Chapter Seven - Lola
Monday
He locked me in the basement in a pathetic attempt to show me he was the boss. He thought he could break me. He failed, miserably. I thought I wouldn’t fall for him, and I failed too. Right after getting locked in the Harem, I found out everything there was to find out — the girls like to talk. Most of them are vampires, and from among the humans only a fraction have been forced, but even they have grown to like it. The ones who get pregnant move to the other floors, live as humans or vampires — whatever they choose. I am not used to the attention, having never got any in my entire life, so it is strange for me to have a man be so interested in getting my attention, which is why I am withholding it. It was nothing one day and then it turned into something the next day, and when you have been deprived of something all your life, you try to hold on to it when you get that something. My experiences with men and dating haven’t gone so well in the past, so here I am trying to appear strong and powerful, while I am empty and hollow inside.
I like his touch, the way he holds me after drilling the life out of me. His hand is cupping my breast, and his arm is around me like I am his property. But I still feel like it is a fad, like he will soon be done with me, so I have to continue playing the game. He has already badgered me with questions, like why haven’t I left if I can? The truth is that I don’t know too much magic or spells, and even if I did, I don’t have the ingredients. In a fortress chock full of vampires, how can I leave without getting caught?
Suddenly I have this weird cramp, a warm feeling in my stomach. It must be the vampire food, I think, although I had only had human food and it was very normal.
“I don’t feel so well,” I tell him. He looks at me with his stone cold eyes, his mouth moving to form words, but nothing comes out. Clearly, he hasn’t dealt with sickness in however long he has been a vampire. A wave of nausea hits me and I get up to run to the bathroom, but I can’t make it. Kneeling on the floor of the Harem, I throw up. What comes out is mostly water, but the strange thing is the way the girls in the room look at me. I look up, embarrassed, sitting on the floor naked. They start talking among themselves as if discussing something important, then start nodding their heads. One of them smiles at me, then two others, and then almost all of them look gleeful. Valnoir comes with a bedspread and wraps it around me.
“Let’s go back upstairs,” he says. This is a kind gesture, free from his usual petulant behavior, and it feels like things are beginning to change at that moment. I don’t give him shit either. We saunter back upstairs to his room. He brings me food and drinks and then gets in bed with me. Even though I haven’t really done anything aside from having wild sex, I feel exhausted. We have sex again and then we just lie in bed, naked, our bodies intertwined. We don’t say much, just enjoy being together in each others’ arms. His hand runs around my body, fickly changing its attention from one part to another.
When morning comes, I sleep and he stays with me in bed. At least he is there when I go to sleep and is right beside me when I wake up. A week in the vampire house has me living by their hours, as the same hours were kept in the Harem downstairs. I wake up in the evening to the usual din of the place.
“Oh, you brought my clothes upstairs,” I say, seeing my clothes on the dresser.
“Yeah,” he says. “The girls at the Harem are saying the craziest things about you.”
I pull him closer and kiss him, then nuzzle up closer and bury my face in his neck. “What are they saying?”
“Well, they aren’t the brightest, but they seem to think you are pregnant. How ridiculous is that?”
“That’s hilarious,” I say with a laugh. “But we won’t have to wait too long to find out. My period starts in two or three days.”
“Yeah? Let’s see whether you get a period or an abortion.”
“Why would I get an abortion?” I ask, rather annoyed at the absurdity of the question.
“Err…because we didn’t plan a baby.”
There’s a knock on the door and then an old, glamorous woman enters without permission.
“Lady Mary,” he says. “What brings you to my room?”
I gather up the sheet to quickly cover myself. “Your father sent me to take her upstairs.”
“Whatever for?” he asks, incredulous.
“I am sure you already know what for,” she replies, then looks at me. “Come with me.”
“Give me a minute, I gotta dress up,” I tell her.
“I will wait outside the room,” she says, and leaves.
“What’s that all about?”
“I don’t know,” he says.
I get off the bed and start to get dressed. As I’m leaving, he says, “We aren’t done talking about this.”
“About what?”
“The improbable pregnancy.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I say, and leave.
I join Lady Mary outside, and she asks me to follow her. We climb a single set of stairs and make our way through the lavish corridor to a room. She knocks and then opens the door herself, urging me to go inside. I follow her in. There is someone lying on the bed, her back toward us.
“She’s here,” Lady Mary announces.
The old lady turns around.
“Grandma?!”