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He wanted to touch her, to lay a hand of comfort on her But he could not lift a hand

Penelope was in the middle of the room, away from all the walls, alone Her hands rose to her face Books fell frorip, very slowly He did not hear them thump on the carpet

She uncovered her face Her eyes were red, her fangs extended She looked at once fiendish and sad, a little girl playing the devil

&039;I don&039;t knohen I stopped wanting you to turn,&039; she said

When they were engaged, she was a warirl, desperate for them both to become vampires, to advance themselves in the world Dracula had shaped She was dispassionate and matter-of-fact about it, unexcited by iht, but certain rising from the dead would secure invitations to the best houses, would excite the envy of friends and ad and undead, she had changed the , and taken his blood, transfored herself of her aard re howto be a lutted on stolen blood She turned sons- and daughters-in-darkness, creating a coven for herself

&039;They&039;re all gone,&039; she said &039;My get I turned my lovers, but the weakness of will that made theht as a little Victorian girl to prize strength of character But everything I have done, I&039;ve done through weakness&039;

Beauregard wanted to contradict her, but couldn&039;t

&039;You want to speak and can&039;t,&039; she said, sorry as much as triumphant &039;Hoould have adored that in a husband, once upon a damned time It was me, that time You knew that&039;

He did

Penelope was his third vampire lover Shortly before the turn of the century, with the Terror just over and the business of putting the country back together as yet undone, he&039;d been accosted one foggy night in Chelsea, dragged into a dark place between two buildings, and bitten Raped, he supposed He re open the wounds Genevieve had uinated completely and left to die There were still vampires like that in London in those days, stranded by the withdrawal of their King-E on the unwary

&039;I had planned to take you to the point of death andyou, I could have had you, owned you But you don&039;t only take blood when you drink You take all sorts of things With the taste of you on ue, I knew you would have turned me down As you turned down others You would have died&039;

He had recovered He never even told Genevieve he suspected he kneho had assaulted him

Vampire kisses were more than wounds Sos weren&039;t darts, but hooks Invisible threads led back to the creature who bit you And the line ran both ways

Penelope took his hands and looked at hi to remain in control

&039;Katie was never in the contest,&039; she said &039;And I could have bested the French person You don&039;t think so, but I could have She&039;s not a goddess It was Paether You&039;ve never seen me as me If you ever loved rave All your women die and come back&039;

He tried to say he was sorry He had known she was in pain, but had done nothing

&039;Do you knohy I went to Art? To seek the Dark Kiss?&039;

He shook his head It was a supreet to Dracula I wanted to give myself to the vampire you hated most I would have become one of the Prince Consort&039;s mindless mistresses If you wouldn&039;t rule my life, then he would He could have been like you He is more like you than you know&039;

All their lives had been a dance with Dracula What had Kate called it, &039;the Dracula Cha Cha Cha&039;?

&039;At last I have fulfilled my mother&039;s expectations, Charles I have made myself useful I as about the position This wedding is a nightmare Princess Asa is a witch Dracula ake It&039;ll start all over again The conquest And I&039;ll be part of it You didn&039;t stop him forever, you just set him back a century&039;

That hat he wassincere or cruel?

&039;The world needs you, Charles,&039; she said

For the last decade and a half, he had remained alert almost solely to keep close to the monster When Dracula was found a seaside palace, in reward for his services in the war, Beauregard followed him to Italy He had hoped they were both in permanent retirement, a slow slide to eternity

&039;I need you too, but that&039;s beside the point I&039;ve fed tonight A young man, an American He thinks he&039;s clever, but he&039;s an amusement for all that&039;

She unbuttoned her blouse Underneath, she wore a black brassiere Her white bosoo by leeches

&039;I&039; to finish what I started, Charles&039;

She drew a fingernail across her breast A line of blood welled Bright scarlet, with a coppery tang

Perhaps this was for the best - to have no choice To be forced to life He could not struggle He could barely move Penelope would suckle him into a new life

&039;Penny?&039; someone said, from across the room

Penelope closed her blouse, flushed with e away And was not sorry

The newcoine how upset she must be, on several levels, to walk into such a scene

&039;Penelope Churchward,&039; Kate said, sternly &039;What exactly do you think you&039;re doing?&039;

Penelope stood straight, deterh the thin material of her blouse She looked across the roos sharp

&039;You know exactly what I&039;, Katie It is what you, or the other person, should have done long ago Very well: if your consciences bother you about saving a life, I shall step in I have no such encumbrance We can all debate about what a iven Charles what he needs to live&039;

Good God, she even sounded like Pa the doctor to let her die and save the child If Beauregard hadn&039;t hesitated, hadn&039;t urged the incompetent butcher to save both, perhaps his son would have lived And perhaps the sight of hile death Perhaps

&039;Penny, I kno you feel,&039; Kate said, eyes watering &039;But you can&039;t&039;

Kate stepped forward Her fangs extended too

&039;Katie, ue she had used to make fun of her friend when they were children, &039;if I have to, I&039;ll fight you I admit you&039;re not the drip we used to think you, but I was stronger than you in the nursery and I can destroy you now&039;

He tried to protest

They hissed in each other&039;s faces

&039;Yes,&039; Penelope said &039;I can take you&039;

From the doorway, Genevieve said, &039;And what about me, newborn? Can you take