The Vampire & the Rebel (Completed)

Part 3: Chapter 5

After I left Vienne, I spoke with Connor, but he had no tasks for me, so I spent some time in the gym. It wasn't the time I had typically gone when scheduled even if things had not been shuffled around, so there was a different group of people working out.

"Long time, no see," Theo said when we ended up on neighbouring machines.

"Yeah." I had spotted him in the crowds, but I hadn't talked to him.

"How are things there?" he said.

"Good. There's a lot to be done every day. I've been training some of the younger people there," I said. There were a lot of potential eavesdroppers around and it was still better to be vague.

"I heard you completed your quest."

"I did."

"Bet that felt good."

"Better than good."

"She's happy you're back."

"Oh?" I couldn't help but be a bit curious about that topic.

"Yes, she seemed pretty depressed while you were gone."

I could not understand why she was so interested, but I didn't hate it now.

Theo continued. "Sounds like your attitude about 'the leech' has changed."

"Yeah, it has. She's not what I thought she was."

"She's not," he agreed.

"You were right." Admitting it was not galling. She wasn't the entirely evil vampire that she had tried to be, and I found I enjoyed her affections now that her guard was down. A strange surge of protectiveness towards the female who surely did not need any such thing from me was growing inside me.

Theo changed the topic. "I've never seen a vampire die before. Is it always like that?"

"More or less. Usually I did what I had to do and then ran. I never waited around afterwards."

"That makes sense. It felt good, though. Those three were monsters."

I remembered reading the information Theo had given me their first visit. "Yeah, they were. What did they do with the ash?"

"Dumped it all over in the wilderness. No one will ever find it."

"Like they never were." I smiled at the thought.

"Exactly."

It felt damn good.

* * * * *

After darkness fell, I searched for Vienne. It was not entirely a conscious decision, but if I was leaving the next day, I wanted to see her again. I found her in her chamber, sprawled out in her usual position. She smiled as I entered.

"Jamie. Why don't you join me?"

I remembered her messing with me when I had first been brought here. I would have been furious at the offer, but now I simply went over and sat beside her to see what she would do.

"So, what did you do today?" she asked.

"Not too much. Spent some time in the gym, ate with the others. You?"

She smiled. "I compelled more than twenty humans today not to give away my secrets, and I'm exhausted."

"That bad?"

"Yes. I'm actually waiting for Marcel to arrive and feed me."

I stiffened at the idea of dealing with his mouth, but I was not about to retreat.