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My hands grew still on his shoulder for I knew in my heart what happened next

"It was the eve of winter and the days were quite short and dreary She refused to go outside, I thought out of fear of the villagers She never spoke and would only sip the weakest of er, only weaker I wrote letters to arrange her transfer to a nearby convent for I felt it unwise for me to keep her with me Despite my vows, you see, I was taken with her beauty Her eyes were so green, so vivid, and her lips so very, very red She was afraid of me and would not let me near her even to read to her fro not to look at her where she lay curled on her cot"

The room felt thick and heavy with emotion I lifted my face to look away from his stricken form I wiped away ht, as I washed up before the fire, I looked up to see her kneeling nearquite intently at me and for the first time she spoke to me ’May I have a kiss,’ she asked I was quite startled at this request I was half-naked with ain, she said in her soft, beautiful voice, "May I have a kiss’" Ignatius slowly slid frorasp to sit upon the floor, his back to ainst his palm as he continued in a very low voice "Thus I was tempted for the first tiot God and only felt the heat she caused within me I loved her I leaned toward her and said to her, ’Yes, a kiss, but just one’ She kissed me and I was lost to her Then I felt her sharp teeth inher to me, terrified yet driven by my lust for her She drank fully and deeply until my heart nearly faded Then she said to me, ’Drink of me and know life eternal’ And I drank"

I reached toward hiers as the er touch er felt God’s loving presence I was separated and apart from all that I had held dear She sat beside er and lust and thought to myself if I was to lose my soul to sin at least I had the pleasure of her" His voice rasped with his anger He turned abruptly toward me and I saw the fierceness in his eyes "Then she asked me to help her return to her husband"

I closed natius"

"I serve her to this day She and her husband I love them both dearly But when I heard her words I knew I had damned myself foolishly I swore I would do penance until God once more let me feel His sweet presence and returned me to His service I swore, Glynis, swore I would endure this hell as my own personal quest for salvation"

Suddenly, he was overme to my feet "Then I saw you, and I loved you as I have never loved before I lusted the one who made me But you, dear God, I love you You cut aze I feel such joy to be with you that I aotten as I reveal in this sin that is my love for you, and I feel no shaainst his red lips "I will not lose you to Astir’s damned prophecies!"

I ith my sorrow, but I knew Astir’s words to be true I did not understand in what context the Fallen’s prediction would come true, but I kneould I would destroy the one that loved natius said passionately

"And I love you!"

He released my wrists and turned away I took hold of his shoulders and pressed ainst his back

"Then why do I feel you are lost to me," he whispered

"My heart will never be lost to you I could not take it back if I desired I love you and nothing Astir says will change that, but I fear that I have caused you far natius said firmly He turned and took hold of my shoulders "I will not! Astir be da in this dark life thatwill, but I could not withstand the onslaught of his eme deeply, his hands slid beneath my robe I instantly responded to his touch

In our tiether, we have always been passionate and fierce lovers, but this last ti I have ever experienced As before, I knew I loved hi in his touch, but there wasIn retrospect, as I write this, I realize noe both feared it would be the last ti, and kissing in the afterain The feel of him deep inside of me was an act I did not want to share with any other It felt right and beautiful, and I did not want thishis lips, I whispered to hiht Astir’s prediction and anyone ould dare to try separate us," Ignatius said to me fiercely

"Even Vlad," I asked

"I will kill him for you," he said at last

"You cannot You said so yourself"

"I aly

"But there is a reason you are not telling me as to why you cannot, should not, kill him," I said to him

"Yes" He buried his face in my neck and whispered "Yes Because my Mistress, who also created hiht Erzsébet created hiasp

"No, Erzsébet is also a creation of ht Vlad to us and it was my Mistress who created him It is her power, you see, that keeps hio to England To escape her influence and her strength"

"Then he is as trapped as I?"

Ignatius pressed his lips to ainst ues beyond our control"

My fingers played against his skin as I looked deeply into his dark blue eyes All I saw there was a mirror my own love and need I realized then that we could never part willingly from one another

I felt the cold tendril of Vlad’s power trace down asped

"What is it?"

"Vlad," I whispered

Ignatius snarled and drew back from me reluctantly "Now is too soon to confront him"

"We shall speak of this later," I said firh deep within natius said in a voice vibrant with emotion

I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him deeply "I love you and that is all thatone frorasp

In an alda rushed into the room with buckets of hot scented water