by Amy Mah
“And the female that attacked me was still living when your father arrived, and I didn’t piss on her. Maybe I was thinking about it, but I did not. It was your father who killed her. Okay, so I did piss on the one in the tournament, but I was really desperate to go at the time and my inner vamp is a little earthy in her actions.”
“Helping start a blood feud between two houses was an accident. I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, that was all.”
“The massacre on 22nd and 3rd was greatly exaggerated by the human newspapers and not altogether my fault. It was my very first hunting trip, and a girl should not be judged by her first bite night. And no one ever talks about me saving the life of that cat. Besides, most of them kind of killed themselves without any help from me.”
“Okay, not the ones that shot me, but killing them was a normal warning reaction to having one’s lunch try to kill you.”
“As for the drug baron, technically he died due to gravity. Jumping off the roof killed him, not me trying to bite him.”
“My maids’ name is Bambi, not Bimbo, and she doesn’t sleep with me every night: just sometimes. Okay, most nights, but not every night. Look, we are girls, and it’s normal; just ask your sister.”
“Yes, okay. Your father is right. I don’t know how he knows, but we do sleep in the nude. But that is only because Bambi has sensitive skin.”
“And he is mistaken about me trying to rape my uncle after I was first brought to the nest. All I was doing was sitting on his lap naked trying to bring him back to life, and it was my aunt’s idea that we should both be naked.”
“Well, my aunt throws a wobbly if I get my clothes dirty! And I was then forced to wear damp panties for the rest of the day.”
Amy finished her monologue and looked toward the brother and sister to see them just standing with their mouths open.
“Well, are you just going to stand there catching flies, or are you going to say something?”
Ice raised her eyes and with a giggle
“Best not give him any more information, Amy; his mind will not get past the naked sleeping with your maid yet!”
Max closed his mouth and smiled (or maybe more grinned).
“Err, well, that’s okay, then: all sorted. Do you think we would be pushing our luck if we sneaked off somewhere on the way back to the nest and had sex before being grounded for life? After all, this is the third date. I was kind of hoping for some third-base activity at the very least, and I am sure I can get Ice to turn her back or at least close her eyes?”
If nothing else, Amy thought, Max is definitely male, which means stupid, dumb and always ready to put his foot in his mouth. Okay, so also very hot: not that I need to tell him that. So she kneed him in the nuts and said, “Guess!”
He bent forward a little but was still able to stand, which meant Amy made a mental note to do it harder next time (but perhaps not while his father was watching and looking like he might come over and inspect any possible grandchild-creating-equipment damage).
“Owww! Okay, shall I take that as a possible maybe, then? Or even something that we can put on the list for date number four?”
Yes, Amy thought, definitely male, cute, hot, and dumb. And she loved him for all those positive male qualities.
Then Ice cut in and looked a lot more happy than she had earlier.
“Stop bugging her, Maxy; that sort of decision has to be discussed between girls beforehand, so as her best friend, we will talk it over during milk break, or whatever is the norm at school nowadays, and let you know your chances.”
“Oh, Amy, why do think you can brag about your exciting life and then think we will not be jealous? Gee, you are just so lucky! Well, you are not allowed to have all that sort of fun on your own ever again.”
“Today has been just so exciting! We must find lots more rules to break! And didn’t you see that Daddy was only faking his anger for the guards? You have to watch for the little signs, like still being alive.”
“I have been trying to get out of boring home school for years and have the chance to meet more people like Amy! Wow! Like a whole school of potential victims!”
“And now who has her mouth open, Miss Pinkbat?”
Chapter 19
The Tyrant’s Lair
Phabian did not know if it was an honor or a death sentence to be invited for a meeting on the top floor; no one ever ventured to the top of the building without an invite, as the whole of the top floor was nicknamed the Valerius Lair.
Not that it was particularly private, as the head of the council constantly said his door was always open to visitors. Phabian expected a window and a very long drop offering spectacular views all the way down from this pinnacle of a skyscraper.
It was the sort of area that in the human world would have very large males guarding it: the type of male that would wear sunglasses 24/7 and own lots of handmade, expensive tailored suits (all of which he was in the process of growing out of).
As the elevator door opened, Phabian saw some ancient-looking clerks wearing the latest fashion for the 1650s that gave two impressions: one, that not only the clothing would turn to dust if they tried to change, and two that they were the closest thing he had even seen to a picture book or magic lantern showing that of which humans called zombies.
The clerks were a surprise to him; from the smell of decay, they used to be human: not the normal undead servants but personally turned humans and not nest-controlled, which as far as he could remember was illegal. They were of a great age, which proved that they were well-looked after by their blood master and would defend him with their lives, which in their case would mean a deadly attack by quill and ink, along with a well-aimed heavy ledger. Not that they would ever be called upon for such protection, as the tyrant could kill any vampire in the nest without even taking his jacket off, but he was not above the rules. Having personal undead was flaunting his power, and Phabian thought that someone should say something about it, so he duly made a mental note that whoever that someone was, it would not be him.
Valerius did not need guards; true, he took guards with him when he went out, but that was only for show. He had been head of the council for a very long time, and in a kill-or-be-killed world of vampires, that should give you a very strong hint why the other council members called him a VMD (Vampire of mass destruction), but not to his face.
It was rumored that he had hundreds of specialized meeting rooms created and many furnished to fit into different time periods, all with genuine antiques to help create the correct atmosphere for the style of meeting that was planned. They said the room with the guillotine was the very one that was used to cut off the head of the King of France, and it was still in full working order.
Phabian was relived to discover that the room that one of the clerks led him to did not contain any antiques, deadly or not. It was just a room, an enormous room with dark walls and a very large desk at the far end, where the head of the council sat reading some paperwork that had just been placed before him. He followed the clerk, who motioned for him to sit, and as he did, Valerius looked up over his steeple fingers and spoke.
“Ah, what perfect timing! I was just checking the documents before you sign them, and then I can have one of my staff show you to your new office; would the 25th floor be to your liking? It has, I am told, some wonderful views over the gardens, and one of the better offices has just become available due to the previous occupant having a terminal accident, which is planned for later today.”
The head of the council could have offered a newly dug grave and ask if it was to his liking, for all the good Phabian thought it would do to refuse.
“May I ask if and how the paper I am about to sign is linked to an office with such a nice garden view?”
A smiling Valerius was a worrying sight when seen at a distance and even more so from a few feet away and aimed directly at you.
“But of course you can; it’s all due to your promotion, as you will from today be on my
team of personal advisers, and you must have an office to work in. Well, what would people say if my son’s future father-in-law did not have a respected position in the nest? Think of it as part of a dowry and but the first step in your new career, for as soon as the first child is born, you will be voted unanimously onto the council, as I believe a place will become vacant due to ill health or death if the person decides to get better.”
The words “fait accompli” came to Phabian’s mind; they were good words, and he now wondered what else he had agreed to in Valerius’ mind: not that it mattered, as whatever it was, he must have already agreed to it willingly, as he was still alive. He recognized what the document was before him: a standard betrothal document, a marriage contract between Valerius’ son Maxamillion and his adopted Hell Cat of a daughter, Amelia. Of course, as head of the household, he could say no, which would mean he would be killed and the next head of the household would be asked, but he either needed to play for time or find himself just as dead when is his sister discovered he had just signed a marriage contract without telling her.
And as to Amy ever finding out, well, his sister had been training her well to be a normal, obedient female vampire, and so she would kill him at the first oppertunity.
“It would, of course, be a great honor for our humble house to be linked to one as noble as yours, and I would take it as a personal favor if I could mention it as a formality to my sister and adopted daughter first before signing.”
Smiling again, Valerius waved a hand towards a wall, which immediately turned into a wall-sized screen showing a very ornate and definitely female-decorated stately room where a female stood as if waiting for the call, which he spoke to.
“I trust your little welcoming committee meeting went well, my dear, and everyone left happy?”
The beautiful female that now filled the wall smiled as she replied, “Yes, my husband. It was a most enjoyable gathering, and everyone was so pleased to meet our newest member to the Ladies Domestic Circle. I am sure the Lady Nyx will make a wonderful addition to our numbers, and she has already volunteered some of her precious time to our little causes!”
The words Ladies Domestic Circle said it all to Phabian; the LDC ran the nest. Everything that needed a female touch was somehow linked to the LDC, and that meant the running of the whole nest. His sister had just been made part of the highest of the female circles of power and control, and so now all he had to worry about was not letting Amy know anything about her engagement until she came into heat, at which time she would not care who or what she was engaged to as long as it was male.
Phabian picked up a pen and signed carefully in all the places marked for him to do so.
A clerk collected up the document, carefully checked that it was in order, and took it away.
“My son’s bloodline is as you know one of the best in the nest: only to be exceeded by his sister, whose ancient bloodline that runs through the female offspring will one day, with the right mate, breed children that will be the nest’s future leaders. But your adopted little foundling shows to have a bloodline if not as old but perhaps even older, meaning that like my daughter, her abilities are still developing. We need to study her further, and your task will be to search out her origins. Are there any other members of her family hidden out in the wilds?”
“We will also need to know what the other houses know of her; such a well-planned kidnap attempt was not an accident, nor was it for my daughter alone. Such a powerful fighting squad was looking to obtain an extra renegade breeding female.”
“You will, of course, devote all of your time and energy to this task and supply me with weekly reports.”
Valerius once again waved his hand at a wall, which now showed a wonderful underground garden of little waterfalls, pools of warm bubbling water and a colorful range of plants and fungi. Phabian could make out movement in the distance near one of the pools, and the camera zoomed in. It showed two people lying next to each other, and not just any two people, as he would recognize a certain little Hell Cat of his anywhere.
And well, at least they were still dressed, or at least wearing under garments, which looked wet. They had been swimming and were now drying off on the hot stones. Male and female vampire getting naked and doing things together was so common that it seemed like it was not just a norm but almost a rule, and he found it somehow amusing that Amy would break rules by finding a deserted spot to swim with a male and then insist that they would keep some clothing on! She was a teenager, so breaking rules was a given, but the way she did it was kind of unique.
Apart from the fact he liked to show off that he had cameras everywhere, Phabian waited to see if this was for a purpose apart from voyeurism. Then again, anything that Valerius did had a purpose, so he watched and waited.
“As you may be aware, over the past few years, some couples have requested that arranged marriage contracts be annulled, which usually happens before the female comes into heat. This has caused embarrassment to the families involved, as the council has to look into things. Therefore, a clause has now been added that when the male and female in question have reached an age to make their own decisions, they can give their own consent by a mutual offering and accepting of blood. This has to be done of their own free will and of course must be witnessed and recorded by the heads of both houses, so please watch carefully.”
The image on the wall now showed Amy make a small cut on her wrist with her index claw. She held it out to Max so that he could suck on it, and as he did so, she sank her teeth into his arm. For a little while, they lay together, gently sucking, until Amy stopped. She pulled her arm away, grabbed him by his hair, forced him onto his back, and started kissing him. The image faded.
Valerius signed a piece of paper with the title “Consent by the named confirmed by a mutual offering and accepting of blood to take place ……., witnessed by” and passed it over to Phabian to do the same.
“Well, that certainly looks like a free-will decision to me, so just sign under my name, and it will be filed away along with the film clip as full complacence by the named betrothed in the marriage contract. I just don’t understand it. I remember quite clearly telling my son not to go anywhere near the new park project, as it will not be open to the public due to the time it takes for the more delicate fungi to establish themselves.” He sighed. “I do find that children never listen to what anyone says. Oh, well! They are young, so they can be forgiven.”
“As they look to enjoy the wonders of nature so much, I think that when your daughter next comes into heat, we can seal them both together in the park for a few weeks as a wedding present. With luck, the first child will be male.”
Chapter 20
At last, things were good
For a change, life was going okay for Amy. At last, things were good: really good. I’m an alpha female, so maybe not a vampire queen, but heck! All it takes is a little brand of gold, and I can act like a spoilt princess. People just put it down to inbreeding (whatever that is), and my oddities are now ignored.
As she stood in a deserted underground park wearing wet undies, she thought that life was finally turning around for her. I have just been swimming, okay? Huh! You have minds like a toilet!
She was facing a super hot, cute guy who was definitely her boyfriend. His eyes were closed, and he was counting.
Her aunt and uncle were acting very nice to her, trusting her when she told them that she was off to see Ice, whereas she was actually hanging out with her brother. No more stupid talk from my aunt on how a young girl should prepare her body for future marriage, which as far as I can tell means the ability to hang upside down for hours and peel oranges with one’s foot claws. Well, I am so not going to ask what that has to do with being married for fear of being told, and I just hope it is only one of my aunt’s little oddities. If not, I am good at hanging upside down and peeling oranges with my feet, but not at the same time as I tend to drop the oranges.
The reason for them acting so nice w
as blindingly obvious; it was nothing to do with Amy directly but instead the fact that her uncle had landed himself a very fancy job on Valerius’ staff. Amy had no idea what he was doing, but it meant a status increase for the Pinkbat family, so her aunt now had joined lots of upper level nest committees. The family name going up in rank was also good for her at school; even Mouse was no longer trying to kill her in class by throwing something large and heavy and forgetting to say duck. The dumb ass now says I should always make sure I kill an opponent as quickly as I can so that they do not have a chance of hurting me! Okay, those were not his words; his words were more on the lines of kill anyone that looks at you oddly and make sure you protect your womb when fighting. See? What did I tell you? He’s a frigging loon!
It was a shock to find out her boyfriend’s dad was the top set of fangs in the nest and had kind of banned them from seeing each other (as if that will stop us). The nest was the size of a human city and had millions of places to hang out together, so that even a mega tyrant like Max’s dad couldn’t find them, plus I have been super bright and stuffed his present in a lead bag when I see Max.
The present was a surprise, and it turned up one day out of the blue. Actually, it was more of a shock, and Amy hoped the giver, Ice’s father, was not having any icky ideas about her, as she was not into antiques. She did ask Ice, but she just laughed and said her mom would kill him. Males could have human sex pets and maids and sort of do what they liked, but they have to be discreet when taking other full-bloods, unless they have very good life insurance.
The present? Well, Ice and Amy had both lost their modesty discs, and their replacements were a bit over the top replacements. They would be called bling if you could call something that cost over $50K bling.