by Kimbra Swain
She turned to me with big crocodile tears in her eyes. “Malik, you loved me. We were something together. You can’t tell me that you don’t feel anything.”
“Lydia, you died to me when you let my father turn you,” I said.
“I did it for you,” she whined.
“We’ve hashed this out. I won’t do it again.”
“Lydia, go clean yourself up. I want you dressed for dinner tonight,” Father said.
She wiped her tears as her lip quivered. “Yes, Sir.” She silently left the room.
“If you want her, you can have her,” Father said.
“Yes, because that looks great on you,” I replied.
“Good point. I never wanted her, but yet, I’m stuck with her.” I understood the resignation in his voice. He vowed some time ago only to have one wife to avoid legal problems in the human system. He had plenty of mistresses, but only one legal wife, who just happened to be my lying, backstabbing ex-girlfriend.
“I told her this morning. It was her choice. You made the choice, too.”
“I did it because you wouldn’t. I never dreamed you would reject her,” he said.
“I loved her because she was pure. Untouched by our world. She was wholesome and loving. Now she just sucks the life out of everyone like the rest of us,” I said.
Lydia was mine. Before I was turned, I fell in a sweet, innocent love with her. Well, not completely innocent. We spent all of our time together. She was the daughter of one of father’s advisors. Her mother worked in our kitchens. Our parents approved of the match, and we were set to marry. However, neither of us wanted to live the vampire life. We ran away together before my 21st birthday. They caught her before me. When I returned, she was one of them. Taken and used by my father. She claimed that she did it for me. She turned so I would come home and turn too.
When I came to rescue her, my father turned me by force. I couldn’t look at her knowing she willingly took my father to bed. Sex wasn’t required to complete the turn. She chose it. No matter how she tried to explain it, the bottom line was she wanted my father. Now she had him forever.
“I have something for you. You are looking the part of my son today. Stella’s talents are extraordinary. She told me that she will be making some custom suits tonight for you to have for the rest of your stay,” he said.
“It’s only a couple of days,” I replied. “No need for all of that.”
“I think after a couple of days, you will change your mind. Here,” he said, holding out a silver velvet box.
“What’s this?”
“Something my heir should wear,” he said.
I opened the box to reveal a ring with the family crest. The fleur in the center was made of diamond. I’d seen the ring before and I knew if I chose, it could be mine.
“Do you hate us so much that you won’t even wear my crest?” he asked.
“I will for the purposes of our agreement, but nothing more.” The ring slid onto my finger with no hesitation. A perfect fit. My father looked down at my hand as I admired the craftsmanship of the ring.
“It looks good on you, Malik.”
“What’s on the agenda?” I asked. “Why are the Lords here?”
“The Lord of the West is giving his empire to his son. There will be an official ceremony in two days. The Lord of the North is here with his heir, and you and I will attend as a pair. It is required by law. I need to present a good front for them to maintain that my family is strong and capable of protecting what is mine. The Lord of the North consumed the Eastern empire when it showed the slightest hint of weakness.” He turned to face the bustling city below. The windows were coated in a film that allowed the light to come in, but none of the deadly rays that would melt our skin. “Thank you for allowing me this semblance of order.”
“Why won’t you take another heir?” I asked.
“As long as you are alive, I cannot. I always thought you would come home once you realized the outside world was cruel and hard. But you made your way from volunteering at the blood bank, to delivering pizzas, to working in the morgue, and finally, to your current job of towing wrecked cars so that you can get your blood from a secondary source. You will never have the full strength that you need to live.”
“Father, I don’t want to live as long as you have,” I said. Looking at him, you would have never known he was a couple of centuries old. His dark hair and darkened skin were highlighted by his strong body. Nearly black brown eyes never missed a movement, watching like a hawk. There was a time when he was a famed hunter and businessman. You could still see that in his face after all the years. He still ran a business, but it wasn’t peddling goods from a cave. Although, this life seemed as claustrophobic as one.
“I don’t want to do it any longer,” he said.
“What?”
“I’m weary. I think it is time that I rest. Perhaps I will like the new Lord of the West. I could relinquish my control to him,” he explained.
I knew he was jerking me around now. I took a seat on a sleek black leather couch across from his desk. “Tell me more lies. You would never give up your land.”
I watched his face snarl in the reflection of the window. My father could lie to almost anyone, but not to me. I’d seen through it many years ago, and I wasn’t going to stop looking for it now.
“When they arrive, everyone will be formally introduced. They will have entourages, of course. I have opened rooms in two of my hotels for each family and their guests to stay separately. The last thing we need is an assassination on my turf. I need you to be a hospitable host with the heirs. Not much has changed here since you left, so do whatever you want. Just keep them happy. Play your part or I won’t hesitate to snuff out Beauregard’s life. Do you understand?”
“Play nice with the other kids. Keep an ear to the ground for crazy happenings and be a good son. Or my friend dies.”
“Good. Follow me.”
Following my father to the elevator, I prepared myself as well as I could to face the Lords of the Vampire world. I'd seen them when I was younger from a distance, but I'd be in the thick of it today. It would be like an intern following a tenured senator into Congress. Politics, polite smiles, deadly games, and a sea of minnows who had no idea. Immortal granddaddy sharks.
"Today is just a welcome to the city, then a final dinner tonight celebrating the life and reign of the western Lord. It would be best if you talked as little as possible. You seem to lack control over your snark," Father explained.
“Guess that makes me Daddy Snark. Doo doo doo do do do."
He turned to me with a furrowed brow. "Like I said, shut the fuck up."
"Gotcha. No annoying kid songs."
He sighed and shook his head. I hoped that during these three days he would see once and for all that I was not Lord material. I didn't want to lose my head in the process, but surely there was an in-between. I had decided to be as irreverent as possible without losing my head.
As we reached the main floor lobby, his shoulders stiffened stretching his black suit. He had worn a silver shirt much like mine with a black tie. His gold watch featured the family Crest in platinum. He wore a ring identical to mine and a simple golden fleur-de-lis tie pin.
He stepped out with confidence. Gore and Stanley flanked him as I followed behind. We turned into a room beside the lobby and served as a banquet hall. I drank in the spectacle inside.
Two factions stood silently waiting for our arrival. Behind each of them, brilliantly colored banners displayed the Crest of each house.
The Western realm crest featured the skull of a bull with horns. The red and gold motif accentuated the crown at the top of a laurel leaf border.
The blue and silver colors on the Northern realm crest was a perfect representation of the Irish-based family. The lion in the center mimicked the lion on many Irish crests. Two flags sat atop a laurel circle with a crown at the top.
These families saw themselves as royalty among humans. They looked do
wn on the species as inferior. However, it seemed to escape them that they were the only food that we could consume to live. They could also procreate when we could not. There were no daywalkers among the vampires of the real world or rings to make it possible. Those were sparkling fairy tales.
The Lord of the West stood beside a man who looked to be his twin. Both clad in black, gold, and red. They nodded their heads in respect to my father as the host of the gathering. Richard Blackburn and his heir, Dick Jr. Actually, his name was Richard Blackburn II, but he looked like a dick to me.
The Northern pair shocked me. The ruddy Irishman, Lorcan MacFarlane, stood next to a gorgeous woman. His heir was a woman. Not that a woman couldn’t do the job, in fact, they were conniving enough to be perfect for it, but no one had ever done it before now. She looked like trouble. She also looked like a damn good time. She raised an eyebrow as I studied her. I refused to look away. There was no shame in admiring a beautiful woman. I saw the light in her eyes that appreciated my appreciation.
“Lord MacFarlane, Lord Blackburn, welcome to Nashville. I hope you have found your provisions and accommodations to be hospitable,” my father said.
“Thank you, Lord Demonbreun. Everyone has been down-right friendly,” the Texan, Blackburn, said.
“They are adequate,” MacFarlane added. Oh, so he was a dick, too! A double ended dildo. Nice.
“This is my son, Malik. He will host your heirs for the next couple of days until the ceremony. Malik, you know Richard Blackburn, II. This is Lord MacFarlane’s daughter, Tierney MacFarlane,” my father said. I knew of Dick and Dick Jr.
I bowed reverently to both of them, forcing my snide marks to the back of my throat where they pitched a fit before I swallowed them. “It is a pleasure to meet you both,” I said, choking a bit. From the look on Miss MacFarlane’s face, I knew I wasn’t nearly good enough for her. At least I didn’t have to worry about her pursuing me. Her auburn hair shimmered like an oil slick with a kaleidoscope of color. Her eyes were blood red like she hadn’t fed in a while. That could be a problem for any humans in our employ or around the hotel where they were staying. Her lips were painted a red deeper than her eyes. She needed to talk to her stylist about matching shades.
“Perhaps take them to Illicit. Show them the hot spots in town,” Father suggested. He must have seen the hunger in Tierney’s eyes. Or Father just wanted to emphasize to me that he knew where I went to get my food.
“I am at their disposal,” I assured him, but I wasn’t interested in being a tour guide. I certainly wasn’t going to introduce them to my only safe haven outside of this hell hole.
“We have a matter that I would like to see addressed before we go our separate ways until this evening’s dinner,” Lord MacFarlane said.
“Yes, of course, Lord MacFarlane. What would you like to discuss?” my father asked.
“Your areas in the city are marked,” he said.
I cringed inside, knowing exactly what the Lord meant.
“Marked?” Father asked.
“Fang symbols are graffitied all over your holdings. Someone knows who we are and has been marking the territory as a warning,” MacFarlane explained.
“I noticed it, too, Timothy. You have a traitor in your midst,” Blackburn added.
My father raised his chin. “If that is the case, the culprit will be found and executed. The marks will be removed before daybreak.”
“I want to witness the execution,” MacFarlane said.
Father couldn’t deny them. I was in deep shit. I put the marks up not long after I left my father’s house. I was younger and stupid. Something I hadn’t outgrown apparently. A group of street kids taught me how to paint and mark buildings. It had been something to take pride in since I’d left my family. Those people accepted me no matter what I was or wanted to be. I’d taken to marking my father’s holdings with red splats of paint and vampire fangs. I wished now that I hadn’t. Someone would pay and it wouldn’t be me. Father would pin it on someone else to save face.
“Of course. You will see how the Demonbreuns handle treason,” Father growled, showing his fangs to the group. They opened their mouths and hissed in unison. Support for the vampire realm. I copied the garish display while cringing inside.
“Best wishes on your hunt,” Blackburn said, while walking from the room. I suspected that Master Dick knew I’d painted the fangs. This was a way to get back at my father after he’d breached protocol when he removed Lydia from Blackburn’s territory after we had run away together.
“If my men could assist you in any way, they are at your disposal.” MacFarlane levelled the insult, leaving my father with no choice but to respond.
“No, thank you.” Father’s fists flexed as MacFarlane and his daughter left the room. “Gore, find out who did this. I want them in my hands by nightfall.”
Gore bowed deeply. “Yes, my Lord.”
Father turned to me. “I expect you to give me any information you have on the marks. I know you used to run around with those hoodlums. The control of my territory depends upon executing the culprit.”
I sighed, knowing there was no other way to do this. “It was me.”
“Of all the irresponsible, idiotic things you have done, Malik, this is the worst,” Father ranted back inside his office. Stanley, Gore, and Trey sat in a small seating area on the other side of the room from my father’s desk. Well out of the firing line. “You won’t even defend yourself? Do you know what I have to do?”
“Yes, but you can’t,” I said.
“I can, and I will to preserve the control I have over my land. I have a good mind to offer you up, but I have no one to replace you,” he said as he paced behind his desk. “Someone else on the inside will have to die.”
“Father, your people are loyal,” I protested.
“You are correct. In fact, one of them will probably offer themselves up to take your place because they are so damn loyal! The only problem is I suspect that MacFarlane knew it was you. I don’t know how, but I’m willing to bet on it,” he snarled. “I have spies in his organization. I have no doubts that he has them in mine.”
“Then find one of them,” Trey offered.
“That! That is what I need. Someone who thinks like a vampire instead of the simpering son that I have. I was so wrong about you, Malik. So, fucking wrong,” he scolded.
Pushing down the urge to fly off the handle, the feelings that I once had as a child rolled over me like molten metal. The desire to impress my father. The need for his approval. Those were the main reasons I’d marked his territory for anyone who would know what it meant. I hated that he made me want his blessing. When I walked away from this place, I had never felt freer. Being back here brought back all the hatred for him.
“You chose me, Father. You cannot blame me that I could never live up to your expectations. Execute me. Don’t lay my mistakes on anyone else,” I said.
“You admit it was a mistake?”
“I admit that it never crossed my mind that someone else that I knew and loved would have to pay for it,” I said.
“Find the mole, Trey. Do it quickly,” Father instructed. “If you don’t, you will take his place.”
“Yes, sir.” Trey got up and quickly left the room with Gore.
“No! Father, you will kill me and replace me with him. He’s the one that should have been your heir,” I pleaded.
“Get out of my sight,” my father growled.
I got up from the chair, buttoned my suit jacket, and made my way to the door. Stanley stood up to go with me since he had been assigned to me.
“Father, perhaps the mistake was mine in this instance, but you have to own the original mistake of taking the only thing I ever loved away from me.”
“Lydia turned about to be exactly what I expected. She never loved you. I saved you from her,” he said.
“No, Father, you mistake my meaning. You took my freedom,” I replied, stepping out of the room.
The crash of gla
ss echoed down the hallway as I made my way to the elevator. I didn’t stop. While we were on the subject of mistakes, my biggest one was stepping back into my father’s influence. I had the feeling I’d not walk out of it alive.
“He will calm down,” Stanley said in the elevator.
“Don’t even try, Stella. I know I’m in deep shit. Perhaps it’s for the best. He can get rid of me once and for all,” I said. “I hate this life, and I’ll never get back what I once had.”
“Are you just a shitball? Quit that mess. The fact is there is a mole on the inside. We can frame them, but we have to find out who it is,” he said. “I’ll start working on it.”
“Trey can handle it,” I said.
“It’s better than babysitting your broody ass,” he said.
I huffed. He was right. “I think I’ll take a nap. Keep my stepmother out of my room.”
“Would you like me to find you some company?” he asked.
“No.”
“You have to feed.”
“I fed with Becky.”
“She would come back. Trey is pretty pissed that she liked you better.”
“I didn’t like her. I just fed.”
“As you wish, Master Demonbreun,” he said with a slight bow outside my room.
“Oh, quit that shit,” I said.
He laughed, waiting on me to enter the room. I shook my head. He wasn’t going to let me have a moment’s peace.
Inside my room, we found a weeping Lydia.
“Is it true?” she whined.
“Is what true?” I asked.
“That you marked the buildings. That he’s going to execute you,” she said.
“I don’t know what he plans to do. Right now, he’s going to make Trey take my place,” I replied. “And yes, I marked the buildings.”
“What were you thinking?” she asked through the tears.
“I was thinking that the love of my life fucked my father!” I shouted at her.
“You will never understand that I did it for you.” They all had the same excuse. I really wished everyone would just stop doing what they thought was best for me. The best thing would be to just leave me the fuck alone.