The Vampire & the Rebel (Completed)

Part 1: Chapter 27

Tilting my face towards the sky, I looked up at the stars. I loved the stars, those distant suns, but so far away that they could not harm even the youngest fledgling with their light.

They were one thing that never changed, or rather they changed, but so slowly that I could not perceive the difference. Humans were born and humans died, but the stars remained.

There was an odd pang in the place where my dead heart lay. It was going to hurt terribly when this human was gone. I told myself I likely had decades to steel myself for that inevitable, devastating moment.

I did not look at him. I made my voice cold. "Well, you need your rest. You're dismissed, human."

I sensed he would like to argue, but he did not. "As you wish, Mistress," he said with none of the respect of my other humans. Normally it would have amused me, but right now, it just made me feel a sorrow I had no proper reason to feel.

I listened as his footsteps walked away, growing quieter until I could not hear them at all anymore and it was only me left alone with the silence and the stars.

* * * * *

Over the next few days, I decided to avoid Jamie again. I ordered Theo to let him at the archives once they were combined and then I did my very best not to think about him even slightly.

I failed hard at not thinking of him and hopefully no one could tell how out of sorts I was. I wandered around some of the time, hoping that I might hit on some way to make myself feel better about the whole problem, with almost no luck.

Finally, my melancholy state was broken while I was wandering in the halls, as far from the computer archives where Jamie was digging through the newer databanks as I could get. Ian came rushing up to me with a worried expression on his face.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Leif's looking for you. There are vampires coming."

I normally hated when they dropped in, but I could use the distraction. "Who?"

"We don't know yet, they're working on it. They've just breached the borders," he said.

That meant we had a few minutes at least. "I'll go speak to Leif." I immediately began striding down the halls, aware Ian following me by the sound of his quick footsteps. I knocked sharply on the door but did not wait for Leif to call for me to enter. He would know I would be coming.

"Mistress," he said by way of greeting.

"Leif, do you know who it is?"

"Wyatt is working on it."

"Let me see the picture," I said, and Leif handed it to me quickly. Even though the printout of several forms was poor quality and in black and white, I could tell who it was instantly. I smiled. "Davidson."

If I had to deal with a pair of vampiric intruders, at least it was the best kind, the amusing kind. What did they hope to accomplish with this unprecedented visit?

Leif relaxed at my expression and Ian glanced between us as if trying to read the seriousness of the situation.

"They're not a huge threat, so only the most basic lockdown."

Leif nodded.

I strode from the room, towards the main gates to greet my uninvited guests.

Leif would handle it. He would get the newest humans tucked away and deal with anything that might look questionable to another councillor's eyes, like the humans Raoul was now training. Davidson may not be much of a threat, but I did not want to have to explain to him why my kitchen slaves were now learning how to efficiently stab at hearts.