Absently, I combed my fingers through Ranulf's luxuriant dark hair. He glanced upward, his brown eyes pleading. My heart thumped wildly in my chest. Tenderly, my lips formed his name.

"Ranulf." I liked the sound of it on my lips. I repeated it in a whisper and held him tighter.

I desired him, longed for him with the insistence of a woman desperately in love. Gently lifting him to his feet, I laced my arms around his neck and strained toward him, my body eager for love. Our lips met momentarily. Then, he roughly threw me aside.

"Norah..." Ranulf choked on my name. Emotion etched his pallid features, and a lone tear hung from his lashes. "I... I'm sorry."

Aghast, I stared up at him. I sat up and rubbed my elbow. A deep purple bruise appeared following my collision against the fireplace fender. Ranulf instantly squatted beside me.

"I didn't mean to harm you," he explained, solemnly kissing my injury. "I'm sorry."

Silence hung between us. His anguished expression eclipsed my annoyance concerning his sudden rough treatment. Reaching out, I caressed his arm tenderly.

"I will never become the man you wish for," the Baron's ward whispered. Raw emotion filled his voice. A hangdog expression filled his face. "I cannot love you as a man loves a woman. I cannot fulfill you or produce children."

"Ranulf..." I began, gnawing my lower lip. His abrupt confession shattered me.

"I am dead and alive simultaneously, Norah," he continued, casting his dark eyes toward the carpeted floor. "We live by night and thrive upon human blood for nourishment. And, so, you see, I cannot love you in the way you expect. I haven't a man's ability to make love to you."

Leaning against the fireplace mantle, Ranulf suddenly slammed his fist against it. Then, he buried his head in his folded arms. I approached him comfortingly, but he shunned me.

"Ever since I first met you, I longed to become a man...a real man," the Baron's ward continued, sobbing. Angrily, he palmed his face, wiping away his tears. "I have never felt emotion until I encountered you. There is something inside me that yearns to break free."

"If I can help you, I will," I promised, leaning my head against his shoulder blade. "Tell me what to do?"

"There is nothing," my companion sulked, "nothing you can do."

"But surely, there's a way out," I stated determinedly.

"Uncle Nicolai has long sought a solution," the nephew countered. "If there were a way out, he would find it."

"I will find a solution," I vowed, clutching my fisted hands. "I promise you, Ranulf, I promise."

The Baron's ward spun on me, his expression fierce. He advanced, and I stepped backward, fearing his sudden anger. Then, he stopped and spread his hands beseechingly.

"How can you help?" he asked, his defeated voice barely a whisper. "We became trapped in this situation years ago—centuries. Uncle has searched for a solution since our dilemma first began. He has traveled the world and tracked every lead. He has failed at every attempt."

"Centuries?" I muttered, my voice rising with hysteria. Helga used the word centuries frequently. I dismissed her exaggeration quickly. Ranulf's use of the word stunned me.

"1232, Norah," my companion stated, "the year of our infection. We strive by night, half alive, half dead. We go on and on without end. Each day adds to the centuries of our never-ending existence."

"Helga..." I began.

"Helga, Mrs. Balan, Godoired Cazacu—they are all under Uncle's spell," Ranulf explained, "They live by Uncle's will; they serve us when necessary. When..."

"When?"

Digging his hands deep into his pockets, Ranulf slouched toward the door. He opened it and cast a wistful look over his shoulder. Then, he disappeared. I ran after him and clattered down the spiral staircase. The corridor below remained empty. Perplexed, I wondered how I could have missed him.

"When?" I whispered, leaning against the oaken door. When, what? When were the servants called upon to perform their duties? I shook my head woefully. Then, I recalled Helga speaking of other governesses and other governesses' daughters. She claimed we were not the first nor the last.

Slowly, I climbed back to my turret bedroom. I could not understand how Ranulf disappeared so quickly. For a moment, I hesitated. Then I swung open the door to Mama's abandoned chamber. Ranulf had not ducked inside. Wistfully, I entered. I wished I could run to Mama as I had in the past.

Her bed remained unslept in. I peered inside the wardrobe at the clothing she never wore. Gently, I lifted the yellow dimity dress she purchased for Easter services. It pleased her to replace her awkward hoops for the gathered bustle in the back. Proudly, Papa extended his arm to escort her to the church. She sashayed beside him as though attending her first date.

Dark grey and stark black replaced her pretty pastel dresses and Chantilly lace shawls. Mama no longer wore her frilly hats with long curving ostrich feathers. Instead, her straggly gray hair hung lankly along the sides of her drawn face. I longed for my fun-loving Mama and the tinkling sound of her joyful laughter.

Sullenly I replaced the dimity amongst the rest of Mama's old dresses. The faint scent of lavender lingered, although I detected an invading musty odor. Sooner or later, her pretty clothing would mold and disintegrate along with the rest of Castle von Helfin. I closed the wardrobe and leaned against the door.

Disheartened, I stepped onto the circular landing. High in the shadowy rafters, a bat hung upside down. I glanced up at it and dismissed its presence. The eerie creatures did not alarm me as they had when I first arrived. However, when I reached to open my door, its fluttering wings startled me. Swiftly, I raised my arms to shield my face from a sudden attack. When I lowered them, Ranulf stood before me.

"You?" I questioned, aghast.

"You can call it an advantage or a disadvantage," my companion responded, shrugging.

"Do you often spy on me from that vantage point?" I huffily inquired.

"Sometimes," Ranulf confessed. "Sometimes, Uncle Nicolai."

"Oh." The color drained from my face, and then it flushed hotly.

Grasping behind me for the door handle, I pushed it down and practically fell into the room. Slamming it closed, I leaned against it. My heart pounded against my ribs. Then, I cracked the door and peered into the corridor. It appeared empty.

I sunk into a velvet brocade armchair and covered my face with my hands. I did not appreciate the Baron spying on me. Had he watched me undress? Did he know my bedroom secrets? I shuddered, and my heart sank.

"Norah?"

I glanced up when Ranulf whispered my name. A black bat flew in through the window slit and perched on the chair's arm. Then, it transformed into the Baron's ward. Tenderly, he lifted my chin and gazed into my eyes.

"I... I'm sorry, Norah," he softly stated. "I want to protect you, so I watch you. Uncle Nicolai insists I...." His sorrowful eyes drooped as he cut off his statement. "I refused, Norah. I won't harm you."

"What does Uncle Nicolai want?" I questioned, perplexed.

Ranulf turned away, his head bowed. His shoulders quivered.

"Please tell me, Ranulf," I pleaded, approaching him. Tenderly, I laid my head against his muscular shoulders.

"He wants your blood, Norah," he muttered, barely above a whisper. "He wants me to take you...suck your life from your beautiful body....drain you of all your wonderful vibrance. I...I cannot do it."

The Baron's ward spun to face me and dropped to his knees. He buried his face in my skirt. Beneath my comforting hands, his body trembled.

"I told him NO!" Ranulf sobbed. "At first, I eagerly longed for you. I wanted you as my host, just as your mother is Uncle's. Instead, I fell in love with you. It has never happened before now. I've always... always..."

Ranulf rose and drew me close, placing his arms around my waist. His lips met mine, and we kissed. Then, he abruptly broke away again and turned his back on me.

"Uncle contends the time is right now. He says you are ready for me to take you," the Baron's nephew stated, clutching his hands into fists. "He becomes more and more insistent. If I don't act soon, he will."

A deadly silence fell between us. Instantly, fear gripped my heart. I sank onto the bed and covered my face with my hands. The Baron prepared to take me as he took Mama. He would step into Ranulf's place to drink my life's blood. I could not bear the thought.

"I watch you, Norah, so that I can protect you. He's biding his time, also watching," my companion continued. "One day, he will strike. I am prepared to fight him for your life."

Suddenly, I realized the danger I now faced.