The Blood Heiress

Worries and Next Steps

Adella

The gallery was dark with one bright spotlight that was trained on 'The Hunger', Valerie's signature piece. Cassian and I were rooted to the spot, right in front of it. We were talking about it. Laughing, joking, having fun. I heard the other guests droning on in undisguishable voices. They were growing quieter and quieter. The light was growing brighter and brighter. I watched in horror as the paint started melting off of the piece. I screamed at the woman's trapped face as it became disfigured and angry. I began to hear a steady thumping coming from the painting. The woman's blood red eyes were the only part of her face that had not melted into disfigurement. Then the light cut out.

I grabbed for Cass's hand and held it firmly as my eyes adjusted to the lack of searing brightness. The thumping grew more insistent but this time it was coming from Cass. Or maybe it had always been coming from him. What was left of the original painting at this point was just the pair of red eyes and they were glowing. Brighter and brighter they glowed adn I stood transfixed watching them come to life on the canvas. Cass was talking to me and pulling on my arm but I couldn't pay him any mind. The dark black pupils trained themselves on him and their glowing intensified. Cassian finally got through to me when he grabbed my face with his other hand and turned me forceably towards himself. I saw the panic on his face and it gave me the jolt I needed to move my feet.

The floor shifted then and turned into snow drifts. I couldn't walk through them in my dress and heels. Cassian continued forward with little thought to my struggles and I found that I was being pulled threw the drifts. I looked back every once in a while the gallery had disappeared but those eyes were still there, watching and it seemed coming closer. No matter how far we kept going forward it was never any further away.

Ultimately, Cassian ran out of strength and when we both came to a stop the floor changed into a paved street. All around us I heard thumping again. In perfect rhythm a chorus of thumps from every direction, it sounded very much like heartbeats. Cassian's was laid out on the street now, trying to catch his breath. Alarm spread through me as it seemed like he would never acheive his goal. His deep gasping breaths almost drowned out the thumping. My brain was beginning to fatigue from all the noise around me. I tried to focus on Cassian but the heartbeats kept dragging my attention towards them.

'Help me, Dells,' Cass's voice came to me between the gasps. I leaned down and tried to help him up. He shook his head and pointed to his neck where blood was now seeping out of two small wounds. I tried to cover the wounds up with my hand and applied pressure. I could feel his heart beating in time to the thumping sounds inundating me. The smell of his thick red blood hit my nose then and I reeled from it's powerful effect.

Pain radiated from mouth and my throat was immediately like sandpaper, in desperate need of something to quench a strong thirst. Cassian's face was aghast when he looked at me. He stopped breathing in his shock and I couldn't help myself but lean closer to where the blood was pooling. I drew in a deep breath and the smell no longer seemed strange.

Indeed, the smell of his blood was calling to me. The pressure in my mouth grew to its pinnacle and then receeded quickly as new teeth grew out from the gums. I suddenly knew what I needed to do to save Cassian and relieve my new symptoms. However, as I learned in to fix him and myself he was taken from me. I yelled out in frustration for him to be returned. All around me were eyes, duplicates of the pair from the painting. They began to close in on my position. I stood up in a vain attempt to fight the disembodied invaders off. They began to swirl around me faster and faster, until all that I could see were continous crimson lines circling me. They began to constrict the circle. I could not escape. It came in quicker and quicker. Closer and closer. It was scraping up my shoulders now. I closed my eyes praying for a quick end. Instead I heard beeping. Incessant beeping. The scraping stopped. More beeping followed.

I flung open my eyes to my room. The sun was midway through its climb to the top of the sky. Sunlight was streming in and gone was the blackness of that awful nightmare. I double checked my mouth and my shoulders to make sure. I was intact. Just a nightmare. Another nightmare only now during the day. Just one of many that I had been battling for the past month. I had long since stopped trying to analyze them. They came on a regular basis whether or not I understood them did little to stop them and only served to give them an even larger piece of my limited attention.

I checked my phone for the time and saw the it was after 1pm, I had just missed a call from Cassian. I sent him a quick text to let him know that I would get back to him soon. We had kept our promise to keep in contact though it was rather intermittant. I had been consumed with my ramping responsibilities at work and he had been out of town for the past three weeks.

Without hesistation, I called a late lunch to my room and allowed myself to languish in bed for a bit longer. Ben put me under strict orders to rest. Dark cicles had taken up permanent residence under my eyes. Ben and Maria had begun to brainstorm ways to take my sleep back from the nightmares. Nothing so far had worked and now these twisted dreams were following me to my napping too. I needed to get some honest sleep soon. I was beginning to feel truly hollow inside.

I snuggled back in the bedding. Between the emotional dumps I had found myself in after the exhibition, the new responsibilities at work, the lack of sleep due to nightmares and the newness of whatever Cass and I were trying to figure out; I was also still dealing with silence from Verity. Every week I had sent multiple texts to check in on her and had yet to recieve any response. Yesterday I had gone so far to call and it had gone straight to voicemail. Something was going to have to give between us soon. Her absence was beginning to ache when I didn't let my irritation with the ambiguity of her departure rile me up.

My phone ringing pulled me out of my cocoon and I answered it.

"Hello? Cassian? I said I would call you back."

"Hey Dells, what can I say? I was eager to hear your voice. Did I wake you?" Cass's baritone was music to my ears.

"Your first call did. But I am up now, just didn't want to get out of bed yet." I stretched my neck and sat up a little straighter.

"You sick?" there was mild concern now in the question.

"No, why?" I let out a small yawn.

"No reason really, sleeping beauty. Is sleeping until after one a normal occurrence for you?" the levity had returned once more.

"What if it is?"

"Then, I would ask if I could come join you next time."

"Hmmm, last I heard you were out of town." I tried to match his teasing tone while I blushed furiously at the thought of Cassian sleeping in with me in the same bed.

"Not anymore Dells, I am currently getting the bar ready to open tonight." My heart skipped a beat. Cassian was back. We had been making plans ever since the exhibition to 'get together' when he got back from his unexpected trip with Valerie. "I know the thought of me being in the same city is appealing but to leave you speechless. My allure is stronger than I thought."

"Sorry, I wasn't expecting you until next week. You said you'd be back next week."

"Valerie stayed behind and I was able to get back sooner. So what do you say, did you want to come down to the bar tonight and hang out?"

"Tonight?" While I mentally checked my plans for the day, Ben uncharacteristically came in the room with my lunch tray. He placed the tray down and waited in a chair.

"I know it isn't anything fancy, you are probably sick of the bar." He must have caught the shift in my attention and thought I was losing interest.

"No, no it isn't that. I would love to see you and catch up. Hear about your trip." I reassured him.

"But?" He prodded.

"But, I need to check on a few plans and I will let you know?" I hoped that was good enough. Ben was calmly waiting but the fact he had brought my food and not my usual maid was significant.

"Okay Dells. Let me know then." He sounded a little skeptical. "I hope to see you tonight."

"Me too. I have to go but I promise to tell you one way or the other." We hung up. Ben stood up out of the chair as I put on my robe and approached the sitting area of my room.

"Sleeping during the day is not any better?" Ben asked with a note of worry in his voice.

"No," I shook my head sadly and leaned on the back of the nearest chair. "What is it, Ben? Is everything alright." I asked him the interest in his appearance plain on my face.

"Yes, everything is fine. I just have a few things to discuss with you directly, Addie. Foremost, I wanted to be the first to congratulate you on fulfilling one of the requirements for the trust." He paused.

I let his words sink in. The joy traveled all the way through me. "Which one?"

"Please feel free to eat while we talk Addie, you haven't had anything all day. Do not let me keep you from it." He motioned in the direction of the try he brought in and I moved to seat myself.

"Only if you sit in the other chair Ben. You know I don't like when you stand behind me." I waited until he sat rather stiffly in the chair. He was set in his ways almost irrevocably but always did try to accomodate my requests. "Please tell me which one. I am so excited." I grabbed some food and stared intently at him.

"As you know one of the objectives of the trust is to ensure you are prepared to take over the famliy businesses. With your promotion at the gallery you have moved one step closer to fulfilling that requirement. The next step is find a mentor for higher level business management."

"A mentor?"

"Someone who could teach you about being in charge. Running a business or multiple businesses. Now don't look at me that way Adella Smith. I am just a butler. I have no problem teaching you what I know of estate managment and staffing but I am not qualified for anything more." I chuckled at his uncomfortable tone.

"So then René?"

"No, he isn't really qualified either. The best roads to fulfillment are either through formal education or finding someone who fits the description who you can shadow directly day to day."

"How long do I have to figure out which one?" I would have to locate those brochures that Verity had given me for her college. I sure didn't know any business owners that I could just ask to mentor me while I was underfoot everyday.

"You have as long as you need. However, as always, the sooner the better." A sigh of relief left my lips. At least it wasn't something I had to completely figure out now. I relaxed into my chair and ate some more. Curiously, Ben remained. I gestured at the food.

"You are welcome to join me Ben."

"Thank you Addie," His kind smile reached all the way to his eyes. "I was going to let you finish before I brought the other matters to you attention."

"Other matters? Go ahead."

"Mr. King has fallen ill again and is at the Traveton Hospital. I believe now would be a good time to name Henry his replacement until he can return. We were all hoping that he could pass on the job voluntarily but we may need to make him give it up little by little."

I nodded, deep in thought. The politics of that duo warranted some closer study. I wasn't sure what to make of their relationship or how to best help the situation out. I didn't know much about either of them. Mostly due to a lingering hesitation to seek them out. Especially the elder King.

"Have we sent him some flowers? Maybe from the garden? Do we know his favorite?"

Ben sat up a bit straighter and looked at me with a mix of pride and surprise.

"I will ask Henry. I do not know myself. What a wonderful idea." I was bashful at the praise of my idea.

"Thank you." Silently, I wished Mr. King a speedy recovery. It was apparent how much it bothered him to be losing the fight to age. Secretly though a large part of myself was happy that Henry could move to a position that he was already working from the shadows and get the recognition for it.

"The final matter involves Miss Verity." My whole body involuntarily pivoted to face him, to better take in what he was going to say next. He cleared his throat and continued. "That is to say, the final matter is that Miss Verity is waiting for your audience in the parlor.

"She is here?" the disbelief that after all my texting and reaching out she would just come to my home unannouced rather that respond turned to frustration in an instant.

"Yes, she has been waiting for you. I thought it best to let you sleep some more and then have something to eat first."

"Oh, well. I would have preferred to know when she arrived." I gave him a look to let him know I was serious.

"That is noted Addie. Shall I let her know you will meet with her shortly?"

"Yes, please. I need to get changed and ready." I said as I disappeared into the closet. I heard my bedroom door open and shut.

I simply stood in my closet for a few minutes. The last time Verity and I spoke, she was angry or upset, probably both. Then she disappeared. Her behavior had been unusual for her and she had decided not to trust me with why. I had never known her to be petty or to not return my calls. I braced myself for meeting with her as I chose my change of clothing and headed to the bathroom.

Was it school? Boys? Family? Life? What had gotten under her skin so thoroughly? Was it me? Had my change in situation been the catalyst for her change in demeanor? Cass's attention? I intuitively knew that while it had been at the bar she had started to devolve, and she had brought up Cass's attention towards me several times; whatever her problem was it went deeper then that. As I left my room and made my way to her, waiting in the parlor, I hoped that she would finally share with me the truth and we could move forward.