Daybreak, BK 4 of the Lightwalkers

XVII - Sin

Christina returned five hours later, an hour earlier than she promised Lex. She'd changed and now wore a black pencil skirt, dark hose, and heels. Under a matching blazer, there was a shimmer of a silver blouse. Her gaze swept over the two of us with an expectant glare, as if daring me to make a move against her.

Lex bowed to Christina in greeting. A moment later, I followed his action, bowing as he'd shown me. Swallowing my pride was more difficult than I had imagined and it left a sour taste in my mouth.

"Come," she said curtly, turning on her heel to lead the way out of the tiny stone room.

There was more than enough space in the hallway for Lex and I to walk side by side behind Christina. It was just as Lex had described. There were no other restraints involved, but with the collars Christina held the magical key to, it wasn't needed.

The same stone my "room" had been used to line the walls of the hall. Doors lined each side, all numbered. Some held nameplates or small electronic monitors that showed a feed from the interior. Questions flooded my mind, but I kept them to myself for the moment. Lex had told me how many vampires they had, but it wasn't until we'd stepped into the long hallway that the number had hit home.

An industrial door stood at the end of the hallway. Christina pulled a keycard from her interior blazer pocket and pressed it against the key lock to the side of the door. The door clicked open, but as Christina started to push, she paused and glanced back at me.

"This door is coated with silver. Do not touch it."

I frowned at her. My guess would be that normally wouldn't explain such things to the vampires they kept here. It was almost as if she was looking out for me. That made me want to laugh. Instead, I exchanged a look with Lex, who gave me the tiniest shake of his head.

She opened the door to reveal a staircase that led up to another locked silver door. Cameras were everywhere, leaving no blind spots to hide. I was beginning to see that escaping from this building would be nearly impossible.

After yet another set of doors, we where in another hallway, though this one was less stone and gothic, and more expensive hotel-like. Impressionist paintings hung on the beige walls over sideboards and vases of fresh flowers, the doors on each side were less frequent. She went down to the third door on the right, pressed a code into the key pad under the handle, and walked in. This room was much different from the ones a floor below. Instead of a stone-walled cell, there was wallpaper, a couch, and a pair of armchairs, all in impersonal shades of tans, creams, and golds. There was a door off to the side, partly open to reveal a bathroom.

Christina closed and locked the door behind us.

"Alexander, you may go first." She slipped her keycard back into her suit jacket and sat in the nearest of the chairs. Lex glanced quickly at me, but didn't hesitate. He disappeared into the bathroom, flipping the light on and shutting the door behind him. A moment later, I heard the shower turn on.

"Vincent."

My eyes darted back to Christina. She'd draped a hand over the arm of the chair, exposing the pale skin of her wrist. She was testing me. I stood my ground, forcing myself not to move. Her ice-blue eyes narrowed.

"Come here," she pointed to the floor next to her chair.

Suppressing a sigh, I went to the demanded spot and dropped to one knee beside her.

I needed to wait her out, just needed to see what I was up against. Taking her hand, I kissed the back of it as Lex had told me. I could scent her blood under the skin. The memory of drinking from her made my fangs ache with the need to taste her again. I hated the thought.

She withdrew her hand from mine, a slow, satisfactory smile on her face. "I knew I could trust Alexander to bring you around."

I scoffed at her words and the hand I'd just kissed snapped back across my face. I tasted blood in the corner of my mouth.

"My mother and her Council will be looking for any excuse to get rid of you, Vincent. Be sure not to give them one."

Her cold glare burned as I tasted cut on my lip, refusing to lose any blood. I forced myself silent. No good would come from mouthing off at her, no matter how much I wanted to. Though, her continued use of my old name grated on my nerves.

"I'll play your game, for now," I said slowly, testing the tension between us. "If you'll grant one request."

Christina stared at me for a long moment, a disapproving glare in her eyes. I guess requests weren't frequently entertained. "I will not release you or remove your collar if that is what you're about to ask."

As if it would be that easy. "No, that is not...it."

Christina waved a hand me, a bored expression on her face. "Go on."

I licked the blood from my lip again, satisfied to find that the cut healed quickly. It meant my strength had returned. "Do not call me Vincent."

"Why not? That is the name you were born with, correct?"

Pausing a moment to choose my words, I swallowed past the pounding in my ears. "Vincent died many centuries ago. I'm no longer that man."

She frowned at me, drawing the silence out between us. "Sin it is, then."

At that moment, the door to the bathroom opened and Lex stepped out. He'd showered, his long hair tightly pulled back in a new tail. He wore a fresh suit, this one with a white collared dress shirt. Lex returned to Christina's side and knelt next to me.

Christina swept an assessing glance over his appearance, then turned to me. "You've no more than ten minutes to make yourself presentable. Everything has been set out for you. Make it quick."

I nodded and started to stand as Lex nudged me. "Yes, madam." I mumbled the forgotten line with a passing degree of respect that surprised even myself. 

"It's not perfect," Christina said, brushing lint off the sleeve of her blazer. "But a marked improvement. Go on."

Escaping into the bathroom, I shut the door behind me. I took a moment to plant my hands on the counter and lean against it, forcing the pent up rage down. This wasn't something I could fight head-on, as much as my instincts were screaming at me to do just that. I needed to be smart, cunning, diplomatic even, as I figured a way out. I needed to be the perfect little vampire slave and force Christina to drop her guard. Then sweet vengeance would be mine.