When we reached the hallway where my rooms were located, my brother paused to look at the artwork. The paintings that hung on the wall were very beautiful and very old. They’d been carefully painted over many years, and the artist had been very particular with each and every one. Most of the paintings featured a vampire couple, but a few featured a single solitary vamp.
“Did you do this yourself?” Norman gestured to the paintings.
“You know that I didn’t.”
“Elizabeth?” He raised an eyebrow, curious.
I nodded but said nothing. He should have known better than to bring her up. Why the hell did he insist on bringing up my dead wife? I missed her terribly, and I had since the day she died. When she’d been staked, I’d felt a part of my soul die. It had been an entire year since she’d passed away, but I was still suffering the side effects of t
hat loss.
When vampires mated, they mated for eternity. I wasn’t supposed to lose her like that. We’d done everything we could to try to bring her back. Alice, Ida, and I had consulted with witches and wizards and I’d even spoken to a couple of demons to see if they had any advice, but the consensus had been the same.
Once a vampire was dead – truly dead – there was no bringing them back.
She’d already gotten a second chance at life by receiving the ability to live forever. There wasn’t going to be another shot by bringing her back from the pile of ash that she was now. When she’d been staked, she’d turned to dust. That was what happened. There were few ways to kill a vampire, but stakes were always a solid choice. Apparently, everyone knew that.
I just wished it was something I could unlearn.
“I’m sorry about your wife,” Norman said. My head whipped around. That was the most normal thing my brother had ever said to me. In fact, it sounded almost kind.
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, get off your high horse,” he waved his hand. “Don’t look so surprised. I’m not completely heartless.”
“You never liked her,” I said, trying to figure out what his angle was. For years, he’d made it clear that Elizabeth was the bane of his existence. Anytime I’d tried to spend time with him while she was around, he’d lose his mind. Elizabeth, on the other hand, had been endlessly patient with my brother. He'd come to her funeral, yes, but I’d been in a trance. I’d been in a pain-induced daze and had barely registered his presence. Ida was the one who reminded me he had come.
“I never said I didn’t like her.”
“You constantly said you didn’t like her.”
Norman shook his head and turned back to the paintings.
“What’s done is done,” he said. “And the past is in the past.”
“And let sleeping dogs lie?” I asked dryly.
“If you insist,” he said, turning back.
For a moment, I had a glimpse of the brother I knew. He was ruthless, just as I could be. He was heartless. He ruled his city with pain and fear. I tried to rule mine with a gentle hand. No, I didn’t let my citizens know that I was secretly a softie, but I did my best to make sure the people in Darkvale were safe. I did everything I could to make sure they were cared for and protected.
“Well then, why don’t you show me where I’ll be staying?” Norman crossed his arms over his broad chest. He tried to look innocent, but the gesture didn’t work on me. What was he planning? Why had he come here? I knew it hadn’t been a social call. That much was certain.
“Of course,” I said. “You have the best room in the house.”
“Aside from yours,” he pointed out.
“Obviously.”
We made our way down the hall. My bedroom was at the very end of the hall on the left side. It overlooked the front of the house, the driveway, and the city. My brother’s room was the one across the hall. It overlooked the back of the house and the woods that surrounded it. Perhaps it was a bad idea to have my home back up to forests, but nothing lived there, and it was often relaxing to wander through the forest at night. I liked exploring and walking around. Being able to look up at the sky and just be was calming to me.
In a world where I missed my wife and where I was responsible for the safety of thousands of vampires, it could be overwhelming to protect my city. I needed places to stay calm. I needed ways to relax and calm myself.
On the other side of the woods were more houses, more citizens, and then finally, the walls that wound around all of Darkvale. Although the forest itself was quite small, it was still a wonderful place to spend some time. I should probably go there soon, I thought. I’d been feeling a bit tense and restless, after all.
I showed my brother to his room, and he walked in and assessed it. There were a few things he didn’t know, like there was a secret passageway that led directly into this room. Should he ever find himself locked in here, there was an escape. If I needed to break into the room for any reason, I’d have an easy way to.
There were listening devices throughout the room, as well. He’d be a fool if he didn’t suspect that much, though. My brother was cocky and stuck up, but he was also cunning. He was the kind of clever man who always thought people were out to get him. Usually, that was because people were.