Was this some role for Anton? Had the abuse Seamus put him through twisted Anton so that he was a creature who enacted his hurt on others to retain some semblance of sanity after eight hundred years? Or was the torture he inflicted on others part of who he’d always been?
Was he truly a monster?
Takashi couldn’t say for certain, at least not to himself.I need more time to gather information.
“Shall we go home?” Takashi asked.
Anton grinned wider. He squeezed Katie’s shoulders. “Yes. Our daughter should change before I take her hunting.”
Our. That was becoming a heavier and heavier word. Takashi had never thought to include Anton in the vision of the future he hoped to build.
He couldn’t help wondering if he should.
CHAPTER 33
Video games and television had never held less allure. For a couple hours, Zack tried to make use of the massive entertainment system set up in his suite’s living room, but the screen was too bright, the shows too slow, and the games too easy.
Reading was something he occasionally enjoyed but hadn’t made time for since he’d finished Blake’s copy of HT Moss’s latestFrom the Gravebook. He combed through the books on his bookshelf to get a better look at what was there. Surely something would catch his interest.
The Cal voice tried to resurface and tell him what a horrible person he was for thinking about reading anything on the shelves.I’m a fucking vampire, not a human. So nothing you say matters anymore. When no Seamus voice added its opinion, Zack relaxed a little bit more.
But that did mean he was totally, utterly alone for the first time in weeks. Since before his transformation even. Sure, there was still the staff in the building, but they tended to be ghosts.Actually not sure that they’re not ghosts.
They are not ghosts, Seamus said in his head.
Knew you were listening, Zack replied.
At some point, I hope you have a sireling who is just as loud as you are. Then you’ll understand my predicament.
Zack snorted as he continued skimming the books. There were two that were supposedly bytheDracula. One was supposed the “true” account of “what happened in England.”You feel really far away. When are you going to interrupt my chill evening?
Unfortunately, business is occupying my time. You can blame Roger for this interruption in your lessons. Don’t worry, you have plenty of food. I know you are opposed to gray bands, so I’ve made other arrangements. All you need do is call for Grimsby, and he will assist you, Seamus said.
What evenisGrimsby?Zack thought before he stopped himself.
Always curious, Zackery. Perhaps you should spend your evening in the library.
Of course there was a library in the mansion. The place was huge. Zack put the Dracula book back on its shelf.You trust me to roam about the mansion unsupervised?
It’s your home. Do as you like.
Zack tapped his finger along the edge of the shelf and scowled out at the wall. Seamus’s permission had to be some kind of trick, didn’t it? The evil mastermind wasn’t just supposed to let the good guy wander the castle.
However, exploring the mansion sure beat staying in his room waiting for Takashi to come home or for his hunger to get unbearable. He headed for the hallway, poking his head out first just to make two black-clad security guards weren’t waiting to shove him back inside. Seamus’s security for his mansion always seemed to move in twos.
No one was out there. No sounds drifted through the stillness either.
Being home alone had lost its thrill when Zack was sixteen and he’d convinced his parents he could stay at the house while Amber stayed with their grandparents. He’d been able to jack off in peace, which was nice, but that’d gotten old quickly. Well, fairly quickly. He and Cal shared a wall, so Cal being out on a hunt with their parents meant no one was on the other side of the wall to possibly overhear him. And he’d been able to dive into the porn he liked without worrying that someone was going to interrupt him.Great. Now I’m having all the horny thoughts.
As much as Cal had mocked him for his interest in vampire porn, Zack could experiment with bringing his fantasies to life a little bit more. Takashi seemed to share a few of his kinks. If they could find a mortal …
Thinking of owning people?the Cal voice said derisively.
Notowning. Forming a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship, his rational voice provided.
Parasite.
Zack sighed and rolled his eyes at himself. He was in the beginning of a new interesting chapter in his life, and yeah, some shit sucked, but his inner doubt needed to fuck off. Instead of engaging with it further, he focused on the hall he traversed.
