Chapter 2
Castle Darkhart
Dinner had been particularly long and protracted with the introductions of so many new faces to become acquainted and Victoria felt exhausted. She was not sure she would remember Duke this or Lord that or Marquees or Madam this or that. She just wanted to find a quiet place and hide for the evening. At least the weather had been seasonable enough for her to slip out to the patio and the water fountain that now tinkled with its flowing water and soft lighting along the pathway to invite her to the garden. Her thoughts were filled with loneliness and missing Barnabas.
She had been dressed for the evening in a deep emerald green gown of soft chiffon with gold braiding. The dress accented her tiny figure and her delicate coloring. She had been presented as Countess Victoria to many of those that had gathered and she had to smile and nod when she had no idea why she was nodding to things they were saying that made no sense at all. Her hair had been dressed in an upsweep of curls and braids which only accented the soft cut of her jawline and the delicate draw of her neck to her shoulders.
Prince Drake had been speaking with Andréas when she made her entrance at the top of the stairs. He was immediately struck silent. Under his breath he spoke in a raspy familiar language to Andréa, "She walks to darkness with the light of purity filling her soul. She shall make an excellent selection as a mate for my first-born son and me. You did well Andréas." Andréas smiled nodding slowly.
"I am happy you are pleased my lord. I was a little concerned that she would not be as accepting of you as she seems to have so far." Andréas had rocked forward on the balls of his feet waiting for Victoria to come down the stairs. Drake had moved forward extended his hand to help her off the last step, then deftly tucked her hand into the crook of his arm.
"Come my dear we have a very long night ahead of us an I want you to make the best impression you possibly can muster for us. After all these are going to be our loyal subjects once we are married."
He felt her hand tense and she acted as if she were about to withdraw her hand from his arm when he covered her hand with his and squeezed it to hold it in place. "I would suggest a pleasant smile and at least pretend you are happy to be here. Otherwise I fear for the lives of those you hold dearest to your heart. They are after all my guests at this time." He had slid a dangerous glint her way to remind her of his control he now held over her.
Earlier Castle Darkhart
How could Vicki forget, earlier that day he had come to her room unannounced and barged in on her in the middle of her bath. She had slid under the soapy water covering herself when he marched into her bathing chambers. "Get dressed and come to your bedroom." He had abruptly announced turned and left her bathing room. He had not only frightened her with his appearance but had now demanded she bend to his wishes.
Waiting for the door to close she stepped out of the tub, moved to pull on a housecoat and walked to the adjourning dressing room where he maid awaited her arrival. "We must hurry my lady, the Prince is expecting you post haste." She had rushed changing her into a day dress, which for Vicki was somewhat awkward and embarrassing she had always dressed herself from the time she was a very small child. Having it done for her was an uncomfortable feeling. She almost felt an invasion of her privacy.
Marta had finished dressing her and then brushed her hair until she was acceptable to be in the presence of the Prince. Victoria opened the door and stepped into the bedroom looking around for the Prince. He had stood at her balcony doors watching the gardens and roadway below. "Good come along there is something I wish you to see." He snagged her wrist and pulled her close to his body. Immediately, her reaction was to tug away from him. She felt him tighten his hold on her and a dangerous glint filtered over his eyes. He had locked his jaw and glared down at her. "I think not my dear. You will hold to me and accept me and what I offer or. . . "
He had led her down the hallway to a hidden elevator. Waiting for the elevator to arrive he held his grip tightly to her body. When it arrived he stepped onto the elevator pulling her along with him. The elevator went down. Vicki was half frightened and very confused over what was happening. When the elevator stopped, he tugged her off the elevator and took her down a long antiseptic hallway. Stopping in front of a heavy iron door he removed a card from his pocket, sliding it over a security module on the wall, she heard a soft click and watched him open the door and stand aside so she could enter.
Vicki walked into the room and noticed that it was filled with closed circuit monitors that switched locations every five seconds as it scanned through the areas that was under surveillance. Vicki looked up and paled. In one room was Elizabeth; in another room Carolyn, and then David. Vicki covered her mouth as she let out a soft gasp. "You monster what have you done!" She turned her wide condemning gaze upon the man at her side. He smiled; slide the card back into his pocket.
"I have secured your cooperation for our marriage. I would say that should be incentive enough for you to act the proper bride to be would you not say?" He smiled his slick confident smile then walked to a control panel, and pressed the button so they could hear as well as see what was going on in each room. Depressing a button he spoke softly, "Mrs. Stoddard would you turn to your television in your room."
Elizabeth turned and waited, the television came on and Elizabeth along with Vicki could see the image of her and Drake in the control room. "As you can see Mrs. Stoddard, I have Miss Winters with me. Now look. He pressed another button and she could see Carolyn pacing the room like a caged wild animal."
"Carolyn!" Elizabeth called out and immediately Carolyn had spun around and called back.
"Mother? Where are you!" Carolyn's television came to life and she could see her mother standing in front of the television with her fingertips pressed to the screen.
"I am here my sweet daughter. Are you well? Have they harmed you?" Her words were choked with emotions while she waited for Carolyn to respond.
"I am fine mother but I don't know where they have taken David." Both screens went blank then an image of David sitting in the middle of a floor surrounded by a ton of toys age appropriate for him. He looked miserable and angry.
Elizabeth called to him. "David!"
David's head popped up looking around he called, "Aunt Elizabeth! Where are you? Where are we? I want to go home!" Drake once again manipulated the buttons and the image on the screen was that of him and Vicki in the control room.
"As long as Miss Winters does as I ask, you all will be going home when I say you may. Until then enjoy your stay in my castle." The screen went blank and once again the images of the three rooms were once again cycling through their rotation. Vicki felt the sting of tears in her eyes and turned away from the monitors. "Just as I said you become my wife they go home. How simple can it be?"
He turned and tugged her out of the room locking it behind him and pocketing his security card. "Now come along there are a lot of instructions you must learn for the night's festivities." He tugged her again next to him and could feel her body tense at his touch. "As I have said before Victoria you must learn to appreciate my touch and there will be a day that you will beg for it. Now quit acting the bashful virgin. I know you are experienced in the ways of a man's touch."
He watched her eyes widen that he knew she and Barnabas had been together and very intimate with one another. He laughed and shook his head then his voice took on a less than cordial tone of joviality. "You know in this country were I wish it and proclaimed you damaged goods you could be stoned for your infidelity to me. As I do wish you as my bride I shall forgive you that little slip up. Another reason you should be grateful I am taking you as wife even though you are soiled goods."
He had once again pulled her to the elevator and she knew that they were headed back to her room. "I would suggest you rest, we will need you around six. Until then." He leaned over placed a light chaste kiss on her lips. She stepped into her room, watched as he closed her door, with a click of the key she was once again locked in her room. Turning she dashed the tears from her eyes in frustration. Moving to her bed she flung herself across the bed and began to cry.
Exhausting herself with her emotional outburst she rolled over looking up at the canopy. Her mind refused to function, she felt helpless and trapped. There was no way she was going to let him harm her newly adopted family. Closing her eyes she sighed, wiped the tears from her eyes, and then sat up. Moving to the balcony doors she opened them and stepped out to the balcony to look for a way to escape. She had to figure out how to save the Collins family and get them safely away from this castle of horrors.
Pacing back and forth all she could do was lift her eyes to peer out of the wide expanse of the castle grounds and look to an imaginary place far across the ocean to a place called Collinwood. A place she had thought of as home for the past year.
The Old House
Julia sat before the fireplace, her thoughts lost in what she was thinking, Eric Lang paced back and forth in a furious manner of one trying to work out a solution to a conundrum. Barnabas leaned against the mantel by the fireplace, while Quentin sat in a chair sipping his brandy. Laura had moved down the stairs and paused to watch the cozy little group gathered in the drawing room. She thought a moment about a time long ago when she was a Stockbridge and had come with her husband to call upon Naomi and Joshua Collins.
They had been so inviting and happy for Isaiah and her. They were to welcome their first-born son into the world and it had been his mother Naomi that had suggested a ball to be held in their grand ballroom. That had been happy times for them all until it came time to take her then twelve-year-old son into the fire with her as her innocent sacrifice. She knew he would be born again to her once she had arisen. So the sacrifice was never that great it was just a promise for him to live again, that was until she had Quentin's twins. That had been unfortunate, that the both of them had to die with her but it had been a glorious arising for her later and Ra had been pleased for the bonus of an extra innocent.
Walking sedately into the room, she paused to look at the silent but sullen group now huddled in the drawing room fixating over how they were going to go and rescue their family members. The only missing from the group was Elliott and that was because he had gone to collect some artifacts he felt would be useful once they arrived at the castle. Sitting down she lifted her chin then darted her gaze to Barnabas.
"How do we know we can even trust you Mrs. Collins?" Julia shot her hot hate filled gaze at the blond beauty that had just joined them in the room. "For that matter how do we know you are not one of those that took Elizabeth, Carolyn, or David and plan to hand us over to them as a bartering chip to get back David?"
Laura laughed lightly, "You can't trust me. That is part of your problem. I am not trustworthy and never have claimed to be trustworthy. I can assure you that if I can get David out of there before your other family members are rescued, I will be gone and will leave you on your own. My one and only interest is David and his safe removal from Petofi and the Dark Lord that calls himself Prince Drake. I will promise you this, I shall use my powers to get us into the castle and I will use my powers to locate everyone. However, once I know where David is being held, you all will be on your own. You will not have my powers to get you out."
"Which we would not need Mrs. Collins, because I have my own tricks so to speak and my own methods of helping us escape." Elliott had walked into the room while Laura was posturing her position and her intent. "As a matter of fact with what I have it could very well send your ass back to your God before your time and before you have a chance to reach your son." Elliott had entered the room more fully and now held a small slender cylinder in his hand.
"With what I hold in here it could shove you and your god into another plane of existence and it would be a cold day in hell before you got back here without a lot of dark power and some powerful manipulations." He smiled nodding to Eric, Julia, Barnabas, and Quentin.
Quentin snorted, "You would have us believe you have the onyx of Ramadan?" Quentin knew exactly what it took to send Ra and Laura packing.
Elliott carefully opened the seal on the cylinder and gently poured out its contents. What fell from the container was an ancient papyrus scroll with a wax seal. The next item that fell out was an artifact that looked like an onyx. "You mean this?" He watched Laura recoil in fear and respect.
"That is impossible that went up in the flames of Vesuvius!" She had gasped feeling the power of the artifact that to her now radiated a strong pulsating light. "You would risk destroying all of us to secure my trust and help?" She was not sure what it did but she did know that Ra had hated this artifact and had tried to destroy it once he found its location on Pompeii. He had not cared how many died that day wicked or innocent he just knew he needed to destroy that particular abomination to his existence.
"It was smuggled off the island one month before the eruption of Vesuvius. You should have known it was still in existence. Your god knew he had failed, he feels its powers whenever it is revealed. Even now you should be able to feel he is unnerved by the mere presence of it in front of one of his disciples."
He spoke the truth she could feel the ripple affect of his knowing that this item existed still and was a very viable threat to him. "So, here is the deal Laura Collins, you will help us and once we have returned home to this location, I shall turn this over to your god, you will summon him and I shall give it to him as a gift so that another innocent life will not have to be forfeit for his benefit. Certainly you will find favor with him for brining him the one item that could cause his demise."
Laura pursed her lips and thought about the offer, it would find her great favor with her god, but if she could get it before they left she would be able to hold it and then perhaps jockey more from Ra than what he had been willing to give her up to this point. She thought a moment and then decided either way she could easily get them in and out with little effort and then she would make a big show of offering him the onyx of Ramadan. "I accept your offer Professor, so now shall we plan our next step to getting back those we love?"
Castle Darkhart
Victoria trailed her fingertips into the clear water of the fountain; leaning against is marble surface she sighed softly. "Such a sad smile and a soft frown upon a beautiful face my dear. Are you not happy?" Drake had watched her move from the ballroom to the garden and quietly followed her out to the water fountain. He had studied her bent head while she stared at her reflection, which had become distorted from the fall of the water. She had watched the drops fall causing the ripple affect as the circles grew larger to be sucked down by the pump and recycled up and out of the fountain spray.
"No Drake, I am not happy. Why should I be happy? I am being held here against my will, about to marry a man that sees me only as his property and not his equal and has threatened those I love and me. So how could I possibly find happiness in those circumstances?" She had stepped away from the fountain then turned her back on him walking towards a stone bench to sit on its flat surface and curl her fingers over the edge of the bench. She had lifted her chin in defiance of him and noted that by some trick of the light there was a glint of amusement in his gaze.
"I see am I that horrible that you do not think you could ever love someone like me my dear?" He had moved to the bench sat next to her pressing his leg against her leg and his hip to her hip. Reaching for her small delicate hand he lifted it to study each fingertip. "That I am so objectionable to peer upon, so hideous that your heart is frozen to me?" He turned to peer at her bent head. He noted she had tucked her chin and shield her gaze with a fall of her long eyelashes.
"I find anyone unattractive that must force their intentions on another to get their way. I find that at this time my heart is entwined with another and frankly it is not you." He tightened his hold on her fingers and watched her grimace with the pain of the action. He smiled.
"So easily I could take this delicate hand and break the bones in your fingers. Just as I could crush the bones of those that you care so deeply for such as young David. How would you like to witness his being beheaded and his head placed upon a spike? See, you would not like that because I can see the outrage and terror in your eyes at such a thought being performed on someone so young and innocent."
Her eyes had grown wide with his hint at such a thing being done to David and she had held back the soft gasp of protest as his hand tightened down on her fingers. She listened when his voice had grown even softer, "But my dear rest assure if I were pushed to a point where it was necessary to do such a thing I would not hesitate to do so. Remember that when the next time you feel the need to express your real thoughts and desires about our impending nuptials."
Victoria jerked her hand from his stood to glare at him. "You are a monster and there is no way I shall ever be happy with you or with this situation. Do you understand this? You asked me if I was happy and I answered truthfully for the truth can set you free." She watched him stand and tower over her. Sweeping her up in his arms he marched to the side of the house and carried her up the rear stairs to his bedroom, where he threw her over the end of his bed winding her with the action.
Falling down on her body he pinned her beneath him, his eyes locked to hers and his face contorted with anger. "If ever you have a temper tantrum like you just had remember this. You belong to me, you are mine and you will do as I say and you will if you have to pretend you are happy." Lowering his lips t her he plundered her mouth with a punishing kiss leaving her feeling bruised by his actions. His hands found the softness of her body and took the liberties he had denied him self when first them met.
In a punishing way he was making his point and she was getting his message loud and clear with each grope, he fresh touch, each action he took to put his brand on her. Breaking the kiss she turned her face away from him her gaze blurring with unshed tears. Using the force of her palms against his chest she tried to push his crushing force from her body. He only laughed, grabbing both wrists with one hand and pulling them above her head. With fingertips that were gentle and caressing he tugged her chin over so he could lock gazes with her.
"Do you understand Victoria, that you never had a choice in this from the day you were conceived you were made for my pleasure. You are mine and will do as I say and be whom I decide you will be."
His words had grown seductively soft as he spoke his warm breath blew over her face and down her neck sending chills of revulsion through her body. She tried to struggle against his hold and his intrusive hands making their way down her blouse and over her breast to clutch one tightly in his hand.
"Understand what I chose to do with you and to you no one will come to your rescue. Whom you chose to love and whom you are bonded to are two entirely different matters and one of them matters not to me." He smiled and she wanted to slap that smile from his face. "To me that look of defiance, anger and hatred just fuels my want for you. The more you resist me the more I want you. Never doubt for one moment I will do whatever it takes to make sure you are at my side at the end of the day."
He pushed from her body stood and arranged his manhood which had become aroused during his close contact with her. Smiling he nodded to her turned and walked from his bedroom and waited for her to rise from his bed. "if you stay there my dear I will take it as an invitation to come in and finish what we started."
Vicki sprang from the bed, straightened her gown and rushed from the room with a dark and amused chuckle following her exit. "Now that could almost hurt my feelings if I had any feelings." He watched her rush away from him with head held proud, color heightened and back straight. Again he chuckled softly watching her disappear down the hallway and knew she was headed for her bedroom. "You will learn before this month is over you will appreciate what I chose to offer Victoria and you will love me of that I am sure."