Chapter 20
1818 Words
20
After a couple of days moping around the house, Sam caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her hair looked fit for a bird to nest in and she could smell her shirt and her breath. If any of her former colleagues saw her now, they wouldn’t recognise her.
She hardly recognised herself.
“I can’t go on like this,” she stated.
Her hellhound puppy sat down on the bathmat and scratched her ear. “Arf.”
“You’re right.”
“Arf?”
“That’s it. This is too pathetic. I’m going to shower and then I’ll go see Catalina.”
The pup looked at her expectantly, her head tilted. Some of the blue markings ran down her grey fur and she wagged her tail. “Arf?”
“No, walkies are for later.”
She rolled on her back, exposing the soft of her belly. She ran in the air, her excitement never tempered. “Arf! Arf!”
“No…”
“Arf!”
“No.”
“Arf!”
“I really need to teach you the meaning of no.” Sam sighed affectionately and crouched down to scratch the pup’s belly. “Who knew hellhounds were so cute, huh? What am I going to do with you… I don’t even have a name for you yet.”
The dog seemed unbothered, a quality Sam envied her for.
“Right, that’s it.” She shooed the pup out of the bathroom and committed to cleaning herself up, getting herself out of the house for more than a quick dog stretch, and finally meeting with the Vampire Master.
Proud she made it out of the house, Sam halted in the middle of the crowded square as she put up her almost-dried hair in a bun. She didn’t know where to find Catalina, but this was her best chance of finding the men that brought her to their weird church.
She stood in the middle, waiting and watching people pass around her. People came and people went, never once bothering or acknowledging her. Even in the middle of a crowd, Sam couldn’t shake that inherent feeling of loneliness.
She wasn’t sure how much time passed before she saw a head of white hair move through the crowd. She knew he was one of Catalina’s henchmen, but what was his name again…
She recalled the little memory trick she stored in her mind, making sure not to lose track of him.
White hair. White as a ghost. Caspar. Casper!
“Casper!” she shouted, darting towards him.
The man froze in confusion, looked at her and ran away, blending into the crowd.
Sam hurried after him, pushing people to the side. “Casper! Wait!”
A man glared at her as she almost tripped over his umbrella and a woman with red lipstick huffed. “Excuse me?”
“Sorry!” Samantha called, whirling through the sea of strangers as she chased the white-haired man. “Hey! Wait up! I need to see Catalina!”
The white hair stopped moving and Sam managed to catch up to him. Panting, she grabbed him by the arm, desperate not to lose him.
Casper glared at her. “What do you want?”
“I’ve considered your Master’s offer and I accept.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
Sam frowned. “Did you not hear what I said? I’m here to accept Catalina’s offer.”
“Master Catalina only takes appointments.”
The man yanked his arm back and prepared to set off.
Anger boiled up in Samantha’s gut and she grabbed him by the shoulder. Without intending to, her police voice came out. The one she used to silence rowdy teenagers, sexist colleagues, or arrogant criminals. “I think you’ll find she’ll see me.”
He stared at her for a second, clearly displeased, but he nodded anyway. “Fine. Follow me.”
For the entire walk, he remained angrily silent until they arrived at the church. The guard gave Sam the stink eye, but she wasn’t too bothered by that. She’d faced bigger and badder.
The two whispered to each other before the heavy doors were swung open and Sam crossed over the threshold, right into the Vampire’s den. She hoped Catalina had been honest when she talked about just a sample and that she hadn’t just made a fatal mistake.
“Well, well, well.” The figure at the altar turned around and placed her hands on her hips. “Samantha Rain. What a pleasant surprise.”
Samantha gulped as she approached. Every step echoed ominously through the church, only adding to the tense atmosphere. Maybe she should’ve told someone where she was going, in case she went missing. But how would she even start to explain this Nox thing?
She could’ve informed Lilith, but she was still embarrassed about what the young woman saw.
With her jaw tensed, she straightened her back. She would just have to hope for the best.
“I’ve come to bargain.”
“Oh, really?” Catalina raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Bargain? Gutsy.”
Sam pushed her sleeve up, exposing the vulnerable veins in her arm. “I’ve brought what you wanted.”
Hunger flickered through the Vampire Master’s eyes and she beckoned. “Let’s find some privacy.”
Sam expected to return to the creepy sacristy, but instead, Catalina led her down a set of winding stairs. The cold lights in the stone wall flickered as they followed them deeper down into a strange cellar.
Half of the room was decorated with comfy chairs and expensive-looking tapestries, the other side had a drain in the floor, a surgical table, and some suspicious equipment.
A shiver ran down Sam’s spine.
“What’s this place?” she asked, only managing to keep her voice steady from years of practice.
“You’ll allow me to take a sample of your blood,” Catalina said, ignoring her question. “I have to ascertain the quality of your ware before we proceed.”
“My ware?”
“Hmm-hmm. Wait there.” She gestured to the drain.
Grim, Samantha thought. She waited impatiently while Catalina rummaged through a drawer. She stacked various items on the surgical table, from latex gloves to strange knives.
“Ummm… Is that all necessary?” Sam joked nervously.
“Aha!” The Vampire turned back around with a wrapped needle of some kind. “Hold out your arm, please.”
With a dry mouth, Sam peeled her sleeve back once again and exposed the vulnerable crease of her elbow. She’d been part of some strange cases back in her day, but this was on a whole other level.
Catalina brought the needle down, the jab quick and almost painless. There was a slight sting after the fact, but Sam was too distracted by the Vampire tasting the droplet of blood. She hummed appreciatively, the same way someone would during wine tasting.
Despite the macabre situation, Sam was curious. “And?”
“Very pleasant. O+ is rich and velvety, much more so than the other types. The taste is… sweet, rich from the absence of antigens, perfect to carry robust flavours.” She airated her mouth. “Hmm, what did you drink yesterday? I’m detecting subtle notes of cherry wood and ash and… Ah. Flying Deer whisky.”
“How did you know?”
“I remember Lilith’s whisky phase. One of the many ways she tried to please her father, but well… The Boss isn’t easy to please.”
“The Boss,” Sam echoed. “Clan IF’s leader, Boss?”
“The very same.”
“He’s Lilith’s father?” Things clicked into place. “But that would make Lilith—”
“His successor.” Catalina smirked. “She didn’t tell you?”
“Of course, she told me,” Sam lied, but both women knew. She averted her gaze and pulled her sleeve down. “So… What’s it worth?”
“Well, that would depend on a couple of factors. Quantity, exclusivity, quality control, you know, the works.” She gestured to the seating area.
Sam chuckled nervously as she sat down in the high chair. “It’s like I’m a premium olive oil or a whisky.”
“That’s exactly what we’re discussing.”
“Right…” She took a deep breath. “Let’s discuss then. Ian Fatuus’ return.”
Catalina laughed, her shoulders shaking. “That’s not going to happen. Three large bottles, that’s half a litre each, tapped over a month, full exclusivity, medium quality. For that, I’ll let you interrogate Ian for three hours.”
“What’s medium quality?”
“Without dietary restrictions,” the Vampire explained. “We can taste what you consume.”
“Ah, I see.” Sam clicked her tongue, contemplating the offer. “Two large bottles tapped over two weeks, no exclusivity, but I’ll drink or eat whatever you want the day before.”
The same thirst flickered through Catalina’s eyes again. “You have my attention.”
“For that, I want a whole day with Ian and Lilith comes along.”
Catalina waved my proposal away. “Not possible.”
“Why?”
“Law of Six.”
“What about it?”
“Lilith isn’t allowed on my territory.”
Sam studied her nails nonchalantly. “And here I thought you were a Vampire Master.”
“I am,” she hissed.
“But you can’t grant a temporary truce? So much for power…”
“Careful, human. Don’t mock the power that’ll allow you to walk out of here alive.”
So that didn’t work.
The ornate clock in the corner ticked loudly as the two women sat opposite each other, haggling about the worth of blood.
“Four large bottles, full exclusivity, and a strict diet,” Catalina proposed. “And I’ll allow Lilith to video call in.”
Sam shook her head. “Not good enough. What if I upped the quantity? What would I get for ten bottles?”
“Ten?”
“Not enough? Alright, twenty bottles, ten l****s of blood, full exclusivity, and a fully controlled diet.”
Catalina studied her thoroughly, her eyes narrowed to slits. “Who did Lilith threaten?”
“Sorry?”
“If you’re willing to go that far for her, she must really be pressuring you.”
Sam frowned, a little taken aback. “Is that how she usually gets her Wardens to do stuff for her?”
“Never known any different from her.”
“Hah… Not that it’s any of your business, but she didn’t pressure me,” Sam replied, remembering how Lilith had said she didn’t have to do this.
Her answer seemed to surprise the Vampire. “Really? So she’s never made you a deal? Something that sounds like she’s doing you a favour but in reality, she’s just getting what she wants?”
Sam hesitated.
Her hellhound.
Lilith had made it out to be as a coincidence that she marked her and spun a tale of protection and luck that she found her first.
How had she found her? Why hadn’t she enlisted the help of other Wardens from the clan?
A glint of triumph flickered through Catalina’s eyes as she picked up on Sam’s worry. “Aha. So she has tricked you. Don’t feel bad, the Will-O-Wisps are notorious for that.”
“I…”
“I guess the deal is off.” Catalina rose from her chair. “Shame, you have some premium blood.”
“Nobody said the deal is off.”
“Well, you’re not going to go through the trade now that you know Lilith has tricked you, are you?”
Sam thought about that for a second, before she shrugged. “What’s going on between Lilith and me is none of your business. All I want is Ian.”
“Hmm… Fascinating.” The Vampire sat back down, her hands curled tightly around the arms of the chair.
“Let’s talk bottles of blood.”
“No, no. I want something else from you.”
“What? But, you just said—”
“That loyalty of yours is worth much more to me than a couple of bottles of blood.” Catalina tapped her chin. “A favour.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll release Ian into Lilith’s custody and in return, you’ll owe me one.”
Samantha frowned. “I thought you said his release was out of the question.”
“That was then and this is now. Do we have a deal?”
“What makes you so certain I’ll actually do you that favour?”
“That’s my risk to take.” Catalina shrugged as she held out her hand. “But I know your type. You’ll keep your word. So do we have a deal?”
- Writer
