Page 8 of Indentured Companion
“Is this my home for the next year?” My hand slips from his as he returns to his seat.
“Yes, and as long as you do not entermyroom without first knocking, you may come and go as you wish.” Another good sign. No locked doors. I take a few more bites of my apple, before really getting into questioning my new master.
“So what will my average day look like as your feeding companion?” His diamond pupils dilate again and he clears his throat, averting his gaze bashfully.
“Well.” He takes a moment to compose himself. “Yes, I suppose that is a reasonable question.” The Dynast chuckles and gestures with his purple gloved hands. “You will rise each morning, shower, if you please, and freshen up. You should hydrate and take some Regen pills, and then I will have my morning feed. Our records show it’s best to let you recover and have your breakfast, not the other way around.” I nod, seeing that would make sense. I feel sick just thinking about him biting me again. I can’t imagine that a full stomach is a good idea before the act itself. “When it’s lunch time you will hydrate and take Regen pills. I will have my mid-day feed, and once you have recovered, you will have your mid-day meal. The same occurs again in the evening.” I nod, understanding the feeding part of being his feeding companion.
“What else?”
“Hm?”
“I mean, when I’m not being fed on, or recovering, what else will I be doing?”
“Oh?” The Dynast sits up a little straighter and seems happy with my question. “Why, that depends on my duties for the day. If I am attending a council meeting or debate, you will accompany me as far as you are able, and then wait for me if they have a waiting room. Or you will accompany me as I attend social gatherings, which are just as vital politically as the debates.” The Dynast chuckles behind one of his gloved hands at me. It’s so strange how graceful he acts, yet how growly his voice is. Like a snarling beast shrouded in fine chiffon and a master at eloquence. I bet he’d be a master at the negotiations table when broaching new favourable trade deals. “I…when you are settled, should welcome a tour of the Vega 4 starbase.” He seems less sure of himself and a tad nervous as he says this. “I have never been out of the Hive, before brokering the Freedom of Movement Act for the Korvis. I have had very limited access to the Theskian empire even since then. Now that you are my feeding companion, I will be allowed to explore and visit the sites. You, being a resident, would be in the best position to show me, wouldn’t you? The wonders of your home?”
I swallow the last bite of my apple and smile with a grimace.
“I can show you the best places to score the best deal on workers, which jewellers are legit to sell your gems and precious ores to, and of course, the top notch ship merchants to get your upgrades from, but erm, wonders?” I trained my whole life to become the leader of my father’s mining company. I’ve never been interested inwondersor site seeing.
“Well?” He taps his mouth through the veil, immediately drawing my attention there. “Then I suppose it will be an adventure for both of us.” He chuckles and claps his gloved hands twice. “We will discover the wonders of Vega 4 together. How fun!”
Good Lord.
Space Dracula is an optimist. Shoot me now.
Chapter 10
Day 2
Valerie
Yesterday the Dynast waited for me to finish my ham sandwiches and fruit, before opening up a laptop for me to order whatever food I’d like to have delivered. I was also able to bring up the wardrobe situation, and hedidmake a point of asking me to get shoulderless ‘garments’.
“For ease of feeding, especially if we are not in the comfort of my cruiser and need to make use of an approve feeding site, can you please have shoulderless attire? It makes the process less…messy.”
Uh huh? I wanted to bring up how messy a blood smeared veil looked, but I thought it best not to sass space Dracula on day 2. It was his work laptop and synced to his eyes which had to be scanned to unlock it, so I couldn’t just use it without his permission or presence. When I brought up asking to use it to keep in touch with my sister, he became apologetic and awkward.
“Well, perhaps once we’ve been together for a while and I can…be confident in what you report to others, then yes, absolutely, but for now let’s just…become comfortable together. Alright?”
Translation? I’m worried you’re going to tell your sister, and anyone who will listen online, that space Dracula is as terrifying as the movies say the Korvis are. That I want to be rescued, and the Theskian empire should sharpen their high tech pitch forks and carry out another war with the Korvian Hive. He doesn’t know this about me yet, but he could have been more to the point with his reasons. I wouldn’t have been offended. Only, that kind of was his point, wasn’t it? We don’t know or trust each other yet so…yeah fair point. Still, Ireallywanted to talk to Cassie and make sure she’s alright.
All I know is she’s the accountant for Captain Unthulo. Oh, and he has a good track record for successful indentured servants finishing their term and getting their pay out at the end. But is she being kept in a nice soft bedroom like I am? Or the freezing cargo hold of his ship? What kind of business did Captain Unthulo run? Was he a travelling merchant? Did he transport goods as a courier? Was he a dastardly space pirate who had my sister whipped as she counted his ill-gotten-loot? Okay, my imagination may be tormenting me with that last one, but still? All my worries would have been dispelled with one quick call. But space Dracula wasn’t going to allow it until he could trust me.
So damn it, I was going to make the growly vampire in a glorified dress trust me.
On the first day on his ship, he let me recover, like, fully recover. He was a little bit of a nag, actually. Pestering me about how much I’d drank and tracking on some sort of notebook my meals. He even tutted at me if I didn’t finish my plate, so before I knew it, I was clearing them just so he would nod and tick his notebook happily. The Dynast hovered around me, staring at me with those big lilac eyes that caught the light source of any room he was in, and his deep black diamond pupils swallowed up the light and my soul. Well, maybe not that last one, but I did feel like a deer in headlights when he stared at me. I found myself trying to see through his chiffon veil when he spoke. I can make out the outline of his face beneath, and the impression of his mouth as his lips moved, but I couldn’t tell you much about his appearance.
Without his crown on, I can see his head seems a humanoid shape. The skin around his eyes is alabaster white and the skin in the corners of his eyes, like his tear ducts, are black. His sclera are bone white. I didn’t notice at first because his irises are so huge! I only spotted his too pale sclera when he looked far off to the right at the sound of a call coming through in his bedroom. The Dynast is 7ft tall, draped in fine chiffon, and wears a full headdress with only a rectangle visible over his eyes and the top of the bridge of his nose. If it is in fact a nose. His voice is growly. Erm…and he fusses over the flowers about the ship, talking to them as he waters them, like they can actually hear him. It’s creepy. Space Dracula has a flower fixation.
Other than that? I have no bloody clue what a Korvis looks like, nevermind this one. This one who wished me goodnight last night, with a very quick verbal grenade, before slipping away.
“Rest well Miss Stone. Tomorrow we shall begin a healthy feeding schedule together, now you’ve had lots of fluids and Regen pills to prepare your body with excess blood. Good night.”
Mother fucker. Space Dracula did a drive-by-dread-grenade and ran off.
Let’s just say, I laid in bed last night forquitea while thinking about the ‘healthy feeding schedule’ starting the next day. How I managed to get any sleep, and not have nightmares about being eaten alive, I’ll never know. When I awoke it was to a knock at my bedroom door greeting me in that chipper growly voice.
“Good morning Miss Stone.”
