Christmas Consort

My...Master

Lara kept running her tongue back and forth across her lips and teeth. The vampire in her car was older than Silas, stronger, and better at absolutely everything. I wanna keep him. Remembering what he said about questions she thought about how to approach getting what she wanted from him.

"I would really like for you to come home and consort with me and my--my master."

"Master."

She knew she'd struck the right chord by the distaste in his voice.

"He's not a bad master. I don't want you thinking that. He takes such good care of me, makes sure I'm safe during the day. It's only the two of us out where we live. And I'm really good at getting the bloods he wants without having to take, or at least not often. You might even like him." She tried to put hope and fear in her voice. "Maybe you'll want to stay on for a while and consort?"

Franco sneered at the thought he might like a vampire master who used a woman this way. She was obviously quite young and not from a consortia, but she kept using that word. He softened toward her.

"You drive, and I'll sit here looking good," he said.

Lara gave the expected little laugh. "I'm Lara, and you are...?

When he and his brother moved and started over they changed their names though usually not far from the originals. He was on his own by choice now. Maybe it was time to get back to closer to his roots.

"Franco. It's been quite a pleasure to meet you." His eyebrows waggled up and down.

"Thank you," Lara bit her lip.

"Why do you say 'consort' like it's a verb if there are only the two of you?"

Her jaw dropped. He might be older than Silas but he was far less informed. She began calculating how to use that to her advantage.

"My master used to live in a consortia. He said consorting was one of the ways vampires feed from each other and made themselves stronger. Not like we did just now taking turns. It's different. If you don't consort, how have you lived so long? I mean, oh I asked another question. I'm so sorry."

"No need to apologize. I lived with one or two others over the years. We called our group a coven."

"Like witches?"

"Like vampires who live beyond consortia rule. I'm looking for something different now. Do you know Jackson Ridley?"

Why does everyone want to see that butcher? "Master says Ridley is a butcher who dresses in black like the cowboy version of death. He lives to the east and is to be avoided at all costs. Master says if the butcher smelled even a hint of death taint on me, he would chop off my head."

The vampire reached over with a hand to pat her arm and said, "Ridley is not really like that. Maybe he wears black but the rest of that--is the Silas you mentioned is he--?

"Yes. Master Silas. But he often lets me call him Silas. He is kind."

"Huh, is Silas your sire? Did he you change you?"

Lara fidgeted and hoped that came across as fearful. Telling too many lies could backfire if Silas and Franco spoke too long.

"I'm not supposed to talk about that."

"I see."

Let him make his own assumptions, that Silas both Made without permission and had her Take human blood to feed him. Who was to say different except the monster master Silas. Lara was so pleased with herself she smiled like the cheshire cat. What difference did it make? He couldn't see. And if she could get him to kill Silas then she could go anywhere west and do whatever she wanted. She swerved with the heady thought that with Silas disposed of she could drink her fill of the blood bag, even keep her as slave.

What about Plan A and Plan B? Ridley wouldn't come looking for them beyond the bounds of his territory and the woman was at the house, she could still use her if Franco failed.

"Oh no. I hope Master won't be too mad. I totally forgot."

"What's the matter? Why would he be mad?"

"He's got a woman at the house."

"A human? Held captive at your house?" Had Franco not seen unknown horrors in the last year, he would have believed Lara's master to be the most despicable vampire on the planet.

"He ran her off the road, you see. Told her it was me and then he healed her with his venom. He brought her home and said he had to nurse her back to full health, that she couldn't live without him for awhile because of the venom. She must believe him because I can't smell the death taint on him now. Someone like that will be so grateful she'll give him anything he wants for a while."

Lara knew she needed to stop talking. How fun it was to string all these lies together into a noose fitted for Silas' neck. I should write fiction.

Franco's full lips were pressed together against his teeth. He looked ready to kill Silas before an introduction could be made.

"How much further?"

Oh yeah. He was very angry.

"Our exit is the next one, but the rural routes are windy and I have to take really good care with Master's car. It was mine he wrecked the last time."

"The last time."

"Yeah. He's done this before, but it's only to help us survive. And he didn't mean for anybody to die or end up in a coma. Things just happen sometimes."

Franco Cayne wasn't sure he could take much more about this Master Silas. The truth was he was so full of anger over what had happened a few months ago that he had left his brother for the first time 200 years, wouldn't even speak to their elder, and was refusing calls from the sweetest little gal he'd ever known. At that moment he would have gladly ripped Master Silas apart limb from limb.

He was seething.

"We could listen to some music? I'm not supposed to change the channel, but--"

"Music. Yeah. That'd be great."

Lara flipped on the rock station she'd been jamming with on the way into the city and recognized the first few bars of a song by Fuel called Won't Back Down. She wanted to whoop with joy. It was absolutely perfect. She reigned herself and only mouthed her new favorite line rather than singing along. Here's hoping Silas is not ready for the hell coming at him tonight.