The Last Vampire Hunter

Chapter 23

Prince Alexander bit me. He bit me. The more I thought about it the angrier I became. How could he do this to me without even asking me. This is going to put my life in danger now. More than that, I wasn't sure what my role was anymore. For now, I was still being treated as a pet. Even though I wore his Mark. I was not his Mate. Or was I? I'm a human not a Vampire. Do the same rules apply? Or was I just a pet with a Mark on her now?

I was so confused.

Master joined me in the shower and then dressed me. Silver had come in with breakfast and then immediately left after gauging the mood. I barely acknowledged her. I was just too stunned. Too confused. She had looked at me with worry in her eyes, but the Master had dismissed her. He was extremely cheery this morning. The bastard.

Silver had put Liam's lavender in a drawer with my underwear. Ultimately, she had covered for me, letting me keep my memento of Liam. I walked over to the drawer and fingered the lavender. Every time I seemed to get a handle on my life here, something terrible happened.

I took a deep breath and pushed my anger away, closing the drawer and walking to the main hall. I took my violin with me. Master was speaking to Silver when he saw me. He smiled like a big stupid oaf when he saw me. I pushed down my irritation. "Would you like to play the violin for me, Aliana?" No you asshole. I want to take this case and bash your big stupid head with it. "Yes, Master."

Silver, Sawyer and Master sat at the couch. I took the violin out and began playing. I played without thinking, letting my emotions out on the strings. Haunting melodies melded together, pieces connecting so that you couldn't tell when one ended and another began. Tears ran down my face, but I kept playing, letting all of my sadness and frustration out on the strings of the instrument I held to my chin. Using the bow like a pair of tweezers, I pulled all the splinters of my sadness, anger and frustration out of my soul until it was empty. Until I was empty. When I finally stopped there was silence.

Master stood and walked away. Silver followed him. Sawyer came over to me. "I don't think I've ever heard anything so sad in my life. And I've known a lot of sadness. What's wrong?" I looked at him for a moment. I pulled the strap of my dress to one side to show him my Mark. He gasped. "What is that? Is that a..." I gave him a curt nod. "He Marked me." Sawyer shook his head. "He can't. You're human." I gave him a harsh snort. "Apparently he can. He's effectively trapped me here. He owns me now. In every way possible. I'm not going anywhere." Sawyer shook his head. He looked around cautiously. "There are ways to break the Mark. We can't talk here."

The thought shocked me. Were there? Has this happened to other humans? I thought Vampires could only Mark other Vampires, but then again I also naively thought that Vampires only slept with other Vampires. The thought that I might not be as trapped as I thought I was made me feel a little better. I smiled at Sawyer. He patted me on my hand. I walked to the bedroom I shared with my Master. When I walked in he seemed relieved to see me. He was sitting on his wide chair, his elbows on his knees and his hands in his hair. When he saw me he leaned back. "Aliana. Come." He motioned to his lap. I inwardly sighed but obeyed, dropping the violin case next to the door before walking over to him. I sat on his lap and he stroked my hair.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. I stiffened and then relaxed. If he was apologizing for marking me, then it was unexpected. I waited for him to continue. "I wasn't thinking when I marked you. I just wanted you to be mine. I should have discussed it with you first. I'm sorry." I sighed.

"Master, I'm your pet. Discussing it with me should have been one of the last things you did. You should have discussed it with your father, Lord Philip and others on the council first." I pressed myself closer to him, letting him put his arms around my waist.

"I will now be ostracized by humans who will be distrustful of me and rejected by Vampires who still see me as human and nothing more than a pet. I may be tied to you Master but you've left me tenuously dangling in midair with no other support but the one you hold. You've effectively sentenced me to a life without friends or family, without anything but you in it. And even this is not a sure thing, Master. We will now need to see if the Council will let me live. They may not be as enthusiastic to have a human walking around with a Vampire's mark as you are."

His jaw tightened. That's right you asshole. You didn't think things through did you? "I suspect it might be best to keep the Mark hidden until you gauge what the Council might rule with regard to my life. That will mean I am trapped in this apartment until it's safe for me to appear in public. I can hide the Mark under clothing, but it will still become apparent by the way we behave around each other that a bond has formed. We won't fool you kind for long, Master."

He didn't say anything as he thought about what I said. He knew I was right and he was obviously forming a plan. "We need to visit your parents and Liam's family. I need to drop off those papers. The trip will give me some time to think." I nodded. We sat together for some time, both silent. Then I said, "I think Silver or Sawyer should come with us. It will help with appearances if we aren't alone together in public." He nodded.

"Silver has resigned. She agreed to stay until I can find a replacement." I didn't say anything. It wasn't a surprise. She obviously had something with Dr. James. Perhaps the Master told her about the Mark and she realized what it meant. She had been hanging on to her love for our Master for years. It was better for everyone if she just let it go. If she fell in love with someone who could love her back. Dr. James could offer her everything our Master couldn't. I will miss her immensely but this will be good for her. She can finally move on with her life instead of living a half life in this apartment...like me.

"I was thinking of offering Sawyer the same deal as Silver. Serve out his time with me as a servant instead of a pet. I'd still like to have a second pet to feed on and I can get one at the pet shop. A submissive male." I didn't say anything. I just pulled myself close trying to find some comfort in his cold arms. Already the bond was forming. Already I was deceived into thinking he could give me solace. I sighed. The Vampires would notice these little things. I couldn't fight the need to be near to him. To touch him. How could this happen?

"What are you thinking?" I swallowed, choosing my words carefully. I wish you hadn't marked me. You had ten years to form a plan. To think through the consequences. I just wish you had given it more thought instead of acting on impulse. Pets have no choice but to trust that their Masters will care for them. Keep them safe. You've done nothing but put me at risk since you bought me. "Nothing. I'm just tired." He picked me up and walked me to our bed. He lay me down and I closed my eyes. I fell into a dreamless sleep.