The Mark of Voltaire

Part 3

How had he known my name? That question kept running through my mind as I stared at the ceiling of the room. I hadn't told him. At least, I don't remember telling him. Maybe someone at the auction house had told him? But how would they know? Could he read my mind? I hadn't heard of vampires being able to read minds. Then again, he said he dabbled in spellwork, so maybe he can read minds that way. My eyes were getting heavy but my head was filled with questions. The exhaustion won out, and eventually I fell asleep.

I was awakened the next morning by sunlight pouring through the large window. I sat up, rubbing my eyes blearily. For a moment, I wasn't sure where I was. Then I remembered. I stood up, walking over to the door and cracking it open, peeking my head out. I didn't see Voltaire in the hallway, and I couldn't hear him anywhere else in the house. He was probably still asleep. I'm pretty sure vampires are nocturnal anyways. I made my way to the stairs, heading for the kitchen to see what sorts of food he had available. I still hadn't decided if I was going to stay, but there was no way I was running anywhere on an empty stomach. I was startled to see Voltaire standing in the kitchen, an apron over his crisp white shirt and black dress pants. I could smell bacon cooking, and upon further investigation, it appeared he was not only cooking bacon, but an omelet as well.
"I figured I'd cook you breakfast today," he said. "Don't expect this too often. I'm usually working." He put the bacon strips and omelet on a plate and handed it to me. I sat at the breakfast bar and began eating, watching as he took off the apron, folded it, and put it away. The food was delicious. The eggs were perfectly cooked, and the bacon was crispy. I finished it quickly. I hadn't realized just how hungry I was.
"This was delicious, thank you Voltaire," I said. He looked over at me.
"Please, no one calls me Voltaire outside of formal settings. Call me Danny." He smiled a little.
"I- oh, well okay then, Danny," I said. "Um, where should I put my plate?" He gestured to the dishwasher, and I placed my used dishes and silverware inside.
"Take today to explore the house and the gardens. There shouldn't be anyone else around apart from myself, so you will have the run of the place. Be back in here by six o'clock, so I can be sure you're alright. Your clothes should have arrived by then, as well, so you can try them on. Is that acceptable?" He asked. I nodded.
"Yes Vol- I mean, Danny." He smiled.
"I'll be in my study. If you need me, knock first, alright?" I nodded again. He left the kitchen, and I was left to my own devices. I started by exploring the house. I had seen the living room, the kitchen and the dining room, plus my bedroom. I found all of the bathrooms, including the one in the hall that was clearly intended for my use. I found a second guest room and an entire library, and ended up standing in front of Danny's bedroom. Should I go inside? He hadn't said that I couldn't, and I was rather curious. I hesitantly opened the door. The room looked fairly normal. I noticed that there were no windows in here. The design of the room was far more ornate than the rest of the house. It looked more like what I would expect a vampire's room to look like, rather than the chic modern decor of the rest of the house. He had a four poster bed with red curtains and silk sheets. There was a walk-in closet, a dresser, a desk, several large bookshelves, and a comfortable looking arm chair. Further investigation of the room reveals nothing particularly interesting, so I left. I walked back downstairs, trying to decide what I wanted to do. I decided to explore the garden. Walking outside of the house, I nervously waited for my wrist to tingle again, but nothing happened. I guess Danny was right about intention after all. The gardens were beautiful, with stone paths and fountains and lush flower beds, bordering on the woods. The forest stretched as far as I could see, forming a sort of natural barrier to the yard. I noticed there were no fences. I really could just leave any time that I wanted. My wrist tingled a little at the thought. Maybe I'd stay for a while. I decided to explore the woods a little. I wouldn't go very far, just a little ways. Maybe I'd see some deer or something. I stepped off of the garden path and ventured into the forest. The trees were dense, and the sun had a hard time reaching the forest floor through the thick canopy. I could hear various woodland creatures going about their business, but they all stayed just out of sight. I walked for a few minutes, hoping to see something interesting. I began to feel like something was watching me. I looked around, but I couldn't see anything. I heard a twig snap and whipped around to see what was there, but saw nothing. Then a cold hand closed around my upper arm. I turned and found myself face to face with a tall vampire. He had yellow eyes and greasy looking black hair.
"Where do you think you're going, pretty thing?" He asked me in a voice that made my skin crawl. I tried to free myself from his grip, but he held onto me too tightly. I tried to speak, but the fear-inducing aura around him froze my tongue. He licked his lips, eyes sweeping me up and down.
"You know, I'm rather hungry. A pretty little thing like you will make an excellent snack," he whispered, leaning down. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind at all if I just drained you dry. What do you say?" I wanted to respond, but I was frozen in place, completely helpless. "No answer? Come now, I think it will be fun," he hissed, leaning in to whisper in my ear. "It will only hurt a bit." I shuddered as I felt his breath on my neck. All I could do was close my eyes and wait for the inevitable pain of his fangs piercing my skin. But it didn't come. His grip loosened, and I heard him hit a tree with a thud. I opened my eyes to see Danny standing in front of me, arms blocking me protectively. He turned slightly to face me, and I could see the dangerous glint in his eye.
"Are you alright, Y/N?" He asked. I nodded, my mouth still refusing to speak. He turned back to the vampire, who was attempting to get to his feet. "Leon," Danny spat. "What are you doing here?"
"I was simply looking for a snack," the vampire, Leon, said. "Found this pretty little thing wandering alone and figured they'd make a good meal."
"Well you thought wrong," Danny hissed, kicking Leon's legs out from under him and sending him sprawling across the dirt again. "They're mine, so keep your fangs off of them." Leon raised his hands as a show of innocence.
"Hey, I didn't know they were yours. They were wandering all by themself!" Danny shook his head.
"They're within shouting distance of my property, Leon. And if you had used one ounce of your blood frenzied brain, you would have seen my mark on their wrist." Danny towered over Leon, anger evident on his lovely features.
"Listen Danny, it was an honest mistake!" Leon said.
"You will refer to me as Voltaire," Danny hissed. "For I am your superior in every sense of the word. If I ever see you near my property again, whether it's my land or my humans, I will tear your head from your shoulders and force you to watch as I burn you to ash. Is that understood?" Danny's voice was low and dangerous. I was immensely glad that that voice was directed at my attacker, and not at me. Leon nodded vigorously before scrambling to his feet and disappearing into the shadows. Danny whipped around, turning to me. I jumped, scared. His face softened.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you, darling," he said gently. "Are you hurt?" He asked, eyes sweeping over me with concern. I shook my head. "Did he bite you?" I shook my head again. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes as the shock and adrenaline began wearing off, and I was left with the reality of what had almost happened. Without another word, Danny scooped me up and carried me back to the house. He brought me into his study and set me down on a chair. His study was the one room I hadn't been in yet. Like his bedroom, it looked very much like something out of a vampire film. The walls were a rich red wallpaper, and they were lined with ornate bookshelves stuffed full of leather-bound volumes. The room had a heavy atmosphere that almost made me feel drowsy. There was a massive tome open on the desk, and there was a holographic looking model of the solar system hovering over the text, swirling with a nonexistent breeze. Danny closed the spellbook, and the solar system model disappeared. He sat down at the desk and turned to look at me.
"I am so very sorry that happened," he said. "I promised you safety, and on your first day here you are nearly killed."
"W-who was that guy?" I asked nervously.
"That was Leon Moreau," Danny said, rubbing his temple as though he had a headache. "He's a lower class vampire. He freelances as a catcher, and he brings dishonour on the Moreau name." He stood up, pulling a thick and dusty book off of one of the shelves, opening it on his desk and gesturing for me to come look. On the yellowing pages before me were hundreds of names, connected by ornate vines. It was a family tree. My eyes found Leon Moreau's name. It was written in gold ink, but it had been partially scratched out.
"The Moreau clan is one of the more powerful vampire clans. Leon was disowned after he fell in with..." he cut himself off. "The catchers," he finished. It seemed as though he was hiding something. "His father was so shamed by him that he stripped him of all Moreau protections, and forced him to relinquish his title. Leon holds a lot of resentment after that, so he tends to lurk near the property of powerful clans, in hopes of causing mischief." Danny closed the book again, placing it back on the shelf. "His only remaining feature that marks him as a member of the Moreau clan are those distinct yellow eyes. All of them have them. You'll notice however, that his are dull compared to the others. His father tried to scratch them out after banishing him, but Leon ran away before Marcus could finish the job." Danny turned back to me. "Again, I am very sorry this happened to you. I will be increasing the protective enchantments around the gardens. Until then, I will have to ask you to remain indoors. The library is open to your use, should you find nothing else to do."