Feral Bonds

Chapter 3

The address led her to a giant, gothic looking mansion and Natania snorted to herself. What a stereotypical home for a vampire. The property was surrounded by tall, black, metal gates on all sides and she bunched her muscles, leaping over them in one solid jump. She landed on a neatly trimmed hedge on the opposite side, one of those odd maze gardens that wasn't high enough to be an actual maze.

As she approached the house in the center, the walls were painted black, of course, she hesitated. Maybe it hadn't been the best idea to break into a master vampire's home. She glanced back the way she had come. Well, she had technically been invited to come find him, all those years ago.

It was a little late to turn around and wait to be invited. With a shrug, she approached the door, taking her human form to knock, and immediately wishing she had taken the time to change, or at the very least, shower. She was wearing nothing but a black t-shirt and ripped jeans, and while they hadn't gotten particularly dirty, considering she'd travelled as a wolf, she still felt weirdly exposed. At least the important bits were covered. Natania took in one more deep breath, then knocked on the door.

A tall teenager opened the door, but Natania knew better than to let appearances deceive her. Vampires stayed the age they were turned, whether that was the smallest child, or the most senior elder. He could easily be hundreds of years old, except, his skin wasn't the corpse pale of most vampires. Maybe he was human?

"Hello," the boy smiled, flashing pointed fangs, "what can we do for you?" Nope, Natania thought, staring at his fangs, definitely a vampire.

Natania glanced at the ground. "I'm looking for," she hesitated, trying to remember the first name the broker had given her, "Vincent Nerezza."

Something flashed in the boy's gaze and he stared at her appraisingly. "What business do you have?"

Natania inhaled sharply. This was it. "I'm here to make a bargain." She frowned at the boy. "May I speak with your master?"

Something shifted in the boy, making him look older than she'd initially thought. His eyes flashed in the moonlight, silver with a slight red tinge. "It's you."

And suddenly Natania remembered that voice. She inclined her head. "And you." Natania flashed her own fangs. "I remembered our deal."

"So you did." He stepped back and gestured her inside. "Come in."

She skittered past him quickly, feeling small, though he only had a few inches of height on her. "Don't you have servants to answer your door?" Natania asked, trying to distract herself with something mundane and harmless. With the size of the house, certainly he didn't maintain it alone.

"Not when one shows up at my home uninvited," he replied, a touch of warning in his voice.

"Technically, you invited me yourself," she said dryly.

"In the broadest definition of the word, I suppose." He closed the door behind her, and the corridor became suddenly dark. There had been windows on the outside, but they must have been covered, or painted over, inside because there wasn't a touch of light.

Natania inhaled sharply, hating the touch of panic that settled in her bones. She wasn't afraid of the dark, had never been, but her scars were deep, and not being able to see the vampire was triggering all of her alarms. She could see in the dark, but not in absolute darkness like this.

Until he snapped his fingers and torches lit across the wall, illuminating the plush, red velvet carpeting. The vampire stared at her, head cocked in consideration. "You are frightened."

Natania bared her teeth, a display much less intimidating in her current form. "I don't know you."

"You can call me Vincent," he gave her a knowing smile, "for now. Tell me what you came for, and I will decide what happens next."