Chapter 8
The rest of the shift went by in a fog of anger and self doubt. I knew what she was doing, but the problem was, she was probably right. Tanya's interest was most likely fleeting at best. I headed to my car, deep in thought, unlocking it with my keyfob as I approached it. I slid in and slammed the door, which sounded like both front doors closing and became aware of someone sitting next to me.
“Jeeze, Northern, you look like someone shot your puppy,” Lidya said, in greeting.
I stared ahead, clenching my jaw and finally said, “You can tell Galina, 'I got the message!' Your reinforcement isn't needed.”
“What? Whoa there. You talked to Galina? When?” She was puzzled.
I sighed. “A couple of hours ago. You two need to communicate better. She already warned me off.”
“She did what? She didn't? Oh, the old hag is really scared!”
I studied her expression, trying to ferret out if she was acting or not.
“Okay Chris, take it from the top. Tell me everything she said,” Lydia didn't appear to be lying, but who knew how good an actress she was. I noted that she had never used my name before. I decided it didn't hurt to play along, giving her the rundown of my meeting with the Lieutenant and Galina and our private conversation. She processed that for a moment, then turned to me, her green eyes bright with sudden understanding. “You believe her, don't you? I mean about Tanya?”
I shrugged, then nodded. Her face softened in sympathy for a moment, then hardened into a fiercer expression. “Alright, listen up. Class is in session. Welcome to Tatiana 101. Here are the facts of life. You drive, I'll talk.”
I started the Xterra and pulled into traffic as she began to speak.
“Vampires are not flighty as a rule. Our emotions, likes, dislikes and habits run longer and stronger than they do in humans. They have to, because we live so much longer. When we make up our minds on something, it usually stays that way, etched into stone. Tanya is no exception, if anything she's even more rock solid in her ways. And we don't take forever to make up our minds. It can happen faster than you can blink.”
She paused to make sure I was up to speed. I nodded, and she continued.
“Tanya hasn't spoken for fifteen years. Not one word! And she has not fed from a living being in that entire time! Until you reached into her chest and touched her heart! You had every opportunity to kill her to save yourself and you didn't! Her first word in fifteen years was 'nyet'.” She paused.
I must be a double moron, because I decided to correct her.
“Actually, her first word was 'swallow,' ” I said.
Her palm slapped the dashboard like a gunshot, making me jump despite myself. “I knew it! She gave you her blood! Hah!” She was really excited now. “Don't tell anyone else that! And don't even think about it near Nika!”
“Why?”
“Because, my slow to understand friend, no one...NO ONE has ever tasted Tanya's blood. no one but you! That proves it! Absolutely proves it!”
“I'm not following any of this.” I admitted.
“Vampire blood, when shared with a human, does a lot of things. If the vampire has taken blood from the human, then shares their own, it creates a bond. The human also gets improved health, better senses, faster reflexes, greater strength and other stuff. Depending on how much blood is taken, it usually wears off anywhere from several hours to several days, unless more blood is shared. Tanya, as the only born vampire..the only Full Blood, has probably the most potent blood of any vampire, even the Elders. It has been guarded, her whole life, like gold, better than gold. And she chose to share it with you. She’s never given it to anyone.”
That explained the extensive cleanup efforts and burned clothing. It also explained why I had recovered so quickly without a transfusion. And probably why I had broken so many personal weight lifting records today.
“How much did she give you?”
“Just what she wiped onto her finger. Maybe a couple of CC's?” I answered.
She looked at me blankly.
“What? I watched the tape of your fight with the demon yesterday. You moved a lot faster than most humans, but that amount of blood should not have affected you so much. Hmm…I wonder?” She tapped one long black fingernail against her bottom ruby lip in thought.
“It's like you two were made for each other.....” she mused. “Anyway, back to my original point. Tanya has Chosen you. You’re it! She's not going to change her mind....ever.”
We were at a stoplight and I was so overwhelmed by the conversation that she had to remind me to drive.
“What does that mean...chose me?”
She sighed. “Tanya has decided that you are her life mate. Her beloved. You are hers, now and forever.”
“What? You can’t choose a lifemate after knowing someone for twenty minutes! That’s crazy!”
“No, Chris, that’s vampire. And I know Tanya, probably better than even her mother.”
“I knew you weren't a waitress, but what exactly is your role?”
“Galina made me..Turned me if you will. But fifteen years ago, she gave me to Tanya. So I am hers. I used to be more a keeper, but now that you woke her up, I'm her assistant, her confidant, sister, friend and all around right hand.”
“Galina gave you to Tatiana?”
“Chris, you have to understand, vampires belong to their sires, the ones who turned them. The vampire world is all about relationships, covens and families. There are very few unaffiliated vampires in existence. We simply don't thrive or survive without support systems and networks. Living for centuries is not bearable without close connections with fellow beings. Not to mention being caught alone by our enemies. Tanya is of her own line, due to her unique nature. Galina gave me to her to give her that anchor that we all need.”
“What happened to Tanya? Fifteen years ago? She killed her own nursemaid by accident, didn't she?” I guessed.
“Oh, Northern, I have to apologize. You are quicker than you look. Yes, Tatiana's vampire minder wasn't paying attention and she was feeding on Belina, her human nursemaid. Something frightened her, we don't know what, and she never stopped her feeding. She was devastated. She really loved Belina.”
“That's why she thinks she's evil, isn't it,” I guessed again.
“Yup.”
“What happened to the vampire who was minding her?”
“She was me. I volunteered to be her minder.”
Another question occurred to me. “Lydia, what were you doing waiting table last Friday night?”
She smiled in the dark interior, the instrument lights reflecting off her teeth.
“Nika heard Vadim when he saw you in line. Something about you caught his attention,” she said. “ I checked you out myself when you came in with your friends. There was definitely something that caught my attention as well. So I took the table to keep an eye on you. Looks like I was right. You’ve really shaken things up.”
After a moment I pushed on.
“So Galina is ....threatened by me?”
“Tatiana Demidova is viewed like royalty throughout the vampire world. Born vampire. Abilities from birth that take centuries to develop. Galina's position has more to do with the status of being her mother than anything else. She's only about two hundred and seventy, or so.”