Eighteen Summers (8 page)

“There. That wasn't so bad, was it?” She asks with a wry expression.

“
I just burned in the hottest fires of hell, but apart from that, it was great.”

“
I know it is painful Cali. But what could I say?”

“
Prepare yourself for the worst pain known to anyone, ever?”

“
There was no need to alarm you any further. 'Tis done now, all is well.”

“
My mistress changed quickly. That was a short three hours,” Nico announces with obvious pride and satisfaction.

I turn to look at him with a flash of annoyance. I didn't realise I was being timed.

“Thankfully I wasn't conscious for the last two hours and fifty minutes of the flaming inferno.” I add sarcastically.

“
You are now fully turned. You look a little altered. Would you like to see?” He asks with an approving look.

“
Please...”  Sofia hands me a small mirror and I peer into it cautiously, intrigued.

Oh my God... This seriously cannot be me!

My hair lies in beautiful soft even waves.  My face has more definition and higher cheekbones. My mouth is fuller. I have long sweeping eyelashes and beautifully arched brows. My skin is so clear and fresh it almost glows with health. I turn this way and that looking at the new me. I am certainly not disappointed. Dare I think that I am beautiful? Because I believe I am
.

“
Not much improvement then?” I joke with a straight face. Nico sighs.

“
Cali... You are quite beautiful and you know it. Be proud of yourself for a short moment.”

“
I shall draw your bath. We will wash away your remaining human scent and discuss your changes.” Sofia rises and goes into the bathroom.

“
Nico, I need to talk to you. It's about My Lord.” I have to tell him, to confide in him.

“
After you are dressed I will return and we can speak. I have some business I need to attend to.” He takes my hand and kisses it. My heart leaps into my mouth and I feel my eyes burn hot at the touch of his lips. He keeps his eyes deliberately averted from mine, staring downwards. “Until then.” And he leaves quickly.

I lie still and wait for Sofia to call for me. But I can't help myself, my curiosity is aroused. I have a quick look under the covers at my body.  I lift the nightdress and run my hands over myself. My waist is slimmer and my breasts are amazingly larger. And my pubic hair has vanished. My breathing and heart beat are slow and steady. I feel so odd. But then again, everything has been odd lately. I am very much more aware of my body. But I don't yet know its limitations and abilities. It is all so exciting and thrilling, but also frightening and unnerving.

I am a vampire, an undead, immortal, a bloodsucker.

I laze in my bath being scrubbed and attended to, while Sofia tells me what to expect. There will be a blood craving for some time. This will be difficult for me to deal with, she says. I am not to go outside the house for this reason as it may come upon me very suddenly. I am to be supplied with short, frequent feeds to keep it under control. My bodily functions will be similar, but will occur far less often. If I am thirsty I can drink plasma, which is always available in the kitchen and also wine, water, and grape juice. These will not upset my stomach. No more human food can pass my lips or I will suffer a raging sickness, similar to human food poisoning.

“Now, I wish to see your teeth. Open your mouth.” I open wide and she touches one of my canines. I feel it move, within my gum. My mouth waters, saliva pooling. I lift my finger and touch the sharp point that has descended. I try out the other side and smile a fanged grin, rubbing my tongue around them in satisfaction. I retract them and try them out again.

“
Perfect. You will be able to raise your bite at will, without using your fingers after a while. It becomes a natural function. How does it feel?”

“
It's certainly different. I like it though. Being fanged.”

“
Good. Now all that is left is to explain your immortality. No vampire is truly immortal. We can die in a number of ways. You can bleed to death. You can drown. You can burn or freeze. But if you are careful in life, as any human would be, you will remain as you are forever.”

“
Who were you, before you changed?” I ask her my burning question.

“
At the age of twelve I became a servant in the Chesterfield family household. I worked there for nine years, on their estate in Lancashire. It is a National Trust house today.”

“
How did you change?”

“
I drank the blood of a vampire. It is the only way, other than by birth. Biological vampires, such as yourself, are formed differently.”

“
Who turned you?”

“
Gabriel.”

“
Oh, and how did you meet him?”

“
He and I became acquainted when he visited the Chesterfield ladies several times on business. He was their legal representative, a solicitor, and still handles all of our legal affairs today. He offered me the chance to escape my domestic station. That is why I was chosen for you. I used to be a lady's maid, you see.”

“
Oh no... Sofia, I'm so sorry. You really don't have to wait on me. I'm sure you have better things to do.”

“
No, I really enjoy it now. I have little else to do with my time otherwise. It is very pleasurable to me, to make you content and attend to your needs. It is how do you say? Jolly good fun!” She laughs heartily and I join in.

“
Well, if you're sure.”

“
I am quite sure. Now, let me finish and dress you.” I get out of the bath and she busies herself wringing out my hair which seems to be much longer than before. “As you don't need to sleep for eight hours any more, you will find your days very long. I hope My Lady has interests to keep her occupied?”

“
I'm sure I can keep myself busy. How long do I need to sleep for?”

“
It varies. I need perhaps two or three hours at most. I can get by on less. Some hardly sleep at all, others need a little more than I. Sleep serves a different purpose. It purely rests our brain. Our body cells do not need to regenerate as a human's do.”

She finishes drying me and hands me a robe.

“You are most beautiful Cali.” I glow with the compliment.

She dresses me, fixes my hair and face, and leaves me for a while. I feel I am forging a good relationship with her. She is kind, thoughtful, and full of facts which I soak up like a sponge. After looking at myself in the mirror for an age, very immodestly, with the biggest smile on my face, I look for something to interest me. I poke around my wardrobe, jewellery, and shoes and finally, having exhausted all the things I can find to look at, I resort to the dusty old books yet again. I must find the media rooms soon, so I can play some music or read something more interesting than 'A Biography of Jane Austen', however wonderful an author she is.

Finally Nico knocks and enters. I remain seated and smile at him flirtatiously. I know I am looking really good now... His eyes shine and he does nothing to hide the yellow flicker. I bask in his admiration.

“
Well Cali, what a day it has been for you.”

“
You could say that.”

“
And now you must begin thinking seriously about your new life here.”

“
Hmmm, about that...”

“
We agreed you would give it time with My Lord.”

“
That was before I found out something about him.”

“
And what is that?”

“
He's a sadist. He likes to torture women sexually.”

“
He has done this to you?”

“
No, not yet. But he will.”

“
Surely you are imagining things! I would know about this, if it were true. He enjoys the company of many females in the household.”

“
They can't ever tell. He won't allow it.”

“
Cali, what are you saying? Explain yourself.”

“
He has a cellar. He hangs girls upside down in it and tortures them. God knows what else he does in there. I guess just about everything...”

“
I have heard he has several wine cellars, but I have never been to his lower levels. How do you know any of this? If no one will tell...?”

“
I've experienced it, in a very vivid dream. And before you laugh at me, I know Sofia has been in there but she won't say what went on. She is scared for her life. She could be dispatched permanently. I know Severina has been in there as well, but she'll never admit to it either.”

“
But we are not a violent society. It is our ethos and culture to treat each other respectfully. Torture and sadism are completely at odds with this. And he is our leader, our Lord Protector. I cannot believe he would act this way. It's almost Ristorian, and they are everything we are not.”

“
What's a Ristorian?”

“
They are the main reason I guard you. They murdered your parents Cali. They are brutal, undisciplined, and sadistic vampires. Nothing is beyond them, truly nothing. They take small children in the night, decimate entire families on a whim, and indulge in gratuitous orgies of blood lust. The Ristoria are a rival family, from the Etruscan era, 500 BC. The origins of your bloodline and theirs emerged at the same time. There were bloody wars over land rights for millennia until 1500 AD, when your father finally put an end to their disgusting rampage and finally restored peace to the region. Their remaining lineage has sought revenge many times and finally, as you know, they were successful.”

“
My God, this is quite a family history I have, don't I? I want to know more of this later, but tell me, what is a Lord Protector exactly?”

“
He is the Lord in your stead. You are the rightful head of the household and he is holding your position for you until you become more accomplished in our ways. He is an old and ancient one. Wise and a natural leader.”

“
But he isn't a noble like I am?”

“
A lesser noble. He is a part of the extended Gianni family by birth, of Caprice lineage. Well, as far as we know anyway, based on his tale of events. He is not a direct descendant like you. He was born and raised human and later turned.”

“
So who gave him this job?”

“
Your father nominated him, should the need to protect arise. He became his confidant, a close friend, very close after you were born.”

“
I see. So can I un-nominate him?”

“
Cali... please... Do not consider such a thing. I cannot imagine the consequences.”

“
I'm not, but I won't mate with him Nico, how can I?”

He puts his head in his hands.

“Look...” I begin, but he holds up his hand.

“
I'm thinking Mistress, one moment please.” I wait for a minute while he paces up and down fretfully. “There is only one way you can avoid the union. You must leave the household, temporarily, until things become rearranged somehow.”

“
Where will I go?”

“
I have friends in Italy. I can take you there.”

“
But what about Raffaele, won't he try to bring me back?”

“
He cannot force you to come back. And you have your own fortune. This household is supported by your father's legacy, a special fund, but the remaining wealth is yours. Lord Raffaele has no title to that, unless you were to marry him, legally, in a human ceremony. A mating alone would not entitle him to share your personal wealth.”

“
Will you stay with me? In Italy?”

“
I have pledged my life to you from birth. I am your guardian. Of course I will stay.”

“
What about Sofia?”

“
Of course she must accompany you and we will enlist the aid of Gabriel. He is our legal counsel. He can advise on the inheritance and other matters.”

“
Can we leave soon?”

“
No, you will suffer blood lust Cali. It is not safe. In a few days perhaps.”

“
Nico... Thank you. For believing me.”

“
Although I think it is unlikely you would have fabricated such a tale, I would like to confirm this with Sofia, in your presence before I take things further.”

“
That's understandable, I suppose.”

I call for her and she arrives a moment later. And Nico wastes no time on small talk.

“Sofia, answer me truthfully. There will be no repercussions for you, I will ensure it. Has My Lord hurt you in the bedchamber or elsewhere in this house during recreation?” Sofia glares at me. I have, after all, betrayed her confidence.