The Brethren Of Tavish [Vampire Coven Book 1] (7 page)

“We no longer have
need
of Anivamps do we?” Laken said and frowned. “You created them to kill the human
men who came after their females and to attack other vampires. The ice is too
thick for the humans to get around. Everyone in or out must be flown.”

“She will be introduced to Anivamps.
But not yet.
The Anivamps are loyal to me and I will not end
any loyal life. While there is enough food they will live in harmony.” Tavish
stood up. “I’ve left her alone too long. She has no one but me right now. Make
sure the men are on high alert until I can figure out what I’m going to do with
a little Mercy.”

* * * *

Tavish watched Mercy from the door he had
quietly side-stepped through as she wandered around his bedroom wrapped in a
bed sheet. Her delicate fingers trailed over a hutch he harbored numerous
treasures in.
Unique pieces of things that caught his eye.
An item of remembrance of certain humans who had touched his
life, if not his heart.
She pressed her face to the glass. Her expelled
breath misted beneath her to cover a part of the surface. It was something
Tavish couldn’t do. His breath was neither warm nor cold. Her fingers slid
across the steamy glass so she could peer in once more.

“It’s not locked.”

She jumped when he spoke and spun to confront
him. “Locked? I don’t understand the word.”

She was no longer crying. Her face was a bit
puffy from her tears but nothing more. “You sometimes lock up treasures so no
one can touch them.”
Like you little cub,
you are locked up on my land and are my treasure.
“A lock keeps someone
out; it keeps someone from taking what is yours. I have no need to lock these.”

“I have no treasures. I know of no one who had
any…except you.”

“There is nothing special you have ever owned?”

“Nothing as fine as these things,” she said,
then
seemed to think of something. “Except perhaps a book my
mother gave me. But it’s gone. I have nothing, not even clothes.”

Tavish went to the hutch and opened the glass.
“Pick something.”

“Oh no, I couldn’t,” Mercy said and stepped
back. She looked at the items with a mixture of longing as well as a tinge of uncomfortable
hesitance.

“Sure you can.” Tavish picked up a musical
ballerina. It was a memento from a Russian dancer. She had been stunning. The
woman had made music come to life when she moved. It was the music that
complimented the talented dancer and not vice versa. He had spent an entire six
months with her. Tavish wound the base of the ballerina and a tune played.
Mercy moved closer.

“What’s that?”

“A dancing ballerina.”

Mercy cocked her head.
“No,
the noise.”

“Haven’t you ever heard music? Surely you must
know what singing is?”

“No, not really.
Excessive noise was
forbidden, even laughing too loud. Maybe at one time my mother sang to me
softly, but singing could lead to something mother called dancing. Dancing is
forbidden, our bodies must not touch. We mustn’t entice our opposites to the
differences in our bodies. It would be treason, not to mention cruel.”

“What do you know of differences in a man and
woman’s body?” Tavish asked. With each word she spoke, Tavish was given insight
into the loveless world she must have lived in. No laughing? No touching or
singing?

Mercy blushed beet red. Tavish heard her
heartbeat quicken. Soon enough he would find out just how much she knew. Tavish
began singing the words to the music. Her eyes widened in surprise. Tavish knew
she must be thinking:
So the monster can
sing.
She looked intrigued as his low voice hit each note perfectly. The
ballerina began to wind down, his voice trailed off. When the music stopped,
Mercy was so close she was touching his side.

“Singing here is not treason or against the
law?” she asked, there was a tremor of excitement in her voice.

“No.”

“Will you teach me?”

“Yes.”
Ah,
progress
. With the young comes the desperate urge to consume knowledge.
Tavish had that in his favor. He didn’t mind sharing harmless pleasant
knowledge with humans. “You may keep the ballerina in my hutch and play with it
whenever you choose. I’ll teach you the words to the song.”

“Thank you.
And, Tavish,
thank you for lunch.”
She looked uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong little cub?”

“I’ve been thinking about what you’ve said. It
wouldn’t be fair if I could eat and you couldn’t. If you provide everything and
get nothing in return it wouldn’t be right. It would be almost cruel. At least,
that’s my personal interpretation of the situation. It would be like my mother
feeding me but not my cousin. I couldn’t sit and watch my cousin starve. If you
can keep your eyes blue and you are very gentle you may….”

She blushed. It made her look even more
beautiful. Her gray eyes flashed to his briefly before she ducked her head.
Tavish was a bit surprised she would offer herself so soon. But her quick and
thoughtful understanding showed him he was dealing with a kindhearted soul with
spirit. He didn’t want her spirit broken. He placed the ballerina back into the
hutch. Taking Mercy’s hand he led her to his couch. He then went to a dresser
and from a drawer he pulled a camisole. The color was pale pink. He took it to
Mercy and handed it to her. She held the silk garment to her cheek.

“It’s so soft,” she muttered. “Fur is soft and
leather can be as well when it’s worked, but I’ve never felt anything like
this. The color is beautiful.”

“It’s pink. It’s for you to wear around
outside.”

“I’ll freeze to death outside in this.”

“Put it on and I’ll show you your new home. I
promise you, I would never let you freeze.”

Mercy fumbled with the garment under the bed
sheet, trying to hide her nudity from him until he took over. He reminded her
he had already seen her naked. She
blushed
a deeper
red but let him help. When he finished, he took her to a full-length mirror.
Mercy gasped at her reflection. She placed both hands onto the mirror and
leaned in closer.

“That’s me?” She sounded so excited. Tavish
remembered her upbringing. No doubt mirrors were forbidden; it was sad and yet
laughable to think of a simple thing as a mirror being construed as treason.
Vanity would be considered an act of treason no doubt. It was most likely rare
she had ever had a real glimpse of herself.

She turned sideways and Tavish got a good view
of her stunning derrière. When prone, he had viewed her while she slept, but
standing and preening as though she had never seen herself had him clench and
unclench his fists. Her hands slipped over her sweetly rounded behind making
the hairs on the back of his neck stand tall.

Good God,
what a sight.

His little cub had pale, perfect, unmarred
white long legs. High rounded breasts that begged to be fondled. Her nipples
puckered against the teasing, mostly see-through fabric. Mercy looked down and
Tavish could see her concern. The teddy had easy-access fasteners to her
vaginal area.

Tavish turned her in his arms. “When it’s time
for you to be bred, the fasteners will be undone. Your chosen two will have access
to you daily until you conceive. They will not hurt you and they will not be
rough or forceful. All twenty men have grown up here; all have been taught how
to please a woman. Never ever fear you will be struck. All are eager to be
turned. They are very obedient and faithfully loyal. None would dare harm a
breeding vessel,
it’s
treason. It would mean their
death.”

“Breeding vessel?” She shuddered when she said
the words.

“You can be a mother here. You may raise your
children to adulthood. You can touch and love your children openly without fear
of harm. Your children won’t be subject to a loveless life like you were.”

“I was
very
loved. My
whole family loved me,” she said looking confused by his words.

Now Tavish was confused. She looked sincere.
Yet how could she have been loved with a simple kiss considered as treason? It
made no sense to him. She had to have been brainwashed. Tavish would make her
see the truth. His way was better.

“All you were offered before was ice and cold
and loneliness. You were taught laws by a martyr. Did your father think past
his death? As all your relatives died out, did he think about your loneliness?
Why was he allowed a child when you never were? How is that fair?
And what about your survival?
Have you been taught to hunt,
where to hunt?
The dangers?
Or were you sequestered
away? How could you eat after all had died? You would starve to death.
Starvation is a painful way to die, little cub. It was cruel of him to expect
you to die cold, alone, and starving in his personal icy fish bowl.”

Mercy’s gaze fled to the exotic bowl of fish he
had. Understanding flickered. Tavish could see he struck a raw nerve. Perhaps
her father hadn’t thought about it, but she had. The visual significance hit
home as the bowl occupants went round and round. No doubt Mercy was the
youngest in their clan.
Doomed to a life of cold nothingness.
The idea angered Tavish. There were many more that lived the same life. Word of
the humans’ plans for worldwide self-termination had spread through the
remaining groups of vampires. Tavish planned to save his vampire family. He
would drag the humans out of the ice age kicking and screaming if he had to.

“I was loved,” Mercy whispered.
“In a different way.”
She sounded sad, troubled. He hadn’t
meant to hurt her.

“Come and see what I have to offer you. Decide
for yourself this time if you want starvation and loneliness or a chance at
real love and life,” Tavish said. “Walk away from your proverbial fish bowl.”

Mercy’s gaze was fearful and yet interested.
Tavish tucked her arm into his, she stiffened then relaxed. No doubt she expected
to be punished for the contact. In Tavish’s world, touching was law. In time
she would get used to it. He walked her down the corridor leading to many other
rooms, then through the main hall. A group of five vampires watched them. All
were large and muscular, over six feet, dark-haired and blue-eyed. All wore
dark
jeans,
black t’s and black runners or boots. It
was how you could tell his vamps from the human men who wore loin cloths,
mostly because of the heat.

It was subtle, but Mercy pressed herself a bit
tighter to his side. Her small hands made a grasp at the nonexistent outer furs
she was used to and fluttered in the air. Tavish sensed her embarrassment. But
he had also noted her interest in seeing her beautiful body for the first time
barely clothed. Soon enough, she would appreciate the warmth of the sun and
un-encumbrance of the added bulk.

Both Mercy and his men continued to watch each
other. All no doubt heard the erratic flutter of her heart. Tavish decided one
vampire was enough for her to deal with right now. There was enough time later
to introduce her to his men. Tavish took her to the front door of his dwelling
and with a flourish, flung the double doors wide. Mercy’s audible gasp of
amazement and overwhelming delight was a gift.

Tavish enjoyed her gaze of wonder up at him.
Had she been told a vampire avoided the sunlight? There were many myths he
would enjoy teaching his little cub about. For now, it was time to explore.

Chapter 4

Mercy tried to look everywhere at once. It was
as though she had stepped into another world or onto another planet. Her mind
was bombarded with colors, colors she had never seen before. The sky was a
bright vivid blue, a contrast to the ice ceiling. A few white clouds dotted the
skies. They looked like mass-contained snow squalls and so poufy. Mercy let go
of Tavish and spun in a slow circle. Everything on the ground was so green and
lush, and warm. Under her bare feet it was soft. Mercy had always worn something
on her feet; the ice would have cut her. Or she would have slipped. The
sensation was like touching and being one with nature.

Trees stretched upwards. Mercy could have cried
at their sight. She had seen wood pieces; she had known the wood was called a
tree, but to see it growing, standing upright in front of her was exhilarating.
She touched the bark and pressed her cheek against it for a moment expecting to
feel a heartbeat. The green things she saw all around Tavish called plants.
Just like the one in his room. Everything was so vibrant and alive—it was all
wonderfully alive. Not cold and dead. Mercy hugged herself; her face was
actually aching from her wide grin and she didn’t care.

Tiny creatures flapped from branches to the
open air and Mercy’s breath caught. Life, she was seeing living, moving life
not carcasses. Her brain was moving so fast to process
information,
she pressed a hand to her head and heart. This was why birds had wings. So they
could fly. The feathers stuffed in her leather pillow were meant to be an aid
to the creature. It was why they didn’t have hides. It was astounding. All of
the animals brought to their ice home were dead and dismembered, skinned, to
aid in bleeding them. Mercy had no idea how their parts functioned.