A Way to Find the Unexpected

Chapter Two

     Claude   ~   KLAWD   ~  "Enclosure"

          Captain Claude St. James drank out of a goblet while studying the spectacle before him, sprawled across a chaise. "Now now ladies, there's no need to get greedy." he said. He stood up and walked over to the women who were knelt facing each other, each drinking from the other's neck.

"But she tastes so good." Adeline murmured. She traced Josephine's hairline down to her throat. Josephine moaned and threw her head back, eyes shut.

Claude drank the dregs out of the goblet, eyed the ladies, and grinned. "You can continue drinking each other to death as I watch, but first I'll need you to answer a few questions. How does that sound?"

Josephine's eyes slitted open and distractedly studied Adeline's neck. She frowned and made a clumsy grab for Adeline.

"Aldrich. Laurent." barked Claude. The guards quickly moved across the room and restrained Adeline and Josephine. He walked to Adeline, the more receptive of the two, took her chin in his hands and licked off a taste of Josephine's blood. He couldn't have more of a taste for fear of being under the influence as the two ladies were. "First, who was your progenitor?" Adeline's jaw hung as she swung her head back and forth, as if she were listening to a song just for her. "Sweetheart, tell me." he ordered.

"Remy." said Josephine. Claude turned around and walked over to her.

"Remy," Claude said this as if he were tasting it, "from where?"

"Bayeux." She was suddenly dripping of sweat. 

"Remy of Bayeux." Claude slowly walked backwards towards Adeline. "Would you be a dear, Aldrich and tilt her head back?" the guard obeyed, and Adeline's mouth hung open still. Claude drew a dagger and laid it flat against her tongue. "You don't seem to be needing this. Though if you prove to be of use, I might be convinced to leave it where it belongs. Why did you two ladies attack my dear Quinn?" Adeline started to sob. The shudders shaking her head made the dagger nick her tongue, causing her to sob harder.

"Who is Quinn?" Josephine shouted.

"Why did you attack him?" Claude sang. He started to chuckle.

"We don't know any Quinns!"

"Did you not even know the name of your food? Are they that meaningless to you?"

"Why should we? They're just going to die anyway."

"They have souls, personalities, they desire love and care. Any creature that has an inkling of those qualities should deserve good treatment."

"Let her go! Let her go! Let her goooo..." Josephine's short sobriety seemed to have worn off. She started panting and sweating. The withdrawl symptoms of vampire blood came quickly.

"I woul' ha one i' again." said Adeline.

"What was that?" Claude removed the dagger.

"I would have done it again. They're my prey. I am superior to them." she spat. Claude sighed.

"And here I was being optimistic. How disappointing to have hope in the vampire race only to have it ripped out of your chest just like Quinn's heart." Claude grabbed Adeline's jaw and cut out her tongue while Aldrich held her writhing and screaming in pain. "Hold her so she'll choke on her own blood." Claude tilted his head, spun on his heel, and walked over to Josephine who was too occupied with the hallucination before her to scream for Adeline. "Quinn was my best dog you wench." he said. "Last question, what can you tell me about your dear mistress Celeste?" Josephine's glazed eyes blinked past him. Claude snapped his fingers in her face. "Josephine, who is Celeste, and what do I need to know about her?"

"She needs you." she whispered. The doors opened then.

"Good god of fire, what have you done Claude?" Lord Norris signed.

"They killed Quinn." Claude shrugged.

"Who was Quinn?"

"Quinn was my best fucking dog." he said this as if everyone should know this.

"Your best dog? The one who humped every object he came across and couldn't hunt to save his life? That was your best dog?" Lord Norris walked over to examine the now silent Adeline.

"Hunting was above his station, and he was doing his duty of procreating offspring as beautiful as him." Claude sniffed.

"Bull," Norris turned and strode towards Claude, "you were getting revenge on Remy."

"Remy deserved it." Claude handed his goblet to a passing servant to be refilled.

"Remy was protecting his people when he built the wall."

"Remy - "

"I'm not playing this game with you. You have more important things to do than play with sweet little vampires. I will make it my personal task to make sure Josephine is revived and refreshed." Norris's eyes quickly ran from her face to linger her chest.  "You make it your task to make sure that blood does not stain the carpet I brought back from Bhkutan, and to actually do your duty as Captain." He instructed two servants to take her to his bedchamber as he strutted out the door after Josephine.

"And he says I'm disgusting." Claude said to Aldrich and the still Adeline. He shuddered as he imagined what horror Josephine was about to endure, and took the waiting goblet from the servant, full of fresh, warm blood. He hummed. "Why Therese, you taste absolutely delectable. Have you been taking my advice and eating those oranges?" Therese beamed proudly and nodded. "Delectable. As you see, when you follow my instructions, grand things occur. You may have an hour with your son. Laurent, please take Hayden out of the dungeon." Therese gasped and clapped her hands in excitement. "Don't get too excited, dolly. I never said Laurent could release him from the heretics fork." Therese's expression crumpled and her hands fisted by her sides. Claude sighed and went back to lay across the chaise. "Give them an apple and they think they're going to get the tree as well, am I correct Laurent?" Laurent lead Therese out of the room. "Now, why does Celeste need me?"