Marienne's life was completely undone when her village went up in flames. Badly burned and her eyesight lost, she awakes in a strange place, with no knowledge of how she arrived there. Her savior was the enigmatic and alluring Victor, the Lord of Az...
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Genevieve's sudden shift in her mood was visible in the broad, genuine smile that spread across her face when she came back with tea. I gingerly took my cup from her, and drank in the warm vapor as it flooded over my face. Even on the warmest of days, I loved a cup of piping hot tea. I took a sip, savoring the bright notes of rosehips, lavender, and vanilla. "Thank you," I murmured over the rim of the tea cup.
"You're very welcome, Marienne. Now tell me a little about yourself, if you wouldn't mind." Genevieve pulled up a settee and sat in front of Amelia and me. "I've known Victor for about 30 years, and well...your presence in his life surprises me." She sipped on her tea.
I choked down the questions I wanted to ask her, realizing that they might not serve me just now. Besides, it would be rude not to answer her first. "He saved me. I would not be breathing had he not found me after my village burned to the ground. I was a midwife before...well, before he changed me. My mother had been the midwife before me, but she died during a hard winter." I paused, biting my lip. Thinking about my mother always sent a pang of grief through me. "It was a sickness that never left her, making her cough constantly, and she felt short of breath most days. She had already been training me to replace her for many years, I just thought... I thought that day would never come." I tried to smile bravely, but there was no strength behind it.
"Hmm. Well, I'm sorry for your loss. Only, I find that I am confused. You speak as if this was all very recent, and surely that cannot be true. You are just as much a vampire as I am." She set her cup down on a nearby table. Amelia seemed tense, though I couldn't be sure why. She clutched my hand to get my attention, as if she was trying to caution me against saying something. I met her eyes for a moment, and I wished I was already able to see human Auras.
Still, I thought carefully before I answered Genevieve's leading question. "I fear you must be mistaken, Genevieve. I have never taken a person's lifeblood, so I am not as much of a vampire as you are." What had Victor called me? "I am still a fledgling, and Victor supports me through his own blood." Amelia didn't relax completely, but she nodded. Apparently I hadn't said whatever I wasn't supposed to.
Genevieve smiled brightly again. "Ah, of course. I knew Victor wouldn't violate any laws and then flaunt them in front of me so aggressively. He's not itching for war anymore than I am!" She laughed loudly for quite some time, then wiped away imaginary tears from her eyes. "Oh, I don't mean to interrogate you so unnecessarily, but really...wouldn't he expect me to report you if he had? Still, he has come so precariously close to throwing our society into pandemonium. He must have sensed something very special within you to feel the need to save you."
I had no idea what she was prattling on about, and she seemed to have no inclination to explain. So I smiled, laughing nervously. "Yes, well, no matter the reason, I am very grateful to him."
"Hmm. Well, you didn't come here for tea. Let me go see what I can do for you in terms of dresses, yes?" She straightened her skirts, and was off. I looked to Amelia for answers. I opened my mouth, started to ask her what that had been about, when she shook her head violently.
