The Chalice (Luna Vampire Series) (40 page)

             
"My area's over here," he continued, seizing my hand once again and tugging me through the bathroom's other door faster than I could object.  

             
And, strangely, his room was a mirror image of mine.  It had the same black marble floors, purple walls, and white duvet.  Two paintings, which hung neatly above his bed, were the only difference.  The largest one depicted him as a teenager with an older couple standing beside him, obviously his parents, while the other portrayed him sporting a hideous powdered wig.  Smiling at his hairpiece, I was unable to get past the absurdity.
  For real, how did people in those days tolerate dressing like that?  Jeesh.

             
"I must go prepare for our defense," he announced with a slight bow at the waist.  "I intend on stopping by my slave's chambers to feed beforehand.  I'm aware that you need nourishment as well.  Should I send your new slaves to you?"

             
Mortified, I waved my hands in the air as if to ward him off.  "No, no.  I won't be taking on new, uh,
slaves
.  Frankly, it's awful that you even call 'em that."

             
"Familiars then?  Is that more palatable?" he crooned, raising his eyebrows in a forced show of concession.  In turn, I simply stared at him, a bitter taste growing in my mouth.  "Regardless of the semantics, darling, feeding is a necessity."

             
"I don't care," I grumbled, squaring my shoulders.  "After Amelia died, I decided not to travel down that road again.  Ever." 
He might be crafty enough to evade a chit-chat about the whole gift giving thing, yet he wasn't gonna get me to budge on this.

             
"It's the way of the world, love.  You're a vampire; you need to accept that fact and move forward with your life."

             
Unfazed by his argument, I blinked up at him with my best puppy dog eyes.  "Lucien told me that the unbonded humans sometimes donate blood.  So, can't we do that?  And, yeah, I'm totally starving.  I'd just rather drink my food from a glass."

             
At a loss, he shrugged in defeat.  "Fine, I'll order one of your future slaves to bring their blood to you
in a glass
.  It'll have to suffice for the moment seeing that brevity won't permit a more in-depth discussion.  That said, in the future it's imperative that you create bonds.  A vampire in your position never has too many allies."

             
"Well, I'm telling you right now, I'm not gonna rob anybody else of their freedom.  And, you can sugarcoat the situation all you want, but we both know that the bonding process does exactly that.  It's despicable."

             
"Alas, we must revisit this later," Adrian grunted, tilting his head to the left and pausing as though he was overhearing a far-off conversation.  "Remember, you're safe here.  My guards are outside.  And don't hesitate to ask for their assistance if you require it." 

             
After which, he abruptly nodded and disappeared. 
Well, I guess that means it's time for bath.
 
Sigh.

Chapter
28

             
With steam all around me, I soaked in the warm water and felt simply blissful.  On the heels of Adrian's poofing act, I'd ditched my nasty clothes into a pile on the bathroom floor, poured a bucket full of flowery-smelling bubblebath into the tub, and proceeded to scrub the shit out of myself.  And, yeah, this is gonna sound gross, but I ended up having to drain and refill the water three times before it stopped turning red. 
My body'd been that caked with dried blood.

             
The bath's relaxing tranquility had rooted itself securely within my frazzled psyche, when I finally realized it was time to get going.  I didn't wanna fall asleep in the water. 
I might drown or something.  Well, if vampires could drown, that is.  Wait a minute, did vampires even need oxygen to survive? 
I rubbed at my droopy eyelids.
  Whatever
. 

             
Inhaling deeply, I wrapped myself in a towel and hobbled on shaky legs into my bedroom.  I was utterly exhausted, a walking corpse barely remaining conscious.  However, the second I saw the ornate silver platter resting atop my desk, I perked right up.  Somebody'd left me a tall glass filled to the brim with blood, a turkey sandwich, and a can of Mountain Dew. 
There was a god.

             
I hastily knocked back the blood in a couple large gulps.  And, in spite of its tepid temperature, the exquisite taste exploded across my tongue.  In truth, the sandwich and pop were good too.  Although, the meal didn't strengthen me as much as I would've liked. 
My body still screamed for sleep.

             
Yawning, I began to rifle through the sparse stack of clothing in my closet, eventually deciding on a pair of sweatpants and a "New World Church of Light" t-shirt.  I knew they'd be comfy to sleep in and I briefly sniggered at Adrian branding his cover story as I slipped on the shirt.  Then, almost immediately, I felt pangs of guilt for doing so. 
For real, I shouldn't be laughing at hundreds of people living in servitude.  It just wasn't appropriate.

             
And that's when I started thinking about Amelia.  My poor sweet Amelia.  If she were here, she'd have made sure my closet shelves were cram packed with an assortment of outfits, every accoutrement stylish and the correct size.  She also would've loved taking Adrian up on that online shopping spree.  I can see her now, sitting in front of the computer and buying to her little heart's content.  Accordingly, my spirit swelled with grief, a solitary tear rolling down my cheek. 
I'd get those sons of bitches for what they did to her. 

             
Fuming with vengeance, I crawled under the fluffy comforter of my bed.  All the while, I ground my teeth together, lamely attempting to displace a portion of my bitterness.
  And, sadly, my efforts went unrewarded.
  Then, as if there wasn't already enough negativity plaguing me, my thoughts drifted toward Adrian.
  The guy had to expect something in return for his help. 

             
Now, don't get me wrong.  He was a sexy, sexy man and alone time with him really turned me on.  Beyond that, he'd waited several decades to be with me, shown unimaginable loyalty, risked his life during my rescue, and
bonus
he was like a gazillionaire. 

             
Nevertheless, I only required his assistance in the fight against Tsedaka.  I didn't need his bank card or stock portfolio.  And, regardless of whether or not some stupid prophecy said we were to be mates, I refused to let him trap me.
  Seriously, Michel's absurd foretellings of our future relationship were screwed up, worse than a freaking prearranged marriage.

             
Shaking my head in frustration, I rapidly came to the conclusion that I couldn't accept any more of Adrian's charity, not a single shining penny.  No online shopping, no vineyard in California, and definitely no blood slaves.  I mean, his coddling and sheltering weren't necessary.  In my opinion, bank robbery was a perfectly reasonable profession for a vampire. 
A whole heck of a lot better than dry humping guys' laps for twenty dollars a song.  And if the other vamps disapproved, well, piss on 'em.  I didn't ask for this life.

             
Sucking in a yawning breath, I released it slowly and desperately tried to dismiss the tension from my mind.  I still had important stuff to do.  Namely, I needed to check on my protector. 
"Lucien, can you hear me?"
I asked, propelling my words in his direction with force.

             
"Hey, girlie,"
he replied a few moments later.
  "I'll be up to my quarters shortly."

             
"Up?  What do you mean by up?  We're underground."

             
"True.  However, the facility goes down four floors.  The infirmary is on the level directly beneath you."

             
"Uh-huh,"
I thought sleepily, my brain gradually digesting the new information.
  "So, um, are the doctors done with you?  Is your face gonna be okay?"

             
"The healer gave me a special salve for my skin and my mother donated blood.  After I fed, I began feeling much stronger..." 
He faltered, the tiniest hint of hesitation leaking across our bond. 
"A good night's sleep and I'll be fit as a fiddle.  No worries."

             
"I'm merely thankful you're alive; I don't know what I'd do without you,"
I admitted earnestly.  In the back of my mind, though, I sensed that he was glossing over the severity of his condition.  Even so, I decided not to press the issue.  Undue stress from me might hinder his recovery. 
"I'm proud of you for utilizing donations rather than taking on new slaves.  Adrian keeps trying to push 'em on me and it totally sceeves me out."

             
"I'm afraid I have to agree with him, girlie.  You should pick up at least one, possibly two.  As for myself, well, I'll stick with donated blood from now on.  Clearly, we're in this mess because of me and Dawn, on account of our bond."
  And with that, a heavy knot of his emotions invaded my subconscious. 
Sadness.  Despair.  Regret.

             
"That's not true,"
I objected, unwilling to let him shoulder the blame.
  "Tsedaka and his henchmen are the ones at fault.  You and Dawn had nothing to do with it." 

             
"We were talking of moving on prior to her arrival.  If she hadn't come to our hotel and distracted us, we probably would've left before the king's guards got there."

             
"Lucien, you can't change the past and neither can I.  I wish there was a way, believe me.  And, frankly, feeding from her was a roll of the dice; she could've bonded to me just as easily."

             
"It's nice to hear you say that, but my heart's still heavy.  Amelia was very much a sister to me; my mother raised us.  You see, Amelia's parents were sold off to a vampire coven in California when she was a only toddler.  Since we're cousins, it became my mother's responsibility to care for her."

             
"Has anyone told her family, um, of her death?" 

             
"Yep, my mother spoke with them.  Despite their grief, they aren't holding us responsible.  They understand that things such as this happen and send their condolences." 

             
Promptly, my eyes moistened and tears started seeping steadily onto my pillow.
  "I miss her, Lucien." 

             
"I miss her too, girlie."

             
"And that's why we're not creating more bonds,"
I thought to him, fervently wiping at my cheeks.
  "It's too hard to lose 'em."

             
"The part of my soul that continues to mourn Dawn's passing sees your logic.  Regardless, you must agree to another slave at some point.  It's for your safety."

             
"Whatever, I guess we'll cross that bridge once it gets here,"
I grumped, eager to pull a quick subject change.
  "So, um, when do you think the doctors will release you?"

             
"Within the hour.  After which, I'll come up to my quarters and sleep.  Lord Adrian's guards' can keep you safe while I recuperate; I'm confident of their abilities.  All the same, wake me if there's an emergency."

             
"For real, there's four of 'em outside my door and they seem to have the situation under control.  So, snag a bit of shuteye and don't worry about me, 'kay?  I'll be fine."

             
"Nonetheless, call if you need me."
  Along with his words he sent a surge of loving energy, tenderly ending our conversation.

             
In turn, I snuggled into the covers and relaxed, the satin sheets reminding me of the many dreams I'd enjoyed back in my own bed at home.  My lucidity fading, I briefly thought of my mom's little house in Lyndon and everything else I'd left behind.  My old life as a dancer, my virtually infinite debt, and even my ridiculous dreams of becoming a broadway star.  It felt obscurely surreal, like different life.  And, honestly, it truly was different life. 
The human one that I'd never have the opportunity to finish.

Chapter
29

             
I awoke to a quiet room, stretching and taking a mental inventory of my body.  Everything had healed, no more pain or shakiness.  Likewise, my energy levels were back to normal.  I felt so good, in fact, that I probably could've stopped time.  And the scars from Tsedaka's whipping, well, there weren't any.  My skin was as soft as a baby's bottom. 
Vamp regeneration powers, freaking amazing.