House of Vampires: The New Wife

Chapter Thirteen

I felt a knot form in my stomach as I stood nervously in Elias's office. I had never been in here before, and the sheer opulence of the space made me feel out of place. Elias, in all his power, stood behind his desk and gestured to a chair with a small smile.

          "Please, have a seat," he said, his voice low and smooth.

I hesitated, wondering why he had summoned me to his private sanctuary. My mind raced with all sorts of scenarios, none of them good, and I found myself unable to calm down.

Elias, sensing my nervousness, insisted, "I won't bite. Sit."

I slowly made my way to the chair, perching on the edge and feeling his piercing gaze on me.
Elias walked over to his desk and sat down, clasping his hands together and gazing at me with a measured expression.

          "I apologize on behalf of my sons for their behavior this morning," he said in a low, apologetic voice, "I don't know what got into them, truly."

His words caught me off guard, as I hadn't expected him to bring up the incident involving his sons. Despite my nervousness, I couldn't help but feel a flicker of fear at the memory of being accosted in the hallway as well as the incident at breakfast.

I tried to keep my voice even as I responded, "It's alright."

Elias leaned back in his chair, studying me for a moment before speaking. "Brynleigh, I know this may be uncomfortable for you, but it's natural to feel fear when dealing with vampires," he said gently, "We are powerful creatures, and we can be dangerous when provoked. But I want you to know that we are not going to harm you.

I nodded slowly, feeling the weight of his words settling in my chest. Even though I knew he was trying to convey comfort, his statement only made me even more uneasy. I am sure that fear may be natural, but they aren't. They aren't even supposed to exist.

Sure, here's the next paragraph:

          "Elias, can I ask you why am I here?" I said hesitantly, breaking the silence that lingered in the room.

Elias smiled, a hint of something unreadable in his eyes. "I told you that I would explain everything, that is why you are here." Elias explained, "I am going to tell you why you are here and what you in particular have to do with us.

He paused for a moment, then continued. "Many centuries ago, myself and the other founders of Salem made a pact. We agreed that my family and I would use our heightened senses to capture and destroy witches in the town, as long as the founding families continued to provide us with wives and keep our secret hidden."

My eyes widened in shock and disbelief. The idea that witches were being hunted and killed was horrifying enough, but the idea that women were being offered as some sort of exchange was gruesome. I felt sick to my stomach as I tried to clear my racing thoughts.

          "And what exactly does that have to do with me being here?" I asked, my voice small and unsure.

Elias sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "You see, Brynleigh," he said, meeting my gaze again, "The reality is that my family's situation is not an easy one. We face constant danger not only from witches, and humans, but from other forces as well. Now as gruesome as it sounds, you have to understand, my family did not choose this life. I did not choose to become what I am today, but I refuse to allow it to be our demise. I did what I had to do."

His words hung heavily in the air, and I felt a sudden pang of sympathy for him. It was clear that he felt trapped by his situation, and I couldn't begin to imagine the weight of that burden.

          "I am still failing to understand what any of this has to do with me." I said quietly.

          "Well, you see, your father is one of the few men who still have blood ties to the founding family." Elias clarified, "Therefore, you are next in line to be a wife for one of my sons."

          "What happened to their other wives? I doubt that I am the only woman in my family to ever be born." I said, sitting back a bit.

          "When I made this pact, I had expected that finding wives for my sons would be easy, but as the ages changed, the women changed. When you are married to my sons, you are offered a choice. Humanity or immortality. Back then, women found it disgraceful to jeopardize their ability to have children. They believed it was their only purpose on earth. Even though vampires are unable to pro-create, they still refused." Elias elucidated, "My sons had to watch as all of their wives died, some died naturally, others painfully. Can you imagine what it must feel like? Centuries of marriage and all of them, dead. For many years, my sons desired no one. None of them wanted to feel that pain again. Nowadays, women are drawn to the idea of vampires. It's commonly romanticized. Many women even enjoy the idea of immortality being forced upon them with no choice."

          "Isn't that wrong?" I asked, "I do not mean any disrespect, but you are taking away a vital choice from someone."

          "It isn't idea, I'll admit, but truthfully, it depends on which one of my sons you are interested in. My son Fischer for instance, he offered his wife a choice and she willingly chose immortality."

          "So you're saying that there some of them would rather opt out of offering a choice and just turn them?"

          "Yes, two of my sons I know for sure have decided that when their time comes, they will not be offering a choice." Elias stated.

          "Gee, I wonder which ones said that," I said sarcastically.

          "Yes, I suppose it is rather obvious." Elias chuckled.

         "I do have a question for you Brynleigh," Elias chimed, "Who will you be choosing?"