The Deal by wizardtho
Chapter 2:
I still continued to look between my father and the handsome vampire man, to whom I had unknowingly just given an all-access pass to our home. I was hoping that I was wrong in my assumptions, that one of them would finally speak to fill me in on what was happening.
It was Mr. Cooper that finally said, “It appears that your father has kept you in the dark, Sweet Makenna. Have a seat, and I will fill you in.”
My father grabbed my arm and spun me around as I went to sit, “No! She has nothing to do with this, so she doesn't need to be part of it.”
Mr. Cooper tsked, then said, “You are bruising your daughter, who is in obvious distress from your hold on her arm. I believe she does need to hear, and she is clearly part of it. You obviously can not pay your debts, or I wouldn't be here this morning.”
My father instantly looked at my arm, then his face twisted into a pained expression as he choked out, “My Darling Girl... I'm so... so very sorry.”
I didn't know whether it was because of the rapidly forming bruise on my arm or the situation that brought Mr. Cooper here, but either way, I was about to get answers. I sat on the edge of the couch and smoothed down my skirt without a word to my father. He reluctantly sat next to me as Mr. Cooper fluidly took the chair across from us.
He seemed to be waiting for something, but after several minutes with no one speaking, I began getting frustrated. It didn't help that Mr. Cooper kept stealing glances at me, because his appreciative gaze never failed to make me flush with arousal.
When someone finally spoke, it was Mr. Cooper. “Since it seems that you are not willing to be forthcoming with your daughter, Mr. Cummings, I suppose that I will have to. Makenna, your father came to me exactly one year ago last night. He had been a faithful and hard-working employee in my mill for nearly 20 years, so I decided to see what he had to say. He showed me financial paperwork stating that your mother's treatments and eventual passing had taken a severe toll financially, thus he could not care for you nearly as well as he had before her death. I asked him what he was coming to me for instead of taking out a loan with the bank, and he showed me that the bank was going to foreclose on your house. He asked me for a loan. Trying to be generous, I sat with him and figured out what amount of a loan he could pay back within a year. I loaned him a year's wages for him to cancel out a half of a year's debt, but still leave the two of you not lacking. That should have already put him nearly six months ahead with paying back the total. Working a bit of overtime, he would have easily been able to make the rest well before the deadline. If he chose to take overtime for the whole year, it would have left the two of you debt free and having nearly 6 months of wages left in the bank. I didn't even tack interest onto the total, as the bank would have with a standard loan.”
I nodded, understanding completely so far. When I didn't ask anything, he continued, “Your father agreed to last night's deadline, and I know he has been working much more than would have been needed to pay back the complete loan, so I am here to collect. He has a $65,000 debt to me that he needs to answer for.” I choked at the total, never having known how much my father made, but knowing that our monthly bills in a year would never use a quarter of that. With my mother's medical bills and the house as another quarter, it looked like my father had much to answer for. The proof of the deal was in the contract that Mr. Cooper handed me with my father's distinct signature on it... in blood.
My eyes shot to my father's, wide and confused. My voice sounded shaky as I asked, “Where? Where did it go, Daddy? I never ask you for anything frivolous. We've been eating fish that you catch for more nights than anything else combined. How much are you missing from the total that you owe?”
My father hung his head, then choked out, “Most of it. I've only got about 8 thousand, and that will be giving him everything but the roof over our heads.” I gasped and stood quickly, then got angry that I practically growled, “You... you what? What did you do with it all? And all the hours working... I've barely seen you in the last 6 months, Daddy. You haven't spoken a word to me in the last couple of months... not one word, until this morning. Do you even know what today is, other than you being overdue to pay your loan? I begged you to tell me... to let me help you. I could have gotten a job, and worked to help pay him back. I could have done something, Daddy. Where did all of it go? Say something... help me understand.”
My father stood and started pacing the length of the room, pulling at his hair. I hadn't even spared Mr. Cooper a glance after I read the paper, but he had also been so quiet, that I practically forgot about his presence in the room. My father finally choked out as he dropped to his knees in front of me, “I didn't know what else to do. I had to go to him. It was the only option, or we would have been homeless within a month. You were so happy the next afternoon when... oh, God... your birthday. I am so sorry, My Darling Girl.”
I shook my head, saying almost hopelessly, “Just explain to me where all of the money went. I know the regular monthly bills would not come close to a year's wages, especially when you're making enough money at the mill to cover all of it and taking overtime to pay him back.”
He looked at me brokenly, practically begging me silently to not make him answer, but I needed to know. “Where, Daddy?”
I needed to know what ultimately put my father's fate in Mr. Cooper's hands today, because I was pretty sure that my father would end up dead by sundown. The other option just didn't make any sense to me. My father finally choked out, “You were so happy that afternoon when I gave you your presents, Makenna. I saw the way your eyes lit up, and I was determined to do anything I could to keep that light there. I knew that would never happen with this over my head, so I tried to find ways of making the money back more quickly. I took doubles and longer shifts, yes, but not as many as you think. I had gone to a poker game the guys were holding after the first week of shifts, just to relax and try to forget for a while. I ended up winning $300 in about an hour and a half. On the way home, I started thinking.”
I had a feeling of where this was going. I groaned and rubbed my temples. “Please tell me that you did not lose all that money to the guys at the mill playing poker, Daddy.”
He shook his head, “No... I won the next couple of weeks, so I planned to go to the casino. I thought that since I was doing so well, maybe I would have better luck at the tables there. It went well for the first few months, then in one single hand, I had lost the total amount I had won for the whole night. I came home and tried to reevaluate, but everything in me was telling me to go back... to keep trying, and that it was just a fluke. It seemed to be, for the most part, but I had stopped watching as carefully by then. A couple of weeks ago was the last straw, so to speak. It was the anniversary of your mother's death. I shouldn't have gone, but I needed to do something to take my mind off of the pain. I... lost it... every bit of it. I just missed her... so much... and I couldn't concentrate. I didn't even realise what had happened, until I was already home.”
I couldn't think. The only thing that kept running through my head was that my father could die now, all because of gambling. I had to spend the anniversary of my mother's death alone, because my father was gambling.
My voice sounded foreign to my own ears as I forced out in a teary whisper, “Do you even know what I did on that day, Daddy? Do you care? I sat here alone, in this shrine that you've kept unchanged in her memory, just hoping I would see you. If you would have just been here... spent that day with me... we wouldn't be in this position, would we? You had recovered it all by then, didn't you?”
I didn't get an answer from my father, but I didn't need one, either. The look on his face said it all, clear as day.
Mr. Cooper chose to make his presence known again by needlessly clearing his throat. “And that is what brings me here today, Sweet Makenna. Knowing how many shifts and how much overtime pay he has cleared at the mill, he should have had the amount to repay me, and well over, to keep the two of you in comfort. When I gave the loan to your father, I was sure that I wouldn't need to collect this way. That is why I made the deal to begin with. Nothing should have stopped him from repaying the total on the year mark.”
Tears sprang to my eyes as I played with my fingers, knowing what was coming, but I choked out, “What now?”
Mr. Cooper sighed after several minutes of no one speaking, making me instinctively flinch as he broke the silence in the room. “The contract states-”
I shook my head, “Sir, I read the contract you handed me carefully. My question is, are you going to collect option A, option B, or both?”
I was astounded when he said clearly, “We will be leaving in 20 minutes, so you should go retrieve anything of personal sentiment that you wish to take. Do not try to run, Sweet Makenna... because if you do, I will take both options, just to show you that I am not someone to trifle with.”
I looked up at him curiously, wondering how he could find anything of value in me. I was plain... ordinary... but he had just chosen to take me from my father, instead of killing him and being done with it. He chose my life being forfeit to him.
I was broken from my wondering when I heard him. “Eighteen minutes left. I would advise you to do as I asked, because you will not be returning. As you have surely read, any and all contact with your father ceases when we walk out the door.”
I flinched, but nodded before dashing up the stairs to my room. I grabbed my toiletries and female necessities from my bathroom, then hurried to pack two of my larger suitcases. I grabbed my jewelry case, several hair things, and a bunch of my shoes, then threw them into the large duffle bag. Tears were pouring down my face as I picked up my photo album and added it to the duffle, but I didn't say anything when my father came into the room hesitantly. I was too scared and hurt to speak right away.
I had been thinking while I packed about the reason for Mr. Cooper taking me. The only option that seemed to make sense, was that he wanted to feed from me. I was now just a blood donor for a vampire. That's all I was worth, and it made the tears come that much faster.
As I finished grabbing my artist train case and sketch journal, I looked up to my father. He was standing there silently, not a hint of worry for me in his face, and my voice sounded monotone as I asked, “Did you even think about what this meant for me every time you were dealt a hand of cards? My life is forfeit to him now. Is that any way to clear a debt? My life is over. I never get to see you again, because I have just become the newest blood whore to a vampire. That's all I'm worth now, Dad.”
I just barely caught the look of horror on my father's face before there was a sudden whoosh of air, then Mr. Cooper growled as he forced my chin up to look at him. His growl continued as he said, “Never... never... think of yourself as that again. Do I make myself clear?”
I squeaked and nodded my head minutely in his hard grasp, my heart pounding wildly in my chest from fright. His features calmed as he continued, “Good. Now it is time for us to depart. I will give you time to say a short goodbye, but you will be downstairs in two minutes.” I nodded minutely again, dropping my eyes as much as I could, then saw him gather all of my belongings from the bed. He acted as if they weighed nothing more than a toothpick.
My father pulled me into a tight hug once Mr. Cooper left the room, whispering his love for me. He begged me to give Mr. Cooper a chance, telling me he was a fair man, but I couldn't think of anything but the harshness I saw in his eyes a few moments before. It scared the living daylights out of me. I made some sort of weak reply, pulled myself away from my father, and tried to bury my emotions as I walked out the open front door.
Mr. Cooper was waiting next to the open door of a sleek black limo. He held his hand out to help me enter, but I avoided it and managed to climb in by myself without a word. I huddled on the far side of one of the seats, trying to keep my racing heart from failing me, praying that Mr. Cooper wouldn't be too harsh with me. I didn't know what it felt like to be fed from, and was afraid it would hurt. I would try to avoid him as much as possible, but it all depended on how many 'donors' he had available wherever he was taking me.
I continued to stare out the window, not really seeing anything, as I planned out everything I could to avoid being fed from... or violated in any other manner.
I was broken from my thoughts when Mr. Cooper spoke. His voice was calm, but that didn't really tell me much. He was typing something on his phone as he said, “Your meals will be prepared for you. I will have you leave a list of your favorites, along with things you would like to try, for the housekeeper. Most of your wardrobe will be replaced, but I will go through what you have brought, to make the final call on what you will be allowed to keep. For now, you will only be allowed in the clearing that the chateau is located in. My property is quite large to most humans, and I will not have you risking yourself by wandering it haphazardly. Even when you are familiar with your new surroundings, you will not be allowed unaccompanied outside the clearing. The doctor will see you before nightfall, to assess your actual health. Anything that he suggests will be adhered to by the letter. You will also be receiving a cell phone. You will answer right away when I call, and you will notify me by text the moment your cycle makes its appearance each month. The phone will be monitored, so I would advise you not to try calling your father.”
I blushed a bit at him being so frank about my monthly cycle, but figured that blood would be a casual topic with vampires. Might as well get used to it now. My voice was only a whisper, but I knew he would hear it loud and clear. “My cycle has always been exact, Sir. Every 29 days, without fail... except for the month my mother passed. The stress made it come late. It usually stays for four days. I will notify you as told, though.”
He nodded slightly and looked up from his phone, “And what day are you on for it now?” I took my calendar out of my purse and opened it to this month. I automatically handed it to him, saying softly, “The red x'd days are the days I have my cycle. You can verify my honesty by looking at the previous months, if you wish.”
He did, back to the beginning of the calendar, then closed it and said, “Just as I thought, since your scent is heightened. Since you still have two days left, you will notify me when you have stopped, so that I can inform the doctor to see you 48 hours afterward. I do not want you to go through being in more discomfort, by having your physical done during your cycle.” I nodded and whispered a thank you as I took back my calendar, trying to avoid his seemingly swirling blue/gray eyes.
He seemed to be assessing me again, as he had at my ho- my former home. I studiously avoided eye contact, finding my nails quite interesting, until he spoke. I flinched at his voice breaking the silence out of nowhere, but he avoided that fact as he said, “You seem to have a very low opinion of yourself, Sweet Makenna. Either that, or you have a low opinion of me. I am honestly at a loss of why you would think -not an hour ago- that you were worth nothing more than a 'blood whore', as you called it. Would you care to explain that to me?”
I winced as he repeated my own words. It took me a full minute to whisper a barely audible, “What else am I to think, Sir? The options for clearing my father's debt were for him to die -most likely brutally- or for my life...” I choked a bit on the lump in my throat, then tried to clear it before continuing, “My life to be forfeit to you. You are a vampire, and I'm a human girl that you had only just met this morning. Now I can't claim to be an expert about vampires, Sir, by any means... but what reason, other than my blood, could there have been for you choosing to take me after such a short time?”
The instant the words were out of my mouth, I knew I said too much. He would surely punish me somehow. He looked at me for quite a while before he said, “I will tell you what I saw, but only if you look at me. I do not particularly care to speak to the top of your head, Sweet Makenna.”
I still continued to look between my father and the handsome vampire man, to whom I had unknowingly just given an all-access pass to our home. I was hoping that I was wrong in my assumptions, that one of them would finally speak to fill me in on what was happening.
It was Mr. Cooper that finally said, “It appears that your father has kept you in the dark, Sweet Makenna. Have a seat, and I will fill you in.”
My father grabbed my arm and spun me around as I went to sit, “No! She has nothing to do with this, so she doesn't need to be part of it.”
Mr. Cooper tsked, then said, “You are bruising your daughter, who is in obvious distress from your hold on her arm. I believe she does need to hear, and she is clearly part of it. You obviously can not pay your debts, or I wouldn't be here this morning.”
My father instantly looked at my arm, then his face twisted into a pained expression as he choked out, “My Darling Girl... I'm so... so very sorry.”
I didn't know whether it was because of the rapidly forming bruise on my arm or the situation that brought Mr. Cooper here, but either way, I was about to get answers. I sat on the edge of the couch and smoothed down my skirt without a word to my father. He reluctantly sat next to me as Mr. Cooper fluidly took the chair across from us.
He seemed to be waiting for something, but after several minutes with no one speaking, I began getting frustrated. It didn't help that Mr. Cooper kept stealing glances at me, because his appreciative gaze never failed to make me flush with arousal.
When someone finally spoke, it was Mr. Cooper. “Since it seems that you are not willing to be forthcoming with your daughter, Mr. Cummings, I suppose that I will have to. Makenna, your father came to me exactly one year ago last night. He had been a faithful and hard-working employee in my mill for nearly 20 years, so I decided to see what he had to say. He showed me financial paperwork stating that your mother's treatments and eventual passing had taken a severe toll financially, thus he could not care for you nearly as well as he had before her death. I asked him what he was coming to me for instead of taking out a loan with the bank, and he showed me that the bank was going to foreclose on your house. He asked me for a loan. Trying to be generous, I sat with him and figured out what amount of a loan he could pay back within a year. I loaned him a year's wages for him to cancel out a half of a year's debt, but still leave the two of you not lacking. That should have already put him nearly six months ahead with paying back the total. Working a bit of overtime, he would have easily been able to make the rest well before the deadline. If he chose to take overtime for the whole year, it would have left the two of you debt free and having nearly 6 months of wages left in the bank. I didn't even tack interest onto the total, as the bank would have with a standard loan.”
I nodded, understanding completely so far. When I didn't ask anything, he continued, “Your father agreed to last night's deadline, and I know he has been working much more than would have been needed to pay back the complete loan, so I am here to collect. He has a $65,000 debt to me that he needs to answer for.” I choked at the total, never having known how much my father made, but knowing that our monthly bills in a year would never use a quarter of that. With my mother's medical bills and the house as another quarter, it looked like my father had much to answer for. The proof of the deal was in the contract that Mr. Cooper handed me with my father's distinct signature on it... in blood.
My eyes shot to my father's, wide and confused. My voice sounded shaky as I asked, “Where? Where did it go, Daddy? I never ask you for anything frivolous. We've been eating fish that you catch for more nights than anything else combined. How much are you missing from the total that you owe?”
My father hung his head, then choked out, “Most of it. I've only got about 8 thousand, and that will be giving him everything but the roof over our heads.” I gasped and stood quickly, then got angry that I practically growled, “You... you what? What did you do with it all? And all the hours working... I've barely seen you in the last 6 months, Daddy. You haven't spoken a word to me in the last couple of months... not one word, until this morning. Do you even know what today is, other than you being overdue to pay your loan? I begged you to tell me... to let me help you. I could have gotten a job, and worked to help pay him back. I could have done something, Daddy. Where did all of it go? Say something... help me understand.”
My father stood and started pacing the length of the room, pulling at his hair. I hadn't even spared Mr. Cooper a glance after I read the paper, but he had also been so quiet, that I practically forgot about his presence in the room. My father finally choked out as he dropped to his knees in front of me, “I didn't know what else to do. I had to go to him. It was the only option, or we would have been homeless within a month. You were so happy the next afternoon when... oh, God... your birthday. I am so sorry, My Darling Girl.”
I shook my head, saying almost hopelessly, “Just explain to me where all of the money went. I know the regular monthly bills would not come close to a year's wages, especially when you're making enough money at the mill to cover all of it and taking overtime to pay him back.”
He looked at me brokenly, practically begging me silently to not make him answer, but I needed to know. “Where, Daddy?”
I needed to know what ultimately put my father's fate in Mr. Cooper's hands today, because I was pretty sure that my father would end up dead by sundown. The other option just didn't make any sense to me. My father finally choked out, “You were so happy that afternoon when I gave you your presents, Makenna. I saw the way your eyes lit up, and I was determined to do anything I could to keep that light there. I knew that would never happen with this over my head, so I tried to find ways of making the money back more quickly. I took doubles and longer shifts, yes, but not as many as you think. I had gone to a poker game the guys were holding after the first week of shifts, just to relax and try to forget for a while. I ended up winning $300 in about an hour and a half. On the way home, I started thinking.”
I had a feeling of where this was going. I groaned and rubbed my temples. “Please tell me that you did not lose all that money to the guys at the mill playing poker, Daddy.”
He shook his head, “No... I won the next couple of weeks, so I planned to go to the casino. I thought that since I was doing so well, maybe I would have better luck at the tables there. It went well for the first few months, then in one single hand, I had lost the total amount I had won for the whole night. I came home and tried to reevaluate, but everything in me was telling me to go back... to keep trying, and that it was just a fluke. It seemed to be, for the most part, but I had stopped watching as carefully by then. A couple of weeks ago was the last straw, so to speak. It was the anniversary of your mother's death. I shouldn't have gone, but I needed to do something to take my mind off of the pain. I... lost it... every bit of it. I just missed her... so much... and I couldn't concentrate. I didn't even realise what had happened, until I was already home.”
I couldn't think. The only thing that kept running through my head was that my father could die now, all because of gambling. I had to spend the anniversary of my mother's death alone, because my father was gambling.
My voice sounded foreign to my own ears as I forced out in a teary whisper, “Do you even know what I did on that day, Daddy? Do you care? I sat here alone, in this shrine that you've kept unchanged in her memory, just hoping I would see you. If you would have just been here... spent that day with me... we wouldn't be in this position, would we? You had recovered it all by then, didn't you?”
I didn't get an answer from my father, but I didn't need one, either. The look on his face said it all, clear as day.
Mr. Cooper chose to make his presence known again by needlessly clearing his throat. “And that is what brings me here today, Sweet Makenna. Knowing how many shifts and how much overtime pay he has cleared at the mill, he should have had the amount to repay me, and well over, to keep the two of you in comfort. When I gave the loan to your father, I was sure that I wouldn't need to collect this way. That is why I made the deal to begin with. Nothing should have stopped him from repaying the total on the year mark.”
Tears sprang to my eyes as I played with my fingers, knowing what was coming, but I choked out, “What now?”
Mr. Cooper sighed after several minutes of no one speaking, making me instinctively flinch as he broke the silence in the room. “The contract states-”
I shook my head, “Sir, I read the contract you handed me carefully. My question is, are you going to collect option A, option B, or both?”
I was astounded when he said clearly, “We will be leaving in 20 minutes, so you should go retrieve anything of personal sentiment that you wish to take. Do not try to run, Sweet Makenna... because if you do, I will take both options, just to show you that I am not someone to trifle with.”
I looked up at him curiously, wondering how he could find anything of value in me. I was plain... ordinary... but he had just chosen to take me from my father, instead of killing him and being done with it. He chose my life being forfeit to him.
I was broken from my wondering when I heard him. “Eighteen minutes left. I would advise you to do as I asked, because you will not be returning. As you have surely read, any and all contact with your father ceases when we walk out the door.”
I flinched, but nodded before dashing up the stairs to my room. I grabbed my toiletries and female necessities from my bathroom, then hurried to pack two of my larger suitcases. I grabbed my jewelry case, several hair things, and a bunch of my shoes, then threw them into the large duffle bag. Tears were pouring down my face as I picked up my photo album and added it to the duffle, but I didn't say anything when my father came into the room hesitantly. I was too scared and hurt to speak right away.
I had been thinking while I packed about the reason for Mr. Cooper taking me. The only option that seemed to make sense, was that he wanted to feed from me. I was now just a blood donor for a vampire. That's all I was worth, and it made the tears come that much faster.
As I finished grabbing my artist train case and sketch journal, I looked up to my father. He was standing there silently, not a hint of worry for me in his face, and my voice sounded monotone as I asked, “Did you even think about what this meant for me every time you were dealt a hand of cards? My life is forfeit to him now. Is that any way to clear a debt? My life is over. I never get to see you again, because I have just become the newest blood whore to a vampire. That's all I'm worth now, Dad.”
I just barely caught the look of horror on my father's face before there was a sudden whoosh of air, then Mr. Cooper growled as he forced my chin up to look at him. His growl continued as he said, “Never... never... think of yourself as that again. Do I make myself clear?”
I squeaked and nodded my head minutely in his hard grasp, my heart pounding wildly in my chest from fright. His features calmed as he continued, “Good. Now it is time for us to depart. I will give you time to say a short goodbye, but you will be downstairs in two minutes.” I nodded minutely again, dropping my eyes as much as I could, then saw him gather all of my belongings from the bed. He acted as if they weighed nothing more than a toothpick.
My father pulled me into a tight hug once Mr. Cooper left the room, whispering his love for me. He begged me to give Mr. Cooper a chance, telling me he was a fair man, but I couldn't think of anything but the harshness I saw in his eyes a few moments before. It scared the living daylights out of me. I made some sort of weak reply, pulled myself away from my father, and tried to bury my emotions as I walked out the open front door.
Mr. Cooper was waiting next to the open door of a sleek black limo. He held his hand out to help me enter, but I avoided it and managed to climb in by myself without a word. I huddled on the far side of one of the seats, trying to keep my racing heart from failing me, praying that Mr. Cooper wouldn't be too harsh with me. I didn't know what it felt like to be fed from, and was afraid it would hurt. I would try to avoid him as much as possible, but it all depended on how many 'donors' he had available wherever he was taking me.
I continued to stare out the window, not really seeing anything, as I planned out everything I could to avoid being fed from... or violated in any other manner.
I was broken from my thoughts when Mr. Cooper spoke. His voice was calm, but that didn't really tell me much. He was typing something on his phone as he said, “Your meals will be prepared for you. I will have you leave a list of your favorites, along with things you would like to try, for the housekeeper. Most of your wardrobe will be replaced, but I will go through what you have brought, to make the final call on what you will be allowed to keep. For now, you will only be allowed in the clearing that the chateau is located in. My property is quite large to most humans, and I will not have you risking yourself by wandering it haphazardly. Even when you are familiar with your new surroundings, you will not be allowed unaccompanied outside the clearing. The doctor will see you before nightfall, to assess your actual health. Anything that he suggests will be adhered to by the letter. You will also be receiving a cell phone. You will answer right away when I call, and you will notify me by text the moment your cycle makes its appearance each month. The phone will be monitored, so I would advise you not to try calling your father.”
I blushed a bit at him being so frank about my monthly cycle, but figured that blood would be a casual topic with vampires. Might as well get used to it now. My voice was only a whisper, but I knew he would hear it loud and clear. “My cycle has always been exact, Sir. Every 29 days, without fail... except for the month my mother passed. The stress made it come late. It usually stays for four days. I will notify you as told, though.”
He nodded slightly and looked up from his phone, “And what day are you on for it now?” I took my calendar out of my purse and opened it to this month. I automatically handed it to him, saying softly, “The red x'd days are the days I have my cycle. You can verify my honesty by looking at the previous months, if you wish.”
He did, back to the beginning of the calendar, then closed it and said, “Just as I thought, since your scent is heightened. Since you still have two days left, you will notify me when you have stopped, so that I can inform the doctor to see you 48 hours afterward. I do not want you to go through being in more discomfort, by having your physical done during your cycle.” I nodded and whispered a thank you as I took back my calendar, trying to avoid his seemingly swirling blue/gray eyes.
He seemed to be assessing me again, as he had at my ho- my former home. I studiously avoided eye contact, finding my nails quite interesting, until he spoke. I flinched at his voice breaking the silence out of nowhere, but he avoided that fact as he said, “You seem to have a very low opinion of yourself, Sweet Makenna. Either that, or you have a low opinion of me. I am honestly at a loss of why you would think -not an hour ago- that you were worth nothing more than a 'blood whore', as you called it. Would you care to explain that to me?”
I winced as he repeated my own words. It took me a full minute to whisper a barely audible, “What else am I to think, Sir? The options for clearing my father's debt were for him to die -most likely brutally- or for my life...” I choked a bit on the lump in my throat, then tried to clear it before continuing, “My life to be forfeit to you. You are a vampire, and I'm a human girl that you had only just met this morning. Now I can't claim to be an expert about vampires, Sir, by any means... but what reason, other than my blood, could there have been for you choosing to take me after such a short time?”
The instant the words were out of my mouth, I knew I said too much. He would surely punish me somehow. He looked at me for quite a while before he said, “I will tell you what I saw, but only if you look at me. I do not particularly care to speak to the top of your head, Sweet Makenna.”