Fated Fangs

Chapter 12: A Guided Tour

Eleni woke up with a start. Late-afternoon sun had drenched the room in a warm golden glow. It took a moment for Eleni to calm down and remember where she was. Her dreams had been full of running for her life. She frantically searched her room for intruders until her memories of the last few days came flooding back.

Eleni sighed in frustration. She got up from the couch where she had evidently spent the night. The clock on the wall told her it was almost 3 in the afternoon. She had really slept in, or, when she thought about it, maybe not. She supposed this was waking up early as far as vampires were concerned.

Someone must have come in again before daybreak. There was another tray of fruits, berries, and nuts. She was glad they had brought her some actual food the night before. Snacks were great, but she didn't want to live off of them. Eleni stepped into the bathroom. She decided to have a shower to freshen up. There were clothes laid out in the bathroom that she could change into, even if they weren't her own. It was nice of them, at least, to think of her comfort.

The shower was amazing. There were jets of water coming from the sides as well as a huge rain shower head. The water felt like a warm storm, cleansing her body and taking away the aches and stress of the last few days. The soaps and shampoos smelled and felt divine. Eleni made sure to take her time, really enjoying every moment in the luxurious shower.

She eventually got out feeling like a new woman. She wished she had thought to shower the day before, but she had been so filled with anxiety that she hadn't even thought of it for a moment. She changed into the jeans and plain black t-shirt that had been laid out or her.

Eleni didn't have as much time to kill before dark, at least, this time. She took her time drying and styling her hair. She didn't have any of her makeup here, but she still took time to make herself look less disheveled than she felt. She gave her appearance a once over before nodding in approval. It would do for now.

Eleni walked to the fridge and grabbed one of the hamburgers from the night before. She popped it into the microwave and ate it right out of the wrapper when it was done. It wasn't a conventional breakfast, but it wasn't exactly a conventional time of day to be eating breakfast in the first place. There was so much to get used to.

Eleni spent the rest of the day watching movies, reading books, and snacking. She played with a note pad and pen that had been left for her, but writing wasn't coming to her naturally. She was definitely starting to feel like the vampires pet hunan at this point.

It didn't take long after the sun had fully set until she heard the sound of her door being unlocked. It was followed by a quick rapping knock. Eleni jumped up off of the couch and rushed to answer the door. She flung the door open, ready to greet Cassandra, only to be met by Bram's other henchman.

"Good evening, Lady Eleni." Tuer greeted coldly. He looked her up and down, seeming to reconsider the 'lady' prefix.

"Uh, hi..." Eleni attempted to speak, but she couldn't even remember what this guys name was. She was a little disappointed, but she tried to hide it. They must be taking turns taking care of the human. Eleni sighed.

"I bring news, Eleni." Tuer continued, ignoring Eleni's complete lack of manners. "Master Bram has granted you a small freedom. You may leave your room as long as you are escorted by a vampire." Here, he gave a very small bow. If Eleni hadn't been paying attention, she may have missed it.

"And you've drawn the short straw today, haven't you?" Eleni replied just as coldly as Tuer.

"I have been given the honour of showing you around the Coven." Tuer remained composed, but Eleni could tell he was annoyed and didn't feel honoured in the least. "Please, follow me."

The way he spoke didn't really leave the option of not following him, so Eleni sighed and did just that. She wasn't sure what he meant by a coven, though. She had always thought witches had covens, not vampires. Tuer may have been showing her around begrudgingly, but he did a good job.

A coven, it turned out, was a name for a group of vampires who lived together and were ruled by a head vampire. This coven was located in an early american colonial style mansion. It was quite an impressive building, if not a little bit neglected. The kitchen was the most neglected room by far.

There was a library, a beautiful grand entrance with an ornate crystal chandelier, a few games rooms, an apothecary for treating wounded vampires, a conservatory, a large swimming pool and adjacent hotub, a ballroom with a music room next door, and a large garage with many beautiful cars.

Many of the rooms in the mansion were private quarters for higher up vampires as well as servant quarters for lowlier vampires. Tuer wasn't exactly thrilled to show Eleni around, but he was proud of his coven and made sure to give her some facts about the place that he thought might interest her. He showed her some of the vacant suits, which looked much like the one she was in. She felt quite amazed that they hadn't just stuffed her in a servants room and called it a day. She at least had space to be bored in instead of being cramped in a small room.

Eleni tried to be appreciative, but something about Tuer made her feel uncomfortable. He breathed just a little too deeply near her, and she could have sworn his eyes flicked red whenever she turned away from him. She felt like he was smelling her more than breathing. It was like being led through the woods by the big bad wolf who was waiting for the perfect moment to pounce upon her.

Tuer was showing her the patio to the outdoor gardens when she remembered that vampires were drawn to her scent. She must be driving the whole place nuts with her scent. That made her more nervous than ever. She didn't feel that being allowed to walk through the coven was much of a freedom at all. Cassandra hadn't been bothered by her scent, though.

A hand landed on Eleni's shoulder, startling her out of her deep thoughts. She whirled around. Her nerves had really put her on edge, only to find the very person she had been thinking of.

"C-Cassandra!" Eleni exclaimed, half amused and half startled.

"Eleni, Tuer." Cassandra said, greeting Tuer with a nod. Eleni tried to commit his name to memory this time.

"I have shown Eleni around, as requested." Tuer said, disdain heavily lacing his words.

"Good. How do you find the coven?" Cassandra asked eagerly.

"It's huge and very old. In a nice way." Eleni rushed to praise it. It was quite elegant in its antiquity.

"Yes. It was built in the mid 1700's. It was abandoned for a long time before Bram aquired it." Cassandra commented lightly. "If you are quite finished with the tour, Bram has asked for you both to come to the main hall."

"We are quite finished." Tuer said before Eleni could speak up. She had wanted to see the gardens, but there wasn't much for light anyway. What did vampires even need gardens for?

"Then we best not keep him waiting. Please follow me, Eleni." Cassandra gestured for them to follow.

Eleni swallowed the lump that had formed in her throst and followed. She had always liked Bram before, but now that she had seen his cold cruelty, she wasn't in a hurry to see him again. There was nothing that could be done, though.

The three of them walked through the dimly lit hallways. Eleni's heart felt like it was beating out of her chest, but she tried to remain calm. A million new questions began floating around her head as they approached the large double doors. She could try to get some answers if she was diplomatic enough, but she wasn't sure if she would be able to get any words in edgewise with Bram.

Eleni braced herself to be bold and to demand answers, but every question she had lined up in her mind fled as soon as she walked into the room.

"Hello, Elli."a familiar voice greeted from the end of the room, by Bram.

"Hello, father." Eleni whispered.