Free A Vampire's Rise by Vanessa Fewings Page B

career?”
    “Felipe blatantly keeps a lover.”
    I nodded casually. “Doesn’t his wife complain to the king?”
    Salvador topped up my glass, shooing away a waiter. “The king has more mistresses than you can count.”
    “So Felipe’s wife is powerless?”
    “But she knows that affair won’t last.” Salvador shrugged. “Felipe believed his wife to be barren, so he took a mistress and fathered a bastard.”
    “A son?”
    Salvador nodded. “Felipe’s wife is pregnant.”
    Alicia and her child’s days under Felipe’s roof were numbered. Though not knowing why I fretted, Salvador offered a reassuring smile. I followed his gaze.
    “The countess is very wealthy,” he whispered. “She’s declined many an offer of marriage.”
    “The widow?”
    “Yes. Have you met her?”
    “No, never.”
    “Well, you’re spot on. She’s good friends with the senator. Insatiable appetite.”
    I raised an eyebrow.
    “Not me, her.” He burst into laughter.
    My thoughts wandered to Annabelle, her sweetness, her innocence, how long she might stay.
    The countess blinked her long lashes at me.
    I reeled with dread as I considered Salvador’s words, and found no amusement in the countess’ subtle flirting.
    * * * *
    Salvador and I found the opportunity to withdraw from the other visitors. We sauntered outside into the cool evening air. The stuffy dinner party wasn’t my scene, and by the way Salvador loosened his necktie, it wasn’t his, either. The garden possessed a lush assortment of greenery and the well-tended flowers sprung up around us. I avoided treading on them as we crossed the stony pathway and leaned against an ivy covered wall.
    “You seem pensive.” Salvador gave me a quizzical look. “I think you know me well enough to trust my discretion.”
    I turned to face him. “Perception is reality.”
    “For some, yes.”
    “The Pope has received a royal warrant to purify the kingdom of Spain.”
    He nodded. “The Church has sanctioned an inquisition.”
    “What are your thoughts?”
    “The king’s word is final.”
    “I’m happy to hear that. I knew you were a royalist.”
    Salvador gestured for us to continue walking. “Your knighthood, it has something to do with this?”
    I followed him further into the garden. “We have reason to believe that we have a heretic amongst us.” I gazed off at the dramatic landscaping.
    “You found evidence of his dissent?”
    “But we need more.”
    “Which I’m qualified for.”
    “We plan to infiltrate his estate.”
    “Send in a spy.” He gestured he wanted in.
    I liked Salvador, but I loved my sister and with every passing day the threat that loomed over her worsened. And there was now the matter of her son.
    “Come for dinner tomorrow night.” I leaned against the wall. “And bring the countess.”

Chapter 15
    ON MY ARRIVAL HOME, a dispatch awaited me.
    A lump caught in my throat and I hesitated to open the envelope.
    Ferring had insisted on using a rich plaster design to line the ceiling. The focal point was an overly ornate fireplace, the hearth still burning. All this sumptuousness was too flamboyant for my taste. I rarely visited what had been intended as a living room, easily more drawn to the modest, quiet corners, where I could sit and think clearly, undistracted by garish décor. No one would disturb me in here.
    I read the document.
    If signed, it would transfer half of my estate to Felipe. The fist of fate punched me hard and I threw the letter into the flames, watching it flare, then disintegrate.
    As I ascended the stairway to my room, I knew I had no choice but to go through with encouraging Salvador to take up residence at Felipe’s manor. I’d never convince Alicia to leave Felipe, and he wasn’t just interested in investing in the business I’d built from the ground up. His demeanor had implied a more sinister scheme, that of full ownership.
    I’d grown fond of Salvador, and my plan involved risking his safety. More thought needed to