"Of course, Madame Cathalina. I am a blood slave. I exist to obey."
"Why do I wonder whether you are laughing at me?"
"I am not laughing. Why would you think that?"
"I do not believe you are telling me what you really feel."
"I can assure you I have not lied, but if you do not believe my first statement, why would you believe the second?"
"And so, you exist to obey?"
"I obey or I cease to exist."
She was silent. "Do you believe that?"
"I am a blood slave, Madame Cathalina. I have no rights, only the privileges my vampire mistress grants me. She grants me the privilege to breathe, and for my heart to continue to beat. She can take those privileges away if I displease her. Early in my stay with her, she was perhaps vague, but at the same time quite clear, what my fate would be if I did not strive to please."
"Do you know why you are here?"
"Because Rachel was able to control her anger. She would not have without the wager. She perhaps felt an evening here would be sufficient revenge."
"You have a fiendish ability to answer the question truthfully without answering the question at all."
"I am sorry. It is not intentional."
"Have you determined why I made the wager?"
"I have guesses only."
"Are these guesses as irritating as your recent art?"
I smiled. "I do not believe so. My first guess: strictly for amusement. My second guess: because you felt my prediction was accurate, and you wished an excuse to help my mistress. My third: you wished to understand why she paid such a princely sum for me. My fourth: you are playing some game I do not understand."
"You are not as dull as you appeared two weeks ago."
It was also not a question.
"You were perhaps not as dull two weeks ago as you appeared, either. It was an act?"
"No, not an act. M'lady pumped two pints of blood into me when we arrived home, and she considered a third."
"When you arrived, I would have thought you were near death's door."
"I have been closer, such as after my 'debutante ball'."
It took her a moment to understand the reference, and then she laughed.
I shrugged. "Such is the existence of a blood slave. My vampire tells me the blood is sweeter when it is filtered through my body. She will eventually make a mistake, or perhaps tire of me and finish draining me. Or I will be trapped in another vampiric power struggle, and this time I will be unable to extricate myself. Or she may finally grant my request."
"Your request?"
"To take me to her garden, surrounded by beauty, and drain me in the most pleasant fashion she is able."
Her eyes opened widely. "Why would you ask for that? Are you ill?"
"Have you seen my art? The paintings the world sees?"
"Yes. I have also seen your more recent work."
"I cannot see beauty. My art is all I am, and it is gone." I shrugged. "I do not wish to redefine myself as a clerk in a store, remembering forever what one glass of wine and an errand of mercy have cost me."
"And your vampire, she refuses your request?"
"We have an agreement. She will bleed me at the end of my sentence, if she is unable to bring the beauty back to me. She is a vampire. How can she bring beauty to a human?" I paused a moment. "Why am I here?"
"For the first three reasons you stated, and for one more." I raised an eyebrow. "To offer you my personal friendship."
"Me, or my lady?"
"You."
"I am not in a position to accept friendships. I will not be for another eighteen months, and then I will still not be."
She frowned. "Are you turning down my offer?"
"No, of course not. Can a blood slave accept other friendships?"
"The offer perhaps carries more value to you later, if you believe a friendship with me carries any value at all."
"Madame Cathalina, I believe a friendship with you carries great value. I also feel like I am a minnow, and you are the shark."
She laughed.
"I have learned I am hopelessly naïve. Am I getting myself into more than I can handle?"
"You would perhaps find yourself swimming in dangerous pools, but your danger would not come from me. Nor would I thrust you forward into waters too deep for you. But you already find yourself in those pools, and in spite of your vampire's efforts to convince the vampire nation, as you put it, that she cares little for you, I do not believe her act."
"She has offered no explanation why she may care for me beyond the prestige I might offer to any art collector vampire."
"Ah, but you see: Lady Dunn is not exactly an art collector. The only art she collects is yours."
I stared at her. "Perhaps you will excuse my impertinence if I suggest you must be mistaken."
"I am not."
We sat quietly while I considered what she said. Finally I stated, "I do not have an explanation for you, or for myself. Perhaps simply she likes my art."
"Perhaps she does," Madame Cathalina agreed. She cocked her head. "I believe the topic was turned. I wish to return it to an earlier direction."
"Friendship?"
"Yes."
"Tell me, Madame, do you believe what happened to me was fair and just?"
"It was the law."
"Yes. It was the law. That is not what I asked."
"I believe you knew the law before you drove your car."
"Is my question so difficult to answer simply?"
"A woman died," she pointed out.
"Yes."
"Was it fair to her and her family that she died?"
"No. But there is a distinct difference between what happened to her and what has been happening to me."
"She is dead, killed in an instant. You are alive and likely to remain that way."
"She was killed in an unintentional accident. I, however, have been the victim of a long conspiracy of cooperation beginning with medical personnel taking my blood against my wishes to those same personnel reporting me to law enforcement, to numerous agencies within law enforcement. A prosecutor took the case to court. There was a judge who was able to offer mercy, but chose not to. There were the bailiffs, guards, and technicians involved between the courtroom and my delivery to Lady Dunn. And then, of course, there is Lady Dunn herself, her entire household, and the entire vampire nation, especially those vampires who have contributed most directly to my subjugation. All of these individuals performed the actions they performed with clear thought, some level of malice, and ample opportunity to pursue other choices. None of them have done so."
She stared at me, her mouth open slightly.
"And so I ask a fourth time: is what happened to me fair and just?"
"I believe in the purpose of the law," she stated. "And I believe the law should be applied evenly."
"The purpose of the law is to prevent impaired driving leading to injury and death."
"Yes."
"And so it is fair and just that I suffer because there are others who drive while impaired, and thus I must be held as an example?"
"I do not know if it is fair and just," she said. "I believe it is necessary."
I turned away, picking up my glass and drinking slowly.
"I see I have given you something to consider," she observed.
"Yes. It had not occurred to me that necessity was the enemy of fairness. Perhaps, however, you will understand that I question the necessity of punishing me so severely. I do not believe the fabric of society would be unduly damaged if I had been offered mercy."
"You were."
"Perhaps I might have preferred a little more."
"Perhaps you were offered more than you realize."
I cocked my head. "I believe you imply you know something I do not."
"I know a great deal you do not."
"Word games now?"
She smiled. "I couldn't help myself. I may, perhaps, suspect things you do not. I am not
going to share them."
"Very well."
"I fail to see how this conversation affects an offer of friendship."
"Perhaps if you understand I feel the vampire nation is to blame for my situation, you might."
"And you carry none of the blame?"
"I carry blame for a punishment in keeping to the threat I caused to society. I drove exceedingly carefully, and was perhaps one of the safest drivers on the road that evening. I do not believe I was a threat to anyone's life, and I was certainly not such a threat I should have been put in a position where I have so far required six transfusions to survive, and will undoubtedly need more."
"Perhaps the threat you posed to society was not in how many lives you did or did not directly threaten, but perhaps instead the risk to a precarious situation that must be tightly regulated."
"And so I pay as a deterrent to others?"
She smiled. "Consider this. Would it change your perspective to consider not only the threat of your own actions, but the possible influence you would have on others?"
Again I drank from my soda, then gestured for permission to refill it. She nodded, and I busied myself with the task.
"I presume I have given you more to consider."
"You have," I admitted. "May I retrieve anything for you?"
"Not quite yet," she said.
I busied myself unnecessarily for another minute before returning, sipping at my drink.
"You did not care for alcohol? You no longer drink?"
"Alcohol is a privilege. I am a blood slave. Even this soda is on the edge of what I am allowed, and I do not know whether I live by your rules this evening or my lady's. I choose to believe by a conservative union of the two."
"Of course. Do you require other refreshments?"
"I could, perhaps, accept one more refill before switching to water. There may be no need. I do not know how long you wish my company."
"Then we shall see. You have not answered my question yet."
"No, I haven't. I admit I am at a loss. I am no longer as sure of my response as I had been when you placed the offer. And so, may I lead us in another direction for a moment?"
She smiled. "Certainly. You intrigue me."
"I understand it is rude to ask a vampire her age."
"I do not consider it rude, but a vampire will rarely answer."
"Do you know the relative age between you and, for instance, my lady?"
"I do."
"And does she?"
"She does."
"Is that true of any two vampires? Can you tell?"
"Not always. It is difficult to appear significantly older than you are, but it is less difficult to appear younger. And vampires do not age at the same rate."
"I thought you did not age at all."
"Our physical appearance ages exceedingly slowly. But our power matures, and the way we think changes. Also, you can often tell a vampire's age based on a variety of habits and patterns: accents, turns of speech, manners, even mode of dress."
"I understand. I presume these are not skills a human is likely to acquire."
"If you spent a great deal of time around a great many vampires, you may develop some skill."
"Do vampires become senile?"
She smiled. "Spying on our secrets?"
"Leading somewhere."
"It is not the same mechanism, but yes, some vampires develop something akin to senility, but it manifests itself more as madness. It comes from too many memories, too many experiences, especially too many bad experiences. Too much anger, too much hate, too much bitterness. Your vampire could be susceptible."
"Mine? Is she showing-"
"No. But she carries much. You are good for her, I think."
"Because she needed a blood slave?"
"Because she needed a friend."
"We are not friends."
"Aren't you? Don't answer that. You were going somewhere."
"If I were to attempt to guess your age, how likely is it you would be insulted."
She smiled. "None."
"So, let us say, 500 years." She didn't react. "About fifteen times older than I am."
"All right."
"I detect no signs of madness."
"I should hope not."
"Can we assume a 500-year-old vampire is likely to be far wiser than a 35-year-old human?"
She began laughing, finally saying, "I should have seen that coming, if I were as wise as my hypothetical 500 years implies."
"Well?"
"That is probably a safe assumption."
"Well then, as one older and wiser than I, what would be your recommendations to me?"
"Oh, well done," she said. She didn't even pause. "I might point out that a 500-year-old vampire is likely to be moderately powerful, and it can be dangerous to offend someone far more powerful than you. I would also point out that having powerful friends carries certain dangers, but can also be highly advantageous. And of course, if they are true friends, they would advise you if you were steering an unwise course."
"So you would advise me to accept the offer of friendship because the lady in question is powerful? What does an artist want with power?"
"Perhaps the artist wishes a patron."
"You did not offer patronage, you offered friendship. Patronage is a business arrangement, nothing more."
"So it is. So you are turning down my offer? You asked my advice and then do the opposite?"
"I did not say that. I am not sure you have offered all the wisdom you intend. And perhaps my asking your advice is a cautious hint of my intentions."
"You are an intriguing woman," she replied. "Most people would have accepted the offer of friendship with a powerful woman."
"If I accept friendship, the amount of power you wield will have virtually nothing to do with my decision. Indeed, your power, if you have as much as you have implied, works against you."
"Oh?"
"Tell me. Were you involved in writing the laws that eventually led to my being here?"
She guffawed. "Yes."
"And so, I have a face to add to my list to blame."
"You do. But perhaps that face has given you more to think about."
"It has, but I find it unlikely I will ever agree my sentence was in keeping with my crime."
"And so, you seek more wisdom?"
"I welcome it."
"Perhaps friendship with someone who makes you think about things from other angles is valuable, even if in the end she does not change your mind."
"Is that why you offered?"
"I am so glad Rachel was able to restrain her natural reaction. It is part of it, yes."
"Perhaps we have played enough word games," I suggested. "I do not know vampire politics and power struggles. My lady has said nothing about the relationship you have with her. I do not know if there are factions to avoid. I am, in a word, ignorant."
"You are wise to be cautious. Vampire power struggles are legendary. Your lady and I are not necessarily friends, but we are friendly. We are not necessarily in the same factions, but we are not at cross-purposes, either. There is no reason you cannot be friends with both of us. Furthermore, friendship with me offers no increased risk from other factions than you already suffer as your lady's blood slave."
"And so, you do not advise me to reject this offer, for my own good."
"I do not."
"I have another question."
"I am learning your questions are endless."
"Perhaps. Why did you not mention the justifiable gratitude I should have as a reason to accept?"
"Gratitude?"
"For your cooperation in my attempts to free myself from a situation that would probably have ended my life."
"I didn't mention it because it would be ungracious to do so, and if you didn't see it, then perhaps I would want you to decline, or would want to know you accepted based on my power."
"There are many types of friends."
"And layers."
"Everything we have discussed is moot, of course."
"Because you are a blood slave, and you do not expect to survive your sentence?"
"No. Because the only reason I would ever accept friendship is because I enjoy your company. I like you. I would be cautious if I could not trust you, but you have not given me reason to distrust you and a number of reasons to believe I can."
She smiled broadly. "No wonder Lady Dunn is so captivated by you."
"I find it odd everyone refers to her as Lady Dunn. Do none of you know her given name?"
"Of course we do, but she told me she'll share it with you when she's ready. It would be inappropriate for me to divulge her secrets."
"So I suppose I'm not going to trick it out of you."
"Unlikely."
We talked for several hours. At one point we raided her kitchen. She offered ice cream. "That is one thing I regret," she said. "Humans take so much delight from ice cream and from chocolate, and I cannot enjoy either of them. I have never had either."
I was stunned into silence. "That never occurred to me. Is it rude to ask where you were born?"
"Greece," she said. "I have fair skin for my heritage."
"I thought perhaps Italy. Did I underestimate your age horribly?"
She smiled. "Yes."
"I must decline the ice cream," I told her.
"You do not care for it?"
"It is not part of my acceptable diet. My lady would be disappointed in me if I accepted."
"I could order you to accept."
"You could. I would rather you did not."
She cocked her head. "You do not seek ways around your restrictions?"
"No. I may not agree I should be in this situation, and I may personally blame you for it-"
She chuckled.
"But when I tell my lady I am her blood slave, I am not doing so simply because she enjoys hearing it."
"Although she does."
"It appears she enjoys it a great deal."
"Well, what may you have?"
"Fruits. Vegetables. Natural foods, especially those that replenish my blood."
She let me pick what I wanted, eating them informally at the kitchen table.
"Will it bother you if I drink something?"
"Something from a bottle or something that delivers itself on two legs?"
She smiled. "A bottle." She watched my reaction. "Does that disappoint you?"
"Are you asking if I want to feed you?"
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