Bride of Blood:: First Kiss (23 page)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Again Anton smiled as he thought of Christina Michelle and the promise that he had made to her.
 
He began to consider her words again.
 
Why did he bother to waste so much of his time on a fool’s errand when he had the loving and willing arms of Michelle waiting for him?
 
Was the whole concept of soulmate something that Velara told him because it was some fairytale that she had heard when she was a mortal slave?
 
No, she was the love of his life.
 
He knew that while he loved Velara the most, a place in his heart was still reserved for Christina Michelle and Charlotte.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“There are those who take the selfish road.
 
That road will always lead to destruction.
 
And when we take that path, we destroy ourselves and those around us, especially those we love.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There was silence for several moments until The Prince spoke again, “I had an apprentice.
 
You know him as Drago.
 
He was next in line to be head of our order, but I saw too much evil and lawlessness in him.
 
I wanted to have him destroyed for corrupting my order, but he rallied several of my own against me, including my brother Radu.
 
I was banished and Drago took over The Order.
 
The result has been total disarray.
 
He killed several of those who brought him to power and even exiled Radu.
 
He continues to break every law that we as vampires have.
 
I fear that we will all be doomed because of him.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“I will destroy him myself, your highness,” said Anton looking into his eyes.
 
He trembled.
 
“I promise you that.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Prince nodded, “I know that you believe that you will.
 
It is the only way to save our way of life.
 
I hope and pray that that my brother has come to his senses and will join the fight against him.
 
I hope that Radu will take his place as the leader of my order.
 
Remember this, Anton, some of us have no choice in becoming vampires.
 
But we all have the choice to either become a monster or an angel.
 
Always remember that.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Prince moved slightly on the throne and a look of pain shot across his face.
 
Anton looked at him with concern, but was waved off.
 
The Prince asked, “How is Anzalone?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton almost made a snorting sound, but held it in, “He’s fine, I guess.
 
Lady Bernadine is fond of him, although most of us are not.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“He has much anger and much to learn, but he is devoted to your Lady Bernadine.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
They sat again in silence for several moments until Anton spoke up, “Who were the two women that you loved, Your Highness?
 
Was one of them your late wife?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Indeed,” The Prince said with a sad smile.
 
“She committed suicide because she thought I was dead.
 
If she only had known that I could not die.”
 
He pointed to a painting on the wall that Anton had not noticed before.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“She’s beautiful, your highness,” Anton said, studying the painting.
 
She was just as beautiful as Anton imagined she would be.
 
She had the longest hair he’d ever seen on a woman.
 
But it was her eyes that really shook him.
 
She appeared so sad.
 
The same look that The Prince had in his eyes.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“And what of your other great love?” asked Anton.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“She will come today,” said The Prince, as he brightened at the thought.
 
“You will not see her because it is not your time, yet.
 
I have prayed to both God and her for her presence here, and this morning she will finally arrive.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“So, she is…”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Yes,” said The Prince in a loud voice, “It is time for Lady Death, my long lost love.
 
I have wanted and loved her for many years.
 
Now she is coming to me.
 
I will finally be reunited with my wife, and I can leave this world for good.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
He put his hand on Anton’s shoulder, “Don’t be sad, my friend.
 
I have come to understand that there is a place between worlds where we can meet from time to time.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Prince stood up and motioned for Anton to do the same.
 
Then the two walked over to the painting of his late wife.
 
“Soon, my love, we will be together,” said The Prince.
 
He turned to Anton and said, “And you will soon be reunited with your love.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton smiled and nodded.
 
“Now, my friend,” said The Prince, taking Anton by the arm and leading him away, “it is time for you to sleep.
 
Take my coffin.
 
When you wake, you will find this place has changed.
 
In due time, this place will fall and be no more, just like me.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Whether this place decays and falls, it doesn’t matter,” said Anton.
 
“No one will ever forget you or your name.
 
Prince Vlad Dracula.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Prince smiled and embraced Anton.
 
“Farewell, my friend.
 
Have a long and happy life and don’t forget your promise.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“I won’t, Your Highness,” said Anton, fighting back tears.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Prince waved his hand and the thrones suddenly disappeared through a trapdoor and were replaced by a large coffin.
 
The dark wooden coffin was covered with carvings of dragons and impaled people, for which The Prince was most well-known.
 
Although time and treachery had changed and cowed him, The Prince never made excuses for the things he’d done and never would.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton walked up to the coffin and ran his hand over the fine woodwork.
 
He turned to say something to The Prince, but he was gone.
 
Within seconds, the torches extinguished themselves and he was plunged into darkness again.
 
He could already feel the sun beginning to rise and suddenly became aware that he was exhausted.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
He climbed into the coffin and closed the lid.
 
A few bloody tears ran down his cheeks as he thought of Prince Vlad and his wife.
 
His thoughts then passed to Velara and how they were to be reunited.
 
The Prince was never wrong with his predictions.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Farewell, Prince Vlad Dracula,” Anton whispered before he drifted off into a dreamless and restful sleep.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
It was almost twilight when Alexander awoke.
 
He touched the lid of the coffin with his right hand.
 
It was cool.
 
A slight breeze brushed up against his chest.
 
It was Rachael’s slow and steady breath.
 
Her head was resting on his left shoulder and her hand was on his chest.
 
Her tiny, naked body was right next to him where she had slept peacefully all day.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
He glanced at her and kissed her forehead and sniffed her fragrant, dark hair.
 
She always had this sweet smell of wildflowers about her.
 
Her skin was growing cold.
 
She would need to wake and feed soon.
 
He was feeling a bit clammy himself, but they kept each other relatively warm throughout the day.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Again, he kissed her forehead and then closed his eyes.
 
He thought back to how they had made love before they fell asleep in each other’s arms.
 
Since he had gone to Lady Bernadine, he felt that he could not be without Rachael.
 
The love-making occurred every night since then, and that had still not been enough for them.
 
He simply did not want to be out of her presence and desired her body constantly.
 
Her feelings were exactly the same.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
He had no one to compare her to since she was his first.
 
What he didn’t know was that he was also her first since she’d been made.
 
Actually, like Alexander, much of her mortal life was forgotten during The Transformation.
 
She was nearly as old as Velara herself but was from a totally different world, even though they were both black women who lived during the same era.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rachael was born in New Orleans and grew up in the years before The Civil War.
 
Before The Transformation, she was much lighter in complexion and was categorized as a quadroon.
 
Her mother named her Sophroria, and she was trained from an early age to be a decorative and compliant mistress for wealthy, aristocratic white men.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The story of how Sophroria became Rachael was very sad indeed, and her maker Virginia had Lady Bernadine totally wipe her mortal memory.
 
Even Anton and Alexander, who were her closest friends knew nothing of her mortal life.
 
It was generally accepted among the vampire community that mortal lives were best forgotten and not discussed.
 
That was probably why such dramatic physical changes occurred during The Transformation such as lightening or darkening of skin color, dramatic growth of hair, change of eye color, and even size and body shape.
 
No new vampire looked very similar to how they had looked as a mortal.
 
That was also why it was common practice for the new vampire to be given a new name, as well.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sophroria had a lover, who was a very wealthy French nobleman.
 
But even though it was generally accepted for a man of his stature to take a mistress of her station, it was not acceptable for him to want to marry her.
 
And that is what he wanted to do.
 
They had planned to run away together, with him forsaking his title and money in order to be with the woman he loved.
 
Sadly, he was killed a few days before their rendezvous when he was thrown from his horse.
 
Sophroria was devastated by his death and tried to end her own life by throwing herself from a second story balcony.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And that was how Virginia found her, lying shattered on the street barely alive.
 
She dragged her nearly lifeless body into a nearby alley and gave her a new life as Rachael.
 
She was named for the woman in The Bible, with a small play on the spelling.
 
This was something that both Virginia and Christina Michelle did for many young girls.
 
When they traveled the world, they would find girls barely alive after a robbery, rape, or similar violation, and then give them new lives.
 
Eventually Lady Bernadine declared that no more vampires could be made.
 
Virginia and Christina Michelle went their separate ways.
 
Virginia took Rachael as her companion, but in the last few years Rachael had been spending more and more time with Anton and Alexander.
 
Virginia accepted the fact that Rachael and Alexander were to be together and let her go.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Alexander opened the lid to the coffin and gently got up, trying not to wake Rachael.
 
He looked over at Anton’s coffin.
 
He suddenly forgot his blissful joy.
 
He really missed his master and companion.
 
With a sigh, he dressed and then lit the candles around the room.
 
He closed his eyes and prayed that Anton would return to them safely.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
As he walked down the quiet street at that exact moment when Alexander and Rachael were getting up, Anton happened to see an old, closed-down video store.
 
Once there had been several in every town, now they were so few and far between.
 
Most people ordered their videos online, but there were some like Anton who still enjoyed renting from a store.
 
There was something about holding a DVD in his hands that made it more satisfying than going to Netflix.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The town that Anton lived in had one of the last video stores in the county.
 
Seeing the boarded-up store made him think back to the last time he and Alexander had rented a film.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Alexander was in the horror movie section and was browsing through some vampire movies.
 
He picked up one case and handed it to Anton.
 
“Remember when we saw this one?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton shook his head and stared and the extremely evil and ugly vampire on the DVD cover.
 
He handed it back to Alexander saying, “If I ever get that ugly or that sloppy, please kill me!” Anton had never seen a vampire quite as ugly as Radu.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Alexander laughed and returned the video to the shelf.
 
“If the writers of this crap only knew what a spineless and weak vampire that Radu really is!” he said.
 
They both laughed.
 
Radu, the brother of Vlad was nowhere near as terrifying or as sloppy an eater as the vampire in the film.
 
In reality he was rather soft and very feminine.
 
Both of them despised him greatly.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Most of the vampire films they had ever seen were either boring or way too outlandish.
 
The only vampire film that they had seen that was remotely entertaining was “Salem’s Lot”.
 
Anton enjoyed all of Mr. King’s books although he didn’t like all of the film adaptations.
 
This was one that he did like. Although Mr. King, like all mortals, didn’t have a clue about real vampires. “
That goddamn Bram Stoker….” was what most vampires said.
 
But it was actually a good thing that mortals didn’t get it.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

“I mean let’s be realistic now,” began Anton.
 
Alexander sighed as he knew that “the speech” was coming.
 
“Why is it in a good percentage of all vampire movies that anyone and everyone who is bitten or killed by a vampire becomes one?
 
What happens when the whole town becomes nothing but vampires?
 
What then?
 
Start feeding on the livestock?
 
Feed on each other? Move to another town and start the same cycle again?
 
I mean, really!
 
And this whole business with stakes in the heart and garlic?!
 
Do you know that I once read a book in which vampires could be killed by filling their socks with rocks and throwing them into the river?”
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Do you want to see this again?” Alexander asked picking up “Salem’s Lot”.
 
He was doing anything to stop Anton’s tirade…. again.
 
It seemed that they went through this every time they went to the video store….or the bookstore….or the library.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“No,” said Anton.
 
“Let see if there are any new films by confused mortals.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Alexander picked up a DVD from a recent vampire series that Chelsea had mentioned.
 
Apparently all the kids were crazy about it.