if he was married to such a lovely woman as Brianna, it didn't make sense for him to keep kissing her, or even to have brought her here, or indeed for Brianna to be impassive, even happy, about this. She decided to be honest. "I am, a little," she replied, sipping the wine gratefully.
Brianna nodded, standing watching Crina with those sharp eyes. "You will probably fall in love with him, in time," she said. "Most women do."
Crina blinked. Brianna seemed incredibly calm about this fact. "I assure you, I may care for him, but I will never love him," Crina replied. "My heart belongs to somebody else."
The sun was setting outside. It cast rich, orange-red light into the room, making Brianna glow strangely as she smiled and shook her head slowly. "No, Crina, you will forget all others and fall for Vlad. I promise you."
Crina felt her breath catch in her throat, though why she was not sure. Brianna seemed pleasant, if strange, and her words were calm and nice, but there was definately something wrong. Crina knew she had to get out of this place. She needed to go home. Right now, the prospect of Cristian Farkas seemed almost inviting. "I need to talk to Vlad."
"Vlad is out at the moment," Brianna replied softly, heading for the door. "He will not be back until nightfall. Now, eat up, and rest. You look like death!" And then she laughed that strange laugh, and left.
To be continued.