Free A Vampire's Rise by Vanessa Fewings

net that kept the mosquitoes at bay in summer and shrouded me against the maid’s inquisitive gape on mornings when I craved privacy.
    “How long have I been asleep?” I asked.
    “Try to settle down.” He gave me the cup.
    “How long?”
    “A day.”
    “How long was I away for?”
    “A week.”
    “What happened?”
    “I was going to ask you that.”
    “What time is it?” I gulped the rest of the water.
    “Seven.”
    “Morning or evening?”
    “Evening.” His tone was anxious.
    “Everything seems so foggy.”
    “We’ve checked you over. You have no injuries.” He pulled open the curtains.
    “Close them.” I motioned to the long, white drapes.
    “We found you collapsed by the front door.”
    I examined my left ear, but it felt normal. “Please, close the curtains.”
    Miguel lifted the window latch and opened it. “And you need fresh air.”
    I flopped back down onto the pillow.
    “You’re home now.” He rested beside me. “Where did you go?”
    “To see Alicia.”
    He folded his arms. “How did you find her?”
    “She doesn’t want to see me.”
    “She’ll come round.”
    “She has a son.”
    “That’s wonderful.”
    I pulled the bed sheet up and over me. “Senator Grenaldi’s the father.”
    “She married well.”
    “She’s not his wife.”
    Miguel flinched.
    “Why can’t I remember anything?” I wiped sweat from my brow.
    “The shock of seeing Alicia after all this time was too much perhaps?”
    I had a vague memory of Alicia’s awful grimace when she saw me for the first time in years, and the emptiness of her stare, sorely reminding me of the distance festering between us. I cursed my inability to rescue her.
    He patted my shoulder. “Why don’t you write to her?”
    “I don’t think the letter would reach her.”
    “I’ll hand deliver it.”
    I stared at him to make my point. “I don’t want you anywhere near Vigo.”
    “Is that where you went?”
    The warm breeze billowed the curtains.
    He topped up my cup. “The Romany performers asked a high price for their main act?”
    “Annabelle? She’s still here?”
    “She is.”
    I slid down the headboard and stared up at the ceiling.
    “She’s done nothing but talk about you since she’s been here.” His eyes lit up.
    I smiled.
    “You have two letters.” He handed me an envelope. “This one came two days after you left.”
    I ripped it open.
    Velde,
    My lawyers are scribing the deeds of ownership to your estate. The papers will arrive shortly. See that you sign them.
    FDG
    Miguel studied my reaction. “Everything all right?”
    The coward hadn’t even signed his name. “There were two?” I tucked Felipe’s letter back into the envelope.
    “This one has the Royal Seal of King Ferdinand V.” He gave me the second dispatch.
    The luxurious parchment and royal crest illustrated its noble source. Peeling back the adhered seal, I eased out and unraveled the scroll.
    He leaned in. “What does it say?”
    “I’ve been knighted.”
    “Is this one of your jokes?”
    “I can’t accept it.”
    Miguel peeked at the official parchment. “Is it real?”
    I nodded.
    He lowered himself down onto one knee.
    “Please don’t.” I gestured for him to stand. “I didn’t earn it.”
    “Well, the king doesn’t bestow such an honor unless—”
    “Evidently he does.”
    “Well, you did give him our best horse. Only you would consider refusing a royal command. You don’t get to decline.” He withdrew.
    I wondered if it was heresy to tear it up.
    * * * *
    My mind raced to unravel the chaos.
    Although my memory had fractured, I recalled being at the senator’s residence. Those injuries had seemed so real. I’d lost a week and hated the feeling.
    Annabelle appeared at the doorway, a vision of loveliness. Light from the corridor illuminated her.
    “Daumia, how are you?” She came closer, reached for my hand, and kissed it. “Thank you for letting me stay here.” She picked up the cup from the bedside table and