A book snapped shut with a sound like a gunshot. At the source of the sound was a man, tall and thin, wearing a tight, black, long-sleeved t-shirt with The Strokes written on it in white. Through the fitted shirt, detailed ridges running along his body where muscles clearly lived could be seen. He had short, dirty blond hair that fell to about his eyes, almost concealing their glacier blue color.
“Y’alright, Vik?” he asked looking at me, his inflection suggesting, maybe another American.
“Yeah, everything’s great, Liam,” Vikram said, “This is Lilith, the new girl.”
“New girl…” he approached, but he didn’t get too close. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I said, unable to keep my eyes away from his. Something in them was… magnetic, and I thought he could maybe feel it too. “How, uh, how are you?”
“Good thanks. I was just playing in the music room.”
“Oh, so that was you?”
“You heard that?”
“I heard a guitar, I think. Was that you?”
Liam nodded. “Yeah, that was me.”
“You’re really good. What was that, Manson?”
“Marilyn Manson, yeah.”
Irish, not American. He’s Irish. “Well, I’d love to hear more sometime. Looks like we’re gonna be taking classes together.”
“Together?” he turned his eyes on Vik now as he asked the question.
“Not exactly together,” Vik said, “We each have a different mentor, she simply meant we’d be students of this place. Once we know what you are, we’ll know what tutor you’ll be paired with.”
“What I am?” I asked, “I’m a supernatural, right?”
“Yes, but we’re all different kinds of supernaturals. I’m a mage, Raphael is a psychic, Liam is a…” He looked to Liam for approval, and Liam nodded. “Liam is a necromancer.”
“A necro… really?”
Liam shrugged. “Let’s not make a big deal of it.”
I shook my head. “I won’t. But, I mean, this is a lot to take in. So, I don’t know what I really am, and you don’t know what I really am… how is that going to work if you all have mentors?”
“I’m personally hoping,” Vik said, “That when your supernatural heritage shows itself, you’ll align yourself with one of us, that way our mentors don’t have to track down a new one for you. They’re tough to get ahold of. They had to scour most of Europe to find a necromancer willing to come here just to teach Liam, finally found one near Venice who was up for it.”
“Wow. And, I mean, this is probably going to sound like a stupid question, but how do I figure out what I am?”
“Time, a little practice… and a ritual. If you’ll come with me, I’ll give you some books I think might help—books I used to get me through the hard part.”
I nodded, but I noticed Liam heading for the door without having said anything, almost as if he were skulking away. “Hey, Liam,” I called out.
He turned around. “Yeah?” he asked.
“I meant it, about the music. I wanna hear more.”
“Sure… it was a pleasure to meet you.”
Liam’s eyes lingered on mine, only this wasn’t like what had happened upstairs with Raphael. Raphael seemed to be sensing something about me, and now that Vikram had told me about Raphael’s particular brand of supernatural ability—he was a psychic—I started to wonder what it was he had seen, or felt, about me that made him hesitate, even if it was only for an instant.
With Liam gone, I turned to follow Vikram deeper into the library. This place was huge, way bigger than any library I had ever been in, not that I’d gone to many. I followed him as he went through it, carefully selecting books, looking at the spines, really taking his time to pick the ones he thought I would need the most.
The first one he settled one was a history book concerning the local region. According to Vik, it included accounts of the mansion being built, and if one were to look deeply enough, they’d be able to see the supernatural influence that turned this place into a school for those with extra-human abilities; basically, what it was that had turned this mansion into the one from the X-Men, but for mages and necromancers instead of mutants.
“A lot of what humans know about the supernatural world is true, largely due to our organization” Vikram said, “It’s our job to protect supernaturals now, but before we became guardians, we were lore keepers who shared our knowledge with humans through works of art and fiction, so they’d have an instinctive understanding of what to stay away from.” Vikram pulled a dusty old tome from a shelf. It had a German word scribbled onto the front cover. “This one is a good place to start.”
“I don’t speak German.”
He opened it, and inside there were slips of paper with highlights and annotations, all in English.
“Yours?” I asked.
He smiled. “I thought they’d come in handy one day.”
I paused and looked at him, really looked at him. “You’re pretty thoughtful, aren’t you?”
Vik gave me that smile again, and I could have melted. No one smiled like that. No one. “Thoughtful, yes. Pretty… well, that’s up to you.”
I laughed, and the walls around me took my voice and threw it around the room, returning a crazy echo that seemed to go on forever. “Not modest either, are you?”
“I’m modest, honestly. I just don’t get to talk to many pretty girls anymore.”
I tilted my head. “Oh? Why’s that? Not many cute German girls in the village?”
He shook his head. “I think I’m just waiting.”
Waiting. “Waiting? For what?”
Another smile crossed his lips. “Waiting for the right girl to just show up at the grand mansion where I live, maybe.”
My cheeks flushed. Why has that worked? Normally I would have laughed at the cliché, but with Vik, it just… it worked! And I couldn’t understand why it had. Maybe it was this place, maybe it was all the male attention I was getting—and from good looking males, too; not just your average, run of the mill douchebags in leather jackets and white wife-beaters.
“Alright, well, thank you for the books,” I said, despite my pounding heart. “I’ll be sure to read them.”
“You do that,” Vik said, “I think you’ll find them useful.”
“One more thing… when you say fiction, do you mean stuff like Twilight? Because I’m pretty sure the vampires that attacked me weren’t the kind that sparkled.”
He grabbed another book from a shelf and handed it to me, too, face down so I couldn’t see the front cover. “No, I mean something more like this. I think you’ll like it.”
Dracula. First edition, 1987 print. Impressive.
I nodded. “I’m sure I will. Thanks again.”
Vikram smiled as I turned to walk away. This day was starting to seem like something that couldn’t really be happening to me, but I was going with it, and I wasn’t entirely disappointed with what was happening. What I wanted now, though, was a shower and a change of clothes.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Blackout
Dinner time at the mansion was unlike anything I had ever experienced before thanks majorly to the company. As I walked over to my chair in the dining hall, it hit me that I hadn’t seen a single member of staff, not even the Keeper or Dante, since I walked into the place. The only people around me were Vikram, Liam, and Raphael. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have said these guys were the mansion’s only inhabitants. But then…
“So, who cooked dinner?” I asked, looking around at the men from across my plate of beef wellington and roasted potatoes.
Vikram perked up, wiped his mouth, finished chewing, and glanced at the others. “The staff,” he said.
“Do other people live here, then? I haven’t seen anyone.”
“In a manner of speaking, yes, other people live here.”
“In a manner of… I don’t understand. Are there other people living in the house, or not?”
“There aren’t a
ny living people, no,” Liam said, not looking up from his plate.
“Living? I don’t understand.”
“It’s probably not great dinner table conversation,” Raphael said. “The details can be pretty morbid.”
“Oh, no, I want the details. I don’t know anything about… any of this.”
The guys looked at each other with puzzled expressions on their faces. From where I was sitting at the other end of the table, it felt almost like I was at an interview, watching my would-be employers ask themselves, silently, how anyone could be as stupid or as inexperienced as I was. In my mind, their silent dialogue went something like…
She doesn’t know magic? She’s never seen any? Really? Was she born yesterday?
We should fire her.
But we haven’t even hired her yet.
Let’s hire her, so we can fire her.
“It’s not uncommon,” Vikram said.
“What isn’t uncommon?” I asked.
“For a supernatural not to know any magic, or to not even know about magic. Strange things have happened to you during your life, however—you said as much.”
“Yeah, but no one’s ever told me they run a mansion using magic. That’s next level stuff.”
Liam shrugged. “I didn’t say it was magic,” he said, “But it’s ghosts.”
I swallowed a half-chewed mouthful of beef wellington. “Ghosts?”
“This is what I meant by morbid,” Raphael put in.
“You’re kidding me, right?” I asked, “This is a joke.”
The guys stared at me, all seriousness on their faces. “We aren’t,” Vikram said, “The spirits who watch over the house are, were, past servants, groundskeepers, people who loved the mansion. No one is forced to do anything they don’t want to do.”
“It’s good for them to have a job,” Liam put in, “And they’re pretty happy with the arrangement.”
“I’m glad to see Casper’s happy to make our dinners for us,” I said. “How come there’s only 3 of you here? I thought there were five of us.”
Liam huffed as he bit into a sausage. Vikram shook his head, then looked over at Raphael. “Aiden, yeah, I went looking for him,” Raphael said, “But I couldn’t find him. I haven’t seen him since the day before yesterday.”
“Doesn’t he live here?” I asked.
“He does, but not inside the mansion with us; Aiden prefers to… live alone. He joins us sometimes, but I guess tonight isn’t one of them.”
“Oh…” I ran my hand through my hair. “Is there a reason why?”
“Hell if I know,” Liam said, “Aiden’s not like us.”
“Not a supernatural?”
“No, he’s supernatural, he’s just different… not like us.”
“I don’t know what that means, but alright. Will I get to meet him?”
“Maybe,” Vikram said, “Honestly, it’s up to him. We do see him around the mansion sometimes, often around the grounds and in the surrounding forest. But you shouldn’t go wandering out there at night. Wander too far, and—”
“Easy, Vik,” Raphael said, interrupting, “We do not want to scare her off.”
“Don’t tell me… there are werewolves in the forest. Right?”
“If we say no, will it help you sleep at night?”
“Not really.”
“Then… maybe. So, don’t go into the woods. The woods aren’t protected by our magic, and other supernaturals always hang around in there, trying to find a way to get in.”
“But they can’t,” Vik said, “So we’re safe as long as we’re here.”
“Got it.”
Liam, having finished his food, took his plate to the empty space on the side of the serving table. He turned around to face us. “Anyway, I’m off to bed,” he said, waving. “Good to meet you, Lilith.”
“Yeah, you too,” I said, just as my heart started to skip. I hadn’t heard anyone say my name quite like he did, and I really, really, liked it.
He headed off, leaving me in Vikram and Raphael’s company, only not for long. Once they were done eating, and after a little more table conversation, they, too, headed off to their rooms. I didn’t question why they went to their rooms early, the hour had only just crept past nine. I was jet-lagged and not likely to be falling asleep any time soon. I had been looking forward to a drink in the lounge, maybe, or another tour of the house, but they were kind enough to walk me to my room, at least.
“Have you enjoyed your first day, Lilith?” Raphael asked as we strolled along the mansion’s long corridors.
“I have. This place is huge; it’ll take a little getting used to, but I like what I’ve seen so far.”
“And the company?” Vik asked.
“Yes, the company’s fine.” A smile bloomed on my face. “You guys have been good to me.”
“We just want to make sure you’re comfortable.”
“I am.” I opened my bedroom door, mindful that my cat may try to bolt. “Anyway, goodnight.”
“Good night,” Vik said.
“Buenas noches,” Raphael said.
They continued on down the hall, and I watched them for a second before heading into my room. I found Morticia curled on my bed, her head on her front paws. She perked up when I walked in, then laid her head back to rest. Good to see her settling in. I was worried she wouldn’t, worried the trip may have been a little too traumatic.
For her or for me, I thought.
Noticing my suitcase sitting on the bed, I realized that I hadn’t unpacked since I had gotten here, so I unzipped the suitcase and started pulling things out, laying them next to the new coat and scarves I had bought at the market. I grabbed a stack of t-shirts and went over to the closet, hoping I’d have enough space to store them all, but when I opened the door, I discovered a walk-in closet almost as big as my old living room.
And it was already full of clothes.
I didn’t register what kind of clothes they were or what they looked like for a number of seconds. All I could think about was where do I put my own clothes? I thought the stuff in the closet belonged to a former student, or staff member. The more I looked at the t-shirts, the jeans, the jackets and shoes sitting quietly in the closet, the more I started to think that I and this other person would have had a lot in common.
Then I saw the note.
It had been placed neatly on one of the upper shelves, directly in view. I hadn’t seen it until now because I’d been too busy scrolling through the hanging clothes. I picked the note up and turned it over to read it.
Lilith,
I knew you’d need more clothes than what you brought with you. I hope you like them.
Dante
“Wow,” I said, under my breath. I wasn’t sure if it was the gesture, or the sheer volume of things I had been given, or the fact that Dante had been the one to buy them for me. Not only had he picked out the exact kind of stuff I liked to wear—band tees, leather jackets, converse. He had also somehow figured out exactly what size I wore.
After adding my clothes to the cornucopia which was my new closet, and really trying on more of the jewelry the woman at the market had given me, I decided to sit on the bed and start on my suggested reading from Vik. I wanted to read them, but my eyes were getting a little tired, so I let myself fall on the queen bed. Relaxing into the bed was like sinking into clouds. It was light, but it fit my body perfectly and came with more pillows than any sane human would need.
I felt my eyes begin to close, and while I fought the feeling at first, I really didn’t have a choice in letting it take me. My mind became cloudy, almost like I had started to float, but I hadn’t gotten under the blankets, and I realized I was starting to feel a little cold. I shook myself awake and opened my eyes, only I couldn’t see anything. I could hear something rustling, the push and pull of wind against leaves maybe. As my vision began to clear, my heart started beating at a jackhammer pace.
I wasn’t in my room anymore.
I scrambled to get
to my feet, but managed only to kick and claw at soft, wet dirt. I continued to grope around for anything I could use to help get me to my feet, but I kept grabbing handfuls of wet, icy cold dirt, which made my fingers numb in a manner of seconds. My heart was beating so fast and hard I could feel it pulsing against my neck, in my temples, and even in my hands. Getting to my feet did nothing to calm me down.
I definitely wasn’t in my room anymore; I was in the woods somewhere. Trees pressed around me, the wind blustered by, biting at my ears and nose. Almost immediately, the cold became too much to deal with. I wrapped my arms around myself when I started to shiver, and looked around for any source of light. My eyes were adjusting to the darkness, but there were no stars in the sky tonight, and no moon; I could barely see my own hand in front of my face.
Distant lights flickered as I saw them through the trees. The Mansion? I backed into a tree and almost screamed as its spindly branches touched me, but I caught the scream in my throat and contained my shaken emotional state within myself where it belonged.
I swallowed hard, scanned the nearby surroundings, and made a careful move toward the next tree, keeping the mansion’s light ahead of me. How had I gotten out here? Was I dreaming? I tried to answer these questions while I took step after tentative step, but my mind wasn’t in the mood to answer questions; it only wanted to get back to the light. Not only because the cold out here threatened to end me, but because—
A tree branch snapped, making a sound like a small gunshot. I turned, hackles rising, skin prickling, but saw nothing in the darkness, only whispering trees and shaking leaves.
“Who’s there?” I asked, convinced I wasn’t alone.
Another snap, almost as if in response to what I had asked. A low grumble, like a growl, caused the very air to tremble. I took another step back, the heel of my foot digging into soft earth, and went to take another one when something, an unidentified, dark shape, began hurtling toward me from between the trees.
Serpent's Touch: A Reverse Harem Urban Fantasy (The Last Serpent Book 1) Page 5