"You are not currently fermenting," she said with a grin. "In spite of last night's wine."
I used the bathroom, and then when I stepped out, she was waiting with the leash. I knelt for her to attach it, then I bent to kiss her feet.
"No."
"Yes," I said. "I want to. M'lady, please."
And so, she let me kiss her feet, which I had grown to crave. She hummed at me, then finally lifted me gently to my feet.
But she tugged on the chain, and we both laughed.
She led me through the house, refusing to tell me where we were going. When I pestered her the third time, she turned to me and used the leash to force me to kneel.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm excited."
"I know," she said gently. "I want to show you my way."
"I'm sorry, m'lady."
She tugged, and I followed after.
She led me to the back door and told me to dress for the weather.
"Will we be outside long?"
"No, and the clothes here are not to be worn where I am taking you."
So I pulled on boots and a coat, but nothing else. And then we stepped outside.
She led me to the building she had always called the gardener's quarters. It was a cute little cottage overlooking the garden. Once we arrived, she turned me to face her. "Traditionally this is where the gardener lives."
"Then why are we here?"
"Because the gardener does not currently live here. This is your space."
And without another word, she pulled me inside.
I stared.
It was a large, open space, light and full of air. The interior was painted all white, and the ceilings were high. There was a wall of windows along one side, facing the garden. Along the other was a long, blank canvas, and in the far corner was clearly a storage area.
I didn't notice as she stripped the coat from my body or the boots from my feet, but then she draped a white lab coat over me and zipped it.
I started to cry.
"For me?"
"Yes."
She showed me the space. "The windows can be darkened," she said. "Ashlyn will need to show you the controls. She'll show you the heating and cooling controls as well." She pointed to a tablet on the wall. "That's the controls, and it also has all your messaging capabilities. You do not need to bring your tablet with you. It also controls the lights, and there are speakers built into this space, with voice recognition. Ashlyn will show you."
I nodded, blinking back the tears.
She showed me the supplies. There were two storage crates filled with pre-stretched canvases in several sizes from small to fairly large. Two large chests held paint, one filled with oil, one filled with acrylic. There were brushes, far more brushes than I had ever owned, plus scrapers and everything else I would need. A closet held cleaning supplies, rags, raw, bulk canvas I could cut and stretch myself, and everything else I could possibly want.
I turned to her. "Why?"
"Because I wanted to."
I looked around further, roaming in a daze. There were tables I could work at, and a drafter's table. I had never used one. There were three large easels, each with a canvas already waiting, and several stools.
"These are like the ones in my own studio."
"Really? I just went to the store and asked for stools."
"They are special order." I narrowed my eyes.
She shrugged. "The clerk said the best needed to be ordered. I didn't ask many questions."
I roamed the space, looking further, thinking about the things I would need, and finding them, finding absolutely everything I could possibly want.
I turned to Lady Dunn. "What are the rules?"
She stepped forward and unzipped the lab coat halfway. "When I am here, even if you are painting, I want this unzipped. I presume you do not care to paint naked."
"No."
"If you want footwear, tell me what you want. I couldn't guess."
"I'll try barefoot, if you like."
She pointed to the floor. I hadn't noticed. "Rubber. Well, something like rubber. It should be easier to stand on than concrete, but if you don't like it, we can change it."
"You thought of everything."
"You have free access to this space any time you are not locked in your room or with me. You will report when you are coming here. There will be a new tablet mounted in the wall near the back door of the house, but it might not be there until Monday. You will use the tablet here to log in and out."
I nodded.
"You may invite people here. There is a refrigerator, and Maria will keep it stocked with whatever you want. If you bring guests, then Maria can stock for them, but you will not eat or drink outside your diet."
"Of course."
"You may dress for the weather to travel to and from. And you may wear this coat when you paint. But I do not want you hiding behind the clothing."
"I'll only wear it when I have paints or cleaning materials in use."
"It may take some time to regulate the temperature, and all the glass complicates heating and cooling. I will offer some leeway."
I nodded.
"There are cameras." She pointed. "Every space is visible, but not every space is visible from every angle. You must be visible to the cameras while you are out here, but it is your choice whether your paintings are."
"Is that a bathroom?" I asked.
"Yes. More cameras. This was a home, so there is a shower. And because it was the gardener's space, there was already an eye wash station. First aid kit on the wall, but if there is anything requiring more than a Band-Aid, then you yell "emergency" over and over, and the voice recognition system will summon someone. Ashlyn will show you how to acquire less drastic attention if necessary."
I looked around and then turned back to her.
"You will still exercise. You will still sleep. You may have your meals out here if you prefer. This is not your new bedroom."
"No, I understand. I won't abuse it, m'lady." I moved to her and knelt. "I am first and foremost, your blood slave." I leaned against her. "I am yours."
She held my head against her, and we stayed like that for several minutes. I had stopped crying but I remained stunned at what she had done.
"If there is anything you need, you ask," she said.
"I will. I normally stretch my own canvas."
"I wanted you to have both options. I thought you had pent up need and wouldn't want to wait."
I looked up. "I would like to inaugurate the space, m'lady."
"Oh? How."
"I am your blood slave. Is there more than one way?"
"Do you want gentle or rough?"
"Long and slow, if that would please you."
She picked me up and carried me to the couch, unzipping the lab coat on the way. She stripped it from my body, letting it drop to the floor, then sat down with me across her lap. She cradled me and began stroking my face and neck.
"Will you glamour me?"
She smiled. "Yes. Look into my eyes."
They began to glow, and I stared at them, and then she took control of my mind. She let me feel as she continued to stroke me, but I couldn't look away, and my mind slowed.
"Mine," she said, and I agreed.
The glamour broke as she lowered her mouth to my throat, but I couldn't have resisted by then, I was so far gone, my body aching in anticipation. She licked my throat, and I began to pant lightly, and then, excruciatingly slowly, she extended her fangs into me.
There was the customary, welcome moment of pain, and then deep pleasure.
She began to draw on me, very, very lightly. She spent more time with her tongue pressed against me, stemming the flow of the blood, but she kept her fangs buried in me, keeping the wound open, and the blood seeped from me rather than gushed.
"Yes," I whispered. "Ohhh..."
But then, far too soon, she withdrew her fangs, and her tongue bathed me, closing the wounds while licking away the last drops of blo
od against my skin.
I lay in her arms a long time, but finally, slowly opened my eyes.
"I am keeping you from anything?" I asked.
"You are giving me the deepest of pleasures."
"Will you be able to come here during the day? All the windows?" I was worried she would burn in the sunlight.
"I will probably be dressed for the weather," she said with a smile. "And we can figure out what works so I can sit and watch if I choose. Will I be welcome?"
"Always," I agreed.
"I wasn't sure whether you would want me to feed from you here."
"Always."
"I took more than I should."
"I'll make more."
"If you are light headed today, you must tell me later." She smiled. "I can take more then fill you back up."
"All those transfusions. How do you know I won't catch something from someone else."
"The blood of mine I give you wouldn't allow it."
"You didn't take so much I will be light headed." She had in the past, and I could always tell. I laid my head back down and snuggled against her, and she held me tightly.
"Are you staying here?"
"Yes," I said.
"Then you must check in using the tablet, and there is an option to request your breakfast here."
"Maria shouldn't have to carry it."
"It was Maria's idea."
* * * *
I didn't stop drawing. The charcoal and pencils were very good for portraying the ugliness of my situation. But I began painting, starting with a few small pieces and going from there.
I asked Ashlyn to program the tablet to alert me if I weren't exercising enough, and two days later, a new tablet appeared at the gym. She and Lady Dunn showed it to me together. "You set your needs," Lady Dunn explained, "but the system helps you record and harasses you if you need it. If you do not remain healthy, I am able to override anything you have scheduled, and if I override it, you will do it."
"Yes, m'lady," I replied.
All the members of the household got into the habit of visiting me in the studio. They learned how to visit with me while I continued to paint, understanding that I may give them very little attention at times. No one seemed offended.
Everything I produce was harsh, stark, ugly.
Lady Dunn declared them brilliant.
We continued to attend events, and she abused me badly at them, although it was largely more of the same. I do have more to say on that in a bit.
She hosted events at her house as well. I begged her to leave my studio sacrosanct, and of course, she agreed instantly. "I would not pervert your space, Melissa," she explained. "It is yours, not theirs." She abused me badly at her events as well, and a few times, allowed others to do so as well.
There were more fights between her and Edie over that.
My months as a blood slave continued, and I survived.
And months turned into a year, and I began my second year with her.
Challenge
I'd been with her for a year and a half. I had long since grown completely accustomed to my position with her. I didn't even need to think about how to respond. When she entered a room, I knelt to her. If I were painting, I dropped my lab coat on the floor before reaching her, and then I stopped wearing it at all.
She dressed me very skimpily whenever we left the house, although in the worst of weather, she gave me enough to make it between the car and shelter.
And then she gave me several days' warning of an upcoming event. She never gave me that much warning, as she knew I fretted and lost sleep. So when the day of the event arrived, I looked especially haggard, and my time in front of the mirror was spent making me look even worse.
She dressed me in the least amount of clothing she had to date, just a few baubles hanging for accents, and then she bled me, but not severely. I was leashed and tugged to the car. She was very cruel.
Some of the events I had attended had been public events held at this venue or that one, and she was somewhat more circumspect with me at those. Blood slaves serve as a helpful reminder to the other humans what can happen when you defy the vampires' laws, but they did not want to remind the humans of the depravity involved. Or at least not too blatantly remind the humans.
But at the vampire-only events, things were different.
She spent the entire ride abusing my body, tugging on the chains, pinching me, and she even left jagged scratches in my back. As we pulled up, she buried her fangs in my neck, so when the door opened, anyone watching would clearly see a vampire feeding from her blood slave, but she took only a taste. She healed the wound poorly, however, and it oozed blood as we stepped from the limousine.
Just inside the door, the hostess greeted us. "Oops," she said, brushing at my neck. "You were a little sloppy, Lady Dunn."
"Oh dear," she replied, then she pulled me roughly into her arms and reopened the wound before closing it carefully. I hung limply in her embrace.
After that, I largely ignored everything going on around me. I was so attuned to Lady Dunn by then she had to work to tug on the chain as much as she liked, but I knew my attentiveness pleased her as well.
But then I heard a voice, a familiar vampire voice. "Lady Dunn. She is still alive?"
"She clings tenaciously to life," m'lady replied. I glanced up and saw the vampire who had inquired about my art during the first party. I looked back down, ignoring him, but I didn't succeed when I tried to ignore the conversation.
"Perhaps you will grow tired of her," the man said. "You could recoup much of your investment. Of course, as damaged as she is, she wouldn't be worth remotely what you paid for her."
"We shall see," my mistress replied. "You know, she is my first blood slave, and I find I enjoy it far more than I expected to."
"You held out far too long," the man replied. He stepped closer and lifted my chin so I faced upwards to him. "She won't last much longer though, will she?"
"She may surprise us. She has come back from death several times now. I am not ready to drain her yet. It would be a shame to only keep her half her sentence. Whatever will she learn if I let her off early?"
The man guffawed then released me, and Lady Dunn tugged my chain to pull me closer against her leg. I clung to her.
"She seems quite taken with you."
"I decided to see what happens if I get her addicted. She'll do anything for a bite." She tugged my chain so I looked up at her face. "Won't you, blood slave?"
"Yes, m'lady." I offered a wan smile. "Do I please you?"
"Silence," she said, jerking my head back down savagely.
We worked the room for an hour or two, and I found myself clinging to her more and more. She began having to explain it, but the other vampires laughed at the story, and she didn't correct my behavior.
I didn't notice the trouble when it arrived. I was clinging to her leg and staring ahead dully when another vampire approached. "Lady Dunn," the woman said. "You brought your blood slave. I was hoping you would. Have you seen mine?"
"Quite impressive, Rachel," m'lady replied. "Who is she?"
"You do not recognize her? She is Katarina Markov. She is a triathlete who decided the doping rules didn't apply to her."
I glanced up at the woman. She was wearing more clothes than I was; it would have been hard not to. She had a magnificent body, toned to perfection, and either her vampire hadn't had her very long, or she was well taken care of.
The other blood slave looked down at me and sneered. I am sure I looked quite pitiful. I would have sneered, too, at the wretched slave clinging to her mistress.
I looked back down. I didn't care.
"There is to be entertainment," the other vampire said. "Had you heard?"
"I had heard you and Malik were providing entertainment."
"Ah, yes," she said. "Cathalina has told everyone, I am sure, and they are all waiting. It is in the next room, a competition between blood slaves. Come, we are all required."
&nb
sp; The woman stepped away without another word, her slave following her. Lady Dunn tugged me to my feet, but then she leaned down to whisper to me. "This is bad. Be strong, Melissa."
I didn't know what was going on, but I followed obediently. We moved through the house and arrived in a large ballroom.
"Look around," she whispered. "At the walls."
I looked around, and hanging from the walls were every weapon imaginable, every weapon except firearms.
Rachel had moved into the center of the room, her blood slave with her. Lady Dunn tried to hang back, but then the hostess appeared at her side. "Lady Dunn, I have promised my guests entertainment, but unfortunately Malik's blood slave has expired. I tried to make other arrangements, but it was such short notice. I'm sure you understand. Come, we mustn't disappoint."
Lady Dunn tugged my chain, and I followed her, my heart beginning to pound. We stepped to the center of the room facing Rachel, and she had me kneel against her.
Cathalina spoke to the assembled vampires, drawing attention, and more of them entered the room, surrounding the space. I couldn't have told you how many were there, but it was dozens. Cathalina, once she judged she had enough attention, said, "Rachel has offered us entertainment, but I will let her explain."
Rachel stepped forward, her blood slave at her shoulder. "Lady Dunn," she said, "I had arranged this with Malik, but unfortunately, he had a little accident with his blood slave. And so, my blood slave challenges yours to a duel. The loser is to be bled for those assembled to enjoy."
The room grew silent. It was a ridiculous challenge, a fine athlete against a pitiful, well-abused artist.
"My blood slave has already bled today, several times, actually," Lady Dunn replied. "I am afraid we could not squeeze enough blood from her veins to offer even a taste to all here. Furthermore, I thought we wanted entertainment." She looked down at me. "Surely you can do better than this."
"Promises were made," Cathalina said. "Promises must be kept. There must be a competition between blood slaves, and there are only two here."
Lady Dunn tried again to escape. "I have paid too much for her and am not ready to bleed her out."
"As your slave has served half her sentence," Cathalina stated, "and it is Malik's fault we do not have a better competitor, then Malik will pay half her price as compensation, should she lose and expire. You have had the best half of her, so this is more than generous compensation."
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