“Is he still under the influence of the drug?” Victor asked.
Daniel shrugged, “Until he feeds, he’ll probably be less than a hundred
percent.” He looked down at Taylor, “…which pretty much defeats our
purpose.” Taylor looked back at him, making a mental note to continue his
camera search when the opportunity arose. “Come along, you need to feed. On
tonight’s menu we have a slightly used blonde, a classy brunette—sort of in
the vein of your Beatriz,” he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows, “and a
little mouse who’s a bit on the chunky side.” He clapped his hands together,
“So, what sounds good to you?”
Taylor eyed him, “How about you?”
“What, you want to know what I had for dinner?” Daniel asked, confused.
“No, I’d like to feed from you.” Taylor replied.
Victor stepped closer then, “I’m going to assume that is some sick joke on
your part and you know what would happen if you ever attempted such a thing.”
Taylor just looked at him.
“He knows.” Daniel said. “Get up and join us in the parlour. We shall be
waiting.”
“I’m not hungry, so don’t worry about it.” Taylor said.
“You need to feed, so we’ll be looking for you.” Victor said, turning for
the door.
“I’ll get my own food when I’m hungry.” Taylor replied, turning away
from them.
“Not for a while, my young friend.” Daniel stated. “I’d hate to see you
being pursued through the streets in order to get you back here. You can be hard
to track down at times.”
“I’m not hungry.” Taylor said again.
“That’s fine. We shall see you momentarily.” Daniel went out the door,
leaving Taylor alone. Mentally, he flipped him off, then closed his eyes again.
The drug was gone but the sluggish feeling remained as the lack of fresh blood
to jump start his system had never come.
Ten minutes passed and he looked up to see the one known as Joshua standing over
him. “We tire of waiting.” He stated. Taylor shut his eyes again. There were
no words, only the feel of the man’s iron grip pulling him out of the bed and
into a standing position. “You will join us, now.” He spat, pushing Taylor
in front of him.
As they stepped into the “parlour”, Taylor saw the other four men there.
“Ah, very good.” Daniel said. “You’ve met everyone here, but do you need
your memory refreshed?” He asked.
Taylor shook his head and just stood there. Balthazar looked at him, “You’re
wearing the same clothes as yesterday. I hope you aren’t one of those who
likes the smell of the last three days’ prey.”
“He’s young, he’s just now waking up. I’m sure as soon as he’s fed
he’ll feel like cleaning up.” Nicholai said, his gray eyes scanning
Taylor’s wrinkled clothing.
“I’m sure you’re right.” Daniel said. “So, Taylor, what’s your
poison tonight?” He gestured to Victor who stepped over to a door and pulled
it open. Inside, three girls huddled in the corner, their arms bound behind
them, their eyes blindfolded and their mouths gagged.
Taylor looked at the girls for a moment, then turned back the other way, “I
can’t do that. Besides, you probably drugged them or something.” He stated.
Daniel smirked, “Oh Lassie—I think you’d smell it if we had.”
“What do you do with them once you’ve fed?” Taylor asked softly.
“That’s none of your concern.” Joshua said.
“Do you just murder them?” Taylor asked. “I mean, I thought that was
against the rules.”
“It is.” Joshua answered.
“Tell me, Taylor,” Nicholai said, sitting in a chair, “what would you
do once you’d fed from one of them?”
“Take her home.” Taylor answered.
“Beatriz allows you to bring victims to the Penthouse?” The man asked.
“No—I’d take her to her home. You don’t want’em wandering
around all freaky and stuff, right?”
“Interesting.” The man said. “I suppose that is one way of dealing with
them.”
“Whatever.” Daniel said. “All I know is, it’s time for you to pick. The
buffet ain’t getting any fresher.”
Balthazar chuckled eliciting a look from Taylor. “Take the obese one, it looks
like you could use a little fattening up.”
“Maybe you’d like the tall one?” Taylor shot back.
Daniel laughed out loud, “Touché.” He said. “This could be fun.” He
said, looking at the two boys before him; of course, one of the boys was
centuries old and the other less than twenty.
“I say if he won’t choose, we just choose for him.” Joshua said, walking
into the room. He roughly grabbed the girl closest to him, her blonde hair
falling over her shoulders. He shut the door behind him and shoved her into
Taylor. “There—now feed so we can get on with our evening.” He snarled.
“Joshua,” Nicholai admonished, “this is the boy’s first evening here.
Perhaps you should allow him to adjust.”
“I see no reason to waste our time on his finicky ways.” Joshua answered.
Daniel sat on a black leather couch, “We have time, my friend. We brought him
here to see how he ticks and forcing him to do things our way is probably not
the best way to do that.” He then looked to Taylor, who was doing his best to
blend into the woodwork, backing away from the girl. “However, my son—“ He
said to the boy, “you must feed and we are not so ignorant as to allow
you to leave this place to do so. I’m sure you don’t want our Joshua to
force you, though he’d enjoy it.”
Taylor wasn’t certain how one could be forced to feed, but he knew he
didn’t want to find out. “You’re not wanting me to just do it right here
in front of you, are you?” He asked, mortified at the thought of it.
“Why not?” Victor asked, stepping closer. “We are like family here.”
Taylor snorted, “I don’t do that in front of my family.”
“You’ve never fed with your sire?” The man asked.
“She’s not my family.” Taylor stated.
“You fed in front of those sewer rats in that hole in the city.” Joshua
said, grabbing the shaking girl and pushing her at Taylor again. “Just feed.
You have no choice in the matter.”
Taylor smelled alcohol on her and old perfume. He could see marks on her arms
where she’d injected chemicals into her bloodstream. “Um, can I have a
different one?” He asked softly.
Daniel laughed again, “I knew he’d be a snob. Just like the girls!”
“My God, we’re going to die of old age.” Balthazar said, flopping down
next to Daniel.
Nicholai put his hand on Taylor’s shoulder, “Choose who you’d like, but it
is time.” He said, urging him toward the little room.
Joshua pulled the woman back in, roughly placing her back with the other two.
The sound of a cell phone had them all looking at Daniel. “Yes?” He said,
pulling it from his pocket. “Send her in.” He said. He looked at Taylor,
“Yo! Your bitch is here.” He said, mocking the vernacular of the young.
At once, Taylor could sense the presence of Beatriz. “Are you alright?” She
asked silently in his head.
“No!”
He answered, looking at the door, dying to see her familiar form
again. He hadn’t exactly forgiven her, but the comfort of her at that moment
was immense.
She appeared in the doorway, inspecting him immediately. “What are you doing
in here?” She asked, looking at the men, then back to Taylor.
“They want me to feed from one of these ladies.” Taylor tattled.
“Is there a reason why you shouldn’t?” She asked.
“I like to pick. You know that.” Taylor said. “You have to get me out
of here!”
“That’s true.” She said, raising an eyebrow and looking at Nicholai. “I
will, but until then, you do EXACTLY as you are told.” “Taylor darling,
I’m sure one of these would be to your liking.” She said aloud.
“He’s already pooh-poohed the light haired one.” Daniel said. He looked at
Beatriz, “He must like brunettes.”
“She is a brunette.” Beatriz said, her nostrils flared, “If I know
him, I’d say he turned down that morsel because of her lifestyle.” She
turned to face them, “You must have found her right here in your own
neighborhood.”
“So judgemental…” Daniel tsk’ed.
“Whatever.” She said, dropping her clutch next to the couch and sitting.
“He is accustomed to choosing his own and he likes Manhattan girls.” She
said, watching Taylor. “Take from both the others—you need to keep your
strength up.” She advised silently. She looked at Daniel, “You know, I
could take him out. I promise I’d bring him back.”
“I’m sure you would.” He answered. “But, that’s not an option at the
moment.” He looked at Taylor, “Do it.” He said.
Taylor found himself sandwiched between six vampires watching and three
frightened victims, none of which seemed to have been subdued mentally, only
physically. He closed his eyes for a moment, steeling himself for what he was
about to do. He walked over to the three women. He whispered in the blonde
woman’s ear, assuring her he wouldn’t harm her. He could smell all the
different substances she had in her body and he was glad he could pass on her at
the moment. He eased her mind as he placed his hands on her shoulders, pushing
her down into a sitting position in the corner. Her whimpers had stopped which
was a relief to him. The smell of fear was strong on them all and he did his
best to calm all three. His own nerves were popping enough without their adding
to it.
He situated the two women in front of him, shoulder to shoulder. He couldn’t
hide completely but he’d do his best. He murmured soothing words into two ears
at once and let his eyes go across the room to Beatriz. Gently, he pulled the
long dark hair away from the neck of the taller woman. The smell of sweat
reached his nose and pressing closer, the blood. He closed his eyes then,
feeling the familiar burn as his teeth extended into the fangs that would allow
him to feed.
Across the room an audience of six watched. The boy had surrounded himself by
his victims and had placed some sort of calming trance on them that was obvious
to all of them. The muffled voices of the women no longer escaped their throats
as they merely stood waiting for him to take what he needed from them. The woman
flinched as his teeth sunk into the soft flesh. His eyes locked again with
Beatriz’s and they spoke: “Things are picking up—I’m meeting with our
allies this evening.” She said.
“I hate this place. I hate all of these assholes. Get me out of here.”
“Patience. We need to be extremely careful.”
“Fuck patience, I want out of here.” I’m sure they’re gonna torture me
or some shit.”
“I don’t think they will—at least not for a while.”
“Oh, that’s comforting.”
“Stop that.” Daniel said, looking at her.
Her eyes didn’t leave Taylor’s. “Oh, am I not allowed to even speak to my
stolen lover?” She asked. “Give them what they ask for, but absolutely no
more.”
“Not silently. And particularly not on that private little channel of yours. I
can’t believe what a girl you’ve turned him into.”
Taylor raised his middle finger at the man from where his hand sat upon the
other girl’s shoulder. He licked the wounds on the neck of the woman he’d
bitten, then turned his head to feed from the fuller figured girl.
“His disrespect should be dealt with swiftly.” Joshua spat.
Daniel waved his hand, “You’d love to take him to the basement, I’m sure.
But that little gesture is the least of our worries. He’s obviously mastered
the women’s ways of communicating, hiding their gossip about the evil
ways of men.”
“If the shoe fits…” Beatriz said.
“Point being,” Nicholai interjected, “if you wish to visit him, we can’t
allow you to communicate in this manner. You’re undermining what we’d like
to do here.”
“Which is?” She questioned.
“Perhaps he could become one of our scouts.” Balthazar said.
Beatriz smiled, watching Taylor run his hand up and down the girl’s arm. “If
you want him to be one of your little assassins I think you shall be
disappointed. He doesn’t have the stomach for it. He still hasn’t forgiven
me for that little assignment you gave me the last time we were here.” She
said softly.
“He’s been coddled way too much at the hands of you and that sire of his.”
Joshua stated. “We need to make him unaffected by such things. Business is
business.”
“Yes, it is.” She said, her voice becoming hard. “But he never should have
been turned.” She watched as Taylor licked his lips, running his hand through
the girl’s hair. She sighed, “Why don’t you just give him back to me? He
is a plaything, not a weapon.”
“Playthings are not worshipped.” Victor said, watching the boy’s
movements.
“He’s not worshipped, he’s respected.” She retorted, “There is a
difference.”
Taylor positioned both women on the floor next to the other woman and stepped
away from them. “There, I fed. Can I go home now?” He asked.
“No. You’ll need to consider this your home now anyway. So, in a way, you are
home.” Daniel said. Taylor sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Say goodbye to your puppy.” Balthazar said to Beatriz, “It’s time for
obedience school. When you get him back, he’ll be a good dog; no more digging
out of the fence, or pissing in your shoes.” He laughed.
“Daniel,” Beatriz said, “if you are trying to add Taylor to your little
group here, perhaps you need to do something about the jealousy and contempt
that pours out of a couple of your peers. It’s counterproductive.”
“I agree.” Said Nicholai, standing. He held his hand out to her,
“Lady…” He said, pulling her up to stand, “As you can see, your charge
is safe. No harm shall come to him.”
She looked at him. As always, his words and expressions didn’t give away
anything about him. He would probably have been in his early forties when he’d
been turned, she thought. He was actually the one that frightened her the most
because of his calm nature. She sighed, “He’s very special to me.” She
said.
“Well, if you’d like a private moment with him, take him back to his room.
We’ll let you know if you’ve overstayed.” He answered.
“Thank you.” She said, stepping over to Taylor. She placed her hand on his
arm and pulled him toward his room. She shut the door behind her. “I’m
sure you’re aware we’re being watched.” She said silently as she led
him over to the bed.
“Yeah, I figured.” He said back.
She pushed him back on the bed, “Don’t speak.” She said, unbuttoning the
top button of his shirt and kissing him on the lips. “Balthazar hates
you.” She said, going to the next button.
“No shit.”
He returned, placing his hands in her long dark hair.
“Victor admires your beauty. You may be able to use that to your advantage.”
She pulled his belt open.
“No thanks.”
He ran his tongue over her teeth.
“Don’t be stupid.”
She undid the button on his jeans.
“Whatever.”
She slowly unzipped his pants. “Are we gonna have sex with
them watching?” He asked.
“I don’t know. That depends on your little one and how much time they give
us.” She answered.
“God, I wish you wouldn’t call it that. That’s why it always skips out on
you.” He said, placing his hand on her breast.
“It doesn’t always skip out.” She said. “Joshua is a cruel man.
He’s a sadist and a killer. Always avoid him or giving him a reason to
“punish” you.”
“Oh, that’s a great thing to know.”
He said, his eyes opening wide.
“Just watch him. Daniel is a cold asshole but fairly open. Not a lot of
surprises.”
She rubbed her hand over his penis, testing to see if he’d
be lucky that evening or not. His head went back into the pillow and he felt his
fangs again. “Nicholai, I’m not sure about. He seems reasonable, but I
doubt he’d be here if that was the case.”
“Ungh…” He moaned.
She smiled, “Did you get that last part?”
“Nicholai, bad maybe…” He breathed.
“Sssshhhhh…” She said, grinding against him. She pushed his shirt off his
shoulders, then pulled off his boots so she could remove his pants. He looked at
her through heavy lidded eyes. “Ah, my little pumpkinseed, you’re not
wearing any underwear!!” She laughed and then she straddled him.
He pushed her skirt up over her hips, “You aren’t either.” He smiled,
pulling her down over his now raging erection. She arched her back and pulled
her blouse off over her head.
In the other room, five men sat, watching the show, each feeling something
different about it. “How dare she do that here!” Joshua spat.
“What does it matter?” Daniel said. “If that’s what he is to her, why
wouldn’t she take it from him here?”
Victor crossed his legs and said nothing.
“With her powers, why does she waste her time on such things?” Balthazar
mused. “She could join us here if she really wanted.”
“Then she couldn’t collect those playthings she loves so much. There,
she’s in power. Here, she wouldn’t feel like a queen.” Daniel retorted.
On the screen they watched and listened.
“I’m still mad at you.” The boy uttered, even as he caressed her breasts.
“You’re always mad at me.” She said back, beginning to move up and down in
a sinuous movement.
“It’s like watching two dogs hump in the street.” Balthazar stated.
“He’s young, I’m sure it will be over very quickly.” Daniel said,
looking over at the other screens on the wall. “It looks like a fairly quiet
evening. What shall we do once this little display is over?” He asked.
“I think I’d like to speak to him—see some of those little parlour tricks
we know he’s capable of.” Victor said, his eyes still on the image of coitus
on the wall.
~~~~~
In Beatriz’ apartment, Melanie, Camille, Sonya and Kirk all sat, waiting for
Beatriz to arrive. From there, they’d move on to the place she’d meet with
the little band of rebels who’d chosen to join her against the Elders.
Camille filed her nails, the sound harsh in the quiet of the room. “Why
don’t you just get an electric sander?” Melanie snapped.
Camille flung the file on the coffee table, “It just sucks! We didn’t even
get to see him!” She exclaimed.
“Be glad.” Kirk added.
“What if they kill him—“She started.
“They won’t.” Sonya interrupted her. “They know he serves them better
alive. That’s why they’re doing this. Even those not willing to actively do
anything are hoping things can change because of him. It’s time.”
“What’s going to change?” Melanie asked. “A man will still rule us.”
“But it will be a man who understands and appreciates women and who doesn’t
use cruelty and humiliation to get what he wants.” Sonya said.
“He’s not a man.” Melanie said. “He’s barely eighteen and he’s a
wimp.”
“Mel—“Camille rolled her eyes.
“No, I don’t mean it like that. I’m just saying that Taylor could care
less about what anybody is doing over in Queens, or Jersey, or New Orleans or
San Francisco, or anyplace else. He just wants to be able to see his folks and
go in the basement with his brothers and write songs and stuff. He’s not gonna
make vampires suddenly start getting along with each other and have family night
every Tuesday. Most vamps probably only want him in so they can do whatever the
fuck they want to.”
“That may be true, “Sonya said, “but you and I both know Taylor getting in
means Beatriz getting in. And that’s much better than the Elders. If they’d
had been the ones who pulled you back to New York, you’d still be in the
basement. Taylor would have been executed once they’d known he’d drunk from
you. They don’t want anyone adding to their powers.”
Melanie lay back and propped one leg up on her knee, “I guess…” She
sighed.
~~~~~
Beatriz looked down at the boy beneath her, his face flushed with sex and the
blood he’d consumed. His mind had slowly closed itself from her silent words
as the physical act of what they were doing took over. She leaned down, closer
to him, but still continuing easy up and down motions. “We don’t have much
time.” She whispered into his ear. She knew by the sounds he was making that
the inevitable climax was coming. For a moment, she thought of Michelle and the
situation they all found themselves in because of the exact same actions taking
place underneath her. She looked down to see tears run from his closed eyes into
his hair. “What is wrong?” She said softly.
“I don’t want to be here.” He said. “I miss everybody.” In his mind
she could suddenly see images of two tiny babies and the faces of his parents
and his siblings; even the people here in New York.
“We all miss you as well.” She said. Silently she added, “Soon, my
child, we shall all be with our loved ones…” She sped up her motions,
not wanting him to break down here of all places. The Elders would have loved to
see the show in his head right then. She sat back up, arching her back and
grinding against him, pulling her hair up on her head in a show of pleasure. He
opened his eyes. “Fuck me.” She said. Then she kissed him roughly, grabbing
him around his shoulders and pulling him over ‘til he was on top of her,
“Fuck me, Taylor.” She said louder.
“She’s certainly bossy.” Daniel said, his gaze going back to the monitor.
Balthazar had turned on the television, “It’s disgusting and if it’s not
over soon, I’m going to leave and you can do this by yourselves.”
“Leave if you want.” Daniel said. “But we’ve already seen that he is
one of the “lucky” ones, as the young call it.”
“Which is odd, considering that usually costs one a great deal of their mental
powers.” Victor mused.
“He’s obviously drunk from the females.” Joshua said, crossing his arms in
front of him. “You know, if you just give him to me for a few days, I could
tell you everything there is to know about him.”
Nicholai looked at him, “We’d like to keep him in one piece. What good would
he be to us damaged?” He asked.
“But he is damaged!” Balthazar spat. “The women have made him into
something freakishly wrong. You saw the way he fed—those women will be in love
with him now. They’re still sitting in there like his little groupies waiting
for an autograph.”
“Technically, there’s nothing wrong with that.” Nicholai answered. “They
don’t need to be frightened or unconscious, though he needs to take more.
Perhaps he feeds from many victims each night?” He asked.
“Not that we know of.” Daniel answered. “Generally, one per evening—at
least when we’ve followed him.”
“Unless he’s with that Melanie creature.” Victor said.
“My god—can we please turn the sound down? If I hear him moaning I may get
sick.” Balthazar said, standing.
Daniel sighed and hit “mute” on the control in front of him.
~~~~~
Two baby seats sat next to one another on the kitchen floor as Diana fixed a
bottle for Elijah. She’d already fed Isabella, though it didn’t do much for
the baby’s mood. The little girl had been cranky all day. “Don’t even act
like you’re missing him, you just met him.” She said softly. She screwed the
nipple on the bottle and shook it. Turning, she stooped down to pick up her
grandson, “Think how I feel…” She said, blinking back tears. She
sighed and put the baby on her lap and began to feed him, humming and rocking
him back and forth.
Jessica walked in and picked up Isabella and her fussing stopped. “Where’s
everybody at?” She asked, gently bouncing the baby on her hip.
“The boys are in the basement. I’m not sure where your Dad is right now. I
guess we’re all just licking our wounds.” She wiped formula off Elijah’s
chin with the bib around his neck.
“Yeah.” The girl answered, looking out the window to the back yard. “I
guess we’ll be closing the pool soon, huh?”
Diana put the baby up on her shoulder, “It’s probably time. When the leaves
start falling into it…yeah, it’s time.” Her eyes were faraway, like her
daughter’s.
~~~~~
Daniel knocked on Taylor’s door. “Hello Little Pigs—have you finished your
business?” He knew they had as he’d watched it on a small television screen
in the parlour.
Beatriz lie beside Taylor, watching the color of his cheeks calm and smoothing
his hair off his forehead. Rolling her eyes, she spoke, “Wouldn’t it be nice
if all their heads just exploded?”
Taylor smiled, “Blood on the ceiling. That would be nice…” He murmured.
“I can hear you.” Daniel said, opening the door.
“Well, you asked us not to talk silently, so we’re just following orders.”
Beatriz said, pulling the strap of her black bra up on her shoulder.
“How well you obey.” Daniel observed dryly.
“We aim to please.” She answered.
“Yes, well, I believe this little conjugal visit is over. I can tell by the
smell what you’ve been doing in here.” He raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t smell anything.” Taylor said.
Daniel just looked at him. “Fine, then. Lady Beatriz, we shall see you at some
point in the future.” He said, opening the door in a way that was clearly her
cue to leave.
She looked at him for a moment, then grabbed her blouse and threw it on. She
sighed, then bent down to kiss Taylor on the lips. “I shall see you very soon.
Be a good boy.” She said, and she patted him on his head. “Be very
careful and do not trust even one of these old fucks.” She said silently.
She pulled her shoes on and stood, looking down at Taylor. “Put your pants
back on, you look very vulnerable like that.”
He sighed and sat up, pulling his shirt closed in the front and buttoning it. He
stood and walked around the bed to face her, “Come back soon, okay?”
“As soon as I can.” She rubbed lipstick off his chin.
“Come along, Madame.” Daniel said and she went through the door and into the
hallway. “Once you’re dressed properly, we’d like to see you back out in
the big room.” He said to Taylor.
Taylor just rolled his eyes and picked up his jeans from the floor.
When Beatriz walked into the room, she was met with indignant looks from the
men. “I don’t suppose I’m invited to stay and see what goes on here.”
She said.
Nicholai answered, “Unfortunately, no. At least not this evening. Perhaps some
other time?”
“Yes, of course. Thank you for allowing me here tonight.” She said, bowing.
“You’re very welcome.” The man answered. “I hope you understand why we
are doing this.” He said.
She looked at him for a moment, then at the others. She sighed, “Not
entirely.” She said. “I suppose I don’t blame you, though. If it was in my
realm of power to steal a jewel like that, perhaps I’d do the same.”
Balthazar snorted, “We’ll see if he’s a jewel or not. He may be just a
regular old rock, for all we know.”
She smiled, “Yes, that’s what he is, alright.” She sighed, then turned for
the door. “I shall call tomorrow evening, if that is alright.” She said.
“His sire would like to see him as well.”
“We shall see.” Joshua stated, and he opened the door where two men waited
to escort her out of the building.
“Have a good evening.” She said, and she went out the door as Taylor was
coming into the room.
Looking longingly at the door, he spoke. “I’m here.” He looked toward the
room where the girls had been earlier and sniffed the air. “What did you do
with them?” He asked.
“That’s no concern of yours.” Joshua stated. Taylor shrugged.
“Come sit over here.” Victor gestured to a chair in the middle of the room.
“We’d like you to show us some things…”
Taylor eyed them all, but did as he was told, slowly moving to the chair and
sitting. “Like, what kind of things?” He asked.
“Well,” the man answered, “we’ve heard stories of some things you’ve
done.”
Taylor just looked at him.
Victor continued, “I believe you can manipulate locks.”
“Sometimes.” Taylor answered.
“Show me.” The man said.
Taylor took in a deep breath and looked around the room. The door to where the
women had been earlier was closed. He put his hand out in front of him and the
door opened into an empty room. He peeked in to see the women were gone. With a
shrug, he pulled his hand back and the door slammed, and with a click, the lock
was turned.
Balthazar clapped his hands, “That must come in very handy for a nosy boy like
yourself!” He chided.
“I guess.” Taylor conceded.
“And how do you do that?” Daniel asked, one eyebrow raised.
Again, Taylor shrugged, “I don’t know, I just sort of…think about it, then
it’s sort of like, you throw the thought at the door.”
“Are there locks that you can’t open?” Joshua asked.
Taylor’s eyes slid over to the man and he remembered what Beatriz had said
about him, “Yeah. Sure. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.”
“And do you need your hands in order for it to work?” The man asked.
“Yeah, I think so.” Taylor answered.
“So if you were bound, you couldn’t do it?” The questioning continued.
Daniel smiled, watching Taylor’s nervousness jump a level. “I guess not.”
The boy answered softly.
“Don’t worry, we won’t be binding you this evening.” Daniel said,
shooting a look at Joshua. “Our friend can be a bit direct at times, but at
heart, he’s just a pussycat.”
Taylor had begun to sing songs in his mind; songs he hadn’t sung for a very
long time. The thought of being tortured by the men in front of him had now
become a full on fear and he knew they could use that to their advantage.
“Okay, that’s good to know, cuz, he sort of comes off a little scary,
y’know?” He said.
“Well, it never hurts for the young to be a bit on the frightened side. It
keeps them in line.” Daniel answered.
“Yeah. So, beheading somebody in a public place and stuff…that’s probably
a really good idea.” Taylor said thoughtfully.
“Actually, it is, though your sarcasm is not totally lost to us.” Victor
noted. “The girl was a continuing problem, and now she is not.”
Taylor snorted, “You can say that again!”
“Moving on…” Nicholai stood and stepped closer to Taylor, “how
about something a little less sophisticated? You’ve broken a glass—“
“That was Beatriz.” Taylor said.
“So it wasn’t you who broke the mirror at The Living End?” He asked.
“Oh, that. Well, I think it was me, but if it was, I wasn’t really sure how
I did it.” Taylor answered, shifting in the chair. It seemed to become more
uncomfortable the longer he sat.
“So, you can’t do that? Do you believe it was actually Beatriz who did
that?” Balthazar asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
It was still odd to Taylor that he looked so young; even younger than Camille.
“I’m not sure what actually happened that night. It was a little crazy.”
“Well, being locked in a coffin could make one go a bit crazy.” Nicholai
said, backing up a little and leaning against a large glass topped table against
the wall.
“Yeah, it’s safe to say that.” Taylor said.
“So, when things like that happen, do you cause things to happen without
knowing it?” The man asked.
Taylor furrowed his brow, “I’m not sure I understand the question.” He
said.
“What he means is, could you have broken the mirror without trying to? Were
you so angry when it happened, that you could have done it without trying?”
Victor asked.
“I wasn’t really angry then, more like scared. And I was trying. Beatriz
told me to do it, so I was trying to. I just don’t know how I did it.” He
answered.
“Interesting.” Balthazar said, leaning back on the sofa. “It sounds to me
like she may have done it for you, but just in a way that the young ones would
believe it was you and not her.” He looked at Daniel, “Buying a little fear
from the young ones so they wouldn’t be mean towards her little pet.”
Daniel rubbed his chin, watching Taylor, “Perhaps. It’s hard to say.”
Joshua stepped forward, picking up a vase of flowers and placing them on the
floor in front of Taylor, “See what you can do.”
“It might make a mess.” Taylor said.
“We have servants.” Nicholai stated. They all watched and Taylor felt his
cheeks flush.
Taking a deep breath, Taylor looked at the vase, its crystalline glass picking
up shards of light from the overhead fixtures. He placed his hand in front of
him and mentally shoved the vase toward the wall. At the last moment, he
flinched and turned his head. It stopped just short of the wall and water
splashed out onto the shiny black floor. He opened his eyes and looked at the
stems of the flowers moving in the water and he raised an eyebrow as the fragile
thing teetered for a moment, then found its footing and stilled.
“Well, that’s not exactly what I had in mind.” Nicholai stated.
“It just seemed a shame to ruin it.” Taylor said.
“Ruin it.” Balthazar said, sitting up.
Nicholai waved him off, “That’s not necessary.” He said. “It seems the
boy can appreciate a thing of beauty when he sees it.” He just looked at
Taylor for a moment, then turned to Victor, “Why don’t you take him to the
library. We offered the last time he was here, but he declined.” He turned
back to Taylor, “We have a rather extensive music collection that you might
enjoy perusing.”
Taylor sighed, “So, that’s it? You brought me here to open a door and break
a vase?”
“That’s just all we’d like to see tonight.” Nicholai said. “We don’t
want to overwork you since it is your first night, technically.”
Taylor shook his head. “So, I’m just sort of stuck here?”
“For the time being, I’d guess you can say that.” Daniel answered.
“I’m sure you’ll find things of interest to you in the library though.
Movies, music, books—some older than you can imagine, I’d wager.”
“How old are you guys again?” Taylor asked, looking from one to the other.
“Very.” Balthazar answered. “Now move along and we shall see you once
you’ve tired of centuries of knowledge and art at your fingertips.”
“Fine.” Taylor answered and he followed Victor out of the room.
“Well.” Nicholai said. “I think we learned a bit about the young master
this evening.”
Joshua smiled, “He’s sensitive to drugs, obviously. Not only did Beatriz
drug him to get him here, but he avoided our little addict as well. He’s been
taught to steer clear of such things.”
“I agree. It may be because of his age though. He’s remarkably gifted for
one so young.” Nicholai stated.
Daniel snorted, “I’d bet my left fang he’s drunk from Beatriz.”
“Perhaps.” The man answered. “If so, wouldn’t that be a lovely thing to
know?”
Joshua smiled, “It would indeed. I’d love to get some dirt on her. She’s
been careful for many years…”
Nicholai nodded, “Yes, she has. But do not forget how much of our finances and
general business she controls. Before we consider going against her, we’d need
to make some changes there.” He stroked his chin, “We’ve been too careless
where she’s concerned and now she holds a great deal of power in this city.”
Balthazar grinned, “That’s true, but now we have something to bargain
with.”
“She’s definitely fond of the boy.” Joshua said. “I don’t believe
I’ve seen her so animated in many, many years.”
“All the more reason to look closely at him. How many males have come and gone
under her watchful eye, and how many has she shown any interest in?” Daniel
said.
“I could count on one hand…” Nicholai answered. “And only one is still
living.”
“Perhaps jealousy is what drove Robert to bring the boy to our attention?”
Joshua mused.
Daniel smirked, “Robert is only concerned with Robert. If he thought he could
handle the boy himself, he wouldn’t have called us in.”
“So, you think Robert believes the boy to be powerful?” Nicholai questioned.
“Oh yes.” Daniel answered. He shrugged, “Now, whether or not he’s right,
I guess we’ll find out.”
“He’s right. At least to a certain extent.” Nicholai answered. “He could
be a dangerous little hybrid. He can mesmerize a victim as well as any of the
females I’ve seen. Yet, his sense of smell is on par with the most powerful
males. He knew that girl was drugged before he even saw her.”
“Well, it was pretty obvious.” Balthazar added.
“To you or I.” The man said. “He was still under the influence of a great
deal of sedatives himself. And I do mean a great deal. Someone was very
frightened of his reaction to coming here.”
“Beatriz would love to keep this boy her little secret.” Daniel said.
“She’s gone out of her way to make sure he’s protected, and that he seldom
gets out without one of her girls. Even when he goes out with the male, there is
never a female far behind.”
Balthazar sighed, “I wish we could find some lethal virus that only the
females would succumb to…”
Joshua shook his head, “The females are valuable at times. Those irritating
mind fucking abilities can be quite useful when needed.”
“Yes, they can…” Nicholai said, thoughtfully.
~~~~~
Diana and Walker stood in their bedroom, finally having a quiet moment.
“Walk…” She started.
Her husband turned around, shutting the blinds that had given a view of their
backyard. “Yeah?” He said.
For a moment she didn’t say anything. She took a deep breath. “Do you
think…maybe…” She started. She looked at the mirror over the dresser,
thinking she looked old and tired.
Walker stepped over and sat down on the bed next to her, “What’s the
matter?” He asked.
She was fighting tears and he could tell it. “I don’t know.” She blinked
to clear her eyes, “I just think maybe it’s time…time to move or
something.”
“Move?” He questioned. “Hon, we just moved here a few years ago. I thought
this was where you wanted to be. We said we’d just retire here.”
“I know.” She said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “What
if…we just move somewhere, and we don’t let anyone know? We could go
someplace and take the babies with us. Taylor wouldn’t have to know and those
other people wouldn’t have to know. We could sort of start over and put all
this crazy stuff behind us.”
He looked at her, his brow furrowed, “You’re going to put Taylor behind
you? You’re just going to forget about him and go into hiding?” He asked.
“You make it sound goofy.” She said.
“Well, I don’t mean to do that. I mean, I’ve thought about the same thing.
We have six other children. Plus, now, we have his two to consider as well. I
guess things would be simpler if we just…I don’t know, somehow escaped it
all.” He looked at his wife, “I just don’t see how it would work though. I
mean, it sounds to me like they’re watching the house, and we had no idea
whatsoever. Even Avery didn’t know it, and she seems to be able to pick up on
some of that freaky stuff.”
“Well, what if we went someplace like Mexico or Africa? Like, to some other
country?” She asked.
He gave her a sad smile, “You don’t want to move to Africa.”
“Not like, in the middle of the jungle with wild animals and stuff—“ She
started.
He shook his head, “Di—I know what you mean. I just know that you wouldn’t
be happy so far from the family. Besides, the boys are pretty well known, and
not just here. Fans would spot them, it’d be on the net and everybody would
know right where we were.” He watched her face fall. “Besides, do you really
think you could stand to just not ever see your son again?”
She closed her eyes, “I could try…”
He put his arm around her shoulders, “We’ll think about it. Okay?” He
said.
She sighed, “Okay.”
