Chapter 10: Chapter Ten — Gregory

We don’t have to tell them, Mother whispered to me.

Eventually they will know that she isn’t…

Not pure nor vampire—mostly human? It doesn’t matter, son. You are drawn to her, in a way that has never happened to you. What can they say if I declare it so?

That was true enough.

I just hope she can accept me, Mother. It is highly important to me she gets to know me before learning what I am. She has to know I am not the monster our kind is named.

I agree.

Unlike Canya, who could take months to get to know me, I already knew more than enough to gauge who and what she was. But I had eternity. Waiting for her to grow comfortable with all of this wouldn’t be a problem for me.

“What do you think of so hard? You look worried. Did I do something?” Canya frowned. She thought that I’d reconsidered.

I smiled. Once set on a path, I rarely swayed from it. Perhaps one day, she would know that.

“I am curious,” she began with caution, but then the words spilled out in all haste. “Just how powerful are you? You seem to be so far ahead of me. Do you think I could learn how to better manage mine?”

“Oh, you have no idea, my dear. Some days I don’t know if it is a blessing or a curse,” I said honestly, smiling as my own pun and her interest in educating herself more about what she was. “And there is so much you can learn. There are books I can give you on the subject, and I know a thing or two. My parents are adept as well. I am sure they will have a few pointers for you.”

Canya flinched again. Something I’d grown to hate. “What will they think of me? Do they come here often? Where do they live exactly?” She shot one question after another without waiting for an answer to any.

“I believe they will like you very much. Yes, they do come here often. And they live in a less developed land than here, in Surrey. You can take a train most of the way, but to take the last leg of the journey, it must be done by horse or foot,” I answered each in turn as I moved to sit across from her.

And then the next round came that I worked through, filling the responses with as much “safe” information as I could. How was my childhood? How many siblings did I have? Was it fun to have children to grow up with? Were my parents kind, or mean?

At first this was amusing, but eventually her choices in what she asked and the motive behind them became clearer to me. Her childhood slid into razor-sharp focus for me—but I wanted to know more.

By posing inquiries myself, I made her think in more specific pretenses, rather than an overview. “Tell me more about your life growing up.”

“My father taught me accounting when I was old enough. I helped him with his work, and keeping track of accounts. He set aside papers for me to do when I had finished cleaning and tending the animals, the vegetable garden—but that was only during the season. There is not much to do with it in the winter.” Canya drew a firm image in my mind, both with her words and thoughts. “I found much of the work interesting and kept my mind from dwelling on the less attractive aspects of my life.” She leaned forward to tuck a stray hair behind my ear. Her fingertips accidentally grazed my cheek, and she blushed.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Don’t be.” I grabbed her hand before she could pull it back. “It’s okay, Canya. I promise I will never hurt you. I am not like the other men in your life, nor will I ever be.”

I pressed her fingertips to my mouth without thinking. I released them, surprised with my forwardness. But I couldn’t help it. I just craved her in inexplicable ways. Canya was full of life and laughter—far more than she thought. I just had to coax it out of her.

“I really love that dress on you,” I mused. “You should buy more of them.”

She giggled, the sound infectiously sliding over me. Heat burned low in my belly; a fire I knew would burn far hotter before it would ever come close to being quenched.

“How about a tour of the home?”

“Please.” I stood, and she rose to follow me. I took her through the first floor, showing her where everything was. She pretended not to notice my sudden, unwelcome nervousness around her.

“I don’t have money for such things. This one dress is probably worth more than my father makes in half of a year.” Her eyes light up with natural magic. The blue depths hypnotized me.

“What is mine is yours,” I whispered with a rough hoarseness.

“That is most generous of you.” She looked at the floor in a shy manner, something I recognized as a common human female gesture.

Something I liked a great deal, but otherwise remained unused to. Our women were confident and even brass at times, knowing their true worth and power. A vampire woman would be just as likely to knock me on my back as a male vampire could.

Canya looked around in awe and respect for my mother’s decorating obsessions as we walked the main floor. “Your house is the most beautiful I have ever seen. The art is absolutely exquisite! Your Mother definitely has an eye for color.”

As we walked up the stairs to the second story, I explained Anastasia’s fixation in more detail.

“She loves to play with all of these things, and since we have money, it happens often. When my Father tells her enough, she comes here and starts over again. She needs hobbies as she has infinite time on her hands.” That didn’t include the Council’s constant demands on her…

Our family spent a great deal of time working for the Council. No matter the rampant corruption of the establishment, it still remained a very important part of our community. The councilmen dictated and made decisions for us as a whole, to govern the Covens, who dealt with the Rogues, if they could.

The Coven’s job was to watch out for and dispose of Rogue vampires that stumbled into our specific jurisdictions. Any vampire not within a registered Coven is considered hostile, and must be dealt with immediately. Or we all would pay the price.

We knew it was high-handed, but a race of powerful beings like ours needed this government. The bloody decisions made in the blink of an eye without any attached emotion, prevented many who would otherwise run amok and create chaos for the humans.

The Original Cursed Ones—the firsts of our kind—had been around for almost two thousand years. Manuel, our Head of the Canada councilman, was a first and governed all who fell in his authority with an iron fist.

And if Canya ever chose our way of life, she’d learn all about that.

“I assume that I will get to meet your parents?” She asked, far too innocently.

She really wasn’t sure what I had planned for her She’s not seriously worried I only want her as my concubine, is she? I thought to myself. I had no clue how I’d managed to make her think that. But I would deal with that: show her this was the furthest from my mind.

“Oh, I’m sure they’ll be around often. They are aware that you’re here, so if they stop by and I am not here, its fine to introduce yourself. I assure you, they are very nice people.”

“They would have to be. They raised a good son,” she complimented as I led her toward the gardens at the back of the house.

I loved this sanctuary of nature. The late afternoon light sparkled through the trees and highlighted the emerald leaves and flowering bushes and plants.

We settled on the stone bench, set on flagstones, overlooking the property. Canya touched one of the wild roses that grew whichever way they pleased, just how I liked them.

Canya and I traded more stories of our childhood, the good and the bad. I continued to be amazed at how comfortable I was with this woman; like I had known her my whole life.

We shared so many of the same views. And I was shocked at just how much she really did know about accounting. It hadn’t occurred to me how much she enjoyed those numbers. I made a mental note to see what I could do about obtaining real work for her with our company. I sensed she needed to feel useful.

And as the conversation moved forward, it became clear that this woman had gotten some entertaining ideas about my lifestyle. Canya had full intentions of trying to take care of me, both because it was her nature and to absolve her guilt over taking something for free.

Hours had passed before her first delicate yawn. I had practically forgotten that she should be sleeping when it grew to be this late. It wasn’t long before her head drooped against my shoulder, relaxing in her weariness. Not long after, she fell asleep.

I sat there awhile; enjoying having her close and hearing her soft breath, feeling it fall against my neck.

While she slept, I thought out my course of action more thoroughly. She would need accounts with the stores in town for when I was away, and couldn’t personally accompany her. There would be items she needed to live comfortably, and I would see that she had them.

In sleep, she looked even more angelic and perfect than when she was awake. I ran my palm over her forehead, pushing back all of the heavy dark hair from her face. It felt like raw silk. My happiness faded at the thought of her mother pulling out chunks of the beautiful tresses.

Immediate anger flared at the reminder of her parents. If I had a daughter, I would’ve never done to her what they had. No matter what she had done.

My lip curled back over my teeth, knowing beyond doubt that one day, the two of them would get what they deserved.