"Well, it is my vote that decides, is it?" The old one's features belied his scent, which was very, very old to me. "For the ones I vote with, I hold my own judgment in this and it is not your votes in this matter which sway me. For the ones I vote against, I instruct you from this point to withhold your opinions on the subject. I do not wish to hear any future discussion or denouncement. Let the records reflect that Wlodek, Head of the Vampire Council, votes not guilty."
The tears fell then. I couldn't hold them back and I was sniffling like a baby. My sobs I was holding back, however. I didn't want anyone to have that vision of me in their minds. "Lissa Beth Workman, there are conditions that come with our granting of your life," Wlodek informed me after giving permission to move my hands and arms. "We must find a surrogate sire for you and I must take time to ponder the matter and make my offers to see if anyone is willing. You must follow his teachings and instructions, once that sire accepts responsibility for you. If you do not, you may well find yourself standing in this very same spot and the vote will not go kindly the next time. Do you understand this?"
"Y-yes," I stuttered a little and nodded. I was still wiping tears away. Vampires must not have any emotions or the impenetrable mask must be part of what they learned early on. None of them had any expression showing.
"I will leave my compulsion in place until your sire is found. I command you now not to attempt to escape and to follow the instructions of all other vampires that I send to you. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir."
"Very well. Radomir, please take her to the side. She will come home with me until a sire may be found. See to her needs." Wlodek waved a hand imperiously and another vampire, darkly handsome and tall (just like most of the rest of them), pulled me over to the side of the cave. There was still some Council business to tie up and Wlodek was instructing Charles, the younger one typing on the laptop, on what to include in the official record.
Radomir produced a beautiful silk handkerchief from somewhere and handed it to me. I thought it a shame that I was going to wipe my tears with it. They're almost clear but not quite. I suppose you could call them a pale amber color, since they're made from serum, after all. I was going to stain that snowy whiteness. Gavin also moved away from the center of the chamber since his services hadn't been needed. I wondered how disappointed he was over that. He was standing at the back of the cave beside the entrance, almost at attention, staring over the heads of the Council members.
It's strange, the feeling I had after they'd passed sentence. I felt numb. That's the best way I could describe it. Maybe later I'd jump up and down with joy, but it was something else I was going to have to deal with. There had been little joy in my life for a while and I wasn't sure I knew what to do with it. What I can tell you is this—after that night in the Council chamber, I could have picked out any member just by their scent, along with the scents of the Enforcers or whatever they were, standing around the perimeter. That was a strange feeling. Of course, I could do the same thing with any of the werewolves I knew. I'd know Winkler from a quarter of a mile away, if the wind were blowing in the proper direction.
The meeting was over, finally, and members began filing out. The Enforcers split up, escorting Council members out of the cave two or three at a time. Russell and Radomir remained to protect Wlodek and Charles. The other one that remained was Gavin. Wlodek didn't have to say anything; Charles packed up his papers and things in a satchel along with his laptop which he handled with care, and then hefted the satchel over his shoulder. At some unspoken cue, Radomir motioned for me to follow him. Gavin went out first, Wlodek next, and then Charles and Russell. I walked between Russell and Radomir, who came out last of all.
There was a limo waiting for Wlodek, and he was put in the car first. I was led to the other side and seated inside the spacious, black leather interior. Gavin had disappeared already; I didn't see him anywhere. Russell and Radomir rode in the back of the limo facing us and guarding Wlodek, I'm sure. As if he needed guarding from me. At that moment, I felt weak as a kitten, drained completely from my ordeal and still wearing my silver manacles.
"We will remove those when we arrive at the manor," Wlodek said, nodding toward my chains. I wanted to huddle in my corner of the car and hug my arms around myself with my knees drawn up to my chin. That wasn't suitable behavior so I sat there, not saying anything. My hands were clasped in my lap and my eyes were on my athletic shoes, which still showed signs of ash from Sergio and Edward. Charles sat up front with the driver, and except for Wlodek's one sentence directed at me, nobody had spoken a word. I stared as we passed through tall, wrought iron gates before parking on a wide, circular drive somewhere in the English countryside. I would later learn it was in Kent, but I had no way of knowing where I was at that moment. Charles was standing outside the limo, talking on a cell phone when Radomir opened my door to let me out. "Have her clothes sent over," Charles instructed someone before ending the call. The manor we'd parked near was three stories high and quite large. I tried not to gape as I was led up the front steps. The wide front door opened from the inside and the vampire who stood back to allow us entry was nearly seven feet tall with broad features and large hands. He nodded respectfully to Wlodek who walked in first.
"Thank you, Rolfe," Wlodek announced, sweeping inside. At least Wlodek wasn't dressed in a cape and a red bow tie or anything. He had a dark pin-stripe suit on, with a very tasteful tie. The others were dressed similarly, I was only now noticing. I suppose if your life is hanging in the balance, what people are wearing sort of goes right past you.
"Come on," Charles set his satchel inside the door and grabbed my arm, leading me through the entryway and then to the left and down a short hall until we made another left into the kitchen. The only appliance in that kitchen that didn't look more than a hundred years old was the refrigerator (or should I say bank of refrigerators), and freezers. They took up an entire wall, all in stainless steel, and Charles opened one of them to pull out a pint of blood. "You look like you could use this," he said. "Not that you're not pretty or anything," he held up a hand. "It's just that you look worn out. Drink as much as you can, it'll help."
I was a little embarrassed to drink in front of him, but I did eventually bite off the little top and sip until I'd gotten about half of it down.
"We were told you couldn't finish a whole one," Charles took the bag back. "I'll leave this here in case you get peckish again." He then produced a key from a pocket and unlocked my manacles, setting them on the counter nearby. I rubbed my wrists a little.