The Darkest Colors

by David M. Bachman

  “He pawned you?”

  She narrowed her eyes slightly and shook her head. “I do not know this word … pawned?”

  “I mean … he used you as collateral?”

  “I also do not know this word.”

  “Payment, then? He used you as a form of payment for a favor?” Raina suggested with a shrug. “Y’know, like … he used you like money?”

  “Oh, that! Yes,” she finally said with a nod. “I was money for him. He said, ‘Here are my girls. If you do this thing for me, you take girl that you like’. She liked me, so she take me.”

  Raina hesitated. “Can I ask what it was he wanted her to do for him?”

  “He want other man, a pimp, to die. He tell her this other man was very bad, that he does things that make humans see vampires as bad,” she explained quite plainly. “So … she killed him.”

  “She helped one pimp kill another pimp?”

  “No,” she said, “she killed other pimp and my pimp. The Grand Duchess hates men that hurt women. I tell her what he do to me, and she kill him. I helped. She let me bite him, and she stabbed his heart and cut off his head.”

  Raina’s eyes widened at that. Duvessa was apparently a feminist of the homicidal variety. At first, she had worried that Duvessa was more like a female Mafioso don than a vampire queen, dealing in the business of “favors” that involved putting hits out on pimps, thugs, and other criminals. However, she wasn’t so sure that “vigilante murderess” was a better role. While Raina could respect the fact that the Grand Duchess clearly did not approve of men that treated women with cruelty, she wasn’t so sure that this necessarily justified slaughtering them. Perhaps Svetlana’s pimp was one of the “average persons” to which Duvessa had been referring the night before while briefly explaining the experiences of her sword.

  But then, it was largely a matter of perspective. Raina was in no position to be judgmental. Again, Svetlana had not gone into detail about what terrible things she had been forced to endure for the sake of her pimp. The same could be said for the untold number of other women, human or otherwise, that he had controlled. This was not the kind of pimp she was likely used to seeing or hearing about in America – purple and leopard print clothes, big hat with a feather, walking stick, gold-trimmed Cadillac, and a strong back-hand. Rather, this was a brand of pimp that was more akin to a slave master, a monster of a man that truly treated women like livestock. For all she knew, Svetlana’s pimp probably did deserve the death that he’d been dealt. For all she knew, if she had been there, Raina might have even done exactly what Svetlana had done.

  Raina thanked Lady Svetlana and indicated that she would like to take a shower. Snapping back into her almost robotic servant mode, Svetlana arose to her bare feet and immediately took to gathering and delivering items to the bathroom for Raina – her clothes, folded towels, soap, shampoo, and surprisingly, her little black purse that held her makeup items. Through the distorted and spotted glass of the shower door, she could see the vague red shape of Svetlana in her gown waiting patiently outside the shower, leaning against the sink on the opposite side of the bathroom. She could not imagine herself being so acquiescent to anyone else, especially with what appeared to be genuine dedication. Then again, she could not imagine what Svetlana had endured in the past either. The blonde Russian’s gratitude for the life she now lived was likely a strong motivation to put up with the constant demands of her role.

  Raina again sought the cleansing and warm solace of a shower, hoping to rinse away the shame of her sins with cool water. Whether by the guilt she felt after hearing Svetlana’s tale, the temperature of the water, or the passage of time since she had awoken, she felt more and more sober with every passing minute. With a relatively clearer mind, she was better able to reflect upon everything that had happened.

  She had allowed herself to be seduced by Duvessa, plain and simple. Brenna had been trying to win her over for months … no, years, and she was far more trustworthy, far more genuinely concerned for her than Duvessa. Brenna loved her, and Raina had finally been able to admit that she loved her just the same. Why had she allowed her fears and inhibitions to deny Brenna’s love, to literally push her away when they’d been afforded a quiet opportunity alone? Why had she done that, and yet she had so readily embraced Duvessa? To have shared her first experience with Brenna would have been very special, very sweet and pure. Instead, she had drank herself into a stupor and engaged in something that now seemed dirty, lascivious, and crude by comparison, and she had done it all with an almost absolute stranger. Was that what she had really wanted? Was this truly her new reality as a High Court vampire, to choose physical over emotional pleasure? Did the pleasures of the flesh now count for more than those of the heart? If so … then this was a sad, sad world into which she had been cast, and she was horribly ashamed of herself for having given herself to it so easily.

  Raina had given up on modesty, at least around certain company, and so she did not object to finding Svetlana standing right outside the shower door with towels in hand when her shower ended. She thanked her, wrapping her hair with one towel and her body with the other, seeing that Svetlana had additionally laid another towel upon the floor just outside the shower. Everything she could have possibly needed, and then some, was made available to her by Svetlana. She had even taken the time during her shower to neatly lay out an assortment of various toiletries upon the bathroom sink’s large faux marble countertop: combs, brushes, lotions, perfumes … the works.

  Approaching the sink to look at herself in the mirror, she smiled to her apparently designated assistant. “You sure do go all-out with this royal treatment stuff, don’t you?”

  Svetlana obviously didn’t get it, simply staring at her with a blank look and, after a moment, giving a light shrug. Raina unwrapped the towel about her head to begin drying it when, surprisingly, Svetlana gently took control of the towel and began to dry her hair for her before carefully yet efficiently combing out the snarls and tangles from her hair. Svetlana combed, brushed, and then blow-dried her hair for her while Raina simply stood still, except to apply a bit of deodorant.

  She thought that this extra help was all a very kind gesture, perhaps a bit of comfort to ease her rapidly fading hangover. However, this was only until it dawned upon her that, as with the towels, this was all simply a well-rehearsed routine for Svetlana, and presumably for Noriko, as well. They were personal assistants to the Grand Duchess. Now, as her sole heiress, the luxurious pampering and service apparently had been extended to include Raina.

  “Can I ask you something, Svetlana?”

  She switched off the hairdryer immediately to better hear her. “Yes, your grace?”

  “Does everyone get this kind of treatment?” Raina asked with a raised eyebrow.

  Svetlana looked almost hurt. “I’m sorry. You do not like?”

  “No, it’s very flattering, actually. I really appreciate it,” she said, “but I was just curious … y’know … does everyone else in Duvessa’s bloodline get this kind of special treatment? Y’know, with the towels and hair brushing and everything…?”

  “Only the Grand Duchess and her consorts,” Svetlana replied.

  “What about the other folks? I mean, just about everyone in the House of Fallamhain has some kind of a royal title, right?” she asked. “So, I mean … since you’re Lady Svetlana, then don’t you get some kind of perks or benefits? Y’know … someone to help you do things, like what you’re doing for me?”

  “We have servants. A maid, a groundskeeper, a driver, a cook … people to do things for us in daytime,” she explained.

  Raina raised an eyebrow at that. “Human servants?”

  “Humans, yes.”

  “Is Loki one of your servants?”

  “He is not my servant, no. We are friends. He is driver.”

  “Whose driver?”

  “Loki is driver.”

  “No, I mean … whose driver is he?” she asked, smiling slightly at the language b
arrier. “Like … who is he assigned to? Does he only drive for the Grand Duchess, or what?”

  Svetlana shrugged, continuing to brush out Raina’s slightly damp hair. “Loki drives everyone in House of Fallamhain.”

  “Oh. So, he’s like the chauffer, then?”

  Again, she shrugged, narrowing her eyes slightly. “I think so, yes. Is this word … ‘chauffer’ … is this driver?”

  “Yeah, exactly. Someone that drives around the big shots in a limousine.”

  “Oh, limo driver! Yes, I know this word,” she finally agreed with a nod. “Loki is chauffer. He also do many things for us in daytime. William and Robert do things, too, but they are vampire like us, so it not so easy for them. They need special clothes and skin cream to do things in daytime.”

  Raina nodded and, after a few seconds of silence, Svetlana switched on the hairdryer again while Raina finally took to re-applying her makeup. The blank spots in her understanding of the House of Fallamhain were slowly getting filled in. The idea of employing humans to get menial tasks done during daylight hours made sense. Actually, there were entire day courier businesses in operation nationwide.

  Somehow, though, she had not expected that Duvessa would be the type to rely upon humans for anything. While Duvessa had always publicly preached a rhetoric of tolerance of vampires and integration with humanity, there was a very strong elitist sentiment among the High Court that Raina had often heard and read about. As a rule, the High Court tended to look down upon humanity as a lesser race, just as they almost universally looked down upon other races of vampires, and they were very reluctant to ever seem reliant upon humankind for anything at all, except as a source of food and/or prospective bloodspawn.

  The idea that the Grand Duchess apparently had a full staff of day servants, in addition to the vampires that comprised the House of Fallamhain, seemed to suggest that she was trying to put on a good public image. She hoped to lead others by her own example. Unless she abused these people in any way, chances were that her human servants couldn’t have cared less that their employer had glowing flesh, fangs, and elf-like ears. The money that she paid them was just as green as anyone else’s.

  Just as Svetlana finished drying and brushing out Raina’s hair to a smooth, amazingly healthy sheen – her hair felt better than salon-fresh – there was a soft knock at the bathroom door. Noriko opened it and poked her head inside for a quick peek. A moment after she retreated, the door opened wider and the Grand Duchess strode into the bathroom, completely nude from head to toe, save for the golden ankh that still hung about her neck. Her curly, fiery red hair was set completely free, and its amazing length extended all the way to her ankles, discreetly covering her breasts but nothing else. She smiled warmly to Raina, though she squinted against the glaring lights over the bathroom mirror.

  “Early to rise, and already just as beautiful as the night before, I see,” said Duvessa as she approached. She put an arm about her waist and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I see that Lady Svetlana has made herself useful.”

  “Yes, she’s … she’s very helpful, your grace,” Raina agreed after a moment’s hesitation, opting for formality in the presence of others.

  Duvessa nuzzled her cheek against Raina’s, closing her eyes as she asked softly, “Were you not able to sleep soundly, dear?”

  “I, ah … had a bit too much to drink, your grace. I’m sorry.”

  “Nonsense,” she said, putting another arm around her waist, “you have nothing for which to apologize. As I remember it, it was I that kept pouring them into you. Did you find yourself ill when you woke?”

  “Only a little, but I’m fine now … your grace,” replied Raina, pausing to add that formality as Duvessa kissed her upon the lips. “Lady Svetlana was very helpful.”

  She chuckled softly, and her breath was hot and surprisingly still sweet upon her face. “Yes, you’ve mentioned that already. I’m glad that you like her. She and Lady Noriko both have been exceptional additions to the House of Fallamhain. I am sure that Lady Brenna shall be just as dedicated and reliable, once she is properly trained.”

  Raina was too distracted by her words to even mind being kissed yet again by Duvessa, something that would have been unthinkable only a few days before. When the rather long, deep kiss ended, Raina drew back enough to look into Duvessa’s distractingly blue eyes.

  “Trained?” she echoed with a raised eyebrow.

  “Yes, of course. Lady Brenna publicly took an oath to swear her loyalty to the House of Fallamhain, specifically in your service. It will be her duty to serve you at all times in the many ways which Lady Svetlana has already demonstrated,” she explained. Duvessa smiled broadly. “Why? Were you hoping to claim Lady Svetlana for yourself? She and Lady Noriko are my personal servants, you know. Of course, you are always welcome to … ask for their company … whenever you so wish.” She gave her a wink at that.

  Raina felt her brow furrowing. “You’re making Brenna a servant?”

  “She volunteered her services to this House, dear. I merely accepted that which she offered to me freely,” she replied. “Are you not pleased to have a familiar face included among your new friends and family?”

  “But she’s my best friend … your grace,” Raina forced herself to add. “Are you seriously suggesting that I go from treating her as an equal to—…”

  Duvessa laid a finger across Raina’s lips to silence her before looking over her shoulder to where Svetlana and Noriko stood with silent patience. “I’m sorry. Would both you care to give us a moment alone? I think that we will require more towels than the hotel has seen fit to supply us, anyhow.”

  “Yes, your grace,” the both replied with a slight bow before turning and exiting the bathroom, closing the door with a rather loud click of the latch.

  Duvessa released Raina and took a few steps away from her before turning around abruptly to face her. She ran her fingers through her hair to pull the beautiful locks back over her shoulders and the tips of her ears, baring herself fully as she did so. She was every bit as stunning in her nakedness as she was to behold in her formal attire, perhaps even more so. Again, her figure was not so much voluptuous or severely womanly as it was ethereal and angelic. If not for her fangs, which only seemed to be revealed with obviousness when she deliberately made them so, all that she lacked was a pair of wings to complete the image. Her navel-less stomach was perfectly flat, save for the very subtle hints of muscle beneath the surface of her flawlessly pale white flesh, extending from just below her small bit quite firm breasts to the flat and folds of her bare womanhood. Her hips were not so broad as they were sharp, due not only to her structure but also her very light weight. Her nipples were very small, pink, and clearly affected by the chill in the air of the suite’s air conditioning as well as the cold ceramic tile floor of the bathroom under her bare feet.

  Raina already knew every inch of that body in explicit detail. She honestly could not bring herself to feel regret for having satisfied that curiosity, at least on a purely physical level, for there was nothing at all undesirable about the Grand Duchess whatsoever. However, it was not her physiological motivations that shamed her so much as the utter lack of consideration for other far more important factors. There would be Hell to pay for her sins, one way or another, and it was the uncertain anticipation of the price to be paid that caused her to wring her hands nervously as a cold pit of ice formed in her belly.

  “Remove the towel,” Duvessa said to her with a flippant gesture.

  Not nearly as hesitant now, Raina complied, letting the towel fall onto the floor behind her. She stood across the bathroom from the Grand Duchess, just as bare as before, but fortunately not even half as nervous.

  “Now, come stand beside me.”

  Again, she obeyed, allowing Duvessa to spin her about to face the mirror with her once she had come near. Shoulder-to-shoulder, they stared at their shared reflection. Duvessa was only an inch or two taller, not nearly as drastic a difference in height to be s
een there as between Raina and Brenna. As such, Duvessa was quite comfortably able to put an arm about her waist again without needing to bend or stoop at all.

  “Tell me what you see in this mirror, my dear,” Duvessa said softly.

  She shrugged. “A couple of naked chicks?”

  Smiling slightly, Duvessa gave her waist a bit of a squeeze and said, “Look more closely.”

  “Two female High Court vampires…”

  “Yes.”

  “…with no clothes on.”

  “So it is the nudity that bothers you more than the vampirism?” she asked.

  Raina shrugged. “I guess I’m starting to get over it. I helped put on a live sex show with a stranger last night in front of a few other strangers. I guess it doesn’t really matter anymore who sees me naked.”

  “Nudity should be the least of your concerns. Modesty is not a matter of how little you show your body so much as it is how and why you show it,” she explained. “But that is not what I am hoping for you to see here. Two female High Court vampires, you said … correct?”

  “Yes, your grace.”

  “No formalities in private,” she reminded her with a soft pat upon her right buttock. “So, you do not simply see two females? Two mere women?”

  “No.”

  “And not a human and a vampire?”

  “No.”

  “Then you agree that we are the same, are we not?”

  “Yes, we’re the same.”

  “Now, if I were to call Lady Svetlana or Lady Noriko into this room, ask them to undress, and then stand with us,” Duvessa went on, “what would you then see?”

  “Two High Courts and a Commoner.”

  “Precisely. And what race of vampire is your dear friend, Lady Brenna?”

  Raina could not help but to frown. “She’s a Commoner.”

  “Exactly. Do you see where I am going with this, love?” she asked, turning Raina about to face her. “You are not the same. She does not share the same blood as you and I. She is a Fallamhain only by name and by oath … not by blood. She is not entitled to the same rights of privilege and royalty as those of the High Court. She is a Lady, but she is not a Duchess, therefore it is her duty to serve you. Do you understand?”