Page 12 of Revelations

He leaned back. “Then you will be set free. No strings. No gimmicks. No fine print. You will be free to go, but…I do not believe that will be the case.” His chin lifted with confidence.

“What about our friends?” With all this talk of eternal love and Kael, she had almost forgotten about the humans whom she had meant to save from this exact dilemma.

“Kristina and Brian have been given the same choice. However, I can say that my scouts did not do such a fine job there.” Claude glared above Greylyn’s head at the group standing behind them. “The girl believes it is true love. That is easy to see. So naïve.” He shook his head. “The young man? He is too in love with himself. But for her sake, I have extended them a similar offer.”

“And if they refuse, will you set them free, as well?” She dared him to answer truthfully. She knew damn well that no one was getting out of there alive.

With a faux frown that crinkled his forehead and pursed his lips, Claude shook his head. “I am afraid not. They do not intrigue me the way you two do. They lack that something special to make them an exception. You see, I must be highly selective in who I choose to invite into my family. We”—he waved his hand around to everyone gathered—"are a special family. If someone declines an offer, we cannot have him or her running around telling everyone else about it. We have to protect ourselves.”

Greylyn glanced over at Kael who seemed quite bemused by this turn of events. The gold flecks in his eyes shimmered with mischief.

With a coy grin and slight shoulder shrug, he agreed. “Why not? Sounds fun.”

She rounded on him. “Have you completely lost your mind? This isn’t a game, Kael!”

He grabbed her shaking hands. In a soothing voice, he peered into her eyes. There was a message there, deeper than the words that followed. “Let’s just hear the man out. Couldn’t hurt, right? Then perhaps we can talk to our friends in the other room.”

Oh!

She’d been so hell-bent on getting out of this uncomfortable situation with Kael that she had not seen another way to save Kristina and Brian other than fighting her way out, despite the overwhelming number of vamps ready to turn them into a picnic.

This plan, however, could work.

“Fine,” she spit out. “We agree. But under one condition.”

She sensed that she was about to push things too far, but she could not allow the vampires to turn the human couple.

“Kristina and Brian go free. Now. No choices to be made. Just release them.”

Claude bit his lower lip; a thin tendril of blood oozed down his chin before his tongue licked it away. His violet eyes narrowed. “You seem overly concerned for them. Not so much for yourself. I find that extraordinary.” He stood and paced in front of them, tapping his chin with his two index fingers. “I will consider it, but only after you have had a chance to consider my invitation for yourselves. In the meantime, they are comfortable in their own suite of rooms, none the wiser to our arrangement.”

Somewhat satisfied with that response, Greylyn squared her shoulders as if for battle. “So how exactly do you propose to convince us that we are made for each other?”

Claude clapped his hands together in glee. He had won the first battle. “Follow me.”

Chapter 3 – The Garden of Truth

They went down a labyrinth hallway that was lit so brightly, Greylyn had to squint. Claude escorted them to a shiny steel door reminiscent of a bank vault without the high-tech locks.

Brandishing a skeleton key with ruby-encrusted eyes, the possibly hundreds-year-old vampire grinned like a kid on Christmas morning who had already peeked under the tree before his parents allowed him to open a present. “I hope you enjoy your accommodations. My wife prepared the room especially for you. Simone is so very excited to meet you. She has been tending to your friends but will be so happy to welcome you to our home a little later.”

A wife? Really?She glanced down at his left hand. How had she missed that before? Yet, there it was, the glimmering gold ring with a thick amethyst-encrusted band in the middle. It precisely matched the hue of Claude’s eyes.

Obviously, they took the whole “until death do us part” thing seriously.

With a soft click, the door swung open to reveal a large, plush bedroom. An elaborate four-poster bed stood in the center of a stark white room with deep red rose petals strewn across the gold damask comforter. Queen Anne furnishings provided an elegant ambience to the room, while the Renaissance-themed artwork adorning the walls gave it more of a museum feel. Exotic flowers—some form of lily that she did not recognize—in intricately etched crystal vases were scattered about on every available surface. Odd, since no natural light filtered into the room, only soft white light from a cut-glass chandelier directly over the bed.

“You will find clothes in the dresser that should suit you nicely. Simone selected the items herself. She has the most amazing sense of style.” The way Claude’s face lit up whenspeaking of his wife, Greylyn began to wonder if perhaps monsters could actually feel love. “Just through that door, you will find a spectacular spa bathroom to rival even the most luxurious hotels. A jacuzzi tub with every salt or bubble bath fragrance you can possibly imagine. The shower…oh, it is divine. Large enough for one, or even two or more, to do most anything they wanted in there.” He winked at Kael. “Several different showerheads, and there is my favorite…the steam function. And for your refreshment, that cabinet over in the far corner, is really a well-stocked fridge.”

“You really go all out for yourguests.” She could barely get the words out without a huge dollop of sarcasm that tickled the tip of her tongue.

The vampire-turned-matchmaker appeared oblivious to her tone. “Once you are ready, we will get started. But please…do take all the time you need.Jwi rete ou!” With a reverent bow in her direction, Claude glided out the door with barely a sound except the door lock as it clicked into place.

“So, what’s the plan now, Einstein?” Greylyn rounded on Kael, anger gurgling up in her chest.

The expansive room pressed in on her like an invisible vice. She despised being trapped anywhere, including a lavish room worthy of a high-priced resort.

Nonchalantly, he strolled around the room, admiring the artwork. “These really are lovely. You know”—he pointed to a large canvas—"this is the best replica I’ve ever seen of Simone Martini’s work. I wonder…”

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