“Normally, I would say you’re not allowed to know that, but they’ve become such an annoyance to me that I don’t really care anymore,” Vayna replied as she finished the half a glass of blood in one gulp. As she stood up to place the cup in the sink, she said, “They’re the “liaisons” of the human and vampire world, you could say. They’re the ones that interact with the human world and help smooth things over when something goes wrong. Say for example, a vampire manages to make into human politics, which is highly unlikely, but it’s happened before. The scandals that make the news of politicians being involved with prostitutes? Only ¼ of them are actually true. Most of the time, it’s the council making an excuse for a vampire draining a human. Other times, it’s protecting vampires from humans. Humans tend to react violently when they encounter something they don’t understand. Especially those of the Christian faith. They all think we’re demons sent to drag them to hell. Trust me, hell is not some mythical place under the earth’s surface.”
“I imagine not,” Sage murmured softly as she finished up her cereal. She placed her spoon in the bowl and folded her hands together with a thoughtful look. The council didn’t seem like a bad group. Kind of like a vampire police force. She tilted her head as she asked, “Why you?”
She leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms. An annoyed look crossed her face as she said, “I have more powers than every other vampire in existence. I have less weaknesses than others, and I know how to survive during a fight, even on days where most vampires hide to avoid being killed. That and I don’t have to sleep in a coffin like most others.”
“That’s true?” Sage asked incredulously. It didn’t even occur to her to ask if she slept in a coffin. She slept in a bed with her last night, so she automatically assumed that she wouldn’t have to sleep in one. She thought it was just another myth like turning into a bat.
Vayna nodded her head. Lesser vampires needed to sleep in a coffin lined with the dirt of their homeland. Very nasty business, that was. She remembered back when she was created and tried to turn another vampire. The poor creature died because she didn’t know the extent of their weaknesses. It took several decades for her to figure out what exactly was needed to keep one of her kind alive. Back in that day and age, she didn’t really care about humans that much. Her past was not the most beautiful of pasts. Rubbing her forehead, she said, “Yeah, unfortunately that is true. I’m the exception to my kind in that I don’t need to sleep in a coffin. Probably the result of being created instead of “born,” as my kind call it.”
“How were you created?” she asked as she got up to put her bowl in the sink. It was really strange to hear a vampire talk about being created, instead of being turned. She was very curious to know how Vayna became a vampire.
Said ancient vampire didn’t say anything. She stared at the floor, a dark look on her face as memories of the past resurfaced in her mind. How did she become a vampire? That was a very long story, and one she wasn’t sure she was willing to talk about that right then. Turning, she walked away from the human as she said, “I’ll tell you some other time.”
Sage stood there, watching her vampire walk off to her bedroom with a confused look on her face. She wondered what just happened. One moment Vayna was willing to talk to her, and the next she closed up. The human felt confused and lost. What was she supposed to do now?
Chapter 4
The afternoon sun shown over the city, still unable to reach the one that spurned its touch for a creature of its sister’s. It was upset that it lost one that was so precious to it. The hour found Sage curled up on Vayna’s couch, a cup of tea in her hands as she stared blankly at the T.V. that was running in the background. Her mind drifted through the conversation she and Vayna went through that morning. She was still puzzled by the abrupt change that came over her lover and she wasn’t sure what to do. She didn’t mean to upset her by bringing up past memories. She was only curious to know more about the woman that took her in and showed her kindness.
Vayna stood in the shadows of the hallway, gazing at Sage. She had been there, simply watching her, ever since she left the human in the kitchen. She knew her lover hadn’t meant to upset her. But she couldn’t help the rush of memories that hit her the moment Sage asked that question. In hindsight, she should’ve expected her to ask that. On some level, she was expecting it, but she didn’t prepare herself enough to answer it. She stared emptily at her human as her mind drifted back, over 3,000 years ago to her creation…
A woman with long, pitch black hair and tanned complexion walked down a sandstone hallway. Her light cotton dress flowed down to her knees and was decorated with gold thread. Around her waist was a sash the color of the darkest purple, the image of a falcon embroidered on it using the same gold thread. Around her head was a gold metal headband, a carved cobra standing up in attack position, its hood flared was attached to it. Her crown. She wore other, gilded jewelry that signaled who she was, but it was the crown that alerted everyone to her status the most. Behind her, two guards walked silently, her constant shadows. Her footsteps were soundless as she approached a massive door. Two more guards stood on either side of it, backs straight as they guarded what lay inside. They noticed the woman approaching and quickly opened the door as they announced, “Her Majesty, the Pharaoh!”
The woman walked into the room, ignoring the servants and members of her court as they kneeled on the floor in front of her. The guards closed the door behind her and she walked up the steps to her throne, sitting down and making herself as comfortable as she could on the hard stone. Her shadows stood silently on either side of her, a little way behind her. Clapping her hands once, she said firmly, “Commence.”
The servants and court members stood up and took their places. One court member stepped forward, an older woman with bright green eyes. She opened a scroll and said, “The Festival of the Stars is all set for tomorrow, my Pharaoh. The ritual to honor the Gods is set for tomorrow night at dusk. It would be the entire temple’s honor if you led us, Your Highness.”
The Pharaoh rested her head on her fingertips as she gazed down at the old woman. The Festival of the Stars happened every year and she was used to this request. This year, they were requesting her help a little later than they usually would. Normally she’d have weeks, if not months to prepare, but famine and then floods hit the country and she was kept busy trying to help the people. It was the first time talk of a festival to come up all season. Though she agreed that they needed the festival to lift the people’s spirits, all she really wanted to do was rest. Her head ached and she would’ve loved to go to the infirmary for a solution. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a slave girl carefully setting refreshments on a table for the court members. She kept her face blank, but inside she smiled. Her little love was working so hard to please her Pharaoh, even when they weren’t alone.
The young girl was a gift from the Emperor of Japan. The man sent a gift of some of his best slaves to seal the alliance between their two countries, and the young girl was one of them. She wasn’t that young, only 24 summers, but she was younger than the Pharaoh by 2 summers. The Pharaoh often teased her about being so young. What amazed everyone was the closeness in their looks. If one didn’t know the differences between them, they would’ve assumed the young girl was the Pharaoh’s twin. Even though they were born to two different mothers, they looked remarkably similar. Only the Pharaoh herself knew the difference between them. But that, of course, was because she was given the opportunity to know her little look-a-like more closely than anyone in her court or palace.
She stood up and raised her hand to silence the loud jabbering that was going on between different members of the temples. Each one was trying to make her hear their specific idea for the ritual for the next night, but she already knew which one she was going with. The groups immediately hushed, looking to their leader for her decision as she said, “We will go with the Temple of Goddess Nephthys. I and a set amount of people will hold the r
itual in the temple before greeting the crowd outside. Now, if there’s nothing more to discuss, I would like to prepare for tomorrow. The temple members will meet me in the morning to go over the details of the ritual.”
With that, she walked down off of the steps. With a flick of her wrist, her two shadows and the young servant girl followed her. They all walked across the palace to the Pharaoh’s room, and she pushed the doors open before the guards could even get there before her. She walked into the room followed by the young girl, her shadows closing the doors behind her and taking guard up outside of them. Inside the room, the Pharaoh yanked the crown off of her head and tossed it on her bed as she said, “Bunch of imbeciles.”
“They’re only trying to help, my lady,” the young girl said as she waited for her mistress to sit down. Once the Pharaoh sat at a small table covered with various beauty articles, she grabbed a brush made out of reeds and proceeded to comb her lady’s hair.
The Pharaoh sighed softly at the gentle treatment of her servant. This was one of the best parts of her day, going to her room and being pampered by her sweet little one. Only a few knew of the secret relationship she and her servant girl had. The Pharaoh wanted it to stay that way, so she paid those few rather well out of her own treasury. The court didn’t know about the few extra pieces of gold that were taken out each month. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. Most of those that knew refused the money anyway, so it wasn’t like it was a huge amount going missing every month. Of course, those people were some of their closest friends and were glad to see the Pharaoh happy.
She gently interrupted her servant’s brushing and turned around, pulling the young girl in between her legs. Looking up into her blushing face, she said, “I know they’re only trying to help, but it gets very tiring when they’re arguing all the time.”
The servant girl rested her arms on the Pharaoh’s shoulders, secretly happy to be held like that. It always amazed her how fortunate her life became ever since moving to the strange land of Khemet. Smiling down at her Pharaoh, she replied, “I know, my lady. How would you like to take a bath?”
“With you?” came the immediate response from her. A wicked grin spread over her face as her servant girl’s blush intensified and she chuckled when the young girl shyly nodded. She really was too adorable for her own good.
The two wandered off to take a bath, their arms still around each other. That night they spent exploring each other’s bodies and learning new things they didn’t know. Both guards outside the door coughed discretely at the sounds of pleasure coming from behind the door. Their Pharaoh certainly had a talent with making other women feel good.
The sunlight found the Pharaoh wide awake and preparing for the day. She was sitting at the small table with make-up, patiently letting her servant girl line her eyes with kohl. There was a lot she would have to do that day, and she was already feeling the weight of it all. If only she could just fast forward to that night when she could return to her bed, she thought… Unfortunately the Gods were not so kind to her and she sighed heavily.
“Patience is a virtue, my Pharaoh,” her servant girl said with a patient smile. Her Pharaoh never did like the duties she had to perform, but it was part of the job description. Luckily she would one day join the realm of the Gods and could rule an eternal land of peace and prosperity. She herself would be lucky to even be considered to go to the Field of Reeds. Perhaps if Ma’at found her soul innocent of her mistakes in life, she would be able to join her beloved Pharaoh, but she wasn’t sure.
“I know, my dear,” she replied with a heavy sigh. She barely moved as she waited for the young girl to finish. When she did, she stood up and set the heavy crown back on her head, wincing slightly as it caught on her hair. Tying her cape around her shoulders she heaved a heavy sigh and said, “Let’s go.”
The day passed by quickly, much to the Pharaoh’s enjoyment. Before she even knew it, the time for the ritual was upon them and she headed toward the temple dressed in her ritual clothes. It would only be her, the temple Priestesses, and her servant girl. Her servant girl was there mainly to fetch things they would need for the ritual. Normally it would just be the Pharaoh and the Priestesses, but this ritual involved fresh ingredients that needed to be collected minutes before the ritual began. Which is why her servant girl was allowed to be there.
The Pharaoh walked into the temple, the guards standing outside of it as the young girl followed in behind her. The two Priestesses stood in the entrance to the inner temple, waiting patiently for her to arrive. They bowed low to her when she walked in and said, “We thank you my Pharaoh for choosing our temple for the ritual tonight.”
“Yours was the only one that I actually felt comfortable with,” she replied as the four of them walked into the inner chamber. It was bare except for a small altar and most of the items for the ritual. The Pharaoh began to strip off her clothing in preparation for the ritual as she nodded at her servant girl. The young girl bowed and left the room to gather the ingredients that needed to be fresh. By the time she got back, the Pharaoh was completely naked and covered in marks made of red ochre mixed with water. The Priestesses took the ingredients from her and began the ritual.
The young slave watched as they invoked the powerful Goddess into the Pharaoh and began chanting. It was truly a sight to behold. The Pharaoh stood in the center of the room facing the altar, her body thrumming with power. This ritual was different from ones she participated in the past, and she found herself liking it very much. It didn’t involve men having “ritualistic sex” with her. She really hated those. The Priestess came forward and handed her a bowl of liquid. She wasn’t sure what was in it, but it was supposed to enhance the ritual. Drinking it down, she grimaced at the spicy coppery taste. It wasn’t anything like she tasted before, and she wasn’t entirely sure she ever wanted to taste it again.
The Priestesses returned to chanting while holding their hands up toward a huge statue of Nephthys. As their chanting got louder, the Pharaoh started to feel strange. Something was happening to her body. She felt an enormous pain shoot through her and she crumpled to the floor with a painful howl. The two Priestesses stopped and rushed to her side, the young servant girl right behind them. One of the Priestesses leaned down and asked in concern, “My Pharaoh, are you alright?”
The Pharaoh didn’t answer with any human sound. She let out a fierce growl and leapt at the Priestess. Her eyes were no longer their normal blue color, but a frightening crimson. Her teeth no longer resembled those of a human’s. Instead, they were longer, sharper, and more deadly. Before the Priestess could even scream, the Pharaoh latched onto her throat and all but tore her vocal cords out. She was dead before she even hit the floor. The other Priestess backed up against the altar in horror. She turned to run, to flee for her life. She was mere steps from the door when the Pharaoh caught her and dug her fangs into the young woman’s neck.
The servant girl watched in fear as her lover turned into a monster right in front of her eyes. She stood, unable to move, and watched as the Pharaoh drank the blood of the Priestess. She wanted to scream, to cry out in fear, but her voice was frozen. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as the Pharaoh stood up and turned toward her. Crazed crimson eyes watched her almost as if she were a panther waiting to strike her prey. The Pharaoh slowly stalked toward her, watching her, waiting for her to run, but all the young servant girl did was back up against the wall, her eyes still filled with fear as she waited for her death. She never feared her lover, even though the Pharaoh had the power to claim her life with a single command… until that very moment. She knew she was going to die. She just hoped there was enough of her lover left in the creature before her to make it as least painful as possible. The Pharaoh took a step closer and she closed her eyes as she tensed.
Nothing happened for several moments. She could hear the heavy breathing of her lover mere inches away from her, but nothing more. It felt like an eternity passed before she heard a quiet thump. Cautiously openi
ng her eyes, she was shocked to find her lover kneeling before her, hands covering her face as she sobbed quietly. She bent down and lightly rested a hand on the woman’s shoulder as she said, “Pharaoh…?”
“Stay away from me!” she yelled as she scrambled backwards away from her lover. Now that her human mind took control back from the beast within her, she was horrified by what she did. She could still taste the Priestesses blood in her mouth and it made her afraid. Afraid of what she would do to others.
Her servant girl walked up to her, ignoring for the first time in her life her Pharaoh’s commands. Kneeling down, she grabbed her lover’s face and looked deep into her crimson eyes. She saw the fear, regret, and confusion dwelling in those eyes and knew that her lover was in control again. She still looked frightening, but the being before her wouldn’t harm her. Her heart broke as her lover whispered, “What have I done…? What have I become, Sheba…?”
“I don’t know, my love,” Sheba whispered back as she gently wiped the blood from her lover’s face. She never heard of this happening before. This… this was something completely new. Whatever her lover was now, she was the first of her kind. Turning her head, she looked over at the cup that lay on the floor. It had to be the liquid inside that cup that turned her mistress into this… creature before her. Letting go of the Pharaoh, she walked over to the cup and picked it up. She stared down into the dark remnants inside with a confused frown.
“It’s blood,” the Pharaoh whispered from behind her. She jumped and whirled around, facing her lover as she held a hand over her heart. The blood covered ruler held her hand out and she gave her the cup, watching in fascination as the being before her sniffed at it.
Dangerous Love Page 6
