A few moments later Natalia walked through the basement door and closed it behind her, an empty syringe loosely held in one hand. “I take it that whatever this stuff is had the desired effect?” She dropped the syringe on the bar top. “She was cool to the touch and her eyes were half open like she was in a coma. It was a little creepy and unnerving. No one should be left to live like that.”
Kenneth walked over to her and gently took her chin in his hand, “She is living as she should be, my mate. I have created a perfect world for her. Its only her body that is down in my basement, her mind in safely tucked away in mine and the prison I built for her there.”
Natalia smiled and nodded, “Yes, my mate. You have everything under control and the plan is proceeding as you wish it to?”
Kenneth shook his head, “Mostly. I would like to not have to drink so much blood. The effort of keeping her contained is a little more than I expected as the sweat clearly indicates. I haven’t sweat since I was turned. Maybe it has something to do with the mental effort or the fact that I have implanted myself into the trap as a human and my body is reacting to what it is like to be human once again. I don’t know. But it is a small thing compared to what I felt just before her mind darkened into the drug induced sleep.”
Natalia folded her arms under her breasts, “What happened?”
“She felt shame.” Kenneth replied. “That feeling was so powerful in her I can’t believe that I didn’t feel it before, or even sense it as a weakness. Why she didn’t feel it yesterday I have no idea, maybe it was because she was out in public?” Kenneth grew quiet and leaned on the bar, thoughtful.
“So what, my mate?” Natalia leaned in closer on the bar. “So what if she felt shame? How does this put her any closer into your power? How does this help you get to your goal?” She asked not uncaring, her eyes searched the deep contemplation of her mate and she wanted to feel what he felt. The thrill of the hunt had taken him and his mind was spinning schemes within schemes and far flung thoughts of the future were being brought into sharp focus that only his mind could see. She wanted to be where he was, she wanted to believe.
Kenneth’s eyes saw only the mirror in front of them. His mind was preoccupied with what he had learned. “Shame is just as good a motivator as one could hope for.” He looked at his mate then, his steel grey eyes met her pure blue ones. “Through shame, one could be brought to endure anything.”
Stolen novel; please report.
Kenneth pushed off from the bar and made his way to sit down on his leather chair. “When I first met you around the time I realized what I truly wanted from this immortal life, I started my journey with the search of knowledge.” Kenneth closed his eyes and leaned back tiredly to rest his head against the back of the chair. “Wars have always been won and lost with the ingenuity of the commanders of the opposing armies. But even before the battlefield has been taken the commanders who win spend days, sometimes months and years studying their opponent. Scipio would never have won at Zama without knowing how to defeat Hannibal’s elephants.” He looked at Natalia and saw her attention waning.
“Yes, ending the second Punic Wars and establishing Rome as the super power of the ancient world. How did you use those lessons?” Natalia stopped and looked at Kenneth. “What did you discover?”
Kenneth smiled, “I discovered the names of the Elders, well three of them, that were known to operate here on the western side of the United States, Ansuya Das, Alexiares, and Mr. Huan Li, a china man who was born north of here in San Francisco. Through studying these three I was drawn to Ansuya. For some reason her heritage was a mystery, shrouded in fantasy and mysticism. So, I buried myself in texts and books and whatever I could find, to discover the truth of the Indian culture and their religion.” Kenneth paused and then said, “Why didn’t I see it before?”
Natalia was still standing next to him, “I’m not sure I follow you. I don’t know anything about Indian culture, other than that’s where all the spice in the world comes from, or did in the 1400’s. What did you find?”
“The Indian culture is a lot like any Asian culture, shame driven.” He looked up at her and took her hand, “Did you know that up until the English conquered India in the early 1600’s they killed widowed women?”
Natalia eyes grew wide, “They did what?”
“When a man died, they would sacrifice the surviving wife by killing her on a funeral pier.” Kenneth replied.
“Just because a man died the woman was automatically sentenced to death? No wonder they have been conquered and reconquered over the years. Ignorant butchers! I’m surprised they were never massacred as the savages that they are by the Dutch or the English, they did as much to the natives of this country!”
“Yes, well who can say,” Kenneth replied dryly. “But don’t you see? Her, entire culture is based on shame. An entire culture shamed thousands of women into willfully killing themselves for centuries till an outside force stopped them from doing it. She came from that culture; she wasn’t born here; of that I am certain. Now I just need to figure out how to use that emotion to drive her, channel her towards me.”
“Then you’ll have everything you’ll need to put your other plans into action,” she said with a glow to her eyes.
“Yes,” he said smiling and standing up. He took her in his arms and kissed her gently. “You’re not worried that I don’t need you anymore, are you?”