There were 12 councilmen, one to which was a woman. They sat at the long wooden mahogany table as they waited for the head of the council to enter the room. They spoke amongst themselves in hushed whispers. Nicholai Winmore entered the room and sat down at the head of the table. He wasn't a man to contend with. He was ruthless, yet kind, if those two could go together. Standing 6'0" tall, he was large in size. Not fat, but he was of a stocky build. He had a head full of black hair. His eyes were a cold ice blue. When he looked at you, it felt as though he was peering into your soul. He knew why this meeting was called, it was of no surprise.
Sighing before he said, "Begin." His words directed to the man on his left. Drake McCoy. He was second in command.
Running a hand through his short blonde hair, Drake narrowed his green eyes as he began, " Nicholai, we all have forgiven what has happened in the past. You broke our law, but you have redeemed yourself as you sit at the head of this table now. We are merely concerned."
Nicholai rubbed his temples as he replied, "Do not speak to me as if I was born yesterday. I was not. I have three hundred years over your head, Drake."
"We understand this is emotional, we understand this is hard." The one and only woman in the room, Chloe Wilson, stated.
"I know better than any of you what 'our' laws are. I was apart in creating them." Nicholai ignored her. He leaned forward in his chair and placed his elbows onto the table. " Let me tell you a story." Sighing once more, he began in his deep voice as he remembered what brought them to this point. " Eighteen years ago this year, I made the ultimate mistake. I broke 'our' laws. I did in fact. I'm not denying that. I was given my punishment and I did my time, I have clearly made up for that. I am getting off topic, Eighteen years ago, I fell in love. The woman's name was Viktoria as you all remember. She was human in every way imaginable. The moment I looked into her beautiful eyes, I was in love. That wasn't where my mistake was laid. I became intimate with her before I embraced her." He stood and became to pace back and forth in front of the table. " She became pregnant. I did not embrace her. Not yet. She carried the child until she was 7 months pregnant. We laid together in one of the coldest winters that I can remember when she went into labor. The town was snowed in, it would be morning before a Doctor could come to our aide. We were alone. As she lay dying in childbirth, in my arms, that is when I embraced her. Our child, a daughter, was born shortly after her human heart had stopped beating. My blood reached our child before she was born into this world. With that, I assumed she was half-mortal, half-immortal. My precious Viktoria was torn away from me by this council. I could not watch our child grow, nor could I be with my love. I rarely saw her, but that in secrecy, I did not see our child, but a few times in eighteen years." Nicholai sat down as he continued, " I cannot begin to explain our child to you. I do not know her, nor do I know what she is capable of. I do not know what she is. Only what Viktoria wrote to me before her, before her death."
The councilmen and woman sat quietly as they listened to his words.
"Viktoria died before I become head of this council. Even then, I could not bring our daughter here. I have more than made up for the law that I have broken, but now, -" He paused as he looked around the room, " Now I bring her home."
Heinrik Chacard was the first to break the awkward silence that had fallen over the room. "There is no other choice. We cannot embrace someone against their will. She has to be in love with her sire. Her sire has to love her."
"She cannot continue as she is. Even under our guidance and supervision, she cannot remain." Chloe stated. She spoke the truth. When it was hard to hear, she still spoke it. She was the nearest member of the council. Her short cropped blonde hair and blue eyes similar to Nicholai's, she was Drake's love.
Nicholai slammed his fists onto the table. "I know this. I know every single word. It is this or she will die." He struggled on the last sentence. He didn't know his daughter, but he was thinking of her death? What kind of father was he?
"Do not let your emotions cloud what is, Nicholai. We will not stand by and watch everything that we have created crumble around us. It is a unanimous decision. Your daughter will have one year. One year, Nicholai, no more, no less. She will be watched at all times. Studied in a sense so we are prepared if there is ever another." Drake snapped. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Drake had an awful temper and with the help of Chloe, he was slowly taking the reins and not letting his temper become the best of him or the worst.
Chloe reached up and placed her hand on Drake's shoulder. It was a calm, soothing touch for him. " Nicholai knows what must be done. He is aware of the consequences. Now on a lighter note, we should discuss how to embrace her."
Heinrik nodded in agreement. " Yes, that is what we must discuss."
"She surely won't go for anyone in this room." Nicholai answered.
A deep sultry laugh came from Chloe, "Yes, that's true, Nicholai. It cannot be someone new or someone old. It needs to be someone who has experience, in the world and otherwise. She cannot be compelled, the man must know that. Someone who understands and obeys our laws."
"If she is anything like her mother, she cannot be put into a situation where she feels that her and her sire are 'arranged'."Nicholai sighed.
"Nor can she know what we are. Not yet of course." Drake replied.
Stepping off of the train onto the ramp, she looked around for her father. She had a photo of him. It wasn't recent. Her mother only gave it to her a few months before she died. That was a year ago. As she looked around, she became aware of the fact that people dressed differently in this town, not at all how she was used to seeing people dress. They wore suits and ties. She looked down at what she was wearing, dark blue, tattered jeans, black snow boots and her favorite pink hoodie. She had pulled her long dark brown hair into a messy bun earlier on the train and little strands of hair had escaped the rubber band. She wore no make-up.
She looked past everyone and searched the ramp. She didn't see her father anywhere. She did see a man dressed in a chauffeur's suit holding a sign that read, 'Winmore'.
Walking up to him, she nodded at the sign, "I'm Arabella Winmore."
With a soft nod, the man picked up her suitcase and started walking. Arabella had to run to catch up with him. "Jaymes is the name. I was instructed to drive you to your father's estate. Please keep up, Ms. Winmore. I do not have time to straggle." She heard him say once she was a few steps behind him.
How awesome is this, she thought to herself. I arrive in a strange city to live with a father I have no clue who is and now this rude jackass is here. Great! She continued to think.
Arabella followed him to the parking lot where he opened the trunk of a black car. Loading her suitcase into the trunk, he came around to open the door for her. Mumbling her thanks as she got in, he quickly walked around and assumed his position in the driver's seat. "Please put on your safety belt, Ms. Winmore and make yourself comfortable. It is a long drive to your father's estate." He told her as he started the vehicle and pulled out onto the road.
She settled into the seat as much as she could, stretching her legs out in front of her. She rubbed the back of her neck as she searched her backpack for her ipod. Once she had located it, she put the earphones in and turned the volume up. "This is your new life, Arabella Brooke. Get used to it." She whispered to herself as she leaned her head on her hand and closed her eyes.
Arabella opened her eyes when she felt the car come to a stop. Wow, she thought, I must have been more tired than I thought.
She didn't give Jaymes time to open her door, but instead opened it herself and got out. She stretched as she looked around at her new home.
"My god, you look just like your mother." Nicholai stopped halfway down the stairs as Arabella entered the entrance hall. Her resemblance was remarkable. She had his dark hair, but everything else was Viktoria's, Her hair, her face, her body, everything. It was like he was in the past.
"Yeah, I get told that a lot." Arabella answered, clutching her backpack tightly. She didn't know what to say to him. The last time she saw him she was 12 years old and it was her mother's birthday.
Nicholai walked the rest of the way down the stairs and replied, "How was your train?"
"It was good." Arabella looked around the room, she could see what appeared to be a library, a study, and a kitchen possibly.
He pointed towards the room Arabella thought was the kitchen. "Have you eaten? I can have Anna make something for you?"
"No thanks. I'm fine." She answered. Standing there, she didn't know what to say. What do you say to a man you barely know, but now expected to share your life with?
She heard voices from two men descending the stairs. Looking in their direction, she noticed the dark hair man had slowed his walk.
"Arabella, this is Xander"-Nicholai motioned to the man with dark hair, and then to the one with light brown hair-"and this is Adam. Gentlemen, this is my daughter, Arabella."
The dark haired man smiled at her and held out his hand. Turning her hand around once she offered it to him, he kissed the back of her hand and said, "I'm Xander. Nice to meet you."
Arabella offered a small polite smile as she pulled her hand back. "You too."
Adam stood back. He smiled and gave a little wave.
Nicholai cleared his throat before saying, "I have a few things to attend too, and then I will give you a tour of your new home, yes?"
Arabella nodded as her father walked into his study and shut the door. Standing there, she felt so alone and out of place. Xander motioned to her suitcase. "Can I take that to your room for you?"
Arabella looked up the stairs. "I'm afraid I don't know where it is." She gave a nervous laugh.
Xander smiled. "I'm sure we can figure it out. Follow me."
"The third flood?" Arabella commented, almost out of breath as they finally reached a door at the end of the hall on the third flood.
"This is where your chambers will be, M'lady." Xander joked as he opened a heavy door that led into her 'suite'.
"Whoa." Arabella gasped as she followed him inside.