"If you're meaning the pump jacks," I made the rocking motion with my arm and she nodded, "Then yes, I've seen that before. People have gas wells in their yards, too, and on their farms."
"Franklin?" The voice came from down the hall. I had the feeling I was about to meet my surrogate maker. I stood up quickly and straightened my outfit. I'd been sitting on a barstool, leaning my elbows on the granite island and talking comfortably with Franklin and Lena. Now I was shaking.
Maybe he wasn't quite as handsome as Flavio, but he had black hair, piercing blue eyes and I knew right away that he wasn't just vampire. There was a scent about him that had the telltale exotic spice, but there was more than that and it smelled to me like a fresh wind in a spring field. The exotic spice part was old, but the other—I had no idea. This man, whatever he was, had power. What had Wlodek done to me? Of course I wasn't about to point any of this out to my new sire, and I had no idea how much trouble I might be in if I tried. I just kept my mouth shut.
"Lissa, this is Merrill," Franklin stood to make introductions. I stared for a few seconds while all those thoughts chased themselves through my head.
"Sorry, didn't mean to stand there like a gaping fool," I said, holding out my hand. Merrill took it, then leaned in and kissed me lightly on the cheek.
"Welcome," he said, smiling.
"Thanks," I said.
Chapter 16
Merrill waited until the following evening to get started and we both sat in his study. It wasn't as elaborate as Wlodek's; there was a computer and a stack of newspapers on his desk.
"You can speak freely around Franklin, he knows everything," Merrill advised me right away. "Lena knows not to disturb us during the day. A light compulsion takes care of that. She thinks you have a skin condition," Merrill smiled. My bedroom came equipped with a small fridge in the bathroom, already stocked with bagged blood. I'd have to find out where the supplies came from. I suppose Merrill would tell me.
"I like Franklin. And Lena," I said.
"Franklin is quite impressed with you. Anyone willing to help in the kitchen is good with him."
"Well, I'll cook for him sometime, then," I said.
"You still cook?" Merrill was surprised.
"Yes. I haven't forgotten how. I cooked for the werewolves. Those guys can eat, let me tell you."
"You're joking?"
"No. Why?"
"Most vampires become ill if they prepare food. They generally don't want to be exposed to any food that isn't blood."
"I never had that problem, I guess."
"Lissa, show me your fangs."
"What?"
"Just do it." He walked over and knelt down beside my chair.
"All right, this isn't awkward or anything," I muttered, feeling embarrassed.
"Please. I don't wish to lay compulsion."
The shakes came. I'd never tried to force my fangs out, before. I'd never even noticed that they'd come out unless I was about to feed, and the one time Tony had kissed me on the beach. "Lissa, show me your fangs." It was an order, wrapped in compulsion. If the house had been hit by lightning, it wouldn't have felt as forceful. My fangs came out and Merrill reached up, lifting my upper lip gently. "All right," he sighed, "you may retract them." Merrill returned to his seat behind the desk.
"No wonder the first man you drank from thought you'd only kissed him," Merrill said. "Your fangs are tiny. Not just thin, but short, too. Amazing."
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"It means that it's a good thing you don't need much blood," he said. "Otherwise you might have a feeding problem."
"Great," I grumbled. "What else is wrong with me?"
"Lissa, I'm going to go ahead and remove Wlodek's compulsion—I told him I would," he said. "And when I place my own, I'll be telling you to forget that I can do that. It's not something that the normal vampire can do."
"But Wlodek knows you can do it?"
"Yes, he does."
"Good enough," I shrugged. Merrill went ahead and did it, right then.
"You are freed from all other compulsions," he said, and just like that, all of it went away. I felt light-headed, it was such a relief. "I'm sorry to place another so quickly, but it must be done," he said. "From this point forward, you will do as I instruct, within reason. You will protect the members of this household and you will not attempt to escape or disobey a direct order from me."
That one slipped over my brain like a light blanket. I nodded. What else could I do except follow his commands?
"What if somebody else tries to place one?" I asked, thinking of Gavin.
"They will not be able to get past mine," Merrill assured me. I wasn't so sure. I knew how heavy-handed Gavin's had been. It was almost a physical pain and the humiliation and betrayal that had come with it was still unbearable to me. I'd trusted him. I would never trust like that again.
"Now," Merrill said, "it is time to talk about what you are. And I will be placing further compulsion for you to hide some of these things. Most vampires are not like you, Lissa. You are almost a queen and likely should still be considered one, although you are susceptible to compulsion."
"Someone in a bar called me that one night," I said. "I didn't know at the time that he was vampire and I certainly didn't know what he meant."
"That was a pick-up line," Merrill said. "Many male vampires will use it if they find a female vampire. First off, Lissa, female vampires are rare. Very, very rare. In fact, at this moment there may be less than sixteen in total."
"Are you sure?" I asked. "I saw two in the Council chamber."
"Those two are the two oldest female vampires. Female vampires are extremely difficult to turn, Lissa. Those two fools who turned you were toying with your life when they attempted the turn. I saw the records from the questioning that Wlodek performed. They have done this sort of thing many times, but only with males until you. All the males died quickly afterward, at Edward and Sergio's hands. It was a game to them, Lissa, as vampires can take from three to seventeen days to turn, depending upon their age and physical condition at the time of their turning. You were the one female those two attempted, and they found you in your human shape so pitiful and beneath them that you weren't a sentient being anymore, you were a plaything that they could pick up and discard."
"Too bad they're dead now. I think I might try killing them myself," I muttered angrily.