Blueblood: A Dark Southern Aristocracy - 2. Colin Tells His Dark Truth

We began working after breakfast, which was a delight! Breakfast, I mean. This was a five-star hotel and a top-rated restaurant, so it had to be nothing but delightful. I hated grits, but I loved the shrimp and grits I got. Colin was also great to work with. He didn’t question a thing I did. Based in his suite I made calls around to places I knew did landscaping. Got pricing and what each company could and couldn’t do. We couldn’t do much more until we cleared the property of the weeds and Kudzu. Arrangements were made to have a man there from a local landscaping business and nursery. They did clearing and would do replanting when it was time.

“I assume you have plans and what’s needed if you want to rebuild the house,” I said to confirm I didn’t need to do that, too.

Colin nodded. “I have plans. I had an architect do some work on them. He made some referrals to me as to whom.” He smiled. “But I still hope you’ll work with me on this. I’d like you to manage the property. Not just the clearing, but all of it.” He shrugged. “I may have to go out of town and want the work to continue while I’m gone…if I go. Would that be acceptable to you?”

I nodded smiling. “Sure, but I’m not…” I waved at the papers on the table I had written on about the future landscaping companies. “…construction or even landscaping guy.”

Colin nodded. “But your mother was right.” He smiled. “You know the area and who to call. Managing the property will require that.”

“I need a job, so why not?” I nodded.

Colin got up going to another part of the suite where he got a briefcase. He took out papers. “I need to ask what you want as pay and there are the papers for government…taxes and all that.” He sat again. “I did research, is $60,000 okay to start?”

I was shocked. “Forgive me, but I’ve only ever been hourly so far in life. Are you talking about a salary?”

Colin looked puzzled. “Of course. I could do more.”

“Mr. Wentworth…” I began.

Colin stopped me with a raised hand. “Even in the beginning, I prefer a working friendship. Call me Colin. I plan to call you Devon. Is that okay with you? Or do I call you Mr. McGee?”

“Why are you trusting me, Colin?” I asked. “You haven’t asked me for references, you give me a card to use…I could be a crook!”

Colin shook his head. “You’re not.”

I shook my head again. “How do you know? A crook or conman will convince you he’s telling the truth.”

Colin chuckled sitting forward. “Yes he does, if he’s any good at it.” He looked at me with those emerald eyes. “You must be very good if you are a crook and if you are, you’d be elsewhere.” He smiled a little grimly. “I’ve always had the ability to tell things about people. Little signals they give off that tell me more than some people pick up. Flushes and subtle face and twitches to say they’re lying or dishonest. I don’t get that from you.” He chuckled again. “One of those signs is the fact you wonder why I trust you.” He sat back waving his finger at me. “That’s the sign of an honest man. I trust you.” He smiled. “I get a very good feeling about you. In fact, I’m going to share a lot with you and that’s something I haven’t done in….well, it’s been a long time. I just feel I can.”

I nodded, still not really understanding, but respecting the fact he extended that level of trust to me. “I won’t let you down,” I said sincerely.

Colin nodded. “I know you won’t. Do we have a deal?” He asked moving the papers forward. “If we do, sign here.” He pointed and handed me a pen.

I was taught to never sign your name without reading what you’re signing. Colin just grinned more as he saw me looking over the contract. It was a standard form for what my duties were going to be. I looked up as I saw Colin wasn’t offended at all. “Sorry, but I don’t have that…ability you do of telling whether someone is trustworthy or not. I just was taught to look for fine print and know what it says if there is any before signing anything.”

Colin nodded with a smile. “That’s always wise.”

After I’d read the contract and signed it, I slid it back to him.

Colin took the contract and put it away. “Now, as we don’t have anything to do until tomorrow, can I ask you to help me with something…more personal? For me, not for the house or property.”

“Of course you can ask.” I grinned.

Colin chuckled. “I like this hotel, but I don’t like living here. Can you direct me in the direction of more personal space? A furnished apartment or condo to live in while the house is being rebuilt or even a house to live in would be good. I have to live somewhere.” He said logically.

I nodded. “I can think of several. Do you want to be in the city or suburbs? Luxurious or less?”

Colin grinned and patted me on the arm. “I never doubted that you’d know.” He waved at the suite. “This is nice, but I like a little more room…and more rooms.”

Okay, you already guessed I was attracted to Colin. I’ve said it enough. In fact, it was part of a reason I wanted to work for him so I could spend time with him. I know there’s no gaydar, but I got nothing from him. He had no mannerisms or anything to say he was straight or gay. I hoped I didn’t give anything to say I was gay either. Usually, when they didn’t give off any signs, they were straight. He mentioned a wife and child, but what little experience I had told me that didn’t mean much sometimes. I had lusted from afar before and was happy to do so again. I wondered if since he could read people and knew whether to trust or not, he didn’t pick up on my attraction to him. If he did pick up on that and it offended him, I’d have a few days or weeks of liking Colin.

“Now, I have to take my daily medication,” Colin said going to the little refrigerator and taking a vial out.

“Should I leave?” I asked pointing to the door.

Colin looked at me and I saw he was nervous about it. “It’s kind of important if you see me do this, but I’d like you to stay. If you would?”

I nodded now more curious and I did see him take his “medication.” In the refrigerator were these little vacuum sealed vials. A lot of them. What was puzzling was there were no labels on any of them. The liquid was pink to a reddish color. There were several vials. Like a diabetic, I watched as he pulled out a syringe and he did the prep necessary I knew from being a medic, but this wasn’t the little needle, it was big for deep and full infiltration. I watched as he stuck it in his arm after cleaning and doing what you do to prevent infections. What I found also interesting was he didn’t just insert it just under the skin, but in a vein. This was deep. He put a tourniquet on making the veins bulge and inserted the needle in the vein. What I didn’t like was the look of extreme discomfort on his face a few minutes after he did this. Whatever this medication was had a good effect as in letting him go outside and even tan, but it looked like near agony for a few minutes as I watched him grip the arm of the chair he was in and his face had eyes shut tightly. It hurt me to watch! It was hurting him a lot! Then as the medication worked, he slowly began to relax and soon he sighed as his breathing eased and regulated. I saw the bead of sweat on his upper lip. His eyes slowly opened and he looked at me, I guess to see how I reacted. He smiled patiently. “Now, for the answers to questions, I know you have because I would have them, too.”

I just shook my head, and I know my face held a look of absolute horror at what I saw. “Shit!”

Colin just laughed at my reaction. “That’s a good word for it.” He nodded. “I developed this….condition. It’s not even got a real name as such…well, there is and I’ll tell you more if we work out, which I think we will.” He stood grabbing both my arms holding me at length. “I trust you with honesty. I know you’re not a crook or anything like that. But I want to trust your reaction to what I tell you. There are maybe a thousand like me in the entire world. I only met four.” He looked at me seriously. “I can count how many people have seen me do this, take the medication, which is only a treatment, not a cure. I’d still have two fingers left over.”

I nodded. “Your body’s reaction to the medicine was agony!”

Colin nodded. “Yes, it was.” He smiled waving to the window. “But as long as I take it…five minutes or so of agony is a fair exchange for being able to move around and have a pretty normal life. It’s worth it.” Then he looked at me. “I can see your mind working and you have some ideas, but if I say anything…I will tell you why.” But then he got a look of almost pleading. “I will never hurt you or anyone else…I never…well….I won’t do anything to you. I won’t make you go through working with me if you can’t deal with what I have.”

Sensitive to light? The picture at the house. My mind was telling me what it was, but…so I just asked a question. But this was impossible, wasn’t it? There was a word coming, but my mind was telling that was ridiculous. “I’m not your Renfield, am I?” Humor was my usual defense.

The question caught him a little off guard, but it only took a few seconds before his smile came back. “No. You’re not my Renfield.” He chuckled. “I guess I’ll just tell you. If you tell anyone else, I’ll deny it.”

Even as my mind had been telling me that it was not possible, but I couldn’t think of anything else, but it didn’t add up.

“I have drunk blood. I’ve never killed a human doing it.” He said still not saying the word. “I was born in 1815 in that house I want to be restored. The picture you found was of me.” His voice took on the pleading sound his face had. “Please, if you want out, I’ll rip up the contract and we’ll just forget it happened…it’s happened before, but I feel I can trust you!” He began to tear around his eyes. “Don’t just leave. Please.”

It was just so…well, it wasn’t what you had happened except at movies and that was pure entertainment and you knew that! But he was crying or about to cry. Did what I didn’t want to say he had to be, cry? Could they cry? I remembered all those shows I loved and movies…not to mention the novels about it from Stoker’s Dracula all the way down to Stephen King, Anne Rice and the recent movies that painted a twist. His hands on my arms were warm. He was alive? He sweated! “Okay, give me a second here,” I said not shaking his hands off. I reached up toward him but stopped just short of touching him. “Can I?”

He looked down at my hand and then knew what I wanted to do. He nodded. “Sure.”

I touched his throat and felt a pulse! “You have a pulse.”

Colin nodded. “For the past twenty years.” He smiled. “That’s why the serum I take hurts so much. It starts my heart up again or at least keeps what I got back going pumping what I have. I breathe. My blood pumps again and I’m more human than I ever was since 1851! It just lasts a day and I have to take another injection the next day.” He explained. “Please don’t be scared, I’m not a monster, but if I don’t take the serum I’ll be….what I was again.”

Was it because I was attracted to him? I never felt threatened by him. Wasn’t that part of being…what I thought he had to be? Or was that Hollywood? I put my hand on his chest above his heart and felt the powerful beat. “I never was scared; Colin, but naturally I have questions.”

“Of course you do.” Colin smiled but looked a little hopeful. “So, you won’t leave?”

I smiled. “If you turn into an asshole, I will.” As I said, humor was my defense and this was a tense moment, so humor was going to come out. It’s how I coped with tense situations.

Colin heard it, but it took a second or two before he chuckled as he bowed his head. “Well, I can be an asshole sometimes, but I’ll try to keep it under control.” He smiled. “So, I haven’t scared you off?”

“I want to say, no problem,” I admitted. “But this is not something one normally hears! It’s movies and stuff. Fiction!” Then I smiled shaking my head. “I’ve not been scared off. Yet.”

“But you believe me,” Colin said. “You don’t think I’m crazy?”

I shrugged a nod. “Well, if I hadn’t seen that picture I might have thought you were crazy, but that picture I knew was you…and those symptoms you said you have…it’s the only thing that adds up, but I still can’t just accept it.” I tapped my head. “Not in here at least yet.”

Colin stood erect again. “Freud would say I did it subconsciously hoping you would see the picture and find out.” He shrugged.

“You didn’t know him, did you?”

Colin laughed at me. “No, I never met him. At that time I didn’t get out much. I missed a lot in my life until recently.” He wanted to be sure. “A lot of time was used just to stay alive.”

“But you are alive,” I said trying to understand, but I shook my head. “I’ve never gotten the whole dead and undead thing. Even when you were….what you say, how could you not be alive? You moved…and hunted…you had some life of some kind.”

Colin nodded scratching his ear. “I don’t understand a lot of what I was, I just was.” He said simply. “But the serum takes back a part of it, keeps what I’ve got inside going and even allows me to sweat and blush…it like being alive. I have a pulse now.”

“Are you like that movie where there was a daywalker?” I asked. “Born of a…what you are now?”

Colin smiled a little tightly. “Say it.”

I shook my head. “But it doesn’t make sense! You sweat, cry, you even have a heartbeat. You’re not supposed to!”

Colin nodded again. “From all the others like me you’ve met.”

I threw my hands up in frustration. “I never thought I’d meet anyone like you! You weren’t supposed to be real! But you’re here! But you’re tan and have all the things I understood was gone after you became….” I paused.

“Say it!” Colin demanded.

“Vampire.”

Colin had no reaction. No shock or horror, but just the word had no power. “That’s right.”

“But it can’t be real!” I said again trying to understand it.

“Yet, here I am.” Colin nodded. “You’ve never seen me as a vampire, but inside you know it’s true.”

I sat looking up at him. “So, I’ll ask some other questions. Do you sleep in a coffin?”

Colin chuckled and thumbed back at his king-sized bed. “Does that look like a coffin?” He shook his head and sat near me on the sofa. “I have in the past. That was just practical. Is there any place guaranteed to always be dark in the day other than a coffin? There are caves and other places, but mostly when a vampire is made, they are perceived as dead and buried. It’s later they wake and realize what they are and go about hunting. They just come back to the coffin because it’s dark and somewhat safe.”

I nodded. “Fangs?”

He chuckled nodding. “That sort of is necessary to break the skin and get what’s needed.”

I shrugged a nod. “There was a movie or two where they didn’t. They just tore the neck open.”

He nodded. “That is messy.” He shrugged. “And it is messy mostly.”

“Can I see them?”

He shook his head. “Not with me on the serum. I have them if not on the medication. The serum makes becoming the vampire impossible but doesn’t negate everything. As I said, I have to take it every day or I will become that horror again.”

I was having to come to grips with what I was told through movies, TV shows, and books. “But you won’t die unless you’re in the sun or get a stake in the heart.”

“A stake through anyone’s heart will kill, but now I can go in the sun taking my daily serum.”

I kept going back to the original question. “Why me?” I asked. “Why trust me so much?”

Colin sighed, looking away. “I can’t explain it.” Then he looked back. “I was going to hire someone to help me with the house. If they knew what I needed, that was it. But I meet you and…” he struggled with an explanation. “…I just know I can!” He smiled. “I’ve never done this before. There have been others I let know, but they couldn’t handle what I told them about me. You haven’t run screaming in horror.” He shrugged. “That tells me I was right.”

“But you eat,” I said. “And I mean food, not blood.”

He chuckled. “After I started the serum and I had my first real meal of food in a hundred years…that was…unbelievable and so good! Since then I’ve enjoyed some good meals and love to eat.”

“But you don’t drink blood now.”

He shook his head. “I don’t need to. The serum lets me eat and process food normally.”

“But you’re immortal,” I said.

He shrugged. “I haven’t aged, but who knows?” He seemed to relax more. “Dr. George Holm was the man that came up with the serum and knows how to make it.”

“And is he…?”

Colin nodded. “He is like me. He did the research to help himself.”

I gave a nod. “It works. Why did you leave the South? You were in New York.”

Colin nodded. “I was here in Charleston until the 1920s. It was a hard thing for me to move to New York, but it was a city that never slept and easier when I was feeding on blood.”

“But you said you never killed anyone.”

He smiled. “And I didn’t have to. Ten years after I became a vampire, we had that war and feeding was easy. Even before that and after, I would take blood, but never killed anyone.”

At least that was good to know. “You were made how?”

“There was a man that felt I was cheating him. I did kill his brother, but it was in self-defense as regular men. The brother vowed revenge and after he became one, made me like him. Though not intentionally, he thought he’d killed me.” Colin chuckled. “He was new at it and didn’t know how it worked yet. He was very unhappy when we met again later and he couldn’t undo what he did, though he did try to kill me.”

“And the wife and daughter?” I asked.

“My wife died .” He shrugged. “My daughter married and lived, but I know she’s dead now. I don’t know really what happened to her

I frowned. “You loved them very much.”

He smiled. “Gabriella was my daughter.” He nodded. “She was beautiful and kind and the best a human being can be. My wife, Deborah and I were in a marriage that was arranged. We liked each other enough to make it work.”

“But in all those years…no one else ever took their place?”

He shook his head. “I was hiding mostly. I really didn’t have time until twenty years ago to even look for someone. When I was in the world again, I was busy making money.” He smiled. “Now, understand…I had money before as a plantation owner, but much more is needed for today's finances. I used what I had to make more.” He nodded grinning. “And I did pretty well! I invested well and once that was done, I came back.”

I hadn’t realized we talked so long and my stomach growled. I smiled. “Sorry.”

Colin chuckled. “Are you kidding!? That’s great! We can eat another meal!”

I shook my head. “I don’t suppose you have to worry about gaining weight?”

He shrugged. “I've not yet, but as I understand it, we don’t really have to store as others do, so I haven’t stored fat.”

I growled. “That is such a pity,” I muttered. “For that reason, I have to say you are evil.”

Colin chuckled. “Sorry, but it’s not anything I’d wish on anyone.” Then he clapped his hands once. “So, let’s eat!!”

Man? Vampire? Man wannabe? I was falling in love with him.