A Vampire Named Rose

Chapter Twenty

The next morning I was mentally blown. I woke up and my eyes were back to normal. I drink tea sometimes to calm my nerves and right now my nerves are shattered into tiny pieces. I got dressed and put on my makeup while I waited for Svetlana and Pavel to wake up.

I want to crawl into a small hole in Antarctica and stay there. If I become stuck in ice, it would be better than Gabriel enslaving me. All I want to do is be free of the monster.

Svetlana was up and she saw the look on my face and she knows me well enough that it is bad.

"What did the bastard do last night? I do not care about restoring his soul. I want him wiped off of  the  face of the Earth."

"Svetlana, he can control my body. He did that to my eyes to comfort my demon. This is all in his quest to make me want him. He claims I crave him, but I just will not admit it. I will never crave the bastard."

"Let me wake up the snoring machine. We need as much time as possible in the library."

Ten minutes later Pavel was out and ready to go. We made the trek across the city. When we got to the library, the three of us went to the card catalog to find out where any information about sire control and how to break his influence on me. The book the other day did not contain enough information to my liking.

I did not dare to go to a librarian to ask for help in tracking down any books on the issue in case any of them do not have their souls. All I want to make them think is that Pavel, Svetlana, and I are tourists in the city who are enjoying a library for vampires.

Our search would lead us to floors four and six. Starting out on the fourth floor would be what we need to know exactly about having a soul. It would date back from the time of St. Vera.

"Oh no, this is not good. It is about St. Vera's early life. It says when Vera woke up after being turned, she rejected her sire. She did not have a soul and the thought of him touching her repulsed her. Vera was turned with the intention of being his mate. It says he went to a sorcerer named Marius to curse her with a soul. He thought if he gave Vera back her soul, the agony of it would drive her back into his arms because she needs his help. We all know she is the first with a "soul." This is what Gabriel meant when he said those of us who have souls are cursed."

An hour later Svetlana came up with something relevant.

"Shit, this book looks like it is from the time of St. Vera as well. Damn it, it looks like it is Marius himself who wrote it from what the cover says.

Rose, you can not let Gabriel get ahold of you because he could remove it. He is the only one who can remove your soul because he is your sire. What Gabriel would have to do is turn you again. This time you would not have the luxury of sleeping through it. You will be forced to feel the pain of your soul being torn from your body. Marius designed it that way as a punishment for Vera.

The Vatican got it all wrong for the rest of us. It is only Vera who was truly protected. I know Vera is proclaimed as the first vampire with a soul, but it did not occur naturally. The three of us and so many others wake up with our souls. What makes us different from Vera? There has to be a first. Let's keep looking."

I know you are supposed to be quiet in the library but I want to scream. I want to scream so loud that all of the windows in the library break.

Then I found, the book that I dreaded the most. The book looks ancient and centuries older than the one I read the other day. It is the true connection that a sire has when they turn their mate.

"Murphy, will you leave me alone. Just leave me alone."

This time I am truly at my breaking point. I can not even get through the first paragraph of the book. I pulled myself together.

"Rose, who is this Murphy?"

It is times like these when you are reminded that there is still a little bit of a language and culture barrier between my two dearest friends.

"Murphy as in Murphy's Law; have you ever heard of it? It means that anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Here it goes. The connection between a sire and it's childer is the most sacred and significant in the vampire world. It is even more so when a vampire is fortunate enough to find his true mate.

Separating mates, even when they are not claimed is one of the most dangerous things you can do. Both vampires will be driven into a state of madness that can only be cured when brought back together. It is impossible for mates to physically hurt each other as well.

The sire has the ultimate right to decide what is in the best interest of their mate for it is their right in accordance with the Codes.

The sire can influence the mate even when separated to an extent through the connection that they share. That connection can never be severed, not even in death.

If one shall die, the other will die. The other's body shall disintegrate. If one has their soul; the souled one who is cursed shall go to heaven while the other will suffer the hell fires. Be warned, the cursed one in heaven will be tormented without their mate."

Pavel swore "Fantastic, I still say we go to Switzerland to seek out the opinions at the monastery. One of these authors is right and the other is insane. I have a feeling Marius may be more accurate since he is responsible for what happened to Vera. We need to know everything before we handle Gabriel. As much as I want to kill the bastard, your safety is more important to me Rose.

We still need to find who the first true vampire with a soul is and how did the rest of us keep our souls. Is it something random or is it truly how we were as humans? We need to know how that happens. We also need to know what the Codes are. The library should have something on that."

I went downstairs to the card catalog to find anything on any books about the Codes and an entire floor of the library is devoted to them.

I went back upstairs and found Pavel and Svetlana pouring over the giant stack of books on the table. Pavel walked off with a few while Svetlana was jotting down notes.

"Bad news, there is an entire floor devoted to the Codes. It is considered the law. You are right about that one Pavel. That section is on the tenth floor. We are going to need at least another day for the Codes."

The three of us did not know we had an audience, even though we are in a small nook. Someone is standing behind me.

"Some is behind me."

I took a step closer to my friends and saw a man looking confused.

"Why are you trying to run from my friend Gabriel? I know he has part of Europe terrified of him, but that was over eighty years ago. He has behaved since then."

The three of us are on high alert. Causing a commotion in the library will not help anyone. This library has been a wealth of information, even though the books do not tell me what I want to hear.

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"1869, that was in Philadelphia. Has he done something stupid again? He tends to be a little over the top sometimes."

Pavel had an evil grin. If this vampire does try something, the three of us can take him.

"Your friend Gabriel has an obsession and it is over a woman who wants nothing to do with him."

The vampire was trying to hold back laughter and lost it.

"I need to explain some things about Gabriel. This may take a while, but we do have eternity."