by M. Cheykota
Startled, I jump back out of his reach. “Oh, I thought you were asleep.”
“Where are you going ma chatte petite?”
“Home.” I respond dryly as I pick up the last of my clothes and stand. “I can’t do this Christien. It’s too much for me. I’m not the one you are looking for. I can’t be your mate.” Tears fill my eyes. I sniff a few times to hold them back.
“Shh. I know this must be difficult for you to comprehend. Even for a vampire, it is unheard of for us to find a mate, the one we are to share our lives. I know I have been pressing this issue with you. It is unbearable for me without you around. I worry about you chatte. You live a dangerous lifestyle and it is in my nature to want to protect the woman that means so much to me. Understanding your need for time to grasp what is happening between us and giving it to you, seems to be an issue with me. I will strive to be more patient with you Jessica.”
“I get it Christien, really I do. Vampires are used to getting who they want, whether the person is willing or not. I may not be as powerful as you are, but I still have some tricks up my sleeve. Don’t try to force my hand on this issue. You will not receive the results you expect.”
Christien sighs. “I should know by now that when someone pushes you in one direction, you go in another. What can I do to get you to stay?”
“Let me go.” I tell him honestly.
We stare at each other for a few moments. Christien nods once and backs away from me. I turn towards the door. Just as I open it, he whispers loud enough for me to hear.
“I will await your return Jessica.”
Without responding, I jog down the stairs into the living room. Several vampires roam the lower levels of the house on their way to their rooms. Humans sleepily make their way towards the kitchen. I watch as a vampire approaches a woman walking with a little girl. The woman stops and smiles adoringly at him. Surprisingly, he only kisses the woman’s cheek and hugs the little girl before continuing down the hall. I watch as the little girl skips across the room and turns the corner out of my view. The woman, most likely her mother, stops to speak with another vampire. He does not look much older than I do. He must have been in his mid twenties when he transitioned or I could attribute my assumption of his age to the way he has dressed in baggy jeans, overlong t-shirt with sneakers. Curiously, I move closer so I can hear their conversation.
“How did your patrol today go Simeon?” The woman asks.
“There have been no additional sightings of the master’s sire. We believe the master and his mate are safe for now.”
I walk pass them and stand in the adjacent hallway, close enough to hear, but out of sight.
“That’s good. Did you hear about Ian and Logan? The doctor thinks that the vampire blood might have cured their sickness.” She excitedly rambles on. “If that is true, there may be hope for my little girl too.”
“I hope so. I want nothing to happen to either of you. You have been generous and we all appreciate your loyalty.” He brushes a stray hair out of her face. “It is close to dawn. I must feed before I rest.”
“Please, allow me.” She tilts her head to the side in offering.
“You have already donated tonight. I do not wish you any harm. I will find another donor. Thank you for your kindness.” Simeon nods politely and walks across the room and down another hallway.
Before the woman can walk away, I step out of the hallway, startling her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She rests a hand on her chest to calm her breathing. “No, it’s fine. I forget sometimes how quiet vampires are. You would think I would be used to it by now.” She chuckles. “I don’t think we have met. I’m Patricia.”
I shake her hand. “I’m Jess. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Oh! You must be the master’s mate. Forgive me for not recognizing you. The others that described you to me, did not tell me how truly beautiful you are.”
I laugh. “I hardly believe that, but thanks anyway. I don’t mean to intrude on your conversation with the other vampire, but I overheard that your daughter is sick. What’s wrong with her?”
She waves her hand at me. “No, it’s alright. Simeon’s a sweetie. He reads to my daughter sometimes when she isn’t feeling well. Trina, my daughter, has a rare genetic disorder that causes bones to be very brittle. It’s similar to other bone diseases, but it is rare for her because she is only a child. Doctors could do nothing to help her. Master Christien found me at her bedside in the hospital and I agreed to bring her here for treatment. She is doing much better, but her bones still break from time to time.”
“And you? Are you sick too?” I ask cautiously.
“No. I am here because Christien needs blood donors and refuses to take blood from her. Consider me her surrogate. I am happy to do it if it means that she will be able to survive.” Patricia admits.
“What about her father?”
She lowers her head. “Once he found out his daughter was not perfect in his eyes, he split. We haven’t seen him since.”
“Do you like it here?”
“Master Christien treats us very well. We want for nothing. I work for his get as a blood donor, in exchange, we live here rent-free and I can see my daughter grow up. I couldn’t ask for a better outcome, other than my daughter’s health.”
“What if your daughter was cured? What would you do then?” I ask curiously.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. I like it here. With his get growing so rapidly, I imagine he needs blood donors more now than ever. All of the vampires treat us respectfully. I have not been in his service long, but I wouldn’t abandon them if they still had need of me.”
“So, you would stay even if your daughter was cured?” I reiterate disbelievingly.
“If he would permit me to stay, then yes I would. I have made many friends with the other donors and vampires. I would be very reluctant to leave.”
I nod in understanding. “I didn’t mean to keep you from your daughter. Thank you for speaking with me.”
She smiles at me and pats me on the shoulder. “You will be good for the master. I have never seen him this happy.”
I watch her follow her daughter’s path into another room. Grabbing my keys from the foyer table on my way out the door, I rush out of the house to think about everything she has said.
Chapter 9
My house feels empty and quiet when I walk inside. Thoughts about what Patricia said still bounce around inside my head. She would willingly stay in Christien’s get even if her daughter were no longer sick. Incredible as that may seem, I can’t help but be skeptical that maybe he might have brainwashed his donors for all of them to believe that it would be better if they stay under his roof. It would ensure their loyalty and he wouldn’t have to worry about their secret getting out. I make a mental note to talk to some of his other donors to see if they feel the same way. I may not like the idea of having blood donors, but not all vampires feel the same way. My reaction to the feeding process may be because of my angel blood. Maybe regular vampires don’t have the problem with stealing their donor’s minds while they feed.
The next three days pass by without a word from Christien. I spend those days shopping, cleaning my house, my weapons and withdrawing my own blood as Tyler has taught me over the years. No new jobs have come in and other little jobs do not look appealing so I log into the system and put my status as unavailable. With Roman still in Italy trying to find out information about Hassan for Christien, I wander around the city aimlessly. It is not surprising that I find myself entering Blixen by the third evening.
“Hey Jess, where’ve you been?” Blixen asks.
“I’ve been around, been working mostly. What have you been up to?” I ask her.
“I’ve been trying to keep these damn weres under control. They act as if it’s their first full moon.”
I laugh. “They always act like that when it gets closer to the time to shift. What else is new?”
“True.” She wa
lks me to the bar. “Hey Henri! Why don’t Jess got a drink yet?”
Henri rolls his eyes and puts a drink in front of me. “Here ya go kid. Good to see ya.”
I take a sip as Blixen follows Henri to the other side of the bar, fussing at him for something. I smile as Henri looks in my direction and rolls his eyes. Directing my attention back to the small crowd around the room, I notice several men looking in my direction. Not in the mood to play, I turn back to my drink and ignore their blatant hints.
As the sun goes down, more creatures of the dark come out to play. Vampires, weres, fae and even a couple of minor demons all crowd the nightclub, looking to blow off some steam and have a good time. I accept a few offers to dance, but my heart doesn’t seem to be in it. They quickly lose interest in me, moving on to more willing partners.
Just as I am getting ready to leave, a familiar power trickles over my skin. My heart races as I spin around. Christien is standing right behind me smiling.
“I was hoping to see you here tonight ma chatte petite.”
“Christien...” His name is all I manage to say before he has me in his arms, kissing me thoroughly until I am breathless.
He releases my mouth to let me catch my breath. “Have you missed me chatte? I have missed you.”
I shrug trying to be blasé when what I want to do is throw myself in his arms. I have really missed him. I just didn’t realize it until now. Somehow, he has managed to worm his way into my heart, carving out a piece of it to make it his home.
“What are you doing here?” I ask. Suddenly self-conscious about my looks, I smooth my skirt and fiddle with pieces of my hair falling in my face. All of my fidgeting seems pointless after hearing his next comment.
“No need to worry about your presentation, ma chatte petite. It is not possible for you to look less than perfect in my eyes, regardless of what you are wearing.”
Feeling like a teenager with her first crush, I allow him to sweep me outside and into a waiting Lincoln.
“You didn’t answer my question.” I pull away from his embrace, but not far enough that he can’t keep his arm around me.
“I was hoping to find you. I know I promised to give you time and space, but I missed you. I thought you might miss me too. There are things we need to discuss, but I will admit my selfish desires came first. How have you been? Has anything happened with you?”
“No. What have you heard?” I ask suspiciously.
“Nothing, ma chatte sauvage, I was only curious about what you have been up to.”
I relax a little. Maybe I am being a little hard on him. I do miss him. “I haven’t done much of anything lately. I’ve done a little shopping and cleaning. I spent some time working out. It’s been a quiet and relaxing few days.”
“I am glad you have had fun.” An emotion crosses Christien’s face. Before I can study it, the emotion is gone.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, trying for the direct approach.
“It is nothing chatte. I do not want to waste a moment of time with you arguing.” He quickly changes the subject. “Have you spoken to Roman?”
“Yes.” I smile fondly thinking of my best friend, causing Christien to frown. “I spoke to him yesterday. He hasn’t found much yet in regards to Hassan, but he hopes to have a few leads soon. Has Kayle come up with anything?”
“Not yet. Getting vampires to talk about Hassan has always been a difficult feat. Kayle has ways to be very persuasive though. He has my utmost confidence.”
It is my turn to frown. The green-eyed monster rests it’s head on my shoulder and I push away from Christien more forcefully than necessary. I do my best to control my jealousy, but it is pointless to try to hide it.
“Ma chatte,” He whispers close to my ear. “You have no reason to be jealous of Kayle. He does not hold my heart the way you do.”
I snort in disbelief. “You’re right. I don’t need to be jealous of Kayle because I have Roman.” I snap back.
The power level in the car skyrockets as Christien loses his temper. “No! You are mine!” He blurts out in a panic as he pulls me into his arms. His face burrows into my hair. “He cannot have you. You are my mate. I will not share with him.”
“Like I have to share with Kayle?” I slide my backside between his legs.
Our bodies mold together as the car stops in front of Christien’s house.
“You do not have to share me with Kayle. Is that what you think? I told you that we are friends, close like brothers. We do not have that type of relationship.”
I look into his eyes filled with desperation and panic. “Roman and I are friends. We are also close like family. Why do you think he will take me away?”
He gets his power back under control and releases the panic inside of him. “If there is one who could, it would be him, would it not?”
“Maybe, but he wouldn’t do that. He cares about me and I care about him. We don’t feel that way towards each other. Kayle, on the other hand, may not feel the same way about sharing you with me.”
“I am certain that Kayle will treat you with respect. You have earned that from him. Now that we understand where we stand, in regards to our friends, we need to work on where we stand with each other.” The car door opens and Christien helps me out. He is guiding me towards the bedroom when I sidestep him and make my way towards the living room. The room is empty but I can hear quiet chatter from nearby rooms.
“I thought we could use a little more privacy.” Christien pouts while watching me take a seat on the couch.
“I think if we are sitting vertical in a room without a bed, we could get more accomplished.” I smile mischievously.
He grins and sits across from me on the opposite couch. “Where shall we begin?”
“Before I make any decisions on what to do about us, I would like to ask you some questions.”
He relaxes on the couch, resting both arms across the back and crosses his legs. “What would you like to know?”
Straight to the point, I ask the question on my mind. “Are the humans your slaves?”
Brows wrinkling, he lowers his hands to rest on his lap, fingers intertwined. “I do not understand your question.”
“Do your donors have free will? Can they come and go as they wish?”
“Yes and No.” He replies without explanation.
“Would you care to elaborate?” I growl at him.
“Yes they have free will. No they cannot come and go as they wish.”
“Why not?”
“Why do I allow them free will or why can they not come and go as they choose?” He asks.
“The latter.”
“If they were to leave without an escort, it would be possible for them to let our existence become known, which is against vampire law. If there is somewhere they need to go, as long as it is reasonable, I usually grant them permission. To allow them to freely leave the compound and return without knowledge of anyone that may be following them would be reckless, not just for me, but for the others here in my get. If there is anything they need, I make sure they have it so there is no reason for them to want to leave.”
“Alright, I guess I can understand that. Are you sure that you haven’t taken over their minds and bent them to your will?” I ask.
He smiles. “Every servant in my employ was asked to volunteer as a donor. I have never nor will I ever force someone into my get. A willing donor will show me loyalty, whereas an unwilling donor will betray me at the first opportunity.”
“How do you really find donors? You mentioned before that all your donors are sick. What do you do, cruise the hospital and find the most desperate ones knowing that they have no other options?”
“You make my selection process sound so cruel. I could just pick people off the street and bend their minds into submission as some masters do. Would that make things less complicated for you? Do you find it so difficult to believe that we are not all like the monsters portrayed in your mind? I do not enjoy killing. My sire made sur
e of that. I was a soldier once and I have done things that I am not proud of, but what harm am I doing by protecting the ones that depend on me to survive by seeking out humans in need. I do not need the donors to be fighters. I prefer a docile homestead with minor problems. My donors come from different times in life. Some have been around for over a century, others, only a year. If someone asks to leave my service to go back into human civilization, I wipe their memories of vampires, give them enough to live comfortably and allow them to live out their lives in peace. I am not a monster Jessica.”
“I don’t mean to imply that you are. Hearing rumors about how dangerous vampires are all my life doesn’t mean that I will just dismiss those rumors because you want a mate. I need to understand what I am getting into before I make any decision one way or the other. I am cautious and weary of vampires. Look at what Hassan did to my parents! Look at what he tried to do to me when I was only a teen. I had no idea what life was like before then. I have done what is necessary to survive. If you think I plan to give up control of my life for you or anyone else, you might as well forget me now. It is not gonna happen.”
“I am not asking you to give up anything. I only ask that you share your life with me, Jessica. I want to be there for you. I am willing to do whatever it takes to keep you with me.”
“Stop saying things like that!” I shout.