Page 93 of Bound By Blood

“Elena. Wife. You will do as I say, or I will lock you in your room.”

“That’s not fair!”

“Fair or not, I will not put your life in danger. You will stay here with Kaitlyn. Zack will be here to protect you.”

“You can’t face Lucien and Nadiya alone.”

“I can and I will,” he said. “This is my fight. I cannot let Lucien think he has won.”

“That’s just your pride talking. I don’t care what anyone thinks.”

“The Fortress is my ancestral home. I will not give it up without a fight. Nor will I let Nadiya go unpunished for what she did.”

“Please, Drake.” Elena placed her hands on Drake’s shoulders. “I’m afraid. What if …” She couldn’t say the words. What if saying them made them so? She wasn’t brave; she didn’t care what happened to the Fortress. Her only concern was for her husband. He was her courage. Her life. Without him …”Drake.”

“I know.” He put his arms around her waist and drew her close, his head resting in the vee between her breasts.

“What if Lucien won’t meet you?” she asked hopefully.

“I will not give him a choice. Day after tomorrow, I will summon my brothers and the husbands of my sisters. We will meet at the Fortress.”

“Not Andrei,” Elena said.

Drake lifted his head. “Why not Andrei?”

“Because Katiya is pregnant again.”

“Who told you that?” he asked, frowning.

“Katiya sent me a letter. I got it a few days ago but with everything that was going on, I forgot to tell you.”

Drake nodded. “Not Andrei, then.”

“So you won’t be alone,” Elena said, relieved to know that his brothers would be there with him.

“I will meet Lucien alone. My family will be there to assure it is a fair fight.”

“Isn’t there another way?” She knew what his answer would be, but she had to try one more time.

“No.” He cupped her face in his hands. “Do not worry, wife. I will come back to you.”

Elena forced a smile, but inside, her heart was breaking. And then, not wanting him to think her weak or cowardly, she forced a smile. Taking him by the hand, she urged him to his feet. “Let us go upstairs and make the best of what time we have left before you must go.”

Kaitlyn shook her head. “Can’t you change his mind?”

“I tried,” Elena said. “But you know how your father is, once he’s made a decision.”

Kaitlyn reached for her mother’s hand. It was late on a rainy afternoon and they were sitting side by side on one of the sofas in the main hall. A fire crackled cheerfully in the hearth. A flowered teapot and matching china cups sat on the coffee table, along with a batch of freshly baked sugar cookies. They had dined earlier.

“Can he win?” Kaitlyn asked.

“If Lucien and Nadiya play fair, it’s no contest. Your father will win easily. But you know Nadiya won’t play by the rules. Even if your father defeats Lucien, I know Nadiya will have a back-up plan to make sure your father doesn’t survive.”

“We have to be there,” Kaitlyn said.

“I agree, but I don’t know how we’d manage it. We’d have to go by plane, and by the time we get there, it’ll all be over.”

Kaitlyn heaved a sigh of exasperation. More and more lately, she found herself wishing she was a full-fledged vampire like her father. Like Zack … Zack. Of course! He could take them to the Fortress.

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