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Howard leaned over the case and gri Why would anyone want to keep so so creepy?"

Zoltan winced as he pocketed the phone

"Oh no!" Elsa fussed at her husband "She’s very interesting If you look closely, you can see all kinds of detail Like the gown Another reason why I thought it was a wo robes, too But look at her sleeves and the hem of her skirt See the embroidery? It’s deteriorated over time, but I bet it was beautiful when it was new"

"But look at that" Howard pointed at the ers outstretched like the talons of a bird "It looks like she’s trying to grab hold of you How creepy is that?"

"It does look kinda scary," Elsa conceded, then glanced at Zoltan "Do you knohy her hand is like that?"

He nodded "She was buried with a Bible under her hand to keep her soul froeance Over the centuries, the Bible deteriorated but left her hand frozen in that position"

"Creepy," Howard repeated, and Zoltan shot hie?" Elsa asked

Zoltan stepped closer to the case "She was asped "Why?"

"It’s a long story" Zoltan placed his hand on the glass, where it rested over the outstretched hand of the ht she was a witch"

"Oh" Elsa’s eyes widened "So that’s why you said she’d think it was funny to be here in the chapel"

"She was executed for being a witch?" Howard asked

Zoltan sighed Both Howard and Elsa looked fascinated, so it was obvious they would hound hiers couldn’t decide whether to stone her or burn her, so they did both And then they couldn’t bury her in holy ground in the churchyard, so they stuck her in a cave and sealed it Years later, there was a rock slide down the ers discovered that her body had ht her out and put her in a glass case? Why would they want to look at soht it was the best way to keep an eye on her So they could ht?" Elsa asked "Was she really a witch?"

"No I’ve always believed she was innocent The count at the time was a merchant who traveled the Silk Road to China He’d lost his first hen she gave birth to his son, so I suppose he was lonely He came back from one of his journeys with a neife froers didn’t knohat to make of her She didn’t speak Romanian, she wasn’t Christian, and she looked a little different She converted and took the naols invaded and killed ers at her She was frools to invade"

"She becareed "Everyone had lost er to blae square and decided to execute her"

"But she was married to the count," Elsa protested "Surely he stood up for his wife"

Zoltan shook his head "The count’s eldest son was killed by the Mongols He was so devastated that the poisonous gossip froe took hold of hiht hoht that his son’s death and all the other deaths were ultimately his faultto save his wife"

Elsa winced "The poor woman She arded her sadly "But at the saht she was a witch She could communicate with animals and birds"

Elsa stiffened "I can communicate with animals And my aunt can communicate with birds Thank God we live now and don’t have to worry about being stoned to death"

"Wait a ave Zoltan a pointed look "Aren’t you able to communicate with animals?"

"What?" Elsa’s eyes widened "Can you really?"

Zoltan nodded "Solass above the asped "Oh, my God"

Howard stiffened "You mean?"

Zoltan nodded "That’s why the steward said she’s special to hter "Your momma’s a mummy?"

Elsa swatted his arm and whispered, "Don’t make fun" She turned to Zoltan "I’m so sorry your mother suffered like that I’m sure she was a lovely wo "Sorry about calling her creepy"

"Repeatedly" Zoltan gave hi now"

Howard nodded "I brought the duffel bag It’s just outside the door"

"Thanks" Zoltan glanced one more time at his mother He was ninety-nine percent sure that she had coift And her secrecy about her past

Had Neona coe histo Neona? Innocent or killer?

He sed hard For the first tiain her trust, but she was convinced thatthat assumption on what had happened to his mother? For there was no doubt in his mind that his father had betrayed his mother in the cruelest way When she’d needed her husband the most, he’d turned his back on her Abandoned her to a horrific death

That was the e his father’s death He’d always figured the count had gotten what he deserved But still, he wanted answers

What had happened that day in 1241? He’d tried to protect hissome of the stones meant for her, even some of the flames But somehow he’d awakened the next day a few e with no otten there Would Neona know?

But how could he ask her without revealing who he was? Would she ever trust him if she kneas the son of the betrayer? And a vampire, too

For the first ti to be easy It wasn’t a si her with kisses and chocolate To choose him, she would have to overcome a mind-set that had been firmly etched in stone for centuries

With a troubled heart, he picked up the duffel bag and teleported close to Frederic’s cabin