Indebted to the Vampires

by ERIN BEDFORD

  Sitting my bag down on the ground, I turned around and made my way to where Antoine sat in the living room. My eyes locked onto where he lounged on the couch, completely at ease. On the coffee table in front of him was a piece of the vase I had broken on the first day.

  I stopped at the edge of the couch not moving any further, my eyes flickering between him and the ceramic. “What can I help you with, Master Durand?” I decided to pretend like I didn’t know anything about last night, about what they were. No need to let him in on it if he didn’t know.

  Antoine smiled slightly, no hint of the fangs I now knew were beneath those gorgeous lips. “Now, let’s not pretend here. I have far too much respect for you to do that.” He gestured to the chair across from him. “Please, have a seat.”

  I glanced down at the seat and then back to Antoine. “I think I’ll stand.”

  The smile on his face wilted slightly. “Very well.” He shifted in his seat and adjusted his suit jacket, his pale hair falling over his shoulders making him look even more sinister. “It seems one of my brothers has let our little secret slip. Now, you understand that I can’t just let you leave knowing what you know.”

  My heart jumped at the implications of his words and my lower lip trembled. I slapped my hand over my mouth, not wanting to give away my fear. It was no idle threat. Just me knowing what they were made me a threat to their very being. I’d be disappointed if he didn’t want to kill me. It would make things kind of melodramatic if he just let me leave.

  “Now, get that look off your face, I’m not going to kill you.” Antoine leaned back, throwing one arm over the back of the couch and crossing one leg over the other.

  I squinted at him. “You’re not?”

  “No,” Antoine answered simply and then sighed, rubbing his forehead with his forefingers. “You have to understand our situation here, Miss Billings.”

  “Oh, I understand perfectly.” I snorted and crossed my arms over my chest as I rocked back on my heels. “You are a bunch of blood-sucking fiends that use your looks to get what you want.” Now that I had opened my mouth, I couldn’t seem to stop the outpour. “How many people have you killed? How many maids? Is that why you needed a new one?” I scoffed and wagged my finger at him. “I will not be the next one on your list of victims. I’d sooner snort garlic.”

  Antoine stared at me calmly. “Are you quite finished?”

  A bit taken back by his words, I paused and then nodded. “Yes, I suppose I am.”

  “Good, now to answer your questions, zero is the number of people we have killed,” he began. “Unlike those ridiculous movies you humans are determined to burn your brains out with, we vampires need blood to survive, but we don’t drink until death. Our stomachs couldn’t handle that much in any case, and for another, if we killed everyone we bit, then we wouldn’t be able to stay under the radar.

  “For your second question, no, we haven’t eaten our previous maids. The reason we have gone through so many is that each and every one of them couldn’t keep their noses in their own business or were so enamored by my brothers that they would sneak into their beds. It really became quite a problem. My brothers would fight over them, and all sorts of chaos would be unleashed.”

  I could totally see that. The brothers were something to behold. If I didn’t need the job so bad, I would have jumped on them the moment I could. Thinking about it now, it seemed my money troubles were the least of my worries. Not getting eaten was pretty high on the list now.

  Antoine pursed his lips in thought. “You, however, have yet to cause any fighting.” I frowned a bit disappointed in my lack of sexual prowess. “Do not be mistaken. All of us are quite taken by you, Miss Billings.” He paused, and his eyes bored into me as he purred my name. “Piper.”

  That word wiggled through my ears, through my veins, and settled deep between my legs. I pressed them together tightly and forced back my reaction to him and his words. Fucking hormones.

  “I have to say you are the most frustrating human I’ve ever had the pleasure of having in my household, and I’ve had quite a lot over the last few hundreds of years.”

  I gaped at the admittance.

  “Don’t look so surprised.” Antoine lifted his chin, an arrogant sneer on his face. “Looks can be deceiving, especially when vampires are involved.”

  He’d said it. He’d actually called themselves vampires.

  “What else is true then?” I couldn’t help but ask. “Do you have a reflection?”

  Antoine’s eyes glittered with amusement. “Of course. Hard to shave without one.”

  My confidence built as I realized he was going to answer my questions. “What about garlic? Beheading? Stakes through the heart?”

  Clucking his tongue, Antoine cocked his head to the side. “Are you looking to kill me, Piper?”

  “Don’t say my name like that,” I snapped back, shifting from one foot to the other. For some reason, just hearing my name on his lips unsettled me, made my guard slip, just a little.

  “Why?” Antoine flashed a fanged grin. “That is your name, is it not?”

  I licked my lips and swallowed, nodding.

  “Don’t you like it?” Antoine’s eyes bore into me. “You could be very happy here, Piper, if you just let go of your prejudices and allow us the same rights as you give other humans.”

  Scoffing, I let out a nervous laugh.

  “Something funny?”

  Shaking my head, I rubbed my arm, trying to remove the goosebumps that had appeared. “You obviously don’t know me well enough if you think I rate humans very high on the list. They’re just as bad as you.”

  “I see.” He peered at me beneath those pale lashes, trying to figure me out. “And will you stake me in my sleep?”

  “Not if you let me go.”

  He slid a hand through his hair and gave me a knowing smirk. “And where would you go? Back to living in your car?”

  “It’s not that bad,” I admitted, dropping my eyes to the oriental rug.

  “You don’t really want to go now, do you, Piper?” Antoine stood from the couch and moved closer to me. “Not when you have a debt to pay.”

  I knew he was taunting me with the broken vase, but I didn’t take the bait. I stared up at him, my mouth going dry. I shook my head, unable to come up with an answer.

  “I didn’t think so.” Antoine cupped my face with his hand and leaned down until his lips brushed mine. When he pulled back, his face had returned to his usual superior smirk. “Now, take your bag back to your room and clean this place up. It’s a pig sty.”

  Gaping at what had just happened, I didn’t have a chance to argue before Antoine had disappeared to God knew where. As I took my bag back to my room, I thought about why I was staying. Was I really that hung up on these guys that I would risk my life to stay here?

  If I were truthful with myself, that would be a resounding yes. However, I wasn’t that self-aware. I told myself it was to keep an eye on them. If I knew their secret, then they would be held accountable at least by someone.

  Dropping my bag on the floor, I changed into my work clothes. I didn’t know what the future held for me if I ever became useless to them. Most likely, I’d be turned into one of their meals. What I did know was that I couldn’t leave them, not just because of what Antoine said. I did owe them, but I wouldn’t just roll over to save my own ass.

  If I left, they would get a new maid, and that one might not be as smart as me. Also, the thought of another woman being around the masters made my skin crawl. I still hadn’t come to terms with my feelings for them, especially now that I knew what they were.

  I couldn’t let anyone else get hurt. At least, if I were here, I’d be able to keep them in line. Maybe save a few lives and hopefully not lose my own in the process. So much for not being a hero. I was gunning for the spot of the dumbest one of the year.

  Chapter 18

  Piper

  Halfway through cleaning up the mess from last night I remembered it
was supposed to be my day off. However, I shrugged and finished it anyway.

  I needed the distraction.

  Who could blame me, really? I was working in a household of six gorgeous men, and they were all vampires. To say my brain wasn't nearly fried from the very concept of it all would be putting it lightly.

  “You're staying?” Darren asked.

  I paused where I was cleaning up the living room to look at him. He stood with his back straight by the front door, too suave to lean like us normal people. The surprise on his face didn't bother me. If I had been in his position, I probably wouldn't think I would stay. Hell, I wasn't even sure if I had come to terms with it yet myself.

  Lifting a shoulder like it was no big deal, I sighed. “What can I say? I need the job.”

  “But you know what they are...” He trailed off, moving into the living room. He picked up a lamp that had been knocked over. “Why would you want to stay?”

  “Why do you?” I shot back.

  Taking the trash bag from me so we could work together, his next words surprised me. “I owe them a life debt. I couldn't leave even if I wanted to.”

  “Really?” I arched a brow, throwing a few more plastic cups into the bag. Was it a kegger or an elegant party? It seemed like a bit of both from what I was picking up. “How did they warrant such a debt? Did you break an expensive vase too?”

  We shared a chuckle.

  “No, they saved me from the streets.”

  “Oh.”

  “Don't look at me like that. No pity here.” Darren picked up the cleaning spray and began to clean the mirrors. “My mother was a drug addict and didn't ever give two craps about me.”

  “And your dad?”

  He rubbed the mirror a bit more vigorously. “I never met him. I was begging on the street from the time I was three. Eventually, my mother died from an overdose and left me alone to fend for myself, not that it changed much. Just that instead of begging, I started to get involved with the wrong kind of business.”

  I cocked my head to the side wondering what he meant. Prostitution? Drug dealing? I didn't ask, not wanting to stop this sudden flood of information he was giving me. He'd tell me when he was ready.

  “That's when Antoine found me.” He paused and twisted part way to look at me. “I was only ten. I shouldn't have been in the alleyway that late at night anyway. It was only asking for trouble.” He huffed a laugh. “But I thought I was tough. Had a pocket knife and a chip on my shoulder. But all that gets you in this world is dead.”

  The darkness in his eyes made me sad. This man, who was more polished and sophisticated than anyone I'd ever met, had lived through such a traumatizing childhood only to end up here? He was so much stronger than anyone I'd ever met.

  “They're not as bad as they come off,” Darren started again, turning back to the mirror. “They may be different than us, but they're no more different than the humans around us. Believe me when I say even humans can be monsters.”

  I nodded. I understood that. There were worse things than people who happened to need a bit of blood to survive.

  “How long have you been working here?” I picked up the broom and swept it across the floor, focusing on picking up the shards of glass that had broken off from the knocked-over lamp.

  “A hundred and twelve.”

  My head jerked up so fast, the broom knocked into a side table. “Wait, what?”

  Darren's eyes crinkled at the sides. “You heard me right. This year will be one hundred and twelve years of employment.”

  I stared at him for a moment, my eyes searching his face for those years he claimed to have served. Unless he colored his hair, there wasn't a hint of gray in his dark locks. His skin was smooth and unblemished. He couldn't be older than thirty if that.

  “How?” I stuttered, moving closer to him.

  His lips curled up his eyes squinting with his smile. “I owe them a life debt. I can't very well complete it the way I was, sickly and underfed. Master Durand made sure I would be able to serve them until I was no longer needed.”

  “But you're not like them. Not a vampire.” I breathed the word like it was a secret.

  “No. I'm not.”

  He was being evasive. That I could understand. If the vampires could make a human live longer without the handicap of drinking blood or weakness of the sun, humans would kill for it. They would hunt them down and demand them to change them. Sure, some would pay for it or even try to seduce their way into their good graces, but even so, the masters wouldn't want that to happen.

  “Will they do that to me?” I blinked, staring down at the ground. My heartbeat quickened. I wasn't sure I wanted to live forever.

  Darren's laughter startled me. My eyes jumped from the ground. Darren's head fell back as he laughed a great big belly laugh. He laughed so long that it started to irritate me.

  “It's not that funny,” I muttered, turning back to my sweeping.

  Coughing and then clearing his throat, Darren walked over to my side, placing a hand on my shoulder. “My apologies. It will take more than a broken vase to gain eternal life.” He winked at me and then patted me on the shoulder. “Then again with your track record, you may need it to pay back what you've broken.”

  I chuckled and shook my head, shoving him on the shoulder. “Jerk.”

  “Alright, back to work.” He waved a hand around the still disarrayed room. “Then get some sleep. I'm sure you were tossing and turning all night.” I tried to deny it, but he gave me a knowing look. “I didn't sleep for a week after I found out what Master Durand was.” He barked a laugh. “That also might have been the fever I was recovering from though. Hard to tell.”

  I snorted and rolled my eyes.

  We continued to clean until the room was spotless and then we moved onto the dining room. It was just as bad in there if not worse. I grimaced as I picked up a pair of lady’s panties by the end of my broomstick.

  “What was the theme of this party?” I stuck my tongue out and shuddered. “Who could lose the most clothes?”

  Darren sniffed. “The masters have some over-enthusiastic guests.”

  “You're telling me,” I grumbled and then I remembered Drake and then moaning woman in the hallway. “Why isn't there any blood?”

  “Blood?”

  “Yes.” I leaned over the table and scooped several plates and cups into the trash bags. “You know, vampires drink blood.” When he only stared at me, I reached up to my face and put my fingers in my mouth like I had two long fangs. “With fangs?”

  “I know what you mean, you daft girl.”

  I went back to filling the bag with trash. “Then where's the blood? I've found trash, panties, and all manner of other things, worse than a fucking frat house if you ask me, but no blood. Why is that?”

  “We're neat eaters,” Wynn answered, causing Darren and I to freeze. He moved around the table, his eyes locked onto me. Those piercing blue eyes were more dangerous and tempting than they had been over eight hours ago. When he stopped on the other side of the chair from me, my fingers curled tightly around the trash bag. “Are you afraid of me now, Piper?”

  I licked my lips, my eyes darting down and then back up to his face. “I... I don't know. Are you going to bite me?”

  Wynn's lips curled back, far enough that his canines protruded over his mouth. “Not unless you're offering, love. Are you?”

  I shook my head profusely. “No.”

  “Then no.” He closed his mouth and cocked his head to the side. “I won't bite you, and neither will any of my brothers.”

  I opened my mouth to argue that Drake had seemed more than happy to take me whether or not he had my permission, but as if he were reading my mind, Wynn added, “No matter how much they tease and torment you about it.”

  Chancing a look at Darren, who was just barely holding back his laughter, I muttered, “Good to know I amuse you all so much. Fucking bastards.”

  “Now, is that any way to talk about your master?” Wynn s
lipped around the chair and leaned against the table's edge, caging me in.

  “Pfft. Master. You're no more my master than you are as charming as you think you are.” I jerked my head in his direction, then continued to clean off the table. “Now, if you don't mind, I have work to do and a nap to take.”

  Wynn lifted his hands up, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Far be it from me to keep a lady from her sleep.” He glanced over to Darren. “I'll be heading down now. Make sure we don't lose our maid again.”

  Darren smirked at me, placing a hand over his chest and inclining his head. “Of course, Master.”

  My eyes followed Wynn out of the corner of my eye until he was had disappeared down the hallway and not back upstairs. “Where's he going?”

  “To the basement, where all the masters' sleep during the day.”

  I gathered up the final bag of trash and followed Darren into the kitchen. “In coffins?”

  “Why would they do that?” Darren arched a brow as he dumped the dishes into the sink. Rolling up his sleeves, he turned on the water and begun to wash them.

  I took up the place beside him and rinsed them before putting them into the drainer. “They always do in the movies and books.”

  Darren stopped washing for a moment to stare at me. “Do you think that everything you see or read is right? That perhaps those things were leaked, purposely placed there by those who do not wish their secrets revealed?”

  I hummed. He continued washing. We stood there in silence for a few moments, and then I asked, “Does Gretchen know?”

  Giving me a sideways look, Darren handed me a plate. “Who do you think fills the silver containers in the refrigerator?” He took the cup I had been rinsing and gestured with his head. “Why don't you go lay down, and we can talk more about it later? A lot has happened in a short period of time.”

  I didn't argue. My eyes burned, and my head ached from all the new information. I simply turned away from and walked up the stairs. I didn't stop walking until I was inside my room. I stripped down to my underwear, not bothering to put on a tank top or sleep shirt and collapsed on top of the covers of my bed. I was out before my head ever hit the pillow.