Twice Bitten

by Aiden James

  “I am pleased to meet you all.” He allowed his gaze to briefly linger on Raquel and Tyreen, before settling on me.

  I felt disrobed, but the coldness of his stare made it hard to tell if his intent was sexually predatory or just curious. I returned his gaze unflinchingly, wondering if he could discern my thoughts with the usual vampire lucidity, or if he would encounter the same new protective wall that the other vampires sought in vain to overcome. A slight flutter upon his left eyelid made me think that my mind’s privacy remained intact.

  I noticed his skin seemed flushed, and that he looked no paler than any of the young servants present with us. Chanson and Raquel looked especially pasty in his presence, since neither one had fed. If I’d not been told earlier that Xuanxang was the ‘eternal’ servant and protector for Huangtian Dadi, I might not have immediately concluded he was a vampire. Then again, he did have those crazy eyes and a pair of incisors that would count as lethal weapons in most countries.

  But the brief consideration of Xuanxang as a warm-blooded man stirred something inside me that would make more sense later on. At the time, I thought it was merely a hot flash brought on by raging hormones from the onset of my pregnancy.

  “Please, sit down so we can visit for a few minutes. Then you can rest for a few hours, until three o’clock. At that time, you and the rest of your vampire contingent will join our Himalayan assembly for a meeting with Huangtian Dadi and Gustav.”

  “I thought they wanted to meet with us tonight, which would allow us to rejuvenate fully after our battle with Ralu’s forces at Racczis de Saint Germain’s castle near Perpignan.” Chanson frowned while glancing at a large gilded clock sitting on a table next to the fireplace. Hard to read the time from where I was sitting, but it looked as if the hour hand pointed to twelve o’clock, midnight. “I presume that other unfortunate developments have taken place since we entered China’s airspace.”

  “Yes, that is correct,” he confirmed for her, and then looked at me again. “As far as the details involved, unfortunately, everyone must wait until our two leaders can address us all at once.”

  “That sounds really serious,” I said, without first considering how customs were handled in the Himalayas’ vampire-land. Everything seemed very formal so far, and I worried for a moment that I might’ve come across as too assertive.

  Xuanxang gave me a look that suggested I should act like a good little girl and keep my mouth shut.

  “It is quite serious.” He held me in his gaze until Armando noisily cleared his throat. “I cannot stress this fact enough to all of you!”

  He allowed his stone-like gaze to survey us all as we sat there. Despite his forceful tone, his countenance remained controlled, confident. There were no obvious signs of simmering anger fueling his words, bubbling somewhere beneath the coolness of his façade. Instead, his persona remained solidly stoic and calm.

  “Will we have access to every building here?” Tyreen seemed the most comfortable among us, and voiced this concern with the same fervor she once held for pep rallies in college. “I was hoping to get started as soon as the sun sets this coming evening.”

  “You shall have unlimited access to almost anything here, except for Huangtian Dadi’s private quarters,” said Xuanxang. He motioned to one of his servants to come to us, who carried a tray bearing a lone porcelain cup of tea and several crystal flasks filled with a crimson beverage. Steam rose into the air in gentle wisps, more from the tea than from the flasks that surely bore standard, human blood warmth. “For as long as you are here, we will see to it that you enjoy privileges extended only to our most cherished guests.”

  “I assume our caskets will be transported to somewhere safe from daylight,” said Armando. I followed his gaze to the upstairs veranda and a wall of glass that surrounded us on all sides. The soft glow from a multitude of outside torches would be replaced by the onset of daylight a few hours after our conference with Gustav and Huangtian Dadi began at 3:00 a.m. “Will any of us be placed near Txema’s chamber?”

  Great question, and one I would’ve considered asking sooner or later, I’m sure. With the ever-present threat of Ralu and his army finding me, knowing where my nocturnal bodyguards slept during the day was critical information to know.

  “Chanson and Garvan will be accommodated in the same chamber as Txema,” said Xuanxang. A slight grin tugged at his lips, as if he relished Armando’s indignant scowl in response to this news. “The rest of you will join your comrades—all ninety-six of them—on the fourth floor. Some coffins have already been placed upstairs, and more should be delivered to their chambers well before dawn.”

  “Could there be room for more than two caskets in Txema’s chamber?” Armando persisted. “I travel lightly, compared to my companions.” He added a wry smile while motioning to Garvan and Chanson.

  “Perhaps one more could be allowed,” said Xuanxang, after hesitating for a moment. “I will need to discuss this first with the Emperor, and then I’ll let you know his answer.”

  He smiled politely, and pointed again to the tray of refreshments. This time, the young servant girl moved up to each of us, allowing the vampires a moment to sniff the flasks for their preferred blood type and handing me the steaming cup of tea. I felt reluctant to drink this source of heat, instead cherishing the warmth that embraced my hands and the steam upon my face as I brought the cup close to my mouth.

  “Since the human guest among us will especially need her rest, please nourish yourselves now and voice any other immediate concerns you might have,” he instructed, his tone once again business-like. “If you require more blood to replenish what has burned off since your last feeding, I can arrange for a fresh source, male or female depending upon your—”

  “That won’t be necessary!” said Chanson, sharply interrupting him. She seemed to realize how desperate she sounded, and shook her head sheepishly. “I’m sorry, what I meant to say is we will be fine with what you’ve already provided for us.”

  She chuckled nervously, and in that instant, I knew she regretted not interrupting him sooner. The implied feeding upon a live human being was something she wanted kept secret, or at least not discussed in my presence. I believe Xuanxang knew it also, as he grinned knowingly.

  A sudden awkwardness hovered around us, and we all drank in silence—me from my teacup and my entourage eagerly sharing flasks as if they’d abandoned their previous plan to only drink their preferred plasma. Chanson drank meagerly, perhaps determined to prove she could rise above the needs of her vampire nature.

  As good as the tea tasted, laced with cinnamon and ginger, I reluctantly drank it. All the while, the heat dissipated through my fingers—made worse by the five vampires in the room absorbing heat while they waited for me to finish. I honestly worried that I’d be sleeping every night in the snowsuit I brought until summer arrived in the Himalayas.

  “Perhaps we should retire to the accommodations you mentioned,” Chanson suggested. “It looks like Txema will have a little less than three hours to rest.”

  “Indeed, it does appear that we have run out of things to talk about,” said Xuanxang. “I will have our servants lead the way upstairs….Dài tāmen shàng lóu!”

  Immediately following his command, six of the children ran over to us, each one extending a hand for us to take. Xuanxang repeated his instructions to them in their native tongue, this time clapping his hands twice, loudly.

  A cute little boy with dimpled cheeks and a long, braided ponytail pulled on my hand. He guided me over to a gorgeous marble staircase that had a variety of birds and Chinese symbols carved upon the railing. The boy couldn’t have been much older than five years. I could hear Chanson behind me giving instructions to Raquel to accompany Tyreen to the fourth floor and for Garvan to go with me to the third floor where my assigned bedchamber sat. She then said she’d rejoin us there shortly.

  “I guess I’ll see you in a few hours, sister?”

  Tyreen suddenly appeared alongside me as I appro
ached the stairs. Although she is different in many ways from the vivacious and thoughtful girl she used to be, her affection for me has yet to wane. Still, I must admit she made me a little uneasy that night after we embraced, as she stared for a moment at my carotid artery. Her focus was drawn to the region just below my unusual birthmark. The ‘twin tears’ that so closely resembles a vampire’s teeth puncture tingled, as if warning me to beware.

  I wanted to say something lighthearted and smartass to her, but suddenly Xuanxang addressed me again.

  “The style is Ming, and the palace joined the modern world in 1781,” he called after me, the mellowness of his voice easily reaching where we stood.

  “Huh?”

  Genuine surprise voiced by my vampire cousin, Chanson seemed more stunned than I was. Even the others were taken aback by Xuanxang’s words, alternating their confused looks from him to me.

  “Txema wondered earlier about the architecture on display here, and I can confirm that the combination of period styles is just like this throughout the entire palace complex,” he said. “For her benefit, nothing has changed since our last remodeling, except for upstairs in this building. We have a few rooms with modern conveniences. You should be happy to know that your bedchamber, Txema, was the first to get running water and electricity.”

  An immediate wave of relief washed over me, and instead of the little boy leading me, I might’ve dragged him up the stairs to the second level and raced onto the third. The call of modern comfort was almost impossible to ignore. But the fact Xuanxang had likely read my earlier thoughts made me worry that my assumptions of mental privacy were premature. Either that or our host just happened to be extremely observant of slight facial and body nuances that I’d assumed went unnoticed. I felt reluctant to assume anything else.

  My young escort and Garvan’s little girl seemed eager to lead us upstairs. We soon reached the second floor, where another marble floor awaited us. The little boy suddenly grew cautious, peering between a pair of fluted marble columns before rejoining the little girl. The air was much colder on the second floor, which fueled my urgency to find warmth and the modern western comforts alluded to by Xuanxang.

  My servant child looked up at me with frightened eyes, and with good reason. At least from a child’s perspective, and one surprised adult. Dragons surrounded us. Their images covered the ceiling and arches above the wall of windows. I wasn’t always the most compassionate sister to my younger brothers, but something at that moment stirred within me—something linked to the young life I carried. The fetus surely was near microscopic, despite the aggressive gestation process already at full throttle within me. Whether my baby would be a boy or a girl yet—that official confirmation was still weeks away—I felt a personality foreign to mine urging me to have compassion for someone thrown into virtual slavery at such a young age.

  I lightly squeezed his tiny hand, and nodded for him to lead the way again, hoping he understood that the images around us wouldn’t harm him. He nodded gratefully, although he still looked around with frightened eyes.

  “He’s not the only one frightened. Are you sure you don’t want me to carry you to your bedchamber myself?” teased Garvan, who flanked my left side with his escort who seemed unaffected by the garish scenery around her. Meanwhile, Garvan’s gorgeous eyes were on fire, and at first I mistook the deep longing emanating from them as the passionate attraction he and I shared before my pregnancy, although never consummated. “Just don’t frighten the boy any worse than he is right now, or we might end up in a room that lacks more than just heat and modern convenience.”

  Garvan’s emerald eyes flashed brighter for an instant, adding playfulness to a devilish grin. For a moment, I did think he wanted me—despite my sacred status that Chanson had already declared to everyone when we first boarded Racco’s jet a few hours before. She had made it clear that she could already sense the tiny human growing inside me and that the Relance de sang had been successful. All physical contact with me beyond platonic was strictly off limits. But, as I wondered if this was what he struggled with, I noticed his gaze was focused on the same area that had fascinated Tyreen a short while earlier: my carotid artery.

  “I guess the blood flasks weren’t near enough for any of you, huh?”

  I’m sure this came out pretty harsh, and his immediate mortified expression told me that he never expected this reaction from me. I looked away, while warmth from my anger flushed my cheeks. My eyes were drawn upward toward one particular dragon upon the ceiling. Its fiery eyes glistened from inlaid jewels that in all likelihood were rubies. Rubies, I should say, that were at least the size of my hands, based on the ceiling’s twenty-foot height. The rest of the purple and gold serpent glistened, as well, and I marveled at the skilled artisanship that went into creating the image.

  “I’m truly sorry, Txema.” He tentatively touched my shoulder to get me to return my gaze to him. “I swear to you that I’d never hurt you or the sacred child you carry.”

  The look on his face seemed completely sincere. But honesty in the moment provided no assurance he wouldn’t drain my blood while I slept—even during the short siesta we had before our 3:00 a.m. date with Gustav and Huangtian Dadi.

  “Maybe that’s true,” I said, slowing my pace while we approached the marble stairs leading to the third floor.

  Our footsteps echoed eerily around us, giving the second floor a museum-like feel. Cold and sterile, the menacing teeth-bearing dragons made me think of the Tyrannosaurus skeletons I once saw as a kid on a field trip to D.C.

  “But, I know for a fact that you have drunk from my neck more than once during the past two weeks!” I continued, finding it harder to control the fury in my tone. “You can’t deny it!”

  “Yes, I have,” he finally admitted, softly, once we reached the stairs. The two children eyed us curiously, and I wondered if they understood any English. If not, Garvan’s and my body language along with his plaintive tone and my bitchiness were easily translatable. “Both times it was to save your life, and I never took more than what was necessary to knock you unconscious and out of harm’s way.”

  His eyes grew misty and red, and his lips trembled. Emotions—real and human. That alone convinced me that he’d come clean. Despite the cold in that drafty place, I felt warmth spread inside my chest. I could relax once more in his presence. Exhaustion beckoned me…. I needed whatever sleep I could get before our meeting.

  Garvan noticed how tired I was. Without saying a word, he motioned for me to wrap my arm inside his as we followed our young guides up the stairs to the third floor. The décor was more modest. Other than the same marble pillars and archways, the ceiling and walls were barren of the imagery on the lower floors. Another glass wall faced the surrounding mountains barely illuminated by the dying moonlight.

  As we walked to my assigned bedchamber, a draft of warm air greeted us. It took a moment to detect a pair of vents on either side of a marble arch not far from the room I would be sharing with Garvan and Chanson. Our young escorts seemed just as pleased by the warmer environment and hurried to lead us to the massive wooden door that marked the chamber’s entrance.

  “I do believe you are in luck, Txema,” said Garvan, while we waited for the little boy to insert a key into a rudimentary lock beneath the door’s handle. Meanwhile, the air around us continued to grow warmer. “It appears you will not turn blue or as pale as us after all!”

  Our little servant boy turned to look up at me, his dimpled smile almost matching Garvan’s. Apparently he understood my vampire companion’s jest. I couldn’t help chuckling, despite a rash of chills brought on by the combination of Garvan’s cool presence and the warm air cascading toward me from the heater vents.

  “So, do you think Racco and his crew will join us here, and will they also be staying on the same floor as us?”

  I should’ve waited for a more appropriate time to ask this question. For those unaware, Garvan and Racco had verbally sparred with each other on several occ
asions about which of them was the fittest suitor for my affections. That was before my Relance de sang with Peter. Since then, I’d not seen Racco in person, and Garvan had ceased to eye me wantonly. Instead, he treated me like all of the other vampires have treated me since the ceremony: like a delicate and fragile treasure. God forbid that one of them should sneeze in my presence, lest I shatter and crumble to dust!

  Strict precautions were now in place to make sure nothing could cause a possible miscarriage. Even though consensual sex during a pregnancy is quite all right in the modern world, the rules are quite different for someone like me. Regardless, should the eventual horniness occur that I’ve heard can be excruciating at times during a normal pregnancy, as things presently stood I’d be left alone in terrible misery.

  Garvan’s countenance grew dark, and he glowered at me as if he’d hoped I would never broach the subject of Racco and his whereabouts. But rather than answer me right away, he pushed the heavy door open and motioned for me to step inside. Not exactly the Taj Mahal, but the room was a hell of a lot nicer than I expected to find after experiencing the fancy icebox downstairs. The floor was polished gray marble—similar to the hallways and main level—and the walls were paneled in teak with less ostentatious renderings of dragons.

  The room was large, although not as immense as my recent quarters in ‘Le chateau de douleur’. Yet, it was definitely large enough to not feel claustrophobic with two to three caskets sharing my space. A queen-sized bed faced a small television set added to the room well before the onset of the digital age. That was pretty much it as far as ‘modern’ conveniences, other than a small lamp and clock radio sitting on a nightstand next to the bed. But at least the room was warm and cozy, as more warm air poured into the chamber from two vents above the doorway and another vent above the bed.

  Great, this should be a hell of a lot of fun….

  While privately mourning the loss of my Ipad the week before, Garvan drew my attention to the bathroom, where a modern Jacuzzi tub and shower awaited me. The sink and commode were also fully modern, which made me wonder why our hosts hadn’t bothered to upgrade the meager entertainment options in the bedroom portion of my new home.