part0024

Elise stared up at the silk lining of the casket. Contrary to Master Vrykólakas’s beliefs, she found nothing comforting about sleeping in it. She had woken up in a coffin after Creation, buried beneath several feet of clogged mud. She still remembered the searing panic that she would suffocate and the hatred towards her family for burying her alive. Then the burning thirst had overpowered her, and she wasn’t sure what would kill her first: the thirst or suffocation.

‘You will talk to our Little Slave.’ Elise tilted her head up, so she could meet Master Vrykólakas’s eyes. ‘I will not allow her to make a mockery of us. She will learn to drink human blood. I am understanding; she can adapt to it gradually and does not have to drink straight from the source. But she will accept her nature.’

‘She’s not doing it to mock you, she is hardly a fool. I find it abhorrent how she feeds; it is not natural. But Damien has spoilt her in allowing this, most likely out of guilt. It will not be easy to make her see sense and bullying her will not resolve this.’

‘She needs to learn—’

‘And she will,’ Elise interrupted him and pushed the lid by their heads open so she could sit up and stare down at Master Vrykólakas. ‘You must give her time to adjust. In feeding and bedding her, she isn’t like us. She’s only ever known Damien in this way and for goodness’ sake when you do bed her – take her to the bed.’ Elise gestured to the unused piece of furniture. Master Vrykólakas let out a sound of irritated agreement and Elise silently cursed Damien for the thousandth time. Pushing Damien to the back of her mind, Elise turned her thoughts to Cassandra.

‘Do you really think Cassandra is Reina’s sister?’ After her conversation with Damien she knew there could only be one answer, but she still held out hope that she was wrong.

‘Until they meet I cannot be sure, but I believe she is the sister Reina believes to be dead. I will judge when the time is right before reuniting them.’ Elise yearned to disagree; what good would come from Reina seeing her sister in the state she was in? Cassandra would certainly not be who Reina remembered; surely it would be kinder to allow her to continue thinking Cassandra was dead? Either from the raid on their village or from old age. ‘I want you to continue checking on her. Now that poor Alice has departed it is just you and I who know of Cassandra’s existence. It is better for her this way.’ Elise nodded with a sinking feeling of defeat and fear. Cassandra terrified her. After all, it was because of her that Alice had departed. ‘Cassandra likes you, Alice tormented her.’

Elise rose several hours later shortly before sunset with Master Vrykólakas’s promise that he would leave Reina in peace. If she had not emerged from her rooms by the time Elise returned, then she would rouse the younger vampire. But for now, she needed rest, and Elise was determined to see she would get that.

Back in her own rooms, she summoned a slave and asked for them to bring up a slave who was near death. While she waited, she washed and dressed. She opened her door to find a slave barely conscious propped against the wall. Kneeling beside them, Elise felt for their pulse and found it to be weak. Carefully she pressed on the pressure points in the slave’s neck to make sure they were unconscious. Cassandra would not accept a dead slave, but Elise was not prepared to let her torment them.

Cassandra’s room was on the sixth floor at the end of the hallway; she occupied what had once been Alice’s room. Glancing around to make sure none of the other women were waking up, Elise unlocked the door and quickly slipped inside. The other courtesans believed Alice’s room to lie dormant; they didn’t know that her killer had taken up residence within. Most of the furniture had either been removed or destroyed during one of Cassandra’s many tantrums.

‘Elise!’ Cassandra bounded out of the bathroom like a child excited by the appearance of a puppy. ‘Who did you bring me?’ She tore the slave from Elise’s grip with no regard for the fact they were human and could feel pain. Perhaps we should feed Cassandra rats, Elise thought briefly but quickly dismissed the thought out of guilt. She loathed rats, they were vicious, dirty and disease-ridden. But no creature deserved the suffering Elise would inflict on them. Nor could Cassandra blame Elise for the way she was; Master Vrykólakas had shattered her mind before Creating her.

‘Cassandra, please be careful, you know Master Vrykólakas does not like it when you make a mess.’

Cassandra pouted and dropped the slave to the floor, prodding them with her bare foot. Her clothes were not as fine as the courtesans’; she wore simple kirtles beneath wool gowns. Despite living on the sixth floor Cassandra was not a courtesan, nor had Master Vrykólakas ever considered her to be one.

‘Make them wake up!’

‘No, Cassandra. If you don’t behave then I will have to start feeding you bottled blood.’

Scowling, Cassandra picked up the slave and slashed her nails across their throat, spraying herself and the floor with blood. Elise closed her eyes but held her tongue. She was thankful she’d thought to make sure the slave was unconscious; she could only hope that they couldn’t feel anything.

‘I want Reina. I know she’s here.’

‘Did you have a vision?’ Elise asked suspiciously. She wasn’t sure if she believed Cassandra when she said she no longer held this power or not.

‘No. I can feel her.’ Cassandra giggled and smiled slyly. ‘We share a Creator – I sense her. She’s scared.’ Her silver eyes turned to a stormy grey and she scowled. ‘She lied to me. She broke her promise.’

‘Cassandra, Damien is Reina’s Creator. You were Created by Master Vrykólakas – you’ve never even met Reina’s.’ She ignored the last bit about the broken promise. It was a common tantrum with her, one Elise wondered if she could ask Reina about once she knew the truth. Reina didn’t want me to make a promise the other night, she remembered suddenly. What had happened between the two sisters?

‘I want to see her!’

‘I will speak to Master Vrykólakas but in the meantime you must be good and not play with your food.’

As soon as she was able to, Elise made her escape. She pitied Cassandra, but she also loathed caring for her. Even for a vampire she had a cruel streak.

When she returned to Master Vrykólakas’s quarters she found Reina sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace with a book open in her lap. Master Vrykólakas sat in a chair, a thoughtful expression on his face as he watched Reina. When he met Elise’s gaze he shrugged, clearly as confused to find his new courtesan there as Elise was.

‘I had no doubt that one of you would be down to fetch me,’ Reina said, not looking up from her book.

‘Have you fed?’ Elise suddenly felt like Reina’s mother, caring for both her and Cassandra: making sure they were fed, helping them to dress. It was an unnerving thought.

‘I still think feeding off rats is disgusting,’ Master Vrykólakas growled from his chair.

‘It is,’ Reina snapped. ‘But what choice do I have?’ Elise held up her hand before an argument could break out between the two. She was in no mood to act as peacemaker yet saw no other option.

‘The inn will be sending up supplies later today. Perhaps when they arrive we could ask them to stop slaughtering the animals below? The slaves can do it here, the meat will be fresher that way and we can have them store the blood for Reina. Of course, they wouldn’t know it was for a vampire. Once we bottle it up no one will know that it’s animal blood and not vintage as you drink, not unless they smell it.’ She was glad to see Master Vrykólakas was at least giving this serious thought.

Reina didn’t look up from her book, but Elise could see she was relieved by this decision. Looking around, she bit her lip, trying to think of a way to coax Reina from outside Master Vrykólakas’s quarters. It would do her no good to stay cooped up all the time.

‘Reina, why don’t you come to meet the other courtesans?’

‘Elise is right, Little Slave. The courtesans are your family now.’ Before Reina could resist, Elise was tugging her outside and down the steps to the sixth floor. She left Reina sitting on the stairs as she began knocking on the doors, rousing the other women and summoning them to meet Reina. Smiling in satisfaction, she returned to Reina and linked their arms.

‘They will meet us in the lounge. Normally we would meet in the auction house – there are markets on the upper level, but I wasn’t sure if you would be ready for that yet.’ Elise was determined to see Reina settle into Tenebrae; they had no idea how long it would be before Master Vrykólakas’s fascination wore thin. While he might not release her from her role as a courtesan he may permit her to leave Tenebrae – once he could trust she would return.

‘Thank you,’ Reina said as they took seats in the lounge. ‘For your idea about…’ She trailed off and Elise pulled a face.

‘I’m not going to pretend I approve, Reina. You may think Damien was showing you a kindness, but it is quite the opposite. His duty to us as our Creator is teach us how to survive and live as vampires. Master Vrykólakas will not tolerate this for long.’ The night had only just begun but already Elise was exhausted after having to take care of Cassandra. She was in no mood to mollycoddle Reina over her eating habits.

When the four courtesans arrived, Elise stood up and greeted each woman with a kiss on both cheeks. Having suffered Master Vrykólakas’s disfavour at some point in their careers, the courtesans had not spurned Elise during the past century as some of the other vampires had and for that she was grateful. Master Vrykólakas had been right when he said the courtesans were a family; Elise felt closer to them than she had her own human sisters.

‘Reina, this is Madeleine; she was Master Vrykólakas’s first courtesan when he created Tenebrae. Courtesans come and go, but Madeleine has always remained in his service.’

‘I never understand those who wish to leave his service,’ Madeleine said with a sly smile. She had chestnut hair and a generous sprinkling of freckles across her nose. Her lips were painted a deep blood red which contrasted starkly against her perfectly white teeth. She carried herself with a seductive air and Reina could guess why she enjoyed her role so much.

‘Phaedra and Zoe are twins from Master Vrykólakas’s own homeland, although not of his era.’

Reina smiled weakly at two dark-haired women who were identical in appearance. Their silver eyes appraised Reina critically before smiling.

‘We have yet to meet another vampire of his era. I am Zoe.’

Reina nodded, although she had no idea how she was meant to tell them apart if she wasn’t with Elise.

‘You will learn,’ Elise said comfortingly. ‘It took me a while, but Zoe is more outspoken. Over time you will see the subtle differences.’ Turning her attention to the final courtesan, Reina met the eyes of a woman with pale coffee coloured skin, raven black hair and full lips. ‘This is Opal, perhaps the farthest travelled. She was also the last courtesan to join before Master Vrykólakas asked me to join.’

‘And I have never forgiven her.’ Opal spoke with a musical accent and Reina found herself almost hypnotised by the woman. Despite her words she was smiling affectionately at Elise, who poked her tongue out playfully. ‘How is Damien? I have been waiting for him to return to commission a portrait.’ She spoke with a pout and Elise caught the spark of jealousy flashing across Reina’s amethyst eyes. She closed her eyes and counted to ten to try and calm herself. She had hoped the courtesans would be accepting; instead it seemed as if they’d rather try to rile Reina.

‘He was called away almost immediately after returning,’ Elise lied smoothly, but it was clear from the smirks exchanged between the four other women that they knew the truth of Damien’s departure. She moved the subject away from Damien and, with much difficulty, from Reina.

‘I am parched,’ Madeleine announced and stood up to summon a slave. A woman with bite marks across her neck, arms and wrists offered herself to Madeleine before being passed around the group. Elise almost looked apologetically at Reina before remembering this was their nature.

‘I’m not thirsty,’ Reina said, shaking her head as the slave knelt before her.

‘Nonsense. We should celebrate you joining us.’

‘No, thank you but I fed recently.’ Elise caught Phaedra looking at her and she shook her head lightly.

‘Well I am still hungry,’ Zoe purred, wrapping claw-like hands around the slave’s neck. ‘It’s such a shame we cannot kill for now,’ she sighed, and her eyes met Reina’s as she murmured the words. Elise realised the mistake she had made. She should have met with the courtesans first, prepared them for Reina. Or prepared Reina for how they would act. She had been in their ranks for so long now she had forgotten the act of hazing, the jealousy cruelty. Wordlessly Reina stood up and, with a piercing glare at Elise, rushed from the room.

‘Quiet little thing,’ Madeleine said.

‘She is the one that Master Vrykólakas has been obsessed with? A slave?’ Opal’s tone was scathing and the slave in Zoe’s clutches let out a squeak. Elise looked at them warningly. Reina might be remembered by a few vampires, but amongst the slaves she was a distant memory, a rumour no one believed. No good would come from slaves gossiping about her.

‘Elise, you must know she won’t be accepted into our ranks,’ Phaedra said in a reasonable tone. She looked almost sorry. ‘Master Vrykólakas makes a mockery of all of us by accepting her into our ranks. Take her if he wishes; he can have anyone he wants in Tenebrae. And after all, she is just a slave, she is not worthy of joining our ranks. A slave is a bed warmer, not a courtesan.’

‘She is not one of us, Elise,’ Opal agreed. ‘We understand that you unfortunately share a bond with her, one you have no control over, and it is admirable you want her to feel accepted. But she is not. We will do our duty to Master Vrykólakas; if he summons us with her then of course we will do our duties, we will pretend to like her. But she is a courtesan in name only. To Master Vrykólakas, and us, she will always be a slave.’