Chapter 8: I Love My Master

-Arabella-

After that vampire grabbed me unexpectedly, I went mostly unnoticed as I made my way to the bathroom. It took me a while to get there in these shoes, trying to not fall or trip over someone. I pray I don't run into that attendant who almost hit me because I accidentally scraped her leg with my pointy heel.

My initial fear of being seen in this skimpy outfit has dissipated now that I've seen the other attendants; even with only a thong and a thin wraparound top, I'm pretty much covered compared to most.

It's humiliating and debasing, and I can't help but think that it must be part of what they want. To dehumanize us, to advertise to others that we're their food, their toys, and completely under their control.

And I've willingly signed up for this.

I take a seat by the enormous pool when I'm done, trying to look inconspicuous. If I hadn't asked to go to the bathroom, I would have slipped up in front of Stella. It's one thing to be subservient to the man who paid for me. It's another to have to tolerate others' bullying.

She had poked at me and scolded me like a child, and it took all my self-control not to slap her. That would have been the end of me, though.

"Don't look so angry, honey, or they'll start to notice you aren't glamored."

My head spins in the direction of the man's voice, panic surging in me.

"What… How did you…?"

"Your eyes. You look like you want to set that plant on fire."

A man with a luscious set of curls on his head sits next to me, a purple drink in his hand. He's also wearing a harness and latex shorts that barely cover his groin.

I try to relax and sit back, softening my expression. Unsure of how I am supposed to act around another human who clearly isn't glamored either, I stay quiet.

"You're new, aren't you?" he says, crossing his legs and laying back on the wooden love seat. "Another oddball like me."

"I started today." I try to focus on the plant he said I was staring at instead of looking at him. "Um…can I talk to you? Should I act like we're having a conversation?"

"Glamored attendants can talk to each other. Vampires sometimes tell us to go mingle, so it's not unheard of. Just act normal, but don't yell or get angry. Any overwhelming display of emotions will rat you out."

I relax and turn to face him.

"I'm Jay," he says, extending a hand. I shake it, and can't help but stare at the intricate tattoo that covers his arm. In the center of a design, there's a glowing chip-like thing that looks like a studded piercing. "That's my blood mark. It's just a fancy name for a tattoo, but the tiny diamond here connects me to my master. That way he can sense if I'm close, in pain, alive or dead."

Now that he mentions this, I start to notice that all attendants have a tattoo somewhere on their bodies. I thought it was just part of their aesthetic.

"Your master will probably get you one, sooner than later," he continues. "You didn't tell me your name."

Ronan hadn't specified what I should do if I talked to another human, so I just go with it.

"Arabella. You can call me Ara," I say. "How long have you been an attendant?"

A million questions sweep through my mind, but I don't want to scare Jay off. He seems friendly enough, and this might be my only chance to get another perspective of what life is like as an unglamored attendant.

He doesn't seem broken, traumatized, or sad. Instead, it seems like he's enjoying the party, his head bobbing with the music. How much of that is pretend, I don't know.

"Seven years," he says with a smile and swipes away the hair covering his neck.

My eyes widen at the hundreds of minuscule scars all over his neck. Some even reach his jaw and shoulder. They look like tiny pockmarks.

"I promise you your experience will be like mine. I…love my master. When I joined him, he paid for five years. We extended the contract, though the money he paid for me the second time is now mine."

"How is that possible?" I ask, completely dumbfounded. The money paid for attendants is supposedly meant to go to third-party accounts, never to the attendant.

"My family, the ones for whom I did this, continued to mount up debt even after I paid for all their shit. They're gone now, so I've inherited what's left of it. Though, I won't be able to access it until my time is done. I don't want it, anyway." He swats his hand disinterestedly. "What would I go back to? A miserable job that barely pays for living expenses? A cubby hole to live in?"

"So you would extend the contract if you could?" I blurt out, unable to believe what I'm hearing.

"Forever, if my master still wants me. Oh, dear. I'm oversharing again. I've had a little too much to drink." He winks and downs the purple drink. "Don't look so shocked. Remember: no strong emotions."

I laugh a little nervously. "Don't worry. Your secrets are safe with me." I don't want him to close himself off. There are still too many things I want to know. "I…I have so many questions. Not about your master," I quickly add. "I play no part in vampire schemes. Not yet, anyway."

That makes him chuckle.

"Not all vampires are scheming and plotting to learn each other's secrets. And sure, ask away. My master is in a heated debate about a card game he's probably losing, so I doubt he'll need me anytime soon."

"Why didn't you get the glamor?" I open with the most pressing question on my mind. "At the agency, they asked me a million times if I wanted to reconsider my choice. Ro—uh, my master asked me again, even after signing the contract."

"It wasn't really a tough choice for me," Jay says. "I couldn't imagine anything being done to me that could be worse than what my life had already been. I figured I'd take my chances."

All I can feel for him is admiration. He refused the glamor out of bravery, in a way. I did it out of fear. Fear of losing part of myself, fear of losing so much time forever.

"I wouldn't recommend it to most people, though. My master is a self-made vampire. He doesn't belong to the important families or have much reason to want to show me off. It took him a while, but he admitted he got an attendant because he just wanted the company. The fact that I'm also his food, he says, is an afterthought."

I laugh again, thoroughly enjoying this conversation. But everything he says heightens my curiosity. I have a feeling that Ronan is a member of what he called the 'important families,' and I need to know what implications that has.

"Are there many vampires who belong to those families you mentioned?" I ask, trying to sound disinterested.

"Not a lot, but they have a reputation for being ruthless. Life for them is like a capitalist cage match." Jay leans closer to me and starts speaking softly. "The Van Arders, the lovely owners of this place, for example. They own the attendant agencies and have top ties to the government. The Fitzroys, the Carters. I've heard horror stories about their attendants. There's one of the Stewarts who's been through several attendants. Not all of them made it out entirely sane."

I shudder involuntarily, realizing Jay must be talking about Desmond. I feel like I should tell him Ronan is my master, but I don't want to drive him off.

"They run the world and love letting humans know that it's only because they allow it that we're safe from them. Even though they claim they don't interfere with our lives, they're the reason the world is going to shit."

I nod because that's exactly how I feel about vampires, too. Ever since they came out of the shadows and told the world about their existence, humans have had to adapt to them, and not the other way around.

"But I love my master. We kiss and all," he says, chuckling.

I'm very confused. Why does he make it sound like kissing is a big deal?

"Don't you know?" Jay notices my bewildered expression. "Kissing for vampires is akin to exchanging a marriage vow. Okay, maybe not as important as that. But having their lips touch is a big deal for them. I'm not sure why."

My face warms and I think I might be blushing when I remember where Ronan's lips have been on my body. And this explains why earlier, in the library, instead of kissing me, he bit my breast.

"I should go check on my master," Jay continues. "It's been refreshing to talk to another human. I hope we will meet again, sometime."

He stands just as I feel a presence looming next to us.

It's Ronan, and he doesn't look pleased.

Jay's eyes widen slightly, but he immediately smiles.

"Sir, how are you this fine evening?"

"Leave," Ronan says, and Jay turns and disappears into the crowd, without so much as a glance in our direction.

"I didn't tell you to talk to other people." He towers over me as I look up at him. "Come. We're going home."

"He sat down to talk to me. I wasn't sure if…" I begin, but he cuts me off.

"Stop talking."

Ronan grabs my arm and drags me around the pool, almost making me trip on my heels. He then seems to remember that it would be worse if I fell, and he slows down.

"You didn't tell him anything about me, I presume?" he says once we're in the foyer.

I shake my head.

"Did he ask you any questions?"

I nod, and he rolls his eyes.

"You CAN talk when I ask you something. Don't be so obtuse, Ara."

"I didn't tell him you are my master, and he didn't care. He just wanted to talk to another human who hasn't had their mind scrambled," I snap, losing my patience.

"Watch your fucking tone," Ronan grumbles, his eyes searching for someone. "The valet isn't here."

"Ronan Stewart. How are you doing, old friend?" The vampire who had grabbed me earlier in the night walks up to us and shakes Ronan's hand. "I apologize for the previous misunderstanding. How did you manage to snatch up such a gem?"

He eyes me up and down and I revert to robot mode, giving him a silly smile.

"Martin," Ronan says. "I'm on my way out."

"But it's so early! Stay for a few more drinks. I've been meaning to talk to you about that plot of land down by the lowlands. I think you might be interested in my development plans."

"Arabella, go find the driver and tell him to bring the car over," Ronan says to me, and I acquiesce, glad to put some distance between us.

I don't have the energy to stay civil to him, and I have a feeling that his threats of punishment aren't mere empty words.

I'm exhausted and famished, and the talk with Jay, while enlightening, only served to confirm what I already know about vampires.

Like Ronan said, just because the sex was good…doesn't mean that my hatred of them will suddenly go away.

It's terribly painful to make my way from the house to the parking lot next to the entrance in these stupid shoes, so I take them off and toss them aside. If he's so rich, he can buy me new ones.

When I get there, I realize I have no idea what limousine is supposed to be his. There are at least twenty lined up like dominoes, and they all look the same.

And the place is eerily empty. From the lights in the gatehouse, I assume the drivers are all hanging out in there, so I start in that direction. The gravel hurts my bare soles, and I stop for a second and lean on a car.

"Hey, are you Ronan's attendant?" a man asks, making my head turn.

"Who are you?" I ask, thinking maybe it was the man who drove us here.

A hand wraps around my mouth from behind me, and the last thing I see as I let out a muffled scream is a black bag that's forced onto my head.

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