The Immortals of Sumer

Chapter Seven

“Well, we’re smoking in here where there are no crazies! We’re gonna sit down and watch the Scream movies all in order and eat ice cream and popcorn and smoke all the weed we can get our hands on because you deserve to blow off steam. Okay, hear me out! Your Uncle sent you to the might club for Bogdan and never shows up. So the nightclub wasn’t fun. Then we dragged you to a party that got busted and is forever darkened by the deaths of the douches. So that is no fun!” Lanie said simply and Alexis picked up her point.

“And today, you got a visit from your loser stalker ex as soon as he heard you might be vulnerable, missing your Uncle and all that. So today already blows. If we found your Uncle tomorrow, do you really think him coming home to smelling some old marijuanna stank is gonna be the thing that ends the world? And, knowing your Uncle the little bit that I do, I know it would be a laugh to him it’s that low on his concerns right now.”

They had a point, not to mention Uncle was dead, who the f**k cared if we smoked in the movie theater room…I shrugged and jumped over the back of the couch to get in between them, which was dangerous. They scrambled to save their balance as they held onto our snacks and weed so I can get settled down between them and buy the first Scream movie on Prime. My girl Jenna Ortega didn’t join in the movies until the fourth or fifth one. Wow was she sooo pretty! Such a sassy actor!

I loved it, just sitting there watching movies with the girls smoking weed instead of hiding it outside in the cold Washington weather. I really did just need one damn day, unbothered by people. Today was not that day. Tomorrow would not be that day either. Today would bring more drama for tomorrow. We were about an hour into the first movie when the door bell rang and I sighed.

“I’m not f*****g getting it this time! I have terrible luck answering the door in this household, really,” was all I whined without moving an inch. The girls laughed but agreed with me, without even knowing what had happened to me earlier when I had answered the door to thieves and murders only for them to force their way into my house and kill my Uncle. Maybe I should send the girls home with all these other vampires coming around…? It would be safer for them to go, rather than having them learn about these creatures and be in danger too.

I knew I wouldn’t have the girls around much longer so I settled into the couch with them to enjoy the moment. Thankfully, I had Bogdan looking off for me too…

.(•).

Vlad answered the door to see a tiny figure and a dark looming soul sulking behind her. He grinned, saying, “Alexandru, Ruxandra, welcome!” They were alight with joy to see him.

“Ah, brother, it is amazing to see you again! Finally,” Alexander said in his deep voice and Ruxandra swept forward to hug him despite her smallness. She paused, letting him with a sniff.

“Who is that I smell on you, dear brother?” She asked and he sighed.

“You may be smelling a dead punk ass boy or it is my woman and her friends who are upstairs. I will introduce her to you all shortly. I figured you would not mind an intimate family reunion first,” Vlad said and then noted the jealousy in her blue eyes. It was fleeting as she knew better than to wear her heart on her sleeve in this family. He also knew to guard his mate now from her jealous little pranks that she was famous for. Part of him burned to f**k what Bogdan cautioned against and warn them all that she is his mate and thus untouchable.

He decided that, if Elena started showing signs of bruises or pranking, he would chose to speak up. They shared quick little tidbits with each other before they asked the real questions as they migrated into the living room chairs. “So, Vlad how did you resurrect?”

“My little nymph, Elena, found me and woke me up. This is her family home,” Vlad said pointedly, trying to avoid mentioning that they were blood bonded mates. He had wanted so badly to say ‘my little mate’, knowing that the nickname ‘nymph’ annoyed her. It would be hard for him to hide it from them with how much he always wanted her near, especially since she knew enough to turn around and go back in the house with a kiss to allow Vlad to keep his promise of having no violence in front of her. If they took her with them to war torn areas, it would be harder and harder to hide the violence and death from her eyes.

He sighed, even more conflicted, as he stood up and went to get her. She looked beautiful with her black hair straight and left down, in a Middle Eastern stencil design around a realistic image of the moon on the front of a black t-shirt with black leather pants that stitched up the side of her legs, enunciating every curve, and some platform ankle boots. She got up from the couch and he realized that they were black leather platform shoes with bat wings attached to them, making them flap as she walked in front of him. He chuckled and couldn’t help himself as he caught up to her short strides and wrapped his arm around her waist.

He didn’t realize how lovingly he was looking at her as she blushed. He didn’t realize that, as they came down the stairs, the whole family took notice of it. So he was a bit startled when Ruxandra practically skipped up to Elena and hugged her.

.(•).

Alexandru read Vlad’s protective posture and cleared his throat. He shot Vlad a questioning look before smiling to Elena and saying, “Welcome, Elena, and thank you for reuniting this family.” Vlad could hear the heavy meaning that she wasn’t family and growled deep in his throat.

Ruxandra tsk-tsked at Alexandru before she moved off to Elena’s other side and grabbed her hand. “Yes, thank you for waking my brother! Welcome to the family, dearie! My name is Ruxandra and that brute behind me is Alexandru!” Elena kinda chuckled as she side-eyed Ruxandra but Vlad could see that Elena and her would get along fine and he need not fear for her. Now, the men needed to fear them both as a bloody force to contend with.

“Oh, just you wait until you meet her friends. I’m sure that you’re going to all get along grandly,” Vlad said darkly and Alexandru chuckled.

“Oh, dear lord,” Bogdan muttered from behind them. “That reminds me, Elena, hon, I need to steal you tomorrow for the lawyers meeting at 3 PM and the financial advisor will be arriving much earlier but will not want to meet you in person until he has looked over your family finances. He is particular about ‘unprejudiced numbers before first impressions’ and whatnot as he always says. I would expect a random meeting from him around dinner unfortunately.”

I nodded to him, actually excited for them to arrive so I can learn from them. Mircea, Radu, and Alexandru were all off to the side discussing something important suddenly. Ruxandra was chatting away about my friends but all I could focus on was Vlad. I touched his hand on my hip and felt a shock of pain up my arm, electrifying. He felt i go of my waist to hold my hand and I smiled at the miscommunication. What I felt seemed to be a sign that we were not meant to be touching was seen by him as just natural electricity or chemistry between us.

Ruxandra finally asked, “Who are you to our brother?” I looked up to Vlad and he chuckled down at me, rubbing his free hand, his thumb, across my cheekbone. I blushed even harder, my face burning, as he spoke for me on this subject.

Bogdan was shaking his head as Vlad said, “She is my BloodBonded Mate and I am hers. Elena Velden, meet my brother, Alexandru, and my sister, Ruxandra. Brother, Sister, meet my Mate,

Elena.” So we were bonded by blood literally? There were so many questions in my mind but I knew I should just keep it all to myself so no one caught on how pissed I was at my lack of choices. I smiled at my new family members; wow, nope, that felt so wrong to say.

Holding my smile, I reached my hand out to greet and shake Alexandru’s hand but the vampire caught my hand and brought it to his lips for a quick kiss. “Well then…Welcome to the family, Elena,” Alexandru said and I thanked him just before the doorbell rang.

“Ah, our trusted soldiers,” Bogdan said as he went around our big group to go get the door. Not only that but then my friends walked into the room, looking for me.

“Oh, sorry to interrupt, we just didn’t want you to miss the ending of the movie, girly,” Lanie said as I nodded.

Then I paused, realizing that I should be polite. I turned to Ruxandra, who seemed saddened, and asked, “Rux, would you like to join us?” She lit up like a child at Christmas and I actually did warm up to her a bit. She seemed so sweet and naïve and innocent but then I had to remind myself that she was a vampire, let alone Vlad’s sibling. Either way, she was excited to join us and we left the guys alone to do their thing as i introduced all the ladies.

Ruxandra settled right into our group like she had been there forever, sitting next to me and Lanie and sharing the bong back and forth as Billy Loomis did his serial killing reveal. Little did we know, maybe Ruxandra knew, that the men were standing in the arched doorway of the theater room, discussing us. After the movie ended, we purchased the second one before we all got up and stretched and refilled our snacks and bong ice. As I came back into the room, Vlad stopped me and introduced me to about eight new men and I was shocked.

I never agreed to this many brutes just mucking about my home. They were brutes too; they stood over 6 foot with wide shoulders and matching wide arms and legs. I felt like I was staring at a football player. Is this how cheerleaders feel? This sucks! Why…? Whatever…I decided I didn’t care enough right now to get mad until Vlad said, “Meet Brian Christianson and Michael Adams. These two will be your very own body guards, my little mate.” I was shocked at the two that were stepping forward for me.

“No! Absolutely not! I didn’t even agree to let these brutes into my home! Guard me? That’s out of the question!” I said, getting angry when Ruxandra appeared beside me.

“It’s tradition, my future sister-in-law, for the mate of the King to be protected at all costs. That will be even more so true whenever you two marry and procreate for the throne,” she said and I scoffe

“That’s like way ahead of ourselves right now,” I said, trying to still be diplomatic, and she nodded, agreeing. “This is true, there is much violence ahead,” she said so matter of factly that I shuddered and Vlad rubbed my back, coming closer to comfort me.

“I may have sworn she never need see the gore or violence of war,” he explained at my reaction.

“How are you going to do that, Vlad?” She blatantly asked him and I realized they had forgotten about the brutes in front of us. I looked over Michael and then Brian and sighed.

“She is going to stay here, in her home where it is safe, until the few battles we will have to fight are over and won. Then I will come back here to pick you up and bring you to our new home,” he said to her but finished telling me. I was shocked. This was a good thing, right? But… I was probably not going to be left here alone to be forgotten, I realized as I looked at the brutes at work. They had spread out to the end of the hallway and top of the staircase; the rest of the brutes going elsewhere to do the same, I’m sure.

“Ruxandra, you can stay here with the other ladies or join us as we continue on to the military and government main points. Either way, when we do go, you will have two of the soldiers to guard you as well. She nodded, unaffected, and said that she would decide soon. She wanted to sleep on it and Vlad seemed to respect that. The girls called us back into the room, saying, “Girlies, get in here! We’re starting number two!”

Ruxandra and I took each others hand, giggling like we had actually known each other for forever, and jumped over the back of the couch to either side of Lanie and Alexis to settle in for the movie. We sat there, watching through, two more movies before Ruxandra suggested a night out for dinner. I sighed, saying, “After all the trouble I have caused your brother, I doubt he would let me leave the house.” Facts, he told me as much.

She looked appalled and sprung up like an indignant Jack-in-the-box. She marched out to the hallway and into the study to rip Vlad a new one for acting like he could keep me in a prison. She kept raging at him but I only caught the end but as I walked towards the study, “She is going out! It’s the whole damn point of bodyguards! And it’s a girls night out so stay away, mind you, because I’m fuming mad at you, mister!”

Vlad looked sheepishly at me and I giggled, making him sigh as he nodded to his sister. She then turned around, walking towards me, and marched me into my room to help me get dressed up for dinner. Lanie and Alexis were already taking a liking to Ruxandra as they plundered through my closet to pick clothes out for all of us.

We all wore black, because it’s a Goth girl’s closet, but they reasoned that a little black dress was appropriate for a girls night out. As we walked out of the manor, our heels clacking on the marble flooring in the foyer, I noticed the liberties that the men had taken. There was a driver waiting to open the car door of a black Mercedes Benz SUV and Ruxandra got in without hesitation. I, however, stopped and asked the man, “Who are you?”

“My name is Gillian, I am your hired driver, and I have experience getting out of some of the worst driving scenarios in history. I look forward to driving for you ladies instead,” he said and I mulled it over as I motioned my friends to get in the vehicle too. With the backseat full, Gillian closed the back door and opened the front door for me. “Madam?” I was too busy looking at the car that was waiting to pull out of my driveway, an army green Mercedes Benz G Class SUV, and a second matching one was waiting behind this vehicle.

I recognized Michael in the drivers seat, waiting for me to get in. The bodyguards…were coming with us. Right…I was about to get into the passenger front seat when I hesitated and asked myself what would a love struck mate do. Sure enough, Vlad was right behind me when I tried to peek back at the house and I grinned at his predictability as he wrapped his arms around me.

“I was just thinking about saying goodbye, but I was worried you were busy what with drivers and bodyguards and battle plans, I’m sure.” He laughed and nuzzled my neck, I had to remind myself that Michael was watching after I rolled my eyes that way. Instead, I brought Vlad back to me and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. He growled and I giggled as girly as I could. I tried to be a tease, I would live as long as he wanted me, and I left him wanting more as I climbed into the G Class and started to drive away.

Us ladies enjoyed a pricey dinner at the local bar and grill and Main Street, getting stares from the locals about the new girl and the guards that people have never needed in this town before. I tried my best to ignore it but there was a blush creeping up my face once in awhile when an older woman would stare too long. Taking a sip of my Cherry Pepsi while I was looking around, I saw Michael take a step away from us and a step closer to a male waiter approaching but then relaxed when he stopped to take the order of the family sitting in the table in front of our booth.

I was still staring as Michael half turned around to return the step back to us and our eyes met. Alexis said something else about her doctor story and I tried to return back to the conversation but I was blushing some more as I felt some else staring at me. I didn’t bother to search the restaurant this time, I hoe stay hated the stares, so I played with my hair before shoving the loose strands behind my ear a minute later.

The feeling of being watched didn’t go away so I finally looked around as I bit my lip but I couldn’t see who it was anymore. Then I looked back at the bodyguards to see Michael staring at me and I looked back at the girls, blushing harder. I took another drink before laughing with the rest of them and then taking a bite. My night continued as uncomfortably as the moment before but the girls were having a blast so it was worth becoming so socially exhausted.

It made me realize I was such a house bound soul, I thought as I realized the people in the booth two behind ours was talking about my Uncle going missing. Then they mentioned Seth as my boyfriend going to jail for murder and I sighed, getting up and stomping off to the bathroom. The girls were so deep in their conversations, they had no idea what just happened and called after me in confusion. I didn’t turn back or stop until I was yanked to a stop in the hallway leading to the bathrooms and the kitchen at the end.

Michael stood behind me, gripping my upper arm to stop me, as he growled out that I couldn’t just walk away from him like that. “You are to be guarded at all times,” he said in a slightly softer tone.

“So do you intend to follow me inside the bathroom?” I asked, squaring up with the brute. He grinned down at me and I scoffed. “The f**k you will,” I answered for him as I stuck my tongue out at him and then turned back towards the bathrooms. Instead, suddenly, I was picked up bridal style and carried back to my booth table, despite the onlookers, so I hissed in his ear, “If my ass in this dress ends up online, I’m coming for you!”

His grin widened if at all possible as he set me down and pushed me towards my seat.

“f**k the nosy broad and her curiosities. Curiosity killed the cat,” Michael said with a glare at the women a couple booths back. I chuckled a bit to that and the girls asked what just happened. I shrugged it off, asking them to ask me later so it doesn’t spoil the mood. They accepted that and we went on with light banter throughout dessert.

When we came home, we smoked the last of our weed rolled up in a joint and passed out together curled up in my king bed. We didn’t even bother getting out of our clothes. We barely remembered to clean off our makeup and brush our teeth that night.

…

The next morning, I woke up to Vlad standing at the foot of the bed, grinning at me. I was so sleepy still that I could hardly realize what had him so excited. I was still wearing my black dress from last night; it only came down to my mid thigh and was spaghetti straps so one of my boobs threatened to fall out of the dress too as my strap was fallen down and was hanging from my shoulder. My dress had hiked up in my sleep and I watched him look over every inch of me. I grinned up at him and he growled down at me softly.

It made Ruxandra instantly wake up but she realized who it was and what was happening so she got up and left the room like she had never even fallen asleep. Vlad grabbed my ankle and began pulling me to him but it was making my dress hike further and further up so I stopped him by pressing my foot out of his grip. I pulled my dress back down before I crawled to the edge of the bed. I suggestively put my legs in between his and looked up at him with a grin. I hoped it was a sexy, dirty little grin but it felt a bit off.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me up to him very gently, almost sensually, and I shuddered as his hands caressed down my back. I turned my back to him and moved my hair out of the way, whispering, “Help me out of my dress, please?” He seemed to get as close as possible as he grabbed the zipper and pulled it down. I felt my dress too loosen and then his hands snaked around my waist as the dress became loose there too. His hand was placing fingering trails just above my hips and he growled down at me against the back of my neck.

“Thanks, handsome,” I said as I stepped away from him and walked into my closet to get dressed. I closed the door behind me to make sure he didn’t follow. I was playing with fire to keep him wanting more but I was only willing to deliver on so much. I did get dressed into some black dyed jeans with rips doing all up and down the legs. I wore a black corset top with my black leather, knee high, buckle up platform boots. I put on a lacy choker with a moonstone pendant hanging from it and put my hair up in a high ponytail that even Ariana Grande would be proud of I left some hair down for bangs on either side.

It was only then that I dared to step out of my closet. He wasn’t in the room anymore so I quietly went to my attached bathroom to apply my makeup and my notorious black lipstick. By the time I was done and made it to the kitchen to crack open a new Monster energy drink, Ruxandra was also freshly dressed and done up and drinking a cup of coffee. Bogdan was at the island, reading the newspaper Uncle specifically still subscribed to and drinking a cup of tea again. I instantly asked him if everything was still on schedule for today and he smiled.

“You and I will get along fine, as I was just about to ask you the same thing. If you are ready then I am ready. However, the lawyers are still set on their meeting at 3 PM. The financial advisor is set to arrive in an hour and, as predicted, has asked to review the IRS files with the info in the study. I expect to hear from him around 5 PM, after the lawyers meeting. Shall I schedule a chef for the night since we might be in meetings back to back?” Bogdan asked and I nodded.

“That’d be perfect and, of course, we are going to get along just fine, Bogdan,” I said as I cracked the can open and turned around to go upstairs to wake up the girls. Ruxandra mentioned that, before I deal with all the lawyers and whatnot, maybe she and I could relax in the pool with the girls. I really liked that suggestion and told her as much before I left the kitchen and made it to the foyer for the stairs.