Chapter Twenty-Six

Robbie

We sat in silence for an indeterminant amount of time, broken only by me taking a moment to care for basic needs in the bathroom. I knew that Theo didn’t like leaving me alone with Eli, but I felt the need to learn more about the vampire and his mental abilities. And I thought that without Theo there, I might be able to talk Eli into letting Abi go. It was remarkable to me that I had been able to break his Commands, and in a perverse way I looked forward to more practice.

I was content with silence; I think because I wasn’t concerned with time. Eli, on the other hand, cast occasional glances at the window that was illuminated by a stream of sunlight. It was across the room from him, but in a few hours would be closer to where he sat, perhaps even crossing his body. I hadn’t paid attention to how the sunlight illuminated the room the day before.

I was quietly pleased that he was the first one to speak. “I underestimated you.”

“Oh?” I asked, thrilled by the compliment, but not willing to show it. I’d played poker with Theo a couple of times in Reno and Tahoe and knew that you’re not supposed to show your hand. Though Theo had laughed at me and cuddled me afterward, telling me I was terrible at poker since everyone could read my facial expressions. This time I really tried hard not to let them show.

Eli hummed, inclining his head. “I suppose I’m at your mercy now.” I’m not sure if he meant to, but his eyes slid over to the window briefly. “Will you tell me your plan?”

“I just want Abi to be okay.”

“But you do want to join me,” he said. I had taken off the glasses but was excited to be able to feel his attempts to control me.

“Join you? You mean to say you still think that Abi and I will be your—quote—pets?” I asked, leaning forward so I could openly study him.

“You are interested; I can tell. And Abigail wants escape,” he disclosed. “My pets want to join me. So, you see, it’s a mercy. It’s love for me to take people and give them what they want. Some want eternal sleep. Others, to belong to me.”

“That’s…” I searched for the right word, mentally flicking away the strangling creepers of his attempts at mental influence. It was becoming easier and easier for me to sense his trying to Command me, or whatever vampires called it. In the last year I had observed a lot of human interaction. Most people wanted to talk about themselves. Wanted someone to listen. Wanted to belong. Though I didn’t want to talk about myself at all, it had been a relief to explore with Maggie and Theo about what had gone on in my childhood. And I could sense the desire to belong in myself. But I was blessed because I belonged to Theo. I switched gears. “How many pets do you have?”

“Only one who currently lives with me. You and Abigail will be the last,” he said, perhaps encouraged.

I tilted my head to the side. “Until we die?”

“Indeed,” he confirmed simply, sending a small chill through me.

“How soon will that be?”

“I don’t know. How long do Nüwa live?” he responded.

That was actually a great question. I had no idea. I assumed we had normal human lifespans but had always been taught that we were superior to humans. I made a mental note to ask Abi when she was back to normal. Instead of answering, I asked, “So you would keep Abi and me until we died of old age? What if you got tired of us?”

“You taste too good for that.” Eli smiled, his fangs extended, which elicited a surprising jolt of arousal. “You’ve never been bitten.”

I shook my head. Of course, I’d never been bitten. And as curious as I was right then, I wasn’t going to start. “How does your bite work? When you stopped biting Abi, she was going to bleed out. What’s going to keep us from being killed the first time you bite us?” My bite didn’t work like that. It left two little raised marks that faded after a few days. Theo said they sometimes itched a little, especially in sensitive regions.

“Well, normally I would have licked the wound. Healed it. I regret not being able to with Abigail. I was under attack, you see, and reacted in haste. At my home it will be much more secure. Much more sensual. I would make love to you too.” His piercing gaze melted me, and before I realized it, I was again physically responding and shifted in my seat, trying to subtly adjust as I reminded myself to shrug off his attacks.

“I…” I breathed, surprising myself with the huskiness in my voice, then swallowed. “We need blood to survive…” It was all I could think of to say in the moment to keep him talking.

“I will give you all the blood you need, Robert. It is Robert, isn’t it?” he asked, his tone turning to liquid magnetism. But what he didn’t know is that the name Robert was what Mother called me. Robbie was the nickname Abi gave me when we were children and the one that I chose for myself as an adult.

“Mmhmm.” I nodded, not really caring much what he called me. It didn’t matter. I really just needed him to give up his secrets. “Do you think you could teach me what you do? With your Commands?” I asked, trying to subtly attack him the way Maggie had demonstrated. It was a matter of crafting the best questions or statements with only partial Commands associated so that the person didn’t get suspicious.

“Oh no, Robert. I cannot. It isn’t a matter of teaching. You simply are not a vampire.”

“But vampires are made, right? I mean, how much of the movies are correct?” I asked.

“Are you asking to become like me?” he inquired, his voice lulling. I found myself wanting to shout yes, crawl into his lap, and beg him for anything he wished to give me.

My annoyance was renewed. I was tired, having been up all night. And my patience was wearing thin by his constant mental attacks. The realization hit me that that was likely his strategy. Once I shrugged off the attempts, I fixed him with a stare and Commanded, “You need to stop that.”

Eli sat up straight as if he were slapped and openly shuddered with a sick look.

“I need you to fix Abi,” I said, focusing on the Command. “Release her.”

“I can’t,” he admitted, his tone one of anguish that seared through me, driving my breath away.

I knew that feeling of not being able to comply with a Command. When Mother or my aunt had Commanded me to do something, I never had a choice but to obey. But once in a while my aunt would Command me to do something that was impossible, simply to torture me. I had blocked a lot of those memories, but in therapy with Maggie we had uncovered them. It had been a game of Edna’s, to Command me to do things beyond my ability like play a song I hadn’t yet learned on the piano or speak in a language I didn’t know. Once she had Commanded me to fly. She had watched as I ran around flapping my arms, and even climbed a tree and dove off in a desperate unconscious attempt to do as she had dictated. I had sprained my elbow in that attempt and Mother had seen, Commanding me to stop being a fool. She hadn’t known about Edna’s Command, and the weight of the two conflicting orders had driven me to pass out. But the agony I had felt at not being able to comply was soul-crushing. And having done it to Eli left me weakened with guilt and shame.

There was no doubt that he wasn’t practicing subterfuge.

I wanted to apologize, sickened by what I had just done. But the truth of the matter was that Abi took precedence. I asked, “Why?”

His eyes slowly climbed to meet mine, and with a miserable and apologetic look he admitted, “I don’t know how.”