Eternal bondage (Book One of the Eternity Series)

Chapter 7 | Part 3

*

I laid in the bed in this godforsaken place for nearly a week, trying to recover from my injuries.

Iris took wonderful care of me. Changing my bandages everyday until finally she let me out of her sight to once again serve my mistress.

Lilli never came to see me, but I suppose that's for the better that way she'll never get in trouble because of me.

I was used to getting in trouble,  but Lilli is so fine and delicate it would kill her being what I've been through, yes this is for the best.

On the 6th day I was allowed to leave. I walked painfully up the stairs to my mistress's room where I found her sitting, her back to me, writing at her desk.

I stood in silence for about two minutes before she began to speak.

"We have rules here, Hayden, standards that we expect to be upheld. Breaking those rules, or failing to reach the standards, well I'd hate to be you. And you know why I suppose. It was my mistake, trusting Lilli to keep her place, follow the rules. Things will be different because of your little stunt. You will stay in the basement. Grey will show you where. And every morning the bed will be made and you will be presentable to serve breakfast with Maci. During the day you will stay with me wherever I must go, serving all meals eaten at home until released upon which you will return to the basement with no side trails. Am I understood?"

She turned in her chair to face me.

"Yes mistress."

I replied shakily.
* 

Jayda looked at Hayden. She wasn't really mad at him, all her anger was directed towards Lilli, but she couldn't have done to Lilli what she had done to Hayden. The two had a history.

She couldn't help but to think how attractive Hayden was. Even with a gash on his forehead, a split lip, and bruise on his cheek, he was drop dead gorgeous.

She turned back to her work. She couldn't think like that. She knew that now was a critical time in her life, and she had to focus on her inner self, but it was hard with someone who could've been a male model following you around all the time.

 She began to breathe deeply again, focusing on her thoughts.  She only had a year to choose. By the time she stopped aging she would have to decide which clan she would choose to be a part of.  40 human years before all of vampire society had been firm in their beliefs, and their views towards humans, but a group had broken from the ancient ways, forming a more "civilized" clan.  Her parents had been some of those. Of course it made no difference in the vampire society, few actual laws changed and both clans were still friends, but the change was in the heart of the vampire.  

All were born or created with two colors in their eyes, a light along the outside and a dark in the center, the light representing the younger clan and the dark representing the ancient.  When a vampire stopped aging, they would have to choose which clan they would join.  Their choice determined whether or not their heart would even faintly beat.  

If they chose the newer, kinder clan, their eyes would remain a blue or green, and they would retain some human like qualities, such as breathing, eating real food, and keeping their heart beating.

If they chose the ancient clan their eyes would forever go dark and they would die completely. When their hearts go dark, they feel no sympathy towards those around them, espically not their food.

Jayda knew that she would have to be claimed by one of the two clans, but what her life would lead her to choose, she could never guess.