The Progeny

by Shelley Crowley

  He turned back to the door and knocked again even though he knew there would be no answer. Probably realising she had overstepped, Jennifer cowered and looked at her black pumps in silence.

  Nico, where the hell are you when I need you? You pompous arse.

  “Well, I never thought I’d see you waiting at my door, Alexander,” said Nico as he breezed into his office. Alexander followed after Jennifer assured him that it was okay for him to take her place in line. He’d only be a few minutes.

  “I have something to ask and then I’ll be out of your hair,” said Alexander, letting the door close behind him.

  “Is it about Sebastian?”

  Alexander’s jaw tightened so much he felt his teeth grind together. “No.”

  “How are you dealing with his passing?” he asked as he relaxed into his chair behind the desk.

  “I’d be a lot better if people didn’t keep reminding me every thirty seconds.”

  Nico held his palms up. “I apologise. So, what do you wish to ask me?”

  Alexander cleared his throat. “Well, ermm, I’ve recently gotten my appetite back-”

  “Ah yes,” nodded Nico with a smile. “Your empty plate yesterday did not go unnoticed.”

  “I was wondering if I could possibly have a say in what we are served today.”

  “I’m sure we can come to some sort of arrangement,” smiled Nico, positively glowing. Alexander figured his new interest in the dinner menu meant to Nico that he was becoming more of a team player. Which wasn’t exactly wrong. He just wasn’t playing on Nico’s side. “What do you desire eating?”

  “Steak,” said Alexander. “My family hadn’t been very wealthy so having steak was always a treat for us. But then, of course, when I became a vampire it was no longer the same. All I could taste was the blood, but it wasn’t the right blood. It just all felt wrong. But now I have my human taste buds back and I’d like to know if it tastes as good as I remember.”

  Nico’s smile had grown wider and wider as Alexander had revealed the personal memory from his past – that just happened to be true. “Then steak it is.”

  “Medium rare.”

  “The best way,” said Nico with a twinkle in his eyes as if he was ready to make Alexander a friendship bracelet. “I’ll see to it that it’s done.”

  “Good.”

  He was met by Jennifer when he opened the door. She smiled awkwardly and watched him walk down the hallway before shutting herself in Nico’s office.

  Alexander now found himself playing a waiting game and as he wandered around the mansion, the absence of Seb felt like a black hole sucking all the energy out of him. Needing to be alone but not completely alone, Alexander headed out of the patio doors and down to the pool house. The gym was empty as he strolled through but he smiled up at the lifeguard whose head bounced up at the sound of the glass door swinging open.

  “Hello, old friend,” waved Alexander.

  The lifeguard arched his dark eyebrow at him.

  “Don’t say you’ve forgotten me?” Alexander asked, appalled.

  “No, no, I remember.”

  Pleased, Alexander crossed the ridged tiles. He peeled off his t-shirt, joggers and shoes. In the corner of his eye, he saw the lifeguard prop his chin on his fist and focus on him narrowly. Alexander brushed his palm down his torso. He usually enjoyed the attention he got when he removed his clothes. He had made a living off people swooning at the sight of him. But now, as the marginally attractive lifeguard sized him up as he stood in nothing but his boxer shorts, Alexander knew he wasn’t admiring his well-cut abs and was instead rather stricken by his concave chest and stick-like arms.

  Too ashamed to lock eyes with his company, Alexander just dove straight into the pool. He welcomed the rushing sound in his ears, wanting the churning of the water to drown out the silence. Looking up from underwater, he saw the wobbly form of the lifeguard standing poised at the edge of the pool. The mischievous, reckless side of Alexander told him to wait and see if the guy actually thought he was trying to kill himself and dive in to save him – but the more rational side won when he figured that pretending to drown would probably just end up with lungs full of water and the disgusting taste of chlorine stuck in the back of his throat.

  Alexander swam the width of the pool and resurfaced in front the lifeguard. Pushing his long, wet hair back from his face, he blinked away the water from his eyes.

  “I’m touched that you care so much.” He smiled.

  The lifeguard’s tensed up muscles uncoiled and he headed back over to his seat. “It’s my job to care.”

  Alexander stayed with his body submerged under the water and his forearms resting on the side as he watched the lifeguard. The water was soothing, albeit a little cold. But he hadn’t managed to wash in days so he guessed a quick dunk in the pool counted as something, right? He couldn’t even think about showers now without reliving the way Seb’s blood had ran between the tiles.

  He missed Varsee dearly. And the thought of being wrapped in her arms as they lay together surrounded by bubbles in the old woman’s hideous peach-coloured bath tub was making Alexander miss her even more.

  “Could you be a dear and grab me a towel?” he asked the lifeguard, throwing him a rakish grin.

  The lifeguard rolled his eyes – as if Alexander’s request had interrupted his rather cram-packed schedule of sitting – and made his way along the poolside and into the neighbouring gym.

  “I heard that him and that dead guy had a little thing going on…”

  Alexander’s head bounced up at the voice coming from the slowly shutting glass door of the gym.

  “What do you mean? Like they were… together?”

  “Yeah. Louis said he saw that Sebastian leaving his room one morning.”

  “I always thought there was something funny about that Sebastian guy. Wouldn’t have pegged him as a fucking queer though.”

  It was Sleeve and Mr. Muscle. Of course, it was. Who else would be in the gym? They were both hanging around the treadmill. Alexander locked eyes with them both and they quickly spun around. Alexander’s jaw clenched and he heaved himself up onto the side of the pool with great effort. His arms felt like rubber bands. Water ran off him like a sheet as he padded across the tiles. He squeezed out as much as he could from his hair and pushed it all back out of his face before entering the gym.

  “You know, it’s not nice to speak ill of the dead,” said Alexander, his tone light and conversational.

  The two men turned and looked at him, straightening their backs to gain height. Not that Mr. Muscle needed the extra inch, he was already intimidatingly huge.

  “Is it true?” asked Sleeve. His surfer hair was slightly damp with sweat. From this close up, Alexander noticed that the part of his sleeve that covered his shoulder was a brightly coloured mural of swimming koi’s. How original.

  “What? That me and Seb made sweet, sweet love?”

  Both of the men’s faces screwed with disgust.

  Alexander smiled. “It’s none of your business. All you need to know is that he didn’t deserve what happened to him.”

  “The guy killed himself,” said Mr. Muscle, his voice so deep it seemed to vibrate right through Alexander’s skinny frame like an earthquake.

  Alexander’s throat tightened. “Yes, he did. He didn’t deserve to feel like that was the right choice. He was one of us. We are all going through the same thing so don’t you dare talk so brazenly, as if his death meant nothing.”

  “Oh yeah?” Mr. Muscle stepped up, crossing his arms over his brick wall of a chest. “Or what?”

  Panic set in, sizzling in his veins. Alexander couldn’t take on this guy, what was he thinking? He was a human now and he didn’t have his formidable sister at his back.

  Man, he missed Varsee.

  Alexander chewed his tongue in the tense silence that followed as he mulled over his options. He was quite fond of his face, and the look in Mr. Muscle’s dark eyes gave Alexander the impression
that he was mentally writing a list of all the different ways he could disfigure it.

  Knowing that a fight – whether he lost or won (yeah, as if winning was even on the cards) – would work its way to Nico and possibly get in the way of his bigger plan, Alexander spun on his heel and headed back to the glass doors.

  Mr. Muscle and Sleeve snickered behind his back, making Alexander grit his teeth.

  “Don’t come in here ready to pick a fight and chicken out at the last minute! C’mon, have some self-respect,” jeered Sleeve.

  After taking a deep, calming breath, Alexander looked back over his shoulder. “I was just saving both of you the embarrassment of being beaten up by a fucking queer.” Their laughter stopped abruptly and their mouths clamped shut, unsure of what to retort.

  When he turned, the lifeguard was standing at his side with a red towel folded over his forearm and a confused look on his chiselled face. Alexander smiled warmly, took the towel, and headed back into the pool area.

  The lifeguard followed him through the door.

  “What was all of that about?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” said Alexander, towelling his head as he made his way over to his discarded clothes. “Forget about it.”

  His body was still a little damp as he shoved his clothes back on, making them stick to him which made him so irate that he suppressed the urge to punch the wall.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” asked the lifeguard as he watched him from his chair.

  “I’m fine,” Alexander snapped back. Once he was fully dressed, he stormed through the gym and out into the garden with his eyes burning a path along the ground.

  The bitter winter air smacked him in the face and momentarily took his breath away. The wind stung his cheeks and the dampness of his skin only intensified the chill. Shivering, he rushed up the path and into the mansion. Noticing that he still had a few more hours before dinner, Alexander dropped onto the sofa in the lounge and watched mindless daytime TV along with Shrooms and Gollum. Slenderman was also in the room but he had his head bent to his iPod as he sat motionless. Alexander narrowed his eyes at him, jealous of the buzz that was radiating from his earplugs. He really should have asked for an iPod. He was really in need of one now as he found himself torn between wanting solitude and desperately seeking company. Music blaring in his ears could have been a solid middle ground. Alone but with a distraction.

  Alexander must have zoned out due to sheer boredom because when Nico’s static voice sounded from the speaker in the corner of the room, he jolted upright and felt the crispy film of dried drool at the corner of his mouth.

  Everyone began filing to the dining room and Alexander followed with a flutter of apprehension in his gut. He passed Joe on his way, standing where Alexander had told him to. He inclined his head and Alexander nodded back.

  The steak dinner looked and smelled just how Alexander’s mother used to make it, and the thought had him dashing a tear from his eye. He very rarely thought about his parents. He was an only child and when he married Elizabeth, he had made a promise to his mother that he would still be there for her whenever he was needed. To which his mother, the strong woman that she had been, rolled her eyes and shooed him out of the door. “I’ll be fine,” she had assured, “I won’t have you neglecting your woman. I want grandchildren!”

  Alexander looked down the table to see Nico smiling at him and angling his head, indicating to the rest of the Cured as they all ate with newfound vigour. A few of them even emitted little moans of bliss as they dug into the meat that was covered with a creamy mushroom sauce. Alexander smiled back, hoping it didn’t look as fake as it felt.

  “You can thank Alexander for the meal tonight, this was his suggestion,” said Nico cheerfully. Snowflake showed his appreciation by sending a thanking nod in Alexander’s direction. But he wasn’t bothered about the rest of the Cured right now. Instead Alexander watched with savage glee as Nico tucked into his meal, completely oblivious to the extra kick provided by the exquisite vampire he had locked up beneath them.

  When the plates were as empty as they were going to get, the Cured were excused. Alexander made his way up to his room. He knew he still had a good three hours before he could execute the last step of his plan but he had felt so jittery in the dining room that he was worried someone might notice his nerves. At one moment during the dinner, he had been sure he had been caught out. Nico had beckoned one of the maids over to ask how the steak was done because it had a bit of an extra tang than usual. But he had seemed unconcerned when she had assured him that nothing had been altered.

  Alexander smiled when he entered his room and saw the plastic bag he had asked for waiting on his bed.

  Not yet, he thought, but soon.

  When the clock finally ticked past midnight, Alexander shoved the plastic bag into the pocket of his joggers and threw on his black cotton jacket before heading out into the hallway. He passed several corridors before he found the room he was searching for.

  His heart was pounding so hard that it was affecting his breathing. And he was shaking too which was making the floorboards creak underfoot. He tried to calm his nerves with the thought that if this worked, he’d be free. He’d be back in his sister’s arms.

  But that if was a bit too big for his liking.

  No point turning back now.

  Sucking in a breath, Alexander pulled out the plastic bag and knocked on the door.

  Blood rushed to his ears at the sound of footsteps on the other side and he felt lightheaded.

  “Alexander?”

  Alexander gulped and looked up at the spy hole. “Nico? I know it’s late, sorry.”

  “What are you doing here?” asked Nico through the door.

  “It’s just- Now that Seb’s gone. I can’t- I don’t like being in my room. I know you want us to stay in our rooms-”

  The door swung open and before Alexander had a chance to think twice, he lunged at the subdued-looking man before him and threw the plastic bag over his head.

  Nico gasped as spun around, inhaling the plastic as Alexander managed to swivel round his body and cling to his back with the plastic bag held tightly closed around his neck. Nico’s arms were swinging wildly as he twisted to clutch at Alexander and tear him off. With his teeth bared, Alexander still clung, ignoring the jarring in his underused human biceps. His brows shone with exertion as Nico continued his relentless motions. The sound of him sucking against the constricting plastic was louder than Alexander had anticipated and was thankful that his spinning sent them back to the door so Alexander could swing it shut with a kick.

  Then they both collapsed against it.

  Chapter 31

  A sinister smile quirked up the corner of Alexander’s lips as Nico emitted a small groan. His head lolled to the side and the sharp jerk of his neck made him open his eyes. He squinted in the dull light of the bedside lamp. Alexander leaned over from his position on Nico’s desk and lifted the glasses from his nose before discarding them. Nico’s eyes widened when they focused on Alexander. He growled, biting down on the several pairs of socks that had been shoved in his mouth, and attempted to throw his arms out to grab him. The bedsheet that Alexander had torn into strips kept him secured to the wooden chair he was bound to, his arms pinned to his sides.

  “Welcome back,” Alexander grinned, his eyes shining in the grey darkness. He was crouched atop of the desk with his bony knees jutting up to the ceiling. “Bet you thought you were a goner for a second there, didn’t you?”

  Nico garbled some sort of reply.

  “I’m sorry,” Alexander cupped his ear and leaned closer. “I didn’t quite catch that. What did you say?”

  Nico snarled and lunged forwards, making the chair lean precariously on its two front legs before slamming back down on all four.

  “Okay. Okay. I’ll take out the gag. But you need to promise me not to scream.”

  Nico narrowed his eyes to slits and just watched him. Alexander sighed and began pulling out the
socks one by one. When they were all out, Nico coughed and cricked his jaw.

  “I’m not going to lie, this isn’t the first time I’ve bound a half-naked man to a chair,” Alexander mused.

  Nico looked down at himself in nothing but boxers and a pair of socks. He cleared his throat and blinked back up at Alexander. “What have you done to me?”

  “Why? Feeling a little odd?” Alexander cocked his head to the side, his tone dripping with sarcastic compassion.

  Nico licked his gums and smacked his lips together with a tight expression, as if tasting something foul. “My mouth… my eyes…” He blinked hard and focused on Alexander. “How come I can see you so clearly?”

  “Because you’re going through the change.”

  “Change?” Nico looked around anxiously. “What change? What have you done to me? Unbind me now!”

  Alexander clamped his hand over Nico’s mouth. “Do you want me to shove the socks back in your mouth or do you want answers?”

  Nico mumbled something against his mouth that sounded something like ‘answers’.

  “Well then, keep your voice down and I’ll give them to you.”

  Nico grumbled with annoyance when Alexander withdrew his hand. He sure wasn’t liking this flip-reverse of power. How do you feel being the helpless one for a change, huh?

  “You’re Turning into a vampire, sweetcheeks,” said Alexander, dropping into a sitting position on the desk. He swung his legs and relaxed back onto his palms as he watched the information sink in. If only I had some popcorn, he mused, as every emotion imaginable played out on Nico’s face.

  “What? But… how? I can’t… no.” Nico’s mouth opened and closed like a fish. “What- what have you done?” The last word came out as a broken whisper which tugged at Alexander’s heart. The anguish in it was all too familiar to him. “I’m a vampire now?”