Living in Darkness (Bloodbreeders) (12 page)

“Sorry about the lock,” she said. “Some of the crew has gotten nosy,
and we don’t want them to know our business.”

“I just thought you would like to know. Can I help with anything?” I
asked.

“No, no, go on back up. We have seen this all before, enjoy yourself,”
she said with a smile. I smiled back, and quickly made my way back up the
stairs.

I could now see the dock, but
Capie
turned
the boat and went around the beach to what looked like an old deserted pier. There
were four people standing there, all holding lanterns. The crew men were
rushing about, getting ready to bring the boat inland.

“We are finally here,” said a voice from behind me. I jumped, having
not heard anyone come up. It was Omar.

“You scared me,” I said, a little breathless. “I didn’t know you were
behind me.”

“You have no idea of what scared is,” he implied looking at me with
sinister eyes. “But you will.” He continued to glare at me, and then began to
laugh.

“Excuse me?” I asked, taken aback. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

“Omar, don’t you have work to do?” Rebecca asked coming around to stand
in front of me. He laughed again and walked away.

“What did he mean?” I asked Rebecca.

“He is a fool, pay him no mind. He has been treating us all the same,”
she said. “So, are you excited to see your new home?”

“I’m a little afraid to be honest,” I said. “It’s all happening so
fast, but I am glad to be getting off this boat.”

“I could not agree more,” she said. I noticed that we were completely
ashore, and the crew had begun to unload. “
Come,
let
us leave the men to their work. Nothing says we have to stay aboard. Let us put
our feet on Cuban soil.”

She took me by the hand, and led me off the boat.
None
of the men that were on the dock were
normals
,
they were all our kind
. No one spoke as we stepped off
and left the dock, but as we reached the beach, a woman came up to us. She was
dressed very proper, in a beautiful high-wasted black satin dress, with her
hair pinned up in a bun. She walked as if she were gliding on ice, her hips
swaying as she moved. She came up and kissed Rebecca on both cheeks.

“You have done well,” she told her. “It is good to see you.”

“Thank you, my lady,” Rebecca replied. “It is good to be back.
Please forgive me
,
this is Renee
. Renee,
this is Annabel.” That’s when she came to face me.

“Welcome to our country,” she smiled looking me over from head to toe. “It
is always a pleasure to provide a sanctuary for those in need.”

She seemed to be very nice, but there was something about her that
breathed power. She exuded confidence and pride just by the way she spoke.

“
Come,
let us go to my carriage. I am anxious
for Renee to see her new home, and the mistress has been awaiting your return
for months, Rebecca.”

“I think she will be very glad to see the things I have brought her,”
Rebecca replied, seeming to be nervous all of a sudden. “I think it was worth
the wait.”

“You are not paid to think,” Annabel snapped around so fast that it
made me jump. “I would hold that tongue of yours before someone tears it out.”

“I meant no disrespect, my lady,” Rebecca said, with her head so low
she was almost cowering.

In an instant, Annabel returned to the composed lady she was when she
first walked up on the beach.

“Very well,” she said. “Let us be off. The night will not last
forever.”

 
We climbed aboard the carriage,
but to me it was more like a topless stagecoach. Every inch of the interior
that my eyes could see was covered in smooth black leather, and the trim was
polished brass. It was sure nicer than any carriage you would see being used in
the small community that I was raised in. Most either rode a horse to town or
pulled a small buckboard. This was something from a fairy princess story that I
use to make up at night to help get my little sister to sleep only
unfortunately I was daydreaming.

“So tell me about
yourself
, Renee,” Annabel
said. “Who was your maker?”

“His name is Martin Lebrun,” I replied clearing my throat.

“Oh yes, I know of Mr. Lebrun. He is a renegade, the type that goes by
no rules other than his own.” I didn’t know what to say, so I just sat there
silent. She then asked a question that shocked me. “Did he force his manhood on
you?”

“No, never,” I immediately responded, feeling the blood rush to my
cheeks. “Why would you ask something like that?”

“No reason,” she said, and nonchalantly continued on. “Did he hurt you
in any way?”

“Not physically, no,” I replied with the first thing coming to mind was
Johnny. “But what he did do was unforgivable.”

“Please tell me, I would really like to know,” Annabel inquired leaning
forward slightly appearing almost too intrigued.

“What does it matter now? I’m here, and I would rather not talk about
it, if you don’t mind.”

“He made her kill her baby brother,” Rebecca said bluntly.

“You must hate him very much for that,” Annabel added. “It is very good
they found you when they did.”

“I really can’t talk about this right now,” feeling the lump form in my
throat. “It’s too hard to even think about.” Then for the first time since
leaving the states, I cried.

Annabel moved to sit beside me. She put her arm around me, and began to
rock very slowly. “Let it out, child,” she said softly. “We are here for you. He
cannot hurt you anymore. You were not at fault for what happened. Cry for your
brother, but do not hold guilt for something you had no control over.” She was
very kind to say what she did, but I knew the guilt would be with me forever. She
handed me a handkerchief.

“Here, dry your face. You don’t want the mistress to see you upset. She
would want to know why, and you will tell the story when you are ready, not a
moment sooner,” she added rubbing my back.

“Thank you,” I said, patting my face dry. “I don’t know why you are so
kind to me, but I am really grateful for everything.”

“I’m sure Rebecca told you what it is that we do. There is no need for
thanks,” Annabel replied smiling over at Rebecca. She then looked up to the
front of the carriage and announced, “We are here.”

We were driving up a road that had tall trees on each side, toward a
house that sat off in the distance. The closer we got, the bigger it became.
This was no house at all
,
it was a castle
.
It was the biggest home that I had ever laid my eyes on. The entire building
was comprised of stone, and centered in the front was a huge wooden door. Our
driver came to a stop in front of the door, and I noticed two very well groomed
men standing on either side of it. They were dressed in black suits, and they
were both wearing white gloves. They came to the carriage, and offered to help
us down, as if we were ladies of high society. Rebecca and I couldn’t hold a
candle to Annabel, yet we were treated like we were in the same category as
she. I thanked the gentleman for the help, and went back to staring at the
house. It was like something out of a Cinderella story. I couldn’t believe I
was about to go into a place like this, and I was nowhere near ready for it. Me,
in the dress I had worn for a week. I could only guess what I must look like. A
dirty beggar to anyone who would live here, I’m sure.

The two men went ahead of us and opened the doors. “Come, Renee, you
have nothing to fear here,” Annabel said, holding her hand out to me. I took
her hand, and we went in together. The entrance was almost beyond words. The
stairway drifted up on both sides, meeting in the middle like a giant
horseshoe. Dangling high above, centered with the staircase was a giant
chandelier, covered in crystals so beautiful they could have been tears falling
from heaven. The floor had a shine that showed the reflection of the objects
above it, with a Spanish-style design made out of tile beneath. Fresh flowers
graced the round table in the center of the room as well as every small table
in the large foyer, giving a sweet fragrance permeating as we stepped further in,
like a dewy spring morn in a bluebonnet field, and not a speck of dust could be
seen. It was by all means immaculate.

I was so intrigued by the room, that I never noticed the slender woman
enter the room. She was absolutely gorgeous. She was wearing a red silk gown
that clung to her body with every sway of her hip. The dress had very little
sleeves, and it was more than apparent that she wore no undergarments by the
way her nipples pierced the extremely thin material. It was all I could do not
to stare at her breasts as she glided toward us.

She moved in her bare feet like she was a well-trained dancer, while
her glossy black hair swung free down the middle of her back. Her honey-colored
skin was offset by her pale green eyes that rested above high cheek bones. She
never took those eyes off me as she approached, and the two women that were
with me bowed as if she were royalty.

“Mistress, this is the one you have been waiting for,” Annabel said.

“Do I look blind to you this night, Anna?” she asked.

“No, ma’am,” Annabel said, bowing once more. “Please forgive my
ignorance.”

The elegant woman waved her off, and went to stand in front of Rebecca.

“I was beginning to worry that you would not be able to get the job
done. You have done well, but now I wish you to leave us,” she said.

“As you wish, my lady,” Rebecca replied. She glanced at me momentarily,
and then exited the way we had entered.

I was starting to wonder what was going to happen next, but my question
was soon answered. The woman came up so close to me, that for a minute, I was
certain she was going to kiss me.

“You must be tired and hungry. I’ve had a bath drawn for you. After we
recline in a soothing tub, we will feed together,” she said looking me. “I see
why our Martin chose you. Young lean, and you have a very pleasant face.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” was all I could manage, wondering if I just heard
her say ‘we’.

“You may call me Lady Yvette, I am the reason you are here. I knew
Martin would choose a mate before too long,” she said, looking me in the eye. “Be
glad my people were there to save you from his torment.”

“Yes, ma’am, I’m very thankful, but I must say I don’t understand much
of anything,” I replied.

“Of course you don’t. How could you? Let us talk more after you have
been made comfortable.” With that said, she turned and started upstairs with
Annabel in tow.

I did the only thing I could - I followed. Once we were on the second
floor, she stopped at a closed door and turned to Annabel. “Make sure her room
is ready, she will want some time to herself. She has had much to deal with in
a very short time.”

“As you wish, my lady,” Annabel said with a small bow of her head, then
left to do as she was told.

I was left standing alone with
this
woman who
had just welcomed me into her home, and yet I still felt so out of place. I
wasn’t sure why, but things just didn’t feel as they should. I wished Rebecca
hadn’t left; we had become close the past few days. Now I felt like I was all
alone, with nothing left to do but wonder what would come next.

Chapter 10

As Lady Yvette opened the door, steam rolled out pregnant with the
fragrance of roses. “You must be dying to get out of that old dress,” she said
as we she entered the room. “You will feel much better once you are clean and
wearing the proper clothing.” I just nodded, not knowing what to say. Everything
was happening far too fast. I stepped into the first indoor bathroom I had ever
been in, and it was a welcome change from what I was used to. The room, staying
with the theme from the rest of the house, was quite large, but what caught my
attention first was the bathtub. It was built to appear as if it was sinking
into the floor, and it was more than big enough to swim in.

I noticed there were three women in the room with us, all wearing maid
uniforms. I guess they were waiting for me, because as soon as I walked through
the door they started moving about. One even tried to unbutton my dress.

“I think I can manage to undress myself, thank you,” I said, a little
uncomfortable. She looked to Yvette, and I could tell she was nervous. Then,
she nodded and backed away.

“They are here to serve, she meant you no harm,” Yvette informed me. As
she spoke, she took the straps of her dress from her shoulders and dropped it
around her feet. She was completely nude and seemed perfectly comfortable naked
in front of me, but where I came from, that’s just something women didn’t do,
so I instinctively turned my head.

“Do not look so shocked, Renee. We are both women. We have the same
things, do we not?” she said, stepping down into the water. “Do not be so
bashful, come join me. You must be mad in all that filth.”

I began taking off my dress, if she only knew how right she was about
my hating the feel of not being able to wash appropriately, so I was doing my
best to agree. After all, we were all women here. I now stood there in my
underclothes, too embarrassed to go further.