by Sasha Pruett
“How long have you been here?”
“I’ve been in the service of the House of Drake for almost one hundred years.”
“One hundred! Are you… are you like them?” Calynn lowered her voice.
“No mistress I was human once.”
“Once?”
“Yes miss. I was dying of tuberculosis, but I was scared, very scared. I met Dr. Edme at the hospital and he saw the fear in me. He told me that he could save me, but in return…”
“In return you would become a servant.” It was more of a statement than any question.
“Yes miss, I don’t regret it. It may not be the best life, but I am well taken care of. I have protection, food, a home and I’m healthy again; no sickness and no pain ever.”
“How is that possible?” Her curiosity was piqued.
“I don’t know exactly how it’s done, but the doctor uses the blood of the Masterkind to produce a serum that can cure anything. Heal anything.”
“Is that what you used on me, to heal me?”
“Not the same no, but it is similar. For us it prolongs our life by hundreds of years and slows the aging process. For the purification we use a much smaller, more diluted form to boost the body’s natural immunities and healing processes.”
“Purification?”
Millie dropped her eyes to the floor again, afraid that she’d already said too much and not too sure how Calynn would take the truth.
“It’s alright Millie, I’m not holding it against you. I can figure out why I’m here, I’d just like you to fill in the gaps that’s all. Is that alright?”
She nodded slightly, “When a person is chosen, we clean them up and administer regular doses of the purification serum. It cleans the blood of disease and any narcotics that may be in the system. It takes about six weeks for all traces of infections or addictive substances to be purged from the body. It also heals any wounds inflicted by the master’s children while they …” She couldn’t finish and in all honesty, Calynn didn’t want her to either.
“Do you know who the father is Millie? The father of the baby?”
“No.”
“But you have an idea, don’t you? I mean you were the one looking after me all this time, six weeks, right? You must have some idea who’s responsible for this.” She placed her hand on her belly. “What about the parents, the masters of this place, do they know?”
“No miss, no one knows. There is Lord Drake and Lady Anula, but they do not know either. The master only saw you on the day of the feast, he never touched you. There are seven children, three ladies, and four young masters.”
“So, it could be any of the four sons, is that what you’re saying?”
“Only three… visited you my lady. The young Lord Drakon does not care to interact with those being purified. He never entered your room, and the young Lord Maximilien only visited once. The two most likely to be the father would either be the eldest, the young Lord Rais or his brother Ivan. They were with you the most.”
“Why can’t I remember? Is that part of the purification process?”
“No miss, no one knows who is responsible for that either. The Masterkind have the ability to alter the mind, especially the memory, but not even the lord and lady know who is responsible for it.”
Calynn almost laughed. These people were almost as clueless as she was. “What about you, the servants I mean. After you were healed why not just leave?”
“We can’t. Once we take the serum we’re bound to it. Without it we’ll shrivel and die within days.”
“Ah, I’m sorry.” And she truly was.
“It’s a good life here miss.”
“I’m sure it is Millie.” She paused, she’d hoped this whole ‘hundred-year-old’ deal was some sort of fabrication, but the odd way Millie spoke was quite convincing. Hoping to keep her talking she changed the subject, maybe it was some sort of act. Like those people that dress up and live like they’re in medieval times. “You called them the Masterkind, what is that?”
“I don’t know, that’s just what we servants call them. None of us are privy to the history of them. They are very protective about it, and we dare not inquire on our own.”
Calynn had gotten out of bed and made her way over to the tray of food, picking at her breakfast and looking around a room that was nearly as large as her own apartment. “So, what now?”
“The Lady has requested that I inquire as to what you would like to eat so that the cook can order whatever is necessary. Tomorrow if you feel up to it I have been ordered to take you on a tour of the house.”
“They don’t plan on keeping me locked in here?”
“Oh no mistress, not at all! That is only for today while preparations are being made. The lord and lady are informing the young masters now that they are to leave you alone completely and that you are to be free to roam the house and grounds as you please. This is only the bedroom; your sitting room is through that door.” Millie pointed in the direction she had come from. “Your lavatory is through there and the other door is your dressing closet. Oh and Dr. Edme will be making regular visits to care for you and the child. If there’s anything you need I will be right outside just knock or call me and I will hear you.”
“So, I go from free range dinner to what, guest, just because I’m knocked up is that it?”
The poor girl looked as confused as Calynn felt. “I mean, I’m no longer on the menu, right? I’m no longer a sacrifice because I’m carrying… one of their… offspring?”
Millie’s eyes grew wide with understanding, “Oh no miss. The Masterkind would never hurt one of their own!”
Somehow Calynn doubted that, but at least it was a reprieve; for the time being. “Thank you, Millie.”
“Can I bring you anything miss? Anything that you would like to have that would make you more comfortable?”
Yeah, my over-sized robe, and my couch, in my apartment. “No thanks. I’m fine for now.”
“If you need anything, miss I’ll either be waiting in the sitting room beyond or outside in the hall.” The servant nodded and left and Calynn rushed to the bathroom. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. The only time she’d seen something as grand and huge as this was on television. The bathtub was more like a ten-person jacuzzi and the separate shower looked like it could fit just as many. The closet was more like another sitting room stocked with clothing and when she peeked into the ‘sitting room’ she found Millie standing like a statue across the room. A fireplace, a baby grand piano, and the longest lushest couch she’d ever seen were just a few of the amenities lit with dozens of tiny rainbows of light from the crystal chandelier hanging above. Well, she had a few more answers now and as of tomorrow she could start scouting the grounds for escape routes. Millie must have unlocked the bedroom door when she brought her breakfast, but she’d be willing to bet the door from the fancy parlour was still sealed tight. Might as well eat and rest up while she can.
Chapter Nine
After the others had left the house that night for whatever trouble they could get into and Calynn was sleeping soundly, he made his way to his father’s study and knocked firmly.
“Enter.”
He stepped through the door with the same boldness he always carried.
“Drakon, what a surprise. Out of all my brood you were the one I least expected to turn up on my doorstep. This ought to be interesting.” He motioned for his son to sit.
“I’ve come to acknowledge my responsibility in siring the child and to submit to whatever action you feel should be taken.”
“You Drakon?” Sir Drake was visibly surprised and he stumbled to regain his composure, “I admit I’m… astonished. I believe an explanation is in order.”
“I’m sure you have been informed of the girl’s detection of us when she first arrived along with her escape attempt and you have no doubt noticed her… spirit.” His voice was steady and detached as if he were reciting the minutes of a meeting.
“Yes, I have rarely seen suc
h strength in a sacrifice; even with my history.”
“Exactly, and this fire set Rais off like I haven’t seen since he began hunting. It was quite amusing to watch him try to break her, but she just wouldn’t budge and truth be told I helped a little.” A bit of mischievous pride entered his words.
“I take it then that you’re responsible for the mind altering?” Drake couldn’t suppress his smirk.
“Yes. I may prefer not to indulge myself like my brothers, but that doesn’t mean I can’t use the human to entertain myself in other ways. So I did.”
“I suspected it was something along those lines, though you as the mastermind is unexpected. I imagine both Rais and Ivan were quite put off, but that doesn’t explain the child, Drakon. Let’s talk about that shall we?”
“Yes sir. As I was saying, she was merely a means to an end. It wasn’t long before the novelty of the memory altering wore off so I decided to take things a step farther. I would succeed where Rais was failing, not only would I break her, but she would give herself to me; willingly. I figured that would really get him to know that his younger brother, his inferior had out done him. It took ten days, in only ten days she succumbed to me and I had succeeded where Rais had failed so miserably. That was enjoyable if nothing else. I probably could have done it in seven, but haste makes waste as they say.”
“I see, but why do you believe the child is yours?”
“After I learned of the issue I waited until the girl was asleep then went to her. I remembered what you had told us in our childhood about knowing that we were your offspring and of the laws of the clans about siring. I wasn’t sure it would work for me or a human for that matter, but I figured it was worth a try.”
“You broke my direct command to leave her alone.”
“I did and I’ll accept the consequences of my actions.”
“And?”
“The moment I placed my hand on her I felt a shock. I felt the child and as sure as I know and feel my brothers and sisters I felt that the child was mine. Of course, I’m more than welcome to be wrong in the matter.”
Drake threw his head back and burst into laughter, just as he had done with his wife. “No, you are not wrong my son. So now two mysteries have been solved. This couldn’t have turned out more perfect. Excellent, excellent.”
“Yes father, as I said I am willing to obey your wishes in this matter and accept whatever fate you decide for us all.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear you say that. We have been given a great opportunity here Drakon, one that could put the House of Drake on top once and for all. There’s every reason to believe this child could have all of our strengths and none of our weaknesses. Can you imagine what we could do with that? But why stop at just one? Why not take this opportunity and produce as many as possible? Can you imagine what we can do with not just one but a family of these half breeds?”
“No one could ever oppose the House of Drake.”
“Exactly!”
“Are you suggesting that I continue this ‘affair’ with the human in an attempt to sire more children?” He didn’t stop the disgusted air from bleeding through.
“No. I considered it, but your mother pointed out how fragile these humans tend to be.”
“You mean pathetic and weak.”
His father was not amused, “That is why we believe a match with the family would be a wiser choice.”
“You mean a marriage between one of us and the human?!” He nearly shot out of his chair.
“That is precisely what I’m suggesting and why not? Your brother was in here earlier this afternoon offering to be joined to her for just that reason.”
“Rais sees the opportunity behind it. Very well, if that is your will I wish him every happiness.”
“Oh no, no not even a circumstance as imperative as this could excuse us disregarding his match to nobility and I told him so. No, he will marry a woman of proper birth, but as a younger brother no one would think twice about you taking a woman of unknown rank. You reached the age to marry two years ago and no one would question it.”
“And what if the child does not survive or is… less than expected?”
“No one outside of the family need know of the match until after the birth. Should the results be disappointing it would be as if it never was and the girl and the child would be disposed of.”
The two sat in silence, but there was no avoiding it. There was only one answer. “As I said, I will take full responsibility for my actions. If that is your will you only need to tell me how you wish to proceed. Shall the others be informed of the paternity?”
“No, presently the fear of possibly being the sire is keeping both Ivan and Maximilien at bay. For now, I believe it would be best to keep that privileged information between us and your mother. In the morning I will inform the others of the intended match and encourage them to either stay out of your way or assist you. I believe the girls would be useful in that. They can befriend her and help her feel more at ease with us and since you have already conquered her once it shouldn’t be too difficult to do it again. Tomorrow we’ll begin finding reasons to put the two of you together. If there is anything you require come to me and I will make it so.”
“You do realize what kind of life you’re condemning me to? If the child is exceptional the marriage will be known eventually. How do you plan on keeping the clans from knowing about her?”
“I know this isn’t pleasant for you my son, but it won’t be forever. We can’t use the serum like we would for a servant, that would risk altering whatever anomaly allowed her to conceive. Bear in mind the lifespan of a human is but a drop in the bucket compared to yours and breeding time is even less. Once she is no longer of use to us there will be no need to continue the match. You can drain her yourself if you like.” Drake steepled his fingers and thought for a moment. “How about the villa in Switzerland, as a wedding present. It’s remote and is second only to the main estate. The hunting is excellent and no one would intrude, her heritage could easily be kept a secret there.”
Drakon nodded, “Very well, how soon do you wish the marriage to take place?”
“As soon as you can get her consent.” And with that, Drakon’s fate was sealed.
Chapter Ten
He leaned against the balcony door frame watching her sleep, listening to her heart beat. She was dreaming, that was one thing he couldn’t take away. He knew what he had to do and he wasn’t about to back out now, but it wouldn’t be easy. Sure she had trusted him once, but this was different. This time he had to convince her to marry him.
“Drakon…”
He froze.
“…Drakon…”
She was dreaming… about him. Did she remember? Was there still some part of her that held on to their time together? He could only hope. He relaxed back against the frame and smiled, taking these last few moments to let his mind wander back over the past few weeks. What he had told his father was true; to a certain degree. From the time she stood in that field almost daring them he knew it would spark a hatred and a fire in Rais, and his brother would do anything to break her. In his mind she had challenged him and in a way she had, she had challenged them all. No one had ever done that. Cry, beg, fight, even ask a lot of silly questions they would never get an answer to, but she just stood there staring him down. As if to say ‘I know I’m no match for you and you’ll take what you can, but I won’t give you what you really want. You won’t even be able to take it’. It was the first time he’d ever respected a human and had it been in his power he would have let her go, but it wasn’t. The best he could do was ease her pain. The servants could heal her body, but that was all. Nothing would be done for the fear, the torture that both Rais and Ivan would do, unless he did it; and he did.
He couldn’t stop his brothers’ insatiable cruelty, but he could make her forget it. In those times between his brothers’ visits and the servants caring for her he would slip unnoticed into her room and with a touch of his hand he woul
d erase pieces of her memory. At first, he’d consider wiping everything since Devilicus had appeared on her doorstep, but that would only trigger panic when she awoke in a strange place so he left everything. Everything except the cruelty of Rais and Ivan and even Maximilien. Sometimes that meant only hours, but often enough it meant days. It was going fine until she caught him. No one in the house knew that he was there and for decades now he could roam the estate without detection, but somehow she knew he was there, in the shadows. She didn’t start or try to run, there wasn’t anywhere to run to. She simply acknowledged his presence with a smart aleck remark. “I was never afraid of the Boogie Man so you might as well come on in, it’s not like I can stop you anyway.”
That’s how it started. They began to talk, simple as that. Then he would wipe all traces of the pain, the torture, even their conversations from her mind and disappear in the night. He still had to be careful, there were eyes and ears everywhere, but he found a comfort in talking with her that he’d never known.
She knew the score and as the days turned into weeks and her death drew near her defiance that had once been fueled by her anger became more about dying with dignity; at least in any way that she could. There may not be much honor in twitching naked on somebodies drawing room floor, but hopefully she could hold on to that sense of self. Denying whoever took her life the satisfaction of breaking her soul. These were the thoughts preying on her as she stood in front of the full-length mirror, moving her shoulder length, chestnut auburn hair from her neck and gently running her fingers over the bruises on her shoulder and back. Her brother had always called her two-tone. In the winter months it would be a rich chocolate, but during the summer her red shone through and whenever she got mad he’d always say, “There’s that red head coming out in her.” She wondered what they’d think of her now. Alone and waiting for her fate, waiting to die. She prodded her bruises. They stood out like a sore thumb against her pale white skin, but they didn’t hurt and she couldn’t even remember how she’d gotten them. Though judging by the other ones on her body that was probably for the best. They carried that sick green and yellow look of ones that must have been there for a while.
