Where Loyalty Lies (14 page)

“And do you believe that you’re half-vampire?”

“Yes,” I said, then, feeling like I should say something more, I added, “I’m stronger and faster than any person I’ve ever known. I also have better sight, hearing and an acute sense of smell.” I finished my pitifully short speech and mentally chided myself; I’d basically just repeated what Holt had said. Another moment of silence made me think that The Sénat were probably thinking exactly the same as me. I’m sure they were expecting me to say something else but I didn’t know what and the fear of rambling and saying something stupid kept me from opening my mouth again.

“Wait outside, please,” Sénator Aimery said abruptly.

We left and, as soon as the doors were closed, I turned to Holt.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know what to say and I didn’t want to accidentally offend someone, so I thought I should just keep my mouth shut.”

“You did fine,” Holt assured me. “We’ve told them everything we know and now we need to wait for them to decide what they want to do.”

All three of us sat.

“They didn’t seem very surprised,” I said. “Don’t they believe us?”

“Oh, they were surprised, trust me,” Henry quipped. “Just because The Sénat appears not to react, that doesn’t mean anything.”

“Henry’s special ability is that he can sense emotions,” Holt explained. “That’s why I asked him to accompany us.”

I nodded. That made sense. I wondered how it must affect someone’s life to know what people around you are feeling all the time. Henry offered no further information as to what The Sénat had been feeling, so I assumed that was a conversation he’d be having with Holt later, either when they weren’t so close to The Sénat or weren’t so close to me.

Another long wait and we were called back in. We took up the same positions and waited while Sénator Aimery stood again.

“Holt, you’ve been a loyal member of ours for a long time now and, in that time, we’ve come to trust and respect you. However, as I’m sure you will understand, we cannot merely accept your word that Faine is a half-breed. Therefore, we see it fit to conduct our own tests. Faine will be issued with a weekly schedule which she is to follow. In four months from today, on the fifteenth of January, we’ll issue an official examination. We’ll take into consideration Faine’s results in her tests and we’ll draw our own conclusions.”

Well, that didn’t sound too bad. I looked up at Holt and his tense jaw told me that he thought otherwise, but he merely nodded.

“Thank you, I’ll ensure that Faine is given rooms and receives her schedule.” Holt’s words were polite but I could still hear the tension behind them. Once again I followed Holt out of the room and back towards the main hall. We went up the main staircase, through more hallways which I gave up trying to memorise and, finally, through a door with the numbers 418 on, into a room.

The TV and sofas made me think it was a living room but there was also a table and chairs at one end and, in the corner, a mini bar and fridge. The whole place had a distinctly feminine feel but was not too fussy. It was the first room I’d been in at Rillith that had carpet instead of wooden floors. The high-backed sofa had blue and white stripes and, when I ran my hand over it, it felt like satin.

Holt called my name and I looked round to see that he’d disappeared into another room. I followed him and stopped in my tracks in the doorway. This room was a bedroom and was so stunning it made the living area look shabby. Again this room had a carpet that was so thick it made me want to take my shoes off so that I could curl my toes into it. The theme of blue and white was continued here but my eyes were drawn to a huge four poster bed that was draped in rich shades of midnight blue. My bags were on the floor at the foot of the bed.

“Is this really my room?” I asked.

“Yes.” Holt seemed pleased at my excitement. “There’s a bathroom through that door. There isn’t a kitchen, as we don’t usually have human residents, but if you dial 008 on the telephone it will connect you with the staff kitchens and they’ll bring you whatever you need.” The sudden thought of money crossed my mind and my excitement popped like a balloon.

“I can’t afford this,” I said, feeling embarrassed that Henry was here.

“You don’t have to pay.” Holt looked incredulous. “Except for having to put up with whatever tests they’re going to put you through.” He scowled. “It’s bloody ridiculous; they could have found out in five minutes whether you have vampire blood but it’s typical of them to drag it out for months.” During his rant, he walked back out to the bar and stared frustrated at its emptiness.

I saw my chance and plonked myself down on the sofa and ran my hands over its smoothness. Henry gave me an odd look, like he couldn’t work out why I was so thrilled with a sofa, and then he turned to Holt.

“You had to know it wasn’t ever going to be easy. When have The Sénat ever done anything the simple way? Anyway, if it’s as obvious as you say it is, then they’ll have no choice but to accept Faine at the end of the four months.”

Holt nodded and looked at me. I stopped my pawing at the sofa, aware that I probably looked like a cat with cat-nip.

“I’m sorry, Faine. I’m sure The Sénat will come up with the most intrusive and exhausting tests they can think of, but if you just stick with it for these four months, then you’ll be fine.”

I wiggled my way further back into the cushions. “It’ll be worth it, if I get to stay here in the meantime.”

A week later I collapsed on the couch groaning. I’d just completed my first weekly schedule and I was knackered. When Holt had warned me it would be exhausting and intrusive, I’d believed him but I hadn’t fully appreciated the extent of his warning. Now every single part of my body ached; I was living proof that he’d been right.

The Sénat had wasted no time and I’d been issued with a schedule within twenty-four hours. Saturday was the day when they tested my senses; I was given various sight, hearing and smelling tests. Sunday was strength, stamina and speed testing which was basically a day-long gym session. Mondays were my medical tests; I spent the day being prodded, poked and having just about every bodily fluid extracted from me. Tuesdays were counselling sessions, which I’d foolishly thought would be simple, but after having to retell what felt like every moment of my life, I soon changed my mind. Wednesdays were combat training which had sounded like fun but had left me covered in bruises. Luckily, though, The Sénat had allowed me to have two days a week off and so, now, my weekends were Thursday and Friday.

On Sunday evening Holt had been called out to work and I’d been slightly relieved because he always seemed to get worked up by the tests I was being put through. Henry kept popping up regularly and I had a sneaking suspicion that Holt had asked Henry to keep an eye on me while he was away. I didn’t mind at all as, apart from Holt, Henry was the only friend I had and spending time with him was always fun.

Feeling bad for being sprawled on such an expensive sofa, while I was so sticky and covered in dry sweat from my combat training, I heaved myself up and dragged myself to the bathroom. It was so luxurious I always felt guilty for not spending more time in there. It followed the blue and white theme and had a claw-foot bath, gigantic walk-in shower and double basins set into a white marble unit with a huge mirror that almost filled one wall.

I turned the shower on and went back out to my bedroom, plugged my iPod into the speakers and turned it up. Loud. Holt had told me that my rooms were soundproofed, as were everyone else’s, so, from out in the hall, nothing could be heard. The door from the living area to my bedroom and the bathroom door were not soundproofed as it would stop me from hearing if someone had come into my rooms.

The shower worked miracles on my aching muscles and, when I finally dragged myself out, I felt a million times better. I padded out to the bedroom and changed into a pair of shorts and the oversized T-shirt I slept in. As I sat at the dressing table I took the time to trace the delicate carvings around the mirror. 

I’d first noticed the carvings all over the wooden back-board and frame of my four poster bed and had spent hours looking at them. At first glimpse, the designs looked like waves but on closer inspection I’d found dolphins, mermaids, fish, whales, ships and seahorses. As soon as I’d noticed them on the bed posts they seemed to pop up everywhere in my rooms. The pattern around the mirror had seahorses hidden in it and, as I ran my fingers over them, I smiled. I had no idea who this room had originally been designed for but the attention to detail was incredible.

As I brushed my hair, I heard the door to my living room open, so I turned off the music.

“Knock, knock!” Henry called. He appeared in my bedroom doorway and grinned at me.

I marvelled once more at how handsome he was. I had seen loads of vampires now and, while they all had an eerie beauty about them, I had to admit that Henry stood out among the crowd. When he grinned, his entire face transformed with schoolboy charm and it never failed to make me grin back. I thanked my lucky stars that there hadn’t been a boy like him at my school because I was sure I’d have followed him into all sorts of trouble.

“So I figured, as it’s the beginning of your two days off, we should have a little celebration.” He waggled his eyebrows and then disappeared back out into the living room. I followed and found him standing behind a now fully-stocked bar. “So, what do you fancy?”

“Bacardi,” I said and folded myself onto an armchair that matched the sofa. Henry picked up the Bacardi and a bottle of whisky and dumped them on the coffee table in front of me along with two shot glasses. Then he sat on the floor and started pouring.

“But, in all seriousness, this is actually very important for two reasons,” he said.

“Okay, and those reasons are?”

“The first is that, as a vampire, it takes a hell of a lot of alcohol to get us drunk, so I think it’s important that we discover where you measure up on that scale. The second is that I have a feeling you and I will be spending a lot of time together in the future and so I think we should get to know each other, and there’s no better way to get to know somebody than by hearing the stories they tell while under the influence.”

I pursed my lips and pretended to consider the proposal for a while. I didn’t point out that I’d drunk myself into oblivion many times before while trying to forget my past. “Well, when you put it like that, I don’t think it would be sensible of me to refuse such an important experiment.”

Henry grinned and handed me a shot of Bacardi. As a rule, I preferred it with lemonade and a dash of lime but I wasn’t going to complain. Henry held up his own glass. “Here’s to you and me.”

            I clinked his glass with mine and we both downed our shots. We did five in a row and then Henry lay back on the floor, resting on his elbows. “So how’s your training going?”

I scrunched my nose at him. “Let’s not talk about all that. Tell me something about you.”

“Okay, then.” He got to his feet in one fluid motion. “My name is Henry Dalton.” He did a little bow. “I am 678 years old; my special ability is being able to sense people’s emotions. My loves are women, fast cars and breaking rules. I can’t abide people who are lazy or lie. I always like to put my trousers on before my top. My worst habit is my ability to put my foot in it, which I do regularly.” He gave another flourishing bow and then got back into his previous position. “Your turn.”

I groaned. “My name is...”

“Uh-uh, standing up please,” Henry interrupted.

I stood. “Fine. My name’s Faine. Faine Hawkes. I’m twenty-one years old, my special ability is...” I paused trying to think of what I could do that nobody else could. “My special ability is not being able to fit in anywhere properly. My main love is stories, whether in the form of books, films or straight from the horse’s mouth; I love them all. I can’t stand people who are two-faced or deceitful. I always click my fingers three times when I turn the lights out. My worst habit is that I’m stubborn as hell.” I gave my own little curtsey and sank back into the chair as Henry gave me an enthusiastic applause.

“Bravo, and to reward our moments of brutal honesty I think we deserve some more shots.”

I did another five shots and Henry did seven.

“So why do you click your fingers three times when you turn the lights out?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea; it’s something I started as a child and, even though I know it’s ridiculous, I still have to do it now. Maybe it’s like OCD or something.” I shrugged again; I could feel the warm tingling in my fingers that told me I was on the way to tipsy.

“Now, seeing as you’re so fond of stories and I love to tell them, I’ll tell you one of mine.” Henry paused pretending he was getting comfortable but I was sure he was building suspense. “Now this particular event happened in 1371 in France. Me and my brother Saul were...”

“Your brother?” I cut him off. “You have a brother?” 

“Yes, Saul. He’s a good guy, he’s away in Italy at the moment but should be back in about a week. You’ll meet him then.”

“But how can you have a brother? How is it that you both became vampires?” I noticed the bluntness of my question as I said it but, by then, it was too late to take it back.

“Oh.” Understanding lit Henry’s eyes. “We were both fighting in a battle; fought damn well and by the end of it we were both too damaged to see another day, but luck was on our side because a vampire came across the bloody battlefield and saw something in us that he liked because he turned us both right then and there. Of course that was back before the rule was brought in that said you had to have permission from The Sénat before you could turn a human into a vampire.”