by Lucy Lyons
“Hmm?”
“Why is Desmond so powerful? He can do such…amazing things. Terrible things. He’s stronger than the others.”
“You’re very observant!” the elderly woman noted. “Such things are not a concern for us now, Viktoria. We are pets and slaves, not adversaries. Our vampires’ strengths will never be used against us so it is none of our concern.”
A different tactic, then. “But, I just admire him so much and I want to know why.”
Hannah hesitated, her wrinkled face troubled. “I’m not saying anything definite, and if Desmond ever tells you the truth, that’s his business. But legends say that if a vampire should be sired by more than one vampire, he will have all their strengths combined.”
“Sired by more than one vampire?”
“A human bitten by more than one vampire at a time, with all of the vampires intending to turn the human, of course.”
Oh, of course.
“It is said that so much power should kill a human… but if the human overcomes it and turns, they’ll be very strong. In this case, the king and queen might have together sired Desmond. But no one really knows the truth, do they? Only Desmond knows. You should ask him.”
“I don’t think Desmond is going to tell me anything.”
Hannah shrugged. “Give it time. Ah, here we are. Welcome to the Sanctuary. At least, that’s what we call it.”
Curiously, Viktoria looked around. The tunnel had given away to a wide cavern with a low, rough roof. There were tables throughout a majority of this area, and one section was occupied by a woman who seemed to be cooking. Several other humans milled about in the area. She couldn’t see what else lay beyond the tables but had a feeling that might be part of the “anything else humans might need” that Hannah spoke of before.
Right now, however, she was more concerned with the smell of whatever was cooking. The aroma was rich and somehow meaty, but with delicate, pleasant notes. Viktoria’s stomach gave a growl to rival Desmond’s attitude.
“What is that?” she asked.
Hannah smiled and led her over to the cooking woman. “Seems like you’re in luck! The vampires often bring back supplies for us as part of the truce with the humans, but we very rarely get anything fresh. Sometimes though, when blood is in short supply, the vampires will hunt deer! We get the carcasses, nicely drained and ready for butchering.”
That seemed like such a sensible arrangement that she couldn’t hide her surprise for a moment. “Wow. It smells really good.”
“Do you hear that, Penny?” Hannah said, addressing the other woman. She was sweating and slaving over a giant pot of brown, frothy broth. It looked to have chunks of meat and vegetables inside, as well as tiny flecks of rice. “Our new arrival approves and she hasn’t even tasted it yet!”
Penny flashed a smile of crooked teeth that probably should have had braces at one point. She didn’t look very old, only in her mid-twenties. “Well, it was just about ready anyway so she can help herself to a bowl. And we got some bread too, if she doesn’t mind stale stuff. Can’t make more until I get more flour.”
Stew and bread?
Hannah helped ladle out some of the food into an earthenware bowl, and then they took a seat at one of the tables so that Viktoria could eat. The stew was too salty, and the chunks of venison were tough, but it tasted like the best thing she’d ever put in her mouth. Plus, its warmth felt good against her sore hands and in her stomach.
As she ate, another question occurred to her. “Hannah? What family of vampires is this?”
“Ah, you don’t know? They are the Swifts.”
A chill coursed through her blood, freezing her where she was. “But that means…” She didn’t finish her sentence.
The Swift family vampires were the ones who initiated the war against humankind. They were the oldest and most powerful vampires in America, and her father had been trying gradually to hunt them down for years. Not only that, she was a slave to their prince, who was extra powerful.
“Does that mean something to you, Viktoria?”
“How long have you been here, Hannah?”
“Why, thirty years, at least.”
Viktoria shut her eyes tightly. Thirty years of captivity. Thirty years of being charmed, bound, and stolen of blood. Hannah probably knew nothing about the different vampire families, because she hadn’t been a hunter. She just knew the name.
Once she opened them again, she saw the old woman peering at her worriedly. “Do you feel okay? Are you hot?” Hannah turned her head. “Jacques, will you get us a glass of water?”
“No,” Viktoria managed, her mouth suddenly dry. “Water would be nice, though.”
Maybe I should just stop trying to figure stuff out. Everything new I discover only seems to make this situation worse.
For the next hour or so, she spent time in the company of other humans. The others came down to get their own food, settling into small groups of friends to talk amongst themselves. Most of them stopped by at one point or other to meet the new human. Most of them were nice, although they needed bathing, or more food, or something. Everyone was slightly worse for wear, usually dressed in old, worn clothing. Their names went in one ear and out the other, but Viktoria did notice something odd.
“Do you always eat by yourself?”
Hannah shook her head and smiled slightly. “No. I think when everyone gets used to you, they’ll come around.”
She winced. “I didn’t mean to be the reason that you have to eat alone.”
But, the older woman just patted her hand. “I’m not alone, am I? You’re part of us now, dear.”
Whether she liked it or not, that seemed to be true.
Not much later, the conversation in the room suddenly dropped away. Viktoria looked around, knowing exactly who she was going to see. Desmond stood in the doorway of the Sanctuary, looking somewhat bored and brooding. His eyes slid across her, almost as if he didn’t entirely see her.
“Is she healed enough?” he growled.
Hannah stood up, smiling a charming smile at the powerful vampire. Viktoria felt her stomach churn nervously, watching the other woman stand up to Desmond like that, but he just looked at her with the same threatening glare as always. “She has to come back at least once a day to get her bandages changed.”
“I can do it myself,” the vampire growled.
“No,” Hannah said.
Desmond’s shoulders stiffened and he bared his fangs. “You dare tell me no?”
Viktoria stood up as well now, inching over nervously. “Desmond…”
His eyes glanced right over her, unseeing. Meanwhile, Hannah looked as though she dealt with things like this all the time. Maybe it was her advanced age and the probability that she might die soon, if the vampires decided it was her time, or maybe it was her thirty years of experience. Either way, she just folded her arms in a gesture that matched Desmond’s and frowned at him. “Viktoria has been through a lot. She needs to come down here twice a day to eat, and I will change her bandages here as well. It would save you some time, wouldn’t it?”
The vampire obviously didn’t like it but he gave in with a snarl, turning away. Viktoria looked over at Hannah, and saw the woman put her hand over her chest, fear showing on her face.
She was terrified but she hid it. How? How do I learn how to do that to deal with Desmond?
“Come, Viktoria.”
Not knowing what else to do, she followed.
Chapter 7
Not much else really happened for the whole of the next week. Viktoria quickly grew bored of the same routine every day, staying in Desmond’s chambers except for when he brought her down twice a day to eat. She tried to occupy her time with reading, but she often couldn’t focus. When she was in his chambers, he always stayed so close by, yet he never actually seemed to be paying any attention to her. It was terrifying, until it slowly became annoying. He never spoke to her unless she spoke first, and even then, half of
the time the things he said were mysterious. He refused to explain himself, or give any kind of indication that he really listened when she spoke.
Yet, if he didn’t want to hear her, why did he always stay so near? It was like he was fascinated by her but didn’t want to show it. Any need she voiced, he granted it. More light? There were more torch sconces installed. If she was cold, she woke up in the morning covered in extra blankets. When she tried to thank him though, he just pretended not to hear.
The only highlights of her days were the trips down to the Sanctuary, where she could be around other people who wouldn’t stare at her as if they hated her. Within only a few days, they were treating her as if she’d always been one of them. Perhaps the worst thing she discovered about them was that they were all heads-over-heels for the brutes who enslaved them, and none of them seemed particularly bothered by the fact that their “masters” were murderous killers.
“That’s just how it is, dear,” Hannah tried to explain one day, carefully inspecting Viktoria’s wounded hands. The scabs were healing quite nicely. “You can’t try to judge them like they’re humans, like you and me. That’s not fair.”
“It’s not fair?” Viktoria demanded, her voice rising. Several faces turned in her direction and she scowled fiercely at them, sending them reeling away from her eyes, back to whatever they were doing. With some horror, she realized that was something Desmond would have done. “It’s not fair? They’re keeping us as slaves!”
Hannah looked around fearfully, her eyes very big and wide. “Are you so sure? That’s what they call it, isn’t it, but has Desmond ever made you work for him?”
“No, but…”
“Has he ever forced you to do anything you don’t want?”
“Yes!” she cried out. “Be here!”
But Hannah was shaking her head, weaving fresh bandages on her hands with an expertise that belied her grizzled fingers. “Are you so sure about that? Wouldn’t you rather be here, safe and happy, than out there where all the danger is? Desmond hasn’t even fed on you yet. How can you say that this life he’s given you is unfair? Look at you, compared to us.”
Viktoria looked down at herself, and then back up. She knew what Hannah was referring to. She was dressed beautifully compared to them, waking up in the morning to find a new dress laid out on the bed each and every day. They were silk, gilded with gold and expensive colors. That didn’t matter to her, though. Just because Desmond dressed her nicely didn’t mean that she owed him anything. As far as she was concerned, he owed her.
“But I’m not happy,” she said quietly. “It’s too dark in here all the time. I miss going outside. I miss sunlight.”
Hannah shrugged. “Then, why don’t you ask Desmond to take you outside?”
“He would probably say no, because he would think I want to run away.”
“But, why would you?”
Viktoria sighed and dropped her head in her hands. This was going nowhere.
She couldn’t forget the conversation, however. It followed her everywhere, no matter whether she was with other humans or if she was silent and brooding in Desmond’s company. She knew why the others seemed so much happier than her. They were charmed out of their minds, hypnotized and tamed. Was she going to become like that, too?
“No,” she swore quietly to herself. “Never.”
“What did you say?”
Looking up guiltily, she saw Desmond watching her from the entrance to his grand library. She had a book in her hand, although it wouldn’t do her much good because it was in French.
“Nothing,” she muttered bitterly, and turned her head away from him.
“Fine, then,” he said, a shrug in his deep voice. The silence fell between them once more, except this time she could hardly stand it.
Spinning around, she demanded, “I’m not happy here. I want out of here.” His glare intensified but she cut him off. “I don’t mean forever. I know you won’t let me escape. I’m a danger to you, I get that. If I got away, everyone would know how to kill you. I know! But can I please get out of here? Just for one minute? Please? I feel like I’m going to suffocate!”
Desmond watched her with an angry scowl, and he slowly shook his head. Her heart sank, plummeting in her chest, but he wasn’t done. “You are not kept here so that I can be safe.”
“Then why?” she demanded. “What other reason is there?”
He didn’t answer, and the conversation fell away.
However, the next day, she was curled up on one of his enormous couches with a book in her hands, when she looked up to find him standing over her. “Come with me,” he said, and held out one hand.
Knowing she had no choice, she took his hand and let him lead her along. Much to her surprise, he led her outside to the cliff that led into his chambers.
“What are we doing?” she asked, not sure how to feel about this. She stayed well away from the edge, wary about falling. Even though every time she wanted something to eat, she had to let him grab her and jump down with her in his arms, she still hadn’t gotten used to it. The only good part about that was making sure to scream directly in his ears as loud as she could.
“You wanted to go outside,” Desmond said, sounding bored and bland. “Here we are.”
Viktoria rolled her eyes. She was starting not to care how moody he was, anymore. It was annoying and she wasn’t going to pay attention to it, or at the very least try to hide how scary he was sometimes. “You know this isn’t what I meant, Desmond.”
“Well, Viktoria, I don’t know if I trust you out there on the ground where you can escape.”
“Please,” she snorted, and scuffed her feet, kicking a stone off the edge of the cliff. It clattered all the way down. “You could catch me before I even thought about moving, so don’t act like that. You just like keeping me locked up all to yourself. That’s sick.”
“You want to go down?” Desmond demanded. He approached her very close, and she felt the fear break through her self-control. His sharp eyes bored into hers angrily, forcing her to take a step backwards. “Do you remember what happened last time you tried that? You very nearly died!”
She stared up into his eyes as he loomed closer above her. “You know that I’m asking for your help to go down! I’m not saying I want to climb down and escape! Although, I don’t know what good I’m doing you here anyway if you won’t bite me!”
“Do you want me to?” he sneered.
“No!” she said, and took another step backwards. Her heel slipped out over nothingness and she gasped, throwing out her arms to catch her balance. Desmond’s eyes finally seemed to see her for once, glancing across her face and her neck. They danced with anger, smoldering at her reflection.
“Then, quit acting as if I’m going to! I said you are safe with me!”
“How do I know I really am?” she said. Looking at him this intensely, so close up, was making her nervous in a thousand different ways. “What if I’m going to wake up one morning and you’ll be attacking me, just like Samuel?”
Desmond put his face right up near hers, his cold breath hitting her lips. “If I wanted you dead,” he said, “you would already be dead.”
She opened her mouth to demand what he would do when he got tired of her, knowing she didn’t actually want to hear the answers, when suddenly his arms tangled around her body. They locked around her, and Desmond jumped down. Viktoria was too startled to scream this time, her breath locked inside as the vampire landed hard on the ground after what felt like an eternity.
Unlike all the other times when they had done this, he didn’t just drop her. Instead, he set her down on her feet.
Automatically straightening her dress, smoothing it down over her legs, Viktoria looked around. It was just before evening, and the pine forest seemed vibrant with deep sunlight. A carpet of needles covered the ground beneath her feet, and birdsong and chattering squirrels reached her ears. The mountain cold was somewhat chased away
by what dappled light managed to spill onto the ground between the trees.
In a way, the pine forest reminded her of a vampire. More specifically, it reminded her of Desmond. Mysterious and shadowed, she knew nothing about it at all.
“Are you satisfied?” he growled.
“Yes,” she breathed softly, looking around with her eyes open wide, drinking in the sight. Every gulp of air tasted of cold and damp loam, almost as intoxicating as wine. She never wanted to go back inside.
Taking a few steps away from the vampire’s side, she spread out her arms to feel the warm dampness of the forest on her skin. Turning back around, she opened her mouth to say something but the words ran right out of her head when she realized that Desmond was gone.
She was alone, in the forest. The fortress loomed high above her, seeming to watch her, but she was alone. She could run away now. She could haul ass and get as far away from here as possible.
Was there something in Desmond’s mind that had finally convinced him to let her go?
Why am I not moving? she wondered. Her heart called out for her to leave but all she did was stand stock-still in the same place, listening to the sound of the woods. Hesitation tore her in two. All she could do was stand there until Desmond came back, his powerful body appearing right beside her.
“I thought you would run,” he said gruffly. Viktoria looked sideways at him, noticing for the first time the way his black hair curled slightly around his ears.
“I thought I would, too,” Viktoria said in response. Silence passed between them, and it was empty. No anger, no nervousness, no fear. They only stood there in the forest together, listening to tiny scampering things move through the undergrowth; eventually, as the evening light began to darken, Desmond turned to her and pulled her against his chest.
He stopped there, unmoving. Fear started to worm inside her heart, wriggling anxiously, but then he scooped her up fully and took her back to his chambers, where he left her standing on the cliff as he walked inside.
Her heart pounded in her chest, and she was afraid, but for a different reason this time.
