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Alyssa spent the entire afternoon reading the book that Gabriel had given her and every time he strolled past the living room she would always ask him again to confirm if the book was actually true. Gabriel would laugh every time and confirm it as often as she needed that what she was reading was confirmed by the Vampire Council as something that actually happened. She had so many questions to ask of them both but decided to keep reading as the book was infinitely more interesting as the author was casually talking about vampires and how they used to live in the depths of history. Gabriel was indeed correct when he called the book educational as it was serving as a decent how to book on Vampire etiquette. The person knew a lot about vampires, to the point were Alyssa started to suspect that the author might have secretly been one herself. The more she read the novel, the more exciting and thought provoking to her it was. She never put the novel down for several hours until Cornelius called her to take a break and come to the dinner table. Alyssa was about to decline but remembered that it was her master that made the order, so he put the book down and voluntarily complied which avoided her body having to override her again for the third time that day. She started to realize that as long as she decided to comply within ten seconds of being asked, there was no seizing of her function, and she would he able to do the task requested herself. She strolled over to the table to see a rather decent spread laid out for them all.
“This is lovely,” Alyssa said as she sat down. There was a nice sized roast, vegetables, and even a Caesar salad on the table waiting to be served.
“Who made this?” Alyssa asked them.
“I did,” Cornelius answered, “It is tradition to feast to celebrate the addition of a new member into your fold. Usually, the ceremony and celebration are supposed to be grander, but this will have to do for the time being.”
“It’s wonderful, thank you.” Alyssa said as she started to move some food to her plate. Gabriel wasn’t eating anything as usual, but he watched as did his brother as she took a few bites.
“There you go, she still likes to eat.” Cornelius said, beaming as if he just had won a wager.
“I can still taste it!” Alyssa said, rather pleased with it.
“It will not sustain you though,” Cornelius said, “Only this will.”
She looked over at him and he was holding up one of the wine glasses that had a dark reddish liquid inside of it. There was also a filled wine glass in front of both Gabriel and Alyssa as well. She took a moment to stare at the glass and then looked back at the two brothers watching her.
“I guess that’s not wine, eh?” she casually asked.
“No, my dear.” Cornelius answered.
“The longer we go without blood,” Gabriel continued, “The more angered and unpleasant we become. This is how we end up attacking people and just taking their blood right from the veins. Those kinds of incidents usually occurred when the vampire was consumed with starvation.”
“That explains the constant supply,” Alyssa said, remembering how well Gabriel would ration her blood.
“You don’t have to do it right now,” Gabriel told her, “But eventually the cravings you’re feeling will get worse until it consumes you and it becomes all you think about. Just remember what it felt like to be compelled by his orders and triple it. You will lose control and trust me, that isn’t fun.”
“It is not,” Cornelius confirmed.
“It’s alright,” Alyssa said, picking up the glass. “I’d rather walk into it rather than be forced to run.”
She looked at the wine glass before her, and then slowly took a very small sip of the liquid inside of it. She had expected it to taste awful, with that metallic flavor she remembered the one time someone had punched her during a school yard fight. Alyssa sat there at the table, just staring at the glass.
“Are you alright?” Gabriel asked.
“Clearly she is not,” Cornelius said, as he understood what was going on. “Clearly, she isn’t ready yet. She’s only been one of us a single day.”
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“I’m sorry,” Alyssa said, “I don’t want this to be an issue.”
“It’s early,” Gabriel replied, “You have to time get used to the idea before the hunger gets worse.”
“It’s essential for the transformation,” Cornelius added, “But when the time comes you will have no choice. But for now, we’re not in a hurry.”
“Okay,” Alyssa said, pushing her glass away. “Thank you for easing me into it. I’m just happy that I can still enjoy eating food. Hey, do vampires get fat?”
“We do not,” Cornelius answered, “Our bodies can burn everything we consume too fast for the food to have any effect. If anything, sometimes we tend to get far too skinny.”
“How do I avoid that from happening?” Alyssa asked, not wanting to look like a malnourished, starving supermodel.
“We’ll teach you how to take care of yourself,” Gabriel said, “You’ll have the both of us here to guide you and answer any questions you might have.”
“I also need to conduct some tests over the next week,” Cornelius added, “To see what powers you may have inherited from me.”
“Powers?” Alyssa repeated.
“Yes,” Gabriel said, “The more powerful the vampire that turns you, the more likely you are to develop some of his or her powers. Cornelius is one of the most powerful vampires alive, so chances are you might have a few of them.”
“What kind of powers are we talking about here?” Alyssa asked.
“Chances are you inherited my strength,” Cornelius started, “And odds are very good you will be able to fly like us.”
“Oh crap,” Alyssa said, almost coughing out her food. “I can fly?”
“Chances are good,” Gabriel said, “We’ll have to give you some flying lessons in the next day or so to be sure.”
“This is all very overwhelming.” Alyssa said, “Things are changing so fast.”
“Soon you will realize that time is no longer your enemy,” Cornelius added, “You can take your time because have a lot more of it now.”
“I’m going to outlive everyone I know, aren’t I?” Alyssa suddenly asked.
“You will,” Gabriel said, as he took her hand to offer support.
“Even Diane?” She asked.
“Even her,” Gabriel confirmed, “But her heavenly aura could extend her lifespan a little bit as well, so it’s not going to happen anytime soon.”
“But you will live long enough to protect her children,” Cornelius said, “And their children and the children after that. You will still have family, just more of them over a longer span of time.”
“And what about my children?” Alyssa asked. “Can I have kids?”
“Yes, you can.” Cornelius replied, “But they will also be vampires and live for a very long time as well.”
“What about marriage?” Alyssa asked, “You can’t compel me as my master to marry someone else against my will can you?”
“No, I cannot.” Cornelius said, grinning at the though. “Love is one thing that I cannot compel you to do, even if I am your master.”
“We also have rules in place regarding that,” Gabriel added, “Something that had to be put into place after many of us were marrying off our kids to seal treaties and gain favor during the dark ages. That was no better than human trafficking and using people that were supposed to be our kin. It’s revolting and was outlawed a long time ago. The only person that will decide who you marry is you, and no one else.”
“Whew,” Alyssa said, as she took a moment to relax. “I’m glad to hear that, cause you guys had me worried there for a moment.”
“There are many reasons why I stepped up to be your master,” Cornelius said before draining his wine glass. “I will tell you more about it at a later time. For now, let’s enjoy this meal before it gets cold.”
Gabriel watched and just sipped on his own cup while the two others at his table ate most of the food that was placed before them.
“It looks like she inherited your appetite,” Gabriel said with a small chuckle.
“Thank goodness I can’t get fat then,” Alyssa said, stealing some food from Gabriel’s plate so it wouldn’t go to waste.
“Indeed,” Cornelius said, “Be a dear and clean up after we’re done. I need to speak with my brother in private about a few things.”
“Seems fair,” Alyssa said, “You did take the time to make it for us, so it’s the least I can do. Just let me cook next time.”
“I accept your terms, my dear.” Cornelius said, “I didn’t know you could cook.”
“Oh, she can,” Gabriel confirmed, “Pablo loved her food.”
“Splendid,” Cornelius said, raising a glass. “I look forward to it.”
After the meal was done, Alyssa did as she was asked and cleared the table and did all the dishes while Gabriel and his brother left to discuss something without her being present for it. She could make out what was being said, but there was a moment when the conversation started to become heated. Almost to the point where Alyssa was tempted to come over and make sure everything was alright. Yet every time she tried to maybe walk over and to that, she could feel herself being compelled not to move and remain in the kitchen. It was something she was clearly going to have to get used to, as she remained where she was asked to be and finished cleaning up. She stopped working when she saw Gabriel return to the living room.
“Is everything alright?” she called out to him.
“It’s all good,” Gabriel said, “Just a few wrinkles we had to talk out.”
“I hope I’m not causing any problems for you.” Alyssa said.
“No, it’s not that.” Gabriel said, “We were talking about New Lycan and what we planned to do about California’s clear overstep. He wants to respond now, where I think we need to speak with the council first.”
“I happen to agree with him,” Alyssa bluntly said, “They deserve to be punished for what they did to my home.”
“They will be,” Gabriel assured her, “I’m not against that, but I think we need to discuss this more before doing something that might make matters worse.”
“That’s fair,” Alyssa said, “After I’m done here, I’m going to read a bit more before heading to bed.”
“That’s sounds good,” Gabriel said, agreeing with her idea. “You will definitely need to be rested for tomorrow.”
“And what’s happening tomorrow?” Alyssa asked.
Gabriel smiled back at her. “Your first flying lesson.”