Hungry is the Night - Page Four
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"So," Jade continued, "Gabriel will either introduce you to Alex, or he won't say anything, just take you to the ballroom and make you stand there. Don't be surprised if Alex isn't breathing."
"He doesn't need to breathe?"
Jade laughed.
"You don't need to breathe. Your body will realise that eventually. Same goes for food. You don't need it, but you'll crave it for a hundred years or so."
"So I sleep all day for a hundred years, I breathe for a hundred years, and I eat for a hundred years. Anything else I do?"
"You only eat because you feel like you should. Nothing bad will happen to you if you stop. Same with breathing. You will probably find that you'll start not breathing in your sleep. Some of us do, some of us don't. Alex often doesn't. He spent 175 years walking around on the bottom of the ocean after the church incident, and he hasn't really remembered to breathe since. He's how we knew that we didn't have to. I think perhaps he was trying to drown. We can't drown."
Catlin shuddered.
"He will ask you a few questions, answer him honestly, he can tell if you're lying. There will only be the five of us in the room while you are being questioned, so you needn't be nervous."
"Five?"
"Alex, Gabriel, You, Damien and me."
"Who is Damien?"
"Gabriel didn't mention Damien?"
"No."
Jade laughed again.
"Territorial little sod. Damien is our adopted brother."
"Adopted brother?"
"His story is not mine to tell, he will tell you, if he deems you worthy. That is something you will learn - our history is very private. We may tell others the basics, but the details... aren't often shared. I will give you one piece of advise when it comes to Damien though."
"What's that?"
"Don't take any shit from him."
"Alright."
"He thinks he's hot, just because he's older than me."
"How old is he?"
"Dunno, exactly. More than 500."
"Is that because you're 500?"
"Do I look 500? No, it's because he was over the "first 100 years" symptoms when I was turned. I'm 424. Been a vampire for 408 years. That's why Gabriel wanted me to talk to you. Me being so young, I still remember what it was like when I was first turned, and what it was like asking permission to stay. Though it was easier for me, as Alex was the one who turned me, I didn't think he'd then turn around and kick me out. Damien's odd. I don't think anyone is ever going to know his full story. There, I think you're presentable. What do you think?"
Catlin stood, and Jade turned her to face a full-length mirror.
"I... gosh."
The dress was a floor length, deep forest green velvet and brocade creation. The simple lines of the dress emphasised Catlin's curves, falling in luxurious waves from her hips to pool around her feet. The close fit bodice enhanced her not-insubstantial cleavage, and the square neckline drew even more attention, while her arms were closely clad in more green material, down to points over the back of her hands. The hair style Jade had created piled her red-gold hair in a mass of curls atop her head, with one single curl trailing over the side to brush her shoulder. The curls were held in place with pins studded with emerald and ruby chips, so her hair glittered in the light. The makeup was a little heavier than Catlin would normally have done - her eyes were heavily outlined with Kohl, making them look brighter and wider, her lashes were tinted black and a hint of green shadow on her eyelids made her eyes appear greener than they usually were. The lipstick was subtle in comparison with her eyes, just a hint of carmine upon her lips.
"Put these on," Jade commanded, handing Catlin a pair of dangling emerald earrings, which she dutifully fastened to her ears.
Jade looped a simple gold necklace around her neck, crossing it at the front, then leaving the ends to trail down her back.
"Now you are fit to be seen."
"I look beautiful," Catlin said, unable to take her eyes off the mirror.
"Yes, of course."
"Gosh."
"The colour suits your skin tone. And it sets off your hair, like the sun rising over the rice paddies. Now, for shoes. What size foot are you?"
"Six."
"Hmm. These will do. The dress is too long for you, but we don't have time to hem it. You'll just have to hold it while you're walking. Ready?"
Catlin slipped the soft gold shoes over her feet, then turned.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"Helping me."
Jade smiled.
"You're alright, little cat. Just remember what I told you."
"I will."
"If you need it... My original name is Akiko."
"Akiko. That's beautiful."
"It means Autumn Child. Come. It's a quarter to 11, and time for you to meet our sire."
Catlin stood silently in the centre of the room as the clock struck eleven, suddenly glad, for the first time in her life, for the deportment classes she had taken when she was 10. As she stood silently, she surreptitiously looked around the room. The ballroom had polished wooden floors, like the rest of the house, and the walls held paintings, except for the far end, where a throne-like chair sat, with two smaller chairs on either side. One chair was empty, the others were taken by Alex, Gabriel, Damien and Jade. She could tell that the figures in the paintings were the figures on the dais, and smiled at the sense of family emanating from the pictures and the scene presented to her, despite the four figures appearing around the same age.
Catlin thought of her own family as she waited for the questioning to begin. She had started happy. Mummy, Daddy, Christopher and Sarah - though they never called her that. She had always been "princess". Her mother was a beautiful lady, tall and slim with hair that Catlin inherited, who loved to go to parties, and often held dinner parties at their home. On these occasions, she would be allowed to sit on her parents' bed, to watch her mother dress. Oh, she was beautiful! Catlin believed that her mother shone like the sun when she was dressed up. Then, when she was ready, her mother would take her hand and lead her to the kitchen, where a small portion of dessert was set aside for her, and she would be allowed to sit on the bench with her older brother, Christopher, and eat it with the special spoons. Then their mother would bring them both into her father's study, and she would run to him, trying to catch him unawares, but he would always turn at the very last minute, and lift her, laughing his big bear laugh, into the air and around in a circle. Her mother was beautiful, but her father was Daddy, and if her mother shone like the sun, the sun shone for her father. And Daddy would take them both to their bedroom, and tuck them into their beds, whispering secrets and stories to them as he tightly bound them within their beds. And then, with whispered goodnight and feather-light kisses through his scratchy beard, he'd leave the room. And sometimes, they would slip out of their beds and creep to the landing where they could lay on the floor and watch the guests arriving - men in their suits and women in their long dresses and sparkling jewels. And then, the guests would follow their mother into the lounge room, and their father would look up, and wink... And they would slip back into bed, and sleep until the morning sun woke them.
This lasted until she was 8 years old. They were on holiday at the seaside, with an old friend of her father's. Her mother hated these weekends, Catlin knew. She spent all her time in a darkened bedroom, complaining of the heat. Catlin didn't like them much either - they had high points, like going to the beach with her father, and building sand castles with Christopher, but she was never allowed to participate in the sailing part of the weekend, no matter how much she begged her father. He always said, "No, princess, you stay and keep your mother company," and he and Chris would hop on the boat with Uncle George and sail away, and her mother would take her hand and lead her firmly back into the house as soon as the boat was out of the harbour. On the day her world collapsed, she was sitting on the front porch, half playing with her dolls and half watching the shapes the dark clouds made over the ocean, watching for the boat. They always came home early when the dark clouds came. Her mother had emerged from the house, looking not at all like her usual self.
"Sarah, is your father back yet?"
"No, Mamma. But the clouds are dark, so they'll be home soon."
The clouds got darker, and the rain came, but they didn't return. They never returned. Catlin skipped over the next few months. She didn't want to remember the policemen coming, her mother's wail of grief before she collapsed against the young policeman. Didn't want to remember the black dresses and the many strange people asking her how she was, and was she alright, and not to worry because it would get better. Her father and her brother were gone, how would it ever be alright? Didn't want to remember the men coming and taking away their things, the selling of her father's desk, her mother's jewels, and the cessation of the parties.
It was 18 months later that her mother remarried. She had just turned 10, and wore a frilly white dress, which she loathed as much as the black ones. The man her mother married was kind to her, and allowed her to take the kick-boxing classes she wanted to take, as long as she also took the classes he wanted her to take - deportment, cooking, sewing, speech therapy... He was determined to turn her into a lady. Catlin realised now that her mother was simply one of those people unable to take care of herself. With her father's death, the household affairs fell into shambles, and selling things was the only way her mother could see of fixing things. When Ronald - she refused to call him Father, as he requested - appeared, he must have seemed like a knight in white armour for her mother. The parties, jewels and dresses resumed, for her, but for Catlin, there was no desserts, no special spoons, and no Daddy to tuck her into bed at night.
When she turned 14, Ronald started showing more interest in her than she thought appropriate for a step-father. The friendly guiding hand on her back as he escorted her into dinner moved lower, and his goodnight kisses made her feel uncomfortable. So she ran away. She was found, and returned, of course, and after a few weeks, she started getting little pats on the bottom when she passed him. Her mother, of course, took no notice. The first time he grabbed her, pulling her onto his lap, slurring, "Give Daddy a kiss," she broke his finger. He claimed they were play-fighting and it had been an accident. She ran away again. At 15 and a half he tried to rape her, in the hay of his stables. She fought him off, thankful for the years of self-defence classes, broke his arm, knocked him unconscious, then ran to the house to gather whatever she could. She took her passport, money, the ring her father gave her for her 6th birthday, and a photograph of her parents, herself and Christopher, and left the house. She got the bus into town, emptied her bank account, then got the train into Manchester, then hopped on another bus out of town, not knowing where she would end up. Luck had favoured her then.
When the bus stopped, she'd met Mary-Kate, who was just 18. She'd asked Catlin if she were lost, and Catlin replied that she was looking for a place to stay. Mary-Kate was renting a small 2-bedroom flat, and offered to put her up for a few months, which she accepted. The presentation of 3 month's rent to Mary-Kate in one lump required explanation, but after she had heard the story, she accepted her, and the money, and they had become good friends. It had been Mary-Kate's idea to change her name, and they had come up with Catlin Elizabeth together. It had also been at Mary-Kate's insistence that Catlin had used most of the money she brought with her to complete her GCSE's, in between working part-time with Mary-Kate. After graduation, Catlin had found her own job, and went on to university. Four years later, at 22, Catlin moved into her own apartment, making way for Alan and Mary-Kate to buy a house together. 18 months later, they'd married, with Catlin as the bridesmaid, and one year after that, Juniper was born. And then, 18 months after that, in a darkened alley way, she'd met Gabriel Marcus d'Soissons - and life had been more than complicated since then.
Catlin returned her attention to the dais. Jade - Akiko - looked stunning. She sat completely still, looking as though she were carved from stone, her expression giving nothing away. Her only movement was the occasional blink of her painted eyelids over her pale green eyes. Catlin guessed that the colour of her eyes was the reason for the nickname - they matched the jade bangle on her wrist perfectly. Gabriel looked as handsome as he always did, the dark suit contrasting with pale skin, dark hair, and eyes far bluer than her own. He was handsome, but she still wasn't sure she liked him. The next man along had to be Alex, their sire. He was beautiful, in the way that very few men are, with long dark hair, long eyelashes surrounding dark brown eyes, a softly curved sensual mouth, bronzed skin, and the physique of a warrior. He certainly didn't look over 3000. The final man had to be Damien. He was gorgeous. His hair was long, and deep, dark blood red, the colour of red hair that hadn't seen sunlight for 100 years. His eyes were glittering chips of emeralds and his mouth was more than a match for Alex's. And so was the body, hidden behind a tailored black suit that only emphasised his shoulders. And surrounding him was the familiar air of danger that Catlin recognised and was always so destructively attracted to. They all had it to some degree, but it was strongest around Damien.
Have to be careful around him, Catlin thought. Fucking him would be like fucking a tiger - likely to get ripped to shreds. I will be careful.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Alex moving slightly within his seat.
"You have been questioned," he said, in his strangely accent-free yet deeply compelling voice. "And you have been accepted. Welcome to the family."
Astonished, Catlin stared at him for a moment, then dropped into a deep curtsy, and held it. Gabriel took one elbow, and guided her up, then kissed her on the mouth.
"Welcome to the Family."
"But he didn't ask me anything."
"Didn't Jade tell you? It's all mental."
"Oh."
Then Jade was there, and kissing her.
"Welcome to the family."
"Thank you."
Damien's kiss left her breathless.
"Welcome to the family, darling," he drawled, surprising her with an accent from the deep south, USA.
"Thanks, dar-lin'," she replied, remembering Jade's advice, and he grinned at her.
"You and I are gonna have some fun," he drawled, then stepped back to all Alex to kiss her.
"Welcome to the family."
"Thank you, sir."
"Alex is fine. My name was Aias Neoptolemus Phoenix. Most find that too difficult to pronounce, so Alex I am. Now, I'm sure you wish to change, and eat, so Jade will show you to your new bedroom, and the boys will meet you in the kitchen."
"Uh, thank you, Alex," Catlin tested, and he smiled at her.
Then, instructions clearly given, he turned and swept out of the room.
"This is your room," Jade said, opening a door. "It won't take the boys long to find you, as all our bedrooms are on this floor. Mine's up that way, and Damien's is that way, but I'm sure you'll get the grand tour once you've changed. However, if you want to lock out the boys, here is the key."
She pressed a small golden key into Catlin's palm.
"Is it likely that I'll need this?"
"You never know. Now. You don't have to live here, if you don't want to, but you'll have to let Alex know if you're not planning on staying. You want help getting changed?"
"Please."
Cat stood still while Jade undid the row of tiny buttons, then stepped out of the puddle of green velvet.
"You may as well keep that one," Jade commented, picking it up. "Alex will buy you clothes. They'll just appear in your wardrobe. It's always a good idea to wear them, when they appear. Even if you don't see him, he'll see you and appreciate you wearing it. Same goes for jewellery and other things. Anything that just appears in your room, wear it. Even if you hate it, or think it looks horrible, but I have to say, he has impeccable taste, and has never picked something horrible."
Jade opened the mahogany doors to reveal an enormous walk-in wardrobe, from which she took a coat hanger, and hung the green dress. Catlin laughed.
"Looks a little empty."
"It'll fill up soon enough. If you're going to use it, you'll want to bring over some more jeans and tops. Alex is fantastic about dresses, but you'll need to provide your own pants."
Catlin laughed again, and looked around the room.
"I love this furniture. I love mahogany."
"That's good," Jade smiled. "I'll leave you to get settled in."
"Before you go -"
"Yes?"
"Think you could bring me my jeans and top from the other room?"
Jade laughed.
"Don't want to be walking around in your underwear? Fair enough then, though it is very nice. This is what you do if you need anything."
Jade picked up the antique phone, and dialed the hash key.
"Mathilda, it's Jade. Would you please get someone to deliver the jeans and top and things in the dressing room to this room? Yes, Catlin is staying, and this is her new room. Thank you."
Jade replaced the handset and turned to Catlin.
"Anything you need, from a new pair of stockings to a three course meal. Pick up, dial hash, and speak to whoever answers."
"Mathilda?"
"Mathilda, or Helene, or Chantelle. They're our housekeepers. Helene's been here the longest. She and her husband, Alfred, have been here seemingly forever. Helene oversees the house, and Alfred is the butler. They work the afternoon shift, from three to eleven. Mathilda is their daughter, and she works the night shift, from eleven to seven in the morning, with her husband, Gregory. And Mathilda and Gregory's daughter, Chantelle, and her husband, Jeremy, work the morning shift, from seven to three."
"Bet that's not busy."
"Actually, it is. That's when all the gardening, cleaning and washing get done. The house wouldn't be able to run without them."
"They would be who Gabriel called, about my apartment?"
"Probably. He would have spoken to Mathilda, and she would have told Chantelle to arrange it. She has all the contacts for getting things repaired. Supernatural-friendly businesses and the like. They arrange our outside world."
There was a knock on the door, and Jade opened it and accepted Catlin's clothing.
"Anything else you need?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Alright. When you're changed, come out and go down the hall to the left, go down the stairs. Do a 180 to the left of the bottom of the stairs and go through the doors at the end of the corridor. We'll meet you there."
"Alright, thanks."
Catlin prowled around the room with a proprietary air. It was her room – bliss! The furnishings were beautiful, and exactly what she would have chosen for herself, if she'd had an unlimited budget. There was no question in her mind that she would stay here, at least for a short while, as long as she could cope with the strangeness of her new "family". There was also no question in her mind that she'd be keeping her apartment – just in case she couldn't. Catlin opened a second doorway to reveal a bathroom, which was about the same size as her living room. It had a huge spa bath, a shower, the toilet and the vanity, all carved out of black marble, with silver-shot veins running through it. The fittings were all polished silver, and the mirror stretched right the way across one wall. Catlin was in heaven. The only thing that stopped her from running a bath and soaking for an hour or so was the thought that Jade and the boys were waiting for her – and she didn't have any of her bubble bath.
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