“Gotcha.” Veronica ughed and patted An’s chest. “I didn’t think it ossible to be more siing than Drake, but I will take your word for it.” Veronica gazed into her lover’s eyes and watched a thin red ring appear around his brown irises. “An?” She inquired and moved her hair to one side, leaving her neck close enough for him to feed.

  Impressed that Veronica could anticipate his needs, A a little tingle of bonding with the little blood bunny. Plunging his fangs into her thin flesh where her ned shoulder met, An drew enough of the fragrant psma from the four holes to douse the fmes that had started to rise in this throat. When his partner let out an approving mewl, An swirled his tongue across the holes o a time until the flow stopped. “Veronica, I could listen to you do that non-stop.”

  “Two peas in a pod, dear.” Veronica added and kissed An’s lightly. “I could enjoy you doing it almost non-stop.” She lightly poked his arm, “Keep going with Viktoria.”

  Wiping the small excess of blood from his lips and lig his finger , An resumed where he left off. “pleting this lovely spe of vampirism, She also had a goddess plex.” He paused, “Yeah, she wao be worshiped and called goddess.” Visions of his creator fshed in his eyes and the vampire jolted with surprise. “I ’t believe I see her this clear even now.” An rolled his eyes and forced himself te his beastly creator's face from his vision. “I guess I got lucky in the fact she wanted worshipers by the time she caught me on the benbsp; She dragged me kig and screaming to this wet and musty cave. I guess you could call it an actual ir.” Curling his lip in disgust, An pushed on. “Her brood, all sat there like hungry birds waiting for a meal.” Scratg at his chest from the memory, An added, “Using me as nothing more than a chew toy, she taught them how to create and feed. I even recall her telling them that it was her divine grace that allowed them the gift of afterlife.”

  Disturbed by the details of the ongoing story, Veronied herself from around An’s waist and spread out across his p and took his hand into hers. “I guess I have been fortuo know the vampires I have.” She pressed one of his knuckles to her lips lightly. “I have a pretty good picture of what happened. I take it she created lots of vampires to worship her, a .” She shrugged, “I have heard old stories about vampire s from Sylvie. She said they were more on when she was younger.”

  “Yes and no, my dear.” Aly brought Veronica’s hand to his own lips, “My st hundred years have made it where I think it was more or less a transition to how things are today. The more modern that your lovely human terparts got, the harder it must have been to maintain huge groups.” He shrugged. “All the same, Viktoria didn’t create for a , she created for a gregation.” He paused and rubbed his temples, “She didn’t care who or what was going on out there in the real world.” An waved his hand towards the outside. “Dozens of people were being killed every night. She’d have living fountains that we were forced to drink from, people strung up e basins.” He watched Veronica turn away from him. “Dearest, it wasn’t anything that I wao do. She had plete and and we didn’t know there was another way to survive. We were barbaric.”

  Slowly turning to look into An’s gentle brown eyes, Veroniodded and wiped a few tears from her eyes. “How-how did it go unnoticed iwenties? I mean the police should have had reports all the time.”

  “The real answer is, that it didn’t go unnoticed. Viktoria didn’t care either, a goddess will not be questioned by some lowly peon from the street, right?” An waited for Veronica to nod, “So, trust me when I say that it came to light. The others just didn’t know how to handle a of that size.” He held up a finger, “Viktoria didn’t factor in The Raven.”

  “So Vivieopped her?” Veroniquired and thought about the pierg blue eyes of her former mistress. “I knew her reputation from Franco when I first came to him.”

  An nodded and half smiled, “Stopped is an uatement.” Amused by the grin on Veronica’s face, he raised one eyebrow. “Is she really that nibsp; All I see are the devil blue eyes of hate.” Figuring that he’d said all that was necessary about his creator, An lingered on the fear and dread of The Raven’s eyes a touch longer. “Short story, most of the was destroyed that night. I knew when Viktoria died because my will became my own. Her ands aude ended immediately.”

  “You didn’t see Vivienne kill them?” Veronica quickly asked.

  Hearing the panicked screams of his brethren eg in his head, An froze in pce. “I-I, no. I didn’t see her do anything.” An’s lips quivered with unnerving fear, “..but..but, I did see her. The Angel of Death. I sw-swear mig-ght have even had a wicked bck halo and matg wings.” Cobalt pitiless eyes bore into An once more. “I-I-S-She walked past me without so much as a gnce, blood dripping from her as though the cave had rai down and blessed her ing.”

  Leaning up from her fortable position, Veronica ed herself tightly around An’s trembling form and warmly kissed his neck. “It’s alright, it’s over. A memory.” Veronica felt An slowly return to normal before easing her hug. “I wish I had a more pelling story for you.” She ughed and took his hand into her own. “You asked why I’m not a vampire?”

  “Yes.” An humbly asked as his normal personality returned. “It’s lovely that you and your bunny sisters all allow us to feed from you, but it seems almost too symbiotic.”

  Patting An’s hand lightly, Veronica took a breath and looked into his easy brown eyes. “Picture yourself not uanding why your body goes into euphoria after one of you lovely vampires do their thing. Imagiill meeting others that do the same thing you do.” She paused, “It is both frightening aing in the beginning.” Veronica squeezed An’s hand, “Along the way you get into a rhythm and develop almost a ruleset for how you and your vampire master or mistress will be.” Veronica cupped An’s cheeks, “Franco was a great master, Sylvie a lovely mistress. Vivienne..” Veronica stopped when An tensed up again, “..Never fed from us. She just put us in charge of the others who came to the manor.” Veronica winked and kissed An’s nose. “It is kind of an unwritten rule that we don’t ask. You and your kind make the offer.” Veronica ughed. “Then we decide if we want to.” She poked at An’s bare chest. “It still has to e from the vampire, my dear. Given how many vampires get turned, I think it’s for the best that one should offer..I mean it is difficult to do something so hard when your own past was sibsp; Right?”

  Running his finger uhe dark circles that formed under Veronica’s eyes, An smiled. “You look sleepy, dearest. I get up a you rest.” He paused, “I have plenty to sider when I see your mistress this evening.”

  “Don’t you dare leave.” Veronica muttered and yaw the same time. “I like it here, if you don’t mind.” Shutting her eyes for a brief moment, Veronica peeked open one eye, “I don’t have to wear a mask or anything do I? I would prefer to wake up with my mind as my own.” She smiled.

  Relieved to finally ugh once more, Ahe few chuckles subside before answering. “I am in trol. You are perfectly safe here for the day. Sleep well.” He leaned over and gave her a final quick kiss on the cheek before he watched Veronica drift off.