A Monster Was Born ✔️

Our Bonds Are Stronger Than Blood (Part II)

I worked for him for five months. It was mostly basic, menial tasks, like scrubbing the floor, counting coins, fixing iron plates. When I was close to him, I feared him, remembering the corpses those with the same presence and power tore up, their bodies buried in graves or scattered in shreds. I knew every moment I was working that if I were to get sick or if he were to become bored, I would be gone the next day, replaced with another slave. Then my mom would not get her medicine and all would be lost.

At night was another story. All the vampires would rise from their coffins, including my master, Salazar. If the day was even, he would drink from me. He would lift me from the ground and his fangs would pierce my skin, my life drained away.

"Narimia."

I turn around, so surprised I almost let the plates I am working on clatter to the floor. Salazar is standing behind me, unimpressed, his arms folded.

"We are going to another party today. Best be prepared. I don't want to see you embarrass me like last time."

He gives me one last look before he walks away, showing his fangs.

"And another thing. I've noticed you slowing down at work recently. Be certain to pick up your pace, or else there will be repercussions."

His footsteps grow fainter as the distance between us increases, although I am only vaguely aware of it. Miserable, I go back to the plates, scrubbing them clean with suds and water, living for those who think of me as nothing more than food. My eyes are heavy as I watch the water drain away and the pile of plates become cleanly polished, stacked neatly in a basket. My work is done. Feeling slightly dizzy, I go upstairs to my room to prepare for the vampires' gathering.

I know instinctively that something is wrong. My forehead is hot against my palm. The feeling of dizziness and nausea is as strong as ever. My muscles are weak and my body is swaying. No, I want to cry out. I can't be sick. My family needs me. If the vampires find this out they would leave me for dead. Slaves have no use if they can't do their job. Food is tossed out if its diseased. I grab the railing and force myself to lift a step. The ground is swaying and it tosses me around. Everything is a blur, their colors and sensations rolled into one, their voices echo in my head, Narimia, Narimia are you ok? Unable to open my eyes, I pass out.

When I lift them again, my heart is like a drumroll pounding savagely in my ears. I am laying in a bed with white sheets. I try to look around, confused, but it isn't long before I feel faint again.

"Take it easy."

I see a hand, lifting a cup of steam up to my face. The smell of it makes me realize how thirsty I am. I grab it and gulp it down, chilling the fire that's been burning at my throat. My head feels slightly better and I could focus again. I take in my surroundings from the new hospital clothes I am wearing to the stranger sitting besides me. I almost choke on my drink.

"Master?"

"Don't say anything right now. Focus on resting and healing yourself first," Salazar says, handing me a package of something bitter. "That's medicine I got for you, unsealed. Pour it into your drink and mix it in with the tea. Its made out of crushed plants called---"

"Clemweeds." Immediately, I cover my hands over my mouth, embarrassed. I have never spoken to my master like this before, not to mention any vampire, ever. It makes me feel like I'm back at home, being with my mother, talking to her about the various plants surrounding our home. But this is a different situation. Vampires only think of humans as food, nothing more than to provide themselves with nourishment. The screams flood my brain again, the sound of the demons laughing as those in pain were chained like animals brought for slaughter.

He smiles dryly. "I hear they grow in bunches on the northside. Somewhat hard to find, but excellent for healing fevers."

"What about your gathering?"

"Skipped it, it's not that important."

"Why are you doing this?"

For a moment he looks offended, but his eyes are clear as he reaches out to take my hand. I gasp as his fingers overlap mine. His skin is cold and pale, with no sign of warmth and blood circulation, no sign of a heartbeat. No sweat on his palms or other remains of human imperfection. Suddenly, he takes it away, increasing the distance between us as he gets off from the bed.

"Just taking care of my property, that is all. Rest for now, but get better quickly, hopefully by next week. No use paying for servants who can't serve."

With that, the door closes behind him.

The tea turns a deep brown as the herbs swirl into the liquid, the color of fresh soil, of modest gold and ocean pebbles. I drink it all in one gulp and relax into the covers of my bed.

Gently, I close my eyes and fall into dreams. The winds are around me, as though tasting my sadness. Melancholy washes down my veins. I hear the wings of angels and the elegance of their melodies. Spring has come and her hands are cloaked in nothing but love and shyness, distracting me from the cruelties in my reality. Sun and creation, warmth and nostalgia, birds singing and blue heavens; that is what this dream is. So different from the tragedies I am used to.

When my eyes open, the sensations I feel make me bewildered and lost. I gasp to take in a breath of air. All around me the trees are decorated with cherry blossoms, their pink blossoms falling into puddles, their branches rustling as the breeze strokes them with motherly tenderness, and an overwhelming sense of calm settles over me. Still, when I venture over to them, I know something is off. A large dog with canines as vicious as they are dangerous rushes towards me. As I run away, I see someone already there, waiting.

Salazar is there, standing at the very edge of the forest, his eyes glowing dangerously, a presence that feels like beckoning to me. And yet this time, I'm not scared.

"Little human," he purrs. "Afraid of trees but not of a demon."

I smile. "Maybe because plants don't know me as well as the person who is here right now."

At that, he seems to startle, a whitening blush spreading his cheeks, and I fall into his embrace.