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Timothy
Copyright © 2011 Gabriella Bradley
ISBN: 978-1-55487-996-0
Cover art by Martine Jardin
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Timothy
Royal Vampires Two
By
Gabriella Bradley
Chapter One
I didn’t know what to wear for my first real date with Katarina. A suit? Jeans? I decided I would let her choose the restaurant because I didn’t have a clue. I lay on my bed, hands clasped under my head, and allowed my thoughts to wander.
The last few days and evenings had gone by too slow. I’d only gone to the town once, the next evening, to buy a cell phone. After that, I resisted the urge to use the secret passages and occupied my time watching the huge TV that took up half a wall of the living room, or surfing the internet.
My mind dwelt on the events of the night I’d run into Paul. The police had released him the morning after his arrest and he returned to the country mansion with his minions. He’d first consumed enough stored blood to satisfy his thirst before he passed out from a restless night of deprivation. He slept for two days and two nights, relieving me of his constantly interfering thoughts.
Blocking him helped, but sometimes I’d forget and let my guard down, allowing his mind to meld with mine. Thankfully, it was a one sided meld. If he knew I was going out with Katarina that evening, he’d be there. His mind had already been much too occupied with the three women and the man who had punched him.
I needed to do something to pass the time. Jumping off the bed, I opened the door and told the guards I wanted to go riding. I’d given John the weekend off. I still hadn’t requested a new personal assistant, one I could feel comfortable with but would need to do so soon, or just keep John. He knew he couldn’t have me anyway and now that I was used to him I found him quite a likeable fellow. If I closed my mind to his thoughts, I didn’t hear any lewd thoughts he had, so that problem was easily solved.
Hunting around in my closet, I found a riding outfit. This would be my first time on horseback. There wasn’t enough room in the courtyard at the lab for a stable or horses and so I’d never had riding lessons. And even if there had been, I wouldn’t have been allowed off the property. I grinned at the thought of trotting a horse around the courtyard in circles. Since I was almost every inch Paul, body and mind, I should know how to ride.
The guards fell in behind me as I made my way out of the castle and approached the black stallion waiting for me. He was mine, bought especially for the new king.
“What’s his name?” I asked my groomsman.
“Star, Your Majesty.”
He was a beauty, a magnificent specimen. I looked forward to my very first riding experience.
The groom’s name was Jerry and he would accompany me each time I went riding. I sighed. Never alone. Heaven forbid. It’s a wonder the guards didn’t follow me. At least only one person would accompany me if I went riding instead of half an army. They probably wouldn’t like it if I left the castle’s grounds. It didn’t matter. The grounds were vast. It would take me days of riding to explore it all.
I made friends with Star first, stroked his nose, placed my cheek against his face. The horse seemed to like me. He nuzzled my neck. I mounted him easily, as if I’d ridden my whole life.
If I’d known it was so exhilarating to ride a horse, I would have started riding sooner. Having Jerry tag along, didn’t matter. At least it was only one person and he stayed well behind me.
Leaving the forest we came to an open field. I spurred Star on into a gallop. I became as one with the horse as I let him have his head. The wind whistled past my ears, my face. It was stimulating, mind cleansing, and I felt free as a bird.
We came to what looked like a quaint old small village. Star slowed and trotted slowly. I called out to Jerry behind me. We’d not passed through any gates. I’d not seen the tall wall that surrounded the castle and its grounds. “Have we left the castle grounds?”
“No, Your Majesty. This is where the servants live with their families.”
Small children played on the dirt road. They scurried when they saw us. There was a stone well with a large pump next to it, in what looked like the village center. A woman carrying two buckets stopped when she saw us. She placed the buckets filled with water on the ground and bowed deeply.
“Why are they fetching water from that pump? Is there no water in the cottages?” I asked Jerry.
“No, Your Majesty.”
Except for the woman and children’s clothing, it was as if I’d stepped back in time. I pulled the reins tight to halt Star and sat looking at the cottages and a few small stores, all in disrepair and quite ancient.
“I presume the crown owns this land and the buildings on it?” I asked, looking at Jerry who seemed puzzled.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I searched my memories, Paul’s memories, but couldn’t find anything about the village. Maybe he’d never been there. I made a mental note of everything and decided I would call a cabinet meeting next week. It was time the government spent some of the fortune collected in the royal coffers. The village was a piece of history, but I would have the cottages restored, repaired, internally modernized, added on to if necessary. These people needed help. I was surprised any of them even wanted to work in the castle, especially the younger ones.
We rode slowly to the end of the village and entered the forest flanking it. “Jerry, do you live in the village?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. My family all work at the castle. My grandparents used to. My whole family has lived in the village for many generations.”
“You can tell your family and the rest of the villagers that I am ordering upgrades and repairs. It will start soon. I promise.”
“Your Majesty, that is fantastic! King Paul never—”
“I presume Pau—my father, never set foot in the village. Am I right?”
“No, Your Majesty. He always skirted it.”
“As I suspected. And no one has ever complained about the poor living conditions?”
“No, Your Majesty. We wouldn’t dare complain.”
“Do you pay rent?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It is deducted from our wages.”
Something else I needed to look into. How much did the crown pay them? How much rent was deducted? What did they all do? “Do all the castle staff live in the village?”
“Most of us do, Your Majesty. Only a few live in town, those with higher positions.”
“What about the guards? Where do they live?”
“They live in the two houses and towers that flank the main gates, Your Majesty.”
“Do they have families?”
“No, Your Majesty. They are required to be single. Once they have served for a number of years, they can get married, but then they can no longer be a guard at the castle. They return to the army as an officer.”
I was learning more and more about my kingdom, things that Paul had never bothered with. I rode on. Trotting through the forest for a while, we came upon a church and a cemetery. The church looked centuries old. The tower was crumbling and part of the roof was missing. Ivy and weeds hid much of the building. The cemetery was also badly neglected.
“This was once the royal church, Your Majesty,” Jerry told me.
I dismounted and started for the church. It was another piece of history and I was, and always had been, fascinated by historical things even if I preferred modern furniture.
“Your Majesty, I wouldn’t go inside. It’s dangerous.”
I ignored his warning. Huge, weathered, but solid wood—what looked like oak—doors gave way when I pushed hard. One side swung dangerously on a rusty hinge. I steadied it hoping it wouldn’t break off altogether. Light filtered through the holes in the roof. The pews all looked intact, though weathered and faded. The pulpit still stood, though weather beaten. Behind it, on the back wall hung a large wooden cross. I walked carefully, the boards beneath my booted feet creaking suspiciously. I imagined the church restored, the pews sanded and stained, new stained glass windows, the roof repaired, the steeple refurbished, its bell tolling for parishioners to come to a service.
I was going to put this task before the cabinet, too. I wanted the church restored to its full, old glory, the cemetery cleaned up.
I stood in reverence for a while just soaking up the peace within that building and wondered how many ghosts were smiling at my decision.
Jerry cleared his throat behind me. I looked at my watch. Time had flown. It was near dinnertime and then I’d have to get ready for my date.
“Was there once a road from the castle to the church, Jerry?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s overgrown now with trees and weeds.”
I imagined the royals traveling to that church on Sundays, either by carriage or on horseback. Though Paul had never attended church, to the chagrin of the people, I would, though I was not a man of God. It wasn’t in Paul’s memories, and I’d never been taught any religion. Rather than going to the big church in the city, after the chapel’s restoration, I made up my mind I was going to attend services here. Going to church would endear me to the people. And I was determined to restore some of the old values and traditions.
I wasn’t out to win a popularity contest, but I had to undo Paul’s harm and endear the royal family in the hearts of the public once again.
Besides that, restoring the houses in the village wasn’t part of gaining public favor for the royal house. I didn’t want any people employed by the crown to live under such squalid conditions. It was unheard of in today’s modern world. No wonder the people hated Paul, though I doubt they would have done any better under the cousin’s reign. From what I’d learned about him and having met him on several occasions, Arnold was a mean and cheap old bastard. I didn’t like him from the moment we shook hands. He was of direct royal blood, so I had to put up with him and his family, but I hoped it wouldn’t be often. His three sons were officers in the army. I’d liked the oldest one immediately, but the two younger ones were just like their father. Prince Arnold’s wife, Amanda, was a rather mousy, quiet little woman, obviously ruled by her overbearing husband.
“Thank you, Jerry. I hope we can do this often. I enjoyed the ride tremendously.”
Jerry glowed as I handed him the reins. He bowed and started to walk Star back to the stables. I hurried into the castle, my guards, who had awaited my return, right on my heels.
Dinner came not long after I’d taken off my riding gear and put on a bathrobe. I was starving hungry by now and knew I couldn’t wait until I was with Katarina. I had to eat at least something. Thick juicy steak was the fare for that evening, along with scalloped potatoes, several vegetables, soup, and dessert.
“You may leave now, Sara. I’ll serve myself,” I told her and waited for her to leave. I nibbled on a bit of the scalloped potatoes, a couple of asparagus, and I couldn’t resist, I picked up the plate of steaks and drank the drippings. It was as close I would come to drinking blood as I ever would, and I’d learned in my chats on the net that many people liked the drippings from steak or beef roast. It had nothing to do with being a vampire. I doubted human blood would taste the same, probably warm, bland, not like the garlic, salty, herbed taste of these drippings. I placed one of the steaks on my plate, had a couple of bites then cut the rest in chunks. After heaping some of the vegetables and the potatoes on my plate, I went to the bathroom and flushed it all down the toilet. For all purposes, the king had eaten. Just in case they kept a check on how much I consumed.
I waited for someone to come and remove the dishes and leftover food impatiently. Sara finally returned. I told the guards I wasn’t to be disturbed for the remainder of the evening, locked the doors, and quickly showered.
After my shower, I went to work on my face. While I was applying the makeup, I had a vision of Katarina. She was getting ready, just like me. My heart sped up as I saw her reflection in a mirror, a vision of beauty, and my cock stirred accordingly. She was wearing jeans and a pretty top. Good, now I knew what to wear.
I wore jeans with a nice, mauve dress shirt and my black leather jacket. I inspected my reflection in the mirror. “Goodbye king, hello Tim Lansing,” I said softly and smiled at the mirror.