The Vampire Queen Read Free Page B

downstairs.
    “Look what she did to my arm!” she insisted.
    “Coletta! Get Lizzy out of here, and lock her in the chamber,” the Count ordered. At his instruction, Lizzy’s smile turned to sobs and wails. Coletta dragged her kicking and screaming out of the room.
    “Here. Drink some wine. It will calm you,” the Count offered.
    “I don’t want wine! I want an explanation! What is that...that thing? She is no ordinary little girl. I felt the evil coming from her, and now this! Be straight with me,” she demanded.
    “Ok. She’s a vampire. As are you and I,” he said as he sat down in the chair next to the bed.
    “What?” she shrieked. “I am not a vampire. I don’t go around killing people and drinking blood.”
    “Well...actually, the wine I give you is blood. Also, you are of the oldest vampire race, so you don’t require as much.”
    “I can’t believe this!” she said as she started to cry. He moved to the bed and put his arms around her.
    “I had hoped you wouldn’t find out like this. I usually like to sit you down and tell you about it,” he explained.
    “What do you mean usually ?” she asked.
    “Well, there is a cycle you like to live through. You stay on Earth 10-30 years, and then you get bored and lay dormant. At the turn of the century, I wake you up, and you come out to explore. You’ve always loved the thrill and excitement each life brought. To some extent, you get to be a new person each time. You start out like a small child, a whirlwind of information-seeking—sucking up everything in your path, absorbing it, and spitting it back out. You’ve always caught on quickly, and the learning process was always half the adventure, according to you. Being an Ancient, you are kind of like a Queen and have to keep up with the times, but you get bored quickly, so you go to sleep for long periods of time. Only I know your place of slumber, for fear of potential harm to you, so I am your devoted, secret protector for all of eternity,” he smiled. For a brief moment, his eyes glazed over, and she thought he might be in love with her.
    “So, you take care of everything, and I just basically get to be Queen?” she asked.
    “Yes,” he replied, his eyes cast down.
    “If I’ve never told you before, thank you for everything you do, have done, and will do for me,” she said.
    “Thank you, Countess, for trusting me and making me out of love,” he responded.
    “I made you?” she inquired with bewildered and loving eyes.
    “It was many, many centuries ago. I was your Bookkeeper, and every time I would come to the house, you would try to seduce me. One evening, just after leaving your house, I was mugged, shot, and left for dead. Now, you always watched me walk down the street from your window, so you saw this happen and raced to my side. You hadn’t realized it until then that you had fallen in love with me and didn’t want to be without me, but you had to leave the choice up to me. You said I could die a human death and be gone forever or die a human death but live forever with you. It would be a hard and different life, worse than anything I could imagine. One of servitude, struggle, and ultimate responsibility for your life for all eternity, but in the end, you would always love me. I figured that was a small price to pay for my life. I agreed to your offer. You sat with me for three days, and when it was done, you mentored me in the vampire world. So, you see, I owe everything to you,” he explained.
    “As I do you,” the Countess replied. “Do you know who made me ?” she instantly thought and asked.
    “Those were your more sentimental times, and we shared much, but you never told me. I’m sure it’s locked away in that pretty head of yours, and you just need time to recall it,” he said. He then got up and left her alone with her thoughts, for he knew she had many.

Chapter Eight
    Vampire. It’s amazing how one little word can change your life so drastically. Also, who