Shadows Of Desire

Rowan grimaced as a bright ray of sunlight cut through the darkness of his bed chambers and landed on his face. He quickly put his arm over his eyes to shield them from the intruding light. Folen was standing in front of the window she had just opened, letting the sun warm her skin. She smiled as she absorbed the bright light.

The sun seemed brighter to Rowan or maybe his eyes had just not adjusted to it yet. He groaned and pulled the blanket up over his face then turned on his side, putting his back to the light. How other species tolerated the sun he had no idea. He much preferred the safety of the night and the solitude it brought with it. He could lose himself in the night, hide within the shadows, and move around undetected.

Vampires had an uncanny ability for seeing in the dark but Rowan seemed able to somehow evade even the oldest and wisest of them. Melting in and out of the shadows with a movement so swift and light almost as though he were gliding through the air like some unseen specter. One would think such traits were common for his kind but the stories of vampires had been greatly exaggerated over the centuries.

Humans thought them immortal beings with supernatural powers and while some do possess such abilities or powers it’s simply not true of the species as a whole. Vampires are not immortal as many seem to think. Some are centuries old, yes, and there are those referred to as the ‘ancient’ ones, vampires who have lived for thousands of years. Tales of the ancient ones are mostly fairy tales among vampires though as Rowan had never met one nor knew of any vampire who had and, there was no proof that they even existed.

Vampires do age. They age extremely slowly, but they do age. Master Kinnerik was proof enough of that. Though Rowan was uncertain of the man’s age, he suspected that he was somewhere around eight-hundred years old. Certainly older than the King who, at four hundred years old, only looked to be in his late forties or early fifties. He was still handsome with his dark hair and brooding brown eyes. He was tall with a muscular build that made him both enticing and intimidating. Women and men alike would swoon in his presence, scrambling to get his attention only to be disappointed when he ignored them completely.

The King was attracted to power and status. Servants were beneath him and not worth his attentions or affections. If what Lord Killian had said about the King visiting whore houses was true, well, it was news to Rowan. He supposed it made sense though. The King would never entertain such services in the palace, or out in the open where anyone might see. He was more discreet than that, more guarded. Despite being a monarch, the King was a highly private man and didn’t appreciate being the topic of palace gossip. His personal business was his own and he let everyone know it, violently if need be.

As far as supernatural powers, that was mainly fantasy. Vampires had heightened senses, were stronger, faster, and had more stamina than humans but there were stronger beings. Dragons for one. Vampires feared dragons and with good reason. Their fire breath could burn an entire village to the ground and fire was something that a vampire could not heal from. Luckily for the King, the dragons kept to their territory and seldom bothered anyone else. In fact, there hadn’t been a dragon sighting in centuries. Rowan was glad for that. He didn’t fancy the idea of being burned to a crisp.

Vampires had enhanced healing but like fire, there were other things that they simply could not heal from. Decapitation being on the top of that list. A stake through the heart could be healed if the stake were removed and the heart still in tact. A silver blade through the heart was another matter though. Like werewolves, vampires were allergic to silver, as were most supernatural beings. Cuts or stabs to non vital organs could possibly be healed in stronger vampires but it would take time and they would be weakened from the injury.

Other rumors that were pure nonsense were ones involving garlic, roses, coffins, religious artifacts, blood and sunlight. Sanguines did require blood to survive but they didn’t have to feed every night and could actually go for several months without blood. It also didn’t have to be human. Human blood kept one younger and stronger and one who did not feed on blood at all would age faster and eventually death would overcome them, but that would take centuries. Mostly, they ate regular food, drank wine, and hunted animals for sport.

No vampire that Rowan knew of slept in a coffin or grave and while sunlight could be uncomfortable to them, it did not kill them. Like Rowan, most vampires preferred the night as it was their natural time and were most active during the night. During the day, if out, they sought out more shaded areas or went out on overcast days if possible, but they were not confined to their homes and could venture out into the sunlight if they had to. The cold didn’t affect them much either and they could remain submerged in water for hours as they had no need to breathe.

Death. That was one rumor which, unfortunately, was true. Vampires were, essentially, dead. Or, in a death like state. The older they were the more evident this became as the old ones tended to take on a more monstrous appearance and were no longer able to blend in with other species. Some resembled stone statues that moved slowly and emotionless throughout their dreary existence. Others became skeletal like beings, white skin, black eyes, and long, gangling limbs with claws rather than hands. They were the things of nightmares and probably the ones who had sparked the stories of vampires being inhuman monsters prowling the streets at night in search of blood.

Most vampires, like Rowan, were born instead of made. These were known as pure born and were of an elite class of vampire. Blood born vampires were once human, sired by a pure born and usually kept as servants by their masters. Blood born vampires were not permitted to sire others and when they did, the sire as well as the fledgling would be destroyed if found out. This was done in order to keep the numbers of blood born vampires down and assure the balance of power stayed as it was. If blood born vampires became the ruling class, all hell would break lose.

Rowan assumed that this was due to biology. Blood born vampires were weaker than the pure born and they had to feed to survive. They could live on animals but craved human blood which made them dangerous if not kept in check. Rowan knew of a few around, mostly servants to nobles and even some that worked at the palace though Rowan rarely came in contact with them. They were however, why the palace no longer employed humans. Blood born vampires had trouble controlling themselves around them, especially new borns whose blood lust was near insatiable.

“Come now, M’Lord.” Folen said as she turned and pulled the blanket down and off of Rowan’s head. “Time for ya to rise and shine.”

“I don’t shine.” Rowan grumbled, trying to pull the blanket back up. “And it’s far to early to rise.”

“Must we do this every morning?” She sighed.

“Yes, we must.” Rowan turned to look at her and Folen put her hands on her hips as she stared back down at him. “How old are you?” Rowan suddenly blurted out, taking the woman off guard.

“What manners!” Folen tsked, feigning offense. “Ya never ask a lady her age.”

“I only ask because you look even younger than me and I’m not keen on taking orders from a girl.”

“I, M’Lord, am far older than you can even imagine.” She yanked the blanket down with a quick jerk, leaving Rowan exposed. “Now, stop yer bellyaching and get yer scrawny arse out of that bed.”

Reluctantly, Rowan did as he was told, his feet hitting the floor with a thump as he slid into his house shoes. Just one more hour of sleep. He thought. That’s all I need. Just one more hour.

***

The day started like any other day. Folen brought in a basin of warm water and Rowan washed as Folen laid out his clothes for the day. After he was dressed, Rowan made his way to the sitting room where a small breakfast of fresh bread, cheese, and an assortment of different fruits awaited him. On the table next to his plate was a wine goblet filled with a dark red liquid. Rowan sniffed it and frowned. Swine blood. He pushed the goblet away and asked Folen for water instead.

Folen placed a cup of water on the table next to him then stood, her arms crossed over her chest, as she looked at him disapprovingly.

“What?” He demanded.

“Gonna refuse it again I see.”

Rowan shrugged. “Don’t need it.”

“You can’t fight what ya are.” She sighed. “And ya can’t go much longer without it, child.”

Rowan watched as she picked up the goblet, removing it from the table. Her hands shook slightly as she moved away from the table and sat the blood on the serving tray near the door.

“You have no need to fear me.” Rowan told her. A slight tinge of guilt to his words. “I’m not a monster and going three months without partaking isn’t going to throw me into a blood crazed frenzy. I have more control than that.”

Folen nodded. “I didn’t mean to offend, sire. I know you’d never hurt me. But, you are hurt’n yer-self. Ya think I don’t see, but I do. Yer paler than usual and the light hurts your eyes. Those are signs of being blood starved. If ya go much longer you’ll only be making yer-self sick, and that I won’t stand for.”

Rowan slouched in his chair, chewing his bottom lip. “Tell the cook to serve my steak rare at dinner tonight. That should sate me for another month.”

Folen rolled her eyes. “Now yer just being a smart arse.” She groaned as she walked away.

Rowan smirked and popped a slice of fruit into his mouth, sure that they’d be having the same argument tomorrow.