She shrugged and pointed to the kettle. “That’s weird. Want some tea before bed?"
"Yes, thanks," I said and sat on a stool at the island. While she poured hot water over the tea, I wondered if I would actually go through with it and return to him once Chelsea was asleep.
Despite my fear, and despite knowing I shouldn't go to him, I knew I would.
Kier
Everything was new to me.
I wandered through the cottage, examining the devices in wonder at what the world had become since I'd been imprisoned. The material the devices were made from was like nothing I'd ever seen – dark glass, hard shiny materials. It was a fabrication that was unknown to me.
The lights were electrical in design, emitting a hum that was always just in the background of my super-sensitive ears. While we had electrical lights in Montreal where my family lived, they weren't like these. This light fixture turned on at a touch, increasing in intensity each time I touched it, before turning off. I explored every device, eager for Calla to return so she could show them to me and explain their function.
It was a world of wonder.
What had become of my family in my absence? When I left for San Francisco, my father had been sleeping for over a century and planned to sleep for another, disturbed with the wars in France so much that he vowed to sleep for three centuries, in the hopes that humanity would find its way to peace instead of incessant war. He was only to be woken in the event that anyone in his family was harmed or in any way threatened. With my abduction and imprisonment, I expected that my brother would wake him and the other elders so they could find me and bring me home. That over a century had passed and I still had to escape on my own was shocking to me.
Surely, my family had sent soldiers to find me?
While my prison was well-hidden, it was difficult for me to believe no one had thought to look there. I would be extremely curious to discover the efforts my brother made to find me, and was eager to get back to The City and the bosom of my loving family. Knowing they were looking for me was the only thing that kept me alive for all those years I spent as a dried out husk of a vampire.
I waited until close to midnight, not wanting to leave the cottage until I knew Calla's friend was asleep. No need to involve another in this drama. I would if I had to, but I didn't want to endanger yet another young human.
When Calla still hadn't arrived despite how quiet the house had become, I slipped out of the cottage and went to stand in silence outside the window to the main house.
All was quiet except for an old grandfather clock in the living room. I stood outside the window to Calla's bedroom and watched, then went to the side door and waited, wondering if I could cross the threshold. As I waited, Calla walked through the house towards the door, wearing only a thin night dress. When she opened the door, she saw me and gasped, covering her mouth. When she jumped back, I stopped her, a finger to her lips.
“Shh. Don’t want to wake Chelsea.”
Then I held out my hand and she took it, obedient to my command. I had already implanted a suggestion in her mind using my powers of compulsion so she would obey me, not resisting anything I requested. It was the only thing that kept humans from killing us off and vampires coveted our ability to control them.
Calla looked frustrated, her pretty brow furrowed. “Do you have some kind of vampire power to make humans do what you want?”
I smiled and pulled her away from the cottage. “Something like that. Come.”
She complied and together, we walked hand in hand down the path to the guesthouse.
I opened the door and waved her in.
“I thought you weren’t able to come to me,” I said and closed the door behind us, locking the deadbolt. “I see you were obeying me. I’m pleased.”
“I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
“No, but you’re quite impertinent,” I said and smiled, enjoying her rebellious nature. “I like a bit of a will, but not too much. Now,” I said and pointed to the sofa. “Please have a seat. Can I fix you something to drink? I found a stock of alcohol in the kitchen cupboard. There’s scotch and white rum.”
She made a face. “No, thanks.”
“Very well.”
&
nbsp; I stood across from the sofa and watched Calla for a moment. She sat still, averting her eyes. I could sense her fear, and could only imagine what she was thinking. Did her kind know much about vampires? Or had we succeeded in keeping our presence a myth, a story to be told around the fireplace?
I hoped the latter, because I couldn't imagine we would be able to fight modern humans if they knew we existed. The weapons I had seen while perusing a magazine I found in a pile on the coffee table were advanced beyond any design I knew.
I sat beside her and smiled when she jumped, shocked at how fast I had moved. I took her hand in mine, enjoying the feel of her warm skin in my much cooler hand.
“Are you going to kill me?” she whispered.