Blood Red

Chapter Four

When we reached the Duke's London residence I was surprised that it was just a simple house. Not at all like the other nobles houses that they occupied whilst in the city. Turning towards the man I now noticed that, apart from being exceptionally well groomed, the supposed 'Duke' looked like a common Sir.

"What is going on? You told me you are a Duke?" I eyed the man warily.

"I am a Duke." He stated simply but if that were true why is his London residence not much bigger than a working mans? I asked him just that. "I shall tell you once we are safe from the prying ears of the street. Come inside Miss Witcher." I must be going mad as I trusted this man. Every inch of him screamed that he was telling the truth and I blindly followed him into the house. I followed him till we stepped into a small parlour-like room and he sat on one of the red upholstered chairs that sat in front of an already lit fire. Motioning for me to sit in the seat across from him he began to talk. "I know you now doubt me as to my title but it is not false. I am Lord Kingsley, Duke of Ainsley, just not the current one." As he spoke the last words and looked down towards his hands that were resting on his lap, his face had clouded over with what looked to be sadness.

"What do you mean by you are 'not the current one'?" He lifted his head so that he was looking straight into my eyes.

"I mean that the line has been passed down to my great-grandson." I gasped because this man sitting in front of me looked no older than my own brother at five and twenty, there was no way he could possibly be old enough to have a great-grandson. "I know you are shocked and I know it is because it does not seem possible for a man to look like me and have great-grandchildren but I assure you that it is the truth. My great-grandson is now the Duke of Ainsley at thirty-three years of age and an heir already born. The heir which I will most likely out-live like I did my own son." I reeled back into my seat from not only this information but also the sadness that was evident in his voice. It must have been terrible to out-live your own son. The feelings which my father must also be feeling now that I have been pronounced dead, the thought of which brought tears to my eyes. I wanted to know, though, why did the Dukedom pass on to his offspring when he was still sitting here in front of me alive as the sun rises every morn? "I know you have many questions and I am happy to provide the answers as best I can."

"Why are you not Duke?" As soon as I said it my hands flew over my mouth, shocked by my own bluntness. A humourless chuckle left his lips.

"Simply put; I am dead. I died in the year of our Lord seventeen hundred and forty-six not long after my son's fifth birthday. He inherited the title as soon as he turned eighteen and he himself has been dead these last sixty-eight years."

"Wait, I'm confused. If you are 'dead' as you say you are how are you sitting in front of me now?"

"I, like you Fledgling, was turned."

"What do you mean by 'turned'?"

"A Pureblood turned me into the creature that I am now; a vampyr or vampire in English terms. A creature that craves blood instead of food, that cannot feel warmth and has to live in fear of the sun's rays. This, Fledgling, is something that you will have to become accustomed to as a new one of our kind."

"Are you saying that I have become one of these creatures?" At Lord Kingsley's nod I feel nauseous and it must have shown on my face because Lord Kingsley's face changed to one of concern.

"I know that it is hard to understand but let me ask you this; have you been sleeping throughout the day only waking at night?" I nod, not trusting my voice yet. "And before I stopped you this evening, what was you thinking? That your hunger had gotten too much, so much so that a haze seemed to cloud your every being?" Another nod. "And when you 'died' you were still conscious yet unable to say or move a thing?" Again, another nod. "I am sorry to say this Miss Witcher but you are indeed a vampire. I am surprised that you are not under your Master's care though." I finally had control over my voice again so that it only faltered slightly.

"What d-do you mean by my Master?" Lord Kingsley looked directly in my eyes, as if searching for something. He must not have found it as his face contorted into confusion.

"You really do not know do you?" After I shook my head he sat back in his seat, his posture mimicking his thoughtful expression. "A newly turned vampire is looked after by a more experienced vampire, a Proficient, Pureblood or an Original, they are your Master and are normally the one that has turned you but in some instances a vampire that has no connection to you can become your Master if you are left to fend for yourselves. They show and teach you how to cope with being a vampire and also how to hide it from those around you. Sad to say you cannot allow your loved ones to ever see you, not even a glimpse, as they presume you are dead. I had to endure this problem; it was overwhelmingly difficult and I had my Master to look after me. You, at present, have no one." The reality of his words hit me then. It was true I had no one now and if what Lord Kingsley said about outliving his family was true, I would long outlive my family too, whom I could not see anyway. It clutched my chest in a way that felt like I could not breathe. Drawing in long gulps of air, I tried to calm myself down when I felt a hand lift my face up. I was startled to see Lord Kingsley's face so close, merely a few inches away. "I know this is painful for you, which is why I shall take it upon myself to become your new Master." He said it so softly I almost didn't catch his words. Almost.

"What? My new Master?"

"Yes, I am a Proficient now and can claim a Fledgling who has no Master so to speak. Did your Master say anything to you after they bit you?"

"He did say that he would come back when I have 'awoken'."

"Really? Well I would have thought that he would have claimed you then. Did he come when you were found dead? Or at the mortuary?"

"No, neither times."

"How long have you been wandering before tonight?"

"Tonight would have been the fifth night."

"Hmm. That means that your Master has left you; he would have been able to sense when you had awoken and claimed you straight away. That is no matter, though, I shall claim you as my Fledgling."

"How do you know all this?" I asked, hoping to have some more information about this man, no, this vampire, that had taken me in.

"My own Master told me before I left her. Fledglings stay just that, until around fifty years of being turned when they mature into a Proficient and during this time they stay with their Masters. My Master told me all there is to know about vampires before I matured and could go out on my own and now I shall do the same for you. I only need to claim you to create a bond." I was afraid to know how he would claim me but my curiosity got the better of me and I had to know.

"How would you claim me?"

"Ah, that is where this conversation is uncomfortable. You see, I would have to bite you over your original bite mark to remove it and claim you. It will be extremely painful but for you to be able to survive you need to have a Master looking after you, if you don't...well let's just say an unclaimed Fledgling won't last long. I was surprised when you said that you had been out for almost five nights. Most Fledglings do not last till the second morn. I hope you will forgive me for the pain, though, I really do not wish to see you perish."

"I will forgive you, I do forgive you already. As you say, it needs to be done, doesn't it? And for some reason, which I cannot understand, I trust you. No one can fabricate the sadness that I have seen in your eyes when you talked of your family and I think of myself and the pain I will no doubt feel when I see my own family die and I outliving them. We can take comfort from each other, yes?" Looking up I saw a man looking at me with complete awe in his eyes that he was not ashamed to show. I think that each of us had acquired a new admiration for the other in the sort space of this conversation.

"I am glad I stopped you feeding this evening, if I had not I would not have had the opportunity to get to know you as I will continue to do so. So you will let me claim you then?" Lifting my chin slightly, I said the three words that I later found to have changed my life completely.

"Yes I will."