by S. J. Frey
“Shouldn’t the vampire race have died out then? If they couldn’t create more vampires, then there shouldn’t be any left,” I say softly.
His laughter surprises me. Darren shakes his head and laughs at me as if I said the funniest thing in the world.
“You watch too many movies Elizabeth,” he snickers.
The blood rushes to my face with embarrassment, and the heat creeps to my ears. It took everything in me to not look away from Darren.
“Like every animal or human on earth, we still procreate. It’s like genetics. In order for the offspring to be full vampire, both parties must be vampires,” he explains.
That would explain why I’m not a vampire. “Okay, but what about the sunlight?”
Again, he laughs and shakes his head no. “We don’t die in the sun. Well, anymore. After thousands of years of evolving, we can tolerate the sun. We still have our strength and speed, and before you ask, no, we don’t turn into bats. Everything you read, seen or heard is mostly fiction.”
The reality of all the information making a little sense was started to weigh on my mind. If there was one thing I was sure of, it was the fact that I knew less about my father now than ever.
I sigh softly in slight frustration, feeling lost in my sea of uncertain emotions. Me? A vampire descendant? Why couldn’t it be someone else? Why did this have to be me?
“What do I do now?” I mutter.
Darren shrugs his shoulders and grimaces. He glances away from me and towards the mid-morning sun. “I can’t tell you what decision to make Elizabeth. Just know, you need to make a choice soon,” he says and shuts his eyes as the sun starts to peek over the trees and onto our faces.
“What do you mean?” I question.
Darren bore holes into my eyes, and his demeanor changes. He looks so stern that it's almost frightening. “There are people within the council that weren’t a fan of your father’s, and I am more than certain that one of them caused your father’s death. The night before your father died, he disclosed to us your existence. Your father broke one of the sacred rules the council created, and someone found out somehow. Elizabeth, someone knows you live, and you have the blood of the Originem, Edmunds blood, pumping through your veins. You are the rightful heir to the head of the council. Vampires will be after you.”
I keep silent as I gaze off into the distance. No matter where I go, someone will be after me. All because I exist.
“Elizabeth,” Darren’s soft voice reaches out to me as his hand grabs mine. “I vow, as long as I am still breathing, to protect you. Reginald, Amaryllis, and I vowed this same oath to your father when he took us in. I may have failed him, but I won’t fail you.”
His words wash over me and make me feel a little at ease, but it is still unsettling that I am going to be the center of attention. I force a smile at Darren and give his hand a squeeze. “Thank you,” is all that I could muster.
“Come, you should get some rest, you hardly had any sleep,” he coaxes.
Darren helps me up from the ground and escorts me back inside. The light follows up through the windows and onto the foyer floor. When the door closes, I notice Amy pacing by the stairs. She sees us and stops her frantic back and forth. Our eyes meet, and I can feel my anger slowly start to drift away.
“Lizzy, I am so sorry for not telling you. I just-“
I got her to stop talking by hugging her. It takes her a second to realize what I'm doing, and soon she encloses her arms around me. “It’s okay, Amy. I understand now, well sort of. I realize that things are going to get weird and messy, and I’m going to need my best friend to be there for me.”
Amy is all that I have left. She's the only family that I have. Sure, I had Aunt Kat, but I'm not as close to her. Amy looks relieved as she leans back and wipes away a tear. Her smile spreads from ear to ear, fangs, and all as she pats my cheek. “Just know that I am always your friend first, bodyguard second,” she giggles.
Darren steps up behind me and lays a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Amaryllis, Miss Elizabeth should get some rest. She had a long night,” he warned softly.
I am not about to argue. My body aches, and I am emotionally depleted. Spending a few hours in bed sounds like heaven. I should be thanking my lucky stars that I can walk away from what happened the night before with only a cut on my head and some bruising. I can only imagine how worse it could have been.
I leave Darren and Amy in the foyer and trudge my feet back to my room. My body hurt, craving for the plush, down feather blanket on my California king. The moment my body hits the mattress, my eyes ripple close. The aches and pains slowly melt away as my mind surrenders to complete darkness.
Nine
I'm asleep a lot longer than I want to be. There were a couple of times that I woke up and noticed it was still night out. My body felt like it ran three marathons in one day mixed with having the feeling of brittle bones of an eighty-year-old. I’m also sure I was snoring loudly at one point, as well.
I don’t remember when I fell back asleep again or how long it was this time. My slumber is interrupted with the sound of my door being thrown open. It bangs against the wall loudly, making me jump.
“Elizabeth, you need to get up.” Darren’s low voice drifts to my ears, making me slowly open my eyes. He is standing next to my bed, holding a form-fitting business dress. I groan, sitting up and stare at the dress before looking at him.
“What’s that? What time is it?” I moan, trying to figure out what day, time, and the year it is. There is still some crust in my eyes, making it hard for me to open them all the way.
He is more frantic and demanding today than before. I would joke and ask if he saw a ghost but knowing my luck those were real too.
“What’s going on?” I yawn, finally wiping the crust from my eyes.
Darren huffs and shuts the door. “The head of the council came for an unscheduled visit. I was afraid this was going to happen,” he says sharply and on edge.
A flash of cold sweat coats my body as the fear begins to sink in. My heart is beating rapidly, and I feel a panic attack developing. Darren must have sensed my distress and touches my shoulder. I look up at him with terror in my eyes. I'm not ready for this. It's too soon. I only learned about my father recently! And now the head of the council is here to see me?!
Without warning, Darren wraps his arms around me and hugs my body tightly against his. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Just stay close to me, okay?” His body is stiff, and his muscles are tense under my touch. Why do I get the feeling that he's just as nervous as I am?
I shake my head and felt like I want to stay in his arms for a little longer. He pulls away too quick, making me lean forward a little from the momentum. “Quickly get dressed. You don’t want to keep the head waiting,” he warns.
Just as my fingers touch the fabric of my dress, I pause to look up at him, “I thought my dad was the head of the council?”
Darren stopped at the door. “He was. Someone is taking your father’s place until the heir is found. Or in this case, until you make a choice. Since your father was the last one to be in the seat, only his kin can take over. No one can have the head chair officially until 21 years after the previous holder’s death. It’s a lot to explain Elizabeth, so I suggest you hurry and get dressed.” He glances over his shoulder at me. The warning sends chills down my spine.
Looking down at the navy-blue material, I let out a heavy sigh. My head hangs back, and I stare at the ceiling for a moment before closing my eyes. “Mom, what did I get myself into?”
Once I'm in my dress, I ran a brush through my hair, smoothing it out as best as I can. If I had more time, I would put makeup on. I wore the same heels from the other night and quickly exited my room. As I walk down the hallway, I hear two male voices grow louder from the front door.
At the top of the steps, I look down at Darren, talking to a tall man wearing a grey suit and blue tie. His black hair is slick back, and he stands up straight. When
he hears my heels clicking on the tile floor, he stops talking to Darren and turns to look in my direction.
“Well, here she is. The rumors don’t do you justice,” the stranger smiles and grabs my hand as soon as I am in reach. He kisses my hand longer than he needs to, making my skin crawl.
“Miss. Elizabeth. This is Master Lorcan Barclay, head of the vampire council,” Darren introduces.
Lorcan finally lets go of my hand and smiles widely, his fangs poking out as he did. “Thank you, Darren, for that introduction. How about we sit to get to know each other, hm?”
Lorcan wraps his arm around mine, keeping a steel grip on me. I'm going to keep an eye on his movements and his fangs. Lorcan is too friendly, in my opinion, but then again, who am I to judge how a vampire should act.
We stroll together with our arms linked to the back of the manor where the gardens are. Lorcan pulls out my chair for me at the same table Amy and I had breakfast previously. His blue eyes sparkle in the afternoon sun as he boasts about his success in businesses. I ignore him and attempt to keep my heart rate steady. I don’t want him to know how terrified I am. Soon, Darren arrived at my rescue with a tray of hot tea.
“So, Elizabeth, how does it feel having such a large home by yourself?” Lorcan asks.
I didn’t answer Lorcan at first and just sip my tea. “It took some getting used to, but I like it.”
I choose to take my time answering his questions. I wouldn’t want to say anything stupid or insult him.
“Yes, well, Edmund liked to live modestly. I’m so sorry about his passing, he was a dear friend of mine and a great leader. To think he broke the sacred rule, though, but that is neither here or there,” Lorcan smiles with a small hum and takes a sip from his cup.
His comment doesn’t sit well with me and neither with Darren. I can hear his breathing get uneven as he stands behind my chair. “As lovely as this meeting is, may I ask why the visit?”
My question might have been disrespectful, but this man is in my territory now, and it was only right that I knew why.
Lorcan grins, finishing his sip of tea before wiping his mouth with his napkin. “Very direct. I like that. To see you, of course. There were many rumors of Edmund having a child for years, and it just so happened that a colleague of mine saw you drive up this way to Edmund’s old estate. Naturally, I grew curious. There was nothing more I wanted to do than to meet the bastard child of Edmund,” he sneers.
The fear that I had turned into a flame of anger, twisting in knots within the pit of my soul. I glare at him with as much intensity that I could muster to try and match him. “If this visit has anything to do about the manor, I haven’t decided what I wanted to do yet. Furthermore, I might not even take part in or even look into the direction of my father’s business with the vampire council,” I state evenly, not sure what games Lorcan is trying to play here. I want him to know I am fully aware of what and who my father is.
His smile grew from ear to ear to the point that I thought his face might break. “Oh, my dear, I wasn’t even worried about that. Besides, you only have a limited amount of time anyway, so I wouldn’t worry about it,” he chuckles and gets up from his chair.
“Wait, limited time for what?” I ask, standing up as well.
Lorcan ignores my questions and adjusts his tie. “I will be having a party in your honor this Saturday. It’s not every day the heir of our once fearless leader resurfaces. Human or not.”
The way he says ‘human’ makes me believe that he is enjoying this too much. A small part of me wants to tell him where to take his party and shove it, but I'm in no position to decline.
Smiling as much as I can muster, I nod my head. “Well, I look forward to your party.”
Lorcan laughs and clasps his hands together, returning to the way I initially met him. “Excellent! Just let me know if there is anything I can help with. I’m here if you need me.” His attention turns back to Darren, and with a small nod, Darren escorts Lorcan towards the patio door.
“Allow me to walk you out,” Darren responds automatically.
I follow behind them at a distance back inside the manor. My arms cross over my chest as I stand by the staircase, watching Darren open the door. Lorcan grabs his coat and leaves without saying anything else to us. I watch Darren move to the window to make sure Lorcan is gone. When the coast is clear, he turns to look at me, and the stress in my shoulders evaporates into the air. “What was the point of all of this? Couldn’t he call like everyone else?” I huff.
Darren stays silent as I rant on.
“Well, I’m not going. That man is not worth my time,” I state stubbornly.
Darren rubs the bridge of his nose and looking at his watch. “Elizabeth, it would be unwise to decline the offer. Lorcan is a powerful man and head of the vampire council. You are in no position to decline. Especially since news of your existence is spreading like wildfire.”
“It’s obvious he doesn’t like the fact I’m human or the fact I’m next in line. Why would he come all the way out here to see me? Something doesn’t make sense,” I ponder. Did he come out all this way to see if I am here?
“Perhaps he was curious. However, a part of me believes he wants to embarrass you at the part. You weren’t brought up in the culture that vampires were, so you wouldn’t know the etiquettes. He’s essentially sabotaging your chance of taking the chair from him and your image to the vampire race,” Darren mumbles softly and paces slowly, speaking what came to mind.
Well, this is great. I’m starting to think coming to this manor was the start of my death sentence. Once one obstacle was over, around the corner is another.
Finally, Darren stopped pacing and turns to me, “I would advise you to get well-rested. We will start training tomorrow morning in preparation for the party.” I didn’t get a chance to say a word as Darren calls for Reginald. “Reginald!”
The poor, old man wanders out of the kitchen, holding his glasses in one hand and a white handkerchief in the other. He stuffs the cloth into his jacket pocket and put his glasses on.
“Prepare the ballroom for tomorrow morning,” Darren orders.
“Right away,” Reginald agrees. He wastes no time to hurry down the hallway and out of sight.
“Wait! Don’t I get a say so in this?” I demand.
Darren stops walking away and looks over his shoulder at me. “You’re in no position to get a say so. If you decline the offer, you will be ridiculed. If you show up not knowing anything about your vampire heritage, you will be giving exactly what Lorcan wants. Failure.”
Slowly he comes towards me. My eyes wander up to his and latch on. He reaches out and pushes a few strands of hair from my cheek, gently brushing his fingertips against my skin.
“I refuse to let you fail. To be the laughingstock of the court. I promised you, no matter what, I would be here to protect you.” He spoke softly and calmly compared to before. My heart flutters, and I take a step back. Darren was telling the truth. I absolutely was in no position to decline or show up like some uncultured swine. It was bad enough that I was going to be the center of unwanted attention.
“I guess I should get some rest then,” I commented and quickly turned from his gaze and walks away. I rush back to my room and shut the door behind me. My heart is drumming in my chest, and the blood rushes to my head, making my cheeks flush. This is all starting to get to me. Only a few days ago, I packed up my mother’s house and discovered that I actually had a father. He left me with a manor and now a legacy I really want nothing to do with.
When I'm finally calm, I stare out my window and wonder if mom was watching. Can you see me, mom? The torture I am in? I wonder what the difference would have been if I received my father’s will four years ago. Would I be in the same situation as now? Or would I be even more in trouble?
Eventually, I change out of the dress Darren gave me and slipped into my black leggings and a white shirt. I stare out the window for a while, trying to decide if running away would
be a better option.
There is a soft knock on my door, but I bluntly ignore it. I am in no mood to get a lecture from Darren at this moment.
“Lizzy? Are you awake?” Amy’s soft voice fills my quiet room. When I refuse to answer, she walks in carrying a silver tray of sandwiches, chips, and soda. “I figured you were hungry and maybe wanted to have a girl’s night,” she smiles.