The Soul of a Vampire #1

by Rachel E Rice

  When we first started this ride, he said when we got to Burnsville, I would have to pretend to be his wife. “Why can’t we be brother and sister?” I asked after turning that over in my mind the entire four hours of travel.

  “Because we can’t.” He had raised his voice at me for the first time and it was unsettling. I didn’t like that and I didn’t like him being dominating. I glanced at him. Just what was his problem, I thought, as I took a good look at him?

  Why was he so grumpy? He’s a handsome enough guy. He probably has women all over him, if he would just smile for once. Maybe when he’s had a good fuck he will be more agreeable. But something is messing with his mind and I’d like to know what. Taking a good look at him, I chuckled at the thought. Maybe if he’d just lighten up someone could get near him and want to fuck him. I bet he wouldn’t know what to do with it, I thought as I smiled to myself.

  “What?” He said. “Why are you so happy?”

  “Someone has to be. You’re not exactly Amy Shumer, or Jerry Seinfeld, or Kevin Hart.” I watched his face change, totally confused. Just as I thought.

  “Who are those people? And what’s so funny that you have to laugh? The reason I sound short was because I didn’t think you would be so combative when I said I was trying to protect you. I thought maybe you would be grateful.”

  “Grateful for what? For you and your family kidnapping me off the street and holding me hostage while you did who knows what to me.”

  “I would never touch you. I would kill anyone who would have tried to harm you.” I frowned at him and bit my lip.

  “See it’s what you say and do that makes me angry. All I’m trying to do is help you. The passport says you’re married. I wasn’t thinking when I had those made. You’re a stay at home mom, and I have a clinic.”

  “If I’m a stay at home mom?” I turned to him, “Then where are the children?”

  “I mean wife. I don’t want my wife to work. That’s what I told the townspeople who hired me. You can work in the clinic alongside me if you need to get out of the house.”

  “That’s great. What are you some kind of animal doctor like a veterinarian?”

  “I’m a general practitioner.”

  “Meaning you are a doctor. When did you become a doctor?” I asked him with a look of disbelief. How can someone go around saying they’re a doctor? Don’t they need to know something about medicine, I thought.

  “When you became a nurse.”

  “But I’m not a nurse.”

  “But I am a doctor. Who do you think took care of you those months you were in a coma?”

  He drove up this driveway on a hill and pulled up to a house hidden by trees, and the house was just beautiful. It stood off in the middle of a forest surrounded by high pine trees blocking out what little sun existed. You couldn’t see the house if you were driving on the highway. You couldn’t see that house if a plane past over. It was in a secluded and expensive part of town where houses were divided by acres and acres of land.

  Maybe that was an understatement. I don’t know how anyone could afford a house like that in any part of town.

  “Do we need something that large with just you and me? And can you afford it?” He smiled now.

  “There will be children,” he said to me with a grin. And he hit a button and drove into an underground parking garage which had spots for several cars but he only had one.

  Sabastian helped me out of the SUV and led me to an elevator which took us to the first floor.

  “How many floors do you have here?”

  “It’s our home and we have four. You need to know that but don’t tell anyone.”

  “But it only says three on the elevator,” I said curious. Why not say four floors I wondered, and as if he could read my mind he answered.

  “That’s because it’s there to confuse those who are looking for you, and looking to harm you and me. I won’t allow that to happen.”

  “You never told me why someone is looking for me or want to harm me. I said I can’t remember anything after I was taken home to my parents. It’s like someone erased my memory of that time.” Sebastian turned to me and stared.

  “I’ll reveal everything to you, but it will come later. You must be hungry.” He took my hand and when the elevator opened he led me out.

  I remembered the feeling that came over me whenever he touched me. His hands were cold, but it was like they were heated like dry ice. I felt the scorch yet I wasn’t burned. The heat rippled under my skin and I felt the heat of sexual desire flush through me. I felt aroused as if he had been making love to me.

  It was all in my mind. And for that moment, I enjoyed being close to him.

  My mind had been tormenting me lately. Since I woke up from the coma, I have felt different. Since that accident where I had been in a coma, I’ve been having dreams and visions of my childhood. But nothing I could remember past waking up.

  “This is your room.” Sebastian opened the door. I had walked through the house and up the stairs with Sebastian holding my hand, and never saw the house and saw only him. When he dropped my hand, my body still craved his touch. I could now see the room which he called mine.

  The furnishing were modern with chrome and glass. The house of steel and glass structure, which look as if it had leaves painted on it hiding it in plain sight. A camouflage in the middle of a forest and hidden from the world and I was to be a prisoner in this house with Sebastian, and I knew nothing about him except he thought that he had to protect me from someone, but I didn’t know whom.

  All I knew, it had to do with his family, and me being a child when all this started.

  “What? We don’t sleep together?” I said as a joke because the bed was a single bed. Just as I thought, he didn’t have a sense of humor. His face turned pale and stone like.

  “When are you going to drop that sour look? I’ve known you a few days and all you’ve greeted me with is a stone face. Lighten up, you might live longer,” I said to him and he raised an eyebrow.

  “When you’re safe, then I will relax and we will go our separate ways. My room is next door, but never come into it unless you let me know first. I will work at night and sleep during the day.” I glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. “I’m a night person, too.”

  “I thought you said you were a day person.”

  “Well that does it, we’re certainly not compatible. We won’t be marrying none too soon. And if opposites attract, then we will have a short future. I stay up at night and sleep during the day and therefore I will be up with you. I can go to the clinic and help you,” I said, “anything to get out of the house. Although I couldn’t have dreamed of a place like this,” I said looking around.

  “I don’t need any help. I have a doctor who I can call if it gets busy.” Somehow I felt slighted as if he didn’t want me around. I turned away from him.

  “Sulking again. Fine, come to the clinic. Now who will do the chores during the day? Like buying groceries,” he said.

  “We can go together like a married couple when we close the clinic. It will do well for the town people to see how happy we are,” I said making another joke.

  “Does this town look like they have any place to shop at night?” He said quick and with an annoyed tone.

  “Well you won’t be busy every day. You will have some days off?” He watched at me with hooded eyes.

  “Very well. I’ll make do. I don’t eat very much.” I jumped into the bed and sat up. I kicked off my boots which had been bothering me all day.

  “I took it upon myself to stock the place with food for a year. That’s how long I expect us to be here before they catch up with us.”

  “A whole year. I have to be stuck with you pretending I’m your wife for a year,” I whined. “I don’t particularly like you.”

  “You’re not my favorite person either.” I frowned. He had hurt my feelings. I guess I hurt his but he acted so cold that I didn’t think he had feelings to hurt.

 
“Show me the kitchen,” I said jumping to my feet. “I want to cook us something to eat. What do you want?”

  “Nothing. I’m not hungry.” I took his hand. I liked holding on to his hand. He looked down at me. It was the only time he acted as if he was human. The warmth of his cold hands bothered me and I didn’t know why. It just didn’t seem natural for him to be so cold to the touch. This was the first time I saw warmth in his face.

  “Let’s go. Which way to the kitchen?” He dropped my hand and walked down the stairs and made a left and opened the door to a luxurious kitchen. “Wow. With something this fancy you need servants.”

  “We can’t have people around.”

  “You may not be able to have them, but I need someone besides you in my life.” He stopped in front of the kitchen isle and stared at me as if I had just stabbed him.

  “It’s for your own good,” he said with a quiet voice.

  “How do I know that? How do I know you’re not trying to take advantage of me? I know nothing about you, and you won’t tell me anything, except you will tell me later, and ‘this is for your own good,’” I said mocking him. “In the meantime, I need something to eat and I need to make friends.”

  “You never had but one and that was Terry.” He shot back. How did he know that? He must have been stalking me. I was too hungry to confront him. I would save that for later.

  By saying him mentioning Terry reminded me of her, and how I last saw her all pale and lifeless. I didn’t want to think about her and how she died. I was trying to put that out of my mind. Months went by since I was in a coma, and I thought my ability to forget had cured me of my pain.

  I didn’t understand what that monster had done to her and Sebastian wouldn’t explain it. I stood looking at him and my breathing grew loud. For some reason I couldn’t speak but tears fell from my eyes.

  Grabbing on to a chair, I felt weak and didn’t want to cry, but I couldn’t hold back the tears. They fell hard and easy, and as I tried to pass my hand over my eyes, the water pooled on my cheeks. I lowered my head and brushed my hand over my nose.

  Then I felt a cool hand and a pull. I had my head buried in Sebastian’s chest and I was drooling and crying on his cold body. His hand brushed over my hair twice. The gesture was a comforting one and the tears stopped.

  “Don’t cry. I’ll be here and take care of you.” I had heard those words before. Soft and gentle. It didn’t come from my mother. It came from someone who saw a scared five year old and held me to keep me from crying.

  Was this the voice I heard in my dreams? I tried to dismiss it. How could that be because Sebastian wasn’t but a few years older than me now, and then how could he become a doctor and work in a clinic. But then he wasn’t a doctor. I inhaled and moved away from his comforting chest. It was all in my silly mind. I couldn’t trust my mind since I had an accident. But that wasn’t no accident. There was a fight between Sebastian and his brother, and because I didn’t run fast enough, they plowed into me and bang, I hit Terry’s car.

  Right into the bumper. I always thought that car was a piece of junk but it didn’t give when those two strong men fell on me and I was pinned under the wheel. That I do remember up until I blacked out and woke months later.

  “I’m alright. I’ll cook something.” I tried to sound as if I had it all together, but I was fraying at the seams. One hanging piece of thread you can’t help but pull at it, and if someone dared pull, I would disintegrate into nothing.

  I felt Sebastian watching at me as I walked to the large double door fridge and opened it. “Just what a growing girl needs. Frozen pizza.” I turned to him and smiled and trotted with a smile intact and humming, and popped it into the microwave. Seconds later I had a fresh pizza pie. I took it out and found a soda in the back of the fridge.

  “Holding those back are you?” I said showing him the can of cola.

  “They’re bad for you.”

  “What’s happening to me now is bad for me. Not a pizza and cola. That’s good for me,” I took a large bite, “I’d prefer a beer, but I don’t see any beer in here. If you want me to stay here you will have to buy me some beer or I might be tempted to go to a bar. Now you wouldn’t want that?”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “Yes. You bet. If I have to stay here with you and don’t have friends and spend a year around sick people, then I need something to make this a little easier.”

  “I’ve never known you to drink.” My eyes left the pizza and gazed up at him.

  “What do you know about me? What I’ve gone through from meeting you will make anyone a drinker. So if you want peace in here, then get me something to calm my nerves.”

  He stared long at me with his bluish green stone for eyes, and then he made a fluid swift turn as if he was a dancer, and out of the kitchen he strode sulking. Glancing at his quick departure, I opened the door to see him headed up the stairs and I shouted, as I bit into another heavenly piece of pizza, and drank my cola, “This isn’t easy for me and it want be for you. So get over it.”

  There was no way he could have heard me, but the next evening when he departed his room I gave him more of the same.

  Chapter Eight-Zoey

  I passed his room once I woke after trying to sleep, but too many cokes and caffeine had me up most of the night and day, and now I was feeling drowsy. I guess that worked out fine. I won’t accompanying him to the clinic tonight. Looking at the clock it’s seven pm.

  Stepping lightly down the stairs, I marveled at the beauty of this home. If I could furnish it, it would be more beautiful than it is now. After all I am a doctor’s wife and if he expects me to welcome the townspeople it should have furniture.

  Reaching the kitchen, I didn’t expect to see him sitting in a chair at the isle in the kitchen staring into space. “What are you doing?”

  “Waiting for you. I have to go to the clinic tonight. Tonight is my first night and the way you look you’re not ready to go with me.”

  “I can go. I don’t want you to say I didn’t carry my weight. I want to work. I need to do something or I will go crazy.”

  “How about during the day you try to spread good will with the people in the town. It’s expected of a physician’s wife,” he said angling his head to the side.

  “What doctor are you talking about?” I glanced around as if I’m looking for someone.

  “Me of course. If you can’t play the part...” He said angry and taking large breaths.

  “You’re going to get someone else I suppose. Your threats don’t work on me,” I said.

  “What will work?”

  “How about telling me what we’re running from and who’s likely to show up to harm me. Maybe then I might be less hostile and want to cooperate with you.”

  “I think I said in due time I will tell you.” He stood. I walked in front and planted my feet, and looked into his beautiful face, put my hands on my hips, and stood in his path. He reached for me, held me by the arms and lifted me, and placed me to the side.

  He shot me a closed smile and headed for the door.

  “You can’t bully me. I won’t be put off. I’ve been through hell and I won’t stand for you sidelining me like I don’t exist,” I said.

  Sebastian kept walking and I followed behind him carping about everything I didn’t like about him and the house. “You need to tell me something if you want me to remain here.”

  He turned and for the first time I saw into his soul. His eyes fixed on me and his jade eyes turned to stone and I became frightened. Had I needle him, pricked at him to the point where he would show me this part of him.

  “You want to know. Then I’ll tell you. You don’t know what you’re dealing with. There are men, no, that’s a stretch,” he took a full breath, “to say men will come for you and they will destroy you, and they will kill you in ways you can’t imagine, and then try to destroy me because I haven’t killed you yet or changed you, is to speak mild. You just don’t know. ”

 
Touching him I said, “What do you mean change me?”

  “I have to get to the hospital. I don’t like to be late.” He looked at his watch.

  “You can’t go. I need to know more.”

  “Why do you need to know? All that will do is make you more nervous and you will do things you shouldn’t do.” He kept walking and got into the elevator and took it down to the garage. I stood breathing hard and questioning everything.

  I needed to eat so I walked back to the kitchen to see if there was anything I could cook. Once again nothing that wouldn’t give me a heart attack at an early age, but what the hell, the way Sebastian talked, I’m a walking corpse anyway.

  Opening a can of chili I ate that with some crackers and trotted out of the kitchen to take a bath. My life was upside down, and my body clock was fucked up. As I was getting ready to climb the stairs, I saw a figure of a woman standing outside the front door.

  She rang the bell and I turned. From her silhouette she looked pretty. Her hair long and she wore a dark dress and boots. When I opened the door, she stood smiling. She had a plate in her hand and Saran-wrap covering what looked like a plate of brownies. My eyes stayed on the brownies for a while. I needed some sugar. When Sebastian stocked the house he conveniently forgot cookies, candy, and ice cream. To hell with what’s good for me.

  “Does Dr. Sebastian live here?” she asked with a soft accent. I think she must have been English but I wasn’t sure.

  “Yes, he does. Please come in.” She walked two steps into the foyer, turned her nose up as if she smelled something rancid, and didn’t go any further.

  “I’m not going to be here long. I would like to welcome Dr. Sebastian to our little town. I mean I’d like to welcome you and him,” she said looking around. She was a beautiful looking woman with dark hair and black eyes. She wore a dark dress with a shawl covering her and a pair of black boots.

  “Are you his wife?” I stumbled a bit with my answer but I managed to get it out.

  “Yes of course,” I said as my eyes measured her.