“I did at first.” He dabbed his lips with a napkin and raised his goblet of blood in salute. “But now I have mastered the art.”
“Does it not taste strange?”
“No. Even though it’s cooked, I can still taste the essence of blood.”
Ivana could not help but smile. It did feel rather more civilised to sit and watch others eat. She could not participate. Any food at the castle was for the servants’ consumption. There had been enough to provide a few small meals, but she did not want to empty the larder completely.
Fear played a part, too. She was scared. She had finally come to terms with the nature of her affliction, accepted who she was now. The sense of hopelessness had eased over the years. To go back, to act as though she was human would only serve to open old wounds.
Of course, things would be different if they found the cure.
The thought caused her heart to race.
Since Nikolai’s death, no one had mentioned it. Perhaps they suspected it was a lie used as a form of bribery. Perhaps they were all relieved to be alive and could not think past that. Whatever the reason, she owed it to them to divulge wh
at she knew.
How would they take the news?
How would they cope with the disappointment if they failed to find it?
The need to calm her nerves, to feel a wave of tranquillity wash over, pushed to fore. She wished she had emptied her blood into a goblet as a sip of the burgundy liquid would surely bring instant relief.
Ivana cleared her throat to rouse their attention. “There is a matter of some importance we should discuss.” She resisted the urge to jump to her feet in eagerness, to race from room to room emptying drawers and cupboards. “Something that affects all of us.”
Elliot placed his cutlery on his plate and coughed into his napkin as he stood. “Forgive me. But before you continue, I would like to speak if I may.”
Ivana inclined her head. “Of course,” she said suppressing her impatience.
“I have no secrets from the people around this table,” Elliot began, taking his wife’s hand as she sat by his side. “Leo and Alexander are my kin, family I would have never come to know had it not been for the terrifying nature of our affliction. Now we are brothers in every sense of the word.”
Evelyn picked up her napkin and dabbed at the corner of her eyes.
“God saw fit to send me an angel.” Elliot brought Grace’s hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly. “To guide me, to show me what it means to love another. I see the same sense of hope in Alexander’s eyes when he looks at Evelyn. Now I see it in Leo’s eyes, too.”
Ivana stared at him, mesmerised by his strength of presence. He appeared so different from the licentious rake she had met in the mausoleum. It eased her guilt to know that through his experiences he had become a better man.
“Ivana.” He bowed graciously. “I cannot completely understand your motives for cursing us with such a monstrous affliction. But I am assured you believed your reasons to be just. And so, I extend the hand of friendship. I offer you my thanks, for my brothers and my friends, for the angel at my side and for caring for the sweet boy I am yet to meet.”
A pain in Ivana’s throat forced her to gulp. She tried to speak, but she struggled to form the words. When her gaze locked with Leo’s her heart felt so full she thought it might burst from her chest. Was this what if felt like to be truly happy?
As Elliot sat down, all heads turned her way. She knew she should stand and say something in response, but feared her legs lacked the strength to support her body.
Sucking in a breath, she gripped the arms of the chair. “Despite the curse I placed upon you, it warms my heart to know … to know you have flourished, found peace and joy. For many years, this house has been a place of fear. It has been a place where hatred lingered in the shadows, where despair walked the empty corridors at night. Now it is a place of love, friendship, and hope.” With the absence of a goblet, she raised her hands in the air. “And so I ask you to dedicate your toast to happiness, whatever form it may take.”
The gentlemen raised their goblets. Ivana joined them in their cheers: a heartfelt good riddance to her nightmares and soon the conversation erupted around her. There were but a few hours left until dawn, yet her guests appeared to be comfortable, relaxed.
“You are all welcome to stay here,” Ivana said, enjoying the noise and bustle after years of sitting alone in deathly silence.
Evelyn glanced at her husband and smiled. “That would be wonderful if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Not at all. I shall ask Julia to prepare the rooms.” She turned her attention to Elliot. “Tomorrow we shall visit Herr Bruhn and the children. But for the hours remaining, I must bring your attention to the matter I mentioned earlier.”
Leo cast her a quizzical glance and leant towards her. “Do you wish to speak of the cure?” he whispered.
She couldn’t concentrate with his mouth so close to her ear, and she shivered as she imagined him trailing kisses down the column of her neck. “I do.”
Leo sat back and inhaled deeply.