After watching several children under the age of ten gorge themselves on meat, I started to realize that perhaps the sheriffs, Zelda, really everyone I had met since I stumbled upon Bungee and Calista, were telling the truth about the secrets of Whisper Valley. So when Scarlett offered to take me into town, I instead decided to stay at the house. That way I could observe this strange family more closely and better determine what exactly was going on. I spent much of the day watching Zelda attend to the children, while a sleepy Scarlett sat alone by a window, only moving whenever a child came over and asked her to read to them. They may not have been her own, but the young woman treated them with gentle kindness. She'd read without complaint and dutifully brushed and dressed the girls' hair when requested.
As for me, I was ignored. I got a few side glances, particularly from the older children like Tomas and Adele, but in general they didn't seem to trust me. Perhaps it was because I wouldn't partake in the raw beef balls they had for a snack.
By the time the sun started to set, I came to an uncomfortable awareness of how at ease I was with my predicament. Seeing a toddler devour meat so fresh it was still bleeding, tends to change one's perspective. Perhaps they were vampires, or a family with some sort of genetic illness that required them to eat in such a barbaric fashion, but they hadn't harmed me. I was where I was, and though it wasn't ideal, I, at least, appeared to be safe enough to figure my way out eventually.
That was until I was beckoned to Lord Antonov's study.
"Zelda tells me that you helped her with my children today." He sat on an ornate sofa, with intricate woven upholstery, wide, curved armrests, and wooden legs shaped like lion's feet. It complimented the Persian rug that looked like it may very well have come from Persia, back when it was still called that.
"I didn't really," I replied, standing before him so that the warmth of his fireplace lapped at my back. "I just sat around and watched."
"It's a lot to take in, I know." He drew forward, resting his elbows on his knees which were clothed in light cotton slacks. They matched the casual button down that hung loose upon his frame, the top buttons undone so that his bare, muscular chest peeked out. "Still, you seem to be handling it well."
"I don't know how else to handle it," I answered, shifting my weight and rubbing my arm as I glanced around the room. The sentiment was as true then as it was with the children. There I was, standing in an office straight out of a Victorian novel with only the pale moonlight and the blazing fireplace to illuminate it. I was too lost to even know where to run.
"Come, sit down over here." He gestured to the small space beside him. "I'd like us to be family some day and family doesn't hover awkwardly in front of the fireplace."
"I..." I bit my lower lip and eyed the armchair that opposed his love seat. Perhaps, noticing my wayward gaze, he didn't give me a chance to follow through and rose up to meet me where I stood.
"Well, standing is good as well," he said, reaching out and placing his hands upon the sides of my arms. His touch was gentle, but it didn't stop me from feeling like I just stepped into a trap. "Quite frankly the sofa is overrated. Standing requires core muscles."
"Core muscles?"
"I do hope you understand, my dear Delilah. I want you to be a part of my family someday, but my eagerness in the past has led me to some rash decisions. So this time I want to take things more slowly."
I had trouble understanding his meaning with his hands climbing up my arms and his mouth tilting towards my neck.
"I need to know that you will be a wise investment. We've got a year, no reason to rush things when the town is willing to cover your expenses." One hand moved up to the side of my neck, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw, while the other lingered upon my shoulder, teasing the collar of my shirt. "Know though, that the moment you prove to be fertile, I'll toss Scarlett out and sponsor you fully. However, the sooner we start testing your body, the sooner we can welcome you completely. You do understand, don't you?"
"I think so..." I didn't really think anything. I just wanted to give him the answer he wanted so I could go back to my room, however, I didn't fully appreciate the weight of my answer until it was too late.
"Excellent," he said with a seductive purr in his voice. "Shall we then?"
With that he placed his lips against the side of my neck, lingering there with soft kisses that sizzled my skin in ways I didn't know possible. As I struggled to compute what exactly was happening to me, his kisses became more eager, his tongue taking a small role in the process, while the hand on my shoulder began busying itself with the few buttons that guarded the top half of my shirt.
"You are such a quiet mouse," he purred, his words hot against my skin. "What is it you're feeling? Would you like to know the true kiss of a vampire?" With my buttons freed and my chest now easily accessible, he slid his thumb across the curve of my breast, his touch soft and slow, teasing my skin which vibrated beneath his caress.
"I feel...weird," I said, my words struggling to overcome the strange new sensations assaulting the already fragile workings of my mind.
"Weird?" he asked, pulling away to reveal his handsome face stretched long with surprise. "I haven't even bitten you yet? Not that I can without your permission, but I feel like 'weird' isn't going to get me there."
"I'm sorry," I answered. "It felt nice, I suppose, I don't really have anything to compare it to."
"Pardon?" He looked down at his hands, one of which was getting dangerously close to slipping its way into my bra. That realization apparently sent a spark through him as he withdrew his hands with a snap and took a step away. "Has no one ever touched you like that before?"
"No," I replied, feeling more embarrassed by his pitying gaze than I had been about his sudden and intimate exploration. "I was asked to my prom, but I told him I was sick and couldn't go."
"Okay, well, we'll go even slower then," he said, taking a breath and giving his a body a shake as he reconfigured himself. "I promise you though, you have missed nothing. You'll only ever know true pleasure with me." Having reset his path, he gave me a sly smile that revealed his pointed teeth. He took a swaggering step back towards me, but the initial shock of his lustful embrace no longer numbed me and strength had returned to my lungs.
"Um, I think I'd prefer to know you better first." I didn't particularly have anything against premarital relations and I didn't judge those that sought a stranger's bed just to scratch an itch they couldn't get on their own. And, admittedly, there was a part of me that yearned to know what it would feel like to have my whole body burn the way it did when he touched me. However, it just all felt too sudden and there was no way I would understand, and thus fully appreciate, the experience as it stood.
"Of course you would," he sighed before retaking his seat on the sofa. "I can't expect everyone to be a vampire fangirl. Perhaps that's why I failed with Scarlett. She was on me before I could even breathe a word of my intentions." He groaned and massaged his forehead. "Why does such a vixen have to be barren?"
"Really?" I mumbled, surprised to hear the sulky Scarlett had such fire in her desires.
"Always the quiet ones, my dear," he said with a wink. "So perhaps you can understand my eagerness with you. So please tell me, what is it then? Candy? Flowers? A giant teddy bear? I may be a man of wealth, but I still appreciate the value of a dollar. I already have Scarlett's dead weight to bear, I can't be spending hundreds wooing you."
"I imagine conversation is fine. Flowers don't tell me much about you."
"Well, can't argue with free seduction," he said with a shrug. "What kinds of things would you like to talk about?"
"I don't know, I've never gotten this far."
"You seem to be doing fine now.""Fear does much for one's courage."
He shook his head and then allowed a sigh to relax his lean frame. "If this is a stalling tactic, let me tell you, you don't have many options outside of this house. The zombies have enough trouble feeding what mouths they have, they won't add to the population unless you're an idiot like Bungee. Trust me when I say, the ghosts are not a viable option either. Possession is an unpleasant experience and you'll be sitting there like a backseat driver watching your life unfold. As for conversion, there's no guarantee you'll come back as a ghost after they kill you. Then there's the werewolves who are incredibly picky and their pack is having some political issues at the moment so don't hold your breath on that one. So that leaves us vampires."
He rose up once again and though he drew close to me, he kept his hands far from my skin. Instead, he stared down at me, his golden-green eyes licked with the fire reflecting in them. "There's only a few vampires here who can properly afford you: me, Lady Bernadette Desrosiers, and Madam Kyra Torquata. Kyra is old and unpredictable, I wouldn't rely on her. Bernadette may be an option, but she's a terrible dam. Sure she'll convert you when she's grown tired of your blood, but then her sponsorship has ended and she'll toss you out the door with little sympathy. I am your best option and I am a pleasurable one at that." He took my hand in his and kissed the back of it before letting it return to my side.
"But I have a year?" I asked.
"Yes, the town has you covered until then."
"Thank you Lord Antonov. Please have a good night." I gave him a bow, since anyone with lord attached to their name seemed to need such a gesture, and then I headed for the door. He didn't stop me, but I did hear him chuckle with amusement as I left.