Well...this was tense and tremendously disturbing, I thought to myself as we started off down the long corridor like a couple of first cousins forced to attend prom together. Fortunately, the hallway was well lit, clean and devoid of anything remotely scary...except for the vampire walking beside me. He didn't say a word...not a peep and he looked like he had just stepped out of some million dollar multi-international boardroom, but don't let his sexy looks fool you. Underneath that perfectly pressed exterior lurked something so dangerous, he would make your scariest nightmares seem like lollipops and ice-cream with sprinkles.
It didn't help that the sound of my heels clicking with each step I took seemed to be a hundred times louder than what generally seemed necessary for a pair of shoes to make on marbled, tiled flooring. While Sinclair's footfalls on the other hand were completely silent, as was the vampire himself. It was like walking next to a ghost and was creeping me out. Not even his clothing dared to make a sound as he walked and needless to say, each echoing click, click, click of my footsteps was shattering my anxiety like glass and putting me more on edge.
Not only was I tromping like a Clydesdale pulling a beer wagon on the Fourth of July, but for every one of his long, stylish strides, I had to take two to keep up...so basically, I was doing an awkward trot beside him which made the sound unsteady and disjointed. I tried to think light thoughts like I was a feather or a super stealthy ninja and put an end to the deafening click, click, click. But, sadly, all I accomplished was to look like I was having lurching body spasms.
"Are you alright?" He looked down at me, his dark gaze flicking dismissively over me as he frowned.
"Just Jim Dandy," I muttered back. For the first time since slipping on these shoes, I sort of regretted my decision. Yes...they were beautiful...incredibly, fantastically beautiful...but, a very small, teeny, tiny part of me thought perhaps I would have been better off in a pair of something like my old Crocs. I shuddered at the thought and swallowed hard as I vomited a little. Immediately, I banished the thought before it made me violently ill.
Of all the things Fang blew up in my house, I was not the least bit sorry those dreadful shoes had went up in smoke...along with those appalling Superpumper uniforms. It made me dang near giddy with joy to know I would never have to be draped in orange again. Don't get me wrong, I totally get that there are rules and safety issues and all the blah, blah, blah in the workplace, but seriously...a little fashion forward thinking never hurt. I had constantly tried to talk to Brion the Boob into something a little trendier, but he obstinately refused, sticking to the uncool and boring garb that had been the bane of my existence.
I looked down at the set of exquisiteness adorning my feet. No...I made the right decision. Just because these vamps could practically float when they walked didn't mean I had to drop my coolness torch. There was no rest for the fashionable and apparently, no way to be quiet about it either.
"Melanie."
Sinclair's sharp voice cut through my introspection and startled me to the point of making me skitter across the floor. It wasn't exactly a shout, but it definitely was a cool command, forcing me to pay attention and I had to grab on his arm to keep from face-planting onto the marble. The look he gave me for having wrinkled his shirt, made me jerk my hand back as if it had been burned.
"Yes?" I said, trying to sound casual, but actually sounding like I had just pinched my finger in a car door. Okay, so my coolness torch was more like a penlight, so sue me.
"I was wondering if I may have a closer inspection of your person?"
Closer inspection of my person? That didn't sound good. I mean...it sounded elegant coming out of his accented mouth...if you weren't the one about to be inspected. Images of those frogs we dissected in high school came to mind. Only instead of Kermit, I imagined it would be me spread out and pinned to a tar tray.
"Why?" I stepped back, not sure I liked where this conversation was going. Nervously, my eyes darted around. We were standing in the middle of a corridor in an area with no doors. Drat! I had no doubt even if I did try to make a break for it, he would surely catch me. The whole tall, dark and sinister thing he had going on wasn't just for vampy show.
"Please excuse my boldness," he said, giving me a little tight grin. "There have been other experiments before you, but none of those specimens have been so..." he paused, giving me another one of his intense onceovers, "complete," he finally finished.
"Complete?" You got me on that one. I didn't have a clue what he was talking about. After all, I had been turned into a vampire, not built into one like an erector set. I had come into this game fully assembled and therefore, had no missing parts I was aware of. I looked down at my hands and wiggled 10 little fingers and counted 10 little toes peeking out from the toes of my shoes. Yup...all accounted for.
"Yes. The others were less...aware than yourself." A shadow seemed to pass over his face, before it quickly disappeared and the blank slate returned.
I had a feeling he was being overly politically correct in his descriptions, but it did finally ignite the dim light bulb in my head. I had heard mention of these 'others' before. Nico-lame had said it with pure disgust in his voice. Where Sinclair had more of curiosity vibe going on. Either way, it still didn't exactly give me the warm fuzzy feeling to be referred to as an experiment or a specimen for that matter.
"What do you want to inspect?" I asked, suspicion dripping off my tongue as I took another few steps away from the approaching vampire. That's it, I was never leaving home without my spoon shovel again.
"Nothing overly intrusive, I promise," he murmured.
Not waiting for me to actually give him permission, he grabbed my face with both hands and pulled me towards him. He had moved so fast, I hadn't even noticed until it was too late. The fact he could manipulate me so easily, gave me an indication at his superior strength. I tested it a bit by trying to draw away from him, but it was like trying to escape being incased in cement. I was stuck in his grasp and hostage to his whim until he decided to let me go. It was déjà vu all over again. Only this time, at least his hands were warm compared to Nico-lame's cold and clammy touch. Not much of a silver lining, but at this point...I would take anything positive I could get.
Tilting my head this way and that, his eyes scanned every centimeter of my face. Holy Moses on a pogo stick! With as closely as he was looking at me, I hoped like hell I didn't have a pimple, blackhead or booger hanging out of my nose.
"Open," he demanded.
He didn't say it, but I assumed he was talking about my mouth. Deciding it was at least nice of him to sort of ask rather than shoving his fingers into my mouth, I reluctantly opened. But, I swear to God, if so much a pinky finger slips in, I was going to chomp on that sucker like a Cheetos. As if he could hear my thoughts, he removed his fingers from anywhere near the vicinity of my mouth and continued touching my face, examining me like I was a hundred dollar bill he was checking for authenticity.
"You are indeed a vampire," he said at last, releasing me so quickly, I fell down with a plop onto the floor.
"Yay me," I muttered, ignoring his proffered hand and scrambling back to my feet. Wiping off my now sore bum, I glared at him. "Can I get an official vampire stamp of approval or identification card? Maybe a decoder ring or secret handshake so vamps can stop inspecting my person every time I meet one."
His stone faced expression almost cracked with a smile. "Again, my apologies." He ran a hand over his chin and continued to stare at me, his lips twitching as if he was amused with his inner thoughts. "Come, Melanie, let us get you to the kitchens, shall we?"
He turned on his heel and proceed silently back down the corridor, leaving me standing there gawking after him. What was that all about? With a shake of my head, I grudgingly trudged off to catch up with him.
"You mentioned others. Are there more vampires like me?" I asked, slightly panting. Damn, the man could move.
He gave me a sideway glance and at first I didn't think he was going to answer, but eventually, he gave a brief nod of his head and continued forward.
The guy wasn't exactly Wikipedia.
"Where?" If he thought I was going to drop the subject, then he was in for a real experience. I was the undisputed champion of 'Are We There Yet?'. I could literally drive a person insane. Don't believe me? Ask my third set of foster parents. You can reach them at a lovely psychiatric home called Shady Acres. They have finger painting on Thursdays.
A long sigh escaped his lips and he sounded like a deflating balloon. "We are unsure of their location, but are looking."
"How do you know they exist? Have you met any?" A little bubble of excitement developed in my gut or it could have been gas. I was never too sure about those kinds of things.
"Before yourself, two."
"Where are they now?" Holy moly! I could have siblings! Wait...would we be related? I mean, Frankenstein created his monster and then a female version with awesome highlights who then became his bride. So...I guess if we are created then we are not related, unless old Frank was into the whole incest thing, which...ewwww.
He stopped so abruptly, that I tromped right past him and had to turn back around.
"I think this is a conversation better suited to have with your mate.' I couldn't miss the slight rising of his brow and look of amusement when he said the word mate. Drat! Did everyone know my business around here?
"Well he's not here to ask, now is he?" I said with a little added sarcasm, putting my hands on my hips and scowling up at him. Come to think of it, I was surprised he wasn't and...disappointed. For a guy who claimed I was his Queen, the reason for his moon tide or whatever it was he declared, he sure did give up easily. The big jerk. Yes, I am aware of how fickle I sound. One minute I am sending him away and the next I wanted him back. I don't quite get it either, so don't be expecting me to explain it any time soon.
"It is unavoidable he is not with you at the moment," Sinclair said with a slight shrug of his massive shoulders. "He was needed out in the field."
"Field?" Panic filled my stomach and turned it into knots faster than a kitten could a ball of yarn. I had no idea what exactly the field was, but I was pretty damn sure it had nothing to do with something sporty. Fang wasn't the type of guy who would stand out in right field waiting for a popup fly ball. "What is he doing out in the field?" Plowing, I hoped.
Sinclair took off at a brisk pace once again and I jogged alongside him, following like a Chihuahua nipping at his heels.
"The elders are hunting for you and will stop at nothing to accomplish their goal." He gave me another sidelong glance, his lips pulled into a tight line and his jaw clenched tightly. "In the process, many of our safe houses are being torn apart and destroyed in their searching. Immortals who are not loyal to them are in danger."
I gulped. "In danger of what?"
He stopped and blinked down at me, cocking his head to the side. "Death, of course."
"Death?" I squeaked out. Gah! Why was I still doing the parrot thing? Every time he said something it seemed I could do little more than repeat it, but to be fair...I wasn't expecting him to say that. "Why would they kill immortals? I thought they were...you know...like the vampire equivalent of owning pets?"
He gave me a long, hard, curious look and then made an annoyed noise. Not a snort per say. He was way too classy to make such a peasant sound, but it definitely got the point across. "First, immortals are only loyal to those who turned them and their decedents. Hence, why bringing Courtanya here was very foolish and possibly detrimental to all those involved. They are not, nor have they ever been...our pets," he hissed out through gritted teeth. "The Elders care little of life, Vamprye or immortal. A lesson I would have thought you had learned quite well during your time being hung up in their dungeons. Nicolai would have had no feelings of remorse for killing his King in order to gain the power he seeks and even less for the immortals who he considers below him."
There was something about the scorn in his voice that got my dander up. Doing my best to ignore the shock waves of power radiating out from the dark glow of his eyes, I lifted my chin and met his deadpan stare straight on. "Courtanya is loyal to me," I fibbed. Well...it wasn't really a lie. She did, after all, save my life and kept me from being staked by her malicious mistress. That's pretty loyal in my book...if you look past all the deranged murder attempts.
He raised an eyebrow. "Are you certain about that?" he asked, looming over me like Bela Lugosi. All he needed to complete the look was the weird mood lighting emphasizing his eyes as he peered over his cloak at me with evil intent.
"Y...yes," I stuttered out. Of course, I wasn't absolutely a hundred percent positive about it, but I was kind of certain. Maybe. At the very least she seemed to be extremely devoted to Fang and the whole monarchy shtick. Hopefully, some of that loyalty would rub off on me just due to being in his general proximity. Loyalty through osmosis, kind of thing. And they said I never paid attention in school. "Besides, she's the size of an Oompa Loompa, how much trouble could she cause to a huge group of big, powerful vampires?" I snorted like a pig looking for truffles. Seriously, if I could survive umpteen assassination attempts, surely these warrior vamps could with their eyes closed and one hand tied behind their backs. Hell, I would probably pay money to see it.
He smoothed his dark hair with an impeccably manicured hand. No hangnails or crooked nails for him. Too bad it was a wasted motion, considering his hair was perfectly in place.
"I see," he said calmly, but his tone was less than convinced. "Let us hope what you speak is the truth."
"I am," I said cheekily. Sort of...I added under my breath. "I was just on my way to the kitchen to find her." He gave me strange little scowl and I rushed on. "She likes to stay by my side. I wouldn't want her to worry." Nervously, I shifted from one foot to the other and hoped the Compound was lightning bolt proof.
Sinclair paused, glanced down the hallway and then back at me. His lips quirked into what could only be described as an unpleasant smile. "Why didn't you say so? She's no longer in the kitchens."
I waited for him to tell me where my little minion was, but he seemed to be enjoying making me work for it. "Where is she?" I asked as politely as a person possibly could while rolling their eyes.
"In the asylum."
My mouth fell open in the fly-catching position for a couple of minutes before I realize it and snapped it shut. "The asylum?" I gulped. Yes...I am aware I was repeating again. Just call me freaking Polly already and get it over with. Anything would be better than having to tromp up to that haunted dump.
Grabbing my elbow, he quickly led me to the end of the corridor where there were only two choices, left or right. "Head down this way," he said pointing to the right, "and continue on straight ahead. You will run into a staircase that shall take you to where you wish to go."
"Aren't you coming?"
"Regretfully, I cannot."
Yeah...he didn't look the least bit regretful about it. Spinning around, he effectively dismissed me without so much as a backwards glance and continued on this way down the opposite hallway.
I turned to head in the direction he indicated when it occurred to me he never did answer my question.
"You never told me what Fang...urm...I mean Drake is doing out in the field?"
"He is ensuring the safety of our people and the immortals from being slaughtered by the Elder guard," he turned and glanced at me over his shoulder. "And to the safety of his Queen."
Author's Note:
Have we decided whether Sinclair is on Mel's side or not? Hmmm... time will only tell. Will Mel ever make it to retrieve her Bubbles and will knowing Fang is out risking his life for her, change her mind? Stay tuned to find out!
I hope you enjoyed this latest installment of FANGED and if you liked it, you will consider giving it a vote. I love hearing from you and comments are always appreciated. If you don't see any updates here, feel free to check out my other works Bending Steele, When Roses Collide and Steal You Away.
The next installment of FANGED will be October 28th!
As always, thank you for reading!
Sincerely,
K