Her Vampire Master

Chapter 2

Images of my training flashed in my mind as I slept through the early hours before the dawn. A tactic I had come accustomed to since Gabriel and I had met. He promised me justice and revenge. I had worked with every ounce of my being to make sure I succeed.

A kick to the groin and a stake through the heart won’t work so well as it did in training. These men were bigger, bulkier and a whole goddamn taller than the men who were training me. I cringed at the thought that I was niave enough to believe this would be an easy target. I hadn’t met Luther or his father yet - and I’ve only seen their faces on the photos that Gabriel had shown me from his past stake outs - and a few newspaper clippings from similar incidents in the area. That’s how we knew their castle was close by.

I threw the covers from my face and turned to face the melted candle on the bed stand. I must have left it over night. I reminded myself to ask them for another, if I get the chance to stay another night. If I’m going to take them all down, then it’s not going to happen in a single day - and I’d need a reason for a delayed stay. But what?

I got dressed and made my way towards the entrance they walked me through the night before.

Clutching my belongings in my arms, I disappeared through the gate and made my way back towards Gabriel and his band of merry men.

“How’d it go?” He asked, his tone filled with hope.

“Yeah, you have massively underestimated the size of these men. They are BIG.”

“As in taller or…” he widened his arms with a grimace.

“Not like either of those. I’m talking about being seven foot and pure f*****g muscle. They are tall, broad and bulky. A kick and a swing of the stake is not going to make a dent in these guys. No, I am going to have to come up with a new plan to take them down - and it’s going to take a lot longer.” I sighed, feeling somewhat disappointed that I hadn’t come out bathed in their blood. “I’ll head back this afternoon and tell them that my ‘family’ wasn’t answering my calls and that my ‘friends’ must have said something to them. I don’t know - something, and ask tell them along the lines of nowhere else to go. Hopefully they’ll see me as an easy target and allow me to stay as their personal snack - or maid -or whatever. Any way I can get close to them and drive a BIGGER stake through them…”

“But you are confident you can still get the job done?” Gabriel prompted, looking uncertain.

I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s not like I have anything left anyway. So, if I die in the meantime, at least I can take some of them down with me, right?”

He smiled, and landed a hand on my shoulder. “What’s the new plan then?”

I smiled. “I’m going to go back and play on the damnsel in distress, gain their trust and then take them out one at a time. First I’ll get rid of his guards, then I’ll kill his father, and then. I’ll take his empire, and then I’ll take him. At the end of it, they’ll be a footnote in the history book of myths.”

“All right then. Well, that means we won’t be seeing each other for a while. Let me buy you some lunch.”

I smiled. “Sure. Why not.”

The cafe was a small business on the corner of the road, a few blocks from the castle. We could still see the peak of the roof of one of the towers peering out from the surrounding trees.

“Who’s your first target?” Gabriel looked at me with apprehension as I mulled over my options. “His closest guards, of course. It’ll be hard for him to keep hold of his empire if he can’t keep his own men safe - and if the killer can reach the top guards, they’ll question their own safety. Hopefully it’ll be the beginning to bringing them all down, all at once.”

“That’s wishful thinking,” he frowned. “How can you get close to the men without getting caught?”

I shrugged. “I look weak compared to them. They’re not likely to believe that I am capable of taking down their top men - especially if they don’t think I had any training. Besides, they showed no sign of recognising me or my name. So, as far as they know, I’m a nobody looking to spend the night at a hotel.”

He sighed. “All right.”

I took the last bit of my sandwich he bought me, and picked the tuna from between my teeth. “OK,” I said, resigning myself to whatever fate had in store for me. “Let’s get this over with.” I hugged him tight and slowly pulled away with a shaky breath. “Thanks for lunch. I’ll see you on the other side.”

He nodded and watched me leave as I made my way back to the looming castle.

I knocked on the heavy wood and waited for someone to answer. Thankfully, the same guard from the previous night opened - and looked down at me with.a puzzled frown., “What are you doing back?”

I looked up at him with a quivering lip and burst into tears. “My family has disowned me! I don’t know what to do. I’ve got nowhere else to go - and all my friends are calling me ‘trash’ because my ex-boyfriend told them I slept with their brothers!”

He frowned and shifted uncomfortably as I wept out a sob story worthy of an Oscar, before he disappeared back inside to once again speak to the person in charge.

Two minutes later, after me questioning whether or not I over did it, he opened the door and gave me a sad smile. “You can stay here, but the boss says you are to work for your stay. So, during the daylight hours, you will clean. And in the night, you will make a blood donation for… the blood bank,” he said, careful of his words.

I nodded eagerly, and followed him inside. A blood bank… I mused, as a plan started forming int he far reaches of my mind. That’s one way to take care of the hoard. Perhaps this’ll be easier than I thought.