The Vampires Pet

Chapter 17

I sat on the couch while I read a book Clara leant me. It was about a few of the vampire powers and how they worked. It also said on some pages how to become resistant to them, so since yesterday afternoon I have been reading the book to school myself up some more. I yawned and stretched my arms out in front of me. 

The door opened and Nicholas walked in, he glanced at me as he strode past to his desk. I watched him as he cracked his neck, opening the bottom drawn and pulling a glass cup and bottle of alcohol from the draw. He placed them on the desk, opening the bottle and pouring himself a drink. He looked up, catching my gaze.

"Drink?" He asked, I shook my head. 

"I've never drunk alcohol before." I said, returning my eyes back to the words on the pages. 

My father use to drink. Not often and he never abused the drink, but sometimes he would come home from his job and would be so exhausted. Mother would poor him a whiskey and it seemed to ease his stress a small amount. I never saw mother drink it herself but sometimes she put it in the food she was cooking. 

"There will come a day when you will need alcohol." He said. 

I turned back to him. "I doubt that Master." 

He smirked at me and drank the rest of the alcohol in his cup. I could smell the strong scent from the couch and wanted to cringe. He put the alcohol away and rolled his shoulders, he looked tired like father did sometimes. I pursed my lips and ignored the thoughts in my mind as I tried to continue to read the book that was suppose to help me against creatures like Nicholas. 

Those who have become resistant to mind connecting powers, with practice are able to find who the culprit is that's trying to connect to their mind. Even in a room full of others, if the target is well trained they will be able to pinpoint exactly where the culprit is and then block their attack. Once you know who the culprit is, it is then much simpler to defend against the connection. 

As I read, soft music flooded my ears. I couldn't focus on the book any longer, any attempts were futile as the music of the piano filled the room. I stared at Nicholas as his long fingers danced on the keys of the piano, creating music that was serene and compelling. I had always wondered why there was a piano in Nicholas's room, I had thought it was just for show because I had never seen him play or speak about it. 

I closed my eyes and hummed softly to the music. The composed melody quickly started to stream with power, Nicholas's fingers hitting the keys with urgency. I opened my eyes to stare in awe as the music darkened in an entrapping way. It was almost as if someone had latched onto my hands, pulling me forward into the growing shadow, but it wasn't frightening. It was magical, thrilling, similar to the emotions I felt while we hunted for the berserks. 

I wasn't afraid. I was addicted, but in a frightening way. I was sitting still but the melody made me feel as if I had just ran a marathon, my heart rate picked up and breathing became uneven, as if I was the music that was played. The ups and downs, the victories and defeat, I felt it all from his music. I felt the sorrow of loss but the joy of gain. It was a rollercoaster. 

The melody slowed down like it was in the beginning, calming my heart and restless body. It became softer, lighter, a strange anomaly paired with Nicholas. The shadows hadn't been casted away by the light, but became brighter over time, more secure. They were never that dark, the darkness depended on the viewers eyes and how clear they wanted to see it. 

Then it stopped, his fingers slid from the keys and dropped to his lap. The silence made the music all the more enthralling, I wasn't sure if it was real or I had just woken from a dream. My eyes hadn't left Nicholas for a second while he played, I had almost seen him in a new light, not that playing piano made his murderous personality any better but it was intriguing how a man who could squeeze a man's neck in half could caress the keys so elegantly. 

His lips curled into a smirk, his head turned slightly so his eyes connected with mine. His red orbs were electric in a way I hadn't seen them before. I couldn't look away. 

"I didn't know you could play." I said softly. 

"You don't know much about me Fairy." He said. 

I pursed my lips. He never told me anything if I asked. It wasn't like I particularly cared about knowing things about him but he always knew more about me than I did him. Though, there were many things he still didn't know about me and never would. 

"I know you're mean." I said, my eyes returned to the book as I tried to ignore him. 

I heard him laugh but forced myself not to look back at him. 

"Have you ever played before Fairy?" He asked. 

His question made my eyes slowly flick to his, he smirked as I was once again caught in one of his many traps. 

"No." I shook my head.

I often heard others play the piano when I'd clean at the theatre but I never played myself. Piano was always something that seemed far too difficult to learn. It was elegant and magical, something not for my status. 

"Come." I furrowed my eyebrows at his order.

He motioned to the spot next to him on the stool. I reluctantly stood and walked over to him, sitting as close to the edge as I could so I wouldn't been to close to him. I stared at the piano before allowing my eyes to drift up to his. 

Nicholas stared down at me, grinning like a cheeky boy. "Would you like to learn?" I was taken back by his question. It felt like a trap, almost too good to be true. Why would he teach a pet how to play piano? It didn't seem realistic. "I'm a good teacher." He smirked. 

I narrowed my eyes slightly. "I don't know." 

"You're going to throw away this once in a lifetime opportunity?" He spoke in a theatrical tone. 

I resisted the profound feeling to roll my eyes but unfortunately I wasn't able to hide the unimpressed expression from Nicholas, it only appeared to amuse him more. 

"I'm a pet, I shouldn't be taught skills like the piano." I spoke with resentment unintentionally. 

"So you shouldn't read either?" He raised his eyebrow. "If you wanted me to treat you as other pets get treated by their masters then all you had to do was tell me." He licked his fangs, smirking devilishly.  

"I don't." I said, he treated me bad enough already.

"Then I guess you're learning piano." 

He gave me no room to oppose as he lay his fingers on the keys. His fingers swiftly jumped along the keys as he played a short tune. 

"Try do what I just did." He said. 

My fingers shook as I raised them to the keys, to test it out I gently pressed down on one. It sounded nothing like when he played. I winced slightly but tried to do exactly what he had done seconds before. My fingers weren't as long or trained as his, it was hard for me to try use one hand to press the keys. 

"This might take a while." He teased. "Like this." 

He showed me again so I attempted it again. My fingers hit the wrong keys, causing myself to cringe at the unpleasant sound it made when it wasn't played correctly. Nicholas brought his hand up and brushed it against mine. He tried to teach me by doing it at the same time but something was distracting. Suddenly his hand wrapped around mine, I flinched at the sudden contact. 

"I'm not a musician." I mumbled uncomfortably. 

"Piano takes time, granted I learned it within a few days." He smirked. 

"You gloat too much Master." I stared at him. 

"I may do, but only because I have reason too." 

I shook my head softly. I brought my fingers to the keys and started pressing down on them gently, I went from one end to the other, listening to the difference in each key. 

"Could Clara make me be able to play better?" I asked, glancing up at Nicholas. 

"If she controlled your hand sure, but there's more to piano than just that. Your fingers aren't use to it so it will take a while for them to become comfortable and loose enough to move swiftly along the keys." 

I nodded my head, Nicholas was playing so fast before I could barely keep my eyes still. I don't think I could ever play that fluently or gracefully, unfortunately grace wasn't something that came easy to me. I'm sure Nicholas had already discovered that, I made it horribly noticeable while we were hunting berserks after all but even so, I still think those vines were purposely tripping me up. 

"When did you start playing piano?" I asked softly, watching as he played the keys lightly. 

"When I was six." He replied. "My mother wanted us to learn a musical instrument." I noted how he used 'us' and wondered what he meant by it. 

"So you chose to learn piano?" His hand dropped onto his lap, the soft music he was playing silenced immediately. 

"I never liked the piano when I was younger." He spoke with a certain tenseness in his tone, I furrowed my brows. "But she made the piano look and sound so magical." His voice dropped and I stared into his lost eyes. 

She?

"But you like it now right Master?" I asked tenderly, it felt as if he could snap at any moment and I felt the need to be gentle around him. 

"Like it, hate it. Regardless I am stuck with it." He answered. 

He left me no room to question him as his hands flew to the keys, pressing down hurriedly. The music wasn't soft nor gentle, it was desperate in a sense. Like he was reaching out for something that was just out of reach, taunting him with the small distance in between. I wondered what was going on in his mind, what secrets he had but I knew I'd never know. 

He had become an interesting person, he was complex and annoying but intriguing. He was like a puzzle but the pieces were missing or a riddle with words erased. He was something that could be finished but it wouldn't be an easy task. 

I closed my eyes and hummed to the melody he played, matching it almost perfectly. I felt my fingers twitch on my lap, wanting to play along with him but not having the ability to do so. I listened to him play well into the night. I wasn't sure when my eyelids became heavy and I got swept into the darkness but the melody continued to sing out in my mind all through the night. 

I sat up from the couch when the morning sun hit my eyelids. I yawned tiredly and stretched my arms out, glancing around the room to notice Nicholas's absence. I climbed from the couch and walked into the bathroom, tidying myself up before walking back into his bedroom. 

My eyes found Nicholas's frame sitting on the edge of his bed instantly. He grinned at me and passed me a bowl of something, as I stepped forward and grabbed the bowl I noticed it was porridge. A decent step up from bread. I no longer worried about poison being in the food, I had a sickening feeling Nicholas would not kill me. He seemed to enjoy playing with his prey rather than giving them a quick death. 

I sat on the couch and ate quickly, my eyes flicking to Nicholas every few seconds. When I was finished he stood up with a light blue dress in his hand. I furrowed my brows at the dress. 

"Get in this." He said passing it to me. 

"Why?" I asked. 

"We are going out." He ushered me into the bathroom. 

I obliged with a confused expression. We had been out before, I never had to wear a different dress. The fabric was soft, unlike the scratchy fabric of the slave dresses. I put it on, careful not to damage a single thread of the fabric. The dress was a simple sundress, nothing flashy but it was beautiful in my eyes. It tightened around my small waist, the loose skirt hanging freely on my hips and extenuating my figure nicely. 

I liked the dress but I couldn't help the anxiety that I felt. Why was I getting into a decent dress like this? Surely not to hunt more berserks. I glanced in the mirror, my silvery white hair matched the blue nicely and my slightly different shade of blue eyes stood out. I looked adequate and less like a slave. 

I walked out of the bathroom, instantly connecting with Nicholas's eyes. His didn't stay on mine for long though, as he broke his gaze to let his eyes wander down my body. He smirked triumphantly, sending shivers down my spine. 

"Let's go."