This story is the beginning of The Tales of Vampires. This story won't be for everyone and I know that. This story contains scenes of homosexuality. If you are offended by this type of material or it is not legal for you to read such material in your place of residence please leave now. For all others the story is below.
Copyright © 2025 by Julien Gregg
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact the author by email.
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
Two
Just before dawn, Bradly crawled into a rosewood coffin with Tobias. It was a tight fit, but they put their arms around each other, and Tobias lowered the lid. They slept through the day until the sun went down, and then Tobias opened the lid, and they climbed out. He told Bradly to go to his room and get his things. He asked him to move in with him.
Bradly dressed and left the room. Then he met Jason when he got to his own room. They were both moving out of the room and in with the vampires. They talked about what they were and how they were both vampires now. Jason was amazed by all that had happened in such a short amount of time. Bradly was thankful that Jason didn't mention sex. He was a bit embarrassed about having had any sexual contact with Tobias.
He checked them out of the room and got a refund for the days they'd paid for. Then he went to Tobias's room, and Jason went to Mary's. They were side by side. He knocked on Tobias's door, and Tobias let him in. He handed him a key to the room.
"You don't have to knock. You live here," he said.
"I'll get used to that," Bradly said as he brought his bag into the room. "What are we doing tonight?"
"I'm Teaching you and Jason to hunt," he said. "Dress in one of my suits. We'll get you some new ones a bit later. They come from Paris. I'll call my man with your measurements."
"You don't have to do that," Bradly said.
"I do," he said. "It's my job to clothe my fledgling. You'll develop a taste for silk in no time."
"Where are we hunting?" Bradly asked.
"Why in the city?" said Tobias. "There are thieves and murderers in every city."
"I have a request," he said.
"Harvey Plat?" Tobias asked. Bradly had forgotten that he could read his mind.
"Yes," he said. "He threatened to kill my family."
"Where is he?"
"Harper's Mill," Bradly said. "We should find him at a poker game."
"Then we're all off to Harper's Mill," said Tobias. "It won't take but a short ride. Harper's Mill is the next town over."
"I didn't know that," Bradly said. "Until I came to Carson City, I'd never been out of Woodland."
"I hadn't guessed," laughed Tobias. "Don't worry, the culture will come, you'll get there."
"Thank you for pointing out that I have no culture," Bradly said, hurt by his words.
"I didn't say you have no culture," he said. "I said more culture would come. Bradly, you can't be hurt by everything I say. I will mold you into a perfect vampire during our time together. I may say things from time to time that you might take exception to, but you mustn't. I don't mean anything untoward when I say them."
"I'll try to remember that," he said. "But you must understand that I came to you from farm life. All I know currently is milking cows, mucking stalls, building a fence, and mending it."
"I do know all of that," he said. "Bradly, I read your mind thoroughly. You don't have a city education. I'll take you to Paris and London, and you'll learn more and more. I'll show you artwork and take you to places that will astound you. You'll see."
"All right," he said.
"Now I have to tell Mary we're off to Harper's Mill," he said. "She'll be absolutely thrilled that you have a man to hunt already."
"If we find his blonde friend, he can die as well," Bradly said. "He held me at gunpoint."
"Then die he shall," Tobias said. "Perhaps Jason could kill him. We're teaching you both to hone your new skills after all."
"I'm all for that," Bradly said.
They got their horses and started out for Harper's Mill. Jason was excited. Bradly could smell it on him. They were to kill their first victims tonight. Jason didn't understand just how quickly they'd be able to kill them. Harvey Plat had said he'd kill him if he ever crossed paths with Bradly again. Well, he was about to cross paths with him again.
Harper's Mill was no bigger than Woodland. They had a mercantile, a bank, and a bunch of farms surrounding the town. They found Harvey Plat and his blonde companion as soon as they rode into town.
"Well, look who it is," Harvey said to his friend. "Didn't I tell you I'd kill you when I saw you next?"
"You did," Bradly said. "Though you will be the one to die tonight."
"Is it to be a duel then?" he laughed.
"No," Bradly said. Then he rode off into the woods. Harvey and the blonde man followed him. But so did Tobias, Mary, and Jason.
"There's no point in running from me," Harvey said. "My horse is faster than yours."
"Who said I was running?" Bradly said loud enough for him to hear and for the man to hear his laughter.
Once outside the town, he stopped his horse and hopped off it. Then he turned to look at Harvey, who was still on his horse. The blonde was there as well. Bradly smiled as they got off their horses. Jason arrived and hopped off his horse as well.
"Well, we have two to kill," said the blonde. He took his gun and pointed it at Jason.
"Bradly is mine," said Harvey. "He took my watch."
"You should get it back from him before you kill him," said the blonde.
"Mickey, he'll be dead, and I can take it from his corpse," said Harvey.
"Your name is Mickey?" laughed Jason.
"Don't make fun of me," Mickey said, firing his gun. Jason jerked but didn't fall.
"That stings," he said and smiled. Mickey shot him again.
Harvey shot Bradly, and then he saw that it didn't bother him and looked at him in horror. Bradly walked toward him. Harvey dropped his gun and pissed his pants. Bradly wrinkled his nose at the scent of his piss. Then he grabbed him and bit into his neck and drank from him until he was dead. He let him fall to the ground. Soon Mickey joined him on the ground.
"Very good," Tobias said. "Now we'll teach you to get rid of them."
He hopped off his horse and took a corked bottle from his pocket. He poured what was in there all over the bodies, then lit a match and dropped it on them. It hissed, and then the fire was a blaze. It turned purple. Bradly had never seen a purple fire before, at least not that shade of purple.
"What was that?" he asked.
"It's an accelerant," said Tobias. "It's made for us in Paris."
"It burned them to ashes in no time," Jason said. "Do you have more?"
"Are you still thirsty?" Mary asked.
"No," he said.
"Then you don't need more tonight," she said. "Let's get back to the hotel. We have a poker game to play."
They returned to the hotel, and because neither got blood on their suits, they played poker just as they dressed. Bradly saw better and played like he was on fire. Tobias smiled at him and then shook his head. Bradly began to lose. Jason began to win. Then they traded back and forth, winning each hand for a bit. Then neither of them won a hand for a while. Then the pot got big and Bradly wanted it. He looked into the future and bluffed. It paid off. He made six hundred dollars from that game.
None of the men who played with them were exactly happy, but they weren't pissed off either. It was the difference between the wealthy and the working man. Bradly had money to buy suits from Paris. Tobias called with his measurements and was promised the suits would be on the next boat bound for US ports. He got the exact port, and they moved on.
"I bought you a better horse," Tobias said. "Your horse can be tied to the wagon's reins that pull our coffins. I bought you one of those as well."
They had two men with them that Bradly didn't know. He was told that they would guard them on the road, were paid well, and were compelled to the gills. Bradly didn't know what that meant, but then Tobias told him that they all had the power to compel with their stare.
They slept the days away under the watchful guard of the two men with rifles and guns. They rode at night. They stopped in towns to hunt and made good time across the countryside to Richmond. They met the boat as it hit the shore and paid for their packages to be delivered to their hotel.
Then both Jason and Bradly were wearing silk suits and riding stallions. Bradly's faithful horse pulled the wagon as they returned to where they'd come from a week after arriving in Richmond. It was back to the road.
They hunted in towns and cities and slept the days away until they returned to Carson City. They went back to their rooms, which were still rented in the hotel. They played more poker in the dining room with different rich men. They won tons of money, and Bradly now had close to two thousand in his bank. They bought a house in the city and moved into it.
The house was two stories tall and had an extensive root cellar. The rooms were all modernly decorated, and the furniture was of very nice quality. Bradly wrote to his family to tell them of his good fortune. He had his portrait taken and sent the tintype along with a certified letter to the farm.
And time moved on. They went to Woodland to be there for James Donner's wedding. They were dressed even better than the Donners. Bradly got to see his family again. They were overjoyed to see him and spent much time with them before returning to Carson City.
His father told him he was proud of him, and his mother thanked him for the money he'd sent them. His brother said he'd stopped having dreams about him, and his sister said that there was something about him and his companions that she couldn't figure out. She knew the truth of things most of the time, but with Bradly and his friends, she knew nothing.
When they got back to Carson City, they had a full staff waiting for them. They spent time compelling them, and an incinerator was installed behind the house. Their victims would go in there.
Then Bradly saw a man he was curious about. Tobias said to let him alone and explained that he was an Illuminati. Bradly didn't know what that was, but he was told that the Illuminati chronicled the supernatural in the world. He said that they allowed them to live because they thrived on secrecy, just like they did.
The man was a blonde-haired man with a mustache and beard. He wore round-framed glasses and a three-piece suit. He looked wealthy but appeared to be aloof as he watched them for about an hour. He looked at his pocket watch and left the hotel dining room.
They saw him from time to time, but he never approached them. Tobias said he'd left one of his journals for him to find. He said the man had searched their rooms when they'd checked out and had followed them since Mary and Tobias arrived in Carson City. Mainly because there were no vampires in Carson City, but now there were four of them. The Illuminati were curious as to why they'd come to Carson City. They'd bought a house and settled in Carson City, so the Illuminati had sat up and paid attention.
Nothing changed. They held dinner parties for the wealthy and hunted the city at night. Bradly learned to play the piano and the violin. Jason learned to play the French horn and the saxophone. Tobias and Mary just seemed to hang out. Tobias read newspapers from all over the world, and Mary bought artwork from local artists.
They existed in Carson City. Bradly wondered when they would go to Paris, England, and other parts of the world. Tobias seemed content to stay where they were for the time being.
Then they were heading back to Woodland to attend Jed's wedding. He married a girl named Willa Mason. She was a pretty young girl who was besotted with Jed. The wedding wasn't big, but it was beautiful. The most sharply dressed were Bradly and his friends. They attended the reception at the town hall and had a grand time. They ate very little, which went unnoticed by all but Bradly's mother, who told him that he needed more food to sustain him. She told him to come by the house and she'd make him a meal.
He talked to Tobias about this, and Tobias said a little was fine, but any more human food would have him retching until he coughed it all up, or he would be sick for a month. He told his mother they weren't staying after the wedding but promised to stop next time.
When they got back to Carson City, Bradly noticed that the house had been gone through. They consulted the staff and were told that Mr. Miles Benedict had come to look through the house. He had assured her that he had Bradly's permission to come and have a look. Tobias told him that Miles Benedict was Illuminati, and they would forgive his trespass. Bradly felt odd about it. He noticed that his journal and Mary's were missing. But Mary and Tobias said it was of no consequence.
"We'll be leaving Carson City very soon anyway," Tobias said. "We'll no doubt leave a lot behind for Miles Benedict to go through when we take the ship to Paris."
"We're going to Paris?" Bradly asked.
"Yes," Tobias said. "Mary wants new dresses, and I think it's time to see old friends in Paris. Plus, you and Jason have never left the States. It'll be a good trip for all of us."
They left in May and were on the water for roughly twelve weeks before docking at the port of France. Much happened while they were on the boat. Their coffins were said to be departed loved ones returning to France for burial. Their state rooms were nice, with wooden walls and floors. They spent time on the ship's deck and hunted for rats and mice.
Mary painted a portrait of Tobias and Bradly while they were on the boat. Bradly learned to play a concerto on the piano while they were on the ship, and they met many people. Some were interesting and some weren't. There were wealthy people on the ship. They played poker a lot on the ship and transferred money back and forth. They had a grand time of it.
Of course, Bradly and Jason had never been on a ship before. They loved every second of the journey and got rather comfortable on the ship. Tobias had to warn them that people would start to suspect them if they did miraculous things while on the ship. They sometimes forgot that they were stronger than the strongest man and much faster than their eyes could track them.
Bradly got his first taste of a woman on that ship as it happened. Tobias found a wealthy couple who were young and eager to try new things. They met in their state room, and all forms of sex occurred that night. Bradly tasted his first pussy that night and fucked one for the first time in his life.
Yvonne and Morgan Waters were both attractive. Morgan was a dark-haired man with brown eyes, six feet tall, and muscular. Yvonne was a long blonde-haired woman with eyes the color of the sky. She was very voluptuous and looked good in her silk dress.
Her kisses tasted like mint, and Bradly kissed her for nearly an hour before he finally placed light kisses on her breasts. She moaned and pushed her body closer to his mouth. He still left butterfly kisses on her breasts, her cleavage, her stomach, and then he pushed her back on the bed until he was between her legs.
He licked her clit and pushed his tongue against it. He ran the tips of his fingers over her labia and brought her to orgasm that way. Then he slowly entered her and began to move in and out while kissing her mouth again. He brought her to a second orgasm as he fucked her. He decided that her pussy wasn't any better than Tobias's tight ass or his throat, for that matter.
After the fucking he discovered that Tobias had fucked Morgan. They switched, and Tobias fucked Yvonne, and Bradly fucked Morgan. His ass was open and wet from Tobias's ejaculation. And it was a fun two hours with Morgan. Then they kissed them both thoroughly and left their cabin. The sun was about to rise, so they went to their cabin and got into their coffins.
The next night, Mary and Jason were with Yvonne and Morgan. Tobias and Bradly spent the evening on the deck, discussing artwork with another couple. They had a pleasant conversation and ensured the ship was blissfully free of rats. When that was done, they started taking little drinks from the passengers to compel them to forget.
They reached France in the dead of night. They paid to have their coffins moved to their rooms at the Grand Hotel du Louvre, the biggest hotel in Paris. The others on the ship heard them say it and were impressed that they'd be in that hotel.
They took a buggy to the hotel and gave their names at the desk. They were given the keys to the rooms, and they walked over to the steam lift. Bradly had never seen anything like this hotel. They were in a large lobby, with ceilings at least twenty stories high and crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling across the lobby.
They rode the lift to the fourteenth floor and went to their rooms. A porter unlocked the door to Tobias and Bradly's room and lit the gas lamps. The room was huge, and he placed a tub of ice and a bottle of champagne. He turned down the bed and then opened the curtains. The view was beautiful. Tobias tipped him well and then closed the doors behind him.
He grabbed Bradly and kissed him like he'd never kissed him. Then they walked around the suite and looked at everything. The coffins were already in place. They had a little more night to conquer, but not much. They met with Mary and Jason for a drink. They had a bottle of blood to share between the four of them. Then they were in their coffins and slept the day away.
When they woke up, they all went to a seamstress who made dresses. Mary tried on a few and ordered about six. Then they went to a men's clothing shop, and Tobias, Bradly, and Jason each ordered six suits of silk. They had a busy night. Then they went to a play, Romeo and Juliet, and they had a grand time.
Back at the hotel, they spotted another man from the Illuminati. Tobias told Bradly that the Illuminati had chapter houses in every major city in the world. This man was red-haired with green eyes and dressed in a silk suit similar to the ones they were wearing. He gave them his card, which Tobias said was strange. His name was Richard duPoint. He was of the Paris chapter house of the Illuminati.
"I trust that you know to memorize and destroy this card," he said in perfect English.
"Of course," said Tobias. "I'm just shocked that you handed it to me."
"We've decided to be a bit less invisible to the supernatural in the world," said Richard. "I welcome chatting with you whenever you wish to have one."
"I'll keep that in mind," Tobias said.
"Bradly, I'd enjoy a chat with you as well," said Richard.
"We shall see," Bradly said. He had no idea what was usual for the Illuminati, but he wasn't a hundred years old.
"I'll leave you in peace," Richard said.
Tobias and Bradly joined Mary and Jason on the lift and went to the fourteenth floor. Mary asked about the man, and Tobias told her all that was said. She looked puzzled by it as well. Bradly supposed it had been strange. The man in Carson City had not approached them once.
"Why did he approach you?" Mary asked.
"He noticed that we'd noticed him and then came right up to us as if an old friend," Tobias said. "It was most strange."
"Indeed," she said. "The Illuminati do not announce themselves in this manner. Usually by the time we realize they've been around, they're already gone."
"I don't know what to make of it," Tobias said. "But we should slumber. The sun is about to rise."
"Yes, we'll speak of this tonight," she said.
They went into their room and got into their coffins. They slept the day away and then had a bottle of blood. Bradly was amazed that Tobias could have one delivered. It was cow's blood, but it was blood.
Mary and Jason were in their suite almost as soon as they were awake. They talked about Richard duPoint for hours. Then they went out and walked the city to find victims. They saw what they were looking for and fed, destroyed the bodies, and made it back to the hotel before too long. They watched a play in the hotel that night and had a grand time. They saw Yvonne and Morgan in the hotel at the play and nodded to them. Then they were back in their rooms.
The next night, Tobias had Richard duPoint in the suite. Bradly left with Mary and Jason and let them chat. Bradly was worried about it, but he didn't know why. Tobias had called him to the suite himself.
"He's interviewing him for their files," Mary said. It's the only explanation. I'm sure he'll want to interview me, but I cannot allow that to happen. Too much secrecy is dependent upon me. If the Illuminati know who I am, then they're way ahead of me. I doubt that they are. I've been protecting my secret for over a century."
"That's right," Bradly said. "You were Queen of England at one time."
"Yes, and I'm supposed to be dead," she said. "But in truth, I was turned vampire by my brother when I was Queen of England. I staged a coup and placed my lady's maid, who looked so much like me, on the throne as Mary I. Then I slipped out of the castle until I could return and turn Elizabeth. A look-alike was found to take her place, and the three of us left England behind and moved to Paris. People thought it was cute that we looked so much like the Tudors. None of them ever suspected we were the Tudor Queens and King of England."
"That's some back story," Bradly said. "I'm a farmer from Woodland. That's all I have for you."
"Don't be silly," she laughed. "Now you're a man of mystery on holiday with your dashing best friend Tobias, who is also a man of mystery. You're accompanied by his posh business partner, Mary, and her young man, Jason, who is also a man of mystery. You must never tell people that you were a simple farm lad. That won't do."
"I hear you," Bradly laughed. "That's better than farm boy."
"Much," she said. "Just trust me on this. I once was a queen."
"I hear you loud and clear, Majesty," he said with a smile.
"None of that," she said. "That was centuries ago."
"To have lived your life," Jason said with a sigh.
"Oh, believe me, in a few centuries, you will have lived at least a part of my life," she said. You'll know all the secrets, tips, and tricks we use to get by within humanity."
"We don't know half of the tricks," Bradly said. "Tobias had to remind us not to scare the locals with our superhuman abilities when we were on the ship."
"You're young yet," she said. "It's all still so new to you. You'll get there."
"Why is it that you still have your accent and Tobias doesn't have his?" Bradly asked her.
"Tobias has worked harder to lose his than I have," she said. "And until very recently, I lived in London with my fledgling."
"You have another fledgling?" Jason asked her.
"I have twelve of them," she said. "Sadly, ten of them are dead at Elizabeth's hand. She's been working to destroy all of the fledglings of her brother and sister. Tobias is the last of Edward's, and Bradly is the first of Tobias's. He never wanted a fledgling because of Elizabeth. If she would kill Edward's fledglings and my fledglings, why would she not kill the fledgling of Tobias as well?"
"This was information that we needed, wouldn't you say?" Jason asked.
"No, Elizabeth has been busy stroking the ego of one of her own fledglings of late," she said. "We haven't seen her in over a hundred years. Besides, Bradly here would see her coming."
"Really?" Jason said. "You can look further into the future now that you're a vampire?"
"Yes," he said. "And all I see right now is that we'll thrive here in Paris. London is next."
"And what of the Illuminati?" she asked.
"They mean us no harm," he said. "They really are just updating their files on you and Tobias. They do know who you are and what you were."
"Damn," she said with a smile. "Well, you can't have it all, can you?"
"No, you can't," he said. "At least I never can."
"Well, this meeting with Richard is unusual, but if you say they mean us no harm, then I'm prepared to let him have his little chat with Tobias and not interrupt," she said. "Let's go see the play."
That's what they did. They went to the play and enjoyed themselves. They were in the second act when Tobias joined them. He smiled at Bradly, and Bradly smiled back. Tonight's play was a musical, and it was very fun to watch. When it was over, they applauded, and Bradly was careful not to applaud too loudly.
Then they went out and hunted. Tobias told them all about his chat with Richard. He was told that his journal was at the chapter house in London if he should want it back. It had been studied, and excessive notes had been taken on its passages. No, they weren't going to interfere, but he told them that there were vampires of the other type in France, just not Paris. They seem to avoid Paris for some reason.
They found a group of thieves and drank them dry. Then they poured some of that special liquid on them and set them on fire. No one was around to see the purple flames and call for help, so they were reduced to ashes. They went back to the hotel.
"We'll be leaving Paris as soon as our suits and Mary's dresses are finished," said Tobias. "She's eager to get back to London. I couldn't care less if I ever see London again. But that's just me. You need to see it, and so does Jason."
"Why would you care less to see London again?" Bradly asked.
"I was almost executed there by Elizabeth Tudor," he said. "She's hell bent on killing all of the fledglings of Mary and Edward for some reason. She came for me in London while I lived there with Mary and Elan."
"Who is Elan?" Bradly asked.
"Mary's fledgling, her last surviving fledgling," he said. "Elizabeth hasn't tried to go for him yet. He's quite powerful. He was a witch before he was turned and is pyrokinetic."
"Nice," said Bradly. "He could kill her."
"That's no doubt why she hasn't gone for him," he said. "We've all been searching for powerful witches to turn. We avoid the Moreau witches, but I think that's a mistake. They're the most powerful witches in the world."
"Who are the Moreau Witches?" Bradly asked.
"Many of them were burnt for witchcraft in France, but Abigail Moreau escaped," he said. "She lived on the west coast of North America before there were colonies there. Now the family is huge again, and they all live on the West Coast of North America. They call it California now."
"Oh, I've heard of it," Bradly said. "People came to Woodland from California with some strange medicines."
"Yes, they come from California with a lot of strangeness," Tobias laughed. "I'll take you there when we return to the States."
"All right," Bradly said. "I've always wanted to see it."
"And you shall," he said. "But we must get into our coffins."
They got into their coffins, but it was a little while before Bradly slept. He couldn't get California out of his head. Then, of course, there was London, one of the most famous cities in the world, and he was in another one.
And where were these old friends that Tobias talked about? They hadn't met any of them in Paris. Maybe he meant Elan. If so, Bradly imagined that they would meet him soon. He was rather looking forward to it.
The next night, they stopped at the clothing store and found their suits ready. The man there worked much faster than his female counterpart. Mary was incensed by this and gave the woman more gold. Mary had ordered six dresses, and there was so much more fabric in them. She'd only ordered one divided for riding, which was already done.
They hunted after dropping off the suits and dress at the hotel. They found a band of murderers and drained them dry. There were people about, so they dragged them to an exclusive site to burn them. No one was around there to see the flames and interfere.
Then they went back to the hotel and saw that there was no play that night. They went to their room and found Richard duPoint in their living room. He smiled at them when they came in, and Tobias was anything but happy to find him in their rooms.
"What are you doing here?" Tobias demanded.
"I've come to continue our chat," Richard said.
"Who let you in the room?" Tobias asked.
"I picked the lock," he said. "Don't worry, no one saw me."
"That's what worries me," Tobias said. "You're not supposed to be able to do that here without being seen and stopped."
"We are the Illuminati, we move in secret," said Richard. "I didn't want to be seen, so I wasn't."
"Fine," sighed Tobias. "But Bradly stays this time."
"That's quite all right," Richard said. He removed his pad and pen and sat down with his little ink bottle. "Where were we?"
"Elizabeth had just shown up in London," Tobias reminded him.
He took him through Elizabeth's arrival on the shores of London and how they'd bribed men on the docks to send them word. Elizabeth almost beat the men to the hotel, but Elan spotted her, and she followed him until she saw him ignite his victim with his mind. Then she backtracked to the hotel, where she encountered no one in the room. Tobias and Mary were already on a ship bound for America. They had already left the dock. They'd left behind all of their clothing and valuables.
"We have all of that in the London chapter house," Richard said. "We cleaned the room and took all that you and Mary had left."
"Well, then, you found a treasure," Tobias said. "That brings us to our time in New York and the original colonies. How we drank the blood of Vikings and drank wine with would-be kings. We spent the next hundred years trolling America until we came to Carson City, and I found what I was looking for in Bradly.
"He is a witch, though he didn't know it then," he continued. "Bradly can see the future. I decided I wanted him for my first fledgling because he could protect himself by seeing the danger before it happened. So I turned him."
"Then you came here to Paris?" Richard asked.
"Five years later," Tobias corrected. "We bought a house in Carson City and lived there for five years. We attended his brother's wedding and were also there for his sister's. We lived in Carson City, learning instruments and going to plays. We threw dinner parties for the wealthy in the city and had a good time of it for five short years. Then I learned that Elizabeth was in New York, so we went to the East Coast and boarded a ship.
"And now we're in Paris," he said. "I will stop at nothing to avoid Elizabeth, and I want Bradly nowhere near her. She's bent on killing the fledgling vampires of both Mary and Edward because she despises Edward for turning her into a vampire to begin with. She hates Mary because she always has."
"That's quite a story," Richard said.
"It's not a story," Tobias said. "It's the truth."
"Yes, I didn't mean to imply that what you've told me is anything other than the truth," Richard said. "Why would you lie to me? After all, I'm only recording the information about you and other vampires like you."
"Have you met many?" Tobias asked.
"There aren't as many of you as there once were," Richard said. "The other type of vampire has been killing your kind for centuries."
"We know that," said Tobias. "I've never seen one of those types of vampires."
"They don't look any different than you do," Richard said. "They just seem to hate your species for some reason. I've never gotten one of them to tell me why."
"You've talked to them?" Tobias asked.
"A few of them," Richard replied. "We record the supernatural in all forms and types. We even talk to witches."
"So you just talk to us and record what we tell you, take what we leave behind, and keep a record of us?" Tobias asked.
"That's exactly what we do," Richard said. "We don't interfere. I fear I've already interfered enough for one night. I'll leave you in peace. Please tell Mary that I'd like to talk with her."
"I'll do that," Tobias said. "It was a pleasure talking to you about the past."
Richard collected his notepads and put them in his satchel. Then he got up, shook hands with Tobias, and left the rooms. Tobias watched the door through which he had gone for a long moment. Then he turned to Bradly and smiled.
"Why does Elizabeth hate us so much?" Bradly asked. "There has to be more to it."
"Why does Elizabeth do anything?" Tobias asked. "She's insane."
"Vampires can go insane?" Bradly asked.
"Oh yes," said Tobias. "It happens sometimes. We don't know why."
"Have you come across many insane vampires?" asked Bradly.
"No," he said. "We've watched a few go mad, though."
"What makes them go mad?" Bradly asked.
"The idea of the endless wasteland of eternity, I'd imagine," Tobias said. "Some can't take immortality."
"That's sad," Bradly said.
"It's something," Tobias said. "Elizabeth had a fledgling that went mad. I didn't see him, but I was told that she had to kill him to keep him from giving them away to the people."
"That's scary," Bradly said. "The people would go insane if they knew about us."
"Something like that," Tobias agreed. Then there was a knock at the door. "That'll be Mary wanting to know what Richard said."
He went to the door and opened it to find another vampire that he hadn't expected. "Carrington," he said, and stepped aside.
"Tobias, you didn't leave word that you were in Paris," said the vampire. He was a shorter vampire, around five feet two inches or so, with long dark hair and the greenest eyes that Bradly had ever seen. He walked with a limp, and since they healed from every injury, Bradly wondered what could have caused the limp.
"Carrington, allow me to introduce Bradly," said Tobias. "Bradly, Carrington is a friend from New York. I'm not sure what he's doing in Paris."
"I live here now," said Carrington. "Where's Mary?"
"In the next set of rooms," Tobias said. "With her latest fledgling."
"She knows Elizabeth kills her fledglings," Carrington said. "Why would she risk it?"
"Loneliness," Tobias said. "It's why I made Bradly."
"Oh, you're his fledgling," Carrington said, turning those green eyes on Bradly.
"Yes," he said.
"You're his first," Carrington said. "That's a high honor among vampires."
"He's not the first," Tobias said, confusing Bradly. "He's the only one I'll ever make. He can see the future, so he'll know when danger is near."
"Well, Bradly, look into the future and tell me what you see," Carrington said.
Bradly looked into the future and found horrors if they stayed where they were. This vampire was in league with Elizabeth, and he had come to warn Tobias that she was in Paris. They had to leave.
"He's in league with Elizabeth," Bradly said. "He came to warn you that she's in Paris. We have to leave."
"Yes, we do," said Tobias. "How could you be in league with her, Carrington?"
"She allows me to live," he said. "You know she's more powerful than I am."
"Fine," Tobias said. "There's no time to pack. I'll alert Mary that we'll be leaving without her dresses. She can write to the seamstress and deliver them to her when we get to where we're going."
"All right," Bradly said. He waited there while Tobias went to Mary, and then they were all headed for the stables to buy horses. They were going to London now, and they were going without bedrolls or coffins. He didn't know where they would sleep if they had to.
They stopped and bought a wagon and more horses. They also bought coffins made by a carpenter in London. They loaded them on the wagon and hired two men to ride with them. Tobias and Mary compelled them, and they were off toward the ferry to London.
They stopped and slept when the sun started to rise. They were back on the road that night, and they made it to the ferry, where they bought passage for themselves and the wagon. They were on the ferry for two hours, and then they were in London. They found a hotel and paid for the night.
"What's that smell?" Jason asked as he sniffed the air.
"It's the other type of vampire," Bradly said, looking around the room.
"Excellent, Bradly," said Mary. "They won't be here, though. We'll avoid them as best we can. We won't be at The Langham long."
"Where are we going?" Bradly asked. They'd just arrived, and he was tired of the road.
"Why are we hiring a ship?" she asked. Elan will be with us momentarily. I called out to him while we were on the ferry and told him where we'd be. Once he arrives, we'll go to the docks and hire a ship."
"Elan is coming with us?" Tobias asked.
"Yes," she said. "With Elizabeth at the foot, we need him."
"You're quiet right," Tobias said. "Still, with the other type of vampire out there somewhere in the city, we must be careful."
There was a knock on the door, and then Elan, a six-foot-tall, dark-haired vampire with amber-colored eyes, was with them. He looked at Jason and Bradly with mild interest and then turned to Mary.
"How close is she?" he asked.
"Paris," she said.
"We're leaving soon?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "Our coffins are in the other room. There's one for you as well. We'll leave tomorrow night. We have tonight to plan and plot."
"The other kind of vampires have a safe house in the city now," he said. "They haven't bothered with our kind in London."
"That's to the good," she said. "I can't fight them with Elizabeth on my tail."
"You know that with me, Elizabeth will come nowhere near you," he said.
"That's true, but it means that we're all stuck in this room tonight," Mary said. "I, for one, love every vampire in this room, but too many of them for too long is not good."
"I hear you, but we have no other choice," Elan said. "You know very well that she could be in London any time now. She could have followed you here."
They sat around the room for the night. Elan told Mary what she'd been up to since he'd seen her last. She told him about Bradly and Jason's turning and the time they'd spent in the house in Carson City. She talked about the weddings and then headed for Paris because they learned that Elizabeth was in New York. Now they were here in London.
"Elizabeth has been hunting you?" Elan asked.
"It seems that way," she said. "But she may have been in New York for other reasons. I believe she arrived in Paris for any reason other than to come for Jason and Bradly."
"Well, she certainly doesn't like for you or Edward to have fledglings," he said. "You know she wants to kill Tobias just as badly as she wants to kill me."
"She hasn't been given the chance to kill you," Mary said with a smile.
"I burned two of her fledglings the last time she thought to come for me," Elan said with a smile. "Scared her off."
"Very good," she said. "It's high time that she lost a fledgling or two for all of mine that she's killed. She knows that Tobias is Edward's only fledgling, and she wants him more than any other."
"Have you appealed to Edward to intervene?" Elan asked.
"Countess times but I've seen hide nor hair of Edward since the last time we were together," she said. "He's in hiding for some reason."
"Or he's just ignoring you," Tobias said.
"Why would he ignore me?" she asked. "He knows that I'm with you."
"That's probably why he's ignoring you," Tobias said. "Edward and I didn't part on good terms. He wanted me to stay, and I wanted to get away from him. So I left in the night. You joining me was probably a slap in the face to Edward."
"Well damn," she said. "I could use his counsel."
"Call out to him again and plead your case," he said. "Tell him I'm sorry for leaving him."
"Are you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Sometimes," he said. "I miss him more and more as time goes on. It's a thing that happens the longer I'm away from him."
"Yes," said Elan. "I've been missing Mary more and more since we've been apart. Edward should check on you from time to time. Don't move in with you, but stay in the city you're in so you can see him occasionally. Mary does that for me."
"First, we have to find him," said Tobias.
"Have you called out to him?" Elan asked.
"No," Tobias said. "I have my reasons."
Bradly let them talk. He went to the piano in the room and began to play a melancholy piece to match his mood. He looked into the future and saw they would make the ship without incident. He was upset because he really wanted to visit London, but he was not sure he would with Elizabeth out there. He wondered how one vampire could kill another.
There had to be a way. After all, Elizabeth was killing the fledglings of her brother and sister. He just had to think. He thought of the sun. That would kill the youngest, " Tobias said. Older vampires had time to get out of the sun. He couldn't expose her to the sun and let it work if she could simply walk to safety. There had to be another way.
The accelerant that they used to dispose of the bodies that they fed on was a big way to kill Elizabeth. Douse her in the stuff and set her on fire. That was one way. Tearing her from limb to limb and burning the pieces was another. He just sat there, playing the piano, and thought of ways to end Elizabeth.
Mary and Edward were probably hesitant to use these methods against their sister. He didn't know what to think of that. His brother and sister were human, and he'd never try to kill either of them. Being a vampire hadn't changed his love for them. No, he wouldn't kill his brother and sister, so he could understand why Mary and Edward weren't trying to kill Elizabeth.
Tobias looked at Bradly and smiled. He was reading his mind as he sat there and played the piano. When the piece he'd been playing was finished, he moved on to another just as melancholy. He was in a mood.
He thought of his mother and father. They were getting older, and he wanted to be near them until the end. Tobias and Mary would probably never consent to living on a farm and being in Woodland so he could be with his family. He supposed he'd never know until he asked them.
Tobias nodded his head at him, and Bradly smiled. It wasn't out of the question after all. Of course, he didn't want to put them in Elizabeth's path either. He'd be searching the future for her as often as possible. He'd see her coming and move them away from his family to engage her when he decided to kill her.
Yes, he had a plan. He had no idea how to carry out his plan, but'd voice it when the time was right. Surely they'd want to help. If not Mary, then Tobias and Elan. They'd want to help. Maybe Jason would get in on the helping. After all, she was out to kill each one of them. Not Mary, but the fledglings of Mary and Edward, and by default, the fledgling of Tobias. They were the ones who had to worry about Elizabeth and what she would do. Mary was just concerned for them and would do all she could to pull them out of danger.
Bradly dressed and left the room. Then he met Jason when he got to his own room. They were both moving out of the room and in with the vampires. They talked about what they were and how they were both vampires now. Jason was amazed by all that had happened in such a short amount of time. Bradly was thankful that Jason didn't mention sex. He was a bit embarrassed about having had any sexual contact with Tobias.
He checked them out of the room and got a refund for the days they'd paid for. Then he went to Tobias's room, and Jason went to Mary's. They were side by side. He knocked on Tobias's door, and Tobias let him in. He handed him a key to the room.
"You don't have to knock. You live here," he said.
"I'll get used to that," Bradly said as he brought his bag into the room. "What are we doing tonight?"
"I'm Teaching you and Jason to hunt," he said. "Dress in one of my suits. We'll get you some new ones a bit later. They come from Paris. I'll call my man with your measurements."
"You don't have to do that," Bradly said.
"I do," he said. "It's my job to clothe my fledgling. You'll develop a taste for silk in no time."
"Where are we hunting?" Bradly asked.
"Why in the city?" said Tobias. "There are thieves and murderers in every city."
"I have a request," he said.
"Harvey Plat?" Tobias asked. Bradly had forgotten that he could read his mind.
"Yes," he said. "He threatened to kill my family."
"Where is he?"
"Harper's Mill," Bradly said. "We should find him at a poker game."
"Then we're all off to Harper's Mill," said Tobias. "It won't take but a short ride. Harper's Mill is the next town over."
"I didn't know that," Bradly said. "Until I came to Carson City, I'd never been out of Woodland."
"I hadn't guessed," laughed Tobias. "Don't worry, the culture will come, you'll get there."
"Thank you for pointing out that I have no culture," Bradly said, hurt by his words.
"I didn't say you have no culture," he said. "I said more culture would come. Bradly, you can't be hurt by everything I say. I will mold you into a perfect vampire during our time together. I may say things from time to time that you might take exception to, but you mustn't. I don't mean anything untoward when I say them."
"I'll try to remember that," he said. "But you must understand that I came to you from farm life. All I know currently is milking cows, mucking stalls, building a fence, and mending it."
"I do know all of that," he said. "Bradly, I read your mind thoroughly. You don't have a city education. I'll take you to Paris and London, and you'll learn more and more. I'll show you artwork and take you to places that will astound you. You'll see."
"All right," he said.
"Now I have to tell Mary we're off to Harper's Mill," he said. "She'll be absolutely thrilled that you have a man to hunt already."
"If we find his blonde friend, he can die as well," Bradly said. "He held me at gunpoint."
"Then die he shall," Tobias said. "Perhaps Jason could kill him. We're teaching you both to hone your new skills after all."
"I'm all for that," Bradly said.
They got their horses and started out for Harper's Mill. Jason was excited. Bradly could smell it on him. They were to kill their first victims tonight. Jason didn't understand just how quickly they'd be able to kill them. Harvey Plat had said he'd kill him if he ever crossed paths with Bradly again. Well, he was about to cross paths with him again.
Harper's Mill was no bigger than Woodland. They had a mercantile, a bank, and a bunch of farms surrounding the town. They found Harvey Plat and his blonde companion as soon as they rode into town.
"Well, look who it is," Harvey said to his friend. "Didn't I tell you I'd kill you when I saw you next?"
"You did," Bradly said. "Though you will be the one to die tonight."
"Is it to be a duel then?" he laughed.
"No," Bradly said. Then he rode off into the woods. Harvey and the blonde man followed him. But so did Tobias, Mary, and Jason.
"There's no point in running from me," Harvey said. "My horse is faster than yours."
"Who said I was running?" Bradly said loud enough for him to hear and for the man to hear his laughter.
Once outside the town, he stopped his horse and hopped off it. Then he turned to look at Harvey, who was still on his horse. The blonde was there as well. Bradly smiled as they got off their horses. Jason arrived and hopped off his horse as well.
"Well, we have two to kill," said the blonde. He took his gun and pointed it at Jason.
"Bradly is mine," said Harvey. "He took my watch."
"You should get it back from him before you kill him," said the blonde.
"Mickey, he'll be dead, and I can take it from his corpse," said Harvey.
"Your name is Mickey?" laughed Jason.
"Don't make fun of me," Mickey said, firing his gun. Jason jerked but didn't fall.
"That stings," he said and smiled. Mickey shot him again.
Harvey shot Bradly, and then he saw that it didn't bother him and looked at him in horror. Bradly walked toward him. Harvey dropped his gun and pissed his pants. Bradly wrinkled his nose at the scent of his piss. Then he grabbed him and bit into his neck and drank from him until he was dead. He let him fall to the ground. Soon Mickey joined him on the ground.
"Very good," Tobias said. "Now we'll teach you to get rid of them."
He hopped off his horse and took a corked bottle from his pocket. He poured what was in there all over the bodies, then lit a match and dropped it on them. It hissed, and then the fire was a blaze. It turned purple. Bradly had never seen a purple fire before, at least not that shade of purple.
"What was that?" he asked.
"It's an accelerant," said Tobias. "It's made for us in Paris."
"It burned them to ashes in no time," Jason said. "Do you have more?"
"Are you still thirsty?" Mary asked.
"No," he said.
"Then you don't need more tonight," she said. "Let's get back to the hotel. We have a poker game to play."
They returned to the hotel, and because neither got blood on their suits, they played poker just as they dressed. Bradly saw better and played like he was on fire. Tobias smiled at him and then shook his head. Bradly began to lose. Jason began to win. Then they traded back and forth, winning each hand for a bit. Then neither of them won a hand for a while. Then the pot got big and Bradly wanted it. He looked into the future and bluffed. It paid off. He made six hundred dollars from that game.
None of the men who played with them were exactly happy, but they weren't pissed off either. It was the difference between the wealthy and the working man. Bradly had money to buy suits from Paris. Tobias called with his measurements and was promised the suits would be on the next boat bound for US ports. He got the exact port, and they moved on.
"I bought you a better horse," Tobias said. "Your horse can be tied to the wagon's reins that pull our coffins. I bought you one of those as well."
They had two men with them that Bradly didn't know. He was told that they would guard them on the road, were paid well, and were compelled to the gills. Bradly didn't know what that meant, but then Tobias told him that they all had the power to compel with their stare.
They slept the days away under the watchful guard of the two men with rifles and guns. They rode at night. They stopped in towns to hunt and made good time across the countryside to Richmond. They met the boat as it hit the shore and paid for their packages to be delivered to their hotel.
Then both Jason and Bradly were wearing silk suits and riding stallions. Bradly's faithful horse pulled the wagon as they returned to where they'd come from a week after arriving in Richmond. It was back to the road.
They hunted in towns and cities and slept the days away until they returned to Carson City. They went back to their rooms, which were still rented in the hotel. They played more poker in the dining room with different rich men. They won tons of money, and Bradly now had close to two thousand in his bank. They bought a house in the city and moved into it.
The house was two stories tall and had an extensive root cellar. The rooms were all modernly decorated, and the furniture was of very nice quality. Bradly wrote to his family to tell them of his good fortune. He had his portrait taken and sent the tintype along with a certified letter to the farm.
And time moved on. They went to Woodland to be there for James Donner's wedding. They were dressed even better than the Donners. Bradly got to see his family again. They were overjoyed to see him and spent much time with them before returning to Carson City.
His father told him he was proud of him, and his mother thanked him for the money he'd sent them. His brother said he'd stopped having dreams about him, and his sister said that there was something about him and his companions that she couldn't figure out. She knew the truth of things most of the time, but with Bradly and his friends, she knew nothing.
When they got back to Carson City, they had a full staff waiting for them. They spent time compelling them, and an incinerator was installed behind the house. Their victims would go in there.
Then Bradly saw a man he was curious about. Tobias said to let him alone and explained that he was an Illuminati. Bradly didn't know what that was, but he was told that the Illuminati chronicled the supernatural in the world. He said that they allowed them to live because they thrived on secrecy, just like they did.
The man was a blonde-haired man with a mustache and beard. He wore round-framed glasses and a three-piece suit. He looked wealthy but appeared to be aloof as he watched them for about an hour. He looked at his pocket watch and left the hotel dining room.
They saw him from time to time, but he never approached them. Tobias said he'd left one of his journals for him to find. He said the man had searched their rooms when they'd checked out and had followed them since Mary and Tobias arrived in Carson City. Mainly because there were no vampires in Carson City, but now there were four of them. The Illuminati were curious as to why they'd come to Carson City. They'd bought a house and settled in Carson City, so the Illuminati had sat up and paid attention.
Nothing changed. They held dinner parties for the wealthy and hunted the city at night. Bradly learned to play the piano and the violin. Jason learned to play the French horn and the saxophone. Tobias and Mary just seemed to hang out. Tobias read newspapers from all over the world, and Mary bought artwork from local artists.
They existed in Carson City. Bradly wondered when they would go to Paris, England, and other parts of the world. Tobias seemed content to stay where they were for the time being.
Then they were heading back to Woodland to attend Jed's wedding. He married a girl named Willa Mason. She was a pretty young girl who was besotted with Jed. The wedding wasn't big, but it was beautiful. The most sharply dressed were Bradly and his friends. They attended the reception at the town hall and had a grand time. They ate very little, which went unnoticed by all but Bradly's mother, who told him that he needed more food to sustain him. She told him to come by the house and she'd make him a meal.
He talked to Tobias about this, and Tobias said a little was fine, but any more human food would have him retching until he coughed it all up, or he would be sick for a month. He told his mother they weren't staying after the wedding but promised to stop next time.
When they got back to Carson City, Bradly noticed that the house had been gone through. They consulted the staff and were told that Mr. Miles Benedict had come to look through the house. He had assured her that he had Bradly's permission to come and have a look. Tobias told him that Miles Benedict was Illuminati, and they would forgive his trespass. Bradly felt odd about it. He noticed that his journal and Mary's were missing. But Mary and Tobias said it was of no consequence.
"We'll be leaving Carson City very soon anyway," Tobias said. "We'll no doubt leave a lot behind for Miles Benedict to go through when we take the ship to Paris."
"We're going to Paris?" Bradly asked.
"Yes," Tobias said. "Mary wants new dresses, and I think it's time to see old friends in Paris. Plus, you and Jason have never left the States. It'll be a good trip for all of us."
They left in May and were on the water for roughly twelve weeks before docking at the port of France. Much happened while they were on the boat. Their coffins were said to be departed loved ones returning to France for burial. Their state rooms were nice, with wooden walls and floors. They spent time on the ship's deck and hunted for rats and mice.
Mary painted a portrait of Tobias and Bradly while they were on the boat. Bradly learned to play a concerto on the piano while they were on the ship, and they met many people. Some were interesting and some weren't. There were wealthy people on the ship. They played poker a lot on the ship and transferred money back and forth. They had a grand time of it.
Of course, Bradly and Jason had never been on a ship before. They loved every second of the journey and got rather comfortable on the ship. Tobias had to warn them that people would start to suspect them if they did miraculous things while on the ship. They sometimes forgot that they were stronger than the strongest man and much faster than their eyes could track them.
Bradly got his first taste of a woman on that ship as it happened. Tobias found a wealthy couple who were young and eager to try new things. They met in their state room, and all forms of sex occurred that night. Bradly tasted his first pussy that night and fucked one for the first time in his life.
Yvonne and Morgan Waters were both attractive. Morgan was a dark-haired man with brown eyes, six feet tall, and muscular. Yvonne was a long blonde-haired woman with eyes the color of the sky. She was very voluptuous and looked good in her silk dress.
Her kisses tasted like mint, and Bradly kissed her for nearly an hour before he finally placed light kisses on her breasts. She moaned and pushed her body closer to his mouth. He still left butterfly kisses on her breasts, her cleavage, her stomach, and then he pushed her back on the bed until he was between her legs.
He licked her clit and pushed his tongue against it. He ran the tips of his fingers over her labia and brought her to orgasm that way. Then he slowly entered her and began to move in and out while kissing her mouth again. He brought her to a second orgasm as he fucked her. He decided that her pussy wasn't any better than Tobias's tight ass or his throat, for that matter.
After the fucking he discovered that Tobias had fucked Morgan. They switched, and Tobias fucked Yvonne, and Bradly fucked Morgan. His ass was open and wet from Tobias's ejaculation. And it was a fun two hours with Morgan. Then they kissed them both thoroughly and left their cabin. The sun was about to rise, so they went to their cabin and got into their coffins.
The next night, Mary and Jason were with Yvonne and Morgan. Tobias and Bradly spent the evening on the deck, discussing artwork with another couple. They had a pleasant conversation and ensured the ship was blissfully free of rats. When that was done, they started taking little drinks from the passengers to compel them to forget.
They reached France in the dead of night. They paid to have their coffins moved to their rooms at the Grand Hotel du Louvre, the biggest hotel in Paris. The others on the ship heard them say it and were impressed that they'd be in that hotel.
They took a buggy to the hotel and gave their names at the desk. They were given the keys to the rooms, and they walked over to the steam lift. Bradly had never seen anything like this hotel. They were in a large lobby, with ceilings at least twenty stories high and crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling across the lobby.
They rode the lift to the fourteenth floor and went to their rooms. A porter unlocked the door to Tobias and Bradly's room and lit the gas lamps. The room was huge, and he placed a tub of ice and a bottle of champagne. He turned down the bed and then opened the curtains. The view was beautiful. Tobias tipped him well and then closed the doors behind him.
He grabbed Bradly and kissed him like he'd never kissed him. Then they walked around the suite and looked at everything. The coffins were already in place. They had a little more night to conquer, but not much. They met with Mary and Jason for a drink. They had a bottle of blood to share between the four of them. Then they were in their coffins and slept the day away.
When they woke up, they all went to a seamstress who made dresses. Mary tried on a few and ordered about six. Then they went to a men's clothing shop, and Tobias, Bradly, and Jason each ordered six suits of silk. They had a busy night. Then they went to a play, Romeo and Juliet, and they had a grand time.
Back at the hotel, they spotted another man from the Illuminati. Tobias told Bradly that the Illuminati had chapter houses in every major city in the world. This man was red-haired with green eyes and dressed in a silk suit similar to the ones they were wearing. He gave them his card, which Tobias said was strange. His name was Richard duPoint. He was of the Paris chapter house of the Illuminati.
"I trust that you know to memorize and destroy this card," he said in perfect English.
"Of course," said Tobias. "I'm just shocked that you handed it to me."
"We've decided to be a bit less invisible to the supernatural in the world," said Richard. "I welcome chatting with you whenever you wish to have one."
"I'll keep that in mind," Tobias said.
"Bradly, I'd enjoy a chat with you as well," said Richard.
"We shall see," Bradly said. He had no idea what was usual for the Illuminati, but he wasn't a hundred years old.
"I'll leave you in peace," Richard said.
Tobias and Bradly joined Mary and Jason on the lift and went to the fourteenth floor. Mary asked about the man, and Tobias told her all that was said. She looked puzzled by it as well. Bradly supposed it had been strange. The man in Carson City had not approached them once.
"Why did he approach you?" Mary asked.
"He noticed that we'd noticed him and then came right up to us as if an old friend," Tobias said. "It was most strange."
"Indeed," she said. "The Illuminati do not announce themselves in this manner. Usually by the time we realize they've been around, they're already gone."
"I don't know what to make of it," Tobias said. "But we should slumber. The sun is about to rise."
"Yes, we'll speak of this tonight," she said.
They went into their room and got into their coffins. They slept the day away and then had a bottle of blood. Bradly was amazed that Tobias could have one delivered. It was cow's blood, but it was blood.
Mary and Jason were in their suite almost as soon as they were awake. They talked about Richard duPoint for hours. Then they went out and walked the city to find victims. They saw what they were looking for and fed, destroyed the bodies, and made it back to the hotel before too long. They watched a play in the hotel that night and had a grand time. They saw Yvonne and Morgan in the hotel at the play and nodded to them. Then they were back in their rooms.
The next night, Tobias had Richard duPoint in the suite. Bradly left with Mary and Jason and let them chat. Bradly was worried about it, but he didn't know why. Tobias had called him to the suite himself.
"He's interviewing him for their files," Mary said. It's the only explanation. I'm sure he'll want to interview me, but I cannot allow that to happen. Too much secrecy is dependent upon me. If the Illuminati know who I am, then they're way ahead of me. I doubt that they are. I've been protecting my secret for over a century."
"That's right," Bradly said. "You were Queen of England at one time."
"Yes, and I'm supposed to be dead," she said. "But in truth, I was turned vampire by my brother when I was Queen of England. I staged a coup and placed my lady's maid, who looked so much like me, on the throne as Mary I. Then I slipped out of the castle until I could return and turn Elizabeth. A look-alike was found to take her place, and the three of us left England behind and moved to Paris. People thought it was cute that we looked so much like the Tudors. None of them ever suspected we were the Tudor Queens and King of England."
"That's some back story," Bradly said. "I'm a farmer from Woodland. That's all I have for you."
"Don't be silly," she laughed. "Now you're a man of mystery on holiday with your dashing best friend Tobias, who is also a man of mystery. You're accompanied by his posh business partner, Mary, and her young man, Jason, who is also a man of mystery. You must never tell people that you were a simple farm lad. That won't do."
"I hear you," Bradly laughed. "That's better than farm boy."
"Much," she said. "Just trust me on this. I once was a queen."
"I hear you loud and clear, Majesty," he said with a smile.
"None of that," she said. "That was centuries ago."
"To have lived your life," Jason said with a sigh.
"Oh, believe me, in a few centuries, you will have lived at least a part of my life," she said. You'll know all the secrets, tips, and tricks we use to get by within humanity."
"We don't know half of the tricks," Bradly said. "Tobias had to remind us not to scare the locals with our superhuman abilities when we were on the ship."
"You're young yet," she said. "It's all still so new to you. You'll get there."
"Why is it that you still have your accent and Tobias doesn't have his?" Bradly asked her.
"Tobias has worked harder to lose his than I have," she said. "And until very recently, I lived in London with my fledgling."
"You have another fledgling?" Jason asked her.
"I have twelve of them," she said. "Sadly, ten of them are dead at Elizabeth's hand. She's been working to destroy all of the fledglings of her brother and sister. Tobias is the last of Edward's, and Bradly is the first of Tobias's. He never wanted a fledgling because of Elizabeth. If she would kill Edward's fledglings and my fledglings, why would she not kill the fledgling of Tobias as well?"
"This was information that we needed, wouldn't you say?" Jason asked.
"No, Elizabeth has been busy stroking the ego of one of her own fledglings of late," she said. "We haven't seen her in over a hundred years. Besides, Bradly here would see her coming."
"Really?" Jason said. "You can look further into the future now that you're a vampire?"
"Yes," he said. "And all I see right now is that we'll thrive here in Paris. London is next."
"And what of the Illuminati?" she asked.
"They mean us no harm," he said. "They really are just updating their files on you and Tobias. They do know who you are and what you were."
"Damn," she said with a smile. "Well, you can't have it all, can you?"
"No, you can't," he said. "At least I never can."
"Well, this meeting with Richard is unusual, but if you say they mean us no harm, then I'm prepared to let him have his little chat with Tobias and not interrupt," she said. "Let's go see the play."
That's what they did. They went to the play and enjoyed themselves. They were in the second act when Tobias joined them. He smiled at Bradly, and Bradly smiled back. Tonight's play was a musical, and it was very fun to watch. When it was over, they applauded, and Bradly was careful not to applaud too loudly.
Then they went out and hunted. Tobias told them all about his chat with Richard. He was told that his journal was at the chapter house in London if he should want it back. It had been studied, and excessive notes had been taken on its passages. No, they weren't going to interfere, but he told them that there were vampires of the other type in France, just not Paris. They seem to avoid Paris for some reason.
They found a group of thieves and drank them dry. Then they poured some of that special liquid on them and set them on fire. No one was around to see the purple flames and call for help, so they were reduced to ashes. They went back to the hotel.
"We'll be leaving Paris as soon as our suits and Mary's dresses are finished," said Tobias. "She's eager to get back to London. I couldn't care less if I ever see London again. But that's just me. You need to see it, and so does Jason."
"Why would you care less to see London again?" Bradly asked.
"I was almost executed there by Elizabeth Tudor," he said. "She's hell bent on killing all of the fledglings of Mary and Edward for some reason. She came for me in London while I lived there with Mary and Elan."
"Who is Elan?" Bradly asked.
"Mary's fledgling, her last surviving fledgling," he said. "Elizabeth hasn't tried to go for him yet. He's quite powerful. He was a witch before he was turned and is pyrokinetic."
"Nice," said Bradly. "He could kill her."
"That's no doubt why she hasn't gone for him," he said. "We've all been searching for powerful witches to turn. We avoid the Moreau witches, but I think that's a mistake. They're the most powerful witches in the world."
"Who are the Moreau Witches?" Bradly asked.
"Many of them were burnt for witchcraft in France, but Abigail Moreau escaped," he said. "She lived on the west coast of North America before there were colonies there. Now the family is huge again, and they all live on the West Coast of North America. They call it California now."
"Oh, I've heard of it," Bradly said. "People came to Woodland from California with some strange medicines."
"Yes, they come from California with a lot of strangeness," Tobias laughed. "I'll take you there when we return to the States."
"All right," Bradly said. "I've always wanted to see it."
"And you shall," he said. "But we must get into our coffins."
They got into their coffins, but it was a little while before Bradly slept. He couldn't get California out of his head. Then, of course, there was London, one of the most famous cities in the world, and he was in another one.
And where were these old friends that Tobias talked about? They hadn't met any of them in Paris. Maybe he meant Elan. If so, Bradly imagined that they would meet him soon. He was rather looking forward to it.
The next night, they stopped at the clothing store and found their suits ready. The man there worked much faster than his female counterpart. Mary was incensed by this and gave the woman more gold. Mary had ordered six dresses, and there was so much more fabric in them. She'd only ordered one divided for riding, which was already done.
They hunted after dropping off the suits and dress at the hotel. They found a band of murderers and drained them dry. There were people about, so they dragged them to an exclusive site to burn them. No one was around there to see the flames and interfere.
Then they went back to the hotel and saw that there was no play that night. They went to their room and found Richard duPoint in their living room. He smiled at them when they came in, and Tobias was anything but happy to find him in their rooms.
"What are you doing here?" Tobias demanded.
"I've come to continue our chat," Richard said.
"Who let you in the room?" Tobias asked.
"I picked the lock," he said. "Don't worry, no one saw me."
"That's what worries me," Tobias said. "You're not supposed to be able to do that here without being seen and stopped."
"We are the Illuminati, we move in secret," said Richard. "I didn't want to be seen, so I wasn't."
"Fine," sighed Tobias. "But Bradly stays this time."
"That's quite all right," Richard said. He removed his pad and pen and sat down with his little ink bottle. "Where were we?"
"Elizabeth had just shown up in London," Tobias reminded him.
He took him through Elizabeth's arrival on the shores of London and how they'd bribed men on the docks to send them word. Elizabeth almost beat the men to the hotel, but Elan spotted her, and she followed him until she saw him ignite his victim with his mind. Then she backtracked to the hotel, where she encountered no one in the room. Tobias and Mary were already on a ship bound for America. They had already left the dock. They'd left behind all of their clothing and valuables.
"We have all of that in the London chapter house," Richard said. "We cleaned the room and took all that you and Mary had left."
"Well, then, you found a treasure," Tobias said. "That brings us to our time in New York and the original colonies. How we drank the blood of Vikings and drank wine with would-be kings. We spent the next hundred years trolling America until we came to Carson City, and I found what I was looking for in Bradly.
"He is a witch, though he didn't know it then," he continued. "Bradly can see the future. I decided I wanted him for my first fledgling because he could protect himself by seeing the danger before it happened. So I turned him."
"Then you came here to Paris?" Richard asked.
"Five years later," Tobias corrected. "We bought a house in Carson City and lived there for five years. We attended his brother's wedding and were also there for his sister's. We lived in Carson City, learning instruments and going to plays. We threw dinner parties for the wealthy in the city and had a good time of it for five short years. Then I learned that Elizabeth was in New York, so we went to the East Coast and boarded a ship.
"And now we're in Paris," he said. "I will stop at nothing to avoid Elizabeth, and I want Bradly nowhere near her. She's bent on killing the fledgling vampires of both Mary and Edward because she despises Edward for turning her into a vampire to begin with. She hates Mary because she always has."
"That's quite a story," Richard said.
"It's not a story," Tobias said. "It's the truth."
"Yes, I didn't mean to imply that what you've told me is anything other than the truth," Richard said. "Why would you lie to me? After all, I'm only recording the information about you and other vampires like you."
"Have you met many?" Tobias asked.
"There aren't as many of you as there once were," Richard said. "The other type of vampire has been killing your kind for centuries."
"We know that," said Tobias. "I've never seen one of those types of vampires."
"They don't look any different than you do," Richard said. "They just seem to hate your species for some reason. I've never gotten one of them to tell me why."
"You've talked to them?" Tobias asked.
"A few of them," Richard replied. "We record the supernatural in all forms and types. We even talk to witches."
"So you just talk to us and record what we tell you, take what we leave behind, and keep a record of us?" Tobias asked.
"That's exactly what we do," Richard said. "We don't interfere. I fear I've already interfered enough for one night. I'll leave you in peace. Please tell Mary that I'd like to talk with her."
"I'll do that," Tobias said. "It was a pleasure talking to you about the past."
Richard collected his notepads and put them in his satchel. Then he got up, shook hands with Tobias, and left the rooms. Tobias watched the door through which he had gone for a long moment. Then he turned to Bradly and smiled.
"Why does Elizabeth hate us so much?" Bradly asked. "There has to be more to it."
"Why does Elizabeth do anything?" Tobias asked. "She's insane."
"Vampires can go insane?" Bradly asked.
"Oh yes," said Tobias. "It happens sometimes. We don't know why."
"Have you come across many insane vampires?" asked Bradly.
"No," he said. "We've watched a few go mad, though."
"What makes them go mad?" Bradly asked.
"The idea of the endless wasteland of eternity, I'd imagine," Tobias said. "Some can't take immortality."
"That's sad," Bradly said.
"It's something," Tobias said. "Elizabeth had a fledgling that went mad. I didn't see him, but I was told that she had to kill him to keep him from giving them away to the people."
"That's scary," Bradly said. "The people would go insane if they knew about us."
"Something like that," Tobias agreed. Then there was a knock at the door. "That'll be Mary wanting to know what Richard said."
He went to the door and opened it to find another vampire that he hadn't expected. "Carrington," he said, and stepped aside.
"Tobias, you didn't leave word that you were in Paris," said the vampire. He was a shorter vampire, around five feet two inches or so, with long dark hair and the greenest eyes that Bradly had ever seen. He walked with a limp, and since they healed from every injury, Bradly wondered what could have caused the limp.
"Carrington, allow me to introduce Bradly," said Tobias. "Bradly, Carrington is a friend from New York. I'm not sure what he's doing in Paris."
"I live here now," said Carrington. "Where's Mary?"
"In the next set of rooms," Tobias said. "With her latest fledgling."
"She knows Elizabeth kills her fledglings," Carrington said. "Why would she risk it?"
"Loneliness," Tobias said. "It's why I made Bradly."
"Oh, you're his fledgling," Carrington said, turning those green eyes on Bradly.
"Yes," he said.
"You're his first," Carrington said. "That's a high honor among vampires."
"He's not the first," Tobias said, confusing Bradly. "He's the only one I'll ever make. He can see the future, so he'll know when danger is near."
"Well, Bradly, look into the future and tell me what you see," Carrington said.
Bradly looked into the future and found horrors if they stayed where they were. This vampire was in league with Elizabeth, and he had come to warn Tobias that she was in Paris. They had to leave.
"He's in league with Elizabeth," Bradly said. "He came to warn you that she's in Paris. We have to leave."
"Yes, we do," said Tobias. "How could you be in league with her, Carrington?"
"She allows me to live," he said. "You know she's more powerful than I am."
"Fine," Tobias said. "There's no time to pack. I'll alert Mary that we'll be leaving without her dresses. She can write to the seamstress and deliver them to her when we get to where we're going."
"All right," Bradly said. He waited there while Tobias went to Mary, and then they were all headed for the stables to buy horses. They were going to London now, and they were going without bedrolls or coffins. He didn't know where they would sleep if they had to.
They stopped and bought a wagon and more horses. They also bought coffins made by a carpenter in London. They loaded them on the wagon and hired two men to ride with them. Tobias and Mary compelled them, and they were off toward the ferry to London.
They stopped and slept when the sun started to rise. They were back on the road that night, and they made it to the ferry, where they bought passage for themselves and the wagon. They were on the ferry for two hours, and then they were in London. They found a hotel and paid for the night.
"What's that smell?" Jason asked as he sniffed the air.
"It's the other type of vampire," Bradly said, looking around the room.
"Excellent, Bradly," said Mary. "They won't be here, though. We'll avoid them as best we can. We won't be at The Langham long."
"Where are we going?" Bradly asked. They'd just arrived, and he was tired of the road.
"Why are we hiring a ship?" she asked. Elan will be with us momentarily. I called out to him while we were on the ferry and told him where we'd be. Once he arrives, we'll go to the docks and hire a ship."
"Elan is coming with us?" Tobias asked.
"Yes," she said. "With Elizabeth at the foot, we need him."
"You're quiet right," Tobias said. "Still, with the other type of vampire out there somewhere in the city, we must be careful."
There was a knock on the door, and then Elan, a six-foot-tall, dark-haired vampire with amber-colored eyes, was with them. He looked at Jason and Bradly with mild interest and then turned to Mary.
"How close is she?" he asked.
"Paris," she said.
"We're leaving soon?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "Our coffins are in the other room. There's one for you as well. We'll leave tomorrow night. We have tonight to plan and plot."
"The other kind of vampires have a safe house in the city now," he said. "They haven't bothered with our kind in London."
"That's to the good," she said. "I can't fight them with Elizabeth on my tail."
"You know that with me, Elizabeth will come nowhere near you," he said.
"That's true, but it means that we're all stuck in this room tonight," Mary said. "I, for one, love every vampire in this room, but too many of them for too long is not good."
"I hear you, but we have no other choice," Elan said. "You know very well that she could be in London any time now. She could have followed you here."
They sat around the room for the night. Elan told Mary what she'd been up to since he'd seen her last. She told him about Bradly and Jason's turning and the time they'd spent in the house in Carson City. She talked about the weddings and then headed for Paris because they learned that Elizabeth was in New York. Now they were here in London.
"Elizabeth has been hunting you?" Elan asked.
"It seems that way," she said. "But she may have been in New York for other reasons. I believe she arrived in Paris for any reason other than to come for Jason and Bradly."
"Well, she certainly doesn't like for you or Edward to have fledglings," he said. "You know she wants to kill Tobias just as badly as she wants to kill me."
"She hasn't been given the chance to kill you," Mary said with a smile.
"I burned two of her fledglings the last time she thought to come for me," Elan said with a smile. "Scared her off."
"Very good," she said. "It's high time that she lost a fledgling or two for all of mine that she's killed. She knows that Tobias is Edward's only fledgling, and she wants him more than any other."
"Have you appealed to Edward to intervene?" Elan asked.
"Countess times but I've seen hide nor hair of Edward since the last time we were together," she said. "He's in hiding for some reason."
"Or he's just ignoring you," Tobias said.
"Why would he ignore me?" she asked. "He knows that I'm with you."
"That's probably why he's ignoring you," Tobias said. "Edward and I didn't part on good terms. He wanted me to stay, and I wanted to get away from him. So I left in the night. You joining me was probably a slap in the face to Edward."
"Well damn," she said. "I could use his counsel."
"Call out to him again and plead your case," he said. "Tell him I'm sorry for leaving him."
"Are you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Sometimes," he said. "I miss him more and more as time goes on. It's a thing that happens the longer I'm away from him."
"Yes," said Elan. "I've been missing Mary more and more since we've been apart. Edward should check on you from time to time. Don't move in with you, but stay in the city you're in so you can see him occasionally. Mary does that for me."
"First, we have to find him," said Tobias.
"Have you called out to him?" Elan asked.
"No," Tobias said. "I have my reasons."
Bradly let them talk. He went to the piano in the room and began to play a melancholy piece to match his mood. He looked into the future and saw they would make the ship without incident. He was upset because he really wanted to visit London, but he was not sure he would with Elizabeth out there. He wondered how one vampire could kill another.
There had to be a way. After all, Elizabeth was killing the fledglings of her brother and sister. He just had to think. He thought of the sun. That would kill the youngest, " Tobias said. Older vampires had time to get out of the sun. He couldn't expose her to the sun and let it work if she could simply walk to safety. There had to be another way.
The accelerant that they used to dispose of the bodies that they fed on was a big way to kill Elizabeth. Douse her in the stuff and set her on fire. That was one way. Tearing her from limb to limb and burning the pieces was another. He just sat there, playing the piano, and thought of ways to end Elizabeth.
Mary and Edward were probably hesitant to use these methods against their sister. He didn't know what to think of that. His brother and sister were human, and he'd never try to kill either of them. Being a vampire hadn't changed his love for them. No, he wouldn't kill his brother and sister, so he could understand why Mary and Edward weren't trying to kill Elizabeth.
Tobias looked at Bradly and smiled. He was reading his mind as he sat there and played the piano. When the piece he'd been playing was finished, he moved on to another just as melancholy. He was in a mood.
He thought of his mother and father. They were getting older, and he wanted to be near them until the end. Tobias and Mary would probably never consent to living on a farm and being in Woodland so he could be with his family. He supposed he'd never know until he asked them.
Tobias nodded his head at him, and Bradly smiled. It wasn't out of the question after all. Of course, he didn't want to put them in Elizabeth's path either. He'd be searching the future for her as often as possible. He'd see her coming and move them away from his family to engage her when he decided to kill her.
Yes, he had a plan. He had no idea how to carry out his plan, but'd voice it when the time was right. Surely they'd want to help. If not Mary, then Tobias and Elan. They'd want to help. Maybe Jason would get in on the helping. After all, she was out to kill each one of them. Not Mary, but the fledglings of Mary and Edward, and by default, the fledgling of Tobias. They were the ones who had to worry about Elizabeth and what she would do. Mary was just concerned for them and would do all she could to pull them out of danger.
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