“I hope you have a pile of gold or something lying around from your youth to pay for a new one.” There I went again with my mouth. A rumbling noise vibrated from his chest, and I focused on the road again. I lasted about ten minutes before I couldn’t help but fill the silence in the car. I didn’t like awkward situations and sitting here with him was awkward.
“What is it you’re looking for once we get to Osaka?” I asked casually, hoping I wasn’t taking him to an all-you-can-eat human buffet.
“I need clothes this time.” His gruff voice talking about clothes had kicked my brain into fashion show mode.
“Shopping. I am a shopping expert. Fashion is what I do.” Part of me wanted to run far away, and another part of me didn’t care that I’d be shopping with a monster who wanted to kill me and my family. I liked challenges. Maybe he would be won over by my keen fashion sense. Doubted it, but a girl could dream.
“You should be serving your husband and bearing children instead of fashion.”
I scoffed, thinking his joke was dumb. But his face was serious. Great. Not only was he a scary vampire but a sexist one at that.
“Times have changed since the fifteenth century. Women are leaders. They don’t need a man taking care of them all the time. We can do anything men can.” I sat straighter in my seat, proud of how far women had come. We still had more work to do, but we women weren’t stopping until we were truly equal to men in the eyes of the world. The vampire remained silent for a minute, then a more terrifying sound blared from his mouth. Laughter.
“Women as leaders. I may have fought beside a woman or two, but they have no capacity for bloodshed or leadership.”
The gall.
“I don’t know if there are other vampires, but I pray there are more and a badass woman vamp will kick your ass, then make you her bitch.” Was it possible to put out an ad on social media for a powerful female vampire to fight a male vampire?
“I don’t understand what you said. But there are others, and I doubt they could best me. I am one of the originals. The most powerful of my kind.”
Well, there goes that idea.
“How did you become a vampire?”
“No.” He instantly shut down my curiosity.
“No, you won’t tell me or no, you don’t remember?”
“Your voice teases the ache in my throat to drink your blood. By all means, keep speaking,” he warned me and I closed my lips.
We drove the rest of the way in silence even though the pent-up energy inside me practically vibrated the seat. Osaka was busy, as usual, when we arrived. Tatsou squinted at the bright lights but otherwise scanned the details of the city with barely a hint of interest.
“Okay. We park here and walk.” I pulled into a spot and adjusted to the high energy of the city. I liked coming here in small doses. The amount of people tended to give me anxiety. However, I knew if I mentioned my issues to Tatsou, he wouldn’t care. We left for some of my favorite shops, and eyes of both sexes followed him as we walked on the sidewalk. If only they knew a vampire walked amongst them.
Chapter Seven
Tatsou
I did not like this modern era.
It was too loud, too chaotic, and too bright. As an original vampire, I could stand the light in moderation. However, I didn’t like the inevitable headache I would get later. These fake lights all around hurt my eyes, and they were everywhere. Katsumi led me to stores she preferred, and then shoved me into a small room with a curtain door to dress myself.
“If you don’t like any of it, just let me know. Also, if you have a style you prefer, we can try to find it,” the insufferable woman shouted from the other side of the curtain. She talked too much, and I could sniff the defiance on her. She was more than the little kitten I’d called her. She just didn’t see it yet, and I would keep her from seeing it until I took my revenge. As we rode in the luxurious vehicle to the city, I’d thought more on the details of my plan. Getting the girl to insert herself into her father’s hidden world plus explaining my presence around her would be difficult. I decided to take up an old role in her father’s eyes and be her protection warrior, which they thought she needed. I may need to drain a few more of his people to stir fear in their hearts over the girl’s well-being.
“This fits,” I announced, and looked at my reflection. Vampires had to keep with clothing trends over their long lives or a particularly curious human might date us to a certain time. She’d handed me black pants that buttoned in front and didn’t have much give in the material. The shirt had buttons up the front and a collar around the neck. I looked ridiculous, like the men that strutted into Sakura’s office. A businessman.
“Come out and show me,” Katsumi demanded and I started removing the shirt. It fit, we could grab five more like it, and then I’d blend in with the other humans.
“No,” I said, as I peeled off the shirt and the curtain was yanked back.
“I have to see—” Kat’s words got stuck as she prepared to show those hidden claws.
“It fits,” I stated, and she scanned my bare chest with wide eyes. I had scars from battle that didn’t heal correctly, thanks to the sweat on my skin. She looked stunned and frightened. I listened as her heart sped, and her breaths turned heavy.
“Are you ill?” I asked, only because her sickness would damper my timeline. She would need to see a healer, then do whatever they said. It could take weeks to mend. She shut her slackened jaw and blinked rapidly.
“I’m fine, you’re fine, everything is fine.” She closed the curtain as quickly as she opened it, and I tossed on the shirt I wore inside. I kept on the pants since they fit better than my original pair. When I exited the dressing area, Katsumi’s cheeks appeared red, and I questioned if she was ill again.
