This Blood (18 page)

She gave me a motherly smile as she faced me. “You will understand the way of things soon enough.” She patted my cheek. “Now, you are very pale, so you must eat first; then we’ll get you ready.”

She led me to a tray at the side table.  Another pile of bloody red meat sat piled among a feast of vegetables.  Yeah, now I understood. My iron supply needed a huge pick-me-up, but, the sight of all the red fleshy juices made me a little ill.  I took a few small bites and a few sips of sweet tea that Nadia poured for me.

I was surprised that my blood loss wasn’t making me ravenous. Pushing the plate away, I was led, again, by Seth’s motherly assistant.

I sat at a small vanity near the bed. She began running an old fashioned comb through my long hair, gingerly untangling the thick strands with the patience of a saint.  After what seemed like an hour, my hair was silky soft and full from the blow-dryer. 

“Seth requested that you wear your hair up for tonight’s formal affair. He feels it will be more elegant.” She began taking pieces of my hair and twisting them into a complicated style atop my head.

By the time she was finished, my hair looked absolutely spectacular. The long, dark locks were styled in a way that I had never before thought possible. The front of my hair was parted slightly to the side, with a large piece pulled lower to frame my forehead.  Small knots and braids formed a series of loops that were gathered at the back of my head. A single long tendril was left loose to delicately adorn my breast.

I was shocked by her abilities and quickness as I watched her apply my makeup. Pulling several containers and vials from one of the small drawers in the vanity with a practiced efficiency I’d come to expect in no time, she was finished.

My face was striking. Wow! I cleaned up nice. My lips were cherry red. It was the perfect shade for my fair complexion. My green eyes looked huge. She’d shaded them with a dark moss color and lined them in a dark brown. My eyelashes looked very thick and lush. 

I stood, admiring my hair and makeup, mindless of my still nude body, but Nadia, being who she was, soon whisked me back to the bed and began to dress me.  I put on the black thong underwear and garters, while she fiddled with the stockings. Soon my lower half was dressed.

Nadia held up the dress. It was peculiar looking. The skirt was very long and full with a small bustle at the back. It had a short train that fell to the ground in pleats.  The top was a tight bodice with several thin leather straps that puzzled me greatly.

She helped me step into the heavy garment. It was soft and felt cool against my skin as she pulled it up.  She stood behind me, fastening the hooks that closed the back.  I felt like Scarlett O’Hara getting poured into a corset. The leather top fit snugly, shoving my breasts together and lifting them. The long leather straps were fastened in a criss-crossing pattern across my shoulders. It was a little gothic, but somehow elegant at the same time. Nadia slid my feet into a pair of impossibly high shoes and I teetered my way to the full-length mirror in the corner of the room.

 I looked like a cross between a
Playboy
centerfold and the Bride of Dracula. I stepped closer, the long dress trailing behind me as I walked. It was then that I realized what the hair and dress were meant to accentuate.

Each and every bite Seth placed on my body was featured in the openings of the leather straps, like little picture frames across my breasts and back. They stood out like big signs that announced “Seth was here.”

I walked back to the bed. Sitting down hard, I grumbled to myself.

“You look lovely, dear. I know Mr. McPhee will be immensely pleased.” She patted my cheek again and turned toward the door. Before she left the room, she turned to me. “You will stay until you are escorted to the floor. Then you will be presented to the coven and shall take your place at our new Lord’s side.” She smiled reassuringly, then shut the door on her way out

I stood again and walked to the mirror. I traced the small punctures on my breasts. They were red against the white of my skin and painful looking. I had more bites than I remembered receiving. Two stood high on the round swell of my left breast, but the bite by my nipple was mercifully spared scrutiny.

The first bite I received had already faded more than the others on my neck. I turned and looked over my shoulder. I had one bite on my shoulder and two a little lower on my back.

I sighed. It would be obvious to everyone that Seth and I had been intimate. There were too many bites in strange places not to suggest sex.  I wanted to cover them up, but I knew doing such a thing might anger him. I feared he might hurt one of my friends, or according to that blond monster, give me to another vamp just to teach me a lesson. That was something I was not willing to chance.

TWENTY

I was pacing, the skinny heels of my shoes sinking into the thick carpeting. I hated waiting. Damn, didn’t it take me long enough to get ready? I would have thought they would be standing at my door, tapping their toes with impatience.

Then the door opened, I turned to see who would escort me to the party.

“Oh great, it's you two,” I whined, as Eden and Ael approached me.

“Miss Allen, how delicious you look. I am so happy to see you up and about.”  Ael sure was talkative. I knew it wasn’t Eden, only because he was glaring at me as if I were the devil. His stare was so intense; it made me fidget a little.

“We came to escort you to the celebration,” Eden finally spoke, his eyes losing some of their venom. His voice was gravelly, much deeper sounding than Ael’s, “You will come without a scene?”  He held his hand out. I stepped back.

“You won’t try anything funny?” I asked, scared out of my wits!  I observed his handsome visage; which was identical to his brother’s. Their attire was modern and much different from the last time I saw them. They both wore suits of burgundy silk that matched their hair perfectly, making it difficult to distinguish where the hair ended and the suits began.

They were incredibly good looking, but still no match for the raw masculinity of Seth, or Lucian, for that matter.

Thinking about Lucian made me steel my resolve. I stepped close to Eden and placed my hand in his. Plastering a smile on my face, I tried to be the picture of acquiescence. Ael quickly took my other arm and they led me through the door and into the long hall. I was tense, my mind on alert. Damn, of all the people to escort me anywhere, these two had to be the worst choice. Eden was breathing down my neck and Ael had a death grip on my arm that was sure to leave dents.

“Ease up a bit, guys! I’m not going anywhere.” I stopped walking, only to be dragged into step with them again “We must arrive with you promptly. Any delay will arouse Seth’s anger.” Ael sounded as if that were the worst thing ever. “He is testing us,” Eden sneered. “
Behave
,” he says, “as if we were dogs!”

They pulled me along for several more feet until we came to a halt in front of a pair of large doors. They opened to reveal the interior of an elevator. I remained quiet as we stepped in and descended. The doors opened and we entered a small room. It was Eden who broke the silence. ”We must wait to be announced; the crowd is in an uproar. They are all anxious to meet
The Madea
.” He sneered, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.

My nerves danced wildly, making me shiver, I certainly wasn’t ready to be shoved in front of dozens of vampires and Lord only knew what else!

“Are you ready, beauty?” Eden leaned in and pressed his lips to my neck. The kiss was so quick; I barely had time to react. I turned my angry eyes to him a moment before a small door opened to our right.  We walked through the door and I instantly knew where I was. It was the gaudy room where they had held Ann. My God, how big was this place? This was not what I was expecting. I tried to control my fear, only to end up shaking in my strappy heels at the roar of conversations coming from the other side of the curtains.

I heard a woman’s voice booming over the din, which sounded very familiar. I had a pretty good idea it was my favorite little pixie.  My nerves were willing me to make a run for it. Ael seemed to sense my tension and placed his hand on the small of my back. I heard the crowd cheering and suddenly, he pushed me hard through the curtains. I stumbled out. The light radiating from what seemed to be a hundred fires blinded me.

A warm hand grasped my arm in a familiar hold. The scent of spice filled my nostrils and I knew Seth was just handed my proverbial leash. My eyes adjusted to the light and I was able to see into the crowd. I was shocked. I expected to see a few dozen people, but the hall was filled with what appeared to be a few hundred.

A hush fell over the room as I was pulled forward by Seth’s strong grip. I looked around; we were on a large stage. In the center sat a huge throne gilded in gold. Black satin cushions made it look like a throne straight from hell.  Several flat, golden pillows were scattered around the bottom of the flashy seat.  I tried to take a step back. I would
not
sit at his feet like a goddamned pomeranian! My eyes scanned the rest of the room. People and other things milled about in huge groups. Some were staring at me, while others were staring at Seth. I let my eyes wander around the rest of the room, only to land on another view from a nightmare.

In the center of the room was a small round platform. It was about three feet off the ground and maybe five feet wide. A slender, white pillar rose from its center, shooting high into the ceiling, and a large ring hung about three quarters down. Long, white chains were looped through the center and shackled to them were my friends. “Oh God!” I whimpered. They looked like they were waiting to be sacrificed to King Kong or the Kraken!

I quickly stifled a gasp and tried to jerk my arm out of Seth’s grasp, causing him to snap me to his side.-. a clear warning.

We moved to the throne while the room continued to murmur. I spotted Chloe; she glared at me for a split second before she turned to the crowd once again.  “Behold the
slave,
Madea.” She motioned towards me as her sneer resonated loudly throughout the room. I felt every eye slide over my skin. Ice water filled my veins and I was startlingly close to hurling all over the overdone chair. That could dampen the evening a little, I think.

The crowd burst into turbulent applause. The joyous cries of Seth’s loyal coven were surely the sounds of purest hell. Seth hugged me close, and then released me, keeping a hand on my arm. As if I could get away with this many monsters in the room! I’m optimistic, not delusional!

I turned my gaze to him.  He was dressed in a black tuxedo and his hair was pulled tightly back from his face. He had it folded in a way that made it appear much shorter.  My gaze traveled to his face. He was startling in his beauty. He dripped sophistication and elegance as much as he threatened danger and death. Then his eyes met mine, startling me. I was shocked to discover that they were silver and shone like mercury. What the hell had happened to him? I tried to pull away. His transformation fueled my fear.

He jerked me close to his side. “You will behave,” he whispered in an angry hush. “Your friends are not in the safest of situations. It would be wise for you to stop struggling.”

I glared at him. “Why are they here? They don’t need to be here!”

“I will decide what is needed and what is not! You will do well to remember that,
sweet!
”

“I’m not your sweet, but I will cooperate, for the sake of my friends, not for you.”

“I shall take whatever I can get,” he said.

The metallic glint of his eyes was upsetting. I wondered again at what changed him so drastically. He looked normal when he left me not so long ago. At least I thought he did.

He turned his attention back to the crowd, and spoke. “This is a sacred night.”  His voice thundered through the crowd. “I have welcomed you here, to bask in the glory of our victory!” He raised a fist into the air. “I hold the ring, and now I possess the only living Madea left in this world to wield It!” He stepped closer to the cheering crowd, his left arm raised, whipping the crowd into wild cheers. “We are now invincible,” he continued when the cheers died down. “We will rule the world and all the beings within it. All who have yet to pledge fealty, will find they are now eager to join us!”  Cheers rang out. The elegantly dressed audience seemed crazed. It was like a satanic Amway meeting.

He lowered his arm, regarding me he spoke again; this time, his voice held an edge. “This woman,” he began again, “the sole surviving Madea in the world, has given herself freely to me.”

I gaped at him.
Freely?
Like hell!

“She will be my most valued possession. I hold her life above all others.” His eyes pierced mine; he removed his hand from my arm, only to place it possessively at the nape of my neck. “Now, my loyal children, gaze upon her and rejoice. She is the Madea and she is ours!”

The crowd went nuts. I wanted to cover my ears and scream. I was shaking. His speech gave me the most clear and direct definition of what I meant to him, to his people and to his grand plan. There was no way he would allow me to escape. I was in way over my head.

The cheers died down. The show seemed to be moving along as Chloe began to speak again.  He pulled my arm, leading me to the gaudy chair. First, he sat, then pulled me down to sit on his knee. I felt like a child, sitting on the lap of a demonic Santa. I wanted to run from the room screaming. I looked down at my hands; they were trembling. I fisted them, afraid to show my fear.

Chloe stalked across the stage. She was so petite, it was like watching a child.  When she spoke, however, her voice was booming. “Bring them,” she ordered. Then someone or something standing at the edge of the stage began to move through the crowd.  It was Thorak.  Chloe turned on her heel and approached the throne. Her eyes were all for me. That worried me. She seemed pleased, which worried me even more. I shifted on Seth’s lap. Looking out into the large room. I noticed Thorak was leading Lucian and Ann toward the stage. I tried to stand. But I was quickly held in place as Seth wrapped a strong arm around my waist.