The Dead of Night

The Beginnings of a Reign

Chapter Forty: The Beginnings of a Reign 

Monsieur Levevre sat before me, his eyeglasses sat on the tip of his nose, slipping down in cohesion with the gape his lips had created at my proposal. His eyes were so wide that the whites looked as if they were to swallow his irises! "B-B-But, Mademoiselle Empress--!" He cried, beginning to collect himself, pushing his eyeglasses back to the bridge of his nose, his gaze frantic and most clearly shocked as he stared on at me. Dustin, however, was the one to react fastest to what I said. 

"If'n one 'a us bloods 'em, do we have'ta teach 'em?" Asked he, slowly, as if it were difficult for his mind to properly form the sentence; to this, I shook my head. 

"You must only teach them the basics, I will take over after that, they will be fully my responsibility." I replied, to this, both men nodded, Monsieur Levevre gaining control of himself again, however, he continued to look deeply perturbed. 

"Mademoiselle Empress...I...I simply do not know if I have the skills to move through with this; I have never blooded anyone before, and to do it against O.G.'s wishes? To outwardly lie to him? You must know that he will know you lie to him once this passes through your mind, correct?" Monsieur Levevre stated, sitting now on the edge of his seat and stressing to me the last sentence; his body moved with the deep agitations of his chest and his pupils drew incredibly small, as if he were wracked with worry. 

"I know, monsieur" I said calmly, attempting to soothe his fears, but he was right--The Vampire could know, right this second, what I was planning and stop me before it was even put into action. "I...I love my brother as dearly as any; he's the only family I have left, monsieur, you must understand--!" 

"What 'bout 'yer lover?" Dustin piped up, sitting back in his chair and producing a cigarette, lighting it with the quick flick of his thumb and allowing the smoke to drip out of his mouth and down his chin before blowing, the smoke emanating from him as if he were a dragon. 

"....He's...he's more than family," I answered simply, twiddling my thumbs. "He's the only one I've ever confessed my love to truly and completely--but there is a difference, monsieurs! The Vampire, our souls are entwined, I...I shudder to think of him any less than my soulmate." I paused, swallowing hard and giving an involuntary sigh. "My brother is something different completely, my brother is a bond, he's...he's someone that's always protected me, no matter what--even if the odds are infinitely stacked against him--my brother would fight for me and do whatever he could for me, hell, he chased The Vampire down the cellars to save me, not even knowing if I was still alive...." My gaze drew from Monsieur Levevre's softened stare, to Dustin's understanding one, and I offered them both a fanged smile. "And now, monsieurs, now it is my time to do the same for him." 

*** They would leave come twilight. 

The plan was simple, they would blood my brother and Donna, and bring them to Vampire Mountain, from there guards would be sent with them up the trek and they would be cared for in their own rooms--from then, I would have to break the news to my Vampire. If all turned to shreds, I would take full responsibility, since, it was my idea in the first place, besides, my Vampire couldn't be mad at me for long, could he? 

Of course not! 

Wrapping my cloak 'round me, I began to wander the caverns, ultimately finding myself back in the "War Room" as we so called it; my armor from the Bloodbath of the Demons as the public took to speaking of it, was now free of any and all blood which once coated it, and pieces which were ripped off or lost during the fight was replaced--it glittered in the candle light. I knew I would need the armor again soon, but, for the time being it rested on a stuffed mannequin which was made to fit the curvatures of my body.