The Blood Heiress

Leading a Horse to Water

Adella

This time Evander started with asking about the event and specific things that had happened. As we moved forward along the timeline of events, my confidence grew. I could remember the event with Evander and our meeting with René. The names of the people I had been introduced to. I even managed to remember walking in to The Marksman and chatting with Cassian.

Then the easy questions quit coming and I began to struggle. Evander was only being helpful but because I couldn't push past the difficulties recalling certain parts of that night; it began to feel like an interrogation. The worst part was that he wouldn't let me go if I simply couldn't recall. He would keep at it, rephrasing the question until I had some sort of an answer.

"What did you have to drink at The Marksman, Adella? You are aware that you had something there, correct?"

"Yes, I did. But, I really don't know what it was. I assume it is just a special, fancy drink. Cass just calls it the house special."

Not going to lie, I did get some small enjoyment out his reaction with every mention of Cassian by name. He preferred to refer to him as 'the bartender', 'the fool' or simply 'Moretti'. When I used anything less formal or demeaning he stiffened ever so slightly.

"Think about it, at least, for a moment. The color, taste. All clues. And that is about as far as I can go without overstepping."

I did try to consider what he was asking, leading me to. I was getting tired. We had been in the study for most of the day now.

"I told you, it was red." I looked out the windows, the clouds were so much closer here. Their slow travels across the sky gave my mind a welcome change in scenery. A change in scenery that gave me a chance relax enough to get some coherent thoughts through. Red, it was red...it tasted pleasant, sweet with notes of citrus....and a sort of metallic finish...

I jolted in my seat and looked back at Evander. It couldn't really be. It couldn't. But then the other parts of the night flashed again, back and forth. Fangs...crimson eyes....beating hearts calling to me like sirens.....blood.

"Blood?" I whispered at him, my face a wild mix of shock and disgust.

Evander opened his mouth but paused, taking in my expression first. His mouth closed and he nodded slowly.

"I drank blood and I liked it?" Nausea gripped my stomach for a few seconds. I had always assumed that it had been alcohol. But then why had I had those reactions? Was that how people reacted to drinking blood? Wait, why did Cassian have blood at his bar? Why had he served it to me?

"Cassian served me blood!" The bile rose in my throat at the thought of his betrayal.

"Moretti wasn't at fault. He is an underqualified fool but he wasn't at fault. This was all due to your basic biology. The fault with this particular mishap lies with your parents."

"How is this their fault?"

"All in due time" That phrase again. I must have run up against a forbidden topic. I was reminded of the previous times that Ben had something along the same lines. " Perhaps a better question would be: Why did the bartender think you would want to drink blood?"

I distantly heard him but had latched onto another memory from that night instead. At the event I had also had that drink. They all had. Evander had... "Wait, why did you drink it?"

He caught up with my train of thought quickly and a small, satisfied smile played on his lips for the first time since we had started this question and answer game again. His eyes were still hard and focused. "While unorthodox, this approach will also work." Like a frustrating orderly at the orphanage school he answered my question with one of his own. "Why do you think I drank it?"

I studied his face and tried to reconcile the man before me now with the one that lived in the memories from the attack. Certainty filled my every fiber. I already had known the answer the moment I saw those hooded men in the amusement park. The answer to why Evander drank the blood, why I did. What I am, what he is also. It was obvious now, as obvious as it had been then. Obvious but outlandish. But it fit. I quit fighting against it and trying to find another explanation.

"I am a vampire." The words softly left my lips. I watched his face to see how they registered with him. His smile widened and relief softened his eyes. Not seeing a hint of mockery at my conclusion I continued "And so are you."

He nodded once and silence descended on us. My world truly had turned upside down.

I am a vampire and so are you...

I curled up on the couch, wrapping myself around the revelation. Evander quietly observed but did not intervene. The new information swirled about my conscious like a thick fog coalescing. My eyes wandered mindlessly around the room and latched onto the clouds outside the windows once more. Fluffy whisps of water vapor brought together to form something ethereal and grand. Eagerly, I let the clouds take my thoughts away.

It was no surprise, letting my thoughts wonder as they had and trying to process my newly revealed reality, that I succumbed to a restless, dreamless nap. Some time later, I awoke to the sound of the study door closing. A cozy blanket had been placed over me with I slept. I looked around to see that the butler had just entered and was making his way over to Evander. He was still in his spot on the other couch. reading through what looked to be paperwork. I stretched noislessly, not wishing to disturb him and it seemed to work.

The sky outside was now painted with a mid spring sunset. Oranges, pinks and purples beckoned me over. I left the sofa and went over to the corner behind his desk as it afforded me unobstructed views of the world outside. Sitting twenty stories above the city below, everything looked so removed. I could still make out people, cars, roads but only in such miniture it didn't seem to be quite real. I heard the papers be placed down and the butler convey some information to Evander. I kept my focus fixed firmly below us. After a time, I felt his presence come up behind me, his light scent of citrus and musk curling around me.

"Come Adella, I know you may not feel like eating at the moment but it will be good for you to try, regardless." He placed a large, cool hand on my shoulder. I had no reason to object and hunger was beginning to gnaw its way through my stomach. I nodded and allowed him to guide me to the dining room.

The dining room was a clean, modernly decorated room like all the rest I had seen so far. But unlike the others, it looked like nothing had been used with any regularity. He brought out a chair to the right of the head of the table and I gratefully sat. Evander then took up his spot at the head and the plates were immediately brought out. My hunger took precedence and I quickly filled my plate and began to eat without a second thought. It was only when the edge to my hunger had dulled that I realized my mistake. I eyed Evander uneasily. He was watching my actions with amusement. I must be an endless source for him. Ever the bumbling heiress.

"Do not stop on my account."

"I apologize Evander, I should have waited for you before I began."

He laughed at my response and gestured at the empty spot in front of himself.

"Do you see a plate in front of me?" There was not a plate to be seen, only a glass of crimson liquid. And the liquid, I came to realize in short order with what I had just learned, must be blood. "I don't need food to be nourished Adella. Also, this isn't a formal event for you to be standing on proper etiquette. I had the kitchen fire up just for you, so please enjoy. If it makes you feel more comfortable I can eat along with you."

A blush came to my cheeks, whether from embarassment or something else I wasn't sure.

"No, that isn't necessary, thank you." A thought occured to me while I ate a few more bites and he intermittently sipped on his drink.

"You don't need to eat?"

"No, blood is what sustains me."

"I do though. Need to eat. Why do I need to eat and you do not?"

"That is an excellent question."

"One that you can answer?"

"With the revelation you arrived at during our previous conversation, I believe the unseemly trust stipulations have been satisfied. At this point we would be splitting hairs." He c****d his head to the side as he held his half full glass to the light. "The difference between us goes back to our biology. To your parents." He set down the glass and leveled his gaze at me.

"You mentioned they were at fault for what happened." I set down my utensils and pushed my plate to the side. It dissapeared at the hands of his staff.

Must have been trained just as mine were. I softly laughed depreciatingly at how naive I had been to think they needed a camera. His were probably vampires as most likely were mine. Liftetimes older than myself and imbued with super human powers. I let myself wonder if my staff ever chaffed at having to serve a mixed ingenue of a vampire like myself. Mr. King's curmudgeonly behavior now made more sense.

"Yes, their peculiar choices precipitated what eventually occured two nights past." He held up his glass and a staff membered hurried over and refilled it for him. He took a sip and continued. "Usually, vampires are barren. But given the right set of circumstances, males can father progeny with specially chosen mates. If a child is conceived and makes it to birth and survives, they are usually fed their first blood then, at birth. Sometimes however, this is forgone for varying reasons. I don't pretend to know what your parents' reasons were, only that they chose to forgo it upon your birth."

"Why would a baby be fed blood?" I felt my face turn up at the thought of something so barbarous and I couldn't do anything to stop it.

"Do not sound so disgusted. If you recall you gladly consumed it on a few occasions." His mouth pulled up to one side. "Though partially human, a child begotten by a vampire is still in fact enough of a vampire to warrant some supernatural powers and unnaturally long life. Blood is what unlocks this."

"Why not wait and give them a choice then? Maybe not every child wants to access that side of themselves."

"I did mention some chose to forgo the tradition. But it is a traditional for a reason. If given at birth the child will go through a relatively painless and harmless transformation period. The longer it is delayed, the more unpredictable and messy the first blood feeding can become. Yours appears to have been delayed for more than nineteen years and it still has yet to be completed. That is the other thing, the older and larger the child gets the more blood is required for their transformation to complete itself."

"Not complete? You mean I went through all that and I still have more to go? How much more?"

"We are in unchartered territory now. I have as of yet to meet an unawakened hybrid past the age of five. It remains to be seen how much more you need and what type of response it will bring. It would help to know how much you have already consumed. For a complete answer we would need to know Moretti's ratios but for now how many glasses will suffice"

"The first time I had...blood...was weeks ago. I had had an immediately bad reaction to it and now I know why. Then I had some at Timothy Fable's house...And another full glass with Cassian." I paused biting my lip, staring another truth in the face and not quite ready to accept it. "Is Cass a....?"

I paused midthought aware that I sounded obtuse. Of course he was. There wasn't any other explanation. He had blood on hand and made the 'house special' with it on demand. To...customers who must also be vampires...

"Though he would have likely preferred to tell you himself, yes. He is a vampire as I imagine you have already concluded. More specifically a half breed or hybrid. Not quite the same as a turned vampire or pureblood and definitely not the same as you. As you are a one of a kind." His eyes met mine in an odd gaze. The icy blue held a sparkle to them that looked rather out of place for Evander.

"One of a kind?" I broke the gaze and pressed him when he didn't elaborate.

"A Tribus Quartem." He snapped back to eying his drink but still wore a soft smile. I had heard those words before and wracked my brain for what they meant.

"Three Quarter?"

"Ah, you understand Latin. At least your studies were attended to." His small, pleased smile sent an unbidden sense of pride through me. Get ahold of yourself! His statement couldn't be classified as any sort of praise, but apparently, coming from Evander's lips it was.

"I am three quarters what exactly? Vampire? You did say I was a vampire."

"You, said you were a vampire. Important distinction." He grew serious. "A Tribus Quartem is a child bearing three-quarters lineage to pureblooded vampires. Returning to what I said about special circumstances, a vampire can only reproduce with specially chosen humans." I nodded running through possible scenarios. "As far as anyone knows, what can result is a half breed." I noted the easy way he spit the word 'half breed' out of his mouth, like it was a bitter thing that didn't deserve any care.

"But I was born to a half breed and a full vampire, wasn't I?"

"Yes, that is correct. Your mother was a half breed. Your father a pure blood."

"You are also a pure blood."

"I am." He seemed to be looking down his nose with his confirmation, much the same way I imagine he looks at most of the people in his life. I rolled my eyes at him, uncaring if he noticed. It didn't seem he did or if he had that he cared.

Dessert appeared before me with a coffee mug full beside it. I used it as an excuse to take my time forming my next questions.

"What exactly is a pure blood?" I asked

"A true vampire. Unadultered since the beginning. One of the firsts. Bloodlines are traced by progenitor. Each progenitor is considered a pure blood." He finished his second glass of blood and turned to me, watching me digest his answer while I finished the cake for dessert.

I pushed the plate away and met his gaze. He seemed to be waiting for my next question. Hands together steepling his fingers with a guarded gaze. He looked rather unsettled, his body rather tense in his seat. Not at all the confident, aloof, collected personality I associated with him. It dawned on me then that he must not be used to answering so many questions from anyone.

"I just want to say thank you." I wanted to make sure he knew I appreciated his time no matter how difficult he was to interact with at times.

"For what ?" He c****d his head to one side, eyeing me carefully.

"For taking time to answer my questions. It means alot." His face relaxed and he waved my gratitude away.

"I imagine that you undoubtably have countless more remaining."

"You are not wrong. But I think I need some time to sort them out first."

"Take your time. There will be plenty of time to continue this tomorrow and the next."

I nodded, content to start sorting through everything while I had amother cup of coffee. Evander surprised me by breaking the silence that had settled.

"I believe before we part ways for the evening we should have a brief discussion of what comes next." He shifted in his seat and looked at me with keenly.

"I agree. I need to go home sometime tomorrow. Usually, I use my phone to inform Ben of that but I lost it."

"Yes, in the moment we also failed to find it. Do not worry, Ben has been informed of the need and will be delivering you a new device shortly. As far as returning home, I am afraid that is not prudent option at the moment."

"I don't understand." I gave him a chance to reword, try again. He couldn't possibly be telling me that he intends for me to stay with him, here.

"You are midtransition. You have yet to come into your own. And you are a walking target now for anyone who wishes the Russo heir harm. You have already been attacked once at home have you not?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" He did mean to keep me here. Verity and her pregnancy came immediately to mind. Sure Ben and Maria probably already knew but she did not. What must she be thinking? "I need to get home and straighten out my absence with everyone. As I have already said, I have people who I am sure are waiting to hear from me. Who are worried."

"It has already been taken care of. Your friend will not be worried for you. As far as she knows you have been whisked away on a business trip with myself."

"What about Cassian?"

His brows drew together and he his lips pursed slightly. "The bartender is kept aware of what is going on."

"I need to tell him I am healed, I am alright." Poor Cassian, how could anyone think that it was alright to leave him waiting. I couldn't imagine if it were me waiting for word about him.

"He has been kept informed." His tone was tight like a rubber band stretched too far. "Anyone else?"

There was no one else that came to mind, really no one else in my life. "No, but that doesn't mean I am done discussing this."

"Excellent, neither am I. There are a few details to go over yet."

"Fine, please share." I crossed my arms across my chest and waited with open ears.

"It is best for you will remain here with me while we will work on developing you and your skills, as well as discerning how to safely complete your full transition. When your safety has been secured and you are not a completely defenseless target, we will reconsider your desire to permanently return home."

"Some discussion Evander. Do I get any say? These are less your thoughts than they are your mandates."

"This was decided as the best course of action while you were unconscious, you couldn't have possibly given input. This is all for your own best interest."

"Having a conversation with someone involves give and take. And who is this we you mentioned? As far as I can tell you are unilaterally making decisions for me." My skin began to feel clammy as the the fire inside began to really get going.

"While I won't deny that I was the catalyst for this proposal, I did not make the final plan without input from Ben and your lawyers."

"Ben, the lawyers? They know about this and okayed it?"

"You should have never been able to be put in such a situation without the ability to at least defend yourself. That was an unexcusable oversight on the trust's part. I merely seek to remedy it. It is not safe to be outside my orbit until such a time that you can hold your own. Ben is not able to adequately provide protection."

I squirmed in my seat, trying to douse the climbing flames. The worst part of all this is I did understand the logic. The attack had been serious and I had failed miserably at defending myself. The confrontation in his car after the event at Fable's, hulis reaction, made far more sense.

But still, I couldn't stand the manner in which he was going about this. If I agreed without question, without a fight that would just feed him nonsense that making decisions for me, without my input, was acceptable. I wasn't his child, I couldn't be bossed around and told what was best for me. I didn't belong to him. He was just my mentor...that new Ben and all about my trust. Parts that even I didn't know about...

"And if I don't agree with your plan. If I refuse, what then?" I narrowed my eyes watching his reaction for any small change.

"I do not believe you will. You understand acutely how much you need an opportunity to develop your skill set. And a mentor to guide you." He was completely untouched by the displeasure on my words. My irritated stance, my stormy gaze.

"But if I refuse. What then?" What was he willing to do to impose this on me? "Will you lock me up here until I comply?"

"Only, if that is what you wish." He flashed at me an indulgent smile, his white teeth catching on the dining room lighting. "Try to make it out as such as much as you'd like. However, as of this moment, you are no prisoner. Though, you may find that the requirements of your trust are still to be dealt with should you leave now."

He knew he had my attention at the mention of the trust. When was I to be finally free it?

"Ben, agrees that I should stay?" I asked again. Would Ben agree to something not on my best interest?

"It was agreed on by all involved."

"Except me."

I stood and left without waiting to be excused. He let me go, I felt his eyes on my back as I disappeared around the corner. I stood a little taller. Back in my borrowed room I sat down on the bed and pulled me knees up to my chin. I had no recourse where the trust was involved. It was a silent hand from beyond the grave guiding my actions now. I wish I understood why my parents made the decisions they had. Why this path was seen as the best way forward. I was just a baby when it was put together. What if they got it wrong?