Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker

Author:Ted Dekker
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Christian, Vampires, Horror, Family Life, Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Suspense, Adult, Historical, Thriller
ISBN: 9781602859166
Publisher: Center Point
Published: 2010-07-14T22:00:00+00:00

SEVENTEEN

It had all happened so quickly, Lucine found it hard to believe that she was here, at the Castle Castile, being wooed.

The night before had been the kind she once imagined nightmares were made of. But having walked through this valley of death, she had only found a new life.

“A toast, my friends,” Vlad said, standing with his glass.

They were seated at a long, dark wood table bordered in gold leaf, Vlad at the head, she on his right hand, and Alek, Simion, and Stefan across the spread of food. Pork, veal, carrots, red potatoes, and caramelized onions with all the trimmings were piled on gold platters between tall white candles. Beside Lucine, Natasha and the sisters, Dasha and Sofia.

They all rose, but when Lucine lifted her glass to stand, Vlad’s hand rested on her shoulder. “No, my queen. We honor you.”

She felt awkward with all the attention, and reticence warmed her face. But she couldn’t deny her appreciation for their honor. She’d never been held in such a lofty regard.

“To the woman whose mere consideration of my devotion sets my world upon a new axis,” Vlad said.

“To the woman,” they said. And they all drank.

“To the blood,” Vlad said.

“To the blood.” They drank again and then sat.

Blood, which was wine, held a central part in all Vlad talked about. She’d never heard such poetic words as those that came from him. He was a romantic to the bone, as Natasha had said.

Last night she’d rushed from the castle, cursing her own shame for clinging to an ideal that had failed her. She’d collapsed into bed and cried herself to sleep.

And when she awoke, she resolved to embrace a new kind of love, freed from the restraints of convention that had bound her for so long. She would no longer be the prude twin, reserved and proper, while the rest of the world found satisfaction in abandon.

But she hadn’t immediately associated that new kind of love with Vlad van Valerik. His presence had haunted her dreams, and she couldn’t deny that her impression of him had been reshaped by the night’s events.

Mother was the one who’d sent for the duke, Lucine learned later. When he appeared midmorning and bowed before them, she knew that she must entertain his offer to court her. Not that it would go anywhere, but she could not keep sending opportunity into a dark corner while she awaited the perfect suitor.

If Natasha swore by this man’s love, then she must reconsider.

So she’d gone with Vlad to the wood, and there he’d spoken like a true gentleman, always considerate, full of wit. And beautiful. As beautiful as Toma, who slept off his revelry in his room.

When Vlad asked if she had decided whether to join him for dinner that night, she had surprised herself by answering straightaway.

“Yes.” Then even more: “I would like that.”

He’d kissed her hand and her cheek. The sensation of those hot lips on her skin lingered still.

When Natasha had been summoned, she threw her arms around her sister.

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