ran for the woods again only to have Velkan overtake her.
She tried to pull away, but he held her arm in a fierce grip.
"Listen to me, Esperetta . You and I are both dead."
She frowned at him. "Are you insane? I'm not dead. I only slept as you said I would. What
madness are you trying to convince me of?"
"No madness," he said, his eyes burning into her. "When we wed, I bound our souls together
with my mother's sorcery. I told you that night that I didn't want to exist without you and I
meant it. When your father killed you, I swore vengeance against him, and after he killed me,
a goddess came and offered me a bargain. I sold my soul to her so that I could avenge you
by killing him. For you. I didn't understand when I made the bargain with Artemis that it would
involve you, too. Because I live, you live. We are joined together. Forever." Then he did the
most unbelievable thing of all. He opened his mouth to show her a set of long, sharp fangs.
He was an upyri !
Her heart pounded in terror. It couldn't be! This wasn't her beloved husband, he was an
unholy demon. "You're in league with Lucifer. My father was right. All of the Danestis are an
evil who must be purged from this earth."
"Not evil, Esperetta . My love for you is pure and good. I swear it."
She curled her lip at him as she pried his grip from her arm. "And my love for you is as dead
as my father," she spat before she ran through the fog once more.
Velkan forced himself to stand still and not follow her again. His bride was young and she'd
been through a shock tonight.
She would return to him. He was certain of it. In all the violence and horror of his life, she'd
been the only thing he'd ever had that was good and gentle. She alone had touched his long
dead heart and caused it to live again. Surely, she wouldn't stay angry at him. Not when all
he'd done was protect her.
She would see the truth and she would return to him.
"Come back to me soon, my Esperetta ." And then he uttered the one word that had never
left his lips before. "Please."
Chapter One
Chicago, 2006
"Just out of curiosity, can an immortal choke to death on a bagel?"
Retta Danesti cut a vicious glare to her best friend as she tried to swallow the bite that was
lodged painfully in her throat. As a shape-shifter who'd befriended her almost four hundred
years ago, Francesca was well aware of the fact that Retta's husband had sold their souls to
the goddess Artemis and by default made Retta immortal.
And Francesca's latest news had stunned her so badly, she'd sucked a piece of bagel down
her windpipe, where it burned like fire.
Francesca pounded her gently between the shoulder blades. "C'mon, babe, I knew it would
piss you off, but I didn't mean for it to kill you."
Retta reached for her bottled water and finally cleared her throat even though her eyes were
tearing up unmercifully. "Now what did you just tell me?"
Francesca put her hands in her lap and gave her a level stare. "Your husband is opening the
Dracula theme park in Transylvania next summer and the key attraction is the mummified
remains of Vlad Tepes —Dracula himself. Apparently Velkan's going to release the body to
scientists so that they can verify the remains through tests and prove that it really is the
impaler of medieval legend."
Every part of Retta seethed. "That rank bastard!" She cringed as she realized several
heads in the deli turned toward her.
Francesca lowered her voice and spoke behind her hand. "He doesn't really have your
father's remains, does he?"
Retta recapped her water as she wished a thousand vile things on Velkan's head. Including
pestilence and plagues that would cause a certain part of his anatomy to shrivel up and rot
off. "It's possible. After all, Velkan killed him and was probably the one who buried him.
Although I doubt he has the head since he gave that to my father's enemies."
She clenched her bottle even tighter. "Damn him! First he gives Stoker that
She tried to pull away, but he held her arm in a fierce grip.
"Listen to me, Esperetta . You and I are both dead."
She frowned at him. "Are you insane? I'm not dead. I only slept as you said I would. What
madness are you trying to convince me of?"
"No madness," he said, his eyes burning into her. "When we wed, I bound our souls together
with my mother's sorcery. I told you that night that I didn't want to exist without you and I
meant it. When your father killed you, I swore vengeance against him, and after he killed me,
a goddess came and offered me a bargain. I sold my soul to her so that I could avenge you
by killing him. For you. I didn't understand when I made the bargain with Artemis that it would
involve you, too. Because I live, you live. We are joined together. Forever." Then he did the
most unbelievable thing of all. He opened his mouth to show her a set of long, sharp fangs.
He was an upyri !
Her heart pounded in terror. It couldn't be! This wasn't her beloved husband, he was an
unholy demon. "You're in league with Lucifer. My father was right. All of the Danestis are an
evil who must be purged from this earth."
"Not evil, Esperetta . My love for you is pure and good. I swear it."
She curled her lip at him as she pried his grip from her arm. "And my love for you is as dead
as my father," she spat before she ran through the fog once more.
Velkan forced himself to stand still and not follow her again. His bride was young and she'd
been through a shock tonight.
She would return to him. He was certain of it. In all the violence and horror of his life, she'd
been the only thing he'd ever had that was good and gentle. She alone had touched his long
dead heart and caused it to live again. Surely, she wouldn't stay angry at him. Not when all
he'd done was protect her.
She would see the truth and she would return to him.
"Come back to me soon, my Esperetta ." And then he uttered the one word that had never
left his lips before. "Please."
Chapter One
Chicago, 2006
"Just out of curiosity, can an immortal choke to death on a bagel?"
Retta Danesti cut a vicious glare to her best friend as she tried to swallow the bite that was
lodged painfully in her throat. As a shape-shifter who'd befriended her almost four hundred
years ago, Francesca was well aware of the fact that Retta's husband had sold their souls to
the goddess Artemis and by default made Retta immortal.
And Francesca's latest news had stunned her so badly, she'd sucked a piece of bagel down
her windpipe, where it burned like fire.
Francesca pounded her gently between the shoulder blades. "C'mon, babe, I knew it would
piss you off, but I didn't mean for it to kill you."
Retta reached for her bottled water and finally cleared her throat even though her eyes were
tearing up unmercifully. "Now what did you just tell me?"
Francesca put her hands in her lap and gave her a level stare. "Your husband is opening the
Dracula theme park in Transylvania next summer and the key attraction is the mummified
remains of Vlad Tepes —Dracula himself. Apparently Velkan's going to release the body to
scientists so that they can verify the remains through tests and prove that it really is the
impaler of medieval legend."
Every part of Retta seethed. "That rank bastard!" She cringed as she realized several
heads in the deli turned toward her.
Francesca lowered her voice and spoke behind her hand. "He doesn't really have your
father's remains, does he?"
Retta recapped her water as she wished a thousand vile things on Velkan's head. Including
pestilence and plagues that would cause a certain part of his anatomy to shrivel up and rot
off. "It's possible. After all, Velkan killed him and was probably the one who buried him.
Although I doubt he has the head since he gave that to my father's enemies."
She clenched her bottle even tighter. "Damn him! First he gives Stoker that
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