8. Eric
The four vampire sat together in unison as they took council around the table. The stone room was dark, save for the dim light of the fire at the far end. On the table there were four glasses. Three of which were empty, one still contained it’s blood.
Eric was dressed in his usual attire, black jeans and a black jumper. His father wore a black trousers and a grey dress shirt, with the collar unbuttoned and the sleeves rolled up his scarred forearms. Sat across from them were Will and Eli York. The brothers both wore old fashioned suits. William’s suit was a dark olive green, and Eli’s was a midnight blue. Both brothers wore white shirts, neither wore ties.
“Eric, Atticus. It’s good to see you both, it’s been a long time.”
“Long enough to bury any misdoings your family have done in the past I hope?” Atticus stared into the dull emerald eyes of Will York, the older of the two brothers.
“Vampire are vampire.” Will said coolly. “Unpredictable, irrational, passionate creatures. We make no apology for the treachery of our generations passed. It’s no secret the York family name was sullied by our fathers and their brothers. Rest assured gentlemen, the apple falls far from the tree.”
Eric shifted in his seat uncomfortably, holding the gaze of the two brothers with ease. “And if we were to take a bite of that apple, I should not be surprised to see that it’s poisoned.”
The brothers met Eric’s cold remark with obliged silence. Atticus let out a sharp laugh, slapping his palm against the dark wood of the table between them.
“You’ll have to forgive my son. He has a keen memory and a strong moral compass.”
“I’m not a traitor, that’s all you need to know.” Eric spat, clarifying the matter for the York brothers.
“As neither are we.” Eli, the younger of the two said. Although technically cousins by blood - Will and Eli York were known to all in the vampire world as brothers. Their fathers, Tyson and Nathaniel York, were infamous traitors and their dark legacy loomed over the brothers like a shadow.
The treachery had never crossed the Belmont family directly, but it had effected some of their closest allies. Above all else, honor and trust were the two most important aspects to Eric. He knew little of the York brothers, but his perspective of them was tainted by their families legacy. Until recently, the York family had been open enemies of the Belmont clan.
“We will do whatever it takes to prove we are not our fathers.” Will clarified earnestly.
“You run to us with your tails between your legs.” Eric said. “The White Order is smoking you from the hovel you call a home. You have no choice but to come to us.”
“Exactly.” Eli said. “And that is why we come to you in humility. We will do whatever it takes to get your help, and we will be in your debt. We are not humble creatures Eric Belmont. It pains us to come to you on our knees like this. We hope to find a middle ground. If we do not work together, the White Order will be the end of us all.”
The four vampire sat in silence for a moment, regarding the unfortunate truth of Eli’s words. The visiting brothers were mirror images of each other, muted green eyes, with short ashen hair that curled slightly toward the ends. Their faces were broad and short, strong and handsome in a way that was distinctly different to Belmont men.
Whereas Eric’s complexion was pale white, Eli and William were more a pale gold. The brothers had full lips, which were starkly white in contrast to their faintly olive skin. Their cheek bones sat high on their face, and their emerald eyes sparkled beneath heavy lids, that were full of ash eyelashes. Will was the taller of the two, and his face was a little longer. Both brothers were clean shaven, and their hair was short and neat. At a glance Will looked to be the brains, and the square-jawed Eli looked to be the brawn. Eric knew that both brothers were equally cunning, and he was unwilling to trust either. A long pink scar ran the length of Will’s face.
“Well if that ain’t the unfortunate truth.” Atticus replied sadly. “The Order’s strength has grown considerably over the years somehow. If we don’t work to fight back against them, they will be the death of us.”
Eric nodded, agreeing reluctantly with Eli’s words. He cleared his throat and turned his eyes to the girl in the corner. She stood silent with an arm folded over herself. Her eyes were large and dark. Her face was youthful, and timid. Her nose was small and in the cold it looked like a pink button. Her hair was jet black against her milk white skin, falling in a long plait down the side of her body, which was frail and nimble. She wore a maid’s uniform of some sort, a dark blue skirt accompanied by a white blouse. Her eyes were trained firmly on the floor. She reminded Eric of a scared field mouse.
“Who is she?” He said, motioning at the girl with his head. Eli and Will both looked back at the girl, then at each other, then back at Eric and Atticus. Eli’s lips pulled tight across his mouth, his fists rolling slightly on the table top.
“Natalie.” Will explained, looking at his brother from the corner of his eye. “She’s is Eli’s blood servant.”
“Blood servant?” Eric laughed, looking at his father in bemusement. The York family had a reliance for blood, just as the Belmont family did, but their method of taking it was different. The York family had lived for generations with a family of humans, whom were kept as blood slaves to York vampires. On the eve of their eighteen birthday, the humans were given the choice of freedom or the choice to be turned.
“Why on earth would you bring a blood servant on a diplomatic mission?”
Eric raised an eyebrow, trying to figure it out. The behavior was highly unorthodox. Eric looked at Eli, who sat like a silent figure of torment. He could sense there was something going on there, but couldn’t figure out what it was. Eli went to open his mouth but Will spoke for him once more.
“We realize it’s unusual. But Eli’s health has been strained as of late, and he needs access to blood at all times.”
“We have blood here you know.” Atticus said. “State of the art cooling system.”
Atticus and Eric looked at the full glass of blood sitting in front of Eli.
“We realize that.” Will continued. “But Eli only drinks from Natalie. We know it’s unusual, but that’s just how it is in our family.”
Atticus and Eric both looked at the girl and Eli in confusion. They shared a passing glance of confusion before pressing on. Eric felt Natalie’s gaze linger on him for the slightest moment, but didn’t move his eyes to look at her again.
“Very well.” Eric said. “So tell us what you want of the Belmont family. “What is it you need from us? And what will you give us in return?”
*
“This one is called the bird window.” Sophia explained as they perched on the rounded sill of the large open window. “Because you can see most of the castle from it’s vantage.”
Claire placed a hand on the cool stone ridge of the sill and gazed in awe upon the labyrinth of dark spires before her.
“It’s so beautiful.” She said. “I knew it was big, but I had no idea the castle was this big.”
“It surprises me everyday.” Sophia admitted, turning from the window and carrying on down the passage. Claire walked after her, admiring the castle as they continued their tour.
“I’ve lived here all my life, but I still find parts of the castle every year that I’ve never been to before. We’re in the Hollow now, it’s neither old or new, quite in between.”
The dark wooden floor creaked beneath their feet as they walked. Sophia led them down a set of giant stairs. Looking down, Claire could see they led into a large and open hall. “And this is the main entrance hall.”
Claire’s mouth gaped as they turned down flights until the wide and expansive stone floor of the entrance hall finally met their feet. Everywhere she looked there was beauty and art. Grand tapestries, giant portraits of Belmont family members gone past. The room was wide, tall and open. A thousand candles filled the walls on each side, illuminating the peculiar darkness of the castle with a pleasant glow.
“It’s one of the many entrances of course.” Sophia explained. She brushed a hand through her dark black hair, and Claire smiled, thinking how much Sophia reminded her of a child. At the opposite end of the hall near the large wooden doors that almost ran the height of the room, there was a group of people. Sophia stopped dead in her tracks.
“Is everything alright?” Claire said, looking sideways at her tour guide.
“Yes… it’s fine. I shouldn’t have brought you down here. I forgot they were leaving today.” Sophia’s eyes remained fixed on the group just up ahead. Claire looked over too and saw the group were now looking back at them. By the door up ahead there was about half a dozen figures dressed in long black coats. Around them there was a vast collection of luggage and items. The group stared silently in the direction of Sophia and Claire. Their backs were hunched, their faces gaunt and unpleasantly pale.
“One of the vampires that tried to attack you and Eric the other day, he was an elder for the Nash clan. Ever since father learned of the attack he has extinguished their family from our lineage.”
There was that word again. Claire had heard Eric use the same word this morning when they’d parted ways.
“You’ve no need to fear walking these halls again.” Eric had explained. “Any traitors have been extinguished, and any others thinking of trying their luck have been given the message. It’s safe.”
She had somehow found comfort in his words, and upon learning that Sophia wanted to give her a tour of the castle she’d jumped at the chance. Eric was off on business with his father for part of the day, and she had nothing else to do, save of fantasizing what she’d do with him when he got back.
“Yes.” Sophia said. “Extinguished. It’s a word my father doesn’t use lightly, and I’ve certainly never heard him use it before.”
“But what does it mean?” Claire asked. “Killed?”
Sophia looked at Claire and gave a brief yet frightened laugh. “Worse. There were two vampire families that tried to attack you yesterday. Rasputin Nash and a Golem slave working for the Templemont clan. After learning of the attack, my father gave their families two options. Leave or be extinguished.”
“Okay…”
“Extinguished means that every blood descendant of your line will be killed. The Nash family were smart enough to leave. The Templemonts said no.”
“But what happened to them?”
Sophia looked at Claire but didn’t speak. Her eyes seemed to say everything. Claire’s eyes bulged in realization. The man she had met yesterday had been so mild mannered and inviting.
“But Atticus…” Claire stammered.
“Seems so laid back? Yes. That’s were a lot of people underestimate his power. There’s a reason the Nash family are leaving without a fight. We have to go this way. I guess I’ll have to show you. Come on. Trust me. It’ll be alright.”
Sophia swallowed at something in her throat and marched across the hall. Claire followed quickly after her, her body feeling a little tense in anxiety. As they approached the group, the half dozen or so members turned their eyes down to the floor and became deathly quiet.
They stepped aside to let Sophia and Claire pass, their eyes all the while fixed to the floor. Sophia led Claire through a smaller door that was etched into the giant hinged doors hanging above them. Once outside they both took a deep breath, the cool night air brushing over their faces.
Claire spoke first, her words leaping from her mouth with relief. “Holy hell Sophia. That felt a little tense. What the heck was that?”
“Banished. All of them. They have been told under strict instruction to leave the Castle Belmont at once and never return. Father’s words would have been sure to mention not to look at or talk to you. They’re simply waiting here for a carriage to take them away. That’s the last time you’ll ever see them. Father clearly wants you to be safe here.”
“Me? But why?”
“They threatened your life. You’re a breeder. It’s too rare a thing to throwaway in some stupid power grab. Plus, besides that, you’re one of us now.”
“I’m one of you?”
Sophia giggled as she led Claire down a flight of stone steps that were cut into a dense garden of trees and flowers. “Well yeah. You’re part of the family aren’t you? I know Eric hasn’t turned you or married you yet or anything but…”
Sophia trailed off, shrugging the rest of the sentiment away with her shoulders. Claire followed quickly behind her, her chest fluttering with the thought of everything Sophia had just promised. They walked through the gardens that surrounded the castle grounds, trailing along the delicately sculpted fauna, following a gray slate path down the side of the hill, Sophia narrating their tour all the while.
Claire was in love with the castle and it’s surrounding grounds, but her mind was preoccupied the whole while with thoughts of Eric, and whether or not she really was one of them now.
They followed the gray path around to the south side of the castle. The north and west sides were bordered with mountains, the east side was bordered with the deep ravine, under which the great black river ran. While the south side had more mountains, there was more distance between them and the castle, and there was a small space of flat land between the two.
“This is this main courtyard.” She stopped and pointed back in the direction of the castle. “There’s the old store elevator on this side that takes you back up as far as the twelfth floor. You have to use the stairs or walk across to if want to get to any of the floors above that.”
“I don’t understand any of the floors in this place.”
“You can be forgiven for being confused. I can appreciate it’s probably confusing for a new comer. All you have to remember is that the castle is old, and as the generations have gone by, new parts have been built on top of it - or… even under it. Which isn’t helpful.”
They walked down a set of stone steps, past a water fountain and down onto a track that hugged the cliff wall at the edge of the castle.
“That’s not exactly helpful! I’m on the ninth floor with Eric, but I went down nine flights and somehow ended up on the twelfth floor?”
Sophia nodded. “The part of the castle that you and Eric are in is one of the older ones. A few hundred years after it was built our ancestors built another twelve floors underneath and connected the structures. So floor nine in Eric’s part of the castle is more like floor twenty one.” She stopped at seeing the confused look on Claire’s face. “There’s not going to be a quiz on any of this! Don’t worry!”
They both burst into laughter. “I’m glad.” Claire said. “Where are you taking me now anyway?”
She looked up at the steep rock face on either side of her.
“This is the little secret that’s hidden underneath the Castle Belmont.”
The track ended at a small wooden door which had a solitary silver ring upon it. Sophia pulled out a key and opened the door. Inside she pushed a button on the wall and a second later a line of torches illuminated all around them, revealing a large underground cavern, filled with smoking pools of water.
“I’m sure Eric has told you that we don’t fare too well with technology.” Sophia ushered Claire in and closed the door behind them. “We tried to get a heated pool installed once but it kept breaking. A few years ago we were doing some excavations and we found this place almost by accident.”
They walked to the edge of the water and Sophia knelt. “Put your hand in.”
Claire did and was delighted to find the water was the perfect temperature for bathing. “My goodness! It’s so warm! It’s perfect!”
“Right?!” Sophia stood up smiling. “We got Ira to install some torches down here and we’ve been using it as a bathing spot ever since.”
“But - I thought Vampires couldn’t feel heat?” Claire said, turning her thumb in fingers. Sophia laughed once more.
“We can’t really. We can feel a slight amount, but it still makes all the difference. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about these waters. They have a way of making you feel good as new. What do you say. Fancy a splash?”
“Oh I haven’t got a bathing suit with me.” Claire said.
“So?” Sophia stripped off in front of Claire as if it were nothing and a moment later she had jumped into the bubbling water. Claire looked around the cavern incredulous.
“But what if people come?! What if people see me naked?”
“It’s just skin Claire.” Sophia shrugged. “Beside, I’m the only one who ever comes down here anyway. Barely anyone else has a key.”
Claire nodded. “Well you make a compelling point. And that water does look great.”
Claire stripped, folded her things and placed them in a neat pile on the floor, next to Sophia’s crumbled pile of clothes. She lowered herself into the water gingerly, sighing with great relief as she felt every ounce of stress melt away instantly.
“So.” Sophia stared at Claire with a huge smile plastered on her face. “Tell me what life was like before you came to the castle.”
*
“It’s simply ridiculous!” Eric stood from the table and walked across the room, resiting the temptation to stake the two idiots that had been beset before him. “You’re asking too much, too soon. If you’d known things were this bad, you should have come and asked for help sooner, or you should have left your home altogether.”
“It’s not that simple Eric.” Will said defiantly. “We can’t just leave Blackstone, it’s our home. There are five generations of York Vampire living there.”
“How did the White Order come to gain such a strong foothold in your part of the country?” Atticus asked. “There were a few break away factions here, but we took care of them with little effort.”
“They’re not like other factions that we have encountered.” Eli said. “Vampires have dealt with hunting societies like the White Order since the dawn of time. Those fools aren’t content to rest until every last one of us is dead and buried in the ground.”
“We’re all familiar with the White Order and their motives.” Eric said. “What my father asked still stands. Why are they troubling you so? Is your family really so weak that you can’t handle a troupe of renegade vampire hunters?”
Will York stood from the table, clenching his fists. Eric was pushing him, and he could tell that he was on the last string of his patience. Will took a deep breath. He knew that if he snapped, he would lose all chance of gaining help from the Belmont clan.
“It’s not that we are weak.” Will explained. “But they are absurdly strong.”
“They’re only human.” Atticus said. “Surely your physical strength out paces them ten fold?”
“You’d think so.” Eli interjected. “But it’s not the case. There’s something different about them. We think they have a witch, and we think they are working with a local shifter troupe as well.”
Both Eric and Atticus felt ice pass over their bodies at the mention of shifters.
“Shifters? Werewolves?”
Will and Eli nodded solemnly.
“Can you prove this?”
The brothers thought for a second. Eli spoke first. “There is no-”
“We have proof.” Will said. Eli shot a furtive glance at his brother as if to silence him.
“We do not.” Eli hissed at Will.
“If you want our help.” Eric said. “You will show us the proof. We will not rise to assist you with the White Order alone. But if you are fighting shifter kin, I feel compelled to step forward and help.”
Atticus nodded, mirroring his sons’s sentiment. “Our families may have had difficulties in the past, but we are united in one thing. Our hatred for the shifter kin.”
Eric brought a thumb and finger to the bridge of his nose at the very thought of the wretched kind. He had never understood the disparaged relationship shared by their kind. All he knew was that shifter kin were dangerous, and the two kinds were destined to hate each other for all time.
Eli took a deep breath, before turning back to his blood servant in the corner. “Natalie darling, come here.”
Darling? Eric held Eli’s words in his ear in bemused regard. There was definitely some kind of affectionate relationship going on between this vampire and his blood servant, which was unheard of to Eric.
The young girl stepped forward from out of the shadow nervously.
“Tell them what happened at the ridge that night.”
All eyes in the room shifted to the face of Natalie. Fear flashed through the young girl’s face seemingly at the memory. Eli brushed a hand down her arm in reassurance. “It’s okay. You’re not there now, you’re here with me. You’re safe. I need you to tell Eric and Atticus what happened that night.”
Natalie stared at Eli for a long moment, and Eric could sense a deep warmth flaring in the space between their eyes. However unconventional their relationship might be, it was clear to Eric that the young girl meant a lot to Eli, and him to her in turn.
She pulled her eyes from her master and her gaze fell squarely on Eric.
“I had finished working in Blackstone for the day. I was on my way back from the letting parlor to the servant chambers. It’s connected usually, but there was a storm last winter, and part of the house became damaged. It’s nothing really, but it means us servants had to take a short detour outside to get back to our quarters. I was on my own. It was night. The moon was out. That was when I saw him up on the hill. He was a man - and then he wasn’t. Then he attacked me. I nearly died. I would have, were it not for Eli…”
She broke off from the story, her words and the angst ridden expression on her face tale enough that the wasn’t lying. The girl’s whole body trembled in remembrance of the ordeal. A solitary track of tears rolled down her face and Eli grabbed her her, pulling her into his grasp.
“It’s alright Natalie. It’s okay. You’re safe, I’m here - I’m here.”
Eli cooed the girl gently back to normality. Eric and Atticus stood on the edge of their feet, staring at each other unsure.
“I don’t doubt what happened Eli. But we need evidence of this you understand. We can’t just go off the words of a blood servant.”
The brothers looked at each other as if they were lost for words.
“We can’t prove anymore than this old man.” Will said with disappointment hinged on his voice. “This is all we have.”
“Actually.” Natalie’s voice broke the silence this time, causing everyone to stare at her. “It isn’t.”
The young servant pulled herself free from the reassuring grasp of her master.
“Natalie, no!” Eli reached after the girl but she pushed his hand away.
“It’s alright Eli. I’m not scared anymore.”
Without saying another word, the servant girl turned from the group and pulled her shirt up, over the tops of her narrow shoulder blades. She slipped her arms from the sleeves, and unfastened the clasp to her bra, holding it firmly against the front of her body.
Drawn down the length of her back were four deep scars, white lines broken across the pink expanse of her otherwise flawless flesh. The paw of the offending beast must have easily been four times the size of a normal wolf. The cuts raked from the top of the spine, all the way to the bottom, veering off to the left just at the end.
“That’s the mark of a shifter alright.” Atticus nodded. “I’ve seen enough in my time to know what those bastards can do.” Atticus turned to Eric. “What do you reckon?”
“I’ve only been in battle with them up close once, but it certainly looks real to me.”
Natalie redressed quietly, while the vampire held each other in silent regard. Will was the first to speak, finally breaking the silence.
“So.” He said. “Can we count on your help then?”
Eric and Atticus shared a glance with each other. Even though Eric knew the choice was ultimately up to his father, power would be succeeding to him soon, and his father wanted Eric to start taking lead of things. He saw the look in his father’s eye, nodded and faced the brothers once more.
“We’ll help.” He said finally. “But I have things that I have to attend to here first. I’ll need a week or two, and then I’ll come. And I’ll bring help.”
“No Wraith. That bastard is more crazy than help.” Will said.
“Trust me.” Atticus interjected. “I know shifters and I know Wraith. You want all the crazy you can get.”
The meeting broke finally, and the York clan were back on the road again within an hour of leaving the table with Atticus and Eric.
“It’s serious business you’re getting into.” Atticus said to his son. “You understand any vampire that goes on this expedition may die.”
“I do.” Eric said flatly. “But what I said stands. Will and Eli may be scared of the White Order first, but I know the real truth. Men are men. I will deal with them as they come. The real threat is that of the shifter kin. The York are only a few hundred miles from us. If we start allowing shifter kin to run around unchecked…” A shiver passed over him.
“It won’t be long before they start cropping up here.”
“Exactly.” Eric said.
After reviewing the meeting briefly with his father, Eric was away again, returning once more back into the castle to find Sophia and Claire. They had arranged that morning to meet at Sophia’s room on the fifth floor at the end of the night, but once Eric got there he found they were nowhere to be seen.
There was no fear in his stomach this time, for he knew that Sophia would keep Claire in good company, but she was often late - and he always came to expect delays whenever Sophia was involved. As they weren’t coming to him, he would try and seek them out, but finding a solitary inhabitant of the castle was a task easier said than done. He decided to go and pay Ira a visit first at the blood banks. After he’d quenched his thirst, he’d find Claire, and pick up right where they left off.
Thoughts of his curvy mate had stalked through Eric’s mind all night, and had been at the forefront of his thoughts, right up until the troubling meeting he’d had with the York brothers. Despite the serious nature of the conversation, Claire had stepped back into his mind’s eye as soon as the serious conversation was done. Even as he sat in Ira’s waiting room for blood, she danced in his imagination, wearing little else but scant lingerie, tempting and teasing every fiber of his being. He sat in the room, far removed from it’s walls, floating a thousand miles away with thoughts of Claire, and thoughts of what he’d do with her once he had her alone again that night.
“I said ‘Hi’ Eric!”
A blow sunk into his arm and Eric shook his head, pulling himself from his day dream and coming back into the waiting room. He was disappointed to see a blonde and scantily clad female vampire stood in front of him.
“Oh, hey Lana.” Eric said flatly.
“Oh come on Mr. Belmont!” Lana threw herself down beside Eric and batted her long black lashes. “You can do better than that. There was a time when you were running after me along with all the other boys in the castle.”
“Actually, there wasn’t - you’re getting me mixed up with Wraith.” Eric picked a magazine up off the side and thumbed through it to try and show Lana that he wasn’t interested in talking. The gesture seemed to madden the blonde. Eric had grown up with Lana and he knew the tyrant well. She was the eldest daughter and heir to the Cavotti Vampire line, and she had spent the last several decades vying for Eric’s attention.
“Whatever.” Lana threw a hand through her blonde hair and placed a hand on Eric’s shoulder. “What have you been up to these days? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever. It is true that you’re going around telling everyone you’ve got some dumb human girl as a mate? Such a dumb rumor, we should go out hunting sometime, Veronica and I found this great little town just an hour south of here…”
“I’m not interested.” Eric stood up, throwing the magazine down onto the table. He needed blood, but he knew he couldn’t sit here and listen to the vapid blonde rattle on any longer. Eric was about to duck behind the counter to see exactly what the hell was taking Ira so long, when he remembered he’d had three days of personal supply brought up to the chiller in his bedroom on the ninth floor.
“I’m such an idiot.” He said to himself quietly. He turned around to leave and saw Lana staring at him in expectation. There were half a dozen other vampire in the waiting room, all of whom had their eyes glue to Lana. The other Vampire in castle Belmont might have fallen for Lana’s good looks, but Eric could care less. As far as he was concerned she was the devil in a blonde wig. Lana did things that made Wraith look like a puppy.
“What do you want?!” Eric hissed.
“I said do you want to go hunting this weekend? Me and Veronica have found a great spot.”
“No.” Eric shook his head. “The rumors you heard are true. I’ve got a mate, and she’s human.”
Eric pushed past Lana, his shoulder turning her body as he went passed. Lana scoffed at his rejection and swathed her hair once more.
“Ugh. Human mate!? Gross! There’s no way she looks anything like me!”
Eric stopped and turned, his eyes firing dagger’s at the leggy blonde. Lana saw blood in his eyes and her smile dropped immediately.
“You’re right.” He said. “She looks nothing like you.”
Lana looked shocked for a moment, then she smiled and her eyebrows danced, as if she was flattered.
“She’s beautiful. And you’re ugly. Ugly as you are on the inside. She’s nothing like you and she never will be, and that’s why I love her.”
The words stunned Lana into silence, along with the rest of the room. Eric’s admission even stunned himself for half a second. He glowered at Lana, whose mouth was stammering in effort to say something in return. It was to Eric’s satisfaction that the mouthy blonde had nothing to say for what must have been the first time ever.
He turned on his heels and thundered out of the room without another word.
*
As Claire retold her life before Castle Belmont, Sophia sat in the water quietly, listening intently to her words. Claire skirted around some details, giving Sophia the basics of who she was and what her life was before she came here. As always, her thoughts of her previous life were vague. She was already looking ahead to her future with an eagerness, putting as much distance between her past and present as possible.
“It’s beautiful down here.” Claire said, trying to shift the focus of conversation away from her. “I almost feel like I’m in some luxury hotel.”
“We did think about getting a steam room and a sauna fitted.” Sophia joked. “But even Atticus drew the line at that one. Looks like we’ve still got plenty of time until we’re due back to see Eric. I could show you the blood bank, but something tells me you wouldn’t be so interested in seeing that.”
“Blood bank?” Claire swallowed.
“It’s not nearly as tragic as it sounds. Both Eric and myself are something of an anomaly here at Castle Belmont. Most other vampires tend to hunt their food. We lost the taste for such activities a long time ago.”
“But how does it work? Do you need blood to live?”
“Unfortunately. We have tried to go without it, tried to reduce out uptake - but it’s no good. The side effects are too numerous. Headaches, nausea, trembling.”
“Sounds similar to the symptoms of people who go through addiction withdrawal.”
“So I’ve been told.” Sophia’s eyes flitted down to the ground and her smile faltered. She paused for a moment before looking back at Claire. “You never mentioned your family.”
“Huh?”
“When you were talking about your life just now. You never mentioned your family once. You mentioned you were a nurse, you mentioned you lived alone and that you wanted children - but you didn’t mention anything about family.”
Claire stared down into the water, studying the reflection of the torches as they danced on the rippling black canvas. “I was always something of a black sheep. An outcast. I was always an outsider to them for some reason.”
Sophia sat in expectant silence, daring Claire to go on.
“I don’t know why.” She said. “But my parents always loved my sister so much more than me. And I know I wasn’t imagining it. She was their obvious favorite. I love my sister Lisa, and I think she loves me to an extent, but I always felt like I was on the outside looking in.”
“I’m sorry.” Sophia said. A smile came over her face. “Maybe you were just waiting to find your real family?”
Claire smiled at her words and she felt a warmth spread inside her at that thought again. The thought that maybe her place really was here with Eric at Castle Belmont. “Maybe.” She smiled and looked across the cavern.
“What about you Sophia? You certainly seem to have an eclectic family. Do you like it here at the castle? How long have you been here?”
“Our family first settled in this castle in the 17th century, but we tend to move around quite a bit. I was actually born in Florence, and we spent much of my childhood traveling around Europe. When I reached adulthood my father said it was time for him to return back to Castle Belmont. He said the rest of us were free to move about as we wished, but we must return to the castle once a year to stay within the family favor, and we have to carry out our duty when it is required of us.”
“Duty?”
“It can mean many different things.” Sophia rolled her eyes and waved a hand. “For the most part it’s not something that comes up that often.”
“So there’s Eric, Wraith and you?”
“And Veronica.” Sophia reminded her. “My oldest sister. You’ll meet her at some point. She’s… not like me, but she’s no Wraith ever. It’s been a while since we’ve all lived together in one place. I think now that father is getting older, it is important for us to be here, as the reigns transfer over to Eric.”
“And what about your love life Sophia?” Claire smiled. “Is there anyone special out there for you? Or someone in the castle perhaps?”
Melancholy seemed to wash across Sophia’s face and her smile disappeared quickly. “There was maybe once. I’m not so sure any more.”
Claire sensed that the topic was sensitive for Sophia and she decided to move on from it. “Well if Veronica is anything like you I’m sure she’s a treasure. You’re certainly the nicest vampire I’ve met so far.”
Sophia smiled, some of the happiness returning to her face. “Veronica is okay. She can be a bit of a nightmare sometimes. Of all my brothers and sisters Eric is my favorite. Wraith is… well. Wraith is Wraith.”
“Was he always like this?” Claire asked, thinking back to the brief but horrific entanglement she’d had with the man.
“Who Wraith? Oh heavens no.” Sophia sat up straight, puzzlement upon her face. “Didn’t - didn’t Eric tell you what happened to him?”
“…no? Whatever do you mean?”
Sophia looked around the cavern as if to check no one was listening in on their conversation. She leaned it as if to whisper a deadly secret to Claire when an alarm sprung from over Claire’s shoulder.
“Christ!” They both jumped at the noise. Claire turned around and grabbed her phone from her pile of clothes, silencing the alarm. Claire looked down at the time on her phone, seeing that they were late for meeting with Eric.
“That was the alarm for meeting Eric back at your room. It was supposed to go off a half hour ago. We’re late!” Claire climbed from out of the pool hurriedly, Sophia following quickly behind.
“Oh crap.” Sophia ran to the wall and grabbed two towels for them both to dry off. “I must have messed it up with undead mumbo jumbo. I’m sorry!”
“It’s alright. Thanks.” Claire grabbed a towel from Sophia and they both dried themselves down, changing hurriedly back into their clothes.
“Come on then. Let’s hurry back to my room. Hopefully Eric is still waiting for us there. I don’t like to keep my brother waiting. He’s patient but I don’t want to keep him from you. He gets a temper when he’s kept from his Claire…”
Claire laughed to herself as Sophia locked the door to the caverns behind them. She felt a strange sense of pride whenever she heard people talking about how protective Eric was over her.
They walked back up through the gardens of the castle, into the main walls through one of the many side entrances.
“I must say I’m looking forward to having a little niece or nephew.”
Claire heard Sophia’s words, and for the first time the idea struck her that if all things went to plan, she would be pregnant with Eric’s child at some point in the coming weeks. She had been so preoccupied with exploring his body, and letting him explore hers, that she’d completely forgot about the end goal of their coming together. Eric had abducted her in the first place for the suitability of her womb.
“I don’t understand any of this… ‘breeder’ stuff.” Claire said as they walked through the castle back to Sophia’s room. “How does Eric know that I’m a breeder? When will we be able to…” She trailed off at the end of the sentence, unwilling to question Eric’s own sister on the nature of their sex life.
“You’ll know soon.” Sophia said, half blushing in realization at the delicacy of the topic. “As for knowing if you’re a breeder or not. It’s pretty obvious to vampires of the opposite sex if a human is a breeder or not. Or senses are much higher than that of humans, and apparently breeders are absolutely enticing to Vampires.”
“Well that would explain why he can never keep his hands off me.” Claire joked. Then her face flushed with mortification as she realized what she had said to Eric’s sister. “Oh goodness, I’m so sorry!”
“It’s alright!” Sophia giggled. “To be honest I have a morbid curiosity about it all. I don’t really want to know what you guys have been up to while you’ve been here of course, but this is all as new to me as it is to you and Eric. The last time there was a breeder in the castle was when my mother was here, that was over twenty years ago. We haven’t seen one since.”
“So you never knew her?” Claire asked. “She died before you were born?”
“Mother? Heavens no, I knew here for the better part of a century…”
Claire’s eyes widened at Sophia’s admission. “Of course.” She shook her head. “I’m constantly forgetting age doesn’t effect vampires the same way. I’ve been thinking of you as the same age as me.”
Sophia smiled. “It’s okay, I’ll take it as a compliment. As for this breeder stuff, the one person you’ll be best of asking is Ira… and hey! Speak of the devil!”
As they rounded the top of a staircase Claire and Sophia were faced with the Victorian clad doctor. Ira stood with a book to his eyes, studying the words intensely as he stood in the middle of the corridor.
“Ira, hey!” Sophia called out to the doctor and approached him eagerly. Claire followed closely behind.
“Huh? What?” Ira turned his head at the last moment in an almost languid shock. “Oh! Sophia! Claire!” The two vampires kissed air and Ira tucked the thick leather tome beneath his arm.
“What are you two lovely women up to tonight?”
“I was just giving Claire a tour of the grounds and the pools.” Sophia sang.
“Ah most fascinating!” Ira beamed, rocking on his heels. “I trust Master Eric is treating you fair Claire? Is everything going alright with your consummation?”
Things were going very well. That was what Claire wanted to say. She’d had more orgasms in the last week then she’d had in her entire life. She stammered, stalling for her brain to conjure up a more diplomatic answer.
“Things are going great actually, thanks. Eric is a royal tease.”
Ira beamed at her words, knowing full well what she meant. “Ah yes! Well, it’s all part of the process you see, we need to make sure that you’re ready for best chance…” Ira trailed off at the end of his sentence, and his eyes flicked down over Claire’s body rapidly. Claire barely noticed the gesture, but there was something about it that made her feel uneasy.
“In fact Ira, there were a few things I’ve been meaning to ask you about the whole process -”
“Well my dear, there’s a book in the library I can get you should you need instruction…”
“No.” Claire laughed. “Not help with that. Just - how do I know when I’ll be ready? Eric keeps saying I’ll know when I’ll know, but what does that mean?”
“Ah yes. Well… from reading the journals of Belladonna, I am familiar with the subject somewhat. She detailed her sessions in rather explicit detail, and even though her breeder was a male, I believe the sensations are the same for both parties regardless.”
“So, is there anything I can expect? Some tell tale sign to let me know when I’m ready.”
“There was one passage I remember in particular.” Ira said, pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. “Where the lady Belladonna describes herself going into a heightened frenzy of passion. If I can recall verbatim she described it so:
‘My libido has swelled to a great ocean of fire, which rages across my skin like lashes of flame. My whole body tingles with itching heat, and my mind craves nothing else other than to feel the flesh of my lover sheathed between the cup of my red flower. My eyes burn to see him, my mouth burns to kiss him, my hands burn to touch.’”
Ira coughed gently, indicating that he had finished his recollection.
“Well…” Claire felt her face blushing once more.
“Quite the vivid picture.” Sophia said with one eyebrow raised.
“Quite! I can fetch the journal from the archives if you like?”
“No it’s alright.” Claire smiled. “We best be going anyway Ira. Eric is expecting us, but thank you for your words.”
They said goodbye to the doctor and continued down the hall. As they walked Claire looked back and caught the doctor staring at her once more. A chill passed over her and she ran forward a few paces to catch up to Sophia.
They reached Sophia’s room a few minutes later. Upon arriving there, there was no sign of Eric, so they decided to wait, assuming that he would be back there at some point. Sophia sat Claire at her dressing table, platting her hair while she stood behind her. As she decorated Claire’s hair in all manners of fancy, they made idle chit chat as they waited for Eric.
“The journal was funny aye? Was it any use to you?”
Claire smiled at Sophia in the mirror.
“Perhaps. Her language was certainly… descriptive - that’s for sure.”
They laughed together, and fell into a peaceful silence, Claire almost feeling half drowsy as Sophia’s nimble fingers danced through her hair, twisting it into a thing of beauty.
“You’re good at this.”
“Decades of practice.”
As Sophia worked her magic on Claire’s hair, Claire stared into the mirror at the girl looking back at her, the girl that was so different from the one she had been just a week ago. She thought of the words in Belladonna’s journal, the description of skin burning like fire as a sign of a breeder being ready. She brought her mind to the dull sensation of heat across her own body, the sensation she had first noticed when she had woke this morning. It was nothing like the description in the journal, but it was definitely something, and Claire knew that it meant the end of her release was near.
She closed her eyes and saw her lover standing before her. She removed his clothes and pushed him back onto black velvet, spreading her legs as she mounted him, pushing him inside of her, groaning as she felt him fill her completely.
The space between her legs tingled as she sat on the chair, unable to draw her thoughts to anything else. Prickles of heat flared across her skin as she thought of Eric, rising steadily with each moment. Her body was starting to burn for him, and soon, he would mount her, whether he thought she was ready or not.