Hi,
It feels like the days and nights are getting shorter and shorter. Sorry for the long wait. I'm already writing on the next one, though. So this is it Chapter 14, edited and proof-read. I hope you like it. Feel free to criticize. And, as always, thanks for reading, guys!
Lara
_________________________________________________________
Chapter 14
4 p.m. And I couldn't sleep. My daily rhythm was seriously fucked up, and no matter how many times I tossed and turned, I wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon. The vampires probably wouldn't be up until 7 p.m., and I'd be damned if I wasn't grateful for that.
The conversation I had with Alexander the night before bothered me more than I liked to admit. I saw it coming. After our encounter in his club and the little test he put me through, I knew that he was going to threaten me. In fact, I had been waiting for him to show his true nature. What I'd not factored in was my reaction to it. For a moment there, I was on the verge of walking away from this.
I was not going to. I couldn't. And I was not intimidated by Alexander, dammit. Maybe I would have been if I was the same person I used to be. Before I found Maria dead in that alley. Before my whole world shifted on an axis that reeked of conspiracy and death. Again. I wasn't going back to that. Ever. I had nothing to lose, and if what it took to find her murderer was break the head vampire's rules, I would do it.
I had to start investigating somewhere, and if there ever was the opportunity to explore the mansion, it was now. I had a hunch that would be a problem with the head vampire in tow. I was going to take a look around the building. If I got caught, I would pretend to be a clueless, but faithful human servant searching for the kitchens.
I put on last night's black leather pants and a comfy black t-shirt with a v neck, pulled my hair back in a low ponytail. Deadly silence around me as I crept out of the main room between our bedrooms, opening the door in slow motion. I closed it cautiously behind me, waiting.
Nothing happened.
Was I lucky for once, and Alexander was still dead to the world? If vampire hearing was as good as they said, he would have heard me.
The corridor outside was empty, the eerie silence a perfect undernote for the first scene in a bad horror movie. I glanced up and down. The light was artificial, running from one end of the ceiling to the other. There wasn't an ounce of natural light, not a ray of sunshine peeking through the heavy drapes where windows should have been, but weren't. Looked like Heron left nothing to chance. Like the master bedrooms of the vamps with their automatic shutters, this part of the building wouldn't be seeing any daylight.
For a vampire it was nearly impossible to walk outside during daytime. Comatose sleep had them trapped. Rumor had it that the older, more powerful vampires could actually walk in daylight. I'd never seen it, and I was betting a lot on it being a lie. Or maybe that was only wishful thinking.
I walked down the corridor without encountering anybody and proceeded downstairs. When I reached the great hall I saw two servants, obviously human, hurrying into the room where the meeting had been held the night before. If they noticed me, they ignored my presence.
Good.
My way to the other corridors on the first floor was uneventful. I feigned to admire the countless paintings and art sculptures placed with great care on and in front of the walls. What I really did was trying to get an overall picture of the mansion.
After about half an hour I had seen enough to know that I was right. There were three major staircases leading to the different floors of the house. The corridors were arranged in the same pattern throughout the three levels, except for the one in the basement. Its structure was a bit different. Maybe because of the tunnel system underneath the premises. Nevertheless it shouldn't be a problem to navigate myself through the whole building, once I got the chance to sneak up to the third level. The Cellinis would probably be accommodated on the highest floor. After all-
"Hey! You there. Aren't you Alexander's human servant? What are you doin' here?"
I swung around, trying to suppress the oncoming deer-caught-in-the-headlight expression.
It was the human servant whose photograph I picked up the night before. His short, dark brown hair looked as messy as the first time I saw him. Dressed in black from head to toe, he fit into Heron's menagerie of human servants. Grayish eyes and that look. The look that said he distrusted me, when what I needed was him to trust me, write me off as another sheep among many.
"Dude, you nearly gave me a heart attack. My name's Anna. Jake, is it?" The lines of my face smoothed out, my mouth lifting into an awkward, lopsided smile.
"Yes. You know my name?" He approached me. If he sensed my discomfort, he was good at hiding it.
The look on his face reminded me of the first time I saw him.
I hit on an idea. This could work.
"Uh... actually I was looking for you."
My fingers fished for the folded paper I picked up the night before. It was still in my right jeans pocket. I held it out to him.
Reluctantly he took the picture. For an endless moment he simply stared at it, before he stuffed it into his jeans wordlessly.
"Hey, I won't tell anybody," I said. "It's a nice picture. Your sister?"
His eyes hardened, his face almost visibly shutting down into something that resembled a closed door – as far as human expressions went.
"None of your business," he muttered. "You better go back to your room now. They'll be up soon." He started walking away and for a moment I just stared at his back like an idiot.
"I know how it's like to be on your own. Separated from your family, I mean," I blurted and stilled. What was supposed to be just another line to make him trust me turned out to be much more than that. I'd just given him more than anyone else in this mansion: unadulterated truth.
I fisted my hands. Get a hold of yourself. "Aren't we all in the same boat?" Kind of.
He stopped dead in his tracks and turned. For a long minute he simply stared at me.
"Follow me."
He walked on without checking if I did.
A numbed second of wonder and perplexity passed. Then I hurried up to follow him. We walked to the nearest staircase, then climbed to the top floor.
"Are there any vampires on this floor?" It didn't take much to make it sound like a positive answer would have scared the living daylights out of me.
"No." A mouthful of silence, before he added, "Not at the moment."
Alexander had maintained that the Cellinis couldn't be here yet. Otherwise he would have felt their presence. I glanced down the corridor. Maybe their rooms were located here.
We moved to the very end of the first corridor into another one turning rightwards. It led to another small staircase that we climbed. We went up up up, until we reached a steel door. Again highest technology. The door was secured with an electronic code system. Jake turned and pushed a few buttons. Four digits. I tensed. Was it the same code throughout the whole mansion?
The door opened with a click.
An explosion of pure sunlight. Fresh air. A whisper of freedom.
I followed him out into the open. We were standing on a huge terrace that faced the back of the mansion, giving a breath-taking view on the vast garden. The garden was like a bucketful of colors smeared on a canvas. In daylight that dark mass of leaves seemed less intimidating. The tree trunks I saw at our arrival looked perfectly normal, if a little wild.
He moved to stand at the edge of the terrace, staring out into the areal wordlessly.
"You can't tell anyone about this." Jake's voice was harsh.
I moved closer to him, glancing at his face sideways.
"The picture? Hell, no. I'm not that stupid."
My eyes roamed over the garden. The longer I looked, the more I noticed how things changed. Slowly but surely sundown was coming.
"I like sunsets. I don't really know why, I just like them. Sometimes I think it's because something about them reminds me of my-"
Pins and needles, that stabbing pain that reached further and deeper than flesh and went right into your soul. I froze. My mother. I'd been about to say. Another truth.
"Of my past," I added.
He could have that information. He could have it as long as I got something in return. My statement seemed to have taken him by surprise. I felt the invisible force of watchfulness, a pair of eyes glued to me.
"How did you end up with Heron?" I was testing the grounds, if tentatively. Getting information out of Jake turned out to be tougher than anticipated.
For a long moment he didn't say anything at all.
"The usual. Runaway, drug addict, serious trouble with the law – you name it, I did it. If it weren't for Heron, I'd be behind bars, or dead, who knows." He took a deep breath, blowing out air as if it was a ritual that he had to perform carefully and with effort. "How about you? How did you end up with Alexander?"
I shrugged. "Oh, you know. The usual. I guess it all began when he helped me after a friend of mine died." A feeling of deep and thorough sickness crawled up my stomach on razor-sharp teeth. Twisting the truth had seldom felt so wrong. "What about the girl in the picture?"
He shook his head, more to himself than in answer to my question. "Just... someone I knew."
The words came to my mind naturally, too fast and unstoppable.
"I know how it's like to leave everything behind. To ... cut all the ties. At some point we all have to do it," I said.
He nodded without looking at me. "I guess so."
I went back to watching the sky.
"But in the end it's worth it. It's better this way," Jake said.
I concentrated on the line where earth and air seemingly met, waiting for my vision to blur. "Yeah. We all have to do what we have to do, don't we?"
I don't know how long we stood there on the terrace, watching the sun wither and die a slow, painful death. Each minute brought us closer to the point where the undead would rise.
And right there, in the middle of it, I had an epiphany. Silently, I had to admit to myself that not every human servant was a dumb, brainless puppet.
* * *
Jake closed the door to the terrace. I glanced around. We were still alone. Good.
"I'm a newbie when it comes to banquets, you know. I heard that there are those among the guests we should treat with extra care, kid gloves, so to speak. I mean, I know about some vampires of territories close to Heron's and Alexander's." Thanks to Brown's briefing, I added mentally. "But I don't really know about the rest. You got any helpful info on that? Anyone I should pay extra attention to?"
He turned to me frowning. "You're really new at this?"
I nodded. Jake wasn't a man of many words. Maybe using his methods would get me somewhere with him.
He shrugged. "Shouldn't be that big of an issue for you and me. Heron and Alexander are among the highest ranking vampires at the meeting. They're not compromised that easily."
I gave him the and-that's-all-you're-gonna-give-me-look.
He sighed. "If it will make you feel better... There are some deadweights you should distinguish from the others. For one there is Daniel Cruz. Holds the territory of New Mexico. You'll recognize him easily among the others because of his Mexican descent – his skin is a tint darker than the others'. Should you actually meet him, only address him with Daniel. Like our two masters he prefers to exclusively go by his first name.
"Gina Cox is also a very powerful vampire – apart from Heron and Alexander. She's responsible for the area around Michigan. Although her designated area is rather small, you'd do better not to underestimate her, and her temper. You'll know when you see her. Red hair that stands out in any crowd."
I blinked. My method worked. This was the longest he ever talked to me. Jake had been holding out on me.
"Then you should keep an eye on François Bertrand. He's the most powerful vampire in Canada and will attend the meeting as a representative of the other master vampires of this country. He's, well, he's a little weird. You won't miss him: he's got long black hair, and usually wears clothes of baroque style. No matter what you do, avoid contact with him. From what I've heard he's nothing like Heron or Alexander." He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then added, "He doesn't treat human servants very well."
Right. I really didn't want to know what that undead dude did with his underlings, if Jake considered Alexander a parade example of kindness in comparison with François Bertrand.
"And then, of course, there are the-" Jake stopped, mid-sentence, mid-air. It was as if someone had flipped a switch. He drew himself up. "There are some special guests following Heron's personal invitation, but I think you won't have any trouble distinguishing them."
My mind was on alert. Sure as hell he was talking about the Cellinis – so far the only ones in the category of prime suspects; the great unknown. I needed more information, dammit. I was groping around desperately for a proper question that wouldn't make me sound too eager, and came up with zilch.
"Come now, we have to get you back to your room," Jake said. "For all I know Alexander is already up."
Now that was a royal mood killer. Great.
My chances of getting more details just flapped out of the window for good. I was left with no other option but to follow my only source of information through the now more frequented corridors of the mansion.
The walk was a silent one. Eyes and ears seemed to be everywhere around us. The vamps were awake indeed.
"There we are."
I looked up in confusion. Damn. We were in front of Alexander's room. Jake turned around without giving me another glance.
"Don't get yourself in trouble," he tossed over his shoulder.
I stared at his back, lost for an answer that wouldn't get me into trouble. More than I already was. What exactly was I doing in this mansion? Why did I of all people end up as the head vamp's fake human servant?
Maybe because Brown promised him God-knows-what.
Only what? I sighed. Wouldn't I like to know?
* * *
Pulling down the door handle in slow motion did pay off. The hinges didn't even hint at a moan or creak as I entered the room. Or that's at least what I thought. That was before Alexander strode out of his room, arms dangling loosely at his sides.
It was the day of the main conference, and he was dressed for the occasion. Black was the color of his choice, and he looked good in it. For a moment I stared at his getup. A silk shirt and suit that must have cost a fortune. Apart from his body posture, rigid and oh-so-still, and the general sense of threat he conveyed, I couldn't read his face. It was as if it was carved of stone, shorn of all its emotions. No matter how beautiful it was, it was of the rough, cruel kind.
And here I was, thinking of him in human terms. Throwing him into one and the same pot with human men when I should have seen him for what he was.
The tendrils of vampiric seduction were already at the threshold to my mind. I wouldn't let myself be brainwashed into worshipping and blind obedience. I blinked away confusion and anger, clearing my mind for what was to come. The way Alexander held himself left no doubt: he was angry about something.
I closed the door firmly and looked him straight in the eye. "I was hungry when I woke up, so I went downstairs to ask for something to eat."
Still no answer. Just this pale-faced arrogance and the icy flare in his eyes. He knew I was lying. Had to. I stared back. What did he expect me to do? Throw myself at his feet and beg for forgiveness?
Not in this lifetime.
The vampire didn't move, didn't breathe for that matter. The silence turned oppressive.
"Look, I'm sorry, if I wasn't supposed to do that as a human servant. I didn't do anything out of order, really. I just ended up having a chat with one of the other servants, that's all."
"It was one of Heron's servants, wasn't it?"
I blinked at the softness in his voice.
Alexander smiled. It was as cold as the look on his face. "I do not care if you believe you did not do anything out of order. I will enquire as to what exactly the two of you have been discussing. I am a man of my word. If what I learn displeases me, I will be sure to be true to it. Now, get yourself dressed. I will come to get you after the meeting of the Vampire League. You will not under any circumstances leave this room until then, little witch. Since you have already eaten this will not be a problem for you," he said, flashing me a fanged, harsh smile. "Have I made myself clear?"
The urge to turn my back on him, walk away and leave this mansion without a backward glance was there. But I couldn't.
"Crystal clear," I said.
He left without acknowledging my presence any further, which was fine with me. The silence – courtesy to the soundproof doors and walls – was deafening. For a few moments all I could do was stare at the door unseeingly. I had to come up with new strategies for snooping and avoiding master vampire death traps, or else I was screwed.
My feet carried me across the carpet as I moved from one end of the room to the other. Anything to squash the feeling of restlessness and the indestructible need for action. If I could just get out of that damned room. The soft thud-thud of my feet on the carpet spoke volumes. I was restless, and sick with anticipation for what the night would bring.
At some point I ended up staring out of the window, and froze.
Two dark gray Lexus limousines halted in front of the mansion, right in my line of vision. As if of their own accord, the backdoors of the two cars opened simultaneously. A human cordon of toadeaters – servants – had formed right in front of the entrance. The scene looked somewhat surreal.
The moonlight reflected on the people eerily, as if their skin was glistening, ghostlike. Four figures got out of the first car, followed by three more from the second Lexus. Apart from two people, whom I suspected to be human servants, the newcomers were clad in purple velvet cloaks, their heads covered by ominous hoods.
As soon as the first hooded figure set foot on the earth, all the servants bowed their heads gracefully. A sublimely choreographed ballet. Heron walked towards the new arrivals in what amounted to slow motion.
He greeted the first figure with the common vampire handshake. Unlike human beings, vampires greet each other by grabbing the underside of their opposite's forearm.
The first vampire's face turned away from Heron to stare into my eyes directly.
"Shoot!"
I took a step aside and pressed my back to the wall, shuddering.
Gray eyes. Even though he – it was a he, I was pretty sure –only stared at me for a second, it felt like he brushed my mind with one glance alone. I had the feeling that he was capable of doing just that: reading my soul, my essence, my everything like an open book.
I was doing it. Panicking. Imagining things, reading something into a look that couldn't mean anything. No one, not even an ancient vampire could just walk into my mind like that. Not from that distance and not so fast.
This isn't the time to lose it, Anna.
I leaned forward for another peek. I could only make out four of the five vampires and one of the human servants. Obviously the others moved into the mansion or were outside my visual angle.
A flash, a staggering breath. Another hooded figure looked up. Blue eyes. That was all my mind could process. I sidestepped and pressed my back to the wall, shaking.
The Cellinis. They must be the Cellinis.
This was going to be more complicated than I expected. Did the see motion in the window? Or did they sense me? Who, no, what the hell were they? I thought Alexander came close to making me turn my back on this. I was wrong. How was I supposed to go against something so powerful, so ... absolute?
No. I took a deep breath. Vampires are not absolute. You know what they're capable of.
I saw it in New York and I saw it here in Pennsylvania. Humans were nothing but toys or pawns to the undead. Alexander's words from yesterday night rang through my mind. If I tell you to crawl in front of the other vampires you will crawl. You will live and breathe like a human servant. Subservience. Yeah, that was all humans were there for, right?
I walked to the open suitcase beside my bed.
I would show them what witches were made of. So they were a few centuries old? So what? This night they were in for the shock of their insanely long lives. I was going to snoop and investigate, right under their noses, and they wouldn't notice a thing.