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The sound of foot falls filled the lavish hall way as a young boy ran through them. His heart raced in his chest and his eyes burned with the threat of tears, ones he was desperately trying to hold back. It was only a marginally successful effort, the knowledge of what was surely to come, weighing down heavily on his young heart.
As the boy opened the door, a few heads turned to face him for a brief moment. Their faces showing nothing but sorrow and pity for the boy. His green eyes moved from person to person before landing on the figure in the large bed, she looked so much smaller than the plush pillows and blankets surrounding here.
“Mother” the boy said softly, “Jasik, Jasik dear come here.” She said. The woman smiled at him. Her green eyes meeting his. Friends and family had always marveled at how close they looked. Mother and son, nearly mirror images of each other. Their eyes shared both the shame and same shade of Emerald green. Their hair shared the same wavy light brown locks, though Jasik’s had been kept shorter.
Jasik made his way over and climbed onto the bed next to his mother. Here once bright green eyes had dulled, like the color had been sucked out of them. Just like it seemed like the color had been sucked from the rest of her body. Leaving a pale, fragile doll behind.
She’d been sick for months now, something no doctor in London could identify. They’d tried everything they could think of, even some of the less reliable treatments. But nothing had aided them in curing the young mother. Eventually, the family came to accept the fact that they would eventually be torn apart.
Though, ‘accept’ was never the proper word. They couldn’t
“Are you alright, Mother?” he asked, his emerald eyes on the verge of overflowing. The woman tenderly reached up and stroked her son’s face “hush, don’t cry.” Her voice was soft “it will be okay.”
Jasik shook his head, the boy’s eyes squeezed shut as he spoke “no, it won’t be okay.” His voice cracks with grief, grief that hadn’t gotten easier in the past few months. Not for him and certainly not for Jasik’s father. “I don’t want you to leave, and neither does father. You need to stay.”
The woman once again reached up, this time moving to stroke Jasik’s hair. “I want too, dear, but I’ve told you before.” Her voice was becoming slightly hoarse “there are times in life, where we simply don’t get what we want. Where what we desire most will slip through our fingers and there’s no stopping it.” Her hand fell away, coming to rest on her stomach.
In the low lighting of gas lamps, there was a soft flash. Jasik watched as his mother held up a blue tear drop shaped gem, held in an ornate golden set. “I’ve told you the story behind this so many times, have I not?” Jasik nodded, his green eyes moving to focus on the gem. He couldn’t, for the life of him, recall exactly what kind of gem it was. But oh how he remembered the story.
It was the necklace his father had given to his mother as a proposal. The same necklace he’d rarely ever seen his mother without in his young life. The sickly woman moved to hand it to him, prompting the boy to hold his hand out. The cold stone and golden chain fell gently into his outstretched hand, bringing Jasik just the slightest form of comfort.
“I’m trusting you to keep this safe for me.” She whispered “and give it to the pretty girl who steals your heart, like your father did mine.” She closed Jasik’s fingers around the jewelry piece. “And don’t worry, I’ll always be here for you.”
Tears drip down Jasik’s face “mother…” he whispered, the boy then moved, wrapping his arms around the woman, pleading tearfully for her to stay. Because that’s what mothers where supposed to do, they were supposed to be there forever.
The thief lowered the blue gem from his line of sight, being drawing from his trip down memory lane by his office door being opened. The young man sat up straight and cocked his head to the side, eyeing his ‘guest’ closely.
The man was older, probably in his late forties, maybe even early fifties. His dark hair held signs of greying and his face wrinkling. There was a black eye path over the man’s right eye, with the faint trace of a scar peeking out from under the black fabric. He was tall, much taller than Jasik, probably coming in at around six feet at the minimum.
Over all, the man didn’t appear very trustworthy, in fact he was the type that many would strive to avoid any and all contact with for fear of personal safety.
But then again, Jasik couldn’t recall a single one of his clients being anywhere near trustworthy. He was a thief after all, it was his job, his trade. He worked with many different individuals, atleast those who could pay his prices, doing what they needed done.
It all went to show, that, no matter how nice, well spoken, good looking, and well-dressed a man was, you could never trust them. Not every villain looked so obvious, not everyone who needed things done in secret looked like the man before him.
He’d worked with criminals seeking to cover up a crime and politicians seeking to get ahead in their line of work. He’d worked cover-ups and he’d stolen some of the most beautiful jewelry out there.
And over the years, Jasik had learned many important lessons, both from personal experience and from his father. Who had also been a thief, one just as good as Jasik was now. The young man wondered briefly if his father would be proud to see him now, if his parents would be proud of their little boy all grown up and following in their shadowed footsteps.
“I’ve heard you have a particular set of skills that may be of use to me and my associates.” The man said, his face staying grim and displeasured. “Oh?” Jasik raised an eye brow “you have, have you?” Jasik asked, he smiled “well it is possible, what it that you need is?”
The man walked over and took a seat across from Jasik “there are some documents, important ones that I was wondering if you could retrieve for me and my associates.” Jasik’s smile morphed into a smirk, easy money this one was. Little cases like this were hardly a strain on him. Generally, he’d find them just laying around or in a cabinet somewhere.
“Well, there is a price for my work.” The young man says, “Are you willing to pay?” Jasik asked. The thief leans forward, resting his chin on his interlocked fingers. “We have plenty to spare, just as long as you do your job. Just name your price.”
Jasik was quite for a moment, he glanced off to the side before returning his gaze to the man “It would depend on how many documents you want me to get.” Jasik said, it would be best to know how much he was going to look for.
“My associates and I are unsure.” The man says “but whatever you manage to find, we will pay you for.” Jasik pursed his lips into a thin line “you mention associates, does this mean you’re simply the middle man I will be speaking through?” he asks “yes, of course.” The man nodded. “I see”
This wouldn’t be the first time he’d worked with a middle man of sorts. It happened all the time with more high profile clients. Those whose faces were everywhere, who were seen in newspapers and such. It was their way of concealing their identity when conducting shady business.
“Well, if you are willing to pay, I am willing to work.” Jasik says, looking at the man. His potential client then grinned “well, that’s good, because your job will be taking you to Paris.”
Jasik cocked his head to the side “Paris?” it wouldn’t be the first time he had been sent to France or some other country to retrieve something. It also wouldn’t be the first time he’d be sent to Paris either. It seemed even the rich and wealthy of London loved their wine and fine art. Regardless of the overall hatred most Englishmen had for their southern neighbor.
“I will certainly have to factor in travel expenses, a trip like that isn’t exactly cheap.” Jasik said, the man nodded “oh, of course.” He smiles “name your price and you’ll have your money when I get the documents.”
Jasik stiffened and shook his head “my old friend, I’m afraid this doesn’t work like that.” The man glared at him, atleast as best he could with only one eye. “You see, you may be reliable, you may be set on paying me down to every last half farthing.” Jasik clucked his tongue “but there are people out there who aren’t’. Therefore, I have a policy.”
The thief locked his gaze with his client “half up front, the rest when I have finished the job.” The man sets his jaw, acting as if Jasik had just offended him by demanding the same thing the young man had demanded from all of his clients. “Alright, you have yourself a deal.”
A soft string of curses left Jasik’s lips right after a soft crack broke the night. That was his fifth lock pick of the night, and he hadn’t even set foot inside the house. The young thief was beginning to get frustrated to say the least.
This was probably one of the few locks on the planet that had ever given him this much trouble. Jasik reached down, withdrawing one more pick from the bag next to him and slid it in carefully. If this one broke, he’d call it quits for the night. There was no use risking getting caught while trying to get inside.
If he was lucky enough, the home owner might forget to lock the door.
Jasik sighed and turned the pick just slightly to the left and turned. To his surprise and joy, the lock clicked. The young thief slipped his tools back into his bag and stood.
Gently, he pushed open the door, fortunetly the hinges seemed to be well oiled, rendering them completely silent. Jasik gently closed the door behind him and looked around. He’d walked into a small kitchen like area, it looked clean, a little to clean. In a home like this, he’d expected it to be put to good use. To have atleast someone making delicious treats and meals for its occupants. Perhaps they did, but they also liked their space spotless.
Either way, it wasn’t much of Jasik’s concern. All that mattered was that he had their schedule locked down pat. He’d watched them for the last week, noting down when people came and went from the house. It seemed to only be two people living there. Both of them men, one with peach colored skin and white blond hair, the other with russet brown skin and wavy dark hair that was pulled back in a ponytail.
They always seemed to leave and come home at the same time every day, well night. He’d watched the men left the house just after dusk and then return hours later just before dawn. Doing what, he didn’t exactly care. That was their business and this was his. His father and job had taught him that questioning things were not always a good thing. Somethings were better left in the dark, the motives of one’s clients were one of those.
Another were the motives and secrets of those around you, certain things were better left alone. And Jasik planned to follow that rule unless some’s vague answers could mean life or death for the young thief.
Jasik reached into his bag and pulled out a small box of matches and a candle resting in a small holder. With one quick flick, a single match ignited and he lit the candle before waving the flame out and tossing it into a nearby waste bin.
The candle was necessary to see his surroundings, while the darkness was a thief’s ally, it did not afford anything close to perfect vision and he had to be precise in his movements, as well as reading the documents briefly to make sure he had the right ones.
Slowly, he walked across the room to a door, it was closed but unlocked. Gently he pushed it open, finding himself in a dining room, which was a dead end. With a sigh he turned and closed the door. It was sparsely decorated with anything of real significance, meaning it was probably used by any workers that came to the house.
The thief looked around, catching the sight of another door. He walked over and opened it, leading into another, much larger dining room. He smirked, this was more like it. He could bet there was atleast one more door leading into the rest of the house from there. Picking his way across, he paused moment to look at the white table cloth at the end of the table. There were small splotches of something staining the fabric.
It was probably just wine and they hadn’t gotten around to cleaning it. He shrugged and walked along the table until he reached the far wall, just as he suspected, there was a door. He stepped through, finding it left open. Beyond was a sitting room, with doors and arch ways leading off in a couple different directions.
Picking one at random, the thief walked over and opened a small closet. Long coats hung neatly from the rack, and a few small boxes sat on the floor, stacked neatly into place.
Jasik had to bet they were too small to hold any sort of important documents. Jasik knelt and pushed the coats out of his way and looked behind the boxes. There didn’t seem to be anything else. After all, it seemed the closet was only deep enough to store coats and things of little value.
The thief was about to stand and continue his search elsewhere, when he noticed something on the back wall. A strange black symbol, one that he couldn’t tell if it were burned into the wood or drawn into it. The man reached over and grabbed his candle, gently holding it in front of him, he got a better look at the symbol.
On a whim, he reached out and touched the mark, nothing. He pursed his lips and pulled his hand back, perhaps it was just for show. Then again, if it was meant to be a design, why was it hidden away in the closet? And why was it so reminiscent to the sketches his client had provided him with?
The thief spent a good few hours moving from room to room, attempting to locate a study or master bed room. It seemed the first floor was more used for leisure purposes rather than anything else. There were no bedrooms on that floor. Just another sitting room, a small library of sorts, and a washroom.
It wasn’t until he’d reached the second floor, that the thief had found another locked door. Jasik knelt and pulled his lock pick kit from his bag again, hoping this one would be less complicated than the one on the back door.
Unfortunately, after getting to work, he found this lock to be ever bit as tricky as the one outside. But he did manage to get this one open a bit quicker than the one before. The door opened just as silently as the rest and Jasik poked his head in.
The room was just as dark as the rest of the house, but it was a bit more cluttered. Jasik walked in slowly, taking in the sights of the area around him. In the center was a large desk covered with what appeared to be paper work and such. What Jasik thought might be a window, sat behind it. Long dark curtains covered the glass panels.
He noticed a small couch with a blanket laying draped over it and a few books stacked on the floor. As nice as the furniture and walls looked, to Jasik, the room gave oh the feeling of a storage closet rather than an office with how much was laying around.
The thief walked over to the desk and set his candle down on its surface, careful to not catch anything on fire. He then pulled the piece of paper from his bag, looking over the symbols and seals before taking a look at the papers on the desk.
A few caught his eye immediately, they had mirror images of the symbols, which Jasik thought to be some sort of ancient writing or code, scribbled or typed on them. The symbols consisted of lines and dashes with in sets of parenthesis.
One thing that caught his eye though was what appeared to be a newspaper laying on top. It was dated for that day, atleast that’s what it looked like. Jasik reached down and picked it up, his eyes looking over the strange text.
There was an image on the front page, nine adults stood in a line and a teen aged girl standing in the middle. It appeared they stood on a stage, looking important and strict. The girl’s image sent chills down the human’s spine.
It was strange though, the thief could not, for the life of him, recall seeing this image in his own morning paper. He certainly couldn’t recall seeing the faces of the other adults before, he’d imagine they seemed really important to be included on the front page of a newspaper.
Jasik rolled the paper up, carefully as to not damage it, and slipped it into his bag. He’d wager the man might have some intrest in that as well, if so, perhaps he’d get a little extra payment for it.
Jasik smirked as the lock clicked open. Truth be told, he hadn’t exactly expected to ever return to this house. He’d had a few trips he’d made the first time around, managing to get around twenty five contracts and documents, as well as two of those odd newspapers back to London.
When he had handed them over to the man, he seemed over joyed. Even though he hadn’t even had time to examine what he’d been given. His reaction had reminded Jasik of a child on Christmas morning, one who saw all the boxes under the tree but didn’t yet know what was inside them.
Apparently it had been more than the man and his associates had expected, because just a few weeks later, the thief had seen a return visit of that same man. He’d offered Jasik twice the amount he’d been paid to go back in again and get as much as possible.
It had taken some time to consider, but the young man had agreed and made his way back to Paris. He’d taken the same precautions as last time, ensuring the occupants schedule hadn’t changed in his absence.
This time, he’d gotten in easily, having learned the lock’s little trick from the three times before. It had also been much easily to make his way up to the study, not having to check the entire house like the first time really helped with that.
The young thief had chuckled to himself when he saw the study door left ajar. It was almost to kind of them to do so, it honestly made his job a lot easier when he didn’t have to pick a lock.
After entering the office, Jasik began sifting through paper work. Pulling out anything that seemed remotely important and putting it in his bag for later. As the thief slipped a particular sheet in, there was an odd sound in the room. Jasik froze, his entire body locking up.
There it was again, the thief focused, it sounded like the wings of a bird. His emerald green eyes darted around before landing on a small birth with cream and tan feathers. It sat on an extinguished candle next to his lit one. Small black eyes stared at him, as if he weren’t welcome in the house.
“Well, I don’t recall seeing you before.” He mumbled at the creature “must be new, perhaps a pet?” or an intruder just like him. He couldn’t recall a reason to own such a simple looking bird. Especially considering the lavish look of the rest of the home, if one should own a bird, why not something far more exotic?
Jasik reached out, gently swatting at the bird just enough to scar it off. He had no intention of actually hitting it. The small bird flapped its wings and emitted a low croaking noise before fluttering off to another side of the room. “Not a very elegant sounding bird, are you?” the thief mumbles before turning his attention back to his work.
His hand had just brushed the edge of a paper, when his instinct kicked in. his entire body went stiff, something wasn’t quite right. It was as if ever inch of his being was telling him to run, to drop what he was doing and make his way to the door. He felt like he shouldn’t be here any longer, that he was a rabbit caught in the gaze of a large, hungry predator.
Jasik turned, as if being pulled by a string. His blood turns to ice when his green eyes registered the man standing behind him. It was one of the men he’d seen coming and going from the house. The taller one with darker skin and long wavy hair.
His dark eyes were narrowed and a frown creased his lips. The young man’s heart slammed against his ribcage as his mind struggled to find out what to do. How the hell was he going to get out of this? Were there already officers waiting outside?
Jasik hardly had a moment to think, then the man’s hand came up and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. The young thief barely uttered a sound before he was lifted off his feet and thrown over the desk. His shoulder slammed into the wall, hard.
The young man cried out and moved to stand “don’t move” Jasik looked up, the man stood above him. Like he’d run over the moment he’d let go of Jasik. The thief trembled “I’m sorry, I’ll be going, I mean no harm.” The words tumbled from Jasik’s lips. It would be a wonder if he was even remotely understood.
“You will not be leaving.” The man said, eyes hard and angry. Jasik was sure his eyes displayed the utter fear and terror he was feeling at that moment. The young thief had no clue what to do, he’d never been caught before. He’d always managed to avoid detection or run off when seen.
But this time was different, this time he was pinned. The thief was now expecting to hear hurried footsteps coming up the stairs and to be apprehended by the authorities. “I did not call for law enforcement because what you’ve done and what is in here is none of their concern.”
Jasik squeezed his eyes shut, he was going to die here, wasn’t he? He’d been caught in something related either to crime or politics and they didn’t want him running off and exposing them. “Please, I’m just a thief,” the man glares “I know you are.”
Jasik opens his eyes to see the man walking over to the door “and you’re going to tell me everything I want to know.” The door shuts and the lock clicks.
Jasik’s eyes dart to his bag, it had been slung over his shoulder then he was thrown across the room and now lay beside him. There was a small revolver tucked away inside it, if he could just reach it, he could have some leverage.
Size and weight were never on his side, nor were the aspects of physical strength. He’d always carried a weapon for reasons like this, so he could get away. He wasn’t a killer, he didn’t like the idea. He would tell himself that shooting someone was a last ditch effort and never supposed to be fatal.
As Jasik reached over, a foot came down on his hand. “Don’t you even dare.” The man snarls, Jasik cries out when the full weight of the unknown man comes down on his hand. The young man can feel the bones in his hand breaking under the man’s weight.
“That gun won’t do you any good, but I still don’t like you holding it.” Jasik looked up at again, how did he know? No one knew about that revolver but him. The man with dark eyes kicks the bag away, “and just for good measure.” Another loud cry as the man brought his foot down on Jasik’s leg, breaking it.
“Now, let’s begin, shall we?” he asked, Jasik trembled “please, just let me go.” He begged “no, I’m sure by now, you know far too much.” His assailant shakes his head and kneels.
Jasik catches the glimpse of something shimmering in the low light. A strong hand reached down and grabbed Jasik’s unbroken hand. The thief looked horrified, that shimmering were teeth. Long, Sharpe canines. Humans didn’t have those. No it was impossible, he’d never seen human teeth grow to be that long and sharp.
The young man hissed when a sharp pain shot up his arm and a strange pull was felt throughout his entire body. This man, was he biting him? Green eyes shimmered with tears, Jasik was afraid. Afraid of what was going to happen to him. Afraid of what this man and anyone else that happened to be involved in any of this would do to him.
Was this man a cannibal? Was that the information written out on those documents? Had he been employed by someone seeking to take this man and everyone else out of the picture? What in god’s name had he stumbled into?
The man pulled his fangs free and spoke, a line of dark red running from the corner of his mouth, “you will answer every single question I ask with complete and total honesty, are we clear?” the thief found himself nodding in agreement “good”
“Now, tell me what you are doing here?” the human’s voice came through, shaky at best “I-I-I’m a thief, sir, I was hired to come retrieve documents for my client.” Jasik’s voice tremored with every word he spoke. The man looked over at Jasik’s bag “documents?”
The thief nodded “nothing truly valuable, I swear.” The man shakes his head “everything is valuable to some extent, little one.” The man stands and begins pacing “these documents are particularly sensitive, I should have known leaving them out like this would be dangerous.” He murmurs.
“How many have you taken?” he asked “around twenty or so, and there were two newspapers I grabbed before.” The man stares at Jasik’s’ bag “are they all in there?” the thief shook his head “no.” the man kneels again, this time his fangs are on full display as he reaches out and wraps a hand around Jasik’s throat “where are they?”
“In the hands of my client.” Jasik whimpers, “You’re client?” the man snarls “little one, do you have any idea how many lives you have endangered?” he questions, “they were just documents and paper work, how could they do anything to hurt people?”
“Well, considering you won’t be leaving this house alive, I’m sure I could tell you.” Jasik’s heart raced in his chest and his stomach dropped. He really was going to die here and no one would ever know what happened. He was sure this man would easily walk away from murder and never face repercussions.
“What you’ve stolen were documents on important political figures, but not just human politicians, no little one. What you stole were documents and information pertaining to vampires.” Jasik spoke up in a whimper “vampires… but their nothing but old superstition and fiction.”
The man flashing his fangs once again, sharp points amidst perfect white teeth. Jasik coughed out as the man pressed down on his throat for a moment “how many times have you been in my home? I can tell you know the way up hear far too well.”
Jasik’s unbroken hand moves to grasp at the man’s sleeve, a vain attempt to free himself from the man’s grip “three times, this was supposed to be the first in a few more.” He said “they hired me one more time to return for a few more.” The man’s face changed from a look of anger to shock. “Three?” he asked “that many and I’m just now catching on?” the man shook his head and let out a brief chuckle.
The look of anger then returned to the man’s face, dark eyes once again narrowing “I should end your life for this.” He hisses, jaw clenched tight “please don’t, I don’t want to die.” Jasik pled “I can give you whatever you want, just name it and you’ll never see me again.”
“You waste your breath, child.” The man said, his eyes looked down to Jasik’s throat “at this point I’m feeling a bit merciful.” He pauses “you show a lot of promise, a lot more than I can say for most men like you.” Jasik felt his eye lids becoming heavy.
“And since it seems you are about to pass out from shock, this will be my only chance to ask for your answer.” Jasik feels a push on his thoughts, eyes opening wide, only to fall partially closed again “I can drain every drop of blood from your body and kill you, or I can turn you.” Cold breath suddenly washes over the side of Jasik’s face and he feels the pressure from the man’s hand lesson “you’ll be leaving everything about your human life behind and working for me. It would be the least you could do, after stealing from my study.”
Tears were now streaming down Jasik’s face, the mix of pain and fear unbearable “I don’t want to die…”
“Then you chose to become a vampire?” Jasik hesitates, “make your choice, little one, because I do not have all night.” Jasik lets out a whimper “yes, just do what needs to be done. I’ll help you.” Jasik said, his body shaking as he feels the man lean in close “then do not struggle.” A sharp pain, one just like what he felt in his wrist, lit up his neck. Jasik began to close his eyes, unable to fight the pull of unconsciousness any longer.
Emerald green eyes opened slowly, then fell closed again. The fledgling vampire struggled to push back the fog of sleep… no, he realized that it wasn’t sleep, it was death. “You’re awake, good” a calming voice said quietly. Jasik opened his eyes, forcing them to stay open this time. The thief found himself staring into a pair of teal eyes.
A young man, just barely older than Jasik, smiled at him from his spot in a chair. “The master asked me to stay here and wait for you to wake up.” It took Jasik another moment, but he recognized the male as the other person who left the house each night.
The blond male stood and walked over to a small table sitting against the nearby wall. Jasik allowed his eyes to move around, taking in the dimly lit room “where am I?” it didn’t take long for the other to speak up “the guest bedroom, Mr. Nightingale said you need a few days to rest and recover.”
Jasik attempted to sit up, only to cry out when he put weight down on his injured hand. It was definitely broken. The thief blinked in surprise when the blond had darted over to help him. The male worked quickly to help Jasik sit up and use the pillows as support. “The master left medicine here as well, just in case you need it.”
Jasik just nodded, considering asking for a little bit just to null the pain from his leg and hand. The other male walks over to the table again, Jasik’s’ ears perk up at the sound of a wine bottle being opened. “So, how did it feel?” the thief furrowed his brow “I’m sorry?” he asked, hoping the young man would elaborate “to become a vampire, Mr. Nightingale said he turned you last night.”
Jasik pursed his lips into a thin line, they felt dry, like he hadn’t had anything to drink for a while. “Not the most pleasant experience I can recall.” He admits, the man walks over and hands the thief a cup full of a strange red liquid. “here.” Handed the drink to Jasik, the Master wants you to drink this.” The young man said, Jasik looked at it for a moment. Not entirely sure he should take it “what is it?”
“Blood wine, vampires drink it all the time, so it’s safe.” Blood wine… that wasn’t something he’d ever heard of before, even went sent on many trips across Europe to retrieve some rare alcohol for a client. The thief tentatively put it to his lips and took a sip. It was sweet, oddly so, almost like a mix of berries and something else.
“Is it good? I got Master’s favorite, but there are other’s if you would like something different.” Jasik shook his head, “no this is fine.” The thief took another sip, finding it a bit more appetizing this time. “Are you like the other man?” Jasik asks. There was a blank look on the teal eyed male’s face before he chuckled.
“Oh no, I am no vampire.” He said, Jasik furrowed his brow “I’m a drudge, a servant if you will.” Jasik drank down the last of the blood wine and the human took the cup from him “a drudge, huh?” the fledgling watched the man turn to refill the cup before handing it back to him.
“How long have you been working for that guy?” he took another sip, slightly curious as to if this was alcoholic or not “who, Mr. Nightingale?” Jasik nodded, he was guessing they were talking about the same man.
“Oh, about six years, he took me in for training.” Jasik paused, the cup’s edge at his lips “training?” the blond nodded “yeah, in a few years I’ll become a vampire myself. It’s what father does with a lot of thieves, count yourself lucky you don’t have to wait.” Jasik didn’t exactly feel lucky considering the events of that night. He would have been much happier to have just gone home and dropped this case.
The door to the room opened, the blond was the first to look over “Mr. Nightingale” Jasik swallowed, his fear suddenly spiking when he laid eyes on the darker skinned male. In the light, Jasik noted things he hadn’t quite noticed with just the light of a single candle or from a distance.
The man, Nightingale as the blond had called him, seemed to dress entirely in black and midnight blue clothing. His hazel eyes now seemed calmer, whatever rage Jasik had experienced now long passed. But they still held anger, just a more controlled form. “How long has he been awake, Killian?” the human looked to Jasik for a moment “about ten minutes or so, not that long.”
Nightingale looked over at the open bottle “how much blood wine have you give him?” “He’s had about two glasses.” The man nodded and walked over “it seems you’ve taken well to the change, good.” Nightingale looked down at Jasik “and you recall the rest of our deal, correct?”
The thief hesitantly nodded, eyes clearly full of fear as they looked up at the vampire “you are going to assist me in getting as many of those stolen documents back as we can, as well as identifying your client.” The thief nodded again and looked away “you’ll also undergo some training, you have quite a few new skills to develop, some I’m sure you’ll find quite useful.”
The man then sighs “and your siblings are all quite eager to meet you, so get rested up.” Jasik blinked “siblings?” he asked “I don’t have siblings.”
Jasik had known since he was young that his mother had been unable to have any more children, due largely in part to his own difficult birth. He’d grown up an only child, something that had never truly bothered him.
“That may have been the case for your human life, little one.” The man leans down “but that life is over, you have begun a new in Elysia.” Jasik watched a smile form on the man’s lips “in the vampire world, you have a new family, one of other vampires just like you.”
Jasik tilted his head to the side, watching Nightingale “family?” Killian pipped up “in Elysia, the vampire that turns you becomes like a parent, and any vampires they’ve turned before and after you are like your sisters and brothers. It’s one big family with all sorts of people.”
Nightingale nodded “when you made the choice to become a vampire, you chose to forsake all human connections you had before, be they family or friend.” Jasik nods, there wasn’t much to leave behind then. His mother had died years ago and he hadn’t seen his father in years. Friends where far and in-between, considering the amount of secrecy that a thief must keep in order to work safely. And he had never really considered marriage as of a late, one night stands weren’t uncommon, but long term relationships hadn’t been successful.
“Now, drink as much as you can, I will return later with a proper meal.” “A proper meal?” Jasik asked, “Blood from the source.” The thief blinked surprised, from the source? They didn’t mean a person, did they?
The man walked over to the door and opened it “get some rest, don’t worry about your hand and leg, you should heal just find in a few days.” Jasik absentmindedly nodded, wondering exactly how his body would heal that quickly. If the pain was any indication, he was sure the bones had been shattered. It didn’t take a doctor to know one didn’t heal from those types of injuries overnight.
“We are going back to London in a week, I plan to have a little chat with your ‘client’.” The vampire hissed and turned “you’ve got a lot to make up for, kid.” Jasik wet his lips, nearly jumping at the sound of the door slamming.
Killian looked over and smiled, trying to act reassuring “give him time please, he’s just angry right now.” Jasik huffed, perhaps it was rightfully so. Jasik seemed to have angered him by not only sneaking into his home, but stealing from him.
Jasik looked up and saw the cup in front of him, being held by the human. Jasik swallowed and took it, unsure of where this path would now take him.