Macabre: the Gothic Boutique [1st draft]

Chapter 04

"I'm a made vampire."

Made vampire? I lifted an eyebrow, wondering where that scary originality had gone. He couldn't have come up with something glitterier than that?

"Is there any other kind?" I asked sarcastically.

When his head cocked to the side like a curious puppy being prompted with a bacon snack, I decided that his acting was a little too good. It was so unsettling that I almost wanted to ask him to dial it back a bit, but this was me. I don't scare easily and when I do, I suck it up.

So, Annabelle, suck it up!

Rolling my shoulders before straightening them I took a deep breath, letting my gaze fall back to James as I waited for his response.

"Of course, born vampires," James said.

I snorted skeptically. "Right," I said, rolling my eyes. "I knew that!"

Maggie bit her bottom lip, her brows frowning, and she nodded. "Yeah, James, I think you went too far with that one. It seems kind of unreal that someone would be born dead, only you know, not."

Maggie was such a scholar.

"I'm a born vampire. Royalty in fact," Dr. Sutter said casually as he started putting away his supplies. "And I assure you, I'm not dead."

James walked slowly past me and I stiffened as his still black eyes focused on me for a moment. He didn't stop until he stood in front of Dr. Sutter. He reached for the vial of Maggie's blood and popped the top open. I struggled to keep my gag reflex under control as he knocked his head back; drinking the blood like it was a shot of whiskey.

Maggie let out a startled scream and gripped the wooden stool she was sitting on. I slapped a hand over my mouth, feeling remnants of my last meal rising in my throat.

"Holy shit! You really drank it. That's so... cool!" Maggie said, her sudden excitement making me forget my nausea as I stared at her in shock.

I gave her a thoroughly disgusted look. "Cool? Maggie! It's nasty and-and unsanitary." I swiftly turned my attention back to James. "You didn't even test her blood, what if she had something?" I said with outrage.

"Hey!" Maggie snapped, raising her pointy chin. "I'm clean as a cucumber."

I rolled my eyes. "It's 'as cool as a cucumber' dumbass and I was just saying that he didn't know..."

He shrugged nonchalantly before interrupting me. "We don't get diseases."

I paused and clucked my tongue, flinging my hand out with exasperation. "Of course you don't. That's why there was a physical and blood test," I said, my voice dripping with the sarcasm I intended.

"The physical was to make sure you could handle the activities physically." He paused for effect, the innuendo went unnoticed with Maggie, but I understood it. I swallowed and averted my eyes.

I knew it! It is some type of sex brothel.

"The tests were perfectly reasonable." James continued. "The blood test was simply a taste test to see which blood we have an easier time resisting," he said, offering the information as if it were common knowledge.

"Oh, well, excuse the hell out of me," I said, mumbling under my breath. "Why does it matter?"

James lifted an eyebrow and gave me a smug look that left me slightly breathless before responding. "If your blood is more intoxicating than we like, we could end up killing you and as much as popular lore likes to make us out as killers, we generally try to avoid that."