Faline

Blink. Blink blink.

"Um, great, but that still doesn't tell me what it is, or he, rather."

She looks at me for a moment longer before facing the opening vehicle.

"I'll take that as a no, then. At least not that you know of, anyway. A Changeling is the product of an animal breeding with a Were-animal."

Eyebrows furrow as I watch them unload and go in.

"Like a Shifter?"

She shakes her head.

"Shifters are a whole separate species, just like Vampires. Changelings are born from the pairing of a Were and a natural animal."

Another species? Just how many are there? And to think humans think they're the only ones. Wild breeding. Sounds a little hokey to me, but then again, I'm undead, so what's to say there aren't other forms of 'being'. That way though is...really weird.

"He smelled of animal, does he stay human, or?"

"No, they can go back and forth. They're rare enough to see in cities, so he is either lost, older, or extremely young."

Lost animal in a city and doesn't know what's going on or why. Then as if that isn't bad enough, gets picked up by demented pricks who abuse and torture him for no reason other than their enjoyment and money. A concept that ones who start as an animal have no knowledge of or use for.

Not at first anyway. Depending on what they do after becoming human will decide if knowledge of currency is needed. Pulling my head out of the clouds, I start heading in after them all, the Mistress of the establishment on my heels. While they get led one way, I get directed to the opposite. Not happy, but I go the way she wants me to, which is right to her rooms.

Dammit.

My shoulders go rigid when walking in. Either not noticing or not caring, she goes around me after closing the door. It doesn't get locked, so that's a major plus. I claim the chair that's off to the side as she goes to her desk.

Apex comes in a few minutes later with assorted papers and the box, setting them down before leaving once more. The door closes behind him while I'm glaring out the window. I so do not want to be in here. Getting to the point it feels like an over-amorous school principal's office and I'm the resident problem child. May be the resident troublemaker but that doesn't mean I want to be screwing the boss. Aren't relationships in the workplace considered a taboo or something? Against the rules? Not that this woman seems to care much for rules, making her own as she goes along.

When she starts moving towards me, my eyes jump to her with an annoyed look. Again ignored, but she hands me an old leather-wrapped book then walks away when I take it. Confused, I open it. Glancing through the thing, I sit up straighter and really start reading it. Not a storybook, but the old ledger she'd mentioned. No date, but I'd wager it's older than my grandparents.

Full of names, dates, and species. Not as meticulous as I thought she'd be, as it leaves out a lot. Well, except their deaths.

"I never asked before since I never thought of it, but the oldest submissive that I've seen here is Trisha. What happens to the other humans when they start getting old?"

Lady's in the process of going through her new goodies, not even looking up at my question.

"When that book was started, it was during a time period that humans weren't known to live past their eighties, rarely seeing ninety. Was also a time that Vampires didn't bother trying to keep hidden what they were since they would drain each human they fed on."

Sorry I asked. Flipping through again, there are many that have two dates next to them. I'm confused for a moment before it registers. The date she acquired them and the date they died.

Going by species listed, almost all the ones dying were human. There's even species named that I don't know or can't read. Do make out that Changeling is listed a couple of times, both were killed.

"In the last fifty or so years, the ones who got to be too old would be sold to others or put up as special flesh offers. There are those who will pay much for the opportunity to kill without having to worry about clean-up or consequences."

Wish I could say that my heart stopped as outrage filled me at this barbarism, but that isn't what happens. Instead, I just feel a sense of sadness over the waste of life. Being put to death over something as natural as aging, something that no human can stop.

"There are still a few surviving animals here that have been around for over fifty years. Shifters age slowly, Weres do not after a point. Other species are varied, but those are the two most common."

She glances upward at me for a moment before continuing.

"Other places like this have been set up in other areas, many will bring in certain humans and animals and breed their stock instead of procuring it from outside sources."

Dual-colored eyes watch me closely before going on.

"You'll have your female breeders and male studs. Picked out for many different reasons; beauty, strength, stamina, much like how others do with horses or dogs. Sold for high profits to other Vampire houses. Human women were kept till just before reaching thirty, doing nothing but giving birth till she's of no more use. Then she's either sold or killed outright."

She looks back down to her papers, but her voice doesn't stop.

"I'm sure you can imagine what would happen to those who proved to be barren. Males tended to be kept the longest if raised healthy, but even they would eventually be... Put out to pasture, as it were. Humans begot that are especially beautiful are bred a few times, then either ordered attacked by a Were animal that was favored or Converted to Vampire. Since the attack from a Were has to be pretty severe for there to be a possibility of turning them, many would end up killed."

And since they'd already gotten a child or two from them, it wouldn't be that much of a loss. Vampires are pretty sick, but that's reality for many places and people. I close the book in my lap, not wanting any more history lessons.

Since that's something I will never be doing, I don't need to know any more specifics. One thing that will be changing is when the humans start getting too old, they will be given different 'jobs'. Place this big, there's always some dusting that needs to be done somewhere.

"Be glad this is not one of those places. Your sister would be coveted highly; forced to breed with an assortment of males from different compatible species. Any birth from her would be given to the Master Vampire of the area as a gift for favor, more wealth, or land. She'd be relatively well cared for, her torture less than the others, treated almost as royalty if a child is conceived. After its birth she would be given a week or so, depending on her owner, to heal before another child would be tried for. It can take many years for a Were who's given birth to have another, but attempts will be made every day."

The thought does create stark terror for a moment, but then I have to hide my face and the secret smile that creeps up. Kierra? Being made to breed? Being someone’s slave, period? I pity the poor sad fool who tries.

That sister of mine is too stubborn and proud for anything like that to happen. If she couldn't get free one way, she would try another and another till she succeeds or kills herself trying. And if that were to happen, she would take every enemy around down with her.

During the times we were together when younger, then again when older, she instilled that will within me as well. I may falter now and then, but I always come back up swinging, as I've done here before with Nicolaus, and even Lady.

A knock at the door has me looking up. She'd raised her face to look at me while saying what would happen to my sibling, watching my reaction. Not sure what she got, since her face is blank when calling out to enter.

Avina, Trisha, Danica, and Seth come filing in. Avina keeps her head down, as does the healer and her apprentice, but theirs raise so they can talk to Lady about the newcomers. The young girl shoots me a smile, which I return, and Seth takes up his post next to me.

Yay...my guard-dog body-leash.

Can't exactly hide away from the Vamp when he's following me around and reporting back to the very creature I'm trying to avoid. Could always lead him on a merry chase, but you can't hide from a Werewolf's nose for long. Might be able to lose him in the solarium if I go up high. Hmm.

"Each has been looked over and their brand removed. They're all drugged to varying degrees. Having something that can affect the animals like this can either be good or very bad."

Trisha has grabbed my attention with her explanations, her own voice sounding troubled.

"They all have open wounds that will need to be attended, a few of them have previous broken bones that have not set right. To set them, the bone will need to be re-broken. Each has been put in a room to detox, I wanted to tell you my findings before anything was done."

On that, before the healer can say anymore, the head Vampire flicks her hand towards me, seemingly busy reading something. Trisha looks confused. Time for me to step up and take hold of the reins.

"I'll be looking over things for now on, Trisha. The Mistress has allowed me to take over matters that involve you all."

She looks startled and a little worried, can't say I blame her. New undead girl coming in to take over, who hasn't been said undead for even a whole month yet, and is at least three times as young as she is. Just hope things will go as smoothly as I hope.