"So ... why did Liam do that to you?"
"Because he's a dick," Michael said.
"Well, yeah, I get that, but ... what specifically set him off?"
Michael smirked. "I tried to stab him, and ended up on the wrong end of the knife."
Caitlin's eyebrows shot up. "Why did you do that?"
"He threatened you." He said it off-handedly, like it was no big deal.
"What did he say?" Caitlin asked.
"It was all vague threats and intimations. That's Liam's style. He wanted to leave it up to my imagination."
"What you'd come up with yourself is worse than anything he could say?"
Michael thought for a moment. "No, not really. He's a pretty creative son of a bitch." Caitlin blanched. "Sorry," Michael said.
"But what does he even want from me? Why did he pick me? Why did he ... you know?"
"You've got blond hair and a D-cup." Caitlin blushed, and pulled her sweater a little more closed. "That's enough for him. He gets ... fixated on people. On girls. You're pretty and you're new, and he doesn't have you. There isn't some deeper meaning to it. He's like a cat playing with a mouse."
"I'm not mousey," Caitlin said automatically.
Michael grinned. "No, you certainly aren't. But you are in danger, Caitlin. I can't protect you from him. I've tried before. He's ... he's just too much."
"He's that much stronger than you?"
"Yeah. He's two-hundred and something years old. I'm not in the same league as him. Hell, I'm not even in the same sport."
"How old are you?"
"Nineteen," Michael said.
"No, I mean how old are you really? How long have you been nineteen?"
Michael blinked, and the expression fell from his face. "I'm nineteen, Caitlin. I died less than a year ago."
Oh. "I'm, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean ... I thought ... God, I'm so sorry."
Michael dismissed her apology with a wave of his hand. "It's all right. Like I said, I got better."
Caitlin watched him to see if he was lying, but he gave nothing away. "How did it happen?" She finally asked.
Michael's eyes went somewhere far away. "I met a girl. At Indigo. I was a Freshman, like you. She was ... the most beautiful thing I had ever seen." His eyes snapped back to reality. "I'm an artist. Portraits are my thing. And I've had a lot of beautiful girls sit for me. But no one like her."
Caitlin could believe that. Michael was absolutely beautiful himself, easily the most gorgeous man she'd seen anywhere outside of a movie. And if he had the whole sensitive artist, see the true beauty within thing going for him, too? Girls must have been lining up to have him draw their portraits.
And whatever else he wanted to do, too.
But she also felt a swell of jealousy. Hearing him talk about other girls like that, so casually, so matter-of-factly, hurt. And hearing him call another girl beautiful, hearing him say that no one had ever struck him the way she had, made Caitlin angry.
Michael was still talking. "It was just ... easy, being with her. The way she laughed, the way her eyes sparkled, the way she would touch my arm. All of the little things. I always felt so happy when I was around her.
"But she started acting weird. Started talking about getting old, and losing your health, your vitality. She talked about eternity and forever a lot. Freaked me out. I thought she was pushing for a marriage proposal or something.
"Then she started asking me if I would avoid getting old, if I could. Avoid death. I figured this was just some freshmen philosophy crap, and I said sure, of course I would. Who wouldn't?
"She asked me if I thought it was worth it, what you'd have to give up. Watching the people you love grow old and die. Starting over every few years, hiding your immortality ... and I told her yeah, that would suck, but what you'd get out of it ... an eternity to learn and grow and play?" He nodded. "Yeah, that would be worth it.
"That's when she told me what she was."
Caitlin leaned forward, eager.
"We had just finished—" Michael began, then cut himself off. "We were alone together. And she said she had to show me something, and asked me to promise not to freak out on her. I said okay, and she told me to look into her eyes.
Michael's face hardened, and for just a second, his eyes glittered with crimson. "She had been feeding off of me for months, and then giving me her own blood in return. Took my memories away when she was done. That night, she undid the compulsion, and all those memories came flooding back. Lying there, helpless, while she fed on me. It wasn't even that I was scared, it was that I couldn't move. She told me to lay there calmly, and I did. I had to."
"What did you do? When you remembered?" Caitlin asked.
"I freaked out. Ran away. Ran out of the dorms and headed for the woods. But she was always there, right in front of me, wherever I ran. Waiting for me. Calm as the ocean, white as a ghost. Telling me it was all right, that nothing had changed.
"Eventually I couldn't run anymore. I fell down and leaned against a tree, and closed my eyes.
"And then she was next to me. 'I'm sorry,' she said, 'but I couldn't tell you until I was sure. Sure that you were ready. Sure that you were the kind of person that would want to know.'"
"And I was. I was the kind of person that wanted to know. Wanted the truth, no matter how bad it was.
"She sat there with me, until I had my breath back, until I could talk, and I asked her what happened next.
"She said that it was up to me. If I wanted, she'd take it all away, make it like it was. Take my memories away again. Or, if I wanted, I could be like her.
"That's what she was offering me. Forever. With her. An endless night."
"And you said yes?" Caitlin asked.
Michael laughed. "No. I told her I wasn't sure. I told her I couldn't make that kind of commitment until I knew everything.
"So she showed me her world, told me the truth about St. Troy.
"Angelica built this city. She's the Regent, the most powerful vampire within a hundred miles. All of this is hers. Indigo. Most of the businesses. Even the University belongs to her."
"Wait, the University? It belongs to vampires?"
Michael nodded.
"So what, it's like a giant hunting ground?"
"Kind of," Michael said. "But it's not like you think. Vampires aren't all evil. A lot of them just want to live peacefully. Angelica built this city to be a safe haven for vampires, and she realized that the only way to do that was to make it safe for humans, too. Her rules are very clear. Any vampire that kills a human answers to the Council."
"But, I thought you didn't eat human blood," Caitlin said. "If it doesn't hurt people ...?"
"Sometimes it does hurt them, Caitlin." His voice trailed off, and she could almost see when his brain jumped to a different topic.
"The University ... it's kind of like a farm team for her. Angelica has a thing for beauty. Beautiful people, and people who create beautiful things. That's why the university has such a strong arts program. It brings in the best from all over the world. The best dancers, the best singers, the best painters," he nodded at Caitlin, "the best photographers."
"Oh, I wouldn't call myself the best," she said.
"I would. Because I know Angelica. Her people only accept the best."
"And what happens to them? To, um, to us?"
"Usually? Nothing. But every once in a while she finds someone that's special, different. Someone that she thinks is better than everyone else. And when she finds someone like that, she makes them the same offer she made me. Eternity." His eyebrows knit together. "Though she doesn't sleep with most of them."
"Okay," Caitlin said. "So she made you an offer, and showed you what vampire — what, society? — is all about. Is that when you said yes?"
"I never said yes, Caitlin. I never got the chance.
"I was part of the in crowd, then. Because of Angelica. Especially at Indigo. They treated me like family there, like I was a real big deal, and people wa
nted to be around me because of it. My roommate, Eric, and his sister Sarah would come out with us. They liked the special treatment, the attention.
"Liam caught Sarah's eye. She wanted to get to know him, she said, and I was such a big shot, I told her I'd make it happen." His face clouded, and he was quiet for a moment. "I introduced her to the man that killed her." His voice was thick.
"I didn't know what Liam was. I mean, I knew he was a vampire. But I didn't know that he was so ... cruel. Eric did. He knew right away that Liam was trouble. He confronted me about it, but I blew him off. He asked me to talk to Liam, to make sure his little sister was okay. Liam told me that Eric was just being an overprotective brother. I thought that settled it.
"And then Sarah died.
"She just dropped off the face of the earth. One night, she said she was going out, and she never came home. We looked everywhere for her. Filed a police report. But she was gone. Vanished. Into thin air.
"Eric ... Eric almost lost his mind. I went to Angelica, and she told me that she'd look into it. I waited for a week to hear from her."
"What did she say?" Caitlin asked.
"'I'm sorry.' Just 'I'm sorry.'
"I was furious. I screamed at her until my voice was raw, and she just stood there and took it. Then I asked her what she was going to do to him, and she said that he would answer for his crimes."
Michael laughed bitterly. "They brought him before the council, on the charges of killing a human. And he admitted it. With a smile. With pride. Told them that he was a hunter, and that he had hunted, and that was just the way of nature."
"What did the council do?"
"Liam is powerful. And popular. Politically, he's almost as strong as Angelica. And the council ... the council fined him. Ten pieces of gold was the price of a human life. A few thousand dollars."
"Oh my God!" Caitlin said.
"Yeah."
"And then?"
"That's when I told Eric the truth. The whole truth, from start to finish. And we decided to do something. Me and Eric, and Sarah's roommate, Morgan. We decided to kill Liam."
"What happened?"
"We failed. We ran. They got away, but I was caught. Because Angelica had had my blood, she always knew where I was.
"There was a trial, the same council that slapped Liam on the wrist. They sentenced me to death.
"But Angelica overruled them. She had the authority to commute my sentence, and instead of being killed, she said that I would be reborn. She tried to spin it by saying that she was turning me into what I had tried to destroy, but I know that she thought she was doing me a favor."
"How did it happen?" Caitlin asked in a hushed voice.
"The blood. Her blood. A little will heal you. A lot will addict you. But too much ... too much and you become one of them.
"And it does things to you. She has power over me, she can get in my head. Because she made me, and her blood is inside me. When she gives me a command, I can't resist. Can't say no. I belong to her. Just like the rest of this damn city."
He gestured around the house. "All of this is hers. I'm a pet, a kept boy. She gives me a house and a car and clothes, and makes me manage one of her hunting grounds. None of this is mine. My life isn't mine. She owns me."
Caitlin opened her mouth to say something, to apologize, to comfort him, but she was interrupted by a voice as soft as a cooing dove, echoing through the room.
"It's interesting to hear that from your perspective, Michael. I never realized how hurt you were over Sarah's death. I am sorry for that. And I'm sorry you feel ... mistreated here. You've never complained about our arrangement before."
Angelica.
***
Michael bolted from his chair and stood between Angelica and Caitlin. Caitlin couldn't see his face, but his fingers were tipped with claws, and the room was filled with a low rumbling sound.
Angelica shook her head and looked up at the ceiling. "Oh, please. Michael, sit down."
Her voice rang with authority. Caitlin could see the tension in Michael's body, see him struggling, but it was a losing battle. After a few seconds, he moved mechanically back to his chair.
Caitlin sat perfectly still. Her heart pounded so loud that it was deafening. She was certain that the vampires could hear it.
Angelica was stunning. The little black dress she wore revealed an acre of perfect skin. Her figure was flawless, trim and taut, but generously curved in all of the right places. A river of dark hair fell over her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled with intelligence. Her full lips were curved into the slightest ironic smile.
Caitlin would have been insanely jealous, if she hadn't been so afraid.
Angelica crossed the room, moving so smoothly it seemed like her feet didn't ever touch the floor. Caitlin thought about running, but that was stupid. Even if she could make her legs move, which didn't seem possible at the moment, Angelica would chase her down in a second.
The vampire stood in front of Caitlin, examining her. Caitlin felt bare, exposed. Angelica reached out a hand, and Caitlin flinched away, but Angelica touched her delicately, and lifted Caitlin's chin. Angelica pouted when she saw Caitlin's unblemished throat, and made a disappointed-sounding noise.
"You're right," she said, turning slightly toward Michael, who was still cemented to his chair. "She is pretty. I can see why Liam went for her."
She turned back to Caitlin. "What he told you is all true. It was an ... unfortunate situation. I really didn't want it to turn out that way.
"Liam's wildness was what attracted me to him in the first place. I was a lot like him, when I sired him. I've learned to adapt, but he's had a hard time adjusting to the modern world. He still sees himself as living outside of society, above the rules. And sometimes he gets off his leash."
"But, I thought you were the Queen or something? Doesn't he have to do what you say?" Caitlin asked. For the most part, she even managed to keep the terror out of her voice.
Angelica smiled. "In theory, yes. In reality, it's a lot more complicated. I'm the most powerful vampire in this city. I'm probably the most powerful vampire in America, except for when the Grandparents come to visit. But I don't rule this city alone. There's an entire council watching over St. Troy. I could kill any of them without breaking a nail ... but I couldn't kill all of them."
She looked back at Michael, and she actually looked sad. "And if I did what you asked, if I executed my own Scion for you, that's what I would have had to do."
"But can't you compel him?" Caitlin asked. "Like ... that?" She looked at Michael, still struggling to free himself.
Angelica's lips turned up. "Not for some time now. We grow stronger as we age. Liam has been able to resist my commands for some time.
"He's very popular. Particularly with the younger vampires, but he has his allies on the Council, too. They see his ... strong will as a throwback to the day when vampires ruled from the shadows. Some of them miss the dark ages, I think. Personally, I like being able to take a hot shower whenever I want, but whatever."
She looked down at the floor, like she was remembering something from long ago. "I am sorry, Michael. But even I have limits." Then she looked back up at Caitlin. "Now, as for you ..."
Caitlin's heart jumped up into her throat, and started pounding even harder. Angelica circled her, running her fingers up Caitlin's arm, over her shoulders, and through her hair. Michael growled, but Angelica just laughed. "Oh, shush. I told you, I'm not jealous.
"But you have to realize what she is, Michael. She's beautiful, yes. Her skin is almost flawless, and believe me, Caitlin, I can see flaws you wouldn't see with a microscope. The light shimmers in her hair. Her legs just go on forever." Caitlin's face grew warm when Angelica's eyes lingered over her chest. "She's even got a great rack.
"But she's dying, Michael. She's temporary. In a few years, that perfect skin is going to have wrinkles, and those perky breasts are going to sag. Twenty, thirty years from now, you won't even be able to recognize her. Bu
t us? We'll still be here, and we'll still be beautiful. And we'll still be together.
"So here's what we're going to do. Stand up." Michael did as he was commanded. Angelica sauntered over to him and practically poured her body against his. Michael never took his eyes off of Caitlin.
Angelica murmured in his ear, "You can have your little tryst. Befriend her. Make love to her. Feed from her. Whatever gets you off." She nuzzled against Michael's throat. "And I promise you that Liam won't touch her. From this moment on, she is forbidden to him. And I'll tell him that myself, to make sure there aren't any more misunderstandings."
She was still pressed against Michael's body, but she looked back at Caitlin. "But that doesn't change anything between us, Michael. You are still my Scion, and my subject. You still have obligations to me." She reached up behind her neck, and worked the clasp of her dress. The black fabric fell away from her body and fluttered to the floor. "And you will fulfill those obligations."
She threw her head back, tossing her hair out of the way, and looked at Caitlin. "Would you like to watch? I've had centuries to learn my way around a man's body, and I'm sure I can teach you a few things." She ran her fingers inside the neck of Michael's shirt, teasing it away from his skin ... and then tore it off. She stroked his bare chest and made a purring noise. Michael stood as still as a statue, staring straight ahead. Straight at Caitlin.
"Or you could even join us," Angelica continued. I know some things about a woman's body, too. I promise not to bite ... unless you ask me to."
Caitlin just stood there, tears brimming in her eyes, lip trembling.
"No?" Angelica asked. "That's too bad. You really are beautiful, and I'd love to see what you're hiding under all those unnecessary clothes."
Angelica traced a finger down Michael's chest, down his stomach, and hooked her fingers inside the waistband of his jeans. "My driver will see you home." She undid the first button of Michael's pants, and stared at him hungrily.
Then she walked away, her hips swaying with every step, the very picture of self-confident beauty. She stopped in the doorway and glanced back over her shoulder. "Michael, come to bed."
Sire Page 9