by Amber Kalkes
Tobias’s hand grabs my bare shoulder, the same one Renshu touched, as he buries his nose in my hair. He inhales my scent deeply, before kissing me behind my ear, making me shiver. I can feel his lips at my ear and I peek over at him as his low voice speaks.
“You look beautiful tonight. You know that?”
I roll my eyes, despite my nausea, “I think you said that before.”
“Seemed important enough to merit a second reminder.”
“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” I hiss at him, a small smile coming to my lips.
“I’d rather be here. I’d always rather be here,” he murmurs in my ear before nipping the ear lobe, making me jump, “Behave yourself and I’ll see you soon, wallflower.”
As he moves away from me, I turn around in time to hiss back at him, “Behave yourself!”
He only laughs before shoving his hands into the front pockets of his dress pants. He starts to walk backwards and when I start to scowl at him, he winks at me. I purse my lips at him but it only makes him laugh again. When he turns his back to me, I feel myself get very cold and when he’s finally out of sight, I feel panic come over me like a tidal wave. It’s completely unexpected and it knocks the breath right out of my lungs.
“Shoshanna?” Tyler asks faintly from somewhere near me.
“I need to use the bathroom.” I mutter, clutching my head, “I just need a minute.”
“Okay…” He trails before clearing his throat, “It’s, uh, on the third door to the left and at the end of the hallway. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Yes.” I snap and quickly make my escape.
Without another word and holding one gloved hand against my stomach, I speed walk towards the heavy embellished door and swing it open. The hallway is dark and when I find an empty doorway, I decide this is good enough. My body is covered in a thin sheet of sweat, as I inhale sharply but uneven gasps of air. On one inhale, I dry heave and fall to my knees, as I try to stop the painful retching. Once I manage to stop myself, I sit back against the wall and try to calm myself down.
“It’s all in your head.” I tell myself in a barely audible voice, “It’s all in your head.”
I clutch my head and start to rock a little in my spot. I shiver in disgust, as I remember how Renshu’s hand felt on my skin. I manage to stop another dry heave and my makeup is now surely running down my face. I must look like a horrible raccoon creature, but as of the moment, I guess I’m more concerned about my sanity. A small, perhaps irrational part me, wishes that Tobias would find me. He has such an uncanny ability to calm me that I think I may be desperate enough to call on him at this point.
“How unusual.” An aristocratic British accent says from somewhere in the darkness, “I knew Josette had the gift for exaggeration but it seems this time she’s gotten it right. You are terribly pathetic.”
I nearly groan out loud. Can I not get a fucking break around here?
Stepping into the limited amount of light, I see a pair of glowing light blue eyes in the darkness and a pristine white suit. Well, mostly pristine. I see a little blood on the lapel of his jacket, which reveals to me exactly what he is. He crouches in front of me and reaches towards me, but I move back as far as I can from his touch. He smiles widely, showing blood-stained fangs.
“You’re exotic, though.” The vampire comments, “I’ll give the git that.”
“What do you want?” I snap, sick of his insistent talking.
He runs a hand through his thick blonde hair and chuckles deeply, “I was just curious about Van Garrett’s new pet. We all are. Not often you see a born blood drinker lowering himself to picking a permanent donor. Tell me, love, do you crave the bite yet?”
“Fuck off,” I hiss at him.
He laughs again and reaches out to caress my bruised cheek, “Do you need me to take the edge off for you, love? You aren’t looking too well.”
“I think I’d rather drink poison,” I snap.
The handsome blonde makes a face, “Nasty way to go. I wouldn’t recommend it. Perhaps, if you’re so keen on dying though, I can be of service.”
“Is there a reason you’re touching something that isn’t yours, Henry?”
I let out a sigh of relief at the sound of Tyler’s voice. Henry hangs his head and laughs a little before lifting his head to grin at me. He runs his tongue over his sharp teeth and with one fluid movement rises to his feet. I stay on the floor. I’m not sure I could even stay on my feet right now, if I tried. I still feel way too dizzy.
“She isn’t yours, Beaufort. You know the rules.”
“Much better than you, I’m sure. Besides, if she comes to me of her own free will, what fault of that is mine?”
“Leave. Now.” Tyler bites out, “Or I will have to remove you.”
Henry sticks his hands in the air in surrender, “Very well. Don’t want to have my face turn that way of the last vampire you attacked. Master Renshu is still out of sorts with you about your last outburst.”
“That doesn’t concern you, Henry. Now, leave.”
“Very well.” Henry sighs before glancing back at me, “Wasn’t worth the effort anyway. I would have hardly enjoyed it.”
Tyler is a blur of movement, as he pins Henry against the wall by his throat. He doesn’t look scared. But instead, he looks smug, like this was exactly what he wanted to happen. Tyler snarls loudly in his face as he slowly morphs into a more animalistic form. His teeth elongate into a row of razor sharp teeth, and his lips recede back as his nose turns more into a muzzle than anything human. His eyes even flash a bright yellow color with large black pupils. His hand, the one wrapped around Henry’s neck, is longer with thick black claws where short nails once were.
I’m as horrified at the scene as I am fascinated. It’s easy to see where the comparison of a monster comes from. Like this, in this half form, Tyler looks like one. He’s not human but nor is he animal. He is something in between. Something unnatural. Oddly enough though, it doesn’t bother me. In fact I find my fear to be secondary to my concern.
Getting to my feet, I inch towards Tyler and clear my throat as I try to sound strong, “T-Tyler, release him.”
Tyler turns to me, flashing yellow eyes at me and growling. It’s a clear warning to stay away, but no one ever accused me of being smart. Clearing my throat, I try again.
“Tyler,” I tell him, sternly, “Release him. Now.”
Tyler growls at me before turning back to Henry. Letting out one more snarl in his face, Tyler roughly releases him. Henry rubs his neck, but he still has a smirk on his face.
“Good Doggie.” Henry coos.
Tyler growls and takes a step towards him, but I catch his arm.
“Tyler.” I snap and his still yellow and black eyes move back to me. I see them flicker brown again but I keep my tone hard, “I think it’s time you escort me back to my room now.”
Tyler sneers, but out of ingrained civility, offers me his arm. We start moving away from Henry and my courage raises up to make me foolish. Stopping, I turn to look over at Henry and glare at him as best I can. He looks amused, but I don’t let that get to me as I issue a little warning of my own.
“Just so you know, next time I may not be here to stop him. And when he rips your head off, it’ll be his right.”
“Is that a threat?” Henry asks sounding impressed.
“It’s a promise.”
Henry whistles lowly before clicking his tongue, “We’ll see, love. We’ll see.”
I wrap my arm around Tyler’s, and I lean on him a little as we make our way back to the ballroom. I’m sure I look a mess, but it doesn’t particularly matter. I’m starting to think that nowhere in this house can I be left in peace. Not with all these predators stalking prey in my very own home.
“Do you still need that minute?” Tyler asks, as we slip into the ballroom, thankfully unnoticed.
I glance up at him, “Frankly, Tyler, I think we both need that minute.”
Tyler tilts h
is head a little, “Good point.”
Tyler escorts me towards across the ballroom and down a hallway around a corner. Pushing a door open, Tyler leads me into a dark room. I hear a click from across the room and within seconds the whole place lights up.
It appears to be a storage area. Lots of sheets covering various shapes fill the room and make it more of an obstacle course than anything close to the glamour outside of its walls. I find myself relaxing at that realization, and look around curiously. What does a vampire keep in his storage room, anyways?
Lifting up the edge of one sheet I see a marble statue hidden underneath. Pulling the sheet completely off if it, I lift an eyebrow as I take in the face of the stone bust before me. If I didn’t think the man could get anymore full of himself, this just made it worse. It’s Tobias, in the flesh, or I guess stone. He looks like something straight out of a Jane Austen styled nightmare.
“Wow.” I breathe in disbelief as I take in Tobias’s impressive mutton chops.
Tyler comes up around my side and laughs when he sees what I’m looking at, “Why do you think it’s in this whole in the wall room? Not exactly something you’d want to see every day is it?”
“He said he was old, but it’s strange to see the evidence right in front of you.” I mumble, still staring at the statue in disbelief.
“Makes him seem like more of a nasty old pervert, doesn’t it?” He asks with a grin.
I give him a flat look, “Well, when you put it that way, sort of.”
“Only sort of?”
I push on his shoulder and he leans away from me with a laugh. With a sigh, I look at the statue again and bite my lower lip. Tearing away a bit of flesh I taste just a bead of blood and consider asking Tyler what I really want to know. I want to know a lot, but this question has been looming in mind since Tobias first brought it up.
“Hey, Tyler? What exactly is the conclave?”
“The boss didn’t explain it?”
“Vaguely.”
“What did he say?”
I shrug, “That it was just a group of over privileged vampires appointing themselves as controllers of a whole race.”
Tyler arches a brow at me, “That’s what he said?”
“Well, that’s what I got out of it.”
He laughs and shakes his head before speaking, “In a way, you’re right. The conclave began as a way of stopping massacres among townsfolk and keeping the secret of their existence exactly that, a secret. Vampires may be big, tough, and supernatural. But they do fear angry mobs with torches just like the rest of us.”
“But they aren’t a secret. People know about vampires. There are literally thousands of vampire movies, books, and TV shows out there. Don’t even get me started on the music. There are even fan-fictions about sexy werewolves for God’s sake! You guys are literally everywhere!”
“That was a fairly recent decision. A test, if you will. To see how humans would react to us supernatural beings coming into your everyday life. For the vampires, it made hunting easier. They’ve been romanticized so much that all they have to do is show a pair of fangs and the victims practically come running.”
I grimace at the image, “That’s sick.”
Tyler shrugs, “That’s survival.”
“So you’re saying, the conclave is behind Anne Rice?”
“No, I’m saying the conclave is the reason you’ve ever heard of her at all. Otherwise she’d be just another name on the nightly news. The conclave and all those beneath them have ways of having things go their way.”
I shiver in disgust, “As I said before, sick.”
“And as I said before, survival. Believe me, they used to literally get medieval on those who did them wrong. A blood draining would be a gift.”
“Okay, but besides the media depictions, what else do they do?” I ask, after a few seconds.
“In the old days, it was mostly management of numbers. Never too many, never too few being made, and everyone recorded. Sort of like a big brother state, but it kept everyone accounted for. And since vampires have nasty habits of going on blood soaked rampages, it just makes it easier for everyone.”
“Do Lycan’s have stuff like that?”
Tyler scoffs before giving me a flat look, “Are you kidding? We roam around alone. If anyone tried to put restrictions on us, they wouldn’t get far.”
“Just asking.” I say, before putting my gloved hands up in surrender.
“Yeah, yeah.” He dismisses before eyeing me cautiously, “How you feeling?”
“Tired.”
“Do you want to head back out?” He asks, offering me his arm.
I wrap my arm around his and grimace, “To the ballroom? No thank you. I think I’ve had my fill of the living dead for the evening.”
“What about the boss?”
“If he’s really concerned, I’m sure he’ll find me.” I tell him with a yawn.
Tyler thinks for a second before shrugging. He doesn’t argue and for that I’m thankful. I’d rather have my breakdowns in private and without prying eyes. Closing my eyes, I lay my head against Tyler’s shoulder, ignoring my own hesitance. It’s just Tyler and with him, oddly enough, I feel safe.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Fragmented
After our little discussion, Tyler escorts me back up to the bedroom Tobias and I shared. It’s silent, cold, and dark when I go inside. Tyler doesn’t object when I close the door behind me. I strip out of the heavy evening gown and leave it strewn on the floor before heading into the bathroom.
Looking at my own reflection, I can’t say I recognize the mess before me. The sweating and dry heaving has made my attempt at wearing makeup a mess. Black trails of mascara mark my cheeks, and most of the concealer on my cheek has been wiped away. My hair is a damp and lifeless mess on top of my head. Digging into it, I pull out the comb and wince when it takes a few chunks of my hair out with it.
Is this really who I am now? I ask myself this question, but the answer isn’t as clear as I’d like it to be. I don’t know if this is the ‘me’ I have always been, or a new version. The one who has found comfort in another, but can’t find it in them to depend completely? Is that who I am now? I frown at my reflection. I don’t think I want to depend on Tobias like that. I don’t think I want to give him that much power over me.
Turning on the faucet, I cup the warm water in my hands and wash off what makeup I can. When I’m done, I feel the heaviness of exhaustion in my bones and leave the bathroom in a haze. Stripping off the black slip, I replace it with a pair of plaid sleep pants and a white lace trimmed tank top.
Looking around the darkness, I shiver. I’m bothered by the strong urge to go back downstairs, to find Tobias and ask him to come up here with me. He’d com willingly, I think. Though, with the vampire brat pack downstairs, I’m not sure he’d be allowed to leave. I sigh and run a hand down my face, as another wave of exhaustion comes over me.
I need to sleep.
Florence’s purring guides me to the bed and through the darkness. I pull back the blankets and slip into the cool, blood red sheets of the bed. Hugging Tobias’ pillow, the one that smells like him, I close my eyes and try to drift into sleep. But instead, my thoughts are stolen by the image of Renshu’s dark, colorless eyes. Tyler was right about him. He does seem to ooze power.
What I don’t understand is his interest in me. Why he seemed so keen to not only step in after Josette’s meltdown, but also address me in front everyone, doesn’t sit well. He could be trying to create rapport with me, to get on Tobias’s good side, but why would he need that? He’s allegedly powerful enough to be the only one Tobias is wary of, so why the dramatics?
I sigh and bury my face farther into the pillow. My body is sore from my panic attack earlier. I sort of smell as well, but I’m too exhausted to worry about that. I’ll shower in the morning or something. My eyes pop open at the horrible idea that these people will still be here at next sundown. How will I avoid them then?
&
nbsp; Florence comes over and rubs her head against my face, and I back away enough to pet her with my hand. Her purr fills the room and as she curls against my belly, the sound starts to lull me to sleep. It’s a melancholy feeling, sleeping alone after so long of sleeping with someone by your side. I try to push the feeling away, and try to give into my exhaustion. It doesn’t take long, despite feeling terribly lonely.
When I wake up again, I find myself still alone. Glancing at the large old grandfather clock across the room, I notice it's very close to sunrise. Where's Tobias? I squint at the other side of the bed and notice that it looks untouched. Did he never come up here? Is the party still going on?
Throwing off the covers, I hear Florence let out a small ‘meow’ from her position on my pillow where she is curled into a small grey ball. I pet her head and promise to be back in a moment. That ball of dread, sitting heavily in the bottom of my belly, tells me to make sure Tobias is all right. Maybe he’s just in his daytime hiding place, I assure myself, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.
I walk down the stairs and hear nothing but the series of ticking clocks, as I make my way to his office. If he isn’t in our room, I notice he often drifts in that direction. That or he’s messing around on the piano. I don’t hear any music though, so that seems unlikely.
I shiver at the cool wooden floorboards of the hallways, before I reach the large dark wooden door. The door is ajar and I peek through to see Josette, still in her red silk evening gown, plastered to Tobias’ form. Her hands are in his hair, as her lips are pressed to his in an obvious moment of hurried passion.
I don’t make a noise as I turn away from the study door. I think I may be in shock, or maybe I think this is some nightmare. I don’t know, but running away seems like the most logical course of action. I’m re-entering the emerald room when I come face to face with Josette.
Her makeup is running down her ivory face, and her unusually bright violet eyes seem almost wild as she looks at me. In fact, to be blunt, she looks insane. Her long hair is loose from her previous up do, and I think I see some blood on the corner of her still painted mouth. What happened to her?