Twice Bitten

by Aiden James

  “Perhaps, indeed!” Gustav agreed. “Well, Txema, as I mentioned earlier we have created a plan to deal with Ralu’s ever-increasing aggression. The enjoyment of your present accommodations might be a short term consideration.”

  He looked over at Huangtian Dadi and nodded.

  “We have other locations deeper in the mountains, and we must advise that if it becomes necessary to move on to higher ground then we shall do so with only minimal notice,” said the Chinese Emperor. “Do you understand?”

  “Yes, I do,” I said, when actually the answer should’ve been ‘not so much’.

  I was weary already from the travel, and instinctively knew my pregnancy’s physical demands might get to the point where moving at a moment’s notice would be damned near impossible. Maybe he was talking about moving in a couple of weeks, which would be less problematic.

  “Good, then we will proceed as planned!”

  Huangtian Dadi sounded pleased, and like Gustav, his eyes began to morph. Only in this case, the colors in his version of the kaleidoscope eye syndrome were light brown and dark purple.

  The two oldest vampires any of us would ever see stood up in unison. Everyone in attendance seemed to assume the meeting was adjourned. For the second time that night, we had experienced a gathering that lasted all of five minutes. It seemed pointless, especially since nothing earth shattering was revealed. Couldn’t this have waited until a later time?

  “I’m sure that all of you are wondering why we bothered to hold this meeting so soon. Am I correct in that assumption?” said Gustav, which made me do a double take…did he just voice the precise thought in my head?

  The murmur that had just begun suddenly died away. If this was a means to regaining everyone’s attention, it worked like a charm.

  “We wanted to be sure we could easily assemble everyone at one time in one place, and with very little distractions,” said Huangtian Dadi, while Gustav looked over at me again. Wearing the slightest of smiles, I had no more doubt about his continued voyeurism into my head. The older vampires still had full access to my private musings, which brought me immediate dismay. “You may all leave now!”

  And with that quick and to the point salutation from the Chinese Emperor, the vampires began to flit away en masse. But two vampires approached my little band of guardians who had immediately moved to form a protective circle around me.

  “Bravo—very good!” said the first vampire, an older male whom I recognized from just two nights prior. “You all must feel it, too.”

  I remembered his name was Kazikli. Dressed in a traditional tuxedo and black cape, he nodded to everyone and then bowed before me, his distinctive gold tipped wizard-like cane he carried in one hand and a black top hat in the other. Behind him was a female vamp that I had already begun building a friendship with: Nora Sterling.

  “Hello, darling!” she said, and stepped forward to give me a hug. The scent of Hyacinth wafted toward me.

  I always like her hugs since she wears enough clothing to ward off the normal vampire chilliness they all carry with them. That night she was dressed in a formal evening gown, and the pair reminded me of an old photograph depicting one of the rich white-haired couples who went down with the Titanic. Only in this case, Kazikli and Nora appeared in the prime of youthful adulthood—just that their matching flowing hair was white.

  “You are such a stunning beauty in that cheongsam, Txema!” he said, as he approached me after my embrace with Nora was finished. He gently took my left hand in his gloved right one and lightly kissed it, sending a chill through my arm and tingles up and down my spine. A scent similar to spiced apples embraced my nostrils. “But you are not safe here…and yet I believe things will work out for you and your little one to be.”

  Such an odd statement…but one that struck a true chord in my heart. I knew very little about this ancient vampire—a longtime confederate of Gustav, and one who engaged in an angry protest with our European King in regard to Ralu’s growing power. That happened just two nights ago—less than a few hours before my Relance de sang took place. It happened in a similar grand hall inside Racco’s castle, and at the time Kazikli struck the floor with his cane, sending out streams of purple plasma energy across the hall’s floor. It forced many younger vampires to scurry out of the way. And Kazikli was right about Ralu, who later attacked the castle right before my conception ceremony had ended.

  “Then why in the hell are we here?” Tyreen ignored the immediate abhorrent expressions upon Garvan and Armando’s faces. Even Nora and Chanson looked uncomfortable. Raquel, however, looked slightly amused. As if she was learning to genuinely admire Tyreen’s spunk more and more. “We need to do whatever we have to do to make sure Txema and her unborn child are completely safe!”

  I thought for a moment Kazikli had taken offense, and prepared for some dire punishment to be leveled at the nubile vampire—perhaps the end of Tyreen’s brief existence as an immortal. He shares the same light blue eyes as Nora, but they grew darker. Yet, unlike the other older vampires I’ve encountered, this one bears an air of humility—despite his preference for formality in dress and outward demeanor.

  “I would have chosen some other place of refuge,” he said, pausing to cast a cautious look around him. Then he continued in a softer tone. “It was never my decision—despite the fact many of us have been actively following Ralu’s determination to eliminate your bloodline, Txema. It may take some time to secure a better place, so you will need to be patient and careful. Be very careful. Never wander too far from where Chanson and your other guardians can rescue you. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes…I do,” I said, and then looked over at everyone else.

  They all eyed me seriously. I mean, what else could I say? I didn’t believe I could ever outfox, outrun, or hide from any of them. Hell, they always had come to my rescue—even when I was almost killed by Ralu’s warriors when my dorm at UT was attacked.

  “Good,” he said. “All of you must make sure never to let her out of your sight. Agreed?”

  My guardians all nodded emphatically to him. Even Nora nodded, although as far as I knew, my safety was not her direct responsibility.

  “Then perhaps what’s coming will pass us by as a non-event.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Chanson posed her question demurely, as if afraid of offending this particular vampire. I sensed she revered him as much as she did Gustav.

  He allowed himself one more cautious glance and then motioned for us all to draw closer.

  “A war among the higher races of vampires,” he whispered. “That’s why we must make sure we have nothing to fight over amongst ourselves or regrets that can’t be fixed. Protect Txema, and perhaps bloodshed among our kind will be avoided.”

  The gravity of his words weighed heavily upon my heart, and I was scarcely aware that both he and Nora had disappeared in a flash as they exited the grand hall. Before I could voice a single question about what just happened, Chanson whisked me out of there, as she and the others raced back to my bedchamber—my tenuous safe haven.

  Chapter 4

  I stayed up until an hour past dawn, and didn’t attempt to sleep until the last of my nocturnal companions, Tyreen, was safely tucked into her casket and quietly at rest. I started thinking about a lot of things, and became fixated on one subject: all my ‘firsts’.

  I believe we always remember the first of anything—whether that’s a first tooth lost, first day at school, first kiss—you name it. I had experienced quite a few ‘firsts’ in the past three months. Everything from my orientation at the University of Tennessee, to my first basketball practice with the legendary Pat Summit, to meeting my first serious boyfriend, Peter Worley. Oh, and don’t forget my very first roommate, Tyreen Davenport—now also the first human friend turned to vampire.

  But, as I watched the sunlight creep in under my bedchamber door, I considered all of the recent ‘firsts’ that were not so pleasant. Don’t get me wrong—I loved my fi
rst near-fling with an immortal human in the French Pyrenees—Racco St Germain. I loved his castle as well as the helicopter trip we took to go skiing in the Pyrenees—all firsts. Even the trip over the Atlantic on his expensive yacht was an overall enjoyable experience and another definite first.

  What kept me awake, though, were the recent necessities that came with being the last of my kind—which in a very real sense is another ‘first’. Before two weeks ago, I had never had anyone dislike me enough to want to take my life. The fact I was the target of a ruthless murderer bent on wiping out my inherited bloodline was most definitely an unpleasant first. Ralu had killed every distant cousin of mine that bore the same birthmark that Chanson and I share. We are the last ones, and since she is a vampire, I’m left as the only viable option to keep our heritage alive.

  The list began to swell as I thought about the other night, when I was forced to have sex with Peter while 200 vampires watched. Not only was it a first, but it was also something I’d dare say no one else among the living has ever experienced! Then there was this whole business of running from Ralu after the ceremony ended…the support of the Chinese was supposed to be complete. Now I realized it not only was incomplete, but could be dwindling. Not to mention the hostile stares from other European vampires that I encountered during our conference with Gustav and Huangtian Dadi earlier that morning.

  You can probably guess I didn’t get to sleep as soon as I said I did. I think I started to fall asleep around nine o’clock or so, but really didn’t find deep sleep until noon. The next thing I knew, my companions were awake and set to explore our temporary home.

  “You’re probably as hungry as we are,” said Chanson, after I finally was fully awake and had dashed to the bathroom to throw up. Yeah, life sucked more than a little. “I can wait for you to shower and dress, but not for long. As for the guys, I believe we’ll have to catch up with them later on, since they awoke with raging thirsts.”

  Indeed, it was just the girls and me. Raquel and Tyreen looked famished—at least their eyes did.

  “I promise to hurry.”

  I prayed I wouldn’t have another bout of morning sickness until after we all found some sort of nourishment. Fortunately, it was my only bout with a nauseous stomach that evening, where with most days and nights those first few weeks, I never wanted to be too far from a modern restroom. Unfortunately, that meant never straying too far from my bedchamber. If I did, Chanson made sure one of my protectors brought a vomit bag. Not fun.

  That first full night in the castle turned out to be one of our most enjoyable overall. Since it was new to us, we spent the night exploring the various buildings that weren’t off limits. Only the center building, which contained Huangtian Dadi’s personal ‘living space’, was inaccessible. Two quartets of stern-faced vampires vigilantly guarded both entrances to his abode. Despite the security measures, I overheard Armando discuss a plan with Garvan to breach this fortress and find out what made our host so reclusively protective of his pad.

  “Maybe he has a stable of little boys and girls to keep him privately amused,” said Armando, after he and Garvan rejoined us after a brief reconnaissance of the rest of the palace. I doubt seriously that he realized the careless disdain in his remark until Chanson pointed it out. He shrugged his shoulders with a ‘what the fuck?’ expression on his face when Chanson rebuked him.

  That happened while all of them waited for me to finish my supper, which was prepared for me in the same reception area where we spoke with Xuanxang when we first arrived at the palace. Something that tasted like sesame chicken with a small bowl of rice, and a cup of tea were waiting on a small teakwood table in front of a blazing fire in the fireplace. Oddly, there wasn’t anyone around—human or vampire. Yet, my food and drink were steaming hot when we arrived. Five flasks of warm, human blood lined the mantel. Each one was labeled with the blood type and the corresponding vampire it had been prepared for.

  Someone must’ve known we were on our way downstairs…at least that’s my assumption. But even my vampire companions with their superior senses didn’t detect any activity happening on the main floor, and they shared my surprise.

  Once I had finished eating and the flasks were drained empty, we set out in earnest to explore what we could. While the guys obsessed with finding a way into Huangtian Dadi-land and disappeared several times, we girls had a ball going through the ‘art floor’ in the adjacent palace building to the left of ours. Most of the pottery, sculptures, and paintings we saw predated the onset of every Chinese dynasty on record—some items by at least a thousand years, according to Chanson. Thankfully, the subject matter for these works was random, without a single dragon in a single image or motif. Other aspects from Chinese folklore dominated the ancient artwork instead. Things like warriors, fairies, and detailed depictions of paradise.

  The only downside was we pretty much saw everything the palace had to offer that night. I had hoped to visit the archives, where ancient Dao and Confucian texts were carefully preserved. But we never made it past the main library. Interestingly, it was in the library that we saw our first non-vampire adult. An old man with a long, Fu Manchu moustache labored over a scroll, and impatiently shooed us away.

  “We’ll see if we can find ways to keep you entertained during the day, Txema, since, for your safety, you should sleep while we’re awake and can watch over you,” said Chanson, after I grew weary and we returned to my bedchamber. It was just after three o’clock that morning.

  “Maybe some naughty videos would be nice, if we can find an old enough VCR to match the birth of this obsolete piece of shit,” said Armando. He pointed to the little TV set with a Wayne Brady gesture and exaggerated smile. Garvan snickered.

  At least they shared my view of what I could realistically look forward to while waiting for my baby’s birth. Unless I somehow stumbled across a collection of paperback books in English, or a video game console of some sort, I’d be bored out of my mind very soon. Tyreen suggested the word association games we sometimes played in college while seeing who got tipsiest during a weekend liquor binge. Even Raquel responded to that idea with some enthusiasm. But like anything else, it would surely grow old before long.

  Following Chanson’s advice, I began retiring earlier and earlier each night, until I was sound asleep by midnight. That allowed me enough rest to where I was up by 7:00 a.m. At first, I hated the shortened visiting time with her and everyone else. The palace often felt like a mausoleum. The thing that got me up and rolling each morning was the incredible view just outside my bedchamber. The immense wall of glass framed an incredible, breathtaking view of the highest peaks in the Himalayas.

  I could see part of Mount Everest from the hallway, and the morning view was always spectacular. On the rare occasion of a clear blue sky, what I beheld was almost indescribable. It changed how I felt about the primitive accommodations as compared to what I had grown up with.

  But it was also quite lonely.

  I often thought about my Papa and Momma, as well as my grandmother and brothers. My heart ached for them, and I worried that I might never see any of them again.

  You might wonder if I ever thought about Racco or Peter at such times. Yes, I thought of them, too. But, I guess since, in my mind, Racco had willingly left my side to return to his life in France, and Peter had returned to the States with only a slight protest, I considered them both deserters. They heard the word ‘baby’ and took off.

  My Papa especially would love the view, since he always sought to explore the highest peaks in America. He was the reason I learned to ski—and ski well enough to receive a scholarship offer at the University of Colorado during my junior year in high school.

  At least the view stirred something in my soul each day. It made the dull routine of going downstairs to a limited menu of fish, poultry, and vegetables to go with a small bowl of rice and a cup of steaming tea somewhat bearable. Every night I’d return to the reception area with my vampire companions, and again it woul
d be the same rice and whatever P.F. Chang’s frozen entrée for me to eat. All kidding aside, I think the only thing that kept me from bitching too much about this arrangement was the fact my vampire friends had to drink the same warm blood set out for them in carafes.

  Tyreen was the only exception. Chanson made an arrangement with Xuanxang for the nubile vampire in our group to feed on ‘volunteer’ adolescents secluded in a section of the palace that was another ‘off limits’ place for me.

  The only time I saw Xuanxang was when he came to escort Tyreen each night, and I never saw Huangtian Dadi. I ran into Gustav a few times, but rarely anyone else from Europe or for that matter any of the other Chinese vampires. If not for an occasional ‘drive by’ greeting from Nora and Kazikli, I would’ve thought the damned place was as deserted as the Overlook Hotel in Stephen King’s novel, The Shining.

  As December wore on, I became more and more lonely for my family and my home in America. That’s where I wanted to be, and it was truly where I belonged. I began to resent what had happened to me—despite the wonderful tiny life growing within me each day.

  By Christmas Eve, my intuitions told me that I no longer carried a primitive fetus. My daughter’s gills would be gone soon, and she would begin her transformation into a viable human being. That was pretty cool to think about, and it made me smile. I believe this is where fate stepped in and began to shape my future in a way that even the smartest vampires could not predict or control.

  Since it was Christmas Eve, I decided to get an early start on the day, and for a change lingered longer than usual in front of the immense window outside my room. Taking in the grandeur of a fabulous morning following a night of blustering snow, I let my gaze linger on the drifted snow banks below the window. I hadn’t done it much before, since surveying anything connected to the palace provided an instant reminder that I was a glorified prisoner on house arrest. Better to focus on the eternal freedom the mountains enjoyed—or even the eagles and lamagiers that glided effortlessly, and then dove beyond where my vision could follow them. That was ultimate freedom.