Page 44 of Bound By Blood

“You had no right!” Kaitlyn blinked back her tears. Turning her back on her father, she stared out the window at the valley below. Snow covered the distant mountains and dusted the leaves of the trees. She pressed a hand to her stomach. She still felt a little queasy after being transported so swiftly from her cabin in Lake Tahoe to the Carpathian Fortress. She had never really liked it here. It was too big, too cold. But it was more than that. Her father was a different man here. At Wolfram Castle, he was Dad, the man who pampered her and spoiled her, the father who had read her stories at bedtime and played Barbies on the floor with her when she was a little girl. At the Fortress, he was all business, the head of their coven, the Master of the Carpathian Fortress. It was a responsibility he took seriously and it colored everything he did, every decision he made.

“Kaitlyn, look at me.”

She could have refused her father, but not the Master of the Coven. She turned to look at him, her expression sullen. “What?”

“Do you understand that you are in danger? I know you think your vampire blood makes you invincible, but it does not. Nadiya wants revenge against me. She knows you and your mother are my only weaknesses. I cannot keep you safe in America. I do not trust anyone else to do so. You may be angry with me for this. You may even hate me for a time. But until the threat to your life no longer exists, you will stay here. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Kaitlyn.” His voice softened, along with his harsh expression.

She felt the sting of tears behind her eyes as he closed the distance between them and took her in his arms.

With a sigh, Kaitlyn rested her head on his chest. Her father loved her. Of that she had no doubt. But, danger or no danger, he had to let her live her own life. She wasn’t a child anymore.

Elena smiled at Kaitlyn. “You can’t blame your father for worrying,” she said. “Not only about you, but about everyone in the Fortress.”

“I don’t understand why Nadiya has everyone so worried. Does she have that much power?”

“Of herself? No. But she has other sons, and there are rumors that she has made an alliance with the Master of the Italian Fortress. If she isn’t stopped …” Elena’s voice trailed off. Although it had happened over twenty years ago, she remembered all too clearly when the Master of the Irish Coven had challenged Drake’s father for possession of the Carpathian Coven.

The two Master Vampires, both bare-chested and armed with silver-bladed swords, had met in a clearing below the Fortress under the light of a full moon. Hidden behind a tree with Stefan, Elena had watched the bloody battle, had watched, sickened by the sight, as, with one slash of his sword, Rodin had severed Gerret’s head from his body. She had turned away in horror, so she had not seen what happened next. But she had heard Liliana’s high-pitched scream of denial. When Elena turned back, Rodin lay dead on the ground, a long wooden stake protruding from his heart. Liliana knelt beside her husband, a look of horrified disbelief on her face. Drake had Florin by the throat.

Elena had thought the battle finished, but she had been wrong. Minutes had passed, and then Liliana rose to her feet. Eyes blazing, her cheeks streaked with scarlet tears, she had picked up her husband’s sword. Standing tall and proud, she had called for a champion to avenge her husband’s death. Every member of the council had taken a step forward, as had Stefan and Drake. To this day, Elena remembered the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach when Liliana had offered the blade to Drake. Still hidden in the shadows, Elena had watched Drake take hold of his father’s sword. He had defeated Florin in battle and in so doing, had become the new Master of the Carpathian Fortress.

More than twenty years had passed since that dreadful night, but the memories of that hour remained as fresh in her mind as if it had happened only yesterday.

“You’re afraid for Dad, aren’t you?” Kaitlyn asked. It had never occurred to her that anything could happen to her father. He was so tall and strong, always confident and in control, she had always thought him to be as indestructible as the mountain on which the Fortress was built.

Elena nodded. “If Rodin could be destroyed …”

Her mother didn’t finish the sentence, but Kaitlyn knew what she was thinking. If Drake’s father, who had lived for over a thousand years, could be destroyed, it could happen to any of them.

Lying in bed later that night, Kaitlyn pondered the conversation she’d had with her mother. She had had no idea things were so serious, or that her father’s life might be in danger. Having grown up in Wolfram instead of the Fortress, Kaitlyn suddenly realized that she was ignorant of much of the history of their people. Sure, her parents had taught her the basics, taken her to the Fortress to meet her relatives, explained what was expected of her when she was old enough to take a husband. She had attended weddings and other formal functions in the company of her parents, she knew she was expected to marry, and to produce children as long as she was able. It was something she had accepted without question. Until she met Zack.

Being with him, getting to know him, she had come to the realization that she didn’t want an arranged marriage, didn’t want to spend her life in the Fortress doing what was expected of her. She wanted to stay in Lake Tahoe with the man she loved.

Blinking back tears, she turned onto her side. She shouldn’t be thinking about herself, or missing Zack. She should be worrying about her father, about what might happen if he had to meet the Italian Master Vampire in battle to defend the Fortress.

A cold fear clutched her heart. She was her father’s heir. If there was a fight and her father lost, would she be expected to meet the victor in battle? Surely not! She had never held a sword in her life. Surely her uncle Andrei or uncle Stefan, or one of the other brothers, would step forward to meet the challenge.

Wouldn’t they?

With Stefan’s return, Elena decided they should have a party to welcome him home.

“A party?” Drake asked. “Now?”

“Why not now?” Elena asked.

“I can think of any number of reasons,” he replied dryly.

Elena heaved a sigh of exasperation. “I think we’ll be safe for a few hours. It’s not like Nadiya’s going to come here looking for Kaitlyn. And Stefan’s been gone such a long time.” Rising, she moved into her husband’s arms. “Please, Drake?”

“How big a party do you have in mind?”

“Just the Sherrad family.”

He grunted softly. “Very well.” There had never been any doubt that she would get her way, he thought ruefully. In all their married life, he had rarely denied Elena anything she wished. It had pleased him to spoil her, to grant her every wish whenever possible.

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