AN: TADA! And so it begins! This is the second installment of the story New Blood. For those of you who were upset with the ending of the last one this one should be better! Our beloved Eric shall return, I promise you that, especially since I know that is why most of my readers read! XD. Now, just a reminder, this story I am in the process of writing by hand, so it will take me awhile to get it all up. So far only Chapter One is finished and Chapter Two is in the process. Some things to look forward to this book include; Leah's new love interest, the return of Eric, and the downfall of one of the races.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Stackhouse related material. I do however own Leah, the left side of Alyssa if you were to cut her down the middle with an arm and leg on each side.
Chapter One
Candle light flickered around the room; softly illuminating it with a yellow glow. The smell of blood hung thickly in the rose tainted air. A body of a man laid in a crumpled pile at my feet. He was not dead, at least not yet anyways. I raised my gaze from the man at my feet up to the woman before me. My gaze was lazy and nonchalant; this was not the first time I had been confronted by an angry vampire.
"What izz thiz filth?" She inquired, gesturing to the man. "I am told to come 'ere four zee releaze I 'ave been zeeking, but vhat do I find? Filth."
"Please Madame, calm yourself." I intoned, my voice impossibly bored. "The humans here are volunteers of sorts. I provide food, lodging, and medical for them if they sign a contract to work and accept the risks. You have nearly drained this man and now say he is filth?" My laugh was full of malice. "That's not how it works here. If you had taken a sip or swallow perhaps I would consider, but to drain him as you have? No. Your argument has no grounds here."
"But vhat if thiz filth I taste is AIDZ or HIV?"
"All of my workers are screened. I have no intention of killing."
The woman's delicate hands, stained with blood, clenched and relaxed several times. Her fangs were still protruding from her gums slightly and her pupils were dilated.
"You 'ave no intention of keeling and yet you zend them to uz to die."
"They come of their own will and are fully informed of the risks with a lawyer of their own choosing present."
"I vant a refund. Regardlez of vhat you zay the man waz filth and I vant a refund."
I laughed; a sound that seemed strange and cold even to me.
"Upon entering this building you signed a contract. By almost draining this man you forfeited your right to a refund."
The woman glared at me, her pale brown eyes meeting mine. I returned her gaze with a steady and final stare. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it; seeming to think better of it. She turned on her heel and left in a storm of rage.
I sighed and sunk back into my chair; settling in the velvet deeply. I propped one elbow on the arm and rested my head on my hand. I watched the man breath for several moments, crossing my legs. With my free hand I pressed a button in the other arm of my chair and spoke.
"I need medical in here."
A large man pushing a stretcher came in. He lifted the medical bag off the stretcher and set it down next to the man. Rough and calloused fingers pressed to the man's neck checking his pulse. Satisfied, the medic bandaged the worst of the wounds and then gently lifted him onto the stretcher. He held a chart out to me that I signed quickly before he left. It was cheaper for me this way then to pay them individually.
This place had been called a whore house, a brothel, of sorts, but in truth, it depended on who you asked. Those who refused to accept that it was a good thing referred to it as such, but those who embraced it called it a sanctuary. It was a place for vampires to be vampires; to forget their mainstream ways. The human participants were here of their own free will. They signed contracts accepting the risk of permanent damage and death. In exchange I gave them food, lodging, and job security. The vampires signed a contract upon entrance agreeing to pay the required amount plus some small fees should they kill the human. I had everything from masochistic vampires to purely sadistic ones. Whatever they wanted I could provide. Here, I could make their dreams and fantasies come true.
I closed my eyes and sucked in an unnecessary breath. Flames licked at the inside of my eyelids and consumed my darkness. Screams and blood filled my thoughts. It was because of this that I had this life.
After the death of my lover and my child I was empty. Pain filled me and suffering consumed me. Pam hated me for the death of our maker. I had no one to turn to. For a long time I never fed. I chose to deny myself the source of life. Then I binged. I found humans willing to die and drained them of their blood. I was looking for completion; something to fill the void inside me. One day I was lying on the grass, a letter clutched in my hand with my thoughts wandering. The letter was from Pam. Eric's will had finally gone through the legal system. I had received a large portion of Eric's wealth. I laid in the grass for hours trying to figure out what I would do with it. I didn't need more than a studio apartment and the basics to survive. I remember looking back on the things that I had done since Eric's death. It was then that the idea had hit me. I would open a house for vampires to be true to their natures; whatever that may be.
It started out small; a few humans under a basic contract and the rooms in my apartment. I had met a few vampires who I knew would be interested, so, I found them and contacted them. After that everything went up. As demand grew I procured larger rooms. Eventually I had enough revenue and a steady clientele that I was able to buy a large mansion estate out in the countryside of Europe. The larger the business became the more I was able to refine it. I created stronger, more secure contact for the human employees and held the vampires more responsible.
Sometimes, just before sunrise, while I would lie in bed I wondered if I was right; if I was right to have made a fortune for myself at the cost of others. I wondered if I was right to have loved Eric and right when I tried to revive him. As far as I knew no one had ever tried to bring a vampire away from the final death.
The soft thump of a cat landing in my lap brought me out of my thoughts. I stared down at the fuzzy little creature who watched me with unblinking blue eyes. I smiled at my pet sweetly and gently stroked her furry head. The cat began to purr and close her eyes. Her body was warm in my lap and her fur soft beneath my fingertips. I stood slowly, picking her up as I did so and gently tucking her securely in my arm. She mewled softly as I walked down the stairs in front of my throne like seat that had once been Eric's. I pressed my hand to a scanner and waited patiently as the glass doors slid open.
"Is everything alright mistress?" A woman inquired as I left.
"Yes, just turning in early tonight. I'll see you tomorrow."
The woman nodded and I continued on my way.
The walk from my office to my room was a relatively long one. I knew that I could traverse the distance in a short amount of time if I chose, but walking at a leisurely pace was relaxing. As I walked I passed door after door, room after room. Some of the doors were closed in use and others were open; the open doors revealed beautiful rooms with rich decorum. If anyone who didn't know what it was passed by they might think it was a well furbished inn and that's how I wanted it. My business was not a secret per say, but it was better if only those who were serious about using it knew. Some vampires and humans here were quite well known and wouldn't want their personal business discovered despite the legality and legitimacy of the place. At last I reached the part of the house that was solely mine.
I knew it was excessive, but when the house was being built I declared the entire top floor as mine and solely mine. The house was antiqued on the outside, but exceptionally modern on the inside. The top floor however was slightly different. It had the basic modern conveniences such as hot and cold running water and dimmable electric lights, but it retained the more dated style. It was my own personal haven; a sanctuary of peace where I couldn't be disturbed.
I pushed my code into the keypad and pushed the door open. Shutting the door behind me I gently eased the light switch up until a gentle glow filled the room. I sighed at the silence that greeted me and made my way into the bathroom. I shut and locked the door behind me. I picked up a match and went about lighting the candles around the room. When that was finished I turned on the water for the claw foot tub. I shucked my old clothes letting them fall to the ground. I looked at my body in the mirror.
My black hair was longer then it had ever been; hanging just past my butt. My once lively blue eyes were dulled and sharp with pain. The death life of being a vampire made my pale skin paler. The ladies of the 19th century would die of jealousy for skin this pale. As usual my fingers and toes were painted with black nail polish and a heavy black Smokey eye rimmed my eyes thickly. I looked all of the 16 years old, but there was now a harshness in me that was silently visible. I turned back to the tub and shut the water off. I sunk into the scented water until I was completely submerged.
Surrounding myself with water was my escape. The sounds of everything became dull and muted beneath the surface and warmth engulfed me. I was at peace here; without a care in the world. Even my thoughts, the ones that haunted me day in and day out seemed to leave me alone here. All my troubles floated away beneath the water as long as I stayed under. After several minutes I pushed through the surface; returning to reality. As my ears broke the surface, they were met by a loud ringing. I sighed and grabbed my phone.
"Hello?"Mistress, we have a situation."
"What kind of situation?" I inquired dragging a finger over the surface of the water.
"One of the humans killed vampire."
"…I'll be down shortly."
I hit the end button and stood, quickly cooling water dripping from my skin. I grabbed a fluffy towel and dried myself quickly. I dressed in the clothes
I had already shed. I yanked a brush through my hair before quickly returning to the indicated room.
"What happened?" I inquired looking the scene over.
"The video shows that the chair had been broken during previous activities and when the vamp had his back turned the human stabbed him with the chair. It wasn't really messy, but defiantly slow and painful."
I crossed my arms thinking. The smell of blood was getting to me a little. I hadn't fed for awhile now and I would need to feed soon.
"Call the police. Ask them to send one man out of uniform. Seal the room till the officer gets here; lock the human up and be generally observant. I don't want the other clients to worry."
The man I had been speaking to nodded and left. Another man approached me with a clipboard.
"The vampire's account was settled. What would you like u to do?"
I sighed; why did someone have to die?
"Find out if he had any human relatives who are living. If so find out what they want done with the remains; if not, dispose of them when the police are done. As far as the human is concerned let the police deal with it. He violated the contract voiding it; he is no longer our problem."
As I spoke the man scribbled on the clipboard making notes and filling out forms. I ran a hand through my damp hair. After a moment the clipboard was held out to me. I quickly scanned the document and then signed. I returned to my office. I sat down in Eric's char and fell into the immobile state.
Life was so different without Eric and Pam. Pam wanted nothing to do with me and avoided seeing me at all costs during the legal work. I was numb for so long. I remembered moving through the motions of the legal work, but not caring beyond that. I
Put the money I had into an account and left it up until I built the mansion. My parents never tried to contact me even when they knew I was back. Early on I was them, but if they saw me they never acknowledged it. Eventually I returned to Europe. Three hundred years of pain and emptiness had past, or nearly three hundred. This year would be a full three hundred years. Involuntarily I trembled at the thought. I had grown colder over the years, less feeling and sensitive. When I was alone I would cry; I would cry over my lost love and the loss of my only child. Occasionally my stomach would ache with the loss and all I could do was lay still and clutch my barren womb.
Unlike most vampires, I had not yet reached the stage of despising humans and seeing them as inferior, but there was no doubt that I was getting there. The laws on vampires were becoming more and more extensive every day.
Initially the laws against vampires were basic. Property that passed to living relatives in a vampire's absence remained with the living, but it could be taken to court. Feeding from humans only supposed to occur between consenting adults and not on any public property or places. Vampires born in America as humans (and in many countries) maintained citizenship status. Initially, vampires retained the same rights and followed the same laws that applied to everyone else. As time went on though, the restrictions grew. If a human wanted to be changed they had to register. Then all vampires had to register. Next came a lengthy process of registering to change to a vampire. Along with registering a law was put in place limiting the number of vampires living in an area. It had recently been passed that vampires could not feed from humans in an uncontrolled setting. If vampires wanted to drink from the source they were technically supposed to go to a place like I owned to feed. I often found myself wondering what would happen next. After all, vampires had to follow the countries laws, but they also had to follow the vampiric laws.
The kings and queens in the state were starting to struggle to maintain power. With all the restrictions being put in place, they couldn't handle all the problems that were arising. There was unrest growing amongst the mainstreaming vampires; rumors of returning underground. The only problem was that we were almost all registered. I personally had avoided the registration when I came to Europe. America was the biggest restrictor.
"Mistress?" The voice pulled me from my thoughts.
"Yes?"
"It is almost sunrise." I blinked a few times to bring the room back into focus.
"I see, yes, thank you." I stood slowly and made my way to the main part of the house.
I passed vampires going down to the coffin room and humans to the sleeping chamber. Maids would be arriving to clean the rooms and restore that part of the house to normal. Tomorrow I had a large party coming to examine the facility and sign a long term contract; I was getting more and more of these lately.
At last I reached my room. I once again removed my clothes, letting the fabric fall to the floor. I pulled back the covers on my bed and slipped into a thin silk nightgown. I picked up a brush from my vanity and ran it through my hair. I set the brush down and headed to the balcony. I looked out over the gardens and forest that made up the back yard of my home. The sun was beginning to rise and the sky bled from weak, star lit gray to washes of pink and gold. I could see the top of the sun begin to peek through the woods and enter the sky. My weary eyes wandered over the terrain, landing on a spot that I often watched. Peeking out of the woods was the opening of a cave. It was cruel to me in a way, but regardless, I could not bring myself to leave this place. It called to me, drawing me in. I was bound to this place.