The Darkest Night

Chapter 8

"My you are full of questions, aren't you little human?" I glared at him. That nickname was starting to wear thin on my patience.

"My name is Liz. Please stop calling me little human." The look on his face was almost one of respect before he quickly changed it to amusement.

"Very well, Liz. To answer your first question, I marry humans as a disguise. It's easier to blend in if I have a wife. Their roles are to socialize in the local community so that no questions arise. And before you ask," He said, raising his hand to stop the next question I was about to ask. "It is strictly a contractual relationship. I do NOT consort with humans. So, Stephanie and I have a strictly platonic relationship. Which might explain why she is so...uptight." I blushed at his polite explantion for Mrs. Jameson's behavior. It really was none of my business whether he slept with his wife or not. "As for the daylight problem, well," He held up his right hand and there on his middle finger sat an old-style silver ring with a square onyx stone in the center. There were strange etchings around the stone that seemed to be some sort of language. "I made a deal with a witch a long time ago to fix that little problem. As long as this is on me, I'm immune to the sun." That was a lot to take in, and he seemed to sense that, as he was quiet for a bit letting me soak in the information he had given me. So witches were real as well, I guess. I wondered what else I had been taught was a fairy tale that was actually real.

"So every story is based on something real, I take it?" My question seemed to take him off guard. Regarding me with an impossible to read expression, he included his head ever so slightly. Indicating that I was right. That means every story... I'll think about the full implications of that later. I don't think I would be able to handle that right now.

"As for feeding and killing humans, those two questions can be answered together. The older a vampire is, the less blood they need to survive. I personally do not kill humans when I feed on them anymore. I find blood bags to be sufficient. My children, on the other hand, seem to enjoy the killing aspect of feeding. They enjoy the hunt as do most young ones do." My blood ran cold at his words. The wicked smile that he gave me did nothing to dispel the fear that quickened my heart rate.

"Wh...why are you telling me all this." Fear caused my voice to come out quiet and shaky. I swallowed hard, trying to ease the sudden dryness in my throat. He leaned forward, holding my gaze. The tensions built as he considered me for a moment before answering.

"In my long life I have learned a few things about humans. Firstly, they have an insatiable curiosity that has to be fulfilled, or they won't stop digging. Secondly, I have no intentions of letting you go until I can guarantee you will remain loyal. Actually, even then, I might not let you go. You see I can't take the risk of you saying anything to anyone, ever." My heart skipped a beat as the full horror of what he said hit me. I'm never going to be free. Of course, why wouldn't he tell me whatever I want? I'm never leaving this room. Ever. I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.

"Why not just kill me now then? If you are going to keep me prisoner forever you might as well just kill me instead." My voice was devoid of all emotions. The words sounded hollow, lifeless even to my own ears.

"Because, Liz, I don't make it a habit to kill humans indiscriminately. I'm still debating on what to do with you. Your absence will soon be missed by your sister, which will cause a complication in my house. I don't like complications. So, for now, you will stay here until I decide what to do with you.' His voice was low, almost soothing in a way. My eyes flickered open as I realized I believed him. For whatever reason, I trusted that he at least wouldn't kill me. I sighed and started eating again.

"What have you told my sister about my disappearance?" Worry burned through me at the thought of my sister not knowing what happened to me. Thoughts of her fretting or worse, yet trying to find me herself flashed through my mind in rapid succession.

"I had Liliana leave the house for the next few days and simply told Cynthia that you and Liliana were doing some bonding in the local town. I sent some text messages from your phone to her reassuring her that you were unhurt and just trying to get to know Michael's family." Well, huh? That was actually a pretty well-thought-out cover story. It also matched my personality. I eyed him suspiciously. "I looked through your messages and curated one that seemed to match your patterns." He shrugged while saying this so nonchalantly like he was discussing the weather. Ignoring the fact that apparently I'm so predictable that he could deduce my personality just from a few text messages, I was surprised about the lengths he was willing to go to avoid just killing us and decided to ignore the fact that apparently my security on my phone was not as strong as I thought it was. Definitely going to have to change my pin code when....if I ever get it back.

"So you bought a few days before she grows suspicious. I take it I'm not allowed out of this room?" He nodded his head and I sighed. I pushed the tray away. I had finished eating while he spoke. "So how can I prove that I won't say anything to anyone?" A look of discomfort flitted across his face as he stared pointedly at the bowl of finished soup.

"Well, the first step has already been taken." I was puzzled. I had no idea what he could mean and looked between the bowl and him for a few seconds before realization hit.

"Did you drug me?" Panic laced my words. Trying to recall all my training about treating poisons I tried to remain as calm as I possibly could.

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean not exactly? What exactly did you do to my food?" Guilt flashed in his eyes which scared me even more. What could possibly make a 400-year-old vampire feel guilty?

Sigh. "I put a few drops of my blood into the soup." I stared in horror at him. This confession was the last thing that I expected. His blood? What was his blood going to do to me? Was I going to be turned into a vampire? I didn't even realize I was hyperventilating until he was suddenly next to me with his hands on my knees, drawing my attention to him. The smell of cedar and sandalwood assaulted my senses and helped center me. I tried to reign in my runaway heart and slow my breathing down. I focused on Victor's impossiblely green eyes as they stared deep into my blue ones. "Whoa there Elizabeth, calm down." A hysterical bubble of laughter escaped my lips. When did "calm down" ever actually calm anyone down?

"Calm down? You want me to calm down? You feed me some of your blood. What is going to happen to me? Am I going to become a vampire now? Is that how you are going to ensure my loyalty? By turning me into one of you?" I was not doing such a good job of calming down after all. Cool, firm hands grasped my arms and tugged me into his arms. "Why is this happening to me? Why? Why?! Why!" The panic was building and I could no longer handle anything more today, and I was in a full-blown panic attack. It was just too much. All of this was too much. Vampires are real. Witches are real. Who knows what else was real? According to Victor, everything was real. I was being held against my will by vampires. Imprisoned in a windowless room with no way out. I started sobbing, clinging on to Victor's vest, trying and failing to regain control.

A cool hand lifted my chin up till my face was looking up at Victors. His lips crashed down onto mine, stealing my breath away. My eyes flashed open in shock and I stilled. My mind stilled, and now my heart now beat out of control for a different reason.