Vivienne

Ravenstead Manor, 2022.

Circling her manor one time as she finished scrolling the memory in her head, Vivienne dove quickly from the night sky and shifted immediately in front of her twin heavy wooden doors.  Pausing for a moment, the ancient vampire heard a slight commotion going on just beyond her threshold. -What in the stars?-  Vivienne thought to herself and let herself into the foyer.

While she expected something due to the commotion that she’d heard moments before, Vivienne wasn’t prepared for what she saw upon entry.  There were no less than a dozen people spread out over the blue marble, some of them resting on stretchers, some fidgeting nervously on piles of blankets and others wiping themselves off with towels.  Watching as one of her servants scuttled over and closed the double doors, Vivienne made her way up the first flight of the grand staircase then faced the group.

One by one the people huddled on the floor started to become aware of Vivienne’s presence and dropped to their knees in reverence.  A rather large built woman with tattoos of violets on her cheeks approached the first stair and knelt down. “Raven...”  The woman cleared her throat, nervously. “...We followed the Blood servants here, they assured us that we’d be welcome.”  She bowed her head, “Our Masters and Mistresses were taken from us.”  She pointed to a few others, “Most of us are injured and barely made it to the safety of your manor.”

Vivienne glanced up the stairway and noticed Casey walking down with a box full of medical supplies, “I couldn’t reach you.  It seems that the cell coverage is spotty around here at the moment, Viv.”  Casey handed the supplies to the woman kneeling at the base of the stairs. “This should help the wounded.”  Casey noticed that the woman didn’t move and then focused her chocolate eyes on Vivienne. “Viv?  Are you okay with this?”

Turning to the other ascending staircase, Vivienne nodded to Sylvie as she approached. “You seem to be doing better, Miss Miakoda.”  

Blinking her serene full moon eyes, Luna affirmed the comment by shaking her head slowly. “I was blessed by being able to feed from the blood bunnies in the living room.  Their blood is allowing me to attend to my injuries slowly.”

“How are you, Casey?”  Vivienne asked while still pondering what to do with the small encampment of people in her foyer.

Casey bolted over to Vivienne and hugged her tight, breathing in the rosemary scent of her mistress and started to cry softly. “I’ve never been so scared in my life…even more so than fighting Drake’s people.”  Casey muttered through soft sobs. “I thought for certain I was going to lose you.”

Content to let her ward hug her tightly, Vivienne didn’t make any attempt to move away or stop Casey from crying.  A twinge of regret crossed over Vivienne’s blue eyes, “My ward.”  Vivienne’s French accent softly reassured, “I apologize for letting you worry like you did, that was never my intention.”  Vivienne let her hands brush through Casey’s curly auburn hair. “I was fulfilling a promise to Faye to save the others.”  She looked over to Sylvie, “Thank you for saving Casey.  I didn’t witness the battle she was facing.”  Vivienne took a heavy breath, “If I hadn’t gone back in, perhaps the outcome would have been different.  As it was, I didn’t save anyone.”

Sylvie’s eyes rotated to half moons as she walked over to where Casey was gripping Vivienne. “Doctor Moreau.”  Sylvie rubbed Casey’s back softly, “It was the fact you tried.”  She then pointed to the dozen people knelt down in front of Vivienne. “They went from fearing you to revering you.  Just look.”

“Faye is lost and gone, who knows where…”  Casey kept quietly crying and turned to clutch Sylvie. “I know I said it before…but…”  Casey sniffled, “..thank you for getting me out of the mess with Brian..”

“Shhh…we saved each other, Casey.”  Sylvie reassured.

Watching Sylvie and Casey settle their recent affairs, Vivienne realized the situation in her foyer needed to be addressed.  Traversing the few steps from the first platform, Vivienne reached the marble floor and touched the woman who’d spoken first. “Please.  No need to bow to me.”  Vivienne knelt down and helped the ex-thrall to her feet and held her hand. “All of you are welcome to stay here, like my blood bunny…”  Vivienne half smiled, “...blood bunny friend offered before.”  Digging through the box of medical supplies that Casey placed on the floor, Vivienne filled a small bag and started walking through the group. “Sadly, I do have bad news for all of you.”  Dropping to her knees, Vivienne inspected an arm of one thrall. “With the loss of .. well your sponsor, or Master, your enhanced abilities have been removed.”  Vivienne cleaned the long laceration she’d found and started stitching it up. “It is why you are all lethargic..and..” Vivienne stitched up the cut in a few seconds and applied a bandage. “..unable to regenerate.”  Vivienne stood up and kept walking, “I will not be taking any of you into my personal service.  Casey is my only ward, a promise I made to her.”  Vivienne looked up and winked at Casey. “However that doesn’t mean you are unable to assist the manor or myself in different ways.”  Vivienne slowly turned in a circle. “You do possess knowledge of who we are, that makes you a liability to the council.”

One of the ex-thralls spoke up, his voice half quivering. “Liability?  How?  Can they still sense us even when we don’t have our abilities?”

Vivienne walked over to the man and looked him over for injuries. “I can.”  She smiled at the man and finished her brief inspection. “If I can, rest assured that they can.  All of the vampires of the council are close in age to the former Mister Tarsey.”  Vivienne scanned the group with her radiant blue eyes, “They won’t challenge The Raven.”  She paused and pointed to them all, “You are safe.” Vivienne looked over her shoulder to Sylvie, “My welcome extends to you as well, my friend.” Vivienne felt the first of the de-powered thralls hug her. “Oh…”  Vivienne snickered, “Really, no need for that.”  

Sylvie chuckled to herself as the group kept hugging their new sponsor. “It was my pleasure to assist you and your lovely Faye.”  Sylvie kissed the top of Casey’s curls, “When I see something, I have to find out what it means.”  She laughed, “It was easy in your case.  Sexual repression.”

Once the hugs had stopped Vivienne handed the medical bag she’d been carrying to one of the refugees, “Another promise to Faye, Miss Mikoda.  If that promise weren’t in place, that outcome would have been much different.”  Vivienne heard a rush of footsteps coming from her lavish living room and saw three of the blood bunnies that she’d offered quarters before, drop to their knees. “Please stop doing that.”

“Mistress.”  they all spoke in unison then stood up.  The one named Jessica looked at her buddies and took the initiative to speak, “We heard you speaking and got the sweet smell of rosemary, so we had to come see you.”  Half out of breath, Jessica paused. “We didn’t know where to go or what to do you..and…” She pointed to everyone, starting with her fellow bunnies, “We just collected all the people we saw and knew, and brought them here.”  Jessica gave Vivienne a flurry of kisses on her hands then twirled her hair back to expose her neck. “I remembered you said we were welcome and figured they would be too.”  Jessica inched closer, “If the lady is hungry…”

Vivienne felt the burn in her throat and sensed the red ring appearing in her otherwise startling blue eyes. “Jessica.”  Vivienne paused and waved her hand over the others, “My endeavor is not to insult you and since I am rather hungry, I will partake of your little indulgence.  One one condition.”

“Anything mistress!”  Jessica hopped up and down excitedly. “Name it.”

“Confer with Casey and take charge of the others in the room.  Please do this for myself and the manor.”  Vivienne raised one of her long eyebrows and waited for an answer.

“Yes!”  Jessica and her fellow blood bunnies answered almost at the same time.

Vivienne shook her head and rolled her eyes, “Very well, you two help out as well.”  Wiggling her long and elegant finger at the other two, “Just let Jessica take the lead, Casey will figure out more for you to do along the way.”  Vivienne pulled Jessica to her closely and let her fangs slip into place so the woman could hear them. “A promise is a promise.”  Sinking her teeth into Jessica’s slender neck, Vivienne heard her willing devotee breathe in quickly and then let out a happy purr from her chest.  Her reserves low from the activity of the night, Vivienne’s parched throat relished the thick rustic fluid as it rushed into her belly.  It was after feeling Jessica’s arms fall from her waist that Vivienne stopped and licked the four holes closed. Opening her crystalline blue eyes, she saw the other two blood bunnies smiling and holding their friend.

“Jessica typically passes out after a feeding, Mistress.”  Veronica offered and grinned. “If you are still hungry, might I be allowed too..”

Swirling her tongue across her lips to remove the last vestiges of blood, Vivienne shook her head. “Appealing offer, Miss Veronica.”  Vivienne shook her head. “Alas, I am content right now.  When she awakens, please tell her that her blood is as fresh as a summer rain and thank you.”  Vivienne pointed to the third floor. “Pick any of the rooms up there.  You are welcome to stay in one or have your own private chambers.”  Vivienne then scanned the others. “That applies to you as well.  I have plenty of room in the manor, feel free to make yourselves at home.”