Cassian Legacy: The Vampire Prince

I dressed Saturday morning with ease, finding the items of clothing in my closet without worrying that they might not be there. I slid some cream colored sandals onto my feet and then decided I needed a different kind of shoe. But as I slipped them off again, I realized he’d just buy the pair he wanted me to wear and then tell me to put them on after they arrived by post. But that was only if the pair I wore didn’t match his taste.

I skipped trying on the shoes and got to work on my hair. I hated doing this. It always looked tangled unless I threw it into braid of some sort. But it wouldn’t do to go running into his house with twin braids sticking out on the sides of my head. I resorted to talking to Emily about this. After all, I needed to check in on her. Last night she came home and cried most of the night, which worried me.

She let me into her house easily, thanking me again for helping her earlier this week. When I told her my predicament a smile formed on her face. In about twenty minutes, she had fixed my hair, braiding it from one side of my head to the other, pulling it into an intricate style that rested against my left shoulder. I glanced at it in the mirror completely in awe with the do.

Before I departed her house, I asked if she was alright, that I thought I heard her crying on the sidewalk last night while she was returning home. She mentioned having issues with her boyfriend but didn’t say anything more. I didn’t pursue the conversation, because I didn’t want to push her away from a possible friendship, and her mind was already fragile with the attempted murder I put a stop to. I thanked her endlessly for the help and left to meet Finn. When he pulled up the street, I was already standing by the curb. His eyes never left my face as I climbed into his car. And not one word about how I was dressed escaped his lips as we drove out of the town and into the countryside.

Of course once we approached his massive home, I broke the silence. “You live in that?”

He nodded, but didn’t smile, like he hated the place though I couldn’t see why. It had been years since I had money to afford something as nice as the apartment I currently lived in. This didn’t even compare with what I thought his house would look like.

Judging from depth of it, I decided that it wasn’t even a house, but a mansion with a housing complex that made it look almost like a castle, but not quite that medieval. It was huge, though, making the Vanderbilt look small if the two stood side by side. I had never seen anything like it in this part of the country. Already I cowered at the sight of it because large houses made me feel small and meek, like I didn’t belong there already.

We pulled up on the paved drive that led right to the massive front doors. He got out and opened my car door as I gawked at the heavy wooden panels that opened from some unseen force. But once we were inside the foyer, I snapped my gaping mouth closed. The interior was completely bare, save for a chandelier and a staircase. There were no paintings or rugs, no adornments of any kind. The walls were cream and the middle was lined with a gold circular pattern. The black and white marble floor overwhelmed me with its simple and dull design.

He led me down the long hall into a smaller room, but still incredibly big for its size. A large grand piano rested in the middle of the room on a raised platform. Several chairs occupied the space to the right of it, but behind the piano was a set corner composed of couches and a square coffee table. The walls were bare in this room just like the hallway, but the windows allowed a multitude of sunshine in, perking up the dull cream tone and making the gold lapel shine.

Finn left me in here alone, while he went to gather the others. I drifted over to the black piano, awed by the sight of it. It had been ages since I’d even come near an instrument of this caliber. It was expensive, and polished, and looked like it had never been used.

Tentatively I reached out and pressed a key. The note was clear and crisp. I recognized it the moment I heard its soft pulse. The thing was tuned correctly. A few lost memories of my childhood rushed into me. I felt like I was nine again, sitting at the keys, memorizing the piece set in front of me. Before I knew what I was doing, I seated myself on the bench and started playing the cadence. It flowed from my fingers like I hadn’t been away from the piano for this long. It seemed only yesterday I had stopped the music, though that was nothing but an illusion. I allowed myself to feel the notes, the ones I loved long ago. Those were happier times, memories from my former life.

Somewhere in the middle of the song, I heard movement to my left and I halted my fingering. My fake reality crashed down, and I awoke to my current surroundings. I turned toward the intruders of my perfect dream, finding Finn standing next to another man I had never seen. He approached me. Finn’s facial structure resembled the man to some degree. He gestured to the instrument and asked that I resume playing.

Finn’s eyes were unreadable as I faced the keys once more. I stared at the black and white wooden items as if they could open the door into my mind once more, like they were the secret keeper of memories I had forgotten. It took longer than it should have, but I caught the threads of the melody humming in my mind right where I left off, waiting to be discovered. In another minute or so I had ended the lullaby.

Even though I had an audience, a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. I had actually remembered something happy, from before… and not something I hated.

I looked back up at the two men. Finn’s expression remained unfathomable.

The man that I guessed must be his father bowed low. “Finn never told me you played,” he greeted with a rich light voice, exactly like Finn’s.

I smiled gently. “He didn’t know.”

He clasped his hands in front of him. “You played it beautifully, but I have to ask. How do you know that melody?”

I shrugged. That was something I didn’t remember. “I don’t know actually. But I think I learned it when I was younger.”

His eyes flickered slightly, but he didn’t say anything more about it. I took that to mean he didn’t believe me for some strange reason, like I purposefully lied to him, but he didn’t question it further.

Finn remained quiet and unapproachable. He stared at me like that first day when we spoke to each other, and he told me I was a puzzle he was trying to figure out. I still didn’t understand why he thought that, but I wasn’t bringing up that discussion at the moment. I felt like it might make my situation worse than it already was. According to him he had gone to extremes keeping his family from hunting me, and I wasn’t about to ruin that when they finally wanted to meet me. I followed them over to the couches quietly. Finn sat next to me on one sofa, while his father sat across from us on the other.

I expected a barrage of questions to follow, but the two never spoke a word, and we all stared at one another, daring the other person into speech.

Finally his father stood up and looked pointedly at Finn. “I’m going to go see what your mother is up to.”

As soon as he was gone, Finn spoke, barely mumbling in my direction. “Why didn’t you tell me knew how to play?”

I glanced at him. “It was never important. And I really didn’t remember until I saw the instrument.”

His hands clenched up and relaxed again. “But why did you have to play that song?”

I frowned and caught his attention, turning his dark eyes onto my face. “What do you mean?” I hissed. “There’s no possible way that you recognize that song…”

He shook his head slightly, cutting me off. “It’s Tiberius’ Lullaby. The melody is played over our cribs for a full year after we’re born and has been for several generations. Every Tierney knows the tune.”

What he stated was impossible. “That doesn’t make any sense. When I learned that song, it wasn’t Tiberius’ lullaby.”

He closed his eyes. “That’s not the point.” He met my gaze again, leaning forward so our faces were only an inch apart. “You just played our family’s song, the crest, lullaby, whatever you want to call it. This is not to be taken lightly. I don’t know how my father will react to this - technically you shouldn’t even know the tune.”

I froze. I never thought for one second that I had done something wrong, but his tone implied it. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“And how could you?” he whispered harshly. “I never even mentioned it. But if he asks, tell him I did.”

I nodded slightly. “Alright.”

This new development had Finn worried, though I didn’t understand why and he wasn’t about to explain it here.

His expression softened. “By the way, you look amazing. I love what you did to your hair.”

I smiled tentatively. “That’s Emily. She did it for me. It always looks messy when I try to put it up.”

Finn’s parents walked in together this time. His mother was absolutely gorgeous - I wasn’t prepared for her innate beauty. Her long blond hair was like gold resembling the paint on the wall. Now I knew where his sister got her looks from. Atria mirrored the image of this woman. Her blue eyes met mine and she smiled.

“We finally meet the famous Amelia,” she greeted me.

“Abelia, mother,” Finn corrected her. “Her friends call her Abel.”

Her eyes met his briefly and she blushed from her error. “Pardon me, Abelia. It is such a peculiar name I don’t think I’ve heard it before.”

I smiled feeling childish. “It was quite popular when I was born.”

She took her seat next to Finn’s father on the couch opposite us. She relaxed back into the cushion and crossed her legs. Finn’s father leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

I noticed that both of them had dark blond hair, whereas Finn’s was black. I thought it odd that his hair color was different from theirs, when genetically he should be blond like Atria and his parents.

“Finn told us that you hail from a clan in the south,” his father began. “And their manners are quite different than what the covens have been raised with. We expected you to visit the house prior to your arrival here, but you did not know the usual custom.”

“Finn has vouched for you and your ignorance,” his mother continued. “But we know of the gifts you have been bestowed with. Because of this you pose a threat to us. You have a choice. You can either leave here and never return, or…”

“You become his bodyguard,” his father finished with a smile that looked more like a front for some other emotion I didn’t want to picture.

I hated the way they spoke to me like I was below them and easily dispatched, but there was truth in their statements. I was a threat, and that I already knew no matter how much it was told to me. “I’m not ready to leave this area yet.”

His father’s smile widened. “Then it’s settled. You will become a bodyguard until you choose to travel elsewhere.”

His mother stared at me like she didn’t really trust my answers, but I knew she shouldn’t. I didn’t like being goaded into contracts - it wasn’t in my nature to become a prisoner. But this time I knew what I had to do. In order to keep them from hunting me, and put Finn in my protection, I had to make the contract. I nodded in agreement.

His mother looked like she wanted any excuse to tear me apart, but was placated for the moment. “We will expect reports from you. Once a month we convene and discuss new security measures or problems that arise. Finn told me about the burglar that invaded Sylvia’s apartments. Thanks to you, we don’t have to worry about our own being harmed, and now we needn’t worry about Sylvia’s establishment and patrons being attacked.”

I glanced over at Finn. He had embellished the truth of things, and hidden the fact that I resided in one of the cottages there. I also recognized the disgusting tone she emphasized on the last few words, and quickly understood that even when Sylvia loathed his family she was still respected in their social circles.

Guessing from my sudden eye contact with Finn, his mother felt the need to explain further. “We don’t normally contract with Sylvia, but because of these odd circumstances we’ve sent out a few more guards so they can scout her area. Finn says you can be stationed there when you’re not at school. We will arrange for you to rent a room.”

“That’s alright,” I butted in before her mind could take flight with the idea. “I can take care of my own lodgings.”

From my peripheral vision, Finn smiled, probably pleased that I didn’t want to mooch off of their riches. I had seen that smile before from the upper class and recognized it instantly.

His mother floundered with her words for a second or two until she regained her bearings and continued on like I hadn’t interrupted her. “Well, regardless of where you spend your nights we want you to be comfortable.”

I shook my head, knowing at once what she referred to. “I’m not drawing a salary or anything. I don’t want your money.”

“She wasn’t talking about money,” Finn whispered in my ear.

I glanced at him. “I don’t understand…”

“You’re old.” He raised an eyebrow, trying to throw me a hint I couldn’t comprehend.

How could I respond to that? Just what did they imply regarding my age?

His mother took the hint, however, knowing that whatever they suggested didn’t register in my head. She sighed heavily and cleared her throat, like I was too ignorant for my own good and she was explaining ‘vampires for dummies.’ “You are far more older than Finn originally thought. You’re probably one of the oldest vampires that reside in this town. That gives you power over the rest of us. This is probably why you’re gifts are so profound and why they work on our family when others have failed. They’ve had time to manifest and develop.”

I really didn’t understand what she explained at all. I looked back at Finn wondering what her speech actually meant, but he avoided my gaze. Hopefully he’d describe this to me later.

“You really should take up your residence here in the house with the others, but obviously you don’t want that,” she continued with contempt.

Finn’s father smiled genuinely and picked up where his wife left off. “We will respect your wishes on the subject. Now on to better things. We have a ceremony next month for the winter solstice you’ll be required to take part in. Finn’s told me that your wine of choice is the zinfandel, so we’ll make preparations to include you at once. It is a formal occasion, black tie. At that time we will announce your inductance, and we’ll need your formal name, not the name that you go by at school.”

He stood up. “I would normally require you to take the blood oath in front of the other subjects, but we’ll settle for something much less… formal, since we don’t have the time for a proper ceremony.”

Finn’s mother rose as well.

I stood up, following Finn’s encouragement from beside me.

Finn held out his hand. His mother sliced open the palm of his skin with the nail on her index finger. As soon as the blood pooled from the open wound I smelled it - his scent flew into my nose right as I inhaled. It was more delicious than anything I had ever smelled in my life. I stiffened my back and involuntarily moved away, knowing what this meant. His blood was so potent that I pinched my nose between my fingers, because I didn’t dare trust myself to continue this ceremony as long as I could smell the syrupy scent.

Finn questioned my body language with his eyes. “Do I stink?”

My eyes watered quickly so rather than explain what I was feeling, I nodded and remained quiet.

Finn didn’t take this badly though, he actually chuckled.

“We need your hand,” his father beckoned.

I held out the one that wasn’t holding my nose. His mother’s nail tried to slice open my skin, but I already knew that was a waste of time. It didn’t crack open. She frowned at once and scrutinized my face like I was being dishonest with them about what I was.

Settling for an excuse so that I could explain my weird abilities, I sighed and pulled out a pin from my skirt. “Old, remember?” I reminded them and put the pin between my teeth, I made a tiny prick on my forefinger. I took the pin from my mouth and hooked it back into my dress, taking care not to get blood on the fabric. I offered up the drops to Finn, who grasped my finger with his bloody hand.

“I guess that will do,” his father sighed. “You are now bound to protect him.”

His mother walked out of the room, without a single good-bye. His father followed shortly after, though he gave a smile.

Finn let go of my hand, once they departed, and offered me a tissue, but I immediately stuck my finger in my mouth to close the wound. I completely forgot it was doused in his blood, which once I tasted it, it sent me into a state of pure bliss. It was like having the best tasting delicacy in my mouth. It was like cake and ice cream, with honey, hazelnut, and cinnamon all rolled into one. I held my nose and closed my eyes, savoring the flavor.

Eventually I tasted my own blood, which had a mild honey scent to it. I licked the wound with my tongue and it closed instantly.

When I opened my eyes, Finn stared back at me with shock written all over his face. He had wiped his hand clean with a handkerchief of some sort, but it still had drops of blood on the tissue, so to keep myself sane I didn’t let go of my nose. The cut on his palm was already gone and healed, showing no trace of a scar.

He didn’t say anything about what I just did, and led me from the house. It was still daylight when we climbed into the car and he pulled away. Once we were on the road and outside of the estate, he spoke.

“We don’t normally taste each others blood,” he announced.

Whoops. I had botched that trial. I still held my nose because the tissue was in here with us. “Sorry. I had to close the wound.”

He glanced at me. “Your saliva heals?” He sounded intrigued by this idea.

I nodded. “My own skin, at least.” I didn’t know about anyone else’s, and I wasn’t about to try anytime soon.

He sighed and gripped the steering wheel tightly. “I’m glad you waited to do that until after my parents left the room. This whole idea that you’re one of us is unraveling far too quickly. You surprise me at every turn with this knowledge pool about our history that doesn’t make any sense.” He was stressed, that much I could tell.

“What does tasting your blood have to do with your family’s history?”

For the first time he looked exasperated. “Everything! Our kind doesn’t do that. It’s called the sacred kiss. Only the crazed and wild vampires drink each others blood on a regular basis or even taste it in the way that you did.”

I froze. Crazed and wild? I closed my eyes. Oh those crazed and wild. What would he think of me if he ever found out? I pushed the thoughts from my mind quickly. He could never know… I had made myself a promise that he would never find out the truth.

“Are you mad at me? Did I say something wrong?” he suddenly asked me in a much calmer and softer voice.

I had withdrawn into myself so completely that I had missed the drive back home. We were outside my cottage now or at least the gate that led to it.

I shook my head. “No, I’m just thinking.”

This sense of normality was growing difficult for me to maintain. I let go of my nose and glanced at him, no longer worried that I might push him over and lick the closed wound on his palm like a bear after a honey pot.

He went back to staring at me like I was a puzzle. “Do I need to leave you alone for a while?”

I nodded and opened the door for the effect. I hurriedly climbed out of the car. He let me walk away and didn’t come after me like he had all the other times we reached an obstacle. I headed straight for my house and didn’t look back, wondering if something had broken between us.