The Vampire’s Servant
Chapter 81

[Victor]

I watched Grayson leave and wanted to go with him. When Master Marius disappeared with Echo, I fell to my knees. There was a piercing pain in my chest. If it were in my nature to cry, I would have. One of my greatest fears was right in front of me. It was worse that he caught me in a bout of anger. I'd never felt anything like that. Even in my human life, I wasn't explosively angry. I realized I didn't know what I would've done if I had gotten my hands on Echo. That terrified me. Just last night, the curse only had a weak hold on me, now I was changing. I wished Grayson hadn't pushed back on taking her to the pack lands, but he was right. She would worry, I would fall into a dark hole without her. Echo was the only light in my life. Even having a territory again paled in comparison to having my sweet little Echo near me. When I woke up and she was snuggled next to me, I felt more alive than I had ever felt.

More impressive to me was the fact that she had fought with her sister and brother about me. She stood up for herself and for our relationship. I wanted to do so much more to keep her safe. If this curse made me hurt her.... I didn't think I could live with myself. Grayson was right. I was stronger with Echo near me. I thought more clearly. I would keep her with me until it was clear that she wasn't safe. Talia would help me keep my temper. Now she knew the curse was affecting me, she wouldn't expect me to act like myself. I opened one of the journals stacked on my desk. It was from the months before Grigori met the sun. There was little that delved into the personal side of his life.

He noted the weather, date, state of his territory, and simple sentences about his progress in his negotiations. Nothing more than 'first meeting with F.A.' or 'meeting with W.P. went well. One sentence that struck me, though, was two months before he met the sun. Grigori noted, 'Found a beautiful flower today. I will investigate it further and see if I can acquire it for my home. No other mention of the flower followed. I wondered at it.

It was possible that it was a code for something, or he merely felt like noting the presence of an interesting flower. I made note of it. I would try to talk to Lila and some of the vampires in the area to see if they had any clues.

About an hour later, I got up from my desk. I went to the kitchen to get some blood. After I finished my drink, I climbed the stairs and went to Echo's room. She was wrapped in Gray's arms.

I stood near her bed. She didn't look peaceful. Her brow was furrowed even in sleep. I could see tears in the corner of her eyes. I reached down and wiped the tears away. I hadn't meant to wake her, but she opened her eyes slightly.

"Victor?" She whispered.

"I'm here, princess." I replied softly.

"Please forgive me. I just got scared and I needed help to deal with my new ability. I didn't mean to make you afraid that he would take me away." Echo murmured.

"I will forgive you if you will forgive me. I was angry and upset. I didn't mean to imply that I wouldn't be able to forgive you. I love you and I always want you with me." I said.

"Let's not fight again. I don't like how it feels. I'll be better and talk to you instead of acting out. I just didn't like how you were talking to me. Sometimes, it bothers me when you act like a father to me. You're not my father. I know you're older, but you're my Solus Amor. I don't want you to treat me like a child." She explained.

"I understand. We should explore your new abilities more. I wonder what you could use that for. Sharing images and sensations is rare." I told her.

"Marius is going to come and train me after dinner every night. He says that's how his ability to show someone their death works. It's why I was gone for a while. He was seeing if I could do the same thing he could." Echo said.

"Well, go back to sleep. It sounds like your day got even longer. You need your rest." I smiled and leaned down, kissing her on the forehead.

She snuggled into Grayson's arms and started drifting off again. I watched over them for a little while. It made me miss the nights when she was healing and I would lay with them while they slept. It was hard to believe it was only a few nights ago. My Echo had blossomed nicely as she healed.

I returned to my office feeling better. Echo was going to be fine. She was powerful and had gained one of the more fearsome abilities of her sire. Once she was properly trained and could fight, it would make her a force to be reckoned with. I could imagine that, in a hundred years or so, she would lose just enough of her innocent demeanor to actually make people fear her.

Maybe she would end up like Talia. Someone who looked unthreatening, but was skilled and deadly. I liked that idea better. Echo being her sweet innocent self until someone crossed her.

-

Returning to reading the journals and noting the progression of the talks, I felt at peace. I knew I would figure this out. Everything would be alright. Echo would grow, Grayson would mature, I would live, and our life together would even out. About an hour later, I heard the buzzing of the front gate. Talia called out that she would get it. I wondered who it could be at this hour. If Silence or Talon had figured anything out, they would have called or texted, same for Trent. My curiosity got the better of me and I went to see who it could be. I arrived in the entryway just as Talia opened the door. I walked toward her, but froze when I heard what she said next. "Welcome, Finn. Please come in." She smiled.

"Thank you, mistress. I'm glad you called. I'm thrilled to come help Vic out." He said, walking in my door and picking her up into a hug.

Finnick was the youngest of my brood. He also waffled between being Talia's favorite and being a thorn in her side. He never tried for a territory. I think that was one of the things they bonded over. No real ties keeping them in one spot. He was different. He kept sinking into the human world and forsaking ours. Finn was annoying and pig headed. Something about his attitude always grated on me.

"There's the man!" Finn grinned.

After setting Talia down, he strode over with his hand out. Finn was a few inches taller than my six feet. He was broader as well, having been a Danish warrior. His hair was golden blond and he had a scar that ran over his cheek bone just under his right eye. Even that seemed to enhance his attractiveness.

Women had always thrown themselves at him and he wasn't in the habit of saying no to their offers. I was surprised there weren't more dhampyrs and hybrids out there with his blood. He had no qualms about sleeping with women, or men, no matter their species. "What on earth is that scent?" He moaned half way across the entry.

I closed the distance and took his hand. "I appreciate you coming out here, but I don't need your help, Finnick."

"When mistress calls, you come. She said you do need my help. Goddess, I'm starving. Where is that smell coming from?" Finn asked.

"I have bags of blood in the kitchen. Come with me and I'll get you some." I told him.

"I think I'll have whatever you're hiding upstairs." He pulled his hand from mine. "It smells delicious."

Finn started for the stairs and I rushed to get in front of him. I grabbed him by the arm and spun him into the wall. He started laughing.

"I see how it is. Keeping the good stuff for yourself, huh? I'm your brother, you should share with family." Finn grinned.

"Stay downstairs. I will not warn you again. I am Master of this territory and I have not given you permission to feed on anything other than bagged blood. If you want to have live donors, I suggest you do as I say." I warned.

"Come on, just a little nip. It's only polite for you to take care of your guests. You have a tasty little bloodwhore up there."

I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him against the wall. I was ready to rip his throat out. It wouldn't kill him, but it would make him think twice about disobeying me again.

"Never call her that, or I'll rip out your tongue and shove it back down your throat!" I growled.

"Victor?" Echo said softly from the top of the stairs.

I looked up at her. She was wearing her fuzzy pajama pants and a tank top. Her hair was a little mussed and she looked scared.

Grayson came around the corner and stepped in front of her. "Sorry, she was faster than me. Do you need help, Victor?"

"Get Echo back in her room and lock the door." I ordered.

Finn managed to slip my grasp and started up the stairs. "Hello, pretty girl. I'm Finn. Come here and let me have a taste of you." He purred.

Echo squealed and disappeared. Finn froze. He looked around, confused.

"Never had that reaction."

A moment later, Bellamy entered from the other side of the hallway. "What the hell is going on? I'm trying to f*****g sleep."

"Oh, a powerful wolf. Your house is just full of tasty little snacks. I should've come to visit you much sooner." Finn chuckled. "Talia. He's going to make her angry." I warned.

"Then he'll get what he deserves."

"You're such a gorgeous little wolf. Let me have a little nip of you." Finn said flirtatiously.

"Gray, go to my bedroom. Your mate is there. She told me there's a vampire here making trouble for Victor." Bellamy ordered.

Grayson nodded and rushed past her. I had Finn by the back of his shirt as he strained forward. Bellamy moved to the top of the stairs. She didn't seem amused.

Finn climbed the stairs, proclaiming how amazing and beautiful Bellamy was as if she were a trapped animal. She raised an eyebrow. I let him go. If he was going to be a fool, I wasn't going to be attached to him.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you, Finnick. Victor warned you to stay downstairs." Talia warned as he held out his hand like he was going to pet Bellamy.

"She's not as skittish as the other one." He chuckled, stepping on to the landing at the top of the stairs.

Bellamy lashed out, kicking him between his legs hard and punching him in the nose when he bent over. He fell backward and tumbled down the stairs past me. I smirked as he crashed into the wall at the bottom and Bellamy leapt down. She quickly turned him around and twisted his arm behind his back, then dislocated it before doing the same to the other. Talia snickered as she watched. I couldn't believe she was just going to sit back and watch as he tried to feed on Echo.

"Victor is the Master of this territory. It doesn't matter who you are or who invited you. You will respect that. If he says you eat from bags, you eat from a fucking bag. If he says you don't go upstairs, you do not go up the f*****g stairs." She growled. "Dilly, Claude, I want you to guard Echo. Keep this man away from her."

"Thank you for your assistance, Queen Bellamy." I said with a bow, and helped her off the body of my broodmate.

"Of course, Master Nightshade. We'll take care of your Solus Amor while you deal with this... person." Bellamy replied and headed up the stairs. "If he tries to come in my room while I sleep, or into Echo's I'm going to stake him. I don't care if he's your childe, Talia. He needs some manners."

"While you are here, Finnick, you will protect Echo as if your life depends on it. You will not feed on her. No matter the situation, unless she offers you her blood. The girl you scared off is Victor's Solus Amor. If you bite her, you may well start a war you are unprepared to fight. She is also the child of Marius. If you do not fear Victor, you know you should fear Marius." Talia told him coolly.

"Got it. Don't bite the tasty treat." He groaned.

"Do not call my wife a 'tasty treat"." I growled and kicked him.

Finn yipped. "Right, sorry. No nibbles on Lady Nightshade."

"Why did you invite him, Talia? I have only a few vampires I'm permitting in the house because I want to avoid issues like this. He has no self-control! I've had younger vampires in this house who didn't behave like this!" I told her.

"You need his ability. He's the only one of our line who has the ability to find anything. You need answers. He can find them." Talia explained.

"I may not be to your taste, big brother, but I am useful. I certainly don't want you to die." Finn scoffed.

"Die?" Echo squeaked from upstairs.

"What are you doing there?" I asked.

"You're going to die, Victor?" Her voice quivered.

"We were trying to get her back to her room while he was incapacitated. Sorry." Dillon explained.

Echo clasped over her heart and ran off toward her room. Grayson chased after her and they were followed by Dillon and Jean-Claude. I kicked Finn one more time. "Idiot. I didn't want her to know about the curse." I growled.

"That doesn't seem like a very open and honest relationship, Victor." He chuckled.

"I'm going to dislocate your jaw next time you open your fucking mouth." Bellamy told him sternly. "Victor, you have to go talk to her. She's going to be freaking out about this."

"Talia, please make sure Finnick gets fed and stays on the first floor." I told her, turning toward the stairs. "Queen Bellamy, would you assist her. In case he gets any ideas." "No problem, Victor. Go on." She smiled.

I ran up the stairs. I could feel Echo crying from the moment she'd turned and run away. My heart felt heavy. I wished Bellamy had broken his jaw.

Dillon and Jean-Claude let me past them, into Echo's room. She sat on her bed. Grayson had his arm around her and was holding her.

Kneeling in front of her, I cupped her cheek in my hand and wiped away her tears. Echo launched herself at me, knocking me backward as she clung to me. I laid on the floor with Echo gripping me tightly and sobbing into my shoulder. "Hush, princess. I'm trying to fix it. I swear. I love you and I'm trying to stay alive." I murmured.

"Y-you c-can't die, Victor! I j-just found you!" She sobbed.

"I'm working on it, Echo. There's a spell on this territory. Whoever claims the title of Master, is doomed to die or disappear. I'm trying to break it, I promise." I said softly, stroking her back and hair.

"Let me help. Please. I want to help save you. I can't just do nothing, Victor." Echo begged.

"You can go with me to find my great great-grandfather's journals. You're good at cleaning and organizing. This is the perfect way to use your skills." Grayson offered.

"Yes. That would help me a great deal. He was the Alpha when the curse was cast. Would you go help Grayson, princess?" I asked.

"I will. Thank you, Victor. Thank you for letting me help. We're going to save you. I know we are." She sniffled and kissed my cheek.

"I love you, Echo. We've been working hard. I have everyone getting me all of the information they can find on it. I need you to promise, though, that you won't try to leave the Northwest until the curse is broken." I told her. "Why not?"

"If what I've found so far is true, you could get hurt if you tried to leave. Promise you'll stay here until it's broken." I insisted.

"I'll stay here forever if I have to. Just stay alive for me." She whispered.

"Of course, my Echo. I need to go tend to my guest. I promise he won't try and feed off you again." I said.

"If he does, I'm telling Marius. I won't be food for any vampire who wants me anymore, Victor. You're the only one allowed to drink my blood." Echo replied softly.

I squeezed her to me. I loved that she was willing to let me feed on her. I wouldn't bite her until I knew she was open to me marking her. The urge would be too strong. I wouldn't be able to resist her.

Echo sat up on me and traced her fingers over my lips. She was gentle. I closed my eyes and soaked in the feeling of my little love treating me so softly. I loved the feeling of her sweet, tender, touches on my skin.

"I need to go, princess. You get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake." I promised.

She nodded and got off me. I stood, dusted myself off, and said my goodbyes. I needed to go deal with my broodmate. With luck, he'd found his manners.