Quill jerked away from him, shaking her head in disgust. “No, I don’t want to hear your excuses. You’re a monster. And you’ll never-“ she poked him in the chest, accentuating her words, “never feed on me. I’ll stake you before you even get the chance.” Her entire body was shaking with adrenaline and nerves as she stormed to the door, wrenching it open and making a beeline for the front door she’d entered through.
But it was day time and none of the house guards would risk her opening the door and exposing any of them to the sunlight. Three burly, muscle-laden men stood in her way challenging her to try and fight them just so they could find some amusement for once in their job. She gasped in frustration before turning and running up the stairs of the manor, rushing through the hallways until she found a bedroom that was unoccupied and slammed the door shut like a child.
She was still shaking even after she closed the way between her and Nero. Not that he couldn’t have stopped her if he wanted to. Still, she stepped back from the door and pushed the dresser in front of it, hoping to block him out completely. When she determined she felt safe enough, she slumped to the ground in a heap.
Vampires… Vampires were real. How was that possible?
She couldn’t’ very well believe it let alone wrap her head around it. It couldn’t be real if vampires were real what else was real? She had seen the blood baths herself, there had been nothing supernatural about them. Just savage destruction, literal rivers of blood had streamed down the streets. Why would they have wasted so much?
She shook her head, covering her ears like it would block out the words he’d said, stop her memories and keep reality as she had known it intact. But beyond the darkness behind her eyelids she could see her father, his insistence that she had to be stronger, faster, better than anyone else. Was he trying to save her? Was he trying to ensure she was strong enough that she was useful to them and never a possible meal plan? But if that was true, why did he let Rose go? Why did he push her toward having a patron? She could’ve been broken the way Quill had been, she could’ve been made into the same well-oiled machine as her sister. It wasn’t fair. The lack of childhood she had possessed and the pain she’d endured at the hand of a man who had said he loved her and that what he did, he did to make her stronger.
She had the scars lining her back from his belt where it had broken the skin. She could still feel the trickle of blood running down her spine from the slight slits he’d created. Her heart was permanently broken because he had beaten her so badly her heart had been unable to cope with the stress of it. He had signed her death warrant. There was no love, no protection in that. She would’ve been better off with a patron like Rose if that were his intention - would she not have been?
But the idea of spending the rest of her life at the beck and call of someone who only wanted her for her life force… She couldn’t bear it. She wouldn’t.
A knock echoed through the room after a few moments and she turned her head sharply to look at it.
“Fuck off!”
“Now, that’s no way to speak to your host.”
“I don’t care. I’m not going to be your meal.”
“I told you, Isabelle, that’s not what I want from you.”
“Quill, my name is Quill.”
“I think Isabelle is more suiting for you than that silly nickname.” The dresser rattled a little as he tried to open it and she jumped to her feet watching in horror as he managed to move it by pushing the door open. She moved quickly around the room, feeling naked without her knife as she searched around for something to use instead. It was stupid, but she brandished the lamp without its shade like a sword as he entered the room.
Nero took one look at her and laughed, “Isabelle…” He tsked her like a child before moving closer, “I know you’re scared right now. This is why I wanted to tell you with time. I wanted to get you accustomed to the idea before giving you the whole truth. You put me in an awkward position…”
“I’m not scared, I’m freaking out okay! I don’t…” She didn’t know anything, she didn’t know what the point of her whole existence was anymore. The rebellion was a sham, they would never be able to take down a nest of vampires and there was no military conspiracy like most of them assumed. They were all just sitting ducks, waiting for the vampires to descend on their compound and tear their throats out. Her sister was no safer there than she had been here. In fact, with Nero’s protection she might’ve been safer. At least other vampires would’ve had to ask his permission for his subscriber if they wanted a taste. She assumed.
“Isabelle.” He said her name so sharply she turned to look at him in surprise, not realizing she had been babbling out loud. He had moved closer to her this time, reaching out and taking her waist between his hands as he drew her body close to his.
“Look at me.” She refused to, he said something earlier about compelling, she wasn’t going to fall for that again.
“Look at me,” he commanded, the tone of voice he used made her do it out of instinct. “You are safe. I understand that you believe differently, but you are safe. No one, not even myself, will touch you against your wishes. This is my home, but you are not to be hurt or frightened by anyone within it. They are here to ensure your comforts are met but otherwise they will not interact with you unless you pose a danger to my safety. Do you understand?”
His words helped to calm her thoughts as she nodded slowly, letting herself relax a little more.
“Now, you will sit down and you will let me tell you everything as I attempted to do downstairs. This time you will not interrupt and you will wait until I finish to interject.” He released her waist and let her move to the bed, slipping down on it dreamily. He should’ve felt a little guiltier using the full strength of his abilities on her, but she was only going to endanger herself if she carried on with her self-induced panic.
“When the Blood Baths began it had been decided this was the way to rectify some of the impurities in the human race. We systematically wiped out the weak and the spoilt - that is, the gangsters and criminals. Low-lifes who didn’t contribute to the society we intended to create. After that the tests were put in place. Because of the necessity to keep our secret there needed to be the agents, as you call them, who would be the militia force to ensure that everything ran smoothly. The patronage system was created to ensure that something like the Blood Baths never happened again. Each Vampire was forced to enroll his presence and then he was able to take on a subscriber to act as his own source of blood. Part of his job though was to provide a comfortable lifestyle for his human. We are the stronger race, Darwinism they call it. This is how it was supposed to be all along. For too long we have lived in the shadows, even now we stand on the cusp but with the humans who know of our existence we are far more free than we used to be.”
“Then why do you live on the outside of society?” He had told her not to interrupt, but the question was too burning to ignore.
“Because, I didn’t wish to enroll in the system. I am old. I am far older than most Vampires who are here and I have no interest in the politics that come from being known.”
“How is it possible that you’re that old and unknown?”
“I have lived my life very much under the radar.”
“Then why did you come to the one place that seems to be the least conspicuous of them all?”
“It is complicated.”
“Tell me.”
“I was intrigued, even interested in the idea that the council presented. I have never been interested in being a part of the council but the opportunity they have presented my kind... This is the first time they had put aside their self-serving habits and done something for the greater good of our kind. I fear that by enrolling ourselves may present a danger that they haven’t foreseen yet. The human race, by nature, is based very much on the idea of survival. They want to survive. It might not be now or it might not even be for a hundred years, but there may come a time when someone has an idea to fight
back and from that idea they build their following. Then this following gets their hands on the enrolment of every vampire in North America and suddenly we are being hunted like the witches.”
“Witches.”
“Yes, witches. Of course witches are real.”
“Of course,” she said dryly, staring at him. “So you living on the fringes of society is a self-preservation technique?”
“Yes, and I have no interest in making my identity known to the council so that they might annoy me to join them. I have no wish to be in that sort of position. It is not true power.”
“No, nothing like the power of lordship.”
“I’m not a lord, but I took that title by earning it.”
“Earning it?”
“I might not be well known amongst my kind, but I have a reputation. Originally it stemmed from my father’s but I have created one more myself. I am a whisper in the back of my kind’s mind. My cruelty and viciousness are well known amongst the others, but only a few have actually seen it. That’s true power.”
“Because it makes people fear you without even being there to give them something to be afraid of.”
“Exactly.” She pursed her lips, thinking of her father as she spoke before looking back up at him again. “What’s the council?”
“It’s our governing body. They create the laws for our kind, they enforce them and they ensure that we are never discovered.”
“This council sucked at their job then didn’t they?”
“They were presented with an opportunity and for now it is working for them.”
“For now, you said it yourself, there is a growing chance that one day the humans will fight back unless you kill them all off by then.”
“Or enslave them.”
“Is that an option?”
“An option I would consider if necessary.”
“And what does that mean for me?” Nero stared at her for a moment before moving to the bed and sitting down at her feet.
“Nothing. It means nothing to you because my original claim will always stand.”
“So your rules mean nothing to me.”
“No, that’s not what I said. I made you a promise and I intend to keep that, but there are some rules I expect you to respect while you’re here.”
“Which are?”
“Some rooms you will not enter, no matter how curious you are.”
“Because they’re where you kill people?”
“Perhaps.” Nero smiled dangerously before shaking his head, “because I will respect your privacy so I expect you to respect mine.”
“Okay, what else?”
“You cannot go out during the day, obviously. You are not to engage in any sexual activities with anyone under my charge in this house…”
“You’re telling me who I can and can’t sleep with?”
“Yes. Because first and foremost you are mine.”
“I’m not.”
“You are and they will know that. So no matter what amount of effort you might exert to try and attract them to you, they value their immortality a lot more than a romp in the sheets with a woman like you. No matter how beautiful you may be.”
It wasn’t the first time a man had called her beautiful, but something about Nero saying it made all the difference in the world. She looked away from his shyly, combatting the residual anger she was still feeling over his so-called rules.
“What else?” she finally said, trying to detract from her shameless behaviour.
“Nothing else. The rest is up to you. My rules are simple.”
“And what do you get out of me being here?”
“The pleasure of your company.”
“It can’t be that easy. Nothing in the world is that easy, there has to be a motivation for you taking me in and expecting nothing in return for sheltering me, clothing me and feeding me.”
“You took my Rose so your presence will pay off that debt.”
“Rose was here as your meal and I’ve already told you that I am not going to replace that position for you.”
“I am aware of that,” he said as he rose from the bed, moving back toward the door. “This bedroom isn’t actually your assigned one. If you’d like to come with me, I’ll show you your chambers.”
“Chambers,” she snorted, bemused by his archaic terminology.
“Yes,” he said lacking any amusement in his tone.
“You’re still avoiding answering my question. There has to be something in it for you with my being here.”
“Your presence is all I want.”
“You told me last night that you wanted me.”
Nero left the room and Quill reluctantly followed him. She felt a lot better in an unassigned room that she had chosen instead of a room he had had the opportunity to prepare for her with God only knew what.
“This is true.”
“And I said you won’t have me. Blood, body or mind.”
“I could take those things.” He reminded her.
“Yes, but my rule is no more of that compelling thing.”
“It doesn’t work on you half the time. You have to be rather emotionally distressed for your guard to be down enough for it to work I find.”
“Yeah, well, stop trying to use it.”
“I prefer that anyway.” She didn’t know if that was any better, she almost felt like she was playing into some unknown will he hadn’t warned her of yet.
“Why does this room have to be for me?” she said with a distrustful tone as he led her into a bedroom that felt far more girly than was appropriate for Quill’s tastes.
“I presumed you would like sunshine in your room every once in a while.” She turned to look at the window and realized it was half-way open. She looked back at Nero who had positioned himself carefully to avoid being touched by the light before nodding her head.
“Yes, thank you.” The words left a bitter taste on her tongue as she shrugged the jacket she wore off and laid it at the foot of the bed.
“You’re not going to tell me your motivation are you?”
“I am a simple man despite my reputation, I purely wish for your presence. And you will obey me by sitting with me for dinner.”
“I’m not going to watch you feed off a human.”
“No, I don’t expect you to either. It isn’t sexy and it’s not appealing. But I will watch you eat.”
“Sexy,” she retorted, tugging her sweater down more as she turned to look at him again.
“You didn’t bring clothes,” he noted with interest. “I’ll have someone go and find you a wardrobe in the evening when everyone is awake again.”
“Do you sleep during the day then?”
“Most do, yes. The younger vampires are compelled to by their necrosis, but someone as old as I am can resist the urges. I can go for weeks without sleep if necessary. But it can be taxing on my body after some time.”
“Good to know.”
“I’d be happy to tell you more about my kind at a later date, but you have had a trying evening: rescuing your sister, fighting me, cutting yourself open…” He nodded at her collarbone where the underlying cuts from earlier peeked out from under the fraying neckline. She covered her skin self-consciously making him laugh.
“Dried blood is as appealing to me as fresh blood is to you. You have nothing to worry about. If those injuries do start to bother you, however, let me know and I can arrange that you’re healed.”
“And how would you do that?”
“My blood has regenerative properties, you would find yourself back to full health with only a few mouthfuls.” Her expression showed her distaste at the idea and Nero laughed in amusement.
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t make you do it unless you asked. But like I said if it begins to bother you I can arrange for it to be healed.”
Quill’s nose remained curled, “even if it was bothering me I think I’d leave it.”
“Understandable.” Nero nodded his head and backed away to the do
or once more. “Well, I will see you in the evening then. I hope you rest well, I look forward to seeing you later.”
The way he looked at her as he left the room kept her stomach in tight knots for several long minutes after he was gone. Finally able to shake him from her system she went to the door and thanked him softly for giving her a lock on her door. Turning it tight and pushing a chair up against the door knob for good measure, she went to the window and pulled the curtains shut.
He was right about one thing, the last 12 hours had been exhausting and she was ready to sleep. Maybe when she woke up, this would all be a terrible dream and the world as she once knew it would be back to its rightful state.
Then again, if this disappeared so would he, and some sick, twisted part of her deep down inside didn’t want that either.
CHAPTER 7
When Quill woke again, it was well into the evening and the house below her was bustling. The chair was missing from the door and the silent threat that hung there warned her: no amount of security would keep them away from her. She didn’t know how comfortable she was with that knowledge. It certainly took away the thanks she had registered before bed.
But with the chair replaced and the lock undone she found her closet filled with new clothes. Within it hung every sort of outfit for any situation she could imagine. Even some non-practical outfits she wasn’t entirely sure she would ever allow to grace her body. Nero, at least, had noted her sense of style and ensured that most of the outfits in there were to her tastes.
She showered, cleaning herself of the dirt and blood from yesterday’s adventure before she pulled a pair of jeans out along with a v-neck t-shirt. Once fully dressed she left her room and wandered through the hall. Anyone she past left her feeling chilled at the idea that they were dead but none of them even acknowledged she was there. As far as they were concerned she was a ghost. That had to be Nero’s influence.
At the bottom of the stairs, Clovis greeted her and guided her into a massive dinner room. At the far end of the table, Nero sat with a newspaper. It was a strangely normal sight that she didn’t expect from the knowledge of what he truly was. She eyed him suspiciously as Clovis guided a chair out at Nero’s left and she sat down. She would’ve preferred the seat at the far end.
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