The second door is open, revealing a library. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, a rolling ladder, and leather chairs positioned near a fireplace that's currently dark. The books look old, like, really old. Leather-bound volumes with titles in languages I don't recognize.
How long does it take to collect a library like this? Centuries, probably.
"You were told to rest."
I spin around, my body automatically dropping into a defensive stance before I can stop myself.
The man standing behind me is massive. Six-foot-four at least, built like he could bench press a car. Dark skin, close-cropped hair, and dark brown eyes that assess me with the cold calculation of someone who's decided I'm a potential threat.
He's also a vampire. I can feel it now that I'm paying attention, that sense of recognition, like my body knows it's in the presence of another predator.
"And you are?" I ask, straightening but not relaxing.
"Marcellus. Maximus's second-in-command." His voice is deep, with an accent I can't quite place. Old world. European, maybe. "You should be in the medical facility."
"I was. It got boring."
His expression doesn't change. "Return to the medical facility."
"Or what?"
"Or I will escort you there. Forcibly, if necessary."
I believe him. There's no bluster in his tone, no ego. Just a statement of fact. He's bigger than me, probably stronger, and definitely has more experience.
But I've fought people bigger than me before. Size isn't everything.
"Maximus said I'd be working off my debt," I say, keeping my voice level. "That makes me an employee, not a prisoner. So unless there's a specific reason I need to be locked in that room, I'm going to explore my new workplace."
Marcellus studies me for a long moment. I can almost see him calculating, is subduing me worth the effort?
"Stay out of Maximus's private quarters," he finally says. "Stay out of the donor areas. Stay out of the security center. Everywhere else, you're free to explore until he returns."
"Where is he?"
"That's not your concern."
Fair enough.
Marcellus turns and walks away, his footsteps silent despite his size. I watch him disappear around a corner.
I continue my exploration, more carefully now. The compound is massive, corridors branching off into wings, staircases leading to upper floors. Everything is pristine, organized, controlled. Like Maximus himself.
I find a training room on the ground floor and pause in the doorway. It's equipped better than any gym I've ever used: mats, weights, a boxing bag, and even weapons mounted on the walls. Swords, staffs, knives. All of them look functional, not decorative.
My fingers itch to test them. To move, to fight, to do something physical after lying on that medical table.
But I keep moving instead. There'll be time for training later.
I pass what looks like a dining room, formal, with a table that could seat twenty. Do vampires even use dining rooms? I guess if you're hundreds of years old, you keep up appearances.
Eventually, I find a sitting room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the grounds. I can see gardens, perfectly manicured. Security lighting illuminates paths between hedges and fountains. The whole estate is probably walled, gated, and monitored.
A fortress disguised as a mansion.
I sink into one of the chairs, expensive leather, probably Italian, and stare out at the grounds.
What the hell am I doing here?
