“Jana, you are not a whore. You are my sister. I love you with my whole heart, but I cannot give you that which you seek.” He landed a soft peck on her forehead and left her alone to think on his words.
St. Petersburg. December 22, 1793.
Ewa ran her hand over Alexander’s bare chest and giggled. “Not once since Maxim sired you did I think that we would be together like this. I thought Jana would be the one warming your bed.”
Alexander patted her on her head, allowing his fingers to sink into her silky blonde curls. “She knows I cannot be with her.”
Ewa rested her chin on his chest. “Have you two not spoken since then?”
“I am open to any conversation with her on any other topic than whom I take to my bed.”
She trailed kisses down his chest and lifted the sheets. “Shall we go for another round?”
St. Petersburg. November 27, 1813.
Lev lay on his bed in a room aglow with candlelight. His short grey hair stuck out in different directions and his wrinkled face smiled at Alexander who held his servant’s hand. No matter how many times Alexander asked over the years, this man’s answer remained the same. Lev did not wish to become a vampire.
Lev took in a shaky breath. “Sir, I am certain you have matters to attend to. You are opening a new business soon.”
Alexander shook his head. His platinum hair, which ran down his back, fell over his shoulders and accented his beautiful, youthful face. Tears stung his eyes. He could hear the old man’s irregular heartbeat struggling to pump blood. Soon, Lev’s time would be up and another friend would vanish from Alexander’s life.
“You know that I would not be able to give my business full attention with you like this.”
Lev patted Alexander’s hand, letting the warmth of his touch seep into Alexander’s cool flesh. “It was a pleasure to work for you. I must admit, at times I feared for those who were in your way but never for my life. You are a good man who hides behind a mask of indifference.”
“Only you can see through the deception, my friend,” Alexander murmured.
“Lady Jana will come around, I am certain,” Lev added.
For twenty years, they have not spoken a word to each other. She avoided Alexander at family gatherings and never came to the same events he attended. He knew she needed time. That was all they had in the end.
Lev’s shaking hand tightened on Alexander’s, and it brought him out of his reverie. The old man’s face was contorted with pain, yet he bravely bore it without a single tear or a whimper.
“Is there anything you wish for?” Alexander asked. “You have worked tirelessly for me. How can I repay such loyalty?”
“I do not wish to impose on your kindness.”
“No, please, ask anything of me, and I will grant it if it is in my power.”
“Then, could you look after my family from afar. Let them lead a happy life…” Lev’s heart contracted one last time and his smile disappeared. Light faded from his eyes and his eyelids fluttered shut.
Alexander lowered his head, pressing Lev’s hand to his forehead. “I will do this for you, Lev, I will.”
CHAPTER 17
St. Petersburg. August 26, 1889.
For one hundred and thirteen years Alexander had lived as a vampire. High societies changed, laws were abolished and reformed, the servants were given rights and land of their own—things he could never have dreamed of when he was under Yosef’s boot. Industrialisation spread through Russia like wildfire, making them the largest producers of wheat and steel in the world. Trading was established with China and even the government of ministers was formed under the rule of Alexander III. Yet, with all this progress, humans remained the same. Greed, pride, deception, betrayal—these things came with ease to those in power, and Alexander learned to expect nothing from mortals. Those who were loyal, he paid heed to. Others, he ignored or used.
Tonight he was invited to dinner. It was a home of one of the most influential land owners in St. Petersburg. The discussions on paper were taking too long and after the sudden death of her father, Tanya Koralova inherited everything.
Evening came, engulfing the tall grey buildings in the shadows. The foul mixture of oil, sweat, and rubbish wafted through the streets of this city, which had doubled in population over the years.
Alexander stood in front of Miss Koralova’s home. He knocked three times and waited.
A man in his early thirties opened the door. His steely grey eyes studied Alexander’s expensive attire from the soles of his leather shoes to the tips of his short platinum hair. With a pleasant smile, Alexander returned his stare, although he could already sense unease in the stranger.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Alexander Grekov. I have a dinner appointment with Miss Koralova.”
The man forced a smile, but his eyes remained cold. “Do come in! My fiancée is readying the table,” the man said. “I am Anton, pleased to meet you.” He shook Alexander’s hand before ushering his guest into the lavishly decorated home.
Alexander scanned the expensive furnishings, the family paintings hanging on the walls, and the red plush carpet stretching all the way down the well-lit corridor. Gas lamps were built into the walls, allowing the members of the household to regulate the intensity of the flame. New inventions were, indeed, a wonder in Alexander’s eyes.
He followed Anton into the dining room and was offered a seat at the table large enough to fit ten people with ease. Freshly made holodets and vareniki were surrounded by a beautiful array of salads and a bowl of cream.
Alexander settled into his seat. He heard a woman complaining about the burned pie in the kitchen, followed by a sigh. The smell of overcooked food filtered into the room. Alexander did his best not to react to the change since Anton remained oblivious as he sat down across the table from him.
“So what does such a successful businessman wish to discuss with my fiancée?” Anton asked.
Alexander settled back in his seat and crossed his arms. “I will announce my intentions once Miss Koralova joins us at the table, if you wouldn’t mind.”
Anton’s upper lip twitched in annoyance. He then smiled pleasantly and nodded. “Of course, but do not expect too much. Her father did not teach her business well.”
“Are you suggesting that it is you I must speak with in regard to her holdings?” Alexander inquired with mock interest.
“Of course not. I am not interested in business at all. I would rather see my future wife happy.”
Alexander snorted inwardly. This mortal was not a good liar. He most likely was in a relationship with Miss Koralova for her money. If she could not see that, then she was a fool and not someone versed in business.
A woman in her mid-twenties breathed into the room. Her long hair the colour of wheat was braided and pinned carefully around her head. She smiled the brightest, happiest smile at Alexander that he did not expect to receive from his host.
She arrived at his side, shaking his hand eagerly. “Thank you for coming, Mr Grekov. I have not had the time to look over my father’s paperwork. I fear that walking into his office would cause me great upset again.”
“Please, call me Alexander.”
She beamed at him. “Then you may call me Tanya. My fiancé told me much about you. You are rather well known in the business world. I did not expect you to be so young…” she said, taking her seat at the table.
Alexander chuckled. “I may look young, but I certainly am not as fresh-faced as I appear.”
Anton reached for Tanya’s hand and lifted it to his lips. His eyes lit with emotion that could be mistaken for adoration, but Alexander knew better. “My lovely Tanya is a beauty, is she not?”
Her blue eyes twinkled, and she blushed. “Oh, Anton. We have a guest here.”
The man mumbled an apology to Alexander who watched the scene with interest. Contrary to his intentions to stay uninvolved in the lives of humans, a sensation he had long since buried came forth. He was concerned
for her. He would have a word or two with Tanya about Anton if the man ever left them alone.
“I do believe that is something I wish to discuss in private,” Alexander pointedly said to Anton.
Tanya waved Alexander’s comment away. “It is all right. We will be wed next week. I do not think there is a need to keep things from each other.”
Fool. Alexander reached into his pocket and retrieved an envelope. He offered it to Tanya who gingerly took it.
“What is this?”
Alexander smirked. “It is a contract your late father and I were discussing. I want you to look over the details of my acquisition of one of his lands. Please do so with haste as I am a busy man.”
“Do not rush her. She is new to this business, and she had next to no time to mourn her dear father properly,” Anton said.
Tanya squeezed her fiancé’s hand. “Thank you. I am glad to have you by my side.”
“Anything for you, my princess,” Anton murmured.
Alexander rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. “I do hope that your relationship is as sweet as it seems.”
She studied Alexander with a frown and her eyes widened.
Has she caught on to my silent warning?
Tanya pushed the plate of food towards him. “Oh, I am so sorry! You must be starving. Please forgive my rudeness.”
Alexander pushed the plate away. He had fed from one of his donors before coming here. “I am not hungry.”
Over the course of the century, he had learned to control his thirst to the point where he only needed to feed every three days. That did not stop him from having one or two women in his bed whenever he fancied it. After Katharine, his heart remained dead and not one person managed to revive it. Not that he was on the lookout for love. It was a useless emotion when it came to business, forcing both parties to suffer.
“Oh,” Tanya said, deflated. “I do not know what to offer you then…”
Anton raised his hand with his index finger pointing towards the ceiling as if a great idea had lit a match in his head. “I could bring out your father’s scotch. It should be in his office.”
Tanya’s expression was torn. She seemed eager to please Alexander and, at the same time, was plagued by sadness what washed over her the moment her father was mentioned.
Alexander stood from the table, making the chair legs screech against the wooden floor. “Please look over the contract by the day after tomorrow.”
Tanya pressed her lips together. “I guess it is now my duty to look after Papa’s properties. I will do as you have suggested and send you a letter as soon as I come to a decision.”
“Very well.” Alexander inclined his head and left their house in a hurry. There was no need for him to remain there with that clown act.
Why does it bother me?
He strolled past the people. The fashions had changed from spacious, puffy dresses to those that hugged the woman’s body, outlining her shape. He preferred the modern dress. It left little to the imagination. And that was precisely how he wanted his women: transparent. Those who were eager to wed him for his money were carved out of his life in an instant.
He walked through the dark streets to his empty home. A number of beggars were dotted around the street. He ignored them. His mind was preoccupied with Jana. She had long since left Max’s mansion. The last letter Ewa received from her was sent from Shanghai. They never did work out their disagreement.
Ewa, too, chose to travel around the world in search of interesting men. Her appetites for adventure and carnal pleasures were never sated.
Matvey came and went, appearing for the family gatherings every ten years and reporting on the events in Moscow. It would seem that the Sokolov bloodline died out the moment he set fire to the Golden Chalice. Yosef’s wife had passed away from grief before she could marry a second time.
Most of his time, Alexander spent alone, reading over his paperwork in the library and always seeking new ways to expand his business. Living was a process that had to be filled with some kind of achievements or pleasure. Otherwise, he would rip his heart out and be done with the immortality granted to him.
Alexander’s mind drifted back to Tanya. She was a pitiful woman. She owned many great locations that would be perfect for his expansion, yet she could not see that the man close to her was a conman. It reminded him of his blind love for Katharine and the tragic end that chapter of his life came to. It was his hope that Miss Koralova would not meet the same unfortunate fate.
CHAPTER 18
St. Petersburg. September 10, 1889.
Alexander waited for over two weeks for the letter from Miss Koralova and nothing came. He even allowed for the marriage proceedings to occur without interrupting her happy event. His patience was wearing thin.
Alexander slammed the book he was reading shut, making the maid jump in surprise.
“Is something wrong, sir?” she asked meekly.
Of course it wasn’t! He needed that land. Even though he could easily influence her to sign the papers, there would be no joy in his success upon receiving it. He set the book aside and got up.
“I am going to visit Miss Koralova today,” he informed her.
“Shall I get your coat?”
“Please do.”
The maid rushed out of the room and returned with his black coat.
He briefly glanced at the clock. It was almost nine in the evening. Not the most pleasant or appropriate time for a visit, but he no longer cared. If she was too engrossed in her marital bliss, she needed a reminder that there existed life beyond the bedsheets. Afterwards, she could continue procreating with her new husband at will.
Alexander shrugged the coat on and left his house in the hopes to find Tanya. He enjoyed evening strolls through the city. They reminded him of the deeds that could only be committed in the dark. The thieves were preparing for their heists, the killers were sharpening their weapons, and the victims were preparing to turn in for the night. As a monster that he was, he wandered the streets, uncaring.
Half an hour later, Alexander was drawing close to her home when he heard a scream. The front door to Miss Koralova’s townhouse burst open. She ran out of the building, clutching her stomach with both hands.
Blood.
He smelled it on her. She was wounded, which was why he chose to follow the crimson droplets that painted the road. No one else was out on the street. Warm evening breeze brushed past, ruffling the skirt of her dress and wafting the delicious scent of her blood in his direction.
Tanya stumbled and fell forward with an agonized groan.
Alexander sped to her side, listening to the struggling heart in her chest. He needed her to get the land. And now that she was dying, he would have to deal with her husband instead. That man would never part with the land for the current price. His greed was evident from the moment they met.
He bent down to her level, taking in her round eyes and chattering teeth.
“Anton, h-he tried… He wanted to…” she mumbled over and over again like a broken record.
Alexander patted the woman’s dishevelled hair. Her golden locks were sticking out from the undone pins. Her body was rigid until she leaned into his touch, stopped talking, and closed her eyes.
“You will not last the night,” Alexander said.
She looked at him, her breaths becoming laboured. “He will blame…this on you. I cannot die now!”
Alexander lifted her chin. “Do you wish to live, Tanya?”
She gave him a faint nod of her head. If he was going to turn her, there was little time left.
“Are you willing to leave everything you know behind?”
Tanya’s heavy lids began to close. “I will do anything. He cannot…ruin my father’s legacy…”
Alexander accepted her words and carried her into the nearest dark alley where he listened out for any stragglers. When he was satisfied no one was in the vicinity, he pushed the loose strands of hair away from her neck.
“This
will hurt,” he whispered and bit into her neck.
Tanya stiffened in his hold but did not fight back. Whether she did not have enough energy or accepted what he was doing as help, he couldn’t be certain. He shared his energy with her and listened to her heartbeat. Once it slowed, Alexander lowered her body and bit into his wrist. He pressed it to her parted lips and tilted her head back.
“Drink,” he ordered.
Tanya’s cool lips brushed his skin, and he felt the blood from his veins flowing into her. He closed his eyes, revelling in the new to him sensation. Her memories and thoughts floated through his mind as his blood began to accept her as his childe.
His wound closed up, and he bit into his wrist again, offering it to her.
Tanya eagerly sucked on it now. Her eyes closed and her hands were pressing his wrist to her mouth as if it was her lifeline.
He felt his energy levels dropping once the bond between them began to form. Her mind accepted him as her sire, and he pushed the final traces of energy he had left into her soul.
Certain that he followed all of Max’s teachings, Alexander kissed her on the forehead and removed his wrist from her mouth. “This will be unpleasant for only a moment.”
Tanya closed her eyes, awaiting his next move with blind trust.
It gnawed at him that he had to take another life after that nightmarish night in Moscow, but he did so by snapping her neck.
Alexander took off his coat and wrapped it around her. He tried standing and swayed on his feet. So, he rested his palm against the wall for support. The world finally stopped spinning, and he gathered his first childe into his arms.
“Welcome to the family, Tanya.”
St. Petersburg. September 13, 1889.
Three days went by with excruciating slowness. Alexander had filed a report to the Vampire Council, stating that he had sired a childe. The news excited Maxim who immediately sent his congratulations.
The report itself was a procedure put in place to allow vampires to keep track of the population in the Council’s territory. All newborn vampires who had not been registered were eliminated as was their sire if he created more than one childe per century. Unless their numbers were low due to the hunters’ presence, the population grew at a rather slow pace which helped keep his kind hidden all these years.
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