The vampire and the assassin

Chapter 14

By the time I'd climbed the stairs and got into the bedroom, I was exhausted in every sense of the word, but mostly I found my head still swimming with everything Dorian had told me about. Maybe he knew that Lucian was up to something and I was involved; he just didn't know what. Maybe that was his gift, that he could see through people, or maybe he didn't have any gifts and just knew what Lucian was like and wanted to warn me off whatever I was thinking about. Whatever his intentions were, I knew I needed to be careful around Dorian from now on. I couldn't take any risks if he did have some type of gift.

"Did everything go alright with Lord Xander?" Sarah asked as I got in, plopped down on my bed, and kicked off my shoes. I hadn't realized just how much my feet had hurt until I stopped and took off my shoes.

"I'm not sure. I mean, Helena came into the library where I met him, and she seemed annoyed at the fact that he and I were talking. She also had a childish attitude towards me because she didn't want to share his attention and because Dorian had made her annoyed too." I couldn't help but laugh.

"Dorian doesn't like Helena and thinks she's up to no good. Wouldn't surprise me as she always seems to be around Lucian when he comes to visit, as if she was making a point to be nice to him." If only you knew my head screamed at Sarah. If only you knew how deep the hatred went, for whatever reason.

"Maybe she was just trying to be nice to her new family member?" I offered, already knowing why she was nice and was trying to make such an effort, and that was down to the simple fact that those two were having an affair.

"There's something more; I just can't put my finger on it, and you have to be careful what you say too, because in the house there are girls who look up to her and think she's amazing, and there are a couple of guys who are her favorites, so if I were you, I'd just keep your thoughts of her to yourself, or if you want to share them, I'll listen."

"Not a fan of hers?" I asked, sitting up to look at Sarah and now noticing a tray of food on the side.

"Not in the slightest. I think he's better off without her." Sarah shrugged as she handed the tray over to me, and I took it without argument. "As you said, she's like a brat. He deserves so much more than a brat wife." Sarah shrugged. "Anyway, what did Dorian want with you? I looked out the window to see you two talking. I wasn't spying, I promise; I just wondered where you'd gotten to."

I ate a mouthful of the best lasagne I'd tasted in a long time. In fairness, my mind screamed reminders at me that it had been a very long time since I'd had actual food that looked like food. "He was just simply asking me to give Master a chance and that he's nothing like Lucian."

"He's not," Sarah muttered. "He is very kind indeed. I just wish I knew why he seems to want to talk to you, and yes, I am very jealous about the attention you are getting from him."

"I'll share it." I laughed quietly. I really hadn't wanted the attention from Xander, not just yet. I'd wanted to find my feet and settle in before I made my plans and made my move.

"How are you not scared of him? I mean, when I see him, there's something in me that just wants to cower away from him because he seems to have this... power? I don't know if that's the right word or if the word should be air about him." Sarah let out a sigh, almost as if she had been longing to get over her fear of Xander.

I ate a few more mouthfuls as I thought about Sarah's words and wondered if that had been what the electric current had been between him and me. The fact that he was powerful and I was nothing more than a human hadn't had anything to do with it; this was something else, just like I knew he was there when I was paying attention and not caught off guard. That wasn't just his air or his power; that was more. I knew I didn't have it with any other vampire, as I certainly hadn't had that happen to me when Lucian had been close to or touched me. Part of me was actually pretty pleased that I hadn't felt like that with Lucian around.

"I guess it's because Lucian is meaner than Master, so I'm not as scared of him. I mean, don't get me wrong. He is scary, as I know he's a vampire and I know what he can do... but I think by not looking at him... I can think of his words as being almost human and caring, and I haven't had anyone like that around me in a long, long time." I knew that my words had been partly true, but the other part of the truth was that I didn't know why I wasn't scared of Xander except when I was waiting for him to give me a home. Again, it felt like it came down to the electricity in the air between us.

"May I ask how long you were with Lucian?" Sarah shifted on her bed. "I know you don't want to talk about it..."

"I didn't enter his service willingly." I was taken away by him and forced into service, should we call it that?" I looked down at my food as I stabbed it a few times to let my frustration with the memory out. "It was during all that chaos. I don't know how long ago all that happened. I'll be honest; where I was, all the days and nights just seemed to mix together." A shiver ran through my body. "I was with a group of people, and I was the last one to leave our safe place to get to a new one that had supplies as we'd been running out. I was packing up the last of the stuff. That was when he basically kidn*pped me." I tried to put the fork down so that it didn't clatter against the plate, but it slipped out of my hand and clattered on the plate. I really hadn't wanted to drag up the past like this, but I knew sooner or later I would have to; after all, you can't keep running from the past; it will catch up sooner or later.

"That happened about four nearly five years ago, Rosa. When it happened, I'd just started working here." I looked up at Sarah, as I couldn't believe it had been that long since I'd been locked up in the torture house. I knew I'd not been there the whole time, as I remembered being there mostly in the warmer months, and as the cold set in, he'd moved me elsewhere. I had no clue where, as he'd made sure I was passed out when he did that, and as I woke up, that was when I'd woken in a new place with a blanket to keep me warm and a not broken window to keep me alive. Had Lucian really been planning that for four years? I began to understand that I wouldn't put anything past Lucian.

"It was scary," I muttered as I saw Sarah nodding at me in agreement. "Anyway, why did you come here?" I asked, hoping to hear a better story than my sad sob story.

"My story is simple: I needed a job, and a friend told me about this and told me it was good pay and was a live-in job too. After I started, she left, and then within a month or so of that, the chaos happened." Sarah shrugged. "Lord Xander and the rest kept us all safe from it. They told us we were to simply live in the house for a while, and they were bringing us food and checking in on us. It was strange, but I'll admit, I was pleased I was here rather than out there."

I couldn't help but laugh a little at the comment. "It was like a jungle out there." I decided to answer with, "Not nice, but like I said, I was taken away during it, but from your comment, I'm guessing it's all over and done with now."

"Yes, very much so. I'd hate to live through another one of those things, and I'd love to know what started it."

I shrugged, as I had no idea either. I yawned a little as I got up and put my plate on the desk, then grabbed some pyjamas and headed into the bathroom to grab a quick shower and get changed in private. The whole time, Dorian's words seemed to taunt my brain as I tried to figure out just what he'd meant, but I really had no idea. I just knew by winter Xander would be dead and I'd be gone, either trying to move on with my life or chasing Lucian for a bit of revenge.

I got out of the bathroom, yawning as I rubbed my eyes, and got into bed.

"Rosa... You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

I looked at Sarah and frowned a little in confusion at her words, but the frown soon smoothed out and a smile replaced it. "Thanks," I told her quietly as I climbed into bed.

"Anytime."

I rolled over so my back was to Sarah as I pulled the quilt tightly around me and fell asleep straight away. I didn't know what it was about the bed and the quilt that made me fall asleep so quickly; I figured that not having the luxury of one for so long made me appreciate it much more. I felt myself tumble into a deep sleep; however, my sleep was far from undisturbed as I dreamed of Xander's sage green eyes that night.