Savor (4 page)

“What if I don’t want to?” I asked Fox after my mom went into the kitchen, folding my arms defiantly.

“I’m sorry, Claire, but this is not a gift you can refuse.”

“You can’t just come in here and take away someone’s life!” I snapped back at him. 

“You should feel honored to be presented with such an opportunity.”

“But I have a life. I have friends.” I started to sound pitiful as I realized there was no fighting it. How could I refuse the ruler of our entire region, our vampire king? I couldn’t.

“Let us toast!” my mom chimed in as she strolled back into the room, carrying three glasses filled with wine. “To our king, and to the soon-to-be latest Vampire Royal Family member, my daughter, Claire!”

We each raised our glasses and drank, but I didn’t share their expressions of happiness. I felt trapped and could only wonder how I was going to say goodbye to my best friend and the life I intended to have for myself.

After listening politely to my mom rant about her political views, Fox allowed me the rest of the day to get my affairs in order. By nightfall, I would have to have all my things packed and all my goodbyes to everyone said.

There was really only one person that I wanted to say goodbye to and that was Liz. I had known her practically my whole life. It wasn’t like I was just moving away; it was more like I was going into the witness relocation program.  We would probably never see each other again.

When I reached her house, it was already buzzing with excitement. Half the neighborhood had seen the limo on our street bearing the seal of the royal family. She didn’t even believe me at first, that they had come for me, until I pulled the gold and ruby necklace from my pocket. Her shock instantly turned to sadness and I vowed that I would find a way to see her again.

I knew she wasn’t really upset with me, but with the situation. It wasn’t just my life that Fox’s revelation had forever changed, but those of my mom, Liz, and who knew who else? Liz and I had dreams of going to college together and buying houses on the same street after we got married so our children could play together. Liz and I wanted the whole fairytale life that we had dreamt up when we were little, but now it had been snatched away from us and I feared our friendship would never be the same. I knew I would never be the same.

Fox arrived at dusk, the black limo pulling to a smooth stop in front of my house. After tonight, I could no longer call it my house anymore. My mom helped me pack and talked animatedly the entire time as if I was just going off to college. She was so wrapped up in her own excitement that she didn’t even notice I never answered any of her questions, nor did I share any of her enthusiasm. Only a day before, I discovered a new respect and admiration for the vampires. Tonight, all I could feel for them was frustration and growing anger.

When Fox exited the limo, he walked in briskly without waiting for the door to be opened for him. My bags were packed and I hesitated at the doorway to my bedroom, taking one last look, as I tried to recall every memory I ever had there. I grabbed the carrier in which I put Louie and was surprised at how heavy he was. They wanted to extract me from everything I knew and loved, but I wouldn’t allow them to force me to leave him behind.

As I walked out the front door, Fox eyed the carrier and I shot him a defiant look. He didn’t say anything, which gave me a small sense of victory.  My mom stood at the end of our yard, waiting for me, and I suddenly felt so sad about leaving her. I had made so many plans to move far away from her, but now that I was doing so against my will, I didn’t want to.

As she hugged me tightly, I saw the curious faces of several of our neighbors as they tried to figure out what was going on. I was certain that by morning, everyone would know, but I wouldn’t be around to see it. My mom would most definitely announce it at one of her meetings, her voice so full of pride, like I had accomplished some kind of incredible feat. Only I was being simply selected as part of a political agenda, like a pawn. I had never felt so exploited in all my life.

Before getting into the limo, I looked up the street toward Liz’s house. I couldn’t see her. She said she wouldn’t see me off; she didn’t want to see them take me away, but I hoped she might show up anyway. The sting of her absence hurt, but there was nothing I could do about it. I promised myself that I would make things right. Someday.

I slid Louie’s carrier onto the smooth leather seats and crawled in after him. I expected that Fox would ride with me, but he firmly shut the door and walked to the passenger side front seat. Before I knew it, we were making our way down the street and my mom’s smiling face faded into a blur as we drove away.

I had never ridden in a limo before, and always thought that when I did it, would be a thrilling experience. What I felt now, however, was incredibly lonely. I opened the door to Louie’s carrier and started to scratch his head. His familiar purring comforted me.

“What are we going to do, Louie?”

I cradled the carrier as I inspected the limo. It was top of the line, with a fresh, new car smell. The interior was all black with gold and wood trim. There was a television located near a small mini fridge. I opened the fridge, hoping to find at least a bottle of water, but it was empty, so I flipped on the television. I couldn’t find anything particularly interesting, but the sounds of it helped to break up my rambling thoughts that were whirring inside my head. I tried to remember how far away the royal family lived and recalled someone mentioning that it was about an hour outside of town. People often went there as a sort of tourist attraction, finding satisfaction in viewing it from the outside. The huge iron gates prevented any uninvited entry as well as the wrought iron fence that surrounded it.

I settled in for the long drive and fell asleep, already exhausted from the stress of the day. The sensation of the limo coming to an abrupt halt startled me awake. My short nap failed to make me feel much better.

The door of the limo opened and the cool night air flowed over me. I saw Fox standing a few feet away, waiting for me to exit and I toyed with the idea of just staying firmly seated on the smooth leather interior. I didn’t want to leave and if he wanted me, he would have to pull me out.

When he continued to wait patiently I gave up and snatched Louie’s carrier before exiting the limo. We had parked alongside I assumed was a side entrance to the huge palace where the vampires lived.

“Welcome to the Palace Noire, Claire. You can leave your items here; they will be taken to your room.” Fox’s tone had changed and he seemed kinder. I had already decided that I didn’t like him, even when he was being nice to me. I hoped I wouldn’t have to see him much during my stay at the palace. What was I thinking? Of course, I would see him! I was going to be stuck here… forever.

I sighed heavily and handed Louie’s carrier to the waiting hands of whom I thought was a servant girl. “Please be careful with him,” I said as she carried him away.

“Yes, your Highness.”

The title with which she addressed me left me in shock and I looked at Fox with my mouth hanging open. “Don’t look surprised. A royal member of the family is what you will be and the staff has already been instructed to treat you accordingly. Now, let us get going, we have much to do tonight.”

I quickened my step to keep up with Fox’s long gait. The palace wasn’t as medieval as I expected, but more like a modern mansion. The décor didn’t match that of the blood bank, but the beauty and grandeur of it was just as awesome, if not more.

The tiled floor of the hallway was a smooth marble and the cream walls were lined with intricate tapestries that depicted epic battles or embracing lovers. There were great wooden doors which led to rooms I could not see. Intricately painted vases filled with a variety of fragrant flowers stood in alcoves, perfuming the air with their scent. 

The hallway led to a luxurious foyer that was encircled by a grand staircase. The steps were lined with a weaving iron banister that swirled in delicate curves. High above hung an enormous chandelier that seemed as large as the room. 

“This place is beautiful,” I said in complete amazement.

“Thank you, Claire. It pleases me to see you enjoying it.” A deep, soothing voice echoed down from the top of the stairwell.  It was the voice of Nicolae Noire, the vampire king of our region. I peered up and found him much more impressive and spectacular than any portrait or vampire statue I had ever seen.

He made his way, steadily and with purpose, down the stairwell until he came to a stop in front of me. His expression was not what I expected. A welcoming smile looked down at me and I glimpsed fangs protruding from it.  The sight of them gave my body the urge to run immediately away, but as if sensing it, Nicolae offered his hand to me.

I looked back at Fox, who was kneeling and I wondered if I should be doing the same. To avoid making the king wait any longer, I placed my hand in his and he firmly grasped it.  “It is a pleasure to meet you, Claire. I am King Nicolae Noire.”

I gave a small curtsey after he released me and kept my eyes cast downward, not sure of what I should do. I’d never taken an etiquette class in all my life.

“Foxworth, please send for Robin Willow. Claire? Would you follow me?” 

The king turned down another hallway. I kept a slower pace as I walked behind him, surveying my surroundings, as well as the king. He stood impressively tall, with a lean frame and angular features. His skin was a rich caramel hue and he had dark hair, just slightly flecked with gray. He was dressed in a suit similar to Fox’s, however, it seemed more appropriate attire on him. Fox seemed to be unfamiliar with his suit, and I quickly gathered that he only worn it to dress the part while acquiring me. The king, on the other hand, wore the suit as if it were tailored for him. The very fabric weaved to pair with his skin tone.

As we entered through a set of heavy wooden doors, we walked into what could be the most amazing office I have ever seen.  The king took his seat behind a spacious oak desk while I walked into the room. I felt myself gradually gaping at all the overstuffed bookshelves, gold-framed artwork, immense hand-drawn and painted maps and large animal skin rugs that covered the floors. I caught the flames’ reflection from the blazing fireplace dancing in the frozen eyes of a lion’s head of one of the rugs.

The king sat, gesturing toward an ample, antique armchair for me to sit as well. I was completely engrossed with the splendor of the place and sat in visible wonder. The king allowed me plenty of time to take it all in as he watched me, looking quite amused.

“It has been so very long since we last had visitors. We’ve become so accustomed to this place that it takes a new pair of eyes to remind us of its unparalleled magnificence,” the king said.

“I’m sorry.”

I didn’t know what else to say. I was still too afraid to raise my eyes and look at him. It didn’t help that my only encounters with vampires involved two very large and imposing men. I wondered if there were any women vampires around.

“No apologies necessary. You will have plenty of time to explore the rest of the grounds and I am sure you will find them all equally impressive; but for now, we must get down to business, as they say.”             

I gathered my courage and locked eyes for the first time with the vampire king. Seated behind the regally appointed desk, I almost expected to see a crown and a majestic robe trimmed in a feathery border, but his black suit and maroon, button-down shirt made him look just as noble. The thought of Liz flashed across my mind for a moment. I was thinking that she could probably name the designer without even looking at the tag.

Nicolae twirled a large gold ring around on his finger. It was adorned with a sparkling ruby much like the one on the necklace Fox presented to me. “I am sure you have a great many questions to ask me, as this life-changing decision was presented to you unexpectedly. We do not usually operate as such, but it has been a very long time since we have welcomed someone into our family.” 

His deep voice sang the words so soothingly, with only the slightest hint of an accent, which must have originated many lifetimes ago. “Foxworth’s orders were to explain the facets of the circumstances to you, but judging by the confused look on your face, I would venture to guess that you are not quite aware of what is happening?”

“No sir.” I tried to sound as polite and respectful as possible, but I had a lot of questions for him. Like for starters, was he crazy? But of course I would never say that.

“Before you ask anything, allow me to explain a few things, which may answer some questions.” He stood up then and walked toward the fire, grabbing a poker to stoke the embers. “What you may not have learned in school is that the royal family is not merely a clan of vampires cohabitating in this estate, it truly is a family. Many, many years ago I swore an oath with the humans of this region, that no vampire would shed another human’s blood, if humans would willingly donate their blood in return.  In doing this, I created a peace in our corner of the world that has saved, and continues to save, a great many lives.”

The king paused for a moment, letting the glow of the fire skip across his features. I saw his brow wrinkle as he became lost in thought and I tried to think of something to say. I searched through my memory and recalled something my mom used to say. “You created a peace for mankind that would never have been possible. Many humans have fled the regions in the north to come here, and live a life of freedom, free from fear.”

I was impressed with how mature I sounded and smiled. He returned my smile and continued. “What is not known to the world is the sacrifice that was made for this peace to be possible. Yes, we would survive on the blood offered willingly to us, but we require more to sustain us in our immortality.”

He looked at me, begging me to understand what he was saying, but all I could see were his fangs and I worried that what he really meant was he wanted pure blood like mine to feed from. He sighed heavily when he saw me tremble and looked away.

“We all desire family. An immortal life is a lonely life, and without the ability to feed on whom we choose, it is not possible for our family to grow. We would like for you to join our family, Claire.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but quickly snapped it shut. I should probably think my answer through first in order to be sure I would not offend him in some way. I was not sure what role I was going to play in this “family”.

Then I remembered a comment that Fox made to me. I replied, “I am eternally to be offered this opportunity, Your Highness, but I don’t know why I have been chosen.”

“Decades ago, my wife and I decided we were ready to expand our family, but because of our roles as the king and queen of this royal family, we had to select our new family member very carefully. Others have chosen with less discretion, but in our position of power, we had to find someone who could carry that position on their own. Blood is not only what feeds us, Claire, it also determines our strength. You are of pure blood, as am I and my queen. A vampire born of pure blood is highly respected and honored in our culture.”