The Vampire’s Servant
Chapter 72

During dinner, Echo talked all about her shopping trip. She described the dresses she'd picked out with so much excitement that I was eager to see them. She also went on about the stylist and her master. I realized, Victor couldn't properly marry Echo. He smiled and listened without so much as a twinge.

Technically, they were already married from the bite, but that wasn't the same. I wondered if Echo wanted to get married the traditional way. I knew my parents would want a wedding. I felt like I should bring it up at some point, but decided it would be better used next time Echo needed a distraction.

When we were done with the meal, Echo and Jean-Claude cleaned up. She told me she needed to work on her laundry and that I could help, if I wanted. I shook my head. I needed to talk to Victor more.

I wanted to help with the curse. If it could kill him, I had to help fix it. Echo wouldn't deal well with losing either of us. And I was coming to think of him as a friend. He tried to give me the tools to gain Echo's love and he wasn't that bad... for a vampire. He was in his office with the door closed. I knocked and waited for him to call me in. It didn't take long.

Victor was sitting at his desk with a stack of files on one side and a folded piece of paper in front of him. I closed the door behind me and sat in the chair across from him. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Is there something I can help you with, Grayson?" He asked.

"You could call me Gray...." I offered.

"I really haven't time for this, Grayson. If you're feeling lonely, go talk to the other werewolves." Victor said and turned his attention back to the paper on his desk.

"I was just trying to break the ice, Victor. Talia told me about the curse. I want to help. What do you need from me?" I asked.

"I need you to focus on keeping Echo happy while I resolve it. This is my territory. My responsibility. I don't need help." He replied coolly.

"Stop being an asshat. This is dangerous. Echo needs both of us. You're my friend. I don't want you to die. You don't have to do this alone." I insisted.

"Asshat? You have a colorful way with words, Grayson. I don't know how you could help aside from keeping the fact that it could kill me from Echo. If last night is any indicator, we don't want her to meltdown over something I plan to resolve. This isn't as easy as it seems. I was just rereading the last update letter sent by the first Master of this territory. It's vague and none of his previous updates even hint at what could have led to any of this." Victor sighed. "Can I see it?" I asked. "I might have a different perspective."

He scoffed, but handed me the letter. I unfolded it. The paper was old and fragile, so I was as careful as possible while I read the slightly faded handwriting.

-

To whomever it may concern,

This is my final message to the Council. I regret to inform you that a curse has been placed on this territory. The exact conditions of it are hard to describe. I physically cannot write them. I have tried repeatedly. Suffice it to say, the union of my territory with the local coven of witches has fallen through and my negotiations with the werewolves is completely off the table.

The only way I can see to break this curse before it fully takes hold of the territory is to kill myself. By the time this letter reaches you, I will have met the sun. I have lost too much, in any case, to make this long life worth living. I do not fear my future undoing. I leave this territory in the care of my second in command, Thornton Graves. He will make an excellent Master and this territory should grow rapidly under the change of command.

I thank you for assigning me this post and giving me a brief happiness. I will carry this experience in my heart until I am no more. My apologies for not living up to your expectations. I am certain this is the only solution to this issue. Please, do not send anyone else out here until Thornton writes to say the curse is resolved.

Your most humble servant, Grigori Drozdov

-

I looked up at Victor. He was watching me read. This didn't sound great and it didn't say anything about the actual nature of the curse.

"He knew all about the curse, but couldn't write it?" I asked.

"Other vampires who know of the curse cannot speak of it. I spoke with a few older vampires in the territory. They confirm that there is a physical reaction to talking about the curse. I have gotten as much as I can from them." Victor said softly. "What do you know now?" I pressed.

"Something happened between Grigori and the leader of the coven. I can't find any witches who know about it. The coven disbanded after the leader and his whole family disappeared. The light witches refuse to get involved. They believe that Grigori had the family killed when the negotiation wasn't going their way. I hope that Lila will be able to shed more light on it. Dark witches don't have the same... social limitations... light witches do. Maybe she had a grandparent or great-grandparent who wrote about what happened." He sighed. "Master Marius is bringing her here once Echo is asleep."

"I'll stay with Echo so you can meet with her. It sounds like Grigori was the focus of the curse. Why would it affect the werewolves?"

"We have no idea. I'm still working that out. Maybe there's a werewolf component somewhere." Victor shrugged.

I nodded. That made sense.

"What happened with the vampire that took over?" I asked.

"He disappeared soon after Grigori met the sun. So did the second support. Absolutely no one knows what happened to them. The next person who tried to take over ended up tripping and staking himself. Vampires don't trip. There are no awkward vampires. Even Springer was graceful from the moment he rose." Victor shook his head.

"Are there more letters from anyone or notes?"

"There are some journals. Some of them just seem to go from being intelligent people, to being raving lunatics. Others become less wordy until they just stop. People who would write two or three pages of descriptive information in their journals suddenly started being cryptic, as if they were being spied on, then stopped writing all together." He explained.

"Have you talked with Trent?" I asked.

"Not yet. I was hoping he would be willing to question some of the older werewolves."

"Our great-grandfather is still alive. Judging by the date on the letter, he would have been about twelve when the first master took his life. I could go ask him. He would just talk about Alpha stuff if Trent went. I can get more out of him. I'll go tomorrow after school. I can have someone meet Echo at the bus stop, to make sure she gets in safely." I offered.

"You wouldn't be put out by it?" He asked.

"No. Like I said, you're my friend and our Echo needs you to stay alive. The sooner we get this curse sorted, the sooner we can work on our happy ever after." I grinned.

Victor laughed. "I can't believe my 'happy ever after' includes the wolf who tried to steal my servant."

"I can't believe mine includes an ancient leech. Did I ever tell you how much I hate vampires?" I snorted.

"Probably as much as I hate werewolves. I suppose we all make compromises for love. Thank you for wanting to help with this. It was becoming quickly overwhelming." He admitted.

"You can always come to me for help. I may not be able to do a lot, but I'll do everything I can." I told him.

"The same goes for you. We need to take care of each other so we can take better care of Echo." Victor smiled. "Anything else?"

"I want to take Echo out bowling on Saturday evening. It's her day off, but it may mean a cold bed for you."

"That's fine. I'm sure she'll enjoy it. I'll look forward to hearing all about it." He replied.

"She might be too tired to stay up and talk. Echo is going out with Sean during the day. She told me he was taking her to play mini-golf." I said.

"Echo said she has a friend called Sean. You've met him? Is he in love with her as well? I won't share her with another man." Victor growled.

"So far, it seems like a really good friendship. I'm not trying to talk her out of it. I am keeping an eye on it, though. There's something about Sean that makes my hackles rise." I sighed.

I didn't know what it was about him. He wasn't anything compared to me and Victor. There was no way that Echo could love him as more than a friend. That didn't exactly relax me. There was nothing to stop him from being in love with her. It wasn't hard to love her once you knew her.

"Let me know if we need to have a talk with young Sean. I would hate for him to ruin his friendship with Echo. I would hate to have to ruin that friendship for him...." He said in an icy voice.

"Calm down. I've got this. He won't hurt our girl. I'll make sure of it." I promised.

"Good. If that's all, I have some questions to put together before we see Echo off to bed."

"I wanted to talk to you about that, as well." I winced a little.

"You're taking up a lot of my time tonight, Grayson. What about Echo's bedtime did you want to discuss?" Victor asked with a raised eyebrow.

I shifted uncomfortably. This was really awkward to talk about, but we'd discussed the other things we were doing with her. I didn't know what was making this difficult.

"Well... um... I was thinking, you keep saying we shouldn't do things she's not ready for, but we don't actually know what she's ready for. I told her that she would be in charge tonight. I want her to be comfortable telling us what she needs and wants." I told him. "She doesn't know what she needs and wants, Grayson. That's why we're introducing her to everything slowly." He sighed.

"I know, but what about yesterday? She touched both of us in the way she wanted to. Neither one of us prompted her or really told her what to do. She asked for instruction when she needed it, but wanted to explore how she could touch us. Talia told me what the vampires said and did to Echo. She isn't completely ignorant. Just... innocent. I think that doing this will make her feel better about her power in our relationship and might lead to things that we hadn't been planning for her in a while. We have to give her control, Victor. She's not a child." I insisted.

He looked at the desk. There was a thoughtful look on his face. I hoped that he was really considering everything.

"And you've already promised her this?" Victor said, finally.

"Yes. I figured you'd be on board. Echo deserves to have a say in our... activities."

"If she's already expecting it, I won't object. You should talk to me before making these decisions, Grayson." He replied. "I'm part of this relationship, too."

"I know. I'm sorry. The idea popped into my head and I said it before I even thought about talking to you. Frankly, I didn't really know if you'd agree to it, but she deserves it. I want her happy and relaxed around us, not trying to play a role we've dictated. I know our Echo will be the most amazing woman once she's comfortable with herself and with us." I urged.

"I understand. Anything else? Or can I get some of this work done before then?" Victor asked.

"I'll head out. I need to call my parents and get some stuff done myself. I don't think they're going to allow me to miss another family dinner. Plus, my boss wants me to call about getting my schedule for the week." I said as I stood.

"You know you don't have to work, if you don't want to. I can give you an allowance or pay you for work you do around here." He offered.

"No, thanks, I want to earn my own way. It will give you and Echo time alone on the evenings I work. I'm sure you miss that time with her."

"I did. Thank you for thinking of me. Good luck with your calls. I'll see you in a couple hours."

"And don't worry, I told her that you and I aren't kissing each other." I snickered.

He chuckled. "Good. You're not exactly my type."

I laughed and got out of the chair. I needed to call my mom. She was probably going to be a little mad, but she'd understand once I talked to her about Echo's healing and how much she needed me. Mates are very important to werewolves.