That night, with my belly full, Anastasia revealed to me everything I needed to know about my new life. She explained in explicit detail how she stood across from the brothel every night for two weeks, secretly watching me. She saw me perform and cater to sex-hungry men. She’d been looking for me for a very long time. I was special and destined for great things. But she wasn’t the only one interested in me. Several vampires had me on their radar.

  Samantha had invited the vampires in. They’d fooled her, pretending to be new customers. Once Anastasia saw they had injured me, she barged in and killed them all. However, she came too late. I was dying and she needed me alive. Her blood couldn’t heal me but it would change me into what she was.

  With Finley’s help, she took us to their home nestled in the basement of an abandoned mill house. There she suckled every drop of blood from me and she replaced it with her own, knowing that it took days for a human to be turned. It was a risk because most humans died during the transformation. However, my body proved to be stronger and able to adapt to the change. I guess I was lucky.

  I heard the myths surrounding vampires but I heard nothing about Deamhan. Vampire lore existed since the beginning of mankind. Deamhan came shortly after. She said that Deamhan stuck to the shadows to hide their existence from humanity. They hunted sporadically and disposed of their victims carefully. They could read the thoughts of humans and their own and they could also block their own thoughts from being read as well.

  Ramanga Deamhan was just one of the four types—clans of Deamhan that I had to be aware of. We were Ramanga, the ones who survived off the psychic essence in the blood of our victims. There was also Lamia, Metusba, and Lugat. We all had the same strengths and weaknesses but our ages played a big part in it. I would never be stronger than her and I needed more energy than she did to sustain myself.

  Deamhan had rules, The Dictum, that Ancients, the oldest Deamhan on the planet, enforced. These ten important rules helped us to adapt to the always changing world we lived in. However, Anastasia personally didn’t like those rules and she felt the Ancients only created them to keep other Deamhan in check. But to maintain a good relationship with the Ancient Deamhan in the city, she pretended to care. She did obey one rule that stated that once an Ancient declared a Decretum, all Deamhan had to obey. An Ancient declared a Decretum on me. The sole purpose was to find me before the vampires did and protect me from any harm. When I questioned why, she moved onto the next subject immediately.

  Besides vampires, The Brotherhood, a group of humans who made it their job to know everything about Deamhan, worried her the most. She described them as persistent, annoying, and sometimes vindictive. They worked with the vampires against us, which made them our enemy. But not all vampires worked with The Brotherhood, just Dorvo vampires.

  At first none of this mattered to me. The only thing I cared about was my next meal; human or animal—it didn’t matter to me. Anastasia ended our conversation by ordering Finley to go into the other room and bring out some clothing she’d picked out for me. I still had to feed and she would take me to find humans so I could be prepared just in case the vampires came back. She later disappeared to dress herself in her evening wear for the night.

  I stood alone, staring at my new Deamhan family. I wanted to know about them but I sensed that Branda, the shorter twin, didn’t like me as much as the others did. She stood with wide eyes, watching my every movement, until Brandy embraced me in a tight hug.

  “We’re siblings now.” She squeezed me then pulled back. “Come. Follow me. I’ll help you freshen up.” She grabbed my hand, took me up a steep flight of wooden stairs, and yanked me outside into the cool air. We walked to the back of our quarters, heading toward a metallic tub filled with water. She undressed me, gathered my clothing, and placed it in a burlap bag. I heard a dull thud and I turned to see the amulet my mother gave me roll toward Brandy’s feet.

  Ever since my mother’s death, I always kept her amulet close to me. I didn’t know much about it, only that it was a family heirloom, handed down from mother to daughter. She always wore it around her neck, saying that the amulet provided protection but she didn’t know from what.

  “That’s pretty.” Brandy pointed to it. “Where did you get it?”

  “My mother gave it to me.” I placed the amulet next to the tub. “Family heirloom. She said it was for protection.” I chuckled at the thought. “It didn’t protect me from the vampires.”

  “My mother never gave me anything,” Brandy replied.

  “It’s probably just some old dinky jewelry.” I climbed into the tub, noticing that the cold water had a weird effect on my skin. She began to bathe me, pouring the water over my head to wet my hair.

  “Your sister doesn’t like me.” I closed my eyes as the water poured over my face.

  “She doesn’t like a lot of people,” Brandy said. “She didn’t like Finley at first. Sometimes I feel that she doesn’t like me. You know, she was Anastasia’s favorite until you came along.”

  “Favorite?”

  “Yes.” She began to wash my back. “The one that Anastasia feels most bonded to.”

  “What do you mean ‘bonded’?”

  Brandy paused in her activities. “When you’re sired, you feel connected to the one who sired you. In this case, that’s Anastasia. You feel like you’d do anything for her. You’d die for her.” She resumed rubbing the rag over my skin and she lifted my arm. “Some bonds are stronger than others. You can create bonds with others as well.”

  “Others? Like humans?”

  Brandy laughed girlishly. “I’m unsure about bonding with humans. Anastasia said you were special and that Deamhan had to find you at any cost. Now that she has, you have all of her attention.”

  “Why?” I asked. “Who was the Ancient that told you to find me?”

  “I don’t know. She’s never told us.” She scrubbed my arm from the shoulder to the wrist and I closed my eyes. With my senses now heightened, every touch felt euphoric to me.

  “How long have you been alive?” I asked her.

  “My sister and I were sired about twenty years ago,” she replied.

  I felt the cold water pour over my face again. I imagined Samantha and how good it felt drinking her dry. However, I felt no remorse for her death and that frightened me.

  “Don’t worry about that,” Brandy replied.

  I quickly turned to face her. “Did you just read my mind?”

  She nodded.

  “How did you do that?”

  “It’s easy.”

  “Can you teach me?”

  “Just open your senses,” she said. “Once you do that, you can hear any thought, smell any smell and see far into the distance.”

  It sounded easier said than done. I concentrated but heard nothing.

  “Try again,” she told me. “This time imagine that you’re reading my mind.”

  I looked at her and followed her instructions. I heard small mumbles in an incoherent voice that I couldn’t make out. It made me concentrate harder and soon I heard whispers coming to me from her direction.

  “Now, think a thought and force it into my mind,” she said.

  I thought about blood and my hunger and she picked up on it easily.

  “If you want to block anyone from reading your mind, do what the humans from The Brotherhood do.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “They think about a brick wall. They picture it in their mind. Then when we try to read their mind, that’s all we see.”

  I let her continue to bathe me. With a small rag and a hard bar of soap, she lathered my chest. After rinsing me off, I stood up and she began to bathe my legs. She then handed me the wet rag. “You can do the rest, right?”

  I cleaned myself and after I finished, she grabbed another large rag on the floor next to the tub to dry me off. After grabbing the amulet, she walked back with me to our home and immediately she went to work on my hair. She moved quickly and all I saw was her blurry, rushed movements. They called it Deamhan speed, a speed faster than a human would ever move. She applied makeup to my face, covering the scar on my left cheek. She finished within seconds and handed me a mirror.

  I loved the way I now looked. She pinned my dark brown hair near the top of my head and little curls extended out at all sides. No longer did I look dirtied and unkempt; I could pass for the wealthy citizens in London who lived in their fancy homes with their lap dogs and spoiled children. I dressed myself in a black dress and a white pinafore with shoes a little too big for my feet. I placed my mother’s amulet around my neck and underneath my dress. I heard Finley behind me pick up Samantha’s lifeless body and drape it over his shoulder before walking out the door.

  Anastasia appeared from her bedroom, dressed as immaculately as ever. She wore a pinstripe blouse with a matching pinstripe dress that extended to her ankles. She completed her outfit with a dark belt and a yellow plume that adorned the top of her round, dark hat. She placed her hand on my back and she gently pushed me up to a beveled mirror in the corner of the room. There I took more time to admire my beauty.

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  The color in my eyes was keen-edged. My skin looked smooth and felt smooth as well. I found myself lost in the mirror image of myself, ignoring what was occurring behind me. Branda mumbled and stomped out of the room after Finley. I got the impression that she grew more jealous of the attention Anastasia gave me. Her sister Brandy left after her.

  “I look so different.” I touched the white part of my eye and I rubbed the tip of my finger over my lips.

  “You are different, Maris,” she replied.

  The same sensation I felt in my stomach before began to bother me once again. “I think I’m hungry.”

  “New Deamhan need to constantly feed on their first night.” Anastasia opened the door and waited for me. We left our small stuffed quarters and she closed the door behind us.

  She took me out into the world; a new baby Deamhan. When we made it into the city, she took me St. Katherine Docks and we admired the huge ships docked to its pier. My senses became overwhelmed as I took in as many scents as I could. With the full moon high in the sky, its whitish glow glistening off the top of the water, I couldn’t help but to think that now I had a purpose. I had something to live for.

  We continued and entered the slums of London. Males of all statures and classes roamed the streets, some looking for prostitutes while others made their way to the local taverns. Groups of women, dressed whorishly, stood on the corners whistling at the men while they bartered their sex and time. A few families hurried down the cobblestone streets on their way home. I stared at everyone and everything, even the two policemen who ushered other humans to move along.

  Anastasia didn’t seem amused when a drunkard, lying across the sidewalk, came into view. She stepped over him and continued as if she didn’t see him. I, on the other hand, eyed his drunken state and listened in on his heartbeat, smelling his strong scent of body odor and aging spit.

  Anastasia acknowledged my interest in him and she questioned me. “You want him?”

  I wasn’t sure and I looked to her for help. Blood was blood to me, but I wanted the best that blood had to offer. I didn’t want seconds and I didn’t want tainted or sick blood.

  “If you want him, take him now.” She looked around our environment. “No one is watching.”

  I knelt beside the drunk, expecting him to jump at my unexpected appearance, but he didn’t do anything. He mumbled a little, tried to keep his head stable, and he burped. I tilted his head to the right and I felt my sharp fangs drop from my gums. My eyes focused in on the veins beneath his skin traveling in intricate paths. I opened my mouth and I sank my teeth into his neck. When his blood hit my tongue, my body immediately absorbed it. It cruised down my throat, coating my insides like any sweet ambrosia would.

  I continued, making sure I paid close attention to his heartbeat. I could continue to drink until there wasn’t a drop left, but something in his blood made me immediately pull back. I began to feel sick and I didn’t want any more. I stood to my feet and wiped the corners of my mouth. “He tastes funny.”

  “He should. He is a drunkard, after all.” Anastasia scanned my face, looking for any sign of blood. “They are the worst, next to ailing humans.” She grabbed a small handkerchief from her purse and began to dab my mouth. “Their blood does not make a good meal.”

  “What makes a great meal?”

  She thought for a moment before replying. “I prefer babies. For you, I think you might come to find that virgins suit your taste.” She dropped her handkerchief. “I don’t know what it is about babies that makes them so appealing.” She thought. “Their psychic energy is pure and fresh. Untainted, perhaps.”

  “I don’t want to kill babies.”

  She placed her arm around my own and she led me away. “That’s just my preference. Soon, you’ll find what soothes you the most.”

  I trusted my sire to show me where I could find the good meals. We continued to walk until we reached an area swarming with humans and taverns. She loved taverns and told me that she spent most of her nights seducing and feeding from humans in them. She moved easily from one drunk human to another without being seen. This could only happen if I trained my Deamhan body to get used to blood tainted with alcohol.

  “In the past I didn’t have to worry about vampires or The Brotherhood,” she said. “But now they’ve grown bolder and smarter. We have to protect ourselves and each other, Maris, in whatever way we can.”

  I stopped walking. “What did the vampires want with me?”

  “To eat you, of course.” She placed her arm around my shoulder.

  “No, not that.” I wanted to know more. “The Ancient who declared this Decretum on me. Why was it done? Who is this Deamhan?”

  “You’ll find out soon. But now you need to eat.” Again, she avoided the question. “There must be a type of human you like. We’ll find that one for you.”

  We took a sharp right and turned down a dimly lit alleyway. The cobblestones felt hard underneath my feet and the archway was low over my head. Anastasia stopped suddenly and she looked over her shoulder. I didn’t catch it at first but I could tell by the way her eyes narrowed and her body tensed that someone had followed us.

  She pointed for me to stand against the stone wall and remain still and quiet. I didn’t want to disobey her, so I quickly followed her command.

  The wind increased and I felt a blow on my cheek that stunned me almost into unconscious. I fell to the floor. As a human, I knew I couldn’t take a blow like that and come out unscathed. Thanks to the Ramanga blood in my veins, I found myself standing to my feet just in time to witness Anastasia place herself between me and a male wearing a standard red vest and white Victorian shirt underneath a brown frock coat. He didn’t resemble anyone who lived in the area. He didn’t smell like a human or a Deamhan.

  They rushed toward one another and their movements blurred in the dim light, like two butterflies swarming around each other. This male, who stood a little taller than Anastasia, made use of the wall by running on it and launching his body at her. She ducked as he flew right by her. Anastasia stood up and struck him with her foot in his lower back. He tumbled forward and turned around. He pulled out a long wooden stake from the pocket of his frock coat, gripped it tightly, and turned to me. That’s when I instantly knew that he had come for me.

  Part of me wanted to join in the altercation but I didn’t dare go against her order. I also didn’t know if I was strong enough to fight him. Once again, my sire placed herself in his way and he jumped with the stake in his right hand. He took a stab at her but she quickly moved to the right. He stabbed again and she moved this time to the left. In his final attempt he aimed for her midsection and she caught him by his wrist. She took her other hand and pushed at his shoulder. I heard a loud crack and he dropped his stake, gripped his shoulder, and staggered back.

  Anastasia kicked the stake off to the side and it glided across the stone floor, stopping in front of me. I knelt to pick it up when my senses heightened and I looked to my right. He came toward me and I tensed up, not knowing what to do. But she pushed him and he flew back, hitting the wall. Anastasia snatched the stake from me and in a blink of an eye she now stood over him. I saw her raise the stake and she struck.

  His body lurched forward and he tried to yank the stake from his body. The skin on his right cheek turned dark and it began to spread, moving over his face and down his neck. He opened his mouth and I saw fangs, longer than my own. His eyeballs sunk into the back of his skull and his body melted right before our eyes. The atrocious smell made me cover my nose. Anastasia stood up and straightened her clothing.

  I approached her cautiously, still staring at our attacker’s remains. “He is a Deamhan, like us?”

  “No. When Deamhan die we don’t die like that.” She used her right foot and began to poke at the remains. “This one was a vampire.”

  “A vampire.” My mouth drooped.

  “Dorvo vampires,” she replied. “He probably works for Ruby, a very old and powerful vampire.”

  “Ruby?” I asked, curious to know.

  “She and I have bad history.” Anastasia grabbed the wooden stake and examined it. “She means to hunt and kill all Deamhan.” She placed the stake in her cleavage and pushed it down, concealing it. “But this time she wasn’t after me. She was after you.” She reached out her hand for me to take. “You’re not safe here, Maris. We need to go elsewhere.”

  “Go where?” I took her hand.

  “To a place where you will be protected and surrounded by Deamhan from all clans,” she replied. “A sanctuary.”

  ###

  My body signaled the oncoming sunrise by sending a prickly feeling throughout my insides. We returned home to find that Finley, Branda, and Brandy had already returned and had covered the windows with long wool covers to keep the sunlight out during the day.

  Almost immediately, Anastasia began to pack her clothing and she told us to do the same. I still didn’t understand the urgency and I stood helplessly as my siblings began to throw their belongings in large leather bags and later stack them against the wall.

  “It’s her, isn’t it?” Branda protested as she pointed at me.

  Anastasia didn’t reply.

  “You have to protect your precious Maris.” Again, Branda continued her spiel. “The vampires want her, Anastasia. Just give her to them and be done with it.”

  “And go against the Decretum?” Anastasia stopped in mid movement. “Stop talking and pack your things.”

  Seemingly exhausted, Finley tossed his packed bag against the wall and stared at Anastasia. “Where are we going?”

  “To Silvanus’ sanctuary.”

  “Silvanus?” Finley repeated in a tortured voice. “He doesn’t like us.”

  “We don’t have a choice,” she answered.

  “We do have a choice!” Branda exclaimed. “I’m not dying to protect her. I don’t care what the Decretum says.”

  “Silvanus is the one who declared the Decretum. Do you want to be on his bad side?”

  Finally, I had the name of the Ancient responsible for my wellbeing, if I wanted to call it that. I saw the look of annoyance on her face, a look of worry on Brandy’s face, and the look of anger on Finley’s face. The name ‘Ruby’ repeated in my thoughts over and over again and soon Finley picked up on it.

  “I’m not afraid of Ruby and I’m not afraid of those vampires,” he said. “Let me kill that vampire whore for you.”

  “This is not about being afraid of Ruby,” Anastasia replied. “This is about obeying an order from the mouth of a Deamhan who wouldn’t think twice about ending our existence. Silvanus wants Maris and Maris he will get.”

  “Regardless of what we do, he will still treat us like dirt on the bottom of his shoe.”

  Anastasia exhaled. “Now isn’t the time to argue or complain, Finley. Pack your bags.”

  “When will be the time?” Finley asked. “When will we ever stop running and face the vampires? We are just as strong as they are.” He looked at me. “Why is Silvanus so fixated on her?”

  Anastasia bit her lower lip.

  “You keep telling us that she’s special,” Branda continued. “But you never told us why.”

  I also wanted to know the answer to that question.

  “That’s not your concern.” Anastasia’s reply angered Branda who dropped her bags and quickly rushed over in my direction, slamming me against the wall. Her fangs dropped and with her eyes darkened, she growled at me.

  Anastasia moved against her attack, throwing her off me. Branda landed on the floor and she quickly hopped to her feet.

  “You like her more than us?” she asked in a deep grouched voice.

  “Did you not hear what I said about Silvanus?” Anastasia replied in a chilled voice.

  “I heard,” Branda replied. “I just don’t care.”

  I gathered my strength and watched, thinking that Anastasia was going to kill her. But she placed her hands on Branda’s face instead.

  “We will do this because we have to.” She looked over her shoulder at the others. “Do not make this harder than it is.” She walked back over to her bags and returned to pack them.

  Branda huffed. “Silvanus will throw us out the moment he sees us.”

  “That may happen.” Anastasia continued to pack her bags. “Or he will give us respect for making sure that Maris remained unharmed.”

  Finley sighed. “How long will we stay there?”

  Brandy’s eyes expanded. “Maybe he will finally agree to send us to America like we wanted.”

  “He’ll never do that.” Branda jostled her sister. “Stop filling your head with that nonsense.”

  “How would you know?” Brandy replied.

  “How would you know?” Branda threw the question back in her sister’s face. “You’ve always been quite the daydreamer, sister. You believe anything that comes out of an Ancient’s mouth. You forget that we can only trust ourselves.”

  Anastasia slammed her hand on the wall, squashing their argument. “Pack. Now,” she said in a stern voice.

  As we packed, we continued to listen while Brandy talked about this new land located across the vast Atlantic Ocean. She said that this place, America, has industrialized cities, unique animals, countless lakes, and unclaimed lands where we could hunt and kill without fear of The Brotherhood and vampires. In the end, even Anastasia became enchanted by Brandy’s vivid descriptions and I too wanted to go there. As a whore, I saved the money I received to get as far away as I could from the city. America sounded distant enough. However, I sensed that this new country wasn’t in my future and that I was destined to remain at this sanctuary under the watchful eye of Silvanus.