Serving the Immortals by Katie Douglas

Author:Katie Douglas [Douglas, Katie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stormy Night Publications
Published: 2017-03-16T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

The study was a large, oak-paneled room with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves covering one wall. Another wall had a window, set into the wooden panels and framed by heavy velvet curtains. Monique was fond of velvet. I wondered why Hannah and I were standing before Monique’s intricately carved wooden desk, as she lounged behind it with a wine glass in one hand and a cigar in the other.

“I trust your new uniform fits correctly?” She drew on her cigar and waited for a response. I started to color red again.

“The skirt is too short,” I complained.

Monique stared at me like I was some kind of new species of insect, then drew on her cigar again before speaking.

“Have you ever wondered about why some trees have leaves which grow and die, year after year, while others remain green forever?”

I was completely wrong-footed by her question. What did this have to do with the problem of my dress?

“I’ve never wondered, no,” I replied, deciding to be direct.

“Some trees are only beautiful in the summer. Others remain beautiful all the time, but in doing so, they become commonplace. Nobody looks forward to seeing the pine tree in May, for example. The cherry tree, however… it is so fleeting, but intrinsically special. If the cherry trees blossomed year-round, and the pine trees only grew their needles for one or two brief months, which would people yearn to see?”

I didn’t understand what she was getting at.

“Human life is so brief, Sabine. We sanguine ones are the evergreen trees which blossom eternally. Unless someone cuts one of us down.” She glared at Hannah as she said that. Hannah averted her gaze. I inferred that Monique was still unhappy that Hannah had killed the older vampire’s mistress.

“You were a cherry tree, Sabine, and you are now a pine tree. Your outlook needs to change; you will live for at least several centuries longer than you expected. You can do that as my adherent, or you can try to grow as a single tree on a lonely hill, where eventually some hapless human will cut you down and turn you into a Christmas tree. Am I making myself clear?”

She wasn’t. The veiled threat was obvious but I didn’t really understand the rest of it.

“Yes, Mistress.” The words came out of my mouth before my brain could catch them and switch them for something that accurately reflected my thoughts.

“Good. If you are obedient and sensible, you will not have to find out what it feels like when a human turns you into kindling.” This time, her words were clear. If I didn’t follow her, I would be on my own.

“Yes, Mistress.” This time I at least knew what I was agreeing to.

“Which brings me to you, Hannah.” She drew on her cigar again then put it out in a crystal glass ashtray.

“Mistress?” Hannah sounded surprised.

“This morning, when Sabine came to the kitchen to assist you, and you saw that she was attired inappropriately, what did you do to remedy the

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