Altered Path

You would think that I would be terrified to enter a dark, creepy house with a stranger who had just told me he was a bloodsucking monster.

You’re damn right I was!

This could go so very wrong at this point. If I went inside and he had a partner waiting or even just a den full of torturous devices…..well, I didn’t know what I would do.

“You should know that, since you have consumed my blood, I can sense your thoughts,” Gideon said.

“That sounds like a you problem,” I said, trying to sound tough.

Gideon laughed, heartily, “I suppose it is.”

He opened the door and I was pleasantly surprised. It was huge. It was dusty. White sheets covered all the furniture, but a small fire burned in the giant fireplace I saw in the next room.

“Who all lives here?” I asked.

“Just myself, and now you.” Gideon said, smiling.

“No maids? No cook?” I asked.

Gideon shook his head.

“It’s difficult for my kind to interact with random humans. One never knows what reaction each party will have,” he said.

I sighed.

“Of course, now that you’ll be here, that situation will be rectified. By you, of course.” he explained, “My hope is to rejuvenate this home, Melissa. I have wandered since I began this life, not knowing what I was searching for. Then, I received word that the last of my human relatives had passed. This was their home.”

“You kidnapped a chick to help you fix up your house.” I said, shaking my head.

“I did not kidnap you, Melissa. That filthy man tried to sell me his poison. I told him my tastes run in a different direction. I’m not quite sure what he thought I was referring to, but he delivered you to me within hours,” Gideon informed me.

He seemed to be annoyed that I accused him of such a thing. I thought that was odd considering he drank people’s blood and probably killed quite a few. But god forbid he kidnap someone.

“How much did you pay him?” I asked, curious to know how much I was worth to the man I loved.

“He did not ask for payment. He said I was doing him a favor.” Gideon said, softly, “I am sorry, dear. I do sense your pain. That man does not deserve your love.”

I snorted.

“You don’t know me, vampire! I’m not worth the gas you used driving to pick me up. Erik was right. You did him a favor.” I said, fighting back tears.

Gideon was suddenly beside me.

“He did me a favor, dear. I can already tell that you will be a welcome first addition to my family.” he said, sincerely, “It matters not where you’ve been, Melissa. You choose your destiny now.”

I thought about that as he showed me around the main part of the house. I had always considered myself worthless because my parents never even bothered to send me a letter or a single birthday card. How could I be worth anything if the very people who created me had abandoned me?

I hope to prove what I was worth when my baby is born. I would be the best mother that I could. I would never leave my kid to walk the world all alone, as my parents had done to me.

Gideon puled me from my thoughts with a little tap on a closed door.

“This is the room I have prepared for you. Now, remember that I had no idea who would be the resident of this room, so it is a bit impersonal, but I’m sure you can add your own touches.” He said, swinging the doors open.

Yes, doors...plural.

The heavy wood doors, that I now noticed were sanded and stained recently, opened into a large room lit by another huge fireplace. There was a small couch and chair set next to the fire and a dining table off to one side. The wood floor was also recently refinished and it glistened where it peaked out from under the many rugs that were scattered around the room. The room was bigger than an entire apartment.

Again, I felt a pang of sadness at the loss of the only man I’d ever loved. But I shoved it down deep and ignored the lump in my throat.

“There’s no bed?” I asked.

Did he mean for me to sleep on the couch? It did look comfy.

“In the bedroom, dear,” Gideon said, indicating two doors on the far wall.

I looked at him.

“What is this room?” I asked.

“This is your private sitting room, of course.” he said, as if it were totally normal to have a private sitting room inside a huge mansion where you lived with a vampire.

“Of course,” I said, going to the double doors across the room and opening them, “Holy shit!”

This room was bigger than the first, and shared the giant fireplace that I had seen there. The biggest, most fancy wooden canopy bed I could have ever imagined was positioned to one side, with a matching set of side tables holding a large vase of roses on each. The floor was a thick, cushioned rug that felt like soft moss when I walked on it.

“If you hate it, we can change it, of course.” Gideon said.

“It’s more than I need, Gideon, really.” I said, feeling embarrassed that this man I just met was offering me such a gift.

“You haven’t even seen the bath suite yet. We will need to think about adding a door to the next suite,” he said, “for the little one.”

I felt as though any other stranger’s interest in my unborn child would have made me feel creeped out. From Gideon, it just seemed natural.

“Here, in the armoire, I have some basic clothing stocked. Again, I wasn’t sure who would be needing it so it’s fairly plain,” he told me.

But I had gone to another door on the side of the room, thinking it to be a closet.

Wrong again.

It was another very large room, but this time with a giant claw foot tub, a counter covered in cosmetics and hygiene products of all sorts with a double sink. A separate room with the toilet, which was something I had never seen and was very impressed with, having had to share a bathroom with Erik for so long.

I looked at Gideon and said, “Bath suite?”

He winked.

The bath tub suddenly looked like bliss to me. My body ached from the way Erik had man handled me. My clothes were splattered with blood. I could imagine my face was red and puffy from all the crying I had done.

“No need to ask, dear. I will give you some privacy,” Gideon said, then he headed out of the bedroom.

“Wait!” I called after him.

He stopped and turned around.

“Where will you be? What if I need you?” I asked him, trying not to sound needy.

He smiled and said, “Darling, I can hear everything in this house. If you need me, simply call my name.”

Then, he disappeared so quickly, I gasped softly.

“That’s enough showing off,” I muttered, then heard a faint laugh in the distance.

He wasn’t kidding about hearing everything.

I took my time peeling off the bloody clothes, then tossed them in the corner. I would throw them out later. They were not the kind of clothes I wanted to take into my new life.

I realized how corny that sounded: new life. Like I joined a cult or went through rehab.

I probably should have gone to rehab at some point. I’d tried and loved every drug I’d ever heard of. It was easy since Erik sold pretty much all of them. I didn’t have a favorite. I would do whatever you set in front of me. Then, I’d beg for more. Heroin, cocaine, meth, weed, shrooms, alcohol…..I could never get enough.

I wondered how my new roommate would deal with that.

While the tub filled with steaming hot water and rose scented bubbles, I went to the big armoire and checked out my clothing options.

Gideon was right. Very basic. Mostly unisex sweats and t-shirts. No panties. No bras. Solid color, mostly grey.

“You definitely need some education on buying girl clothes, vamp.” I said, hoping he was listening.

I picked a pair of grey sweats and a white t-shirt, along with a pair of thick socks. Then I went back to the tub and climbed in for a nice long soak.

The water felt amazing. It eased away all of the pain in my bruised body. It relaxed my mind and slowed my thoughts, making the events of the evening more clear. More scary.

Why had Erik given me to Gideon? What had I done that was so bad that he lost all concern for my safety? It couldn’t be just the baby, was it?

When the water had cooled somewhat and had a slightly bloody tinge to it, I drained the tub and refilled it.

This time, I focused on my usual self care routine. Scrubbing, shampooing, shaving and rinsing.

Gideon had spared no expense it seemed in collecting various body care products. I saw none of the dollar store junk I was used to.

“Okay, score one for the bloodsucker.” I said and as I applied a silky lotion over my still tender skin, I started to believe that this may indeed be a great new life for me.

I had never had anything for myself. Now I had a whole suite of rooms. No one had ever made me feel truly cared for, except Erik and he gave me away like an old piece of furniture. Now, Gideon wanted me to be a part of his family.

I wondered if this could really work. A vampire and a pregnant human girl, building a family together.

Weird.

But I sort of loved weird.

I knew my feelings may change after the first time Gideon needed to eat. Or drink. Or whatever. I shivered slightly, imagining the possibility of pain or even death. What if he lost control? I had questions, but I was too exhausted to think about them now.

Freshly bathed, lovely scents wafting around me from all the lotion and body spray, I climbed into the huge bed.

Immediately, I moaned with pleasure. It was like laying on a freaking cloud! My eyes started to droop before I could even turn out the lights.

The last thought I had as I placed my hand on my tiny bump of a belly was that this kid was going to have a much different childhood than I had. The thought sprouted dreams of baby showers and birthday parties and summer days at the park.

I realized, I was feeling something I had never had before….

Hope.