Why Lorie? Part I

Chapter 10: The Vampire Den

On the train ride from Paris to Vienna, Viktor had plenty of time to consider his current situation.  He truly enjoyed Josette's company and she could potentially turn out to be perfect wife material.  She was young, beautiful, charming and extremely talented. She definitely stood out among ordinary humans. From reading her thoughts, Viktor found out that she was also a willing partner.  Of course, she didn't yet know his biggest secret.  Viktor wondered how Josette would react when he told her he was a vampire.  And that his three sons were solely his creations, lacking any biological ties to him or to each other.

There was no way of predicting Josette's response.  Would she still want him?  Or would she be terrified and reject him?  That was a gamble Viktor had to take whenever he changed anyone.  Therefore, he was extra careful when making a selection, and usually waited for many years in between turning any humans into vampires. 

In addition, Viktor had to consider Lorelei's future.  He realized that Josette would never willingly part from her daughter, therefore, they would both have to be transformed.  Viktor had never changed a human child into a vampire.  He strongly believed that a child would forever remain impulsive and immature - an extreme danger in its new state.  A vampire child could never physically reach adulthood and would most likely end up resenting its maker.  That would be a curse for both the child and its vampire parent.

"You seem awfully deep in thought," Peter said, breaking the silence.

Viktor's middle son had been a vampire for almost sixty years.  Viktor had changed him during the time he resided in Transylvania.  As a human, Peter and his family had lived in the vicinity of Bartholy Castle.  Peter hadn't agreed to his transformation and still resented Viktor because of it, even though he tried to hide his feelings.  But Viktor had the ability to read minds.  He knew exactly how Peter felt. One of the reasons Viktor chose Josette was to placate his middle son.  Peter's love for music remained as strong in his vampiric state as it had been during his human life.  Viktor knew that Peter strongly admired Josette's talent, since he had been the one who brought her to Viktor's attention.

"Are you thinking about her?"  Peter asked.

Viktor nodded.

"Do you think it's too soon?"  Peter continued.

"I'm not entirely sure," Viktor sighed.  "It's only been eleven years since Drogo... am I ready to change anyone else yet?"  It was more of a rhetorical question.

"You must admit, she would make a perfect addition to the family," Peter insisted.  "You have three sons... too many males for one household."  Peter paused.  "What we all need is a woman's touch... a wife for you, and a mother for us."

Peter watched closely for a reaction from Viktor, but, as usual, his father's face remained impassive.  Peter decided not to pursue the subject anymore, but to allow Viktor to ruminate for a while.  After all, once Viktor made up his mind, nobody could change it.  Ever.

After taking a carriage ride from the Vienna train station, the two arrived back at Viktor's Austrian manor house. Viktor had decided to leave Germany as soon as his youngest son, Drogo, had accepted his new existence as a vampire.  Drogo underwent the change eleven years before.  He was extremely impulsive and couldn't repress his blood lust.  After Drogo went on several rampages in the Berlin area, leaving many dead bodies behind, Viktor decided to move his family.  But even in a new environment, Drogo remained willful and difficult to control.  The boy turned out to be quite a handful, and Viktor couldn't trust leaving him on his own.  He had to put one of his other sons in charge to closely watch over Drogo.  This time around, it was Nicolae, Viktor's eldest son.

Nicolae had become a vampire in 1825, eighty-one years before, and had fully adjusted to his new existence.  So much so, that he was able to remain in control of his senses without giving in to blood-lust.  Nicolae was even trying to change his diet from human blood to that of animals.  He was becoming fairly successful at it.  That particular behavior drove Viktor crazy.  They had already fought many times over the matter.  Viktor accused Nicolae of denying his true nature, while Nicolae maintained that he felt more civilized that way.  It was an ongoing debate, and, so far, Nicolae was winning.

Viktor walked into the parlor.  He found Nicolae with his nose buried in a book.  Upon hearing his father's steps, Nicolae looked up.

"Ah, you're back," Nicolae said.  His expression was hard to read.

"Miss me?"  Viktor asked sarcastically.  "Or have you been able to gather a collection of rats and squirrels to feed on while I was gone?"

"Why does it bother you so much?"  Nicolae asked.  "I'm only doing this for myself.  You don't have to get involved."

Viktor scoffed.  "Right.  I don't have to get involved when I see my son turn into... I don't know what... I don't think there's a term for rat eaters."

Nicolae shrugged.  "Whatever you say."

"Where's Drogo?"  Viktor asked, scanning the room.

"Upstairs," Nicolae answered.

"Are you sure?"  Viktor looked at him pointedly.  "You know he's good at escaping when nobody's watching him."

"I'm sure," Nicolae said nonchalantly.  "I locked his door.  And his windows are barred.  He'd have to make an awful lot of noise to get away without me noticing." 

Nicolae didn't add that he knew in advance what Drogo, or anyone else, planned to do.  He didn't want to reveal his mind-reading abilities to Viktor.  Out of all of his sons, Nicolae was the only one who could control how much information Viktor could get out of his head without his permission.  Therefore, he subtly changed the subject.

"So... were you successful?"  Nicolae arched an eyebrow as he spoke.

"That depends on your meaning of the word," Viktor answered gruffly.

"Have you made any progress with your... lady love?"  Nicolae smirked.

Victor sighed as he plopped down in a chair.  "She wants to stay in Paris for a while longer."  He gazed into the distance.  "Luckily, I have all the time in the world to wait for her.  Of course, she doesn't realize that," he chortled.

"But you wouldn't want her to get too old and stringy by the time she agrees," Nicolae said.  "I know you prefer your prey to be young and fresh," he added rather maliciously.

Viktor looked at him a crossly.  "I haven't even decided whether or not I want to change her.  It's your brother that's driving me up the wall."

"I didn't think Peter had that much influence on you," Nicolae sneered.

"He doesn't," Viktor said.  "I'm just tired of hearing him talk about it."  He paused and then continued.  "But Peter has a point:  the girl is quite special."

"Father's in love," Nicolae murmured mockingly under his breath.  "I never thought I'd see the day..."

"I'm not sure I'd call it love," Viktor spoke gruffly.  "Lust, definitely... and I certainly respect and admire her."

"So then change her already and be done with it.  Why wait?"  Nicolae asked.

"There is the one major problem," Viktor answered.  "Her six month-old girl."

Nicolae raised his eyebrows.  "That is a problem... indeed.  What do you plan to do about it?"

Viktor looked thoughtful for a while.  He then replied in his cold, detached manner.  "I will either have to transform the child... or kill her.  I just haven't decided yet which to do."

Those words chilled Nicolae to the bone, even though he was already dead.