I glanced over, and Rachel was already glowering at me, as was Katarina. I could have drawn almost anything and she'd be angry.
"No one?" Cathalina asked. "Can she have drawn anything worse than these two drawings, and not one of you has tried to kill her."
"I would wager on my blood slave's prediction," Lady Dunn said. "A modest wager."
"Would you?" asked Cathalina. "Will you wager with me?"
M'lady inclined her head, just once.
"Well then, what would you like from me if you win?
"Your assistance on that issue we discussed."
"Agreed. And if your blood slave's prediction does not come true, then you will loan her to me for one evening. I will return her to you in the same condition I receive her, more or less."
I stiffened, but I couldn't say anything. Lady Dunn glanced at me briefly, and I couldn't read her reaction.
"You will not drink deeply?"
"No, nor will I harm her, assuming she is well-behaved by now. But I require you to deliver her in better condition than she is tonight."
"Agreed," my vampire said immediately.
Cathalina smiled. "I believe we should first see Lady Dunn's reaction to the drawing of her opponent's blood slave."
Misha handed the drawing to Cathalina, who glanced at it, then held it for my vampire to see.
"Is it upside down?" she asked immediately.
Cathalina turned it back. "I cannot tell."
"Perhaps give it to me," I said. The vampire smiled and did so. "The perforations are at the top, if she held the pad properly." I rotated the drawing. "Oh, I see. You have to look where the scratches are." I turned it sideways a few times. "I think it's supposed to be a hand with the middle finger raised."
Rachel’s blood slave was boiling with anger by now, and I was sure the woman was not long for this world. My vampire took the drawing from me. "I don't see it."
"Here. You have to see the scratches from the pen being upside down." I traced it for her. "Do you see?"
"Oh, there it is." She shrugged and handed it back to Cathalina.
"Well, Declan, shall we see what Rachel has to say about the other drawing?"
My vampire was subtle, but she moved me so that Rachel would need to go through her to get to me. I watched over my vampire's shoulder as Declan handed the drawing to Cathalina. She looked at it and glanced at me. "Oh my. You may have won our side wager." She approached Rachel and turned the drawing around.
The vampire stared at the drawing. I had drawn her, it was clearly she, but to be sure, I had labeled it besides. I had made it a caricature as well. And I had drawn her blood slave, but it was the blood slave that was drinking from Rachel's neck. I had given the woman bulging muscles and she was wearing an athletic tee shirt with the number 00 on it.
Rachel went insane. She went more insane when Cathalina held the drawing up for all to see, and everyone else began laughing, moments later when they realized what I had drawn.
Rachel began screaming at me, clenching her fists, her fangs exposed. The laughter made it worse.
But she didn't come after me. She screamed for a while, but then she grew still, and smiled. "I won't give you the pleasure. You're going to spend a night with Cathalina. That's enough for me."
Then she took her blood slave and pulled her away.
"Not so fast," Cathalina said. "I want that slave bled and then whipped."
"Will she hurt me?" I whispered to my vampire.
"I'm sorry," she replied. "She'll bleed you, but only a token."
"If it weren't for the wager, Rachel would have been after me." The wager had served to make me safer, at least for tonight.
"Yes. You do know how to anger a vampire."
"It's a gift."
"Hush now."
The blood slave was an idiot. She tried to fight the bleeding. Cathalina didn't let Rachel do it. Instead, she asked Declan and Misha to handle it, and the blood slave fought with them. It did her no good, of course, but they were probably far rougher with her for it.
The help staff produced small goblets, and Katarina was made to bleed into them. One by one, they were passed around the room until finally, all the vampires had a glass. There were two glasses waiting for Declan and Misha, and Cathalina declared everyone had a glass. Katarina had long since stopped struggling.
I put my hand on Lady Dunn's arm and grinned at her.
"Are you sure?"
I nodded.
"Cathalina," my vampire says. "My blood slave wishes to say something."
"Oh?" The vampire turned to me. "This should be entertaining."
"We are short two glasses," I stated, and my vampire chuckled.
"No," said Cathalina. "Every vampire has a glass, even Rachel, and these two are for Declan and Misha."
"The wager was for everyone in the room. I do not have a glass. The other blood slave doesn't, either. And, for that matter, the staff do not have glasses, but perhaps they were not in the room at the time the challenge was made."
The woman laughed, and there were other chuckles around the room.
"Declan, Misha, we require two more glasses, but given the nature of the intended recipients, perhaps they could be half samples."
Cathalina herself handed me my glass with a nod of her head. She waited until Declan and Misha had freed themselves from their task and held their own glasses, and then she lifted her glass.
"To good sportsmanship," she declared, a toast I could drink to.
I eyed the glass dubiously, but I decided I wasn't going to sip. I swallowed the contents in one gulp.
It was terrible, and I immediately regretted my big mouth. I realized all the vampires were watching me, and Declan said, "You're supposed to sip. So much to learn, little artist. So much to learn."
My stomach roiled, but I held it down. It was a close call.
"The vintage sits poorly with you?" Cathalina asked, her lips twitching.
I eyed the empty glass. "Yes," I declared. "It tastes like steroids."
There were several barks of laughter, and Cathalina inclined her head to me.
I glanced over and noticed Katarina surreptitiously handing her glass to her vampire.
"You do not drink to my toast?" Cathalina asked. She had eyes in the back of her head. "Well, no matter. Declan and Misha, may I trouble you for one more service. Strip that slave and hold her." She pointed to Katarina.
They didn't wait. They grabbed her again. Declan held her while Misha stripped her clothes, and then they together held her between them, her back to the rest of us. Rachel didn't say a word in protest.
"My whip!" Cathalina said, and one of her servants ran forward, handing her a short whip. She studied the hapless slave's back.
"Blood slave," she hollered. "You were warned, and still you used foul language and carried an unsportsmanlike conduct in my house, assembled in front of these people. If a vampire had acted like you had, I would have been angry. If a human had, I would have been livid. But you are a blood slave, and your mistress clearly has not taught you your place! Furthermore, you became a blood slave through cheating, which I find reprehensible."
She paused, and I could see she truly was angry. Her fangs peeked out of her mouth, and her eyes were red. But she calmed herself.
"I cannot do this," she said. "I'll kill her, and she is not mine to kill." She looked around, her eyes focusing on my vampire and me. She walked up to us, and I thought she was going to ask Lady Dunn to whip the other slave. Instead, she took my hand and placed the whip in it.
"Me?" I squeaked.
"It was your life on the line," she stated.
I stepped away from my vampire and approached the other slave. I hefted the whip. I didn't want to do this, and I was thinking as quickly as I could. I turned back to Cathalina, who was watching me intently. I fell to my knees.
"Miss Cathalina," I said. "I am only my vampire's blood slave. Her property. And before that, I was an artist. I cannot do this. If the crime c
ommitted were against me, then I would forgive her. But this is your household, not mine."
The woman stared at me, and from past her, Lady Dunn smiled just once, very briefly, very subtly, but I saw it.
Cathalina stepped forward. "Those two," she said, pointing, "came here with a plot to drain you dead. And you forgive them?"
"Maybe they'll promise to seek no further retribution against me," I suggested. "Please, if she must be whipped, it cannot be me." I held out the whip to her.
She stepped forward and took it from me. "Go to your mistress," she ordered, and she even helped me to my feet. I hurried to Lady Dunn, then knelt to her, my back to everyone else. She collected my leash but used the motion to caress my face.
"Rachel," said Cathalina behind me. "The blood slave is blameless in your dispute with her mistress. Furthermore, she has served as great entertainment to us tonight, under trying circumstances. She is owed assurances."
Rachel was actually gracious. She stepped forward and said, "Melissa Walsh, I would see your face."
I turned to look at her.
"You have nothing to fear from me," she said. "I hope you survive your sentence."
"And after my sentence?"
"Perhaps you will be available for commissions."
I bowed my head. "You have seen my art. The pieces tonight are representative. I do not know if there will be a return to my former style. I have produced no beauty in eighteen months and do not know if I ever will again."
The room grew quiet.
Rachel moved closer, stopping to face my vampire.
"Our feud is a source of stress for you," Rachel said.
I looked up, and Lady Dunn was nodding.
"I wish to suggest a truce," Rachel suggested. "Perhaps Cathalina can mediate a resolution between us."
"Our anger runs deep," Lady Dunn said. "And we are both proud."
"We are," Rachel replied. "It may take some years."
"I would welcome a truce. We are both weakened by this feud."
"Cathalina," Rachel said immediately, "will you mediate?"
"Do you both agree to be bound by my decisions?"
"Yes," they both said, "but you may need to be patient with us," m'lady added.
"We are vampires," Cathalina observed. "We have time for patience."
She turned to the blood slave. "Declan, it was your pens she insulted after your assurances to their quality."
"It is just a pen," Declan said. "I believe Rachel should think hard before taking this one into vampire company in the future. I have been well amused this evening."
Cathalina sighed. But then Rachel moved to her and held her hand out for the whip.
"If the blood slave can be so gracious," Cathalina told her, "I can be."
"She is my slave, and it is my responsibility."
"I reduce my sentence to one stroke," Cathalina offered. "Any further are from you." And she handed the whip over.
I turned away, not wanting to watch, and buried my face in m'lady's stomach. She held me gently, and then there was a swish of the whip. Katarina cried out, but only once.
And then it was over. Lady Dunn pulled me to my feet, and I told her, "Please, may I have something to rinse this vile taste from my mouth."
"Come with me."
She tugged on the chain and found a servant. "Somewhere private?"
The girl led the way to another room, unoccupied, then closed the doors. Lady Dunn locked them.
It was a sitting room, and m'lady pulled me to a sofa. She sat, drawing me into her lap, facing away, and then she bit into her wrist and offered it to me.
I took it greedily, and my mouth filled with her taste. I sucked hard, letting the flavor fill me, and we both moaned together.
She let me have all I wanted, until the wound closed, before pulling her wrist from my mouth. Then she turned me to face her and kissed my cheek.
"I am so proud of you," she said.
"I was so scared."
"I know." She pulled me to her, and I went willingly.
"Will they stop asking why you paid so much?"
"If you are ever auctioned again, your price will be difficult for me to pay." Then she laughed. "On the other hand, you earned your entire cost tonight, plus a little more."
"How?"
"The stock from the wager. It's not a big company, and she owns about thirty percent against my fifteen. Her share is worth about two point six million."
"You made a profit on me and only halfway through my sentence. What a brilliant investor you are."
She laughed, but then she sobered. "I must apologize to you."
"What for?"
"When I bought you I intended to release you after your year minimum. But I cannot bring myself to consider it. I am so sorry, but I can't."
"It's all right," I said. "You can make it up to me."
"Oh? What did you want now?"
"You can check into my finances and assure me I have not become a pauper."
She was still for a moment, silent. "I will do so." She paused again. "I told you I didn't want you asking about this."
I lowered my eyes. "I am sorry."
"If I check this for you, is it going to come up again?"
"No, m'lady."
* * * *
It was a week later when Cathalina sent a car for me, along with the clothing I was to wear. It was a nearly sheer, diaphanous dress, and when Lady Dunn saw me in it, she almost refused to let me go.
"Stunning," she told me.
"My body feels dressed, but I am entirely naked," I said. "Lady Dunn, I am frightened."
She crossed my bedroom and pulled me into her arms. "Do not be. She will not damage you. She will probably drink from you. You must do whatever she says."
"Will you be jealous?"
"Insanely, but it serves me right. Obey her completely."
"I will try."
"Do not anger her like you did me."
"I will try to avoid that."
"The driver is waiting," she said. "You must go." She stepped away from me and clipped my leash to my lip. Then she drew me downstairs and to the waiting car, handing me inside. "Be strong," she said.
And then the door closed, and I didn't see her.
We pulled away, and then the driver lowered the partition. "There is a note," he said. "And refreshments in the refrigerator to your left."
I found the note. "Please do not be frightened. I will not hurt you."
I looked in the little refrigerator. There were sodas and beer, and I also found a bottle of wine next to the refrigerator. There were glasses and an ice bucket. I filled a glass halfway with ice and poured a clear glass of soda pop, then tried to enjoy the ride, watching out the window.
My stomach was in knots, but the soda helped calm me. I found it exceedingly odd to be away from Lady Dunn. It was disconcerting to be traveling from one vampire to another in this fashion. It was gracious of her to send such a luxurious mode of transportation, but I didn't know what it meant.
I was lost in thought until we pulled in front of her house, stopping immediately before the front doors. I set aside my remaining soda and waited for the door to open.
It was Cathalina herself who reached in for me. Instead of giving her my hand, I gave her the leash, and then I stepped out. She looked at me with a little surprise.
"I was not expecting this," she said.
"I am full of surprises," I replied.
She took a half step away and looked at me. "Ravishing," she said. "The dress is now yours. If Lady Dunn will not allow you to keep it, I will store it for you until you can reclaim it."
"I do not know if I could ever wear it, after," I said.
She smiled. "I didn't give it all to you. There are pieces for your modesty. It is really quite stunning even then."
I laughed. "Clever."
"Of course." She paused. "Do you really want me to lead you by this?"
"I am the blood slave," I said. "It is not my place to decide. H
ave you not done so in the past?"
"Actually, no, I haven't. Your mistress is quite... expressive with this."
"She is."
She tugged on the leash, gently, and I followed. "Oh," she said. "I see immediately why she does this." Then she handed me the chain. "Too tempting. I am sure you will follow regardless."
She turned to the house, and I followed after. She led me to the same room where Lady Dunn and I had sequestered ourselves for a few minutes. "I believe you know this room."
"I do," I agreed.
She led the way to the middle of the room then turned around and stopped. I stopped before her and sank to my knees, my head bowed. We stayed like that for a minute or two. I was not looking at her face and couldn't have guessed what she wanted. I waited for her to tell me.
"I didn't know much about you before you attended my event," she said. "I knew of you, and I had seen several of your paintings, but I didn't know they were yours until I looked into you further."
It wasn't a question, so I waited.
"I can't imagine what you must think of us."
Again, it wasn't a question.
She stepped away, and then I heard the creak of a chair as she settled.
"You may have this seat," she said, and when I looked up, she gestured to another chair near hers. Then she pointed to a place near the door. "There are refreshments waiting for you. Have you eaten?"
I rose to my feet. "I have, m'lady."
"Not that title," she said. "Madame Cathalina, please."
"Of course, Madame Cathalina."
"Retrieve whatever you care for and sit here, please."
I nodded and turned to the serving cart. "Is there anything here you would like?"
"Not just now. We will talk, and I do not wish your throat to dry."
I poured a soda and carried it with a coaster to my assigned seat. I sipped then set the soda down on the small table between us. I laid my hands in my lap and waited to see what she wanted.
"How did your vampire direct you to behave tonight?"
"She told me to obey you."
"Nothing else?"
"She told me to expect you to feed from me, but thought it likely to be a token."
"And so, will you obey me?"
Blood Slave Page 24