Innocent Blood

Innocent Blood (chapter 3)

Innocent Blood

Chapter 3

Kate returned to the sitting room with an empty tray. She set it down on the table and collapsed into an arm chair. She had been serving the party for about an hour now and each time she went through the patio doors to where the party was being held, the jeers of the men were loud and clearly weren't being appreciated by Kate. Every time she came back through the doors she was smiling between gritted teeth, which turned into a scowl as soon as the door closed behind her.

We sat in the darkened room in silence, with the voices muffled by the patio doors from outside. "It won't be long now, their starting to get drunk", she informed me. She sat with her head tilted toward the ceiling, eyes closed and breathing loudly. Light crept in through the open patio door and Marius crept in quietly. Kate didn't seem to notice him but I watched him walk over to her. "Kate do I pay you to sleep?" he asked. Kate's eyes shot open and she let out a nervous giggle. "I was just taking the weight off my feet".

"Don't you dare speak to me like that that!" Marius shouted, making us both jump. "Remember your place here girl. My guests want attending now." Kate fumbled to her feet with the light catching the tears brimming in her eyes. She went through to the patio and Marius turned to me, the black of his eyes fading into their usual grey. He touched the side of my face and told me, "you are so beautiful, child". Then he disappeared through the patio doors.

"Why do you let him speak to you like that?" I asked Kate after the awkward silence that came when she had returned to the sitting room. The tears still sat, unshed in her eyes. She looked at me as though I had just spoken a foreign language. "Like what?" she whispered. I could see what was happening; it's what she always done, pretended nothing had happened. I let out a sigh and the awkward silence returned. "He loves me", Kate said after a minute, "more than he loves you". Her eyes met mine and two tear drops escaped her eyes. Her statement had shocked me so much that I couldn't think to get words out. "He didn't leave me to suffer as long as you, he changed me after only four months. He didn't make me bare them", she grimaced as she looked at the door, "as long as you have. Because he loves me" She smiled to herself. "You were like me?" I thought aloud. I just couldn't imagine Kate knew how it felt to be included in their dinner parties; she had always been so unsympathetic to me about it. "He won't cast me aside once he changes you", she said as the patio door opened a little and Marius' voice came through, "Kate, could you please bring out my offering".

I stood against the inside of the patio door, my heart was pounding. I could hear the laughter and voices clearly from the other side. "Move", Kate whispered from behind me, she placed a hand on my shoulder and nudged me forward. I stepped onto the spacious patio, the dining area and pool were bathed in dim light from the lamps posted around the garden fencing. The surrounding woods were pitch black and menacing. Marius spoke and took my attention away from the woodland that had captured my gaze.

"Ah here she is gentlemen, my guest of honour, my Pur Sange". This was what he had introduced me as every time. He came to me, took my hand and nodded to Kate, who smiled at him and dropped her hand from my shoulder. She stepped back to the patios doors to wait as she always did. Marius was looking at me, his eyes taking on that crimson shade with hunger. I looked around at the five men, Vampires, who sat eyeing me approvingly when Marius escorted me into the circle. I glanced over the faces staring back, my eyes stopped at one. This man was not staring at me with the same eagerness as the others, he had more of an intrigued look. I broke his eye contact and looked back to Marius. He took my hand in his and beckoned for his first guest to approach us. The man was so quick it was as though he flashed from his seat to be at my side in an eye blink. He took my free arm in his two hands and raised it to his nose whilst taking a big whiff of me. I cringed and never once looked at him, keeping my head facing Marius I closed my eyes. I felt the piercing on my fore arm and the instantaneous drain of my blood as he drank greedily from me. He stopped only for the next one to replace him. On the third man I couldn't keep on my feet any longer as my head swirled, my knees buckled under me and I felt Marius catch me and support my body weight. Then it went dark and silent.

Voices around me became fuzzy and muffled, awaking me from my coma like state. I knew I was in Marius' arms and we were indoors, it was over. I kept my eyes closed and I was still too weak to move, I lay limp in his arms and listened to the voices.

"How could you be so careless Marius?" Was said by a man, a voice that I did not recognise.

"You think I was careless? Oh brother, in fact I was very careful" Marius replied to the man.

"You are breaking the law, they will find out. You know what the penalty will be. I don't want to lose you".

"Stop being so dramatic Flavius, she will be of age in a few weeks and by then I will have her consent. I am all she has in the world, she is loyal to me. Do not worry"

"Marius. Who is she? Why do you keep her?" Flavius asked.

"Perhaps we can talk about this in private." I felt myself being transferred into someone else's arms, "Kate, put her to bed and you should prepare a room for my brother as he will be staying for a while. Then perhaps you should stop by my room". I felt Kate's quick intake of breathe then she quickly got me into bed.