Baldassarre: A Vampire Novel

03

Edited 4/6/16

Ivywood was a mystery that I needed to solve. This was the first thing I had realized. I had so many questions for Rosemae, beginning with who in the world was Mr Baldassarre and what was her business with him.

We had spent the next morning in the garden, going over herbs and how to grow which ones and what their unusual uses were. I had begun to realize that she truly was a witch, which opened up even more questions to be asked. After gardening, I dressed for the day: black pants, a black loose shirt and a black leather jacket. When I came downstairs Rosemae was putting on tea.

"I swear you get your sense of style from me. Your mother must have hated it." She smiled at what I wore. I rolled my eyes at the older woman. "Coffee or tea, darling?"

"Coffee, please." She poured us both cups, and we made our way into the main room to gather around the coffee table.

"You have questions for me?"

"Um, yes... About yesterday-"

"He is a vampire. A Lord, none the less." She spoke with a straight face as I nearly spit out my coffee.

"Vampires arent-"

"Real? Yes they are. Open your mind, Valencia." She tsked at me, sipping at her tea. She leaned back in her seat, her silk kimono loose around the elbows giving her even more of a witchy look. "I am a witch, so are you."

"Is father a witch too?" I asked, gulping before I corrected myself. "Was father a witch?"'

"Only female family members inherit the gene, so no. There were no other female successors until you finally came along." She smiles, reaching out to hold my hand.

"What did the vampire want with you?" I interrogated. I needed answers.

"I make it so he does not grow weak in the sun. They don't burn in the sun, it just makes their supernatural abilities more human like. He wears a skull ring, that I have enchanted. It loses power unless he visits me biweekly for a recharge."

"Why do you do that for him? Aren't vampires bad?" Pale blonde hair fell from the bun it has been in, cascading around me in messy waves.

"Ivywood is controlled by two covens: the Baldassarre and the Ambrogio. The main street seperates their controlled areas, and we live in Baldassarre territory. I chose loyalty to Mr Baldassarre because of how he runs his coven. His morals are more... Human friendly." She stirred her tea with the tiny spoon as she looked out the window. "Because we are technically apart of the coven, the Ambrogio can not set foot on my land, we are protected."

"What do the Ambrogio do that's so bad?"

"They have zero mercy for humans. Gregario Ambrogio leads the coven, and he not only drinks from the unwilling, he takes them as slaves and allows his vampires to rape and torture humans. It's absolutely disgusting." The disgust showed on her face, as she stood up abruptly, heading towards the kitchen. I followed her into the kitchen, more questions on my mind. She reached out for the old fashioned telephone on the counter, her hand hovering over it and within seconds it rang.

"Hello, Baldassarre." She spoke with an annoyed tone. She listened for a moment before continuing. "I will not be able to deliver herbs to Aden this afternoon, I need to be in the city for Jury Duty."

I watched her as she spoke, her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. She wore a black and red kimono that was left open and flowed to the floor, underneath was a plain, long black Cotten dress and a few necklaces with different stones.

"Very well then. I will send Valencia." She hung up the line and looked at me, letting out an exasperated sigh. "I swear that man doesn't realize that I do other things besides serve him."

"Where are you sending me?"

"Baldassarre Manor. The youngest of the family has fallen ill, and will need some herbs."

"Vampires can get sick?"

"Only when they're undeveloped. Aden was born in to her vampirism, she won't become a true leech until she is 18. Poor thing is only 16. Let me grab the herbs for the tea she needs." Rosemae grabbed a basket, filling it with random herbs from the garden before handing it to me. She wrote down the instructions on how to get to the Baldassarre Manor and quickly rushed out the door to leave for jury duty.

I climbed into my car, making a quick u turn to head back to the Main Street. The cottage was placed in close proximity of the manor, resulting in only a five minute drive there. I would have been able to walk there if I had wanted to risk walking through the forest for 15 minutes. I finally pulled up to a long private road, turning on it. It felt like it went on forever and for a moment I thought I was lost until I caught sight of the beautiful French manor.

The mansion was huge, with white concrete and a fountain in front of the entrance. I parked my old mustang behind a Range Rover, climbed out and grabbed the basket from my passenger seat. I had a feeling I would be coming here a lot. The walk up to the front door was what I could only describe as unnecessary, the distance from the driveway to the steps of the manor must of been about a fifth of a mile. I knocked on the oak door, and within a few moments a woman who I could only assume to be a maid, answered.

"Hello, how may I help you?" She looked older than my grandmother, or at least appeared older, with wrinkled skin and silver hair pulled back into a tight bun.

"I am Valencia, Rose's granddaughter. I was sent to deliver some medicine to Aden."

"Yes, of course! The master must be expecting you." She opened the door wider to allow me in. The front entrance was grand, with marble floors and a large staircase that led to the landing above. A gorgeous crystal chandelier enchanted the room in warm lighting and I followed the maid into what I could only assume was an office.

Mr Baldassarre sat there, looking through paperwork. He didn't even spare to glance up when we entered. "Thank you, Mary, that will be all."

Mary curtsied, shot me a sweet smile, and left the room immediately, leaving me alone with Mr Baldassarre. He pointed to a chair in front of his desk, and I sat down quickly, looking around the room. The room was obviously used consistently, books left laying around on tables and a mini bar with half finished liquors.

"Valencia." My name from his mouth made me actually like the stupid name for once, his velveteen voice melting into my ears.

"Mr Baldassarre." I nodded in response.

"Call me Alexandre." He requested.