Death Bite (Peterick)

Part 23: The Mighty Fall

Pete's POV:

His fountain pen scratched into the paper harshly and carried on throughout the rest of the page whilst I watched from a seat in the very corner of the office. I was beginning to grow weary of doing absolutely nothing because I didn't have any useful information to provide to my allies. It wasn't that William didn't trust me. He did more than ever before. The fact of the matter was that being second-in-command required that I handle advanced tasks William couldn't carry out himself.

He had promised exciting missions once he'd finished writing his new laws, which was something that seemed to be taking forever.
"Would you mind checking if that lousy servant has finished brewing that fresh batch of tea?" he asked.
I jumped up at the opportunity to leave his side and hurried out to the humans going about the duties assigned to them. It wasn't surprising to know that William treated them cruelly like scum on the bottom of his oxford shoes. He never truly cared about how others felt.

If they didn't get something done for him they weren't worth keeping around. I supposed he would've disposed of me a long time ago if I didn't serve as some sort of asset to him especially now of all times with Mikey out of the picture. It was difficult to explain what had happened when they found me next to his dead body, but I'd played it off as an attempt to save him from a hunter who had followed us. I wasn't sure why William so easily believed me. Perhaps he had planned to kill Mikey anyway, but he accepted my story and assigned me as his subordinate as he had originally guaranteed.

I entered the kitchen, a high-pitched whistling coming from the stove top. The servant hurried to grab the kettle as a puff of steam blew past my face. She jumped back at my sudden arrival and fumbled with a tea cup on the counter.
"Oh. I-I'm sorry for the delay. I had to scrub the stains from your master's bedroom floor after his feeding last night," she mumbled, eyes averted to the ground.
"It's okay. Melanie, right?"

The girl nodded, tucking a strand of her butchered, brown hair behind her ear. William had used a pair of dirty scissors to chop off most of it when she didn't shine his shoes correctly the other night. I had found her in his bathtub, bawling her eyes out and clutching what remained on her head. I'd helped her sweep it up and fix her uneven locks into a short bob. We got to talking for a bit, and I decided that I enjoyed her company.

Melanie was a sweet girl with a beautiful smile that put any woman I ever dated to shame, which I figured was why William was far more vicious toward her. He usually couldn't stand big-hearted people. She prepared his tea quickly, spilling a few items in the process.
"Let me help you with that," I said.
I placed the contents on the silver platter and walked with her back to his office.

"Thank you, mister," she whispered.
"If you ever need any extra assistance don't be afraid to come find me. I know that he can be a handful."
"I couldn't...I couldn't burden you, sir."
"It's really no problem. I promise."

William looked up as we entered the room, and Melanie walked to his desk to put the tray down. She was about to leave when William put up a single finger in a signal for her to stay a moment.
"You go when you are excused," he reminded her.
He had a sip of the liquid and immediately spit it out.

"You wretched wench, are you trying to poison me?"
"N-no, master. I'll-I'll make you another-"
The tray went flying across the room as he threw it against the wall, and all the glassware shattered immediately. She was flush-faced and shaking. I could see the genuine fear in her eyes.

"God, it's like having children around. Go clean that!"
Melanie's cheeks became wet from the tears while she picked up the pieces and piled them back on the tray.
"Pete, dear, go dispose of her once she's done. I've had enough of her mistakes. She's just another headache I don't need."