Dietrich

The sun set, revealing the night and welcoming me into its fold. My world had always revolved around the darkness. It was how I was born and how I lived. I’d never known the sunlight and I might never know, but I’d grown accustomed to it. I was born after families of vampires were forced into darkness by a dark wizard hell-bent on destroying vampires.

It didn’t bother me like it bothered others because I’d never known another way. My life was dark and I kept it that way, but tonight I was going to a large masquerade ball given by the local wealthy human eager to become even wealthier. Most of us vampires were beyond wealthy because we had lived longer than all of them and had a special gift. Hearing the thoughts of humans made a difference when it came to smooth talking them into buying into our business offers.

I joined the family business in real estate. Vampires happened to own real estate because we’d been around for centuries. We had property in the Northwest Territories and throughout the southwest USA. I had received an invitation to this ball and nearly refused, but word had gone around through our vampire acquaintances that the daughter of the hosts couldn’t be heard. When a human female’s thoughts couldn’t be heard, she belonged to a vampire. After a hundred years, I was about ready to go through every damn state every night hunting for my mate.

The ball tonight would be filled with vampires from all around the US, looking to see if she was a mate. The problem was, we all didn’t get along. Just like humans, we had jealousy, competition, and hatred for others, especially those of us forced into the night and those who haven’t mated yet.

I hated several of them coming, but we were all in the same boat. Several of the vampires coming had waited much longer than me. Both of my friends Falcon and Draco were the oldest of the vampires who had to wait. They were nearly four hundred years old. They were located near Seattle, but they were willing to make it across the country to the east coast and the suburbs of Portland, Maine to see if the one was here. I couldn’t even be jealous if this woman was the one for one of them, but I hoped to fuck she was mine.

I opened my windows and took in the air before getting ready. I loved the night. I didn’t have a sight problem, so everything seemed clear to me like it would for someone in the daytime without the sun’s reflection to blind the vision. I’d watched the news and movies, and many people had to wear sunglasses in the daylight so that they could actually see. I had no urge to see the sunlight, but that was what scared me. What if my mate loved the light, and I would steal it from her? Could she live in darkness?

I shook off the thought. This girl probably wasn’t my mate either. After all, there were others coming tonight to see if she belonged to them. All we knew was that she was barely eighteen, isolated from the outside world and, more specifically, boys. Like many parents they didn’t want her having underage sex, but according to the one vampire who had met the family, it was more than that. They viewed her as eye candy for their guests. As if she was a trophy of beauty and brains that they could say they made. It was kind of sick; actually, it was completely sick. I wanted to help her out even if her mate wasn’t one of us. Maybe I’d take her anyway and give her a job and a place to stay. The poor girl apparently was smart and beautiful, but had no chance at a life outside her gilded cage. I was forced into the darkness, but I still had a life. A great one.

I turned to my favorite mirror. Yes, contrary to popular lore, we can look at our image. In fact, we happen to be very vain. It wasn’t my vanity, but rather the reason behind this mirror. It had a history rich in love. Only two were made for a Count and his bride. I wonder if the bride’s mirror was still in existence. I hadn’t been able to locate it. I hoped that it was in someone’s attic and that they would put it up for auction because it would be mine.

My suit was perfectly dark blue with a black dress shirt. My brown hair was a little longer on the top and shorter on the sides. It was perfect, and I had a matching mask my mother picked out. She couldn’t help herself. A century later, and I was still being treated as a loved child.

I shook my head at that, but I tucked the mask in my pocket because I wasn’t slipping it on until we pulled up to the valet. One more taut tug on my cuffs, then I lowered the windows and my steel blinds to protect me from the morning sun. Grabbing my invite, I headed out to my waiting truck.

“Good evening, sir. You look well rested and a bit nervous, I’d say.”

“Can you tell? It’s strange, but I feel nervous.” Cody was one of my employees. He didn’t know I was a vampire, but believed that I had a skin condition that made the sunlight harmful to my skin. It sure as hell was, but many humans suffered skin diseases all the time, thus giving many of us a great opportunity to be hiding the reason for our lack of sun.

“Yes. You’re actually sweating, and it’s in the low fifties.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” I sarcastically bit out. He was lucky I liked the kid.

“I’m just worried that you might need a doctor. I’ve never seen you look like this.”

“I’m fine. Trust me.” I wasn’t unhealthy at all, but they didn’t know that. I was feeling different the second I walked out the door. Perhaps it was the bit of hope that this woman could be the one or because I was ready to snap her father’s neck for making a future vampire suffer. She belonged to one of us unmated vampires, and that meant she was already one of us. His actions merited some suffering at the very least Perhaps his pocketbook might be the perfect way.

It took about an hour to get there on the highway. I wish I had teleportation abilities. I couldn’t really fly outside because people would fucking notice. With the world of cameras everywhere, I haven’t flown without sitting on a plane or helicopter in a long time.

My phone rang as we pulled off on the exit to a long road. It was my mother. “Hello, Mother,” I said, wondering if she was just as anxious about the possibility of a mate for me.

“Dietrich, be careful tonight. I have a bad feeling.” My eyes widened and my mouth parted slightly, but I was quick to mask my concern before my driver noticed.

“Mother, what do you mean?” She’d never said anything like that to me before. It was surprising, very surprising. She wasn’t gifted with visions of the future. I’d only heard of one who had that ability and she perished during the great war, Lady Lombardi, Falcon’s mother.

“I don’t know exactly, but I feel like this is a setup,” she answered in a hushed whisper. I wondered where she was that she had to speak softly.

“Mother, who would do such a thing? I mean, I’ve got enemies, but nothing that harsh.”

“I don’t know, Dietrich, but I feel that way.”

“Okay, well, I’ll be on the lookout.”