Mistress of her Own

“So much for sleep.” You grumble.

You turn off your phone completely and tuck it away in your nightstand, as if that might somehow help you escape your shame. Getting up you return Trixie’s gift to the drawer then grab the T shirt and sweats from earlier. After another shower, this one long and hot as you tried to scrub both your body and mind clean from what you had done, you head down stairs.

You jump as you hit the bottom of the stairs and see some massive insect flying your direction. Turning you are relieved to see it was just Ciara. She zips up and hovers in front of you.

“Hello Master.” She says in that vaguely French-German accent of hers with a curtsy. You wonder briefly if that maid outfit was from off a doll or if their were stores that carried clothes for pixies. “Do you need anything Sir? Crepes perhaps? An omelet?”

“Nah.” You hadn’t eaten since last night yet you had no appetite right now. “I’m good.”

Looking at her more closely you see two tiny antennae twitch and twirl. The more you inspect her the more differences you now make out from the human form you’d known all your life. The Ciara you knew was a buxom brunette in her early 40’s with a kind round face. Her true form, besides the massive difference in height and the wings, looked similar yet with a host of changes. She was slimmer, the angles of her face sharper, her skin showed tinges of verdant green, and her brunette hair and brown eyes now had rich autumn colors dappled throughout.

“Are you sure Master?” She flits closer. “Anything you need Sir, anything at all, I am here to serve you.”

You raise a brow and give her a suspicious look. She talked differently now and it wasn’t just her higher voice. Maybe it was your imagination but this “Master” and “serve you” stuff seemed much more emphasized than before.

“I’m sure.” You reply. “Thank you Ciara.”

“As you wish Master Jacob.” She curtsies again then flies off up the stairs, momentarily giving you an up skirt view of her tiny tush.

You continue through the house, passing through the kitchen and straight down into the wine cellar. Closing the door behind you you turn and look down the stairs and into the pitch darkness beyond. You pass right by the light switches without a thought. Darkness is what you wanted right now.

The cellar was underground but this was no musty dusty basement. It had an old world antique decor with brick walls and tile floors but the climate controlled space was open, clean and state of the art. The wine and other beverages were in long sealed cabinets running along almost every wall of the labyrinthine cellar. In the center is an open area with a table and chairs where tastings or intimate gatherings could be had. This is where you go. Keeping your fingertips tracing one wall you follow the hall until it opens up. Taking a few careful steps forward, hands out in front of you, you find a chair. Pulling it out from the table you sit down on it and let out a tired sigh and let your weary body relax.

Eyes wide open you just enjoy the dark and quietly hope that Vespera would come find you once more. For a moment you swear you sense something…but your sister does not come.

A niggling unease had been growing inside of you ever since she was **** away. Was it concern? Was it curiosity? Was it some strange type of fear? You couldn’t place it but you didn’t like it. Back in the woods, back in the tower, you had felt a connection with your sister. A connection you had been unaware of until last night yet its absence you now felt keenly. The connection was new but you had felt this absence many times throughout your life. You assumed it was normal loneliness or melancholy.

You let out a long forlorn breath and reach up and wipe the unbidden tears from your cheek.

A voice from the dark nearly stops your heart in your chest, a cold soft silky voice. “Hey. Are you okay kid?”

“Dev?”

There is the click of a blue flame lighter and your eldest sister’s long elegant face is revealed not 7 feet away from you. She brings the lighter closer to her face, the shifting shadows highlighting her regal features, and she lights a long slender cigarillo. The tip glows red then the lighter flame goes out. With just the tiny blossom of light from tip of the cigarillo your sister’s eyes gleam with an unnatural shine. She pulls the smoke away and lets out a long breath and the rich tobacco aroma of spice and cedar fills the air.

“It’s going to be okay you know.” She says in a voice like a whisper on a cool breeze. “You’re going to be okay Jacob.”

“Jesus Devany!” You hurry to wipe the rest of the tears from your face. “You scared the crap out of me.”

Holy shit, she’d been there the whole time and you hadn’t even known! It was only Dev but still, that was a frightening realization and a reminder of how ill prepared you were to face this new world. You had never felt so **** and powerless in your life.

The fact this unnerving presence was your eldest sibling rattled you. What you were to Trixie, Devany was to you. The sister you looked up to, sought advice from, and just generally looked up to as an example. Your relationship wasn’t as warm and jokey as with Trix. Devany was cool, elegant, refined, and controlled. But the love was just as deep. She had always been a rock for you. Her true form bothered you now though, not only her vampiric nature but knowing she was old enough to be your grandmother. She hadn’t lied to you on purpose, the enchantment wouldn’t let her tell the truth, yet it still felt an erosion of trust.

“Apologies.” There is another draw of the smoke and another unhurried exhale. “Why are you sitting in the dark Jacob? Why are you crying? Are you still afraid of us?”

“I mean, a little.” You lay your head on the table upon your crossed arms. “There’s so much to be afraid of now Dev.”

“We won’t let anything happen to you. Take heart little brother, you have a powerful family.”

“A family of monsters.”

“A family who loves you.” She shoots right back. “Jacob. We Devlin’s need each other. Our unity brings us safety.” You hear the flick of ash being tapped into an ashtray. “I am a vampire without a bloodline or heritage. Bron is a werewolf without a pack. Beatrix a slime without a colony. And poor little Lucian a half incubus outside a harem, not truly home in either earth nor hell. Yes, you are a human among monsters but that doesn’t mean you are not one of us.”

“A family of oddballs.” You mutter.

“You’ve been talking to Beatrix. Yes, indeed, a family of oddballs.” She moves closer though the only sound you hear is the shifting chair. “Our family is what keeps us alive. The only place we truly belong.” She settles in within arm’s reach at your side. “It makes us ****, isolated, but it does have its advantages. I am my own Mistress. The beginning of my own bloodline if I wish. I have no Sire, no elders, no antiquated traditions to bend the knee to. I am my own. It’s not easy I admit but I think I prefer it.”

“At least you have powers and stuff. I am just a pathetic little human. I feel as defenseless as a fly being around all of you.”

“Hmmm.” She places a hand on your knee. “Father told me that seeing your twin disturbed you.”

Not wanting to give anything away you go with the bluff for now. “Yeah. I mean, all of you were terrifying but Vespera…she’s another level. I can’t believe a being like that is my twin.”

Devany’s voice lowers, quiet as a cat’s footstep and yet crystal clear in your ears. “Don’t be afraid of her.”

“What?”

“Mother believes she knows when Ves is near.” Another drag of the cigarillo, it’s cherry clouded by the growing tip of ash. She then sets it in the ashtray. “She may be hellborn but Mother is not a creature of darkness.” Your sister leans in close, her cool soft hand caressing the back of your neck as she whispers in your ear. “She watches sometimes, your twin, I see her peeking in. She watches you in particular Jacob. You fascinate her. Father and grandmother believe she could be a threat to this whole world but I don’t think so. I say what father wants to hear but I can see that he is blinded by his fear and his lack of control. Our sister…she could have killed us all back in the library and yet she didn’t.”

“Do you really think she could?”

“Oh Jacob, can’t you feel her power?” She lets out a hissing sigh. “She could change…everything. And you Jacob, you are the key.”

“Me?”

“She is attracted to you. She seeks you out. There is a tether between you none of us understand. Explore that connection Jacob.” She pets your hair softly bringing back many fond memories of when she would sing for you as the pair of you sat by the fire. “You don’t have to be human you know. You don’t have to be powerless. You have a choice my brother.”

“A choice?” You look up, though you could not see her or sense her beyond the warm smell of tobacco that clung to her. “What choice do I have?”

“The others have their abilities but only Bron and I can pass those powers on to a pure blood human. And only I possess the ability to gift immortality.”

“Immortality?”

“The gifts of undeath are varied and many. Sacrifices are made but the returns more than worth it.”

“You aren’t serious?”

“I am.”

“You want to turn me into a vampire!?”

“If that is what you wish Jacob, then yes. I would very much like that. I would be your Sire, you my first progeny.” Her eager voice rises though still a whisper. “You would be powerful Jacob! Not some back alley blood sucker but a Prince. My right hand. Imagine it brother, a new bloodline. The Devlin bloodline, sui generis. The first new lineage in centuries. Young, adaptable, ambitious, unencumbered by dusty traditions and old alliances. You could create more Jacob, our bloodline could grow. That friend of yours, Grace, she could be yours if you wish.” Her long fingers tighten ever so slightly around the back of your neck and for the first time you feel but a hint of her great strength. “With Vespera at our side nothing could stop us brother. Those old fools on the council would have to listen to me then.” Her voice lowers to a threatening purr. “If I let them live at all!”

“Devany, you’re scaring me.”

There is a long silent pause. The grip on your neck loosens. Devany leans in and hugs you. “I am sorry. This is too much too fast.” She lets out a little laugh. “Your warmth, your blood, I never sensed it so keenly before. I became excited. Forgive me brother.”

You hug her back, easily encompassing her long slender body in a big tight embrace. “I need you Dev, don’t turn all crazy on me.”

She holds you close. “I’m here Jacob. I’m right here.” Taking your head in her hands she rests her forehead upon yours. “I didn’t mean to scare you more. I love you kid.”

“Love you too.”