by Cheree Alsop
A smile spread across Leon’s face. Though there was no humor in his gaze, there was a hint of something calculating when he said, “Now you’ve asked the right question.”
As if he knew how close Everett was to running back to the surface to ensure his friends’ safety, Leon opened a hand in a gesture that was simple, yet expressive as though he offered Everett the world. “I promise you from the depths of my soul that your friends in the jungle will not come to harm from the vampires that dwell within Bloodhaven. Please take a seat.”
Wary, Everett took the chair he stood behind. He sat on the edge of the soft cushion, uncertain what the vampire expected from him.
“This is your first time at Bloodhaven.”
It was a statement instead of a question. Everett wasn’t sure if Leon expected a response. The silence lengthened palpably. He finally went with, “Yes, it is.”
Leon nodded. “I am Leon, the Sovereign of Bloodhaven. Who might you be?”
Everett debated what to say. He was there to get help for Nectaris. His mother had always said that honesty was the best policy. “My name is Everett Masterson. I’m from Nectaris.”
Leon ran a hand through his long black hair. It fell around his shoulders in compliment to his black and red tailored clothing. The colors made the pallor of his skin stand out.
“We have a tradition here, Everett. A partaking of blood.”
Everett couldn’t help the way his stomach rolled at the word blood. He winced at the pain.
Leon’s sharp eyes caught the movement. His gaze narrowed slightly, though the smile stayed on his face. “You’re thirsty.”
As much as he hated revealing the weakness, Everett couldn’t deny it. “It’s been a while since I drank.”
Leon snapped his fingers. The sound was quiet, but the doors behind him immediately pooled. Two vampires in gray walked silently to his side. Leon said one word that was too quiet for Everett to hear, and the vampires vanished as soundlessly as they had appeared.
“My apologies for entertaining a hungry guest,” Leon said with another smile that reminded Everett of the two-headed snake that lived beneath his father’s greenhouse.
When Everett was younger, he had asked his father why he didn’t kill it. His father had replied that anything strong enough to have survived the Ending War and the fallout deserved the courtesy to not have life cut short by a shovel.
“It is poisonous, son,” Mr. Masterson had concluded. “So I may regret my empathy someday.” His father winked. “But compassion has gotten both of us this far. I feel like it’s more than worthwhile.”
The door pooled again and the scent of blood permeated the air. A goblet was set in front of Leon, and at the vampire’s gesture, a second was placed on the table near Everett. The two gray-cloaked vampires then left them once more.
Leon lifted his goblet. “Please drink,” he said. He then put the cup to his lips and took a deep pull of the liquid.
Everett’s hand shook slightly when he lifted the cup to his lips. He was about to drink the lifesaving liquid when the scent touched his nose. He hesitated.
“Is something wrong?” Leon asked.
Everett caught the hint of humor in the vampire’s voice that didn’t show on his impassive face. “What kind of blood is this?”
Leon nodded. “Again, the right question. You’re a fast learner, Everett from Nectaris.” When Everett refused to drink without an answer, the vampire lifted his own goblet and swirled the liquid inside. He took a deep sniff of the aroma rising from its depths. “This is homo sapien thirty-five AEW if I’m not mistaken,” he winked at Everett. “And I never am.”
“This is human?” Everett asked in horror. The fact that he was holding a cup of human blood gripped his heart in a fist. He dropped the goblet onto the table. It teetered to one side, then righted itself. The thick liquid inside slowly stilled.
Leon watched him closely. “Am I to amass from your behavior that you would prefer something else?”
“Why do you have human blood?” Everett demanded. “Who does it come from?”
Leon shook his head. “Those are the wrong questions, Everett.” He gave a patient sigh as if he was used to explaining the origin of the blood he drank. “The correct question is when. When is the blood from, and if you heard me, it was thirty-five AEW, which means that the blood presented to you was drained thirty-five years After the Ending War when blood-letting from humans wasn’t banned.” He gave another self-suffering sigh. “Alas, wouldn’t it be nice if we could still continue the practice?”
“I’m not sure the humans would agree,” Everett stated flatly.
Leon studied him for a second. His smile returned. “I forget that you mentioned claiming Nectaris as your home. I can’t imagine how it must be to live behind the walls of stone that contain the five great cities. What joy you must experience there.” His tone was flat and dry.
“It’s my home,” Everett said. The human blood was too close. He had never drunk from a human, not really. He had always been worried that after tasting it once, he would never be able to maintain the control he practiced every day. He refused to be a threat to his family.
Yet the smell filled his nose; it was right in front of him, thick and beckoning. He locked his hands together beneath the table where Leon wouldn’t see. His arms shook with the effort it took not to grab the goblet and down its contents in one gulp.
“Do you prefer a different year?” Leon asked in a slightly teasing voice. He tilted his head to one side. “Perhaps a thirty-seven? Or maybe you’re one of those specialists that refuses to drink anything but a twenty-five or older.”
Everett shook his head and spoke tightly. “I would prefer something non-human if possible.”
The vampire stared at him as if he was insane. “Even with this wealth I have offered you? I should be offended, appalled. I should have you thrown out for such a request.”
Everett stood and the chair behind him slid back.
Leon chuckled and waved a hand. “Sit down, Everett of Nectaris. I’m only giving you a hard time.” He snapped and the door turned to a black pool again. He spoke with his gaze still on Everett as he sat back down. “Our young visitor isn’t used to the high-quality beverages of Bloodhaven. Please bring him the freshest bottle of jungle you have available.”
The vampires both bowed and disappeared again. Everett wondered if he had read the expressions of disbelief on their faces, or only imagined them.
Leon answered his unspoken question. “Don’t mind them. You must have seen the pod farm in the jungle above. We tap the plants and bottle half the take, leaving the rest so the pods can flourish. We’re running low on our stock of human blood, and so I have implemented the bottling in order to give us a backup for when the blood runs dry.” He lowered his voice but whispered loud enough for anyone to hear. “They can’t stand the jungle beverage, but I feel it has a wild, earthy flavor they’ll soon learn to like.”
Everett didn’t know what to say in reply. He opened his mouth to try, but the door revealed the vampire in gray once more.
As soon as the cup was swapped for the other, Everett picked it up with both hands and sucked it through his hollow fangs. The taste was earthy as Leon had described, but it was also wonderful and filling. It flowed through his body, reaching his bloody stream directly from his fangs. The blood felt as though it coated his insides, spreading warmth through his limbs. He drank the final gulp and waited for the last drop to pool in the bottom so he could tip it up and catch it in his mouth. He then set the goblet down, his stomach satisfied at last.
Leon was watching him.
Embarrassed by his lack of manners and aware of how noisily he had downed the blood, Everett used the red cloth napkin on the table in front of him to wipe his mouth before he looked back up.
“Thank you,” he said.
Leon gave a nod that appeared as though it came from a majestic lion. “I’m glad you approve.” He snapped his fingers again and the gob
lets were removed. A vampire dressed in yellow came in carrying two animals. The first she gave to Leon.
“Perfect,” he said. “A follow-up snack.”
She walked to Everett’s side and handed him the second animal. Everett stared down at the creature. It looked like a large gray and white puppy that was less than a week old. Its eyes weren’t even open. The animal gave a little grunt of discomfort at the way he was holding it. Everett brought the animal close to his chest. It grunted again and in a moment its breathing settled into the slow cadence of sleep.
“What is...?” Everett’s question died away at the sight of Leon with his fangs sunk into his animal’s neck.
The creature’s body shuddered, then became still. Leon set the body on the table and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He then licked the blood from his skin.
“Wonderful,” the vampire breathed. “Newborn amarok is a delicacy to even the most unrefined palate.” He looked at Everett. His eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the puppy still in Everett’s arms.
“I’m savoring the taste of the jungle mix,” Everett said quickly. “One new flavor at a time, you know?”
Leon studied him for a moment, then broke into a smile again. “Of course, young Everett. I imagine you’ve been stuck with pigs’ blood for quite some time. We’ll give something else a try, shall we?”
At his next snap, and about the time Everett started wondering if his staff got tired of being summoned in such a way, the dead animal was removed from in front of Leon and two smaller cups were brought. One was set in front of the Sovereign and the other was put in front of Everett along with a knife about the length of his first finger. The new cups were empty and innocuous.
Everett looked at Leon. “What are these?”
Leon picked up his small cup. “I started to explain blood partaking until I realized you were about to drink me if I gave you the chance.” He chuckled. “Now we can commence with the formalities.” He speared Everett with his gaze. “I doubt being from Nectaris that you’ve learned much of the traditions of our brothers and sisters. I feel that as the Sovereign of Bloodhaven, it is my duty to introduce you.”
He set the cup back down and picked up the knife. Before Everett could say anything, the vampire ran the knife down the fatty part of his palm below his thumb. He then squeezed the wound and let the blood drip into the cup.
“What is that for?” Everett asked warily.
Leon used his cloth napkin to dab at the wound. A moment later, the cut had healed and the vampire wiped the remaining blood away.
“A vampire’s blood is a history, a telling of sorts, of the life of the vampire. A vampire is unable to spill the blood of another vampire and read from it; only blood freely given reveals the life of the vampire who gives it, and so the partaking of blood shows trust.” He gave Everett a smile that showed his fangs. “It also tells the stories of the others he has drunk, a true bloodline to share the knowledge and lessons of our ancient ancestors.” He swirled the blood in the cup.
Uneasiness filled Everett. He looked warily at his cup and the small knife beside it. “I thought vampires were created by the fallout.”
“Some say that,” Leon replied evasively.
Everett thought of his family, of the Monster Asylum, of all the things Leon would find out by drinking his blood if the blood partaking truly worked as the vampire said.
“I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this.”
Leon picked up his cup and rose from the table in one fluid motion. The fine hairs rose on the back of Everett’s arms when the vampire walked to him and set the cup on the table next to the empty one.
“I’ll give you the courtesy of letting you go first,” Leon said.
The vampire hovered close to him, intimidating in his nearness. Everett knew he couldn’t refuse such courtesy. He put the cup to his lips. Uncertainty kept him from tasting the contents.
“Drink,” Leon spoke close to his ear. “Share with your brethren.”
Everett took a steeling breath and dumped the fluid into his mouth.
Chapter Twenty-six
Everett gasped when the liquid hit his tongue. Instead of needing to be swallowed, the vampire blood was immediately absorbed into the tissues of his mouth, tongue, and throat. Images hit his mind in a rush, flowing through with such speed that Everett only caught a few of them.
Humans were hooked up to tubes like the pod plants. They looked like they were sleeping on the tables, yet the pallor of their skin hinted otherwise.
The edges blurred and the scene shifted. Everett saw a group of kids swimming at a pond. The watcher sat on a rock in the shade.
“Come join us, Leon!” a boy yelled.
Leon shook his head. “I can’t swim.”
“Can’t swim?” a beefy boy with short blond hair asked. “Or afraid of the water?”
Several of the other boys laughed.
The scene changed. Everett stared at his hand, at Leon’s hand.
“I dare you,” a voice from someone he couldn’t see challenged.
“What if I die?” Leon asked with true fear in his voice.
“Then we’ll know vampires can’t take the sunlight,” the boy said with a laugh.
“Come on, Leon, you don’t have to do that,” another boy said.
Leon looked back and Everett saw that they were standing in the doorway to the roof of an apartment complex. Three boys stood on the stairs below him. They looked close to Everett’s age, and he assumed Leon was the same.
“You don’t have to prove anything,” the boy repeated. He had red hair and blue eyes, and his expression carried true concern.
“If you’re a coward,” the first boy said with another laugh. His long blond hair was caught back in a ratty ponytail. He grinned, showing a missing front tooth.
Everett felt the vampire’s need to fit in. He was torn between fear and proving himself. If he could stand the sunlight, maybe they would accept that he was human enough.
“I’m not a coward,” Leon growled. He shoved his hand into the sunlight streaming past the doorway.
Everett felt the burning pain. It drove into the vampire’s skin with the sensation of nerve endings melting away and bone charring. Leon’s hand shook and mist rose from the skin.
“Pull back, Leon!” the red-headed boy shouted.
The pain became too intense. Leon jerked his hand back into the shade. They all stared as the mist lessened and his skin returned to normal.
“You are a freak,” the ponytailed boy said.
Everett felt Leon channel his rage. A buzz of white-hot anger destroyed all rational sense. Leon grabbed the boy by his throat and slammed him against the wall. Before the other two could move, Leon sunk his fangs deep into the boy’s throat, then yanked back, letting the boy’s lifeblood spill to the floor.
Leon’s chest was heaving as he came back to himself. Everett felt his realization at what he had done. He stared from the slain boy to the other two. He was a monster and there were witnesses. He couldn’t let them tell anyone what had happened.
“Leon,” the redhead said, holding up his hands. There was fear in his voice as if the expression on Leon’s face was even more terrifying than what he had done.
Two heartbeats later, both boys lay on the floor next to their friend. Leon stared down at them, ashamed and amazed at what had happened. He was split by the choice to walk away or allow himself to be drawn to the call of the blood. To Everett’s horror, Leon fell to his knees and proceeded to drink from his friends.
The scene shifted and Everett felt as though he was standing at the edge of a precipice. The jungle spread out before him. He realized with a start that it was the wall of the Pentagrin he stood on. A glance from side to side showed no one else on the thick structure. Leon took a step closer; one more and he would be over the edge. Everett felt the vampire’s want to throw himself off. He wouldn’t survive the fall. Nothing could.
Everett realized that the thirst that clun
g to his throat came from the memory. It matched the way he had felt moments ago, yet Leon had no way to slack his thirst. He moved his toes to the edge.
Something rustled in the bushes below. A stag appeared in the moonlight. Leon’s bloodlust surged and he threw himself off precipice. He channeled his strength and forced it downward. The same thrust of energy that Everett had used to shove the vampires backward in the hallway slammed into the ground and stopped Leon from hitting the earth at breakneck speed. The stag stared at him for a second. It breathed heavily, sucking in the vampire’s scent. The animal’s head lifted in fear. It spun on its hind legs and ran. Leon channeled his strength again and ran after it.
The memories swam. He was back behind the wall. Leon walked beside a girl with blonde hair that captured the moonlight. He could feel the vampire’s happiness at being with her. To Everett’s surprise, he recognized love in the vampire’s heart.
The scene changed. With a start, Everett saw a young Dr. Transton. They sat together at a table near the back of one of Nectaris’ restaurants.
“What about a safe haven for all monsters?” the young doctor asked.
“That’s ridiculous,” Leon replied. “It would be closed down as soon as you opened it. You heard the new law, Terry. No monster will be allowed within the walls of the Pentagrin. I’ve got to leave.”
“What about Thraya?” Dr. Transton asked.
Everett felt Leon’s heartbeat slow.
Dr. Transton read the expression. “Stay with me until we get it built.”
“Are you sure?” Leon asked. “But you just lost Mandy. I don’t want to impose on you and Monique.”
Dr. Transton nodded. “I’m positive. You’re my friend, Leon. I’m happy to help.” His expression saddened. “Besides, without Mandy, the place has gotten too quiet. Monique thinks the world of her Uncle Leon. She would love having you there.”
When the memories changed, Everett stood in a doorway staring into a moonlit room. A young girl slept in a bed surrounded in moonlight that spilled from the tall window near her head. She made a small sound and turned her face, her eyes still shut.