Everything about him seemed designed to be average leaning towards attractive. If she had passed him on the street, she would have never given him a second glance. Of course, Soborgne knew it was foolish to believe all vampires would look like models, but her teenaged, media driven mind was a bit surprised now that it was confronted with the fact.
As an experiment, Soborgne decided to test her mind skills on him. She never considered that it might be unsafe. He seemed unthreatening and harmless. She pictured the intrusion as she stared at his coppery red curls. She imagined a gentle hand stroking ever so slightly against his mind. Drawing just the smallest bit of information from beneath the doors that held his thoughts secure from her. His thoughts were like a wisp of smoke filtering through—until the pain hit her.
Her brain felt as if someone had dipped it in acid. She raised her hands to cover her head, trying to protect herself from the unseen threat. Screaming out in terror and excruciating torment, Soborgne fell to her knees. For what seemed like an eternity, she withered in pain. Curling around herself, she tried to find a place to hide from the piercing knives in her skull.
The pain stopped without gradual release or other aftereffects at all. The agony simply disappeared. She sobbed once, then clamped down hard on her own cries. She would not whimper like a child. Instead, she turned the fear, shock, and pain into anger.
Staggering a little as she stood, Soborgne immediately turned on Matteo, who was staring at her dispassionately. “What the hell was that? What did you do to me, you freak?” Her voice was full of fury and her eyes were filling with the blackness of rage.
Quickly, the redheaded vampire stepped in. “Ah lass, so young and stupid. You think he done that. No, little one, it is I you should be angry wit, and such filthy words for one so young.”
He came towards her, menace in his dull green eyes. Soborgne backed towards the wall unconsciously. She desperately tried to put space between her and the one she had thought of as harmless only moments before. While he spoke quietly with Matteo, his brogue was not hard to understand, but his anger caused him to lose himself.
She only understood him because of the slow and conscious way he spoke. “Do ye know how long I’ve been on this earth? I am ole enough to be tellin’ ya jus’ how the pyramids were built! Do ye think ye be havin’ such grand powers, lass? I’ve heard of ye and yer friend, the answers to our prayers and our nightmares ye are. Sometin’ else, bÓmánta cailìn, stupid lass. I’ll be takin’ no part in yer darkness. Next time ye wanna attack me, ye better be a helluva lot better than ye jus’ were.”
Her back pressed hard against the wall, and his face was less than an inch away from hers. His deadly incisors were extended and gleaming in the golden light of the hall. She could feel her tense body shaking, trembling in anticipation, but she was too frightened to fight back. He called her out, and something inside of her, some little voice, told her he would kill her if she so much as moved a finger.
Matteo decided he had let it go on long enough. He wanted Soborgne to learn a lesson, but he didn’t want her to be someone else’s dinner. Jenda would kill him if he allowed Patrick to harm Soborgne. He lay a hand on the redhead’s shoulder. “Patrick, that’s enough, she’s just a girl. I’m sorry. I will see to it that she behaves.”
Patrick stared at her for just a moment longer before turning towards Matteo. His only words were, “We’ve been friends fer a long time, Matteo. Donna let these lasses be taken ye to the darkness wit’ ’em.”
With no further words, Patrick showed Soborgne to her own room and nodded to Matteo to take his former lodging that he shared with Jenda. Matteo stared hard at Soborgne. He concentrated on making his words neutral despite his urge to smack her. “Stay in your room. Clean up a bit, and I will take you to the donors in a little while.” He said nothing else, and his reward was the slam of the bedroom door as Soborgne retreated.
Matteo did everything he could to avoid going to retrieve Soborgne before Jenda returned. He did not want to be alone with her again. He was too frustrated with the girl. Her behavior was extremely out of control. He was also afraid. Her powers were growing rapidly, and her ability to control them or use them only in good taste was equally substandard. If they did not find a way to stop it soon, the inevitable would come. He loved Jenda too much to allow her to fight Soborgne. He could see Soborgne was the more powerful of the two. Jenda would die at the hands of darkness.
After an hour or so, a gentle tap came at the door. Matteo leapt up to see if Jenda had finally returned. To his disappointment, Soborgne was standing outside. He did not need to ask what drove her to swallow her pride and come to him. Her face was full of concern and her eyes held the hallowed look of hunger. She didn’t come to make amends or to fight; she came to share the worry, and to ask for help.
Without a word, Matteo wrapped an arm loosely around the girl’s shoulders and led her down the golden hallway again. Instead of going up the black staircase, they went to the right and found themselves in front of a set of stairs that were the same white marble veined in black as the floor. Matteo finally broke the silence. “The donors are down here. They are humans who are paid well for their services and provided for in the most dedicated way. Do I need to remind you to be gentle, and to not take enough to injure them?”
Her words were sharp, but it seemed Patrick had managed to take most of the bite out her for the day. “I am not a child, Matteo, and despite my behavior earlier, I can show some manners. After all, my mother taught me not to play with my food.” Soborgne ignored Matteo’s shocked expression, flipped her hair, and began to walk down the stairs.
Matteo followed her, seething with anger and mistrust. The Lady would not stand Soborgne’s behavior for long. If she continued to act out, they would all find themselves on the streets and in the reach of the Dracul. The castle was the only safe haven from the council. He was all too grateful for Celeste’s protection, but he knew it came at a price. While under her roof, they would all have to play by her rules. The woman could be compassionate, but her heart was almost as hard as her unyielding flesh.
To Soborgne’s surprise, the stairs did not lead to anything resembling a dungeon. She half expected it to be moldy, musty, dark, and damp. After all, in the movies, all castles had scary dungeons filled with rats and spiders. Instead of a B-movie nightmare, she found herself standing in a clean and orderly space with floors and walls made of rough gray stone. The soft light and faint smell of cinnamon softened the atmosphere.
Fluorescent track lighting fit neatly in the large wooden rafters, the cords hidden beneath tasteful panels. Comfortable looking chairs and couches for waiting lined one of the nearby walls. Small cubicles filled the back of the room and fake potted plants were scattered here and there. A large, messy desk sat near the entrance, with a bored looking human woman sitting at a computer.
Upon hearing Soborgne’s arrival, the woman looked up and gave her a genuine smile. She checked a clipboard on her desk and said, “Oh, you must be Soborgne.” The woman looked expectantly at the stairs and smiled brightly as Matteo descended the last few. “You must be Matteo. I am Rene, the matron de, I guess you could say.” The woman chuckled a moment at her own joke before explaining, “The Lady called especially to tell me you would be coming. I have two rooms set up for you already.” Directing her attention at Matteo, the woman gave him a knowing look and asked, “I presume you will be supervising Ms. Soborgne’s first session here?”
Matteo knew that it was not really a question. The elder vampires established rules and guidelines that all vampires must follow, and this was one of them. Until a fledgling could master the bloodlust, they could not feed alone. Casting a wary look in Soborgne’s direction, he simply answered, “As you wish.”
Soborgne didn’t balk, and she did not grow angry as he expected she would. Instead, she turned on her most charming smile. With a simple shrug, she asked Matteo, “So you like to watch, do you?”
Matteo would not condone her beh
avior enough to reply. Instead, he simply nodded to the woman to show them the way. She led them to the first cubicle and placed a small card in a pouch by the shut door. “This will be your room, Soborgne, and yours will be the next one, Matteo. I will leave you to your business. Just let me know if you need anything.”
Matteo and Soborgne both thanked her before she bustled away to her computer. Matteo was thankful that Soborgne at least had the politeness to thank the woman. Matteo opened the door and Soborgne came face to face with her first donor. He was a young man, bare from the waist up, and sitting comfortably on a small settee. He smiled politely at them, but his eyes darted to Matteo and then to Soborgne nervously. Even the donors knew how dangerous fledglings could be. Obviously trusting that Matteo could handle his charge, the boy stood up and asked, “What is your preference, ma’am?”
Matteo started to explain, but it was clear that Soborgne would be in charge of this session. She strode to the couch and sat down. She told the boy to kneel in front of her, facing towards her. He complied without question. Vampires were extremely eccentric creatures, and Matteo was sure this was not a strange request. Soborgne spread her knees apart and gently pulled the boys shoulders until she could rest her chin on his shoulder. She would not hesitate. This was not the first time she would drink human blood fresh from the vein. She had killed both the girl in her cell at Belle’s and the man in the alley.
Matteo wanted to remind her to be gentle, but he had a feeling that it would only goad her to be unnecessarily rough if he did. He watched her eyes change and watched the hunger transform her features. He was alert to every movement, every sound, and the slightest breath. If she lost it, he would save the boy, no matter what.
Soborgne’s fangs flashed in a hideous grin. Matteo couldn’t help the involuntary response that came over him. She was pure predator and he had to suppress the desire to snarl at her. She sank her teeth into the flesh of the boy’s neck with a cruel swiftness. Matteo saw the boy’s back muscles tense from pain, not pleasure. Soborgne brought her eyes up to meet Matteo’s in a final glare of defiance before she submitted to the swoon. The boy’s muscles relaxed as he felt it as well. All menace and cruelty gone, Soborgne’s face was that of an angel as she drank.
Matteo did not have to tell her to stop. She could feel the boy’s heart as if it was her own, and she stopped before it grew weak. In fact, in that moment she could remember what it felt like to have a beating heart within her. She would not confess it to Matteo, but she was frightened to feed from a living being again. Her last experience with the rapist in the alley had been horrifying. The victims he had remorsefully damaged and killed flashed through her mind, driving her almost insane. To her relief, it was easier this time to control that dark anger. She wasn’t starving, she was not frightened, and the boy’s mind was a pleasant place. No blood or hate existed in the place she found herself. She saw only sunshine and beauty there.
Matteo came to her side. He lifted the boy up and laid him on the love seat to rest. Soborgne leaned down, closed the wound, and then gently placed a kiss on the boy’s cheek. She stood staring down at him with a puzzled look on her face. Smoothing the sandy blonde hair back from his face, she felt a sort of sadness in her heart. Laughing slightly, she looked to Matteo and said, “I feel as if I should ask him to dinner at least. Damn, I almost want to keep him.”
Matteo didn’t chastise her. He actually understood. The donors were very special to them. They gave their blood out of loyalty and honor. Not like Maya, that poor wretch. They had promised her eternal life, and yet her heart fed Soborgne her first meal. The girl was one of Belle’s slaves and donors. There, it was a matter of survival, and the girls were required to mutilate themselves to provide blood for Belle’s never empty glass. She wouldn’t have drunk from a cold plastic bag if she were dying of starvation. She had to have it fresh from the veins of a young beauty.
Matteo and Soborgne exited the cubicle and shut the door behind them. Matteo, not caring for an audience, motioned for Rene to see to Soborgne while he went to his session. It only took Matteo minutes to take care of his own needs. He still felt guilt each time he fed. He never killed, never wasted, and was never gluttonous. His devotion to humanity was so strong that he would not feed if it were not necessary to live.
As was customary, he had a female donor. She was a petite girl of about twenty. Dressed in a white tank top and jeans, she too was lounging on a settee. When he entered, she skittered up and Matteo took her with great tenderness, but not words. He was always careful with them. He wouldn’t crush their fragile bones or drain them to the point just before death. He cared deeply for them, and respected them for being alive. He was jealous of their warm flesh and beating hearts.
Leaving the girl sleeping blissfully, Matteo exited the cubicle and was surprised to find Soborgne still waiting for him. He had assumed she would insist on an escort back to her own room. Instead, she smiled and leaped up from where she was sprawled like a cat across the chair. “Matteo, shall we go find our darling ducky now, or will we be sent to our rooms like naughty children?”
With a conspiratorial wink, she grabbed his arm and propelled him towards the stairs. She was so giddy she nearly percolated. Matteo found it hard to remember that she was the embodiment of all the evil in the world. She seemed nothing but an exuberant child when she bounced up the stairs, and her laughter bubbled out of her like water from a natural spring. Reluctantly, he decided to take advantage of her happiness and enjoy not having to fear her every move.
“Let’s go back to our rooms to see if Jenda has arrived, and if not, we will go free her from Celeste.” His own voice sounded less dreary than before.
As they walked back towards their suites, Soborgne asked him questions about the vampire way. “Are there always donor’s?”
“No, sometimes you have to drink without being noticed. You must take a little sip from this person and that until you are full, or live from packaged blood.”
“Is it always that impersonal? I mean, it’s like speed dating for vampires. You are in and out and there isn’t much to it. When I fed from that boy, it seemed as if I should know him. Maybe I should have asked his name at least.”
“Sometimes it is better to not know them. Show them kindness because they are willingly giving you what you need to survive. Thank them by not causing them pain. They give us their blood and their minds for moments, but those memories and that blood will be what sustains you throughout eternity.”
“Does anyone ever keep one? You know, as a permanent thing?” Her curiosity was a good sign.
“Yes, it’s quite common to keep one or more of them as special escorts. You have met Celeste’s Chosen One, and you knew Belle’s Maya. The thing is, you just can’t feed from the same one each time. You risk draining them too low and killing them. They are usually kept on schedules that allow them to heal and rehabilitate.”
“Do they ever become vampires?”
“Once in a while, someone falls in love with a donor or wishes to reward them for their service. Belle turned people against their will. She left them no choice. Others, she dangled immortality in front of them to watch them fight for it. All too often, they fought to the death. If you ever make another vampire, Soborgne, you must only do it out of love.”
“Why did you make me, if we are only supposed to do it for love?” She did not mean to hurt him with her question. She honestly needed to know. The blood quieted the darkness in her so much that she was being genuine, and her voice was soft when she asked.
“What Belle and I did to you, it was wrong.” Soborgne could tell it hurt him to admit his part in what had happened to her and Jenda. “I changed you because you were too far gone to live and I couldn’t watch you die. I did it because it would hurt Jenda if I did not. Your strength and determination inspired me. You survived what so many others did not. I did it for many reasons, my little friend, but not one of them good enough to justify the act.” His words were solemn and he look
ed apologetically down at her, his eyes brimming with pink tears.
“Oh Matteo, don’t be sorry. I am not angry with you. I know you changed me because you felt you must. You didn’t know I would be so bad. Please don’t worry.” She pleaded like a child. She was so different now from the little wretch she’d been only a half hour before.
How her personality switched between playful puppy and deadly viper so quickly he could not guess. He smiled. “That’s enough questions. Let’s go find Jenda.”
7
It didn’t take them long to find Jenda. She was standing in the golden hallway with Patrick. They were having an animated conversation and both were laughing. It felt good to hear her laugh. Matteo was relieved to hear the sound, even though he wished that it was he, and not Patrick, who was responsible for it. He couldn’t help himself. It felt good to feel such human emotion. He wanted to wrap his arm protectively around her, not in battle but in love. It felt even better when she instinctively snuggled into his embrace.
“Just where have you two been?” Jenda beamed happily up at Matteo, and then over at Soborgne. Her smiled faded quickly as she sensed the anger in Soborgne and saw the fire kindling in the girl’s dark eyes.
“We decided to have dinner together,” Matteo joked.
“Oh.” A little embarrassed, Jenda changed the subject. “Patrick and I were just talking. He has an amazing ability, and often helps others build their gifts through training. He has offered to help us learn how to use our little extras while we are here.” She was very excited about the prospect.
Again, Matteo felt a stab of jealousy not to be the one to help her, but he shrugged it off. “That is an extremely kind offer, Patrick. I think the girls will benefit from your teachings.” He eyed Sobo carefully, wondering how she would take the offer after her earlier encounter with Patrick.
Requiem of Humanity Page 28
