by N Gray
I followed him again, this time in the opposite direction. We climbed another flight of stairs toward an office, the walls of which were glass and tinted silver. Sebastian knocked on the glass door, and someone from within said, ‘Enter’.
As Sebastian opened the door, all I could see was the wall to its left, covered from floor to ceiling in shelves that were each lined with books. From where I stood, their covers looked leathery and old. Inside the room were two sofas, a two-seater near to the door facing a one-seater directly opposite. To the far right sat an old wooden desk framed with wrought iron and, behind it, the man they call ‘master’.
Léon sat perfectly still, showing no emotion. His dark brown hair fell loosely around his face, framing a square jaw, high cheekbones and ocean-deep eyes. I turned away from his stare to glance at the rest of his office.
“Don’t worry, I won’t roll your mind with my eyes. You have my word,” Léon said.
I looked at him again and felt nothing from the vampire. There was no pull or metaphysical attachment, just him, Sebastian and I in a quiet room.
“That will be all, Sebastian. You may wait for her outside. And please close the door.”
“Sure.”
When we were alone, Léon walked around his desk to sit on its edge and crossed his arms over his chest. He wore a blue-collar silk shirt that gaped slightly to reveal a smooth chest, dark blue jeans and boots. How very modern for our master vampire.
There was only silence between us as he gazed at me. His glare had a weight to it, so intense that I felt I could slice through it with a knife. The hairs along my neck and spine stood on end, and I shivered. I tried crossing my arms defensively before eventually leaving them to hang loose by my sides.
To fill the silence, I said, “Thank you for saving my life.”
He nodded, stretching the silence out for a second, and then said, “I’m happy to see how well you have recovered. My were-animals did a great job.” He uncrossed his arms and rested them on his legs. “Are you in any pain?”
“Not really, except for where the skin is pulled tight by the stitches.” I reached for my side to feel the plaster under my shirt and the stitches beneath it. “I don’t know how you did it but I should be dead, shouldn’t I?”
“Yes, you should be.”
“Did you make me,”—I didn’t know how to say it, so I decided it was probably best to just get it out—“did you turn me into a vampire?”
The corners of his mouth tilted upward as if wanting to laugh, but Léon stopped when he saw my face.
“No, I wouldn’t do such a thing to someone who was unconscious,” he said. “If it was something you wanted, I would do it, but it has to be your choice.” His voice was stern yet smooth. Something in the way he said it sounded like he had not been given the choice at the time of his transformation, or that he knew of someone who was in that situation.
“Then what did you do to me?” I sounded accusatory and a little angry. I breathed deeply before I said anything else that sounded either harsh or unappreciative.
“Come.” He motioned for us to sit on the sofas. “Let’s sit.”
His cold, long fingers curled around my elbow and guided me to the two-seater. His touch was delicate yet firm, and he smelled faintly of the ocean, no doubt from the same soap that I had used in his shower. His cologne was fresh and sharp, with an undertone of cedarwood.
As he sat down beside me, Léon pulled on his shirt and tugged his pants down until he was comfortable in the seat. “Your wounds were very serious,” he said. “You were dying. When Mel realized that we were out of options and you were near death, she suggested something other than vampirism.” He paused, waiting for my reaction.
He didn’t have to explain, but Mel must have been the female doctor who had tended to me.
“Am I going to get upset when you tell me?”
“You might.” He shrugged and glanced at the far wall. “And, as you can see, I’m having difficulty explaining it to you. I don’t know how you will handle it. It’s not something that any normal human wants.”
“Just say it. I know I was at death’s door. There was little you could do.” It was true—I had been dying. My attackers had pulled me apart, and only a miracle could heal me.
“Right.” He reverted to what I felt was a vampire posture, as though his face and body were carved from stone. He glanced at me with his drowning blue eyes. “I marked you.”
“What does that mean? You marked me?”
“In my world, there are vampires, then were-animals, then humans, and lastly, pets which we use for food. A vampire can take one or more of each if they so desire and mark them. They become an extension of the vampire and may increase the vampire’s power base. I marked you to be my human servant. I offered you a lifeline, an extension of my power that healed you.”
My smile wavered, my head shaking as his words reverberated within my bones.
I knew what a human servant was. I understood the concept. But the chill of the realization made me uncomfortably numb.
The only way to save my life had been to mark me.
What would it mean for me going forward? What would I mean to him?
I hugged myself and touched my side, rubbing lightly over the stitches through the plaster and my clothing. Maybe I needed some pain to help me think, but all it did was tickle and irritate the tender flesh.
None of my thoughts gave me comfort. All I had left was to ask Léon for guidance. “What exactly does that mean for me?”
“It means you are my human servant. Please trust me when I tell you that I only did it to save your life. I will not give you the second mark. You will not become my full human servant. I won’t do that to you.” He smiled, intending to be reassuring. “We will help you find out who you are and then you can go home. We do not have to see each other again.”
My mouth opened, but I couldn’t think of anything to say. I felt the lines between my eyes deepen as I frowned.
He had saved my life and claimed to want nothing in return, and yet, I was forever bound to him. We were bound to each other until one of us died or was killed, and with Léon being a vampire, it seemed unlikely that I would be the one to survive the arrangement.
There had to be a catch.
I said, “Just like that, you’re letting me go?” I narrowed my eyes, and he gave a slight bow of his head. “What kind of power will you have over me?”
He pulled his sleeves down one at a time and said, “One mark is not much. It was enough to share my life essence with you, and that is what saved you. But since you do not possess any powers yourself, you have nothing to offer me. I do not think it would be necessary for us to keep in contact—unless you are offering your blood to me?”
He studied me carefully, like he was waiting for me to freak out. I stared at him while my mind buzzed. I’m certain my face was blank; a face that held no emotion, one that I could hide behind while I considered what he said to me. I couldn’t believe it. Was he actually going to let me go after saving me?
If I remembered correctly, vampires typically weren’t this generous. Ever. He got nothing out of this arrangement. Absolutely nothing.
“I’m sorry. It seems like you got a raw deal.”
His smile reached his eyes, and I saw a flash of fangs. “Yes, so it would seem.”
“Shit.” I sat back, and leaned my head against the seat and closed my eyes. “Have you ever had a human servant before?”
“No, you are the first.”
“How old are you, and why haven’t you had a human servant before?”
I guess that bothered me more than I realized. I couldn’t understand why he hadn’t turned anyone into a human servant before me. I didn’t know him, so I didn’t have any insight into the type of vampire he was, but he seemed to be like no other. Perhaps he was so powerful that he didn’t need one.
“You get straight to the point, don’t you?” He turned to face me, and I noticed that he did so without pu
tting his neck at an odd angle.
Could vampires get a crick in the neck?
“It’s new to me, too. Heaven knows what will fly out of my mouth next.”
“Fair enough. I’m over eight hundred years old, and I’ve never had a reason to make any human my servant. I don’t need one, but this was necessary.” He waved his hands in my direction.
“Will anything happen to you if I die?”
“Maybe. But with one mark, again, I can’t be sure.”
“You don’t know me, yet you saved me and ended up with someone you don’t need. If anything happens to me, you might get hurt.”
He shrugged modestly. “You were dying.”
“Are you going to want something in return?” I wiped damp hands on my jeans and could feel my t-shirt clinging to me.
Would he need me to do things for him? I hoped not.
“No, I want nothing in return. Well, perhaps one thing—that you tell no-one of our arrangement.” His eyebrows arched, and something similar to panic flashed in his eyes.
At least that was something I could live with. “Sure,” I said, relieved. I would take this to my grave.
“Besides, Mel informed me that you may have a child, and I would never tear a parent away from their children. Ever. I may be many things, but I am not that kind of monster.”
Ah, he knows. Obviously his doctor would tell him everything.
Do monsters have feelings?
There was one more thing that I needed to know. “The bites. Do you know whether I will turn into a were-animal come full moon?”
“No, we don’t think so, but Mel will run more tests, just to be sure.”
He stood and walked back to his desk. “I have assigned Sebastian to you until you sort everything out. All my resources are at your disposal.”
“Thank you.” I sensed that our conversation was coming to a close. I rose and headed for the door. “You have been very generous, Léon. If you need your room back, I can sleep anywhere there is an empty bed. I don’t expect you to give up your room for me.”
“No, you can use it.” He was already going through documents on his desk.
“Will your girlfriend, wife, or significant other not want to stay there with you?”
“No need, the room is yours for as long as you like. Although I may have to use the bathroom once in a while.” His answer revealed nothing
I opened the door. “Thank you again.”
He didn’t answer as I left. Out in the hallway, Sebastian leaned against the wall with his arms behind his back, one knee bent and his foot against the wall.
“You ready?” he asked as he pushed himself away from the wall.
“For what?”
“I thought we could go to the alley where we found you. Perhaps you dropped a bag or something.”
“Ah, not just a pretty face.” I regretted the words the moment they flew out my mouth, but by then, it was too late.
He grinned. “Do you always flirt with the help?”
I choked on spit. “Sorry, I seem to say what I think and it was too good a comment to pass up.”
“So I’ve noticed.” Still smiling, Sebastian pointed back toward the stairs. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 4
I FOLLOWED SEBASTIAN the way we had come, but he stopped at a door to the right; we went through it and along a dark corridor, through a second door, and then we were outside. The door closed behind us, but there was no handle. Good to know; you can exit, but you can’t go in again. I looked left and right and couldn’t see any other doors along the walls.
“Where is the entrance?”
“It’s around the other side. You will see it when we return.”
It was night, and the air had a slight breeze, but it was comfortably warm. It didn’t feel late, but I wanted to know what the time was. I asked Sebastian. He glanced at his watch and said it was 20:30; it felt later than that.
I had been asleep for two days and woke up in a building with no windows, which left me feeling disorientated and with no sense of time. I should have realized it was night-time because Léon was awake, vampires only rise after dark.
Was I always this slow, or was I still reeling from the after-effects of the attack?
We walked a few blocks in silence, the knot in my stomach pulling tighter and sweat beading on my forehead.
There were buildings on either side of the street. The side on which we were walking on had apartment buildings, while the other had shops. We crossed the street and headed for the shops. As we neared a dark opening just before the shops, I froze.
Sebastian entered the gloomy alley and was near the dumpster before he realized that I wasn’t alongside him. He looked over his shoulder, saw that I was still by the entrance and walked back.
“Are you all right?” he said, lifting his hand to touch my shoulder but stopping mid-air.
Even though I was shivering, my clothing still clung to my body. Near the wall was a large, dark pool of dried blood. The smell of metal and rotting meat burned my nose. Tears stung my cheeks. I staggered to the side, hunched my shoulders and leaned against the corner of the wall.
Sebastian touched the arm not against the wall and gently rubbed like one would to console a child. The sharp ache moved along my spine, from my stomach into my chest. My breathing labored. I pressed my head against the wall until it hurt. I looked away and slid down the wall onto my haunches.
Sebastian crouched beside me and cupped one side of my face. “I will look around. Call me if you need me.”
He left me in a huddle of despair as he searched around the alley. His flashlight was on, and he started moving boxes around, kicked old rags out of the way, and pushed the dumpster from the wall after looking inside.
Blood rushed in my ears and my pulse sped up. I felt like an animal trapped in a snare. I didn’t want to see anything more, so I scooted onto the pavement with my back against the wall, away from the alley and closer to the laundromat next door. I could see my surroundings under the fluorescent lights, and I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. The beating of my heart against my chest began to ease, and I could once more focus on the street in front of me.
People walked along the pavement, minding their own business like I wasn’t there. I was glad; I would hate for someone to throw a coin my way or ask if I was lost. The road was busy as cars drove up and down, but it was just like any other road. My legs weren’t stable enough for me to stand, so I went onto all fours and crawled forward a little. I glanced to the right to see what other shops were open. The first shop was a laundromat, then Mr. Ming’s Chinese restaurant, a convenience store, and, at the far end, a hair salon. Above the stores were apartments. I looked up at the lights between Mr. Ming’s and the convenience store and saw two cameras, both pointing in opposite directions along the street.
“There is nothing else back there.”
I flinched and clutched at my chest. Sebastian had stepped out of the alley and towered above me in the night air. “Jesus! You don’t have to sneak up on me like that.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” He held out his hand. “I found these.”
I stared up at him and saw keys dangling from a key chain. I needed to stand, but my legs felt like Jell-O. I crawled back to the wall, and used it to stand and leaned against it.
“What are those markings?” I said, squinting at the keys as I reached out for them.
“They look like hieroglyphics.”
I took them from him. “Do you think these are mine?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
The hieroglyphic markings on the key chain reminded me of the large Ulysses butterfly tattoo across my shoulders. They were reminiscent of the intricate hieroglyphics outlining the butterfly and embedded in its wings.
Maybe they were my house keys, but then again, maybe not.
There were three keys attached to the key chain, and none looked like your usual house key. All three keys were old and rusty. The first one
was just the shape of a long ‘L’, while the top had three loops next to each other and a loop above them, like a crown. The second was shaped like the legs of a bar stool. The top had three loops surrounding one loop; also a crown, but plainer. The third was beautiful; its shape was like nothing I’d ever seen. The bit looked intricate, and the bow was a complicated crown; I couldn’t describe it. Picture the biggest and prettiest crown a queen would wear, and that’s what it looked like.
“It could be mine,” I said.
“Yeah, when I saw the hieroglyphics, they reminded me of your tattoo.”
I didn’t look at him when he said that; I felt heat rush up my neck. Had everyone seen the Ulysses butterfly tattoo?
“Maybe keep them in case.”
I slipped them into my jean pocket.
“I saw cameras over there.” I pointed to where they were. “Maybe we should find out who monitors them? Maybe we can see something from that night?”
We went inside the laundromat and found it empty; it was a self-service laundromat with a few vending machines against the wall.
We tried Mr. Ming’s and found Bartholomew behind the till—at least, that’s what his name tag said. Nah, ordering Chinese food from Bartholomew just didn’t sound right. He promised us it was the best in town. I didn’t believe him, and neither did Sebastian. Bartholomew didn’t know who managed the cameras and said to try the convenience store.
The convenience store was larger than the previous two premises. It had six rows of shelves filled with convenience food in neat packaging and fridges at the back. Sebastian walked through the rows. I could only assume that he wanted to see if there was anyone else inside the store.
I stood at the check-out and cleared my throat until the cashier paid attention to me.
He looked away from his phone and said, “Can I help you?”
“Do you know who manages the cameras outside?” I pointed to the cameras that sat outside the window.
“Who wants to know?” he asked, his lips smacking together as he chewed bubble gum.
“We do.” I gave him my best dead-eyes. His attitude didn’t disturb me; I could give plenty of attitude back.