Blood Descendants (St. Clair Vampires Book 1) (26 page)

Even before learning
that he liked to run and listen to music, I had been leaning toward
Ethan Piedmont simply because the Robesons had something against him.
I just hoped that he and Rillae would get along because she was
already selected in my mind. Rillae was not a girl to be messed with
and I was going to need someone like that around.

The St. Clair
selections had been the topic of many conversations over the last few
days. Because of my antipathy regarding Vampiric society, many of the
Elders and Fare were leery of the fact that Efia had decided to allow
us to choose our Fare without her input or interference due to my
reluctance to adhere to my new lifestyle. The High Caste Fare were
worried that we lacked the sophistication to select a Fare worthy of
our social standing. Chloe and I thought the High Caste Fare were
idiots!

“
See
anything you like, Chey?”

Tabitha whispered in my
ear causing me to jump. I would never get used to her sneaking up on
me and it was one of the few reasons I was looking forward to the
Embrace. As soon as I was Embraced, I'd hear her coming. Turning, I
reveled in the sight of my best friend's laughing face. She was going
to milk this until the last second and I couldn’t really say
that I blamed her.

“
Yes,
I think I know which two. How about you, Chlo?”

Chloe nodded her head
and said “Yeth” around a mouthful of pineapple. She
pointed at a sheet of paper at her elbow that had the names of her
selections and returned to eating. Like I suspected, our selections
would probably cause the assembled Fare to faint from shock.

Chapter 19

After the excitement
of the Robeson’s trickery, the banquet room settled in for the
announcement of our selections. One by one, the remaining Fare
Electus were escorted to the front of the room. Upon being selected
as a Fare, each individual would leave their family behind and be
adopted into the family of their Vampire patron. To demonstrate their
acceptance into their new family, each Fare was instructed go behind
individual screens and remove their family uniform.

As I watched the
remaining Fare step behind their screens, I could not help but feel
like we were at a slave auction again. My hands were shaking and I
began to sweat as the last of the Fare was led to their screen. This
still felt wrong on so many levels.

A large Steward stepped
forward with a scroll in hand. He bowed deeply in front of the dais.
He remained there for longer than should have been possible, all
without falling forward or shaking. I was impressed with his strength
and balance. He stood, slowly, and handed the scroll to Governor
Ezekiel.

“
In
this scroll,” the Governor began, “are words so cherished
to our society that the reading and the hearing of them can only be
done in the presence of those who are committed to upholding their
meaning; both explicit and implied.”

Ezekiel’s voice
was clear and seemed to be amplified. Everyone in the room sat up
straight and proud of being part of such a monumental occasion.
Everyone in the room watched in awe and pride as their family members
prepared to be selected. This was a moment of honor for them and I
instantly felt guilty for comparing it to slavery. These were not the
faces of slaves; these were proud Fare sending their loved ones on to
realize their purpose in life. Hot tears spilled from my eyes as I
realized that, for everyone here, this was what they were born for.

Governor Ezekiel faced
the congregation of people and inclined his head in reverence. In
unison the audience stood and repeated the gesture. The families of
the Electus walked to the front and knelt near their respective
screens.

The Governor lifted the
scroll and read, “The selection of a Fare is not something we
take lightly. Not something to decide on a whim. You will be
responsible for their care, their well-being and their life, as long
as they continue to live. This union can only be broken through
death, honorable or dishonorable.”

Chloe stood, walked
down the steps of the dais and knelt in front of Ezekiel.

“
Chloe
St. Clair, do you vow to care for your Fare for as long as they live
and honor the laws that govern the Vampire/Fare union?”

“
Yes,
I vow it.”

“
Please
stand and select your Fare.”

Governor Ezekiel handed
Chloe a red Calla Lily and extended his hand to help her rise. Once
on her feet, Chloe wasted no time marching straight over to Martenson
Fare, bowed deeply and extended the flower to the head of the family.
It took a moment for Patriarch Martenson to realize that his
daughter, Nicole, was being selected first. His wife nudged him with
her elbow and he quickly accepted the offering. Ezekiel then motioned
to a Steward to come forward with a red uniform and handed it to
Chloe. With uniform in hand, Chloe walked behind the screen and
helped Nicole get dressed.

Returning to retrieve
her second lily, Chloe paused for dramatic effect. She turned to look
at Efia, who nodded in acceptance, and then she walked to the Bishop
Fare. A collective gasp came from the assembled mass. They had just
witnessed the selection of two Lower Caste Fare by the same Royal
Vampire family. The Bishop Fare fought for composure as Governor
Ezekiel retrieved the red uniform and went to help Landon get
dressed.

The next part of the
ritual was the hard part for me. Knowing that I would have to repeat
these steps, I was anxiously watched them. Efia stood and joined
Chloe, her Fare and their families. Each head of the Fare household
stepped forward with a ceremonial dagger and a chalice. Efia examined
each dagger’s blade for sharpness and gave the order to
proceed.

The blood came next.
First Nicole and then Landon, each was cut on the wrist and their
blood filled their respective chalices. The smell of their blood
mixed with the tropical air and tickled the back of my throat. The
feeling was uncomfortable and I fought not to squirm as my little
sister lifted first one and then the other chalice to her lips and
drank. Chloe turned, and followed by her Fare, bowed deeply to Efia
and stood to the side. Then it was my turn.

Standing, I tried to
remember what I had been taught. Tabitha stood with me, as a sign of
solidarity. Even though she was there to represent the power of the
Miklos clan, she was my very best friend, and at that moment, I could
not have loved her more. All of the lies and deceit seemed a distant
memories as she looked straight into my eyes and smiled. And I knew I
could do it.

Taking my vows, I
closed my eyes and thought about what I was promising. If I was to be
a Vampire, I would have to take it seriously. With my first lily in
hand, I walked toward my first selection. I didn’t look at
Efia, but I could feel her eyes on my face. Knowing that for years to
come my selections would be critiqued, analyzed and even possibly
viewed as political maneuvers, I took a deep breath and lifted my
chin. Even in this caste system, I wanted my selections to reflect my
beliefs and not the desires of those in power. After a few steps, I
knelt before the Simms family and presented my flower.

While I was helping
Rillae dress, I noticed that she was crying; unashamed. When I
attempted to turn her to face me, she shook her head and wiped her
face with urgent strokes. Pure relief was on her face and it broke my
heart. What kind of family would have selected her if not for me?
Were the St. Clairs truly the best option? If so, then so many of
these Fare were going to be disappointed today.

Giving in to the urge
to hug her was easy, despite the fact that I knew it would be frowned
upon. We held each other long enough that Governor Ezekiel cleared
his throat. By the time I stepped from behind the screen and gathered
my second lily, I was composed and determined. After the power play
from the Robesons, Wyatt’s absence was a glaring reminder of
the power of the High Caste Fare’s political ambition. Of the
remaining Fare families, several were near royalty themselves, having
held seats on the Fare Council for several generations. One family,
however, was from the Middle Caste; the Piedmonts.

Thinking about how the
Robesons had looked at him; treating him as if he didn’t exist,
I looked at Ethan. Had they targeted him specifically or did they
treat all Middle Caste families that way. I tried to puzzle my way
through the motives when I saw it, clear as day. The Piedmonts were a
large family of tall warriors. Each male member was over 6 feet tall
and the females were not far behind. The family resemblance was easy
to see in their faces, even though each of them were unique in
skin-tone and eye-color.

The longer I stood
there, staring at the Piedmonts, the louder the whispers from the
congregation grew. Since Chloe had chosen two Lower Caste Fare and my
first choice was Lower Caste as well, I would upset the presumed
balance of influence if I did not select a High Caste for my second
choice. Weighing the implications of my options against the political
desires of each family, my decision was clear. If I chose Cameron
Tension, the High Caste would still have all of the power on the
island, leaving the lowers to suffer in strained silence. Not to
mention, I knew Adrianna wanted to select him. Decision made. All of
the Piedmonts wept.

The next hour was a
blur of activity. The selected Electus’ were announced,
presented, introduced and celebrated by their families and friends
while the Stewards prepared the proper documents for travel and
living. Both Chloe and I received envelopes with duplicate documents
in the event that our Fare lose them. This part felt too much like
ownership to me, but when I protested Efia assured me that it was for
their protection against pilfering. I knew that there were strict
laws against certain types of abuse of Fare, but I still didn’t
like having documentation resembling a pink slip.

After the last of the
Fare were selected, the fifteen Steward Electus stood and presented
themselves to the room. Wyatt Robeson had been selected by a member
of the Castellano Royal family in absentia. Chloe and I had made our
preferences known to Solomon before the ceremonies began. If he was
surprised by them, he kept his opinions to himself. He was, in
essence, the head of our household and we had given him the final
decision in the matter. The selecting of the Stewards was identical
to the Fare except that the blood given was that of the family
leader, in our case Efia. Solomon stoically selected Gretchen and
Tyler to join the St. Clair family and immediately assigned them to
me and Chloe, earning my lifelong gratitude.

Approximately five
hours after the ceremony began, our new Stewards escorted us to our
suites, ran our baths and turned down our beds. I sank into the tub
as soon as it was full and let out a primal yell. The day had taken
its toll on me and I was ready for a good night’s sleep.

“
Cheyenne,
wake up.”

Chloe was standing
above my bath looking at me with a crooked smile on her face.
Obviously having fallen asleep in the tub, I shivered in the cold
water and reached for the towel that she held out for me. Once
wrapped in its warmth, I dried my body and put on a robe and slippers
before heading out.

A party of some sort
had broken out in the common room. There was pizza, soda and chips on
the table in front of the sofa with a group of people already digging
in. When I was almost to the couch, my new Fare, noticing my arrival,
began to stand in respect.

“
Please,
don’t,” I begged. “I can’t do anymore
Princess crap tonight.”

Rillae and Nicole,
having already spent time in our suites, simply shrugged and
continued to eat. Ethan and Landon, however, were at a loss and
didn’t know what to do with themselves. They glanced at each
other for a few moments before forcing themselves to relax.

“
So,
how long was I asleep?”

“
About
45 minutes. You must have been exhausted.”

“
Yeah.
I think that trick with the blood doping did me in. It was painful.”
I grabbed a slice of pizza and poured some Parmesan cheese on it.
“So, Ethan, how did it feel to be selected? I hope the St.
Clair family is acceptable to you.”

Ethan started to choke
on his pizza and Landon slapped him on the back in an effort to help.
I handed him a napkin to wipe his mouth and was surprised to see
shock on his face. Confused, I looked between Chloe and Nicole before
turning back to Ethan.

“
What’s
going on?” I asked.

“
They're
not used to being treated like equals,” Chloe said, having
finished chewing and swallowing her food. “They're raised
believing that their patrons will treat them as lesser and that they
must stay in their place. I told them that they're family now. It's
just up to them to believe it.”

I looked at Ethan and
Rillae and vowed to revamp the system, no pun intended. I would use
whatever influence I had to promote equality and mutual respect in my
new society. Actions spoke louder than words, however, so I held up
the napkin once more and waited for Ethan to take it.

“
Rillae,
have you gotten enough to eat or would you like some more?” I
picked up the tray of pizza and walked to her side of the sofa to
serve her.

Not skipping a beat,
she smiled and took two large slices of pizza from the tray and began
to eat. Turning to Ethan, I extended the tray. He held my gaze for a
ten count and then reached for the pizza. I was tempted to snatch the
tray back just to get a reaction, but I didn’t know how he
would take it and didn’t want to be cruel.

“
Chloe
has been telling us about the trouble that you’ve had with
Grigor,” Rillae started.