by K. A. Poe
“I just don’t want to see you getting hurt.”
“I know,” I ran my hand across his cheek. “I’ll be safe. There are at least seven other hunters here, I won’t be going in alone.”
“Let’s make the bed and get some sleep so that you are well-rested in time for tomorrow.”
Despite the fear that overwhelmed me at the idea of sleep, I curled up beside Salem and thought over the past few days as I attempted to doze off. It had been a long three weeks that seemed to have just slipped right through my fingers. The trip to Cluj-Napoca and the Orthodox Cathedral in Sibiu were near blurs in my memory now, although I would always have the photographs I took during the visits thanks to the digital camera Mitch bought me. It occurred to me then that I had spaced out taking any pictures while at Bran’s Castle…but I wasn’t entirely disappointed by that, I had to admit that I wasn’t very impressed at all.
Then again, meeting the Vanatori hunters gave the memory somewhat of a foreboding feel to it. I couldn’t wait to meet the rest of them—assuming they were more than a group of seven—and learn who they were.
My eyes slowly fell shut as I contemplated what lay ahead of me in the morning. Maybe I would be introduced to Cassius’s boss, given a tour of the restaurant, make a few acquaintances or even friends while on the job…I had no idea what to expect.
Morning came all too soon. I quickly showered and dressed in a proper black dress that Salem had summoned for me. He wasn’t very eager to see me leave, but I assured him that I would be back soon and he could easily find something to occupy himself with during my absence. With a wide grin, I climbed into the IQ and set up my GPS with the directions Cassius left on my voicemail. I felt confident and comfortable, ready to take on anything.
A large building lay out in front of me, with bright clean white walls and smooth white marble columns at the entrance. The windows were all tinted and difficult to see through, as was the front door with its silver handles. Above the entrance was a large sign that said ‘Varias’. A man stood at the door, dressed in a crisp black tuxedo and wielding a notepad in his hand—I assumed this was a list of guests.
“Excuse me,” I said as I approached the man. “I’m here to meet with Mr. Arith.”
The dark-skinned man looked me up and down, seeming to pull in the very essence of who I was. A sly grin spread across his lips and he scanned the list in his hands. “What is your name, miss?”
“Alexis Young.”
He nodded and resumed looking down the various names until he spotted mine. “Here you are,” he said and looked up at me. “Keys please.”
“Oh, right.” I reluctantly handed over the keys to my new car and hoped he would keep it safe.
As the man grabbed the keys, his hand lingered on mine. Although he was not holding me or excreting any pressure, I couldn’t pull away. Finally his gaze left my eyes and the magnetic force holding my hand in place went away. I contemplated what had just happened as I watched him walk silently to my car and drive off. It was beyond weird but I tried not to dwell on it for now. I didn’t want to be late for my first day.
I half-expected someone to greet me, lead me to the door, and let me in, but no one came. After waiting a few minutes I took a deep breath then approached the building. The large white entrance loomed over me and for the briefest of moments I contemplated turning around and leaving. With one final deep breath of determination, I grasped a large silver handle and pulled one of the doors wide open. What lay before me was amazing.
Slick, white tiles ran beneath my feet perfectly mimicking the color of the surrounding walls. Marble pillars identical to the ones outside were spread throughout a vast room, holding an enormous painted ceiling overhead. There were at least a hundred rounded tables throughout the room, each adorned with a silky black tablecloth and a silver candelabrum in the center. The flickering flames were enchanting as they swayed back and forth slowly. Each table had four chairs with black fabric over the cushioning and silver frames. In the far back of the restaurant there was a pair of wide, white doors that I assumed led into the kitchen. Further along that same wall was a spiral staircase that led to an unknown destination.
Before I had a chance to finish examining the room I would be spending the next few hours, someone grabbed my arm and turned me around. I smiled when I discovered it was Cassius. He too was wearing a pleasant smile on his boyish face.
“Welcome to Varias, my dear Alex. Let me show you to where you will be playing.”
He intertwined his arm with mine and led me up a single step and onto a black platform in the far left corner of the room. I took a moment to glance around the room and spotted a crowd of men and women in black slacks and white button up shirts flooding through the kitchen doors. Each of them held a tray of smoke-tinted glasses—obviously these were the waiters and waitresses. I locked eyes on the beautiful piano that sat atop the platform and ran my hand over the smooth surface of its black body. My fingers longed to rest on the ivory keys and release all of the pent up music that had been welling up inside me all of this time, unable to be freed.
“She’s all yours,” Cassius said with a smile and patted the bench. “Take a seat, get to know her.”
Obeying, I sat down and let my hands run along the keys. My heart was racing with excitement with every touch. There was a book of songs in front of me—some familiar, some not—and I couldn’t wait to play. Cassius had insisted that I wait until his boss showed up to play Nevermore, as he wanted to impress him with his choice of pianist.
The piano was turned in a way that I could easily observe the entirety of the restaurant, giving me a full view of everyone’s actions. In the corner by the entrance was a vast fountain with a seemingly romantic appearance—a couple standing together, a male and a female. The male stood behind the woman with his arms around her waist and his head resting at her neck. It took me a moment to see that the water wasn’t flowing.
“Is the fountain broken?” I asked.
“Ah…yes…we’ve sent for a maintenance worker to check that out,” Cassius sounded unusually nervous but I pushed it off.
I nodded my head and returned to exploring the room. Guests began rushing through the entrance doors, each of them adorned in fancy attire fitting their surroundings. Some of them glanced in my direction with such a serious look that it made me shiver. Cassius reassuringly patted me on the shoulder.
“Don’t mind them…they’ll adjust to your presence here. Many of them were just so incredibly used to our departed pianist, and I’d dare say near all our guests hate change. Once they hear you play, they will simply fall in love,” he said proudly and stepped down from the platform. “I shall leave you to your duties.”
With quick realization, I understood that to mean it was time to begin playing. The first song in the book before me was a longtime favorite, one that I had taught myself years ago—Fur Elise by the magnificent Beethoven. I found that playing the song, even after so many years, was quite like riding a bicycle—something that I would always remember, regardless of how long it had been since I last engaged in the activity.
8. VARIAS
A sudden burst of applause rang through the room and my eyes lingered on the hundreds of guests at their tables. I hadn’t even realized so many had flooded in as I concentrated on my song. I smiled proudly and continued to play, yet my eyes resumed their observation of the people around me—there was something unusual about them. Pallid complexions, each of them appearing to be full of youth, a glass of thick red liquid beside every dark porcelain bowl that held unknown contents…my fingers stopped moving, I felt as though the world was spinning as I realized what I was witnessing.
Cassius approached the platform and gripped my hand tightly. “What is it, my dear?”
“I-I’m just feeling a bit faint…” I muttered and looked him over. He didn’t look like them; he appeared as human as I did. Were my nerves messing with me? Was I just imagining that I was in a room full of vampires?
&nb
sp; “Do you need a break? I understand that you must be quite nervous.”
“I’ll be okay…thanks…” I replied and turned my focus back to the piano. This isn’t real, they aren’t real, and you’re playing tricks on yourself.
I resumed playing once more and felt myself relax somewhat, despite the constant reminder that I could be surrounded by vampires. If they were in fact what they appeared to be, however, then how was it they weren’t all latching onto my vulnerable mortal body? It must have all been in my head—that was the only logical explanation. I was so overwhelmed by this opportunity and by all of the nonsense Salem put into my head about Cassius being untrustworthy, that I let it get to me. I was creating monsters where there were only men.
For a while, I had myself convinced that it was all just a part of my cruel imagination—that all stopped when Cassius climbed onto the stage, collected the microphone in his hand and began making an announcement.
“Ladies and gentleman, may I have your attention, please?” His voice swam through the room and everyone turned their attention toward him. This was my cue to begin playing Nevermore. The song quickly swam through my fingers and into the piano, the music rising into the air and captivating my audience. “First, I would like to introduce our pianist—Mrs. Young, whom I can see you are all enjoying thus far!” A quick round of applause rumbled throughout the restaurant, followed by a few cheers. “And secondly, give a warm welcome to our host, Mr. Varias!”
I turned my attention to the opposite side of the restaurant and my breath caught in my throat when a stunning figure swiftly waltzed through a door I hadn’t noticed before. It wasn’t his handsome features that caught my attention, it wasn’t the way he seemed to almost levitate, and it wasn’t the way his black velvet tuxedo perfectly framed his exquisite build—it was the fact that this man was the same black-haired, pale-skinned monster that haunted my memories.
“Malik…” I whispered in shock and fear.
My eyes turned back to the people eating, each of them held up their glass of red liquid in cheers to their host and I could see a sea of red tinted pupils. These weren’t ordinary people. My mind wasn’t playing tricks on me. I was surrounded by vampires! The fountain became my next focus…the man standing behind the woman with his lips at her throat…I could easily imagine the thick blood running through the fountain and draining into the pool at their feet.
I tried to calm down, not wanting Malik to notice anything unusual about my behavior—a huge part of me desired nothing more than to lunge after him and kill him right on the spot, but considering my position at the time, not to mention my frail mortal body, I knew I wouldn’t make it. His eyes never left me as he stalked toward me, illuminated red orbs dancing in his sockets. It felt as though his vision was piercing my very soul.
He was directly in front of me now, with his hand held out expecting me to take it. My mind was half filled with rage, the other with fear. I held back the instinct to fight or run as I lay my hand out for him to take. His thin, pale lips caressed the back of my hand and he gazed up at me tenderly. His eyes were hypnotic.
“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Alexis. Cassius has told me so much about you,” he said with a pleasant smile that masked the monster lurking within.
“He’s not said much about you…”
“Perhaps, then, I shall have the pleasure of introducing myself?” his voice was alluring and he failed to release my hand. “I am Lord Malik Varias, owner of this restaurant, and much of the other properties in this part of Transylvania. You should make a visit to my mansion at some point; I would love to speak to my newest musician in private.”
I gulped yet nodded my head. “That would be…nice.”
“Wonderful,” he replied and finally let go of my hand. “Please, do continue playing that magnificent tune.”
It was difficult to force myself to play the piano at a time like this. How had I gotten myself dragged into this mess? Was Cassius aware of what was happening, that we were amongst the undead? I shook the thoughts from my head and let Nevermore drown out the worries temporarily. My legs felt weak yet eager to run and find the Vanatori, to seek their assistance in putting an end to this monster. How many strictly-vampire restaurants existed out here? …where did they get their blood supply?
My stomach churned and I paused the song immediately and ran as fast as I could through the room and out the entrance doors. Ignoring the dark-skinned man’s stares, I ran around the side of the building and felt the warmth of vomit erupt from my mouth. I needed to contact Vanatori and get their help…
“Can you let Mr. Arith know that I’ve gone home ill?” I asked the doorman.
He nodded without a word and I ran to my car. Once I was seated I finally looked back towards the beautiful building, completely expecting a flood of vampires to emerge and take me back. Maybe they would drain my blood for their fountain. Maybe that was what had happened to their last pianist—but I saw nothing.
After my stomach settled slightly, I inserted the address to the Vanatori’s location and pulled out of the driveway. Chills were still running down my spine despite being miles away from the restaurant and I continued to foolishly check the rearview mirror for any followers. I couldn’t keep the sight of Malik or the crowd of vampires out of my mind. There had been so many of them. The memory of when I had fought four vampires at once came back to me. That had been difficult even with my powers and the help of Salem and Hannah. How anything less than an army could defeat the hundred or more in that building was unimaginable. And Malik was there…
My memory then went back to visions of him whipping my mother on the back, kissing her tenderly, trying to convince her that I didn’t exist…and now here I was, working for him!
My GPS alerted me that my destination was on the right and I turned into a small parking lot in front of a dull gray building. The windows were protected by iron bars and security cameras peeked out from underneath an awning over the entrance door. The electronics looked odd and out of place on such an old non-descript building. This was definitely the place. Before I left the car, I grabbed my cell phone and dialed Salem’s number.
“Alex? Shouldn’t you be working…”
“That’s not important right now,” I interrupted. “Catch a cab and meet me at this address as soon as you can. No questions until you get here…it’s urgent.”
After giving him the address I hung up and climbed out of the car.
9. THE VANATORI
I rapped my fist against the stained brown door that I hoped would lead me to discovering the Vanatori’s hideout. As soon as the door opened, I was overwhelmed by a sudden burst of smoke. I coughed and quickly covered my mouth and nose so as to not inhale any more. The girl I recalled meeting at Bran’s Castle peered out at me through piercing green eyes.
“I was wondering when we might see you again,” she said and pulled the door open further.
A plain wooden table sat in the center of the small, cluttered building. Along the back wall was a row of short filing cabinets beside a bookcase full of old, musty novels. Six people sat around the table talking in hushed voices and I could distinctly see the source of the smoke. The man I recognized to be Mikael sat at the right end of the table with an ornate pipe dangling from his mouth, puffing on the end of it.
“Welcome to our…headquarters, so to speak,” Mikael said and resumed puffing on his pipe. “You are Alexis, right?”
I nodded. “Yes…I was afraid I was at the wrong place at first, but I guess not.”
“We’re not difficult to find, if you know where to look,” said a pudgy, round-faced man with thin spectacles, untidy blonde curls and a rosary draped around his neck.
“I hope it’s okay that I invited my husband to join us.”
“As long as he is trustworthy…” one of the men sneered. I gasped at the long, thin scar that ran across his left cheek and grazed across his eyebrow. His hair was black and spiky with light blue tips at the ends. He wore a thin,
tight black shirt that clung onto his evident muscles and I felt mildly intimidated.
“Don’t mind Nicolai,” the pudgy guy said, “he’s not good with people.”
“I can handle people, Remus. In this world though, one cannot help but be cautious.”
Remus grasped onto his rosary and eyed the rest of the group. “Care to introduce yourselves to the lady?”
Mikael raised his hand into the air, “You more than likely recall my name as being Mikael. I am the finder and leader of this little group, though we are a part of a much bigger whole.”
“Luca Redwood,” a man with short auburn hair and an ongoing frown spoke.
“Octavian,” said a tall, stubble-chinned man with slicked back platinum hair. He pointed across the room to the woman who had welcomed me inside. “That is my beloved Camellia, the only reason I am among these lunatics.”
“What?” I said, arching my brows. “You don’t believe in vampires?”
He scoffed and scratched at the blond stubble. “Of course I don’t.”
“…but you are a hunter, right? I mean…you all are? Haven’t you seen one during a hunt?”
“He tends to stay behind, keeping watch over the “headquarters”,” Remus explained.
“Then you have no say in whether they exist or not.”
“I like her already,” said another man with deep brown eyes and golden blonde hair that reminded me of Hannah’s. “I’m Sebastian.”
“And Camellia,” I said, observing the curvy woman with long, straight cherry red hair and ebony bangs. I was instantly envious of her hair. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.”
“Take a seat,” Luca said dully and pulled out a vacant chair.
“Thanks.”
As soon as I sat, a knock sounded at the door. My excitement was hardly containable when I considered it was more than likely Salem.
