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If Alyssa had the strength to do so, she would have hopped off the couch and given the Dark Prince the hardest smack she could muster. Similar to the one she gave Gabriel a bit earlier, but with more ferocity. The thought of someone like Cornelius being her master was enough to make her sick to her stomach, and the other two vampires in the room could sense her disapproval of this fact.
“You’re my master?” Alyssa repeated, hoping that saying it out loud would make the news easier to take, but she was wrong. “Then who’s your master?”
“Well, that’s a little complicated,” Cornelius tried to explain.
“You just said all vampires have a master!” Alyssa said, angered that they were already moving the goal posts on her.
“He’s right, all vampires are tethered to a master,” Gabriel said, trying to calm her down. “But who our master is varies depending on how we’re created. If a person is turned like you were, the vampire who performs the ceremony becomes your master. It’s a different matter if you are born a vampire instead. We were never turned; we came into his world as vampires. Our creation was by birth.”
“Then who is your master?” Alyssa asked.
“That would be our parents,” The Dark Prince answered, “Vampires who are born into the world have to deal with two masters, that being our father and mother. We are compelled to do whatever our parent’s will no matter what they ask for.”
“Does that mean I’m compelled to follow your will forever?” Alyssa asked.
“No, of course not.” Cornelius answered, “Vampires are only tethered for a long as your master wills it. You can be freed from your bonds if your master consents.”
“Well, there you have it!” Alyssa said, standing up. “Free me.”
Cornelius responded to her brash request by laughing in her face.
“Absolutely not, my dear.” Cornelius said, wiping a tear from his cheek from how hard he was chuckling. “But thanks for the laugh.”
“Why the hell not?” Alyssa demanded.
“Because you’re not ready!” Cornelius roared at her, his patience now starting to wane. “Now sit back down and shut up!”
Alyssa was stunned by the sudden order that was barked at her, and while her first instinct was to defy the Dark Prince and even give him a one finger salute, she was unable to do it. She was also unable to speak a single work of defiance as well and felt a force that compelled her to gravitate back to the couch where she was previously sitting. After she sat back down on the couch, pretty much against her will, she looked back up at Cornelius who had a small grin on his face.
“This is what happens when your master makes a command,” Cornelius said as he walked closer to her. “Your mind and body compel you to obey. So, unless you want to feel this paralyzed again and again, you need to learn to follow my instructions and I will try to not push things too much moving forward.”
Alyssa didn’t respond and just sat there silently looking at him.
“You did tell her to shut up,” Gabriel reminded him.
“Ah yes, apologies.” Cornelius replied as he turned to face Alyssa. “You may speak, my dear.”
“Go to hell,” Alyssa then spat out once her mouth started to work again.
“Been there, done that.” Cornelius said, almost laughing again.
“Really?” Alyssa asked, wondering if he was telling the truth.
“No, I’m afraid not.” Cornelius said, “There is no heaven or hell, just the here and now in the real world. What I have done my dear is give you a very valuable gift. Your lifespan has grown tenfold, and you might very well live to see the end of this gruesome apocalypse. You can even use your new strengths and powers to protect the ones you love, such as your sister.”
“Where is my sister?” Alyssa asked the Dark Prince.
“We all know the answer to that,” Cornelius answered, “I received a message from New Salem while I was in New Lycan, and word is Diane is doing quite well. The heavenly aura is getting the royal treatment, so she’s not in any danger. I reminded the witches that if any harm that comes to her then they will have to answer to me.”
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“Don’t forget about her guardians,” Gabriel reminded them. “Not only does she have her own army of them, but the other guardians that watch the city probably also tethered to her as aura as well. No one in the city will dare oppose her.”
“If it makes you feel better,” Cornelius added, “I will have the council reach out to their government and purpose a peaceful delegation.”
“What for?” Alyssa asked.
“Vampires are forbidden to enter the city,” Gabriel answered, “Unless given special permission by their ruling parties. We’ll use our political clout to get into the city so you can visit Diane.”
“I would like that,” Alyssa said, “But I would prefer to see her later when I’m feeling better and able to better handle being a vampire.”
“That’s a good point,” Gabriel said, “And that’s why were staying here for the time being, for your training.”
“But you’re not going to free me?” Alyssa asked again.
“No,” Cornelius answered, “But that doesn’t mean I never will. I eventually freed every person I turned when I was sure they were ready to take care of themselves. I take this responsibility seriously, Alyssa. You will only be freed when I am confident that you no longer need me. Until then, you will do as I say.”
“I’m confused,” Alyssa started, as she turned to face Gabriel, “Why didn’t you want to be my master?”
“I thought about it,” Gabriel said, “But in the end, this was the right thing to do. I care too much to not give you the best chance for survival. Cornelius will take good care of you and is a fair master. I also didn’t want to defy my master.”
“Wait, you still have a master?” Alyssa asked.
“You know we do,” Cornelius answered, “While our mothers freed us a long time ago, our father on the other had has never let us go. We’ve been tethered to him for thousands of years.”
“And you’re alright with that?” Alyssa asked.
“It’s not ideal,” Gabriel replied, “But Father has never freed any of his children. I believe he does it because he liked to remain close to us and enjoys having the power to beacon for us whenever he wants. I’m also sure he wants to keep an eye out for us and what not. It’s kind of touching and I would probably do the same to my kids.”
“Masters have more abilities than you think,” Cornelius continued, “Our tethering allows us to know where you are at all times, and while we cannot read your thoughts we are capable of feeling your emotions. So, I will know when you are happy, angered, and even scared. The last one means that masters have the ability to know whenever their kin are in danger, and that will allow us to come flying to your aid whenever you should need it.”
“Wow, that’s pretty interesting,” Alyssa confessed, “That makes sense why your father insisted on keeping it, it would be like me wanting to keep track of Diane. I can see why some parents would want to remain connected to their children.”
“This is why I take these matters seriously,” Cornelius said, “You are now my kin, and I will treat you as a member of my family. Any action or slander made upon you from this moment on is the same as an attack upon me as well.”
“This is why I also chose to not resist,” Gabriel said, “You’re only one of a small handful of people who are tethered to the Dark Prince. No vampire will dare cross you or put your life in danger as it would be considered treason against the crown.”
“Okay,” Alyssa said, thinking it over. “So, not only am I vampire but I’m also considered Vampire royalty?”
“Technically we all are,” Gabriel said, “But you don’t have to take it seriously.”
“Unless I want you to,” Cornelius corrected him, “But at the moment, I’m not that interested in it as well. I’ve been content to allow the council to run things while I take care of my business over here. Even if I were to take over, I would merely be warming the throne for the real ruler who still slumbers.”
“You father?” Alyssa guessed.
“That is correct,” Cornelius confirmed, “Father has been asleep for over a thousand years, but his will is still being followed.”
“What does that mean?” Alyssa asked.
“We’ll get to that later,” Gabriel said, “For now you need to rest and get your strength back.”
“He’s right,” Cornelius concurred, “Get some rest and we’ll talk more over dinner later today. I brought some fresh meat from New Lycan and thought we could have a normal meal to ease you into things.”
“Not a bad idea,” Alyssa said as she laid back down on the couch, “Easing me into things and what not.”
“We need to take a lot of things slowly, my dear.” Cornelius said, as he walked his last bag into the kitchen. “Rest for now, and we’ll talk again later.”
Alyssa wanted to protest and ask more questions, but like the time before she was mentally compelled to do as she was instructed. She gave out a loud groan, as she laid back down on the couch and made herself comfortable once again. She remained there until she saw Gabriel walking back in and called out to him.
“What do you need?” Gabriel asked her.
“Can you at least give me a book to read?” she asked him. “I may be sore, but I’m not tired. Give me something interesting to sink my teeth into.”
“Odd choice of words,” Gabriel said, as he walked over to massive bookshelf that was on the other side of the room. He scoured the books for a moment, and then grabbed one in particular. He walked over and handed it over to her. She looked at the cover and then back up at him.
“Seriously?” she said, looking confused. “You want me to read this?”
“Yes, you should.” Gabriel said, smiling back at her. “It’s educational.”
“How is this overdramatic crap educational?” she asked him.
“It’s based on true events,” Gabriel replied.
“What?” Alyssa replied, “Are you shitting me?”
“I’m afraid not,” Gabriel said, smiling back at her. “I was good friends with the main character’s father.”
“Seriously?” Alyssa said, unable to believe it.
“When it first released,” Gabriel continued, “I could have sworn the council was going to have her executed, but they didn’t. As the years passed, the council enjoyed how literature based on us provided a great deal of plausible deniability.”
“How many vampire books are true?” she then asked.
“Only a select few,” Gabriel said, winking back at her. “But only the council and the crown actually know which ones. You should have seen my face when Cornelius told me about a few of them. So, enjoy!”
Alyssa watched as Gabriel left the room to attend to some errands. She took a look at the book again and took a deep breath.
“Alright,” she said, opening the book, “This should be interesting.”