He’s staring at me as if I’d just said that he’d suddenly turned into a normal. “D-does that - is that your story? Are you the former clan princess who was turned?” I nod, and his viewpoint seems to suddenly shift. His next words are very quiet, almost a whisper. “Am I the one who turned you?”

I offer him a slight smile and hold out my wrist. “Why don’t you find out?” A vampire rarely forgets the taste of someone they’ve drank from, and never that of someone they’ve turned.

He slowly, hesitantly takes my wrist, biting gently, almost guiltily. His eyes immediately go wide and he pulls back. “Y-you’re… that girl. The one they told me I turned, yet would never tell me how to find. I’ve spent millennia searching so I could apologize to you.” He drops to his knees on the floor. “I owe you more than my life. How can I repay you?”

I close my eyes as I remember the rules about berserk vampires. The law states that vampires are exempt from formal punishment for any actions performed while in that state, though common-law says that if they turn someone without that person's consent, they must perform at least one favor for that person per year of their life. Then he says, “I’ve stolen I-can’t-even-remember-how-long of your life, and I haven’t even done you yearly favors.” His eyes light up. “I know! I’ll give you my time in exchange. Ah, how long has it been?”

I stare at him in bemusement as he tries to calculate how long ago he turned me. Finally, I decide to show him a little sympathy. “Eight thousand, four hundred, seventy-two years. I don’t really need a manservant anyway, so why don’t we just stick to extra favors?” I’ll do nearly anything to stop him from devoting his life to me; I would hate to take over his opportunities like that. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice that the door to the kitchen has swung open, but I don’t comment.

He frowns. “Then… 8472 months? Is that better?”

I groan and start doing mental calculations. “8472...divided by 12...makes 706 years… I don’t think I want him as a servant for that long…” I pause. “Oh! I have an idea. 8472, divided by 365, is… just over 23 years.” I turn to look at him and speak up so he can hear me. “23 years, and lots of favors. Fair?”

He stares up at me. “O-okay… and I still have to pay for the treatment! Let’s make the time an even 30, to pay most of my debt, and an infinite number of favors.” He doesn’t look like he’s backing down on this.

“Fine. Now get out to the kitchen; breakfast will be ready soon.” I grin. “I know you pureblood vampires don’t need to eat, but it would be a shame to pass up Zakin’s cooking.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

I step out and start setting the table. Zakin looks over at me. “My, my, so the Shadow Empress does have compassion,” he teases, too quietly for even Tylerin’s vampiric hearing to catch.

“Ha!” I roll my eyes at him. “Not only has it been centuries since I held that title, but you of all people know that it was just an act. Also, I didn’t hold a grudge against him from the beginning, so pulling back on how long he’s in my service was easy.”

“Is something wrong?” I glance back to see Tylerin watching us worriedly from the other side of the room. “Is there anything I can help with?”

Zakin shakes his head. “I think we’ve got it covered, but thanks.” He turns to look. “I didn’t hear it, what is your name?”

I know he’s lying, because Zakin rarely lets me be alone with someone he doesn’t fully trust, but I appreciate his attempt to maintain the illusion of privacy. From the look on Tyler’s face, he knows it too, but he graciously lets the lie stand. “Tylerin Shadowfang. Nice to meet you - ah, Zakin, was it?”

My friend nods. “Yes, but I have no clan. She was my friend even before she was turned, so I left to follow her; I’m only slightly younger than she is, by about two years.”

“He’s been a vampire longer, though,” I murmur. “But my control is better.”

Tyler’s eyes fly back and forth between us. “Are you… lovers? Married?”

“Nah,” we say in unison. Zakin continues, “We’ve known each other far too long to ever even consider trying that. We’re just really close best friends.”

After a moment of awkward silence, Zakin speaks up again. “You know, who you are right now is far different from your public image. Is that normal for you?” Tyler nods.

I lift an eyebrow. “Should I be concerned about being attacked by hordes of jealous girls?”

He looks mortified. “Of course not! A-at least… I don’t think so…” He’s sounding less and less certain with each word. “Here’s an idea. Do you want to come with me to my company? I don’t usually take vacations, so I don’t want to be away for too long. I’ll have to go alone for a couple days to set it up, but I think I can get you in as a business advisor.”

I consider the idea for a moment. Money doesn’t mean much to me, but at least it’ll be different from usual. “Sure.”

“What should I use as your last name?”

The room is silent. Since I’m not a part of any official clan, I can’t use my clan name. I hesitate. “Shadowmoon. Use Shadowmoon.”

Zakin startles. “You’ve decided? You know they might catch hell for this, right?”

“They’ll be fine. It’s a fitting name.” I’m not going to back down.

The two men lock eyes, and Zakin says, “I don’t care if you’re her servant or not, or what you owe each other. If you bring Shona trouble, I will take action against you.”

Tyler doesn’t flinch. “I know.”