Valene:
The moon was full and the night’s breeze was just lively enough to sing through the night air; my favorite type of weather, next to the rain. Pinching the collar of my jacket to cover my neck, I approached my place of work in the cab I caught to reach my destination once securely out of Shadow Veil city.
“Thank you!” I tipped the driver and headed toward the bar when suddenly that feeling gripped me again-that same feeling that I’d had in my room a night ago; someone was watching me. Again.
I paused when I reached the sidewalk staring ahead of me. In the distance-about thirty feet away there was a small forest area, and I…could…have sworn I saw some luminescent eyes peering through them. Needless to say, I did not enjoy the idea of someone watching me. Gave me the creeps and sent a chill up my spine.
“Okay, Vale,” I said to myself. “Just your imagination…paranoia-that’s all it is.” I tried convincing myself that it was all in my head but deep down I knew better. No one could have so many experiences and still consider it an active imagination.
Whether I was imagining things or not, however, the eyes that I thought I saw were suddenly gone. Continuing to stand there would only give this thing more of an advantage to come after me. Well, if it was real.
“You should not be out alone at this time of night, young lady.” I heard a voice say just as I was turning to head into the bar.
I was startled by the voice at first, prepared to defend myself when I recognized the voice. With a small smile, I replied. “I was actually just about to go inside.” I reassured the older woman. “Hello, Claire!” I greeted the older woman with an embrace.
“It has been days!” said Claire. “It is so great to see you again, little Val.”
Claire was a frequent visitor at the place where I worked. To be honest, I never thought of her as someone who would find solace in such a place. Not that my workplace was classless but it wasn’t nearly classy enough for Claire. At least that was how I felt. I guess I could attribute those assumptions to the saying, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’.
Claire Westbrook was her name and she held an air about her of elegance and dominance with a veil of femininity. Everyone who came into contact with her was drawn to her. Claire was beautiful in a mature yet ethereal way even when she wasn’t trying to be.
For instance, her outfit was plain enough; denim jeans and a tucked white shirt and denim jacket to match. Her hair was held back in a clean bun. She wore very little if any makeup at all and even still she was effortless in her attraction.
“I’m sorry, Claire.” I apologized. “Things have been a little hectic lately. My sister has a birthday coming up and we’ve been trying to plan around it.”
Although, I trusted Claire, I still did not think that it was smart to allow too much of my life to be placed on display. She didn’t need to know that I was a human slave to inhumans and that I had a complicated relationship with my Keeper. Master Wade insisted that it wasn’t safe for the world to know everything that goes on in one’s life, and he was right. No matter how much you trust someone, betrayal is always a possibility.
Honestly, I didn’t think for a second that Claire would ever do something so treacherous as betray my trust. For some reason, I trusted this woman implicitly.
“That is understandable. Is it a milestone birthday?” She asked me.
“I guess you could call it that.” I replied. “Everyone’s making a deal about it.”
“Yourself included, I’m sure.” Claire said to me with tones of amusement in her voice. While Claire didn’t know the full depth of my complicated life, she did know how much I cared about my would-be family; “sister” included.
I chuckled, nodding in confirmation of her assumption. “That is true. I want everything to go off without a hitch.” I confessed. “It really is a special day for her.”
“Everyday above ground is a special day, honey.” She replied to me. “But wish her a happy birthday for me nevertheless.”
“I will!” I replied. “Well, I should get to work. Are you going in?”
“I’m actually leaving.” said Claire. Oddly enough, hearing this disappointed me as I rather liked Claire’s company and she seemed to notice my displeasure in the news of her leaving as she offered her prolonged company immediately after. “I could stay a little longer if you wish-”
“No, no no! It’s alright, it’s fine!” I expressed. “I’ll see you around. Go home and get some rest.”
Claire worked long and erratic hours at a home for children. I wasn’t sure exactly where but when I tried to find out she would become vague and closed off, but not in a rude way. Most times she’d joke around about it-’confidentiality and all that’ she’d say with a chuckle but it was obvious that she didn’t want to delve too deeply into her work. She knew that I was curious because I always wondered whether the place that I was adopted from was the same place.
“Valene!”
Surprise riddled me when I heard the voice of Master Slaughter from behind me. Quickly, I whipped around to see that he was standing there, his eyes still aglow from what I had assumed was detransition from his beast.
Quickly, I averted my gaze from his and bowed to show respect, having completely forgotten that Claire was behind me. She’d probably wondered why I had done what I did but I was too flustered to be concerned with that now. “Wh-” I didn’t finish my sentence and instead decided to cut my conversation short with my friend. “Claire, I-” when I turned around to tell Claire that I’d speak to her later, she was already gone. Well, at least that small crisis was averted. I think. “Master Slaughter,” I bowed my head. “Am I in trouble?” I thought to ask when something altogether worse came to mind. “Is Master Wade-”
“Everyone’s fine, Valene but your father wishes for you to return to the Wade estate.”
“But-”
“The city is on high alert, Valene. Let’s go.”
I knew that I would not win this argument and to be honest, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to argue the point with the Beta. There was a reason why Master Wade changed his mind and being a vassal, I had to remember that I had no choice but to respect it.
“May I speak to my boss first?” I asked. “I’d like him to know that-”
“That has been taken care of already.” Master Slaughter said.
I nodded and continued walking down the darkened street with him. “Yes, Master Slaughter.”
“Once we clear this part of the city, Kilder will take over. You’ll hop on and we’ll dash home.”
“Yes, Master Slaughter.” I agreed to his terms and then silence followed.
Then suddenly, I felt his eyes on me. “How have you been, little one?” He asked me.
To be honest, I was surprised when he spoke casually to me. Master Slaughter and I never really had an actual conversation before. It was improper to talk to a Keeper that wasn’t your own. He seemed to have no quarrels with going against this rule at the moment, however.
“Everything’s fine, Master Slaughter,” I answered with a smile.
“You know, you can look me in the eye, Valene. I will not bite.” He chuckled.
“That-” I thought about his offer to stand on equal territory and while tempting, I decided that I would not. “Better not to get too comfortable with being shown respect respect, sir.” I tried to pass off this sad realization with a chuckle but he did not seem to find it as funny.
“Every being deserves respect, Valene,” He said to me as his eyes looked forward, his hands behind his back. “Do not ever allow anyone to let you think otherwise-even your…” He scoffed. “Sister.”
“My sister, I don’t think she really likes to be called that.” I confessed. “At least, not where I am concerned.
“Hm, normally I’d ask what makes you think that,” said Master Toran.
“But?” finally I looked up at him with amusement on my expression. We both knew why he didn’t have to ask.
“But I know Harly.” He said. We both laughed at this bit of dark humor. “I’m sure it hurts to know that she feels that way.”
“It does,” I answered without hesitation since we were speaking frankly. “But, it doesn’t matter.”
“It doesn’t?” He looked down at me and for the first time I returned Master Slaughter’s amazing gaze. His eyes were as intimidating and beautiful as Master Wade’s.
“No, it does not matter.” I reiterated and then looked forward again. One could not stare into such a handsome face for too long. I continued on the subject at hand. “I have no rights to those feelings because…at the end of the day, I…am their vassal and they are my Keepers. I should seek no relationship greater than this. To do so would only result in problems for the Wade family.”
“Hm,” he replied without words, though his grunt was enough of a response.
“You do not agree with me?” I realized.
Master Slaughter snickered. “It is not that I agree nor disagree with your ideals.”
“But that’s just it,” I retorted. “They are not my ideals but…everyone else’s, and I have to abide by that.”
Again he exhaled and smirked before speaking again. “The fact of the matter is, that…in our world, you speak facts, Valene.” Master Slaughter sighed. “But facts-however true they may be, do not negate feelings, do they?” His eyes found me again with a small sympathetic smile.
He was right, which wasn’t surprising. Master Slaughter was as wise as Master Wade. But in this case, I simply had to disagree. No one could really understand how difficult it was for a vassal to place their feelings for their Keeper. Especially, one whose Keeper actually cared about their vassal.
I simply chuckled. “Maybe for inhumans,” I said under my breath, suddenly feeling solemn about the conversation. “Not for vassals though. It’s just not the same for us.” Before I knew it my feelings were falling from my lips. “We cannot speak without chastisement or a strike. I cannot make eye contact without being whipped. Everything I do, every breath that I take, whether my Keeper agrees or not, is for their happiness…their feelings, not mine.”
Had I not known any better, I’d have thought that I heard a hint of disappointment in Master Slaughter's breath after I said what I said.
“Well, that certainly is a safe way of thinking. That is for sure.” He finally countered.
“Best way to think, if you ask me.” I replied as we continued to head off into seclusion.
Again, the Beta chortled. Apparently, I was on a roll that night in saying things that he found amusing. “Yes, sometimes.” He said and shrugged. “Sometimes, however, thinking outside the box…well, that’s not so bad either.”
“I wouldn’t dare do that.” I murmured. “I’m afraid that I’m too cowardly to do such a thing as think outside the norm of what I was meant to think.”
“Somehow…I doubt that, little one.” When we hit the town line, he took a few steps ahead of me. “Now, stand back.” And I did.
Shortly after, the Beta’s bones began to crack and shift, dark brown and white fur elongated from his rich brown skin and his ears began to sharpen as well as his teeth.
When his clothes began to tear away from his form, I immediately turned away. Usually, when they transformed it was so quick that one would hardly see anything and if one would, I was sure that Master Slaughter would insist that I turn away to preserve my innocence. Nevertheless, I always thought that transitioning as a whole was something of an intimate and personal matter.
I stood there, obediently waiting for a cue for me to turn around. When I felt a breeze that whipped my hair from back to front, and a low gutteral groan, I turned. Standing before me was Kilder, Master Slaughter’s beautiful and ginormous beast. His eyes mirrored the deep green of the Beta with specks of black in them. I raised my hand to touch the wolf’s magnificence when I thought better about it, pausing my gesture.
Quickly, I looked away and then felt the softness of his fur-covered head beneath my hand. When I turned my gaze back up, I saw his large head palmed against my hand, Kilder’s fur engulfing my significantly small fingers.
After a moment of Kilder allowing me the honor to touch him, the great Beta turned around and gestured his head for me to hop on. He settled lower against the ground and gave me space to straddle his back.
When I did, immediately, I held on to his fur. “Apologies if I’m pulling too tight, Master Slaughter!” I quickly said before we went any further. Then the beast almost seemed to cackle at my apology before dashing off and back home.
This was a new experience for me, so when he took off, my heart jumped. After the initial terror of Kilder’s speed, I calmed down and simply laid my head on the back of the wolf’s neck and enjoyed the once-in-a lifetime ride home.