The Key to Night Ch. 05

"It is Avery," came the voice from the other side of the door, "I have the results from the tests and your supplements." Avery was the doctor that Merrick had assigned to take care of any medical needs she had... and keep tabs on her, of course.

Shantae just shook her head against her satin purple pillow. Her walls were royal purple with black and silver scroll work. The carpet was lush and dark silver. There was a door that led to a walk in closet and twin sliding glass doors, which led onto a balcony, currently covered with thick and heavy drapes to keep out all sunlight.

Sunlight could kill younger vampires, but the older the vampire, the bigger the resistance. She didn't have that problem. It was something that Merrick didn't know about and that Shantae had found out quite by accident. Soon after she had been turned, she had forgotten and had raised the drapes to look outside and found it to be herself to be covered in the sun's rays as it was midday. Her sun resistance was yet another secret that she kept from Merrick, along with her visions. The less he knew about her skills the better for her wellbeing. She currently had some freedom, but that would be gone in the snap of his fingers to make sure that she didn't have a chance of getting away from him.

Rolling out of the bed, Shantae answered back, "I will be a few minutes as I am not ready for guests." Vampires had wonderful hearing so neither she nor Avery had to raise their voices.

She could practically see Avery's frown and heard him sigh as he replied, "I have already seen all you have to show and the sooner that this is over the faster I can be back to my lab."

"I do not care what you have or have not seen, you will wait until I am ready to see you," Shantae said as she grabbed a black tank and a pair of jeans from her wardrobe.

There was a pause and another sigh, followed by a reluctant, "As you wish."

Shantae thought the bathroom was lovely with cream and blue walls with black marble floors. A black marble counter ran along one full wall with a silver sink. The shower was big enough that she could lay on the bottom of it and spread her arms and legs and barely touch any of the walls of glass. The tub separate from the shower and big enough to fit two comfortably.

Shantae walked over to the sink and splashed water onto her face. After wiping her face off, she stared into her violet eyes. Becoming a vampire was something that she would have never chose for herself, but it did have some nice perks. She would never look really tired or drawn unless she was starved. She could eat whatever she wanted and never gain a pound, though there was no actual need for anything other than blood. Her body perfect for her body style and height and she only needed to add makeup as an accent if she wanted.

Shantae quickly ran a brush through her mass of flaming red hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. She then changed from her sleepwear of a huge button up shirt that fell to her knees, to the tank and jeans. A couple swipes of emerald green eyeliner and black mascara and she was ready to go.

"You may enter," Shantae said as she walked from the bathroom, through her bedroom and into her living room. The room was done with turquoise walls and thick fluffy brown carpet. There was a couch and chair set done in cream. Off to the side was a nook that held a wooden table and chairs. There was also a door that was shut that led to the kitchen, small as there was really no need for her to eat, that held a mini fridge for the bagged blood that Shantae preferred.

Shantae watched as Avery walk in and had no doubts on whose side he was on. He was a stick of a man that was just shy of six foot tall and had short brown hair that was meticulously combed back. His drown eyes were so dark that they were almost black and they watched her like a hawk. He was dressed in his traditional white lab coat and was carrying a black briefcase in one hand. Each sitting at opposite sides of the table, they eyed each other. The mutual dislike was almost palpable in the air.

"So, the results were?" Shantae said, raising an eyebrow.

Avery set the briefcase on the table and opened it, pulling out her chart and flipped it open. "Your blood tests came out normal, though you will need to take a live donor to get you back to 100% health from your starvation. Here are this week's supplements that you will need to take once daily, as usual. I will drop more off weekly to keep you up to date," said Avery putting bottle with seven pills in it on the table.

"Very well, anything else?" Shantae asked.

"We will need to do another blood test to check for a child in a month as the results of that would not be in un-" Avery was cut off as Shantae jumped to her feet, practically vibrating.

"I am not pregnant, nor is there any chance of my being so," Shantae said as she fought to keep herself from jumping across the table and strangling the doctor. "I was not touched in that way at all, and don't you think that I would have said something if I had been? Like I would want to have the hybrid child of a dog."

Avery simply shrugged his shoulders. "My orders come from Merrick himself, so you will not be getting out of it."

"Of course he did!" Shantae hissed as she threw her hands in the air. "I am going to go find him right now, and when I do I am-" she continued as she walk to the door, fully intending to find Merrick and bite his head clean off. She was saved the trouble when he walk through the door. He had short brown hair that fell in a loose cap on his head with green eyes that could look cut a person to the core when he was angry.

Seeing the object of her white hot fury, Shantae walked right over to his solidly muscled chest and drilled a finger into it. "What is that Avery is telling me? I have to be tested and inspected in a month's time to check for pregnancy when I have specifically said that I was not touched in that way?"

Merrick merely took hold of her finger and looked at Avery, "Leave us."

"Very well, my king," Avery said with a bow. He shut his briefcase with a snap and walked out, shutting the doors behind him.

Taking the pause during Avery's exit to calm slightly, Shantae tried to pull her finger from Merrick's grasp. He just reached out and dragged her to him. He was a tall man, standing at six and a half foot talk, but Shantae was no push over at five foot eleven.

"I do not care for any chances and you were gone for a week. You will take any and all tests that I deem necessary, so there is no point in fighting it. I will remind you that you are to be my queen and I am not taking any chances that you will have a child that is not mine to be my heir, especially some hybrid bastard," Merrick said the last while giving her a little shake.

Shantae didn't bother trying to pull away. Merrick was centuries older than her and she had found out already that she would not be free of his embrace until he allowed it. "Why would I lie about something like that?" she asked incredulously as she stared into his face.

"I have no idea, but I didn't get where I am by not checking every angle. Do you know what it would do to the tide of the war if you were to have a whelp of the Hunters? Not only would I be a laughing stock on the Council of Kings, but more of the different supernatural councils would join the enemy. You are to be future queen and I will not have anything jeopardize that or my position."

"If I have told you once, I have told you a thousand times, I am not going to be your queen. I have no interest being at that station, or being tied to you in such a way."

Merrick responded by holding her to him tighter and, ignoring her hands that had come up to push on his chest to get away, tilted her head up by a hand at her chin, "And as I have told you a thousand times, what you want doesn't matter. I give you certain... leeway to try and make it easier on you, but my word is law. Besides, if I wanted you in my bed at this very moment, we both know that I could get you there without too much of a fight."

"That might have been true once, but after all of these years you have managed to kill the part of me that cared for you with your will and by taking away my life," Shantae said stubbornly, still pushing at his chest.

"I love your will and strength, Shantae, and that was the reason why I chose you in the first place. You fell in love with me so easy, and you when were turned, and nothing broke, you became more than just a toy of the moment. The fire that lives inside you will be mine and only mine," Merrick said as his head lowered.