Chapter 6 #2
“Can’t tell me if I never see him,” I complained. “Does he have a job? A girlfriend?”
Gwen remained silent and drove.
Despite her reluctance to answer, I didn’t relent with my questions because I tired of not knowing anything.
“How does he make money? Does he have family? Kids?”
Nada from Gwen.
I sighed. “I don’t know why he took me in if he was just going to ignore me.”
“He’s bus—”
“Busy, yes, so you’ve said, but would it kill him to say hello every other day? Maybe see how I’m doing?”
“He’s aware of your progress because of our reports, and since you won’t stop pestering, he’s been dealing with the repercussions of you killing Mr. Gavin.”
“I thought the cops assumed he’d murdered me and fled.”
“Unfortunately, his body was found quicker than expected. A car went into the river and a diving team located your vehicle with his corpse.”
“Oh. Guess the cops are ramping up the investigation instead of winding it down.”
“Cillian is handling it.”
“Handling it how?”
Silence. I had to content myself with the fact she’d replied to at least some of my inquiries.
Gwen drove us to a part of the city I’d never actually set foot in.
Only people with money shopped on Willowbank Avenue.
The swanky street, lined with shops and boutique hotels, bustled this close to Christmas.
The early snowfall meant the ski season had already kicked off, which resulted in tourists descending en masse.
Multicolored lights twinkled in windows and wrapped around light poles, revealing the busy sidewalks where people holding shopping bags strolled.
Gwen parked the car in front of a store with a blacked-out window.
The marquee above carried a simple letter Y, painted in a gold that matched the door to enter.
I exited the Lincoln and stood by the car a moment, absorbing the sounds and smells of the busy thoroughfare.
For a second, the wave of noise—so many heartbeats!
—overwhelmed and I almost jumped back into the vehicle to hide from it.
“Block it out,” Gwen advised accurately gauging my issue.
“I’m trying,” I muttered, ducking my head and trying to bubble myself from the bustle.
“If you’re hungry. I brought a snack.”
“I’m fine, but can we go inside before I’m not?”
In reply, Gwen rapped the door three times and then stood aside. It opened almost instantly and revealed a petite woman dressed in a navy jumpsuit that enhanced her slim figure. “Ah, Mademoiselle Gwyneth,” the lady said in a heavy accent. “What can I do for you today?”
“Hello, Yvette. Sorry for the lack of appointment but Cillian needs Ms. Klondike outfitted.” Gwen waved her hand at me.
The sharp gaze that perused had me fidgeting, and my cheeks heated as I imagined her less than savory judgement of my garments. “The usual uniform I assume?”
“No. Ms. Klondike is not staff, but his protégé. And a new one, at that.”
“Oh.” A single syllable that said so much more. “Come inside so that we can figure out what suits her.”
Expecting a shop with racks, I found myself instead in a space that could have been a sitting room in a home. Thick carpeting, wood panel walls, plush chairs, mirrors, a chandelier that offered dim lighting. What I didn’t see? Any actual clothes.
Yvette clapped her hands. “You will sit while I fetch my measuring tape.”
To my surprise, Gwen stuck with me. I didn’t mind, because I was admittedly intimidated, but it did surprise. “Don’t you have better things to do than babysit me?” I murmured as we waited for Yvette to return.
“I would dearly love to be anywhere but here. However, this is my job.”
“Driving me around?”
“Making sure you’re safe,” she corrected.
I glanced at Gwen and frowned. “Safe from what?”
“From people wielding stakes, for one.”
“Is that an actual concern?”
“Not usually, because Cillian is discreet and no one knows about you yet. However, the fact remains, people don’t like vampires, so care must be taken at all times. Then there’s the fact you’re a fledgling, which means I need to make sure you don’t suddenly lose control and maul people in public.”
“I ate before we left,” I huffed.
“Yeah, well, with young vampires you never know when hunger will strike.”
Luckily those pangs held off as I had my Pretty Woman moment.
I stood on a small round dais as Yvette measured me.
Pretty sure she knew more about my body by the time she finished than my doctor.
With my statistics taken, next came the dressing me up, and stripping me, only to dress me again, as Yvette had me try various styles and colors.
Articles of clothing I’d have never dared look at let alone draped my body with. Hues that seemed much too bold.
After two hours of it, I started to get bored. Yvette had run off to grab more pins and I was told to stand and not move in the half-draped ball gown.
Gwen scrolled her phone.
“I don’t need anything this fancy,” I groused kicking the satiny fabric.
“Yeah, you do,” Gwen replied without looking up.
“Where am I going to wear something like this? The kitchen?”
“Cillian might be somewhat reclusive, but there are certain occasions and events that even he doesn’t avoid. As his protégé, you will be expected to accompany him to some of those.”
“What kind of events are we talking about?”
“The kind where people dress up and fake liking each other even as they plot to take each other down.”
“Sounds awful.”
“It is. But it’s also necessary. A man in Cillian’s position needs to assert himself every so often to stave off those who would try and steal what he’s accomplished.”
“Why does he need me for that?”
“He doesn’t, but those he associates with might find it off if he kept his protégé hidden away, especially given how long it’s been since he last created one.”
“Do other vampires make them more often?” I’d learned I could be open here because Yvette knew Cillian’s secret. Apparently, she dressed quite a few other vampires who also lived in our city.
“Some like to surround themselves with sycophants. But usually, the older vampires don’t want to deal with the drama and the risk of discovery.”
“How is it a risk?”
“A fledgling’s erratic behavior can bring unwanted attention to their maker.”
That made sense.
Yvette returned and another hour passed of me being a Barbie doll dressed and undressed in fashionable items. When Yvette finally declared us done, I was more than ready to go back to hiding in Cillian’s house and I wasn’t shy about telling Gwen.
“Can we go home now?” I asked as I sank into the Lincoln’s plush leather seat.
“I just have one more stop to do. It won’t take long, and you can stay in the car while I run inside.”
“Sounds good.”
We drove about fifteen minutes before she pulled into an alley and parked, leaving the car running.
“Lock the doors and don’t get out for any reason,” Gwen admonished before she left me to enter an unmarked door.
I had no interest in leaving the comfortable heated seat. Fate, though, had other plans.