I was getting ready in the middle of the night, tying my tie nervously. I'd chosen an all-black attire, and had meticulously cleaned the entire castle in preparation for the arrival of my father.
I'd even snuck into a few distant prisons to stage some deaths of the worst criminals to get enough fresh blood for him for at least two months so he wouldn't have an excuse to hurt an innocent human.
We were ready.
Well,
I
was finally ready. Suzie seemed as collected as ever. Understandably so, since this was
my
father. Technically, his poison was mine.
"Babe, you look great." She ran a reassuring hand along my shoulders.
"Thank you, darling." I puffed out, then fidgeted some more, nonetheless.
She twisted me around suddenly, then claimed my mouth. Everything slipped from my brain as I gripped her back, pushing into her soft body. Her mouth tasted sweet and warm. As I slipped my tongue in, her breath brushed over my cheek when she breathed out through her nose; it sent electricity down my neck, and ignited the deepest part of my chest.
She separated to look at me dangerously, eyes sparkling with crackling kindling. I hugged her to me tightly, knowing we didn't have time for a quickie, but also
so
grateful she loved me.
"You look beautiful too, carus." I smiled as I separated, then twirled her so I could admire her curves.
She smiled back at me, then patted my chest, her sincere dimples popping out.
"Let's go." She kissed me one last time before we went downstairs.
I busied myself with the bottles of blood while he got there.
I heard the rustle of his cloak outside. We opened the door just as he landed on our doorstep. There he was, in all his Sarmatian glory -- he looked like he was plucked out of a history book with his outfit; he wore crimson fur-lined regal wear with a black cloak that I was pretty sure the world hadn't seen since before the Christ was born.
"Baba! It's so good to see you." I grinned at him. Despite my reservations, his pearly white teeth peeking through his thick black beard made my heart surge with affection.
"Taumuriya! Dear girl!" His huge arms enveloped me, and he rested his giant palm on the back of my head. He always smelled like mint and a faint trace of gunpowder.
He stepped back to grip my shoulders, and grin at me.
"You look marvelous, Taumi! You look like you are feeding well!"
"You too, father." I stepped back to let him at Suzie.
"Hello, beautiful Aelia! How are you?"
I didn't bother to correct him because he wouldn't care enough to use our modern names anyway.
"I am well, Tigratava. Thank you for coming." She hugged him tightly.
"Of course, girl. We are kin, all of us."
She smiled at him.
"How is your fortune faring?" she asked him as we retired to the parlour, where I served him his nighttime blood in the finest cristal we had.
"Very well! We've taken control of all major oil suppliers under different shell companies, and are positioning to control the next coup."
My eyes widened as I poured.
Oh god, what the hell is he doing?
I took a shuddering breath, then came to serve him and Suzie. I sat at the love seat next to Suzie since he'd taken my leather armchair.
"Wow! That sounds very ambitious!" Suzie exclaimed.
"Yes, I believe we may be the main power within a few decades," he said thoughtfully before swirling the blood in his mouth. "Taumi. This is not virgin blood."
"No baba. You know we don't kill innocents."
"Hmm."
"We stocked enough for you so that you don't hunt. Please respect our wishes."
He pursed his lips. "Yes! Of course, daughter!"
"Thank you." I knew he was gearing up to argue with me later.
We heard whimpers from the third floor. I looked at Suzie.
"I'll go see what's the matter. Excuse me, baba." She glided to check on Luca.
"You say he is eleven?" He prompted as he cocked an ear.
"Yes. He is a fine young man."
He grinned widely.
We heard Suzie step into his room. "
Lu?
"
He continued to whimper, then he cried out in his sleep. "
Don't! They -- please!
"
I frowned at his panic, wishing I could be there, too, but trusting Suzie to handle it.
"
Darling, it's okay.
"
He gasped awake.
"
Shh...
" She soothed him. "
It's all right. It was just a dream. You're safe, love.
"
"
He -- he was gonna kill --
" he said in panic. "
He was about to...
" he trailed off.
"
It's okay, love. I'm here.
" She said in a soft voice. She started to hum, then I heard his breath even out. She began to sing an old Italian lullaby she used to sing to Griselda when she was a baby. It was lilting, soft and, though he wouldn't understand the words, was inherently saturated with maternal love.
My heart swelled at her skill to comfort and empathize.
My father and I smiled at each other.
"She has always been a wonderful mother." He said softly.
"She has. She has taught me how to feel for others, and I am thankful." I looked in his eyes, knowing that empathy was one emotion he definitely had trouble with.
"Hm." He nodded.
I'm sure we were both reminiscing about beautiful Griselda in that moment. I took a sip from my drink as I enjoyed Suzie's voice while she quieted to let him sleep on.
The door of his bedroom clicked, then she joined us a second later. I put an arm around her, then looked in her eyes. They were sad from listening to his broken voice yet again.
I kissed her forehead, then she leaned further into my chest.
"He sounds pained," Tigra remarked.
"He might be, given where he came from," I confirmed.
"Their heads will rest on putrid stakes."
I chuckled. "You'd have to find them first. And I wouldn't mind never seeing them again, in this life or the next." I grimaced.
He sighed and stretched some more in my chair. "Have you no other way of finding them?" he asked in frustration. "They were here! You
should
be able to track them!"
I glowered at him. "You know very well why I can't."
"They could still be here, in this universe."
"I've scoured throughout a 300-kilometre radius already! Don't
tell
me --" My words died in my throat as Suzie put a hand on my arm. I looked at Tigra sharply, then sat back into the cushions.
We sipped at our glasses awkwardly for a few moments, then Suzie changed the subject.
We spoke deep into the night as the earth made its rotation about politics, his life there, our life here, Luca, and errant anecdotes of the time we were together. He had me laughing and frustrated, moved and angry; thus was my father. Still, we ended the night on neutral ground.
"When is your holiday?" He asked.
Suzie answered him. "It's Christmas Eve. Not tomorrow, but the day after. Usually it's a dinner that night, then the children open presents the morning after, and spend Christmas Day eating and playing."
"Excellent! What
fun!
" He rubbed his hands together, making me worry for everyone involved.
"Thank you again, baba. For coming." I spoke warmly.
"We will get through this, Taumi. We have suffered worse, and have still triumphed."
I nodded. "He will be so happy to meet you." I smiled at him.
"Excellent! Excellent. When will the boy wake?"
I looked at the clock over the mantle. "About three hours. Would you like to settle in in the meantime?"
"Yes! This castle is wonderful! I have taught you well, Taumuriya. Very elegant and imposing. Fitting for an immortal of our stature."
I grinned, though I knew it was all worth a load of shit. "Thank you, baba. I am happy you enjoy it."
"Hm!" He slapped his thighs, then we all rose to escort him to his room.
We purposefully set him up on the opposite wing from us and Luca just in case he caused a ruckus in the middle of the night. I prayed to the god that didn't hear us that he wouldn't bring a hooker around.
Fuck,
those times were so embarrassing. I resolved to speak to him privately the next day to clarify the house rules.
We showed him his guest bedroom, then taught him how to use the bath. He would adamantly deny he took bubble baths, but we both knew he loved soaking in lavender and calendula, so we'd stocked them in full view in his bathroom.
"Here are your packages, baba. From your home. Please let us know if you need anything immediately, and we have a man that can get you anything you want anytime."
"Wonderful!" He rubbed his hands some more, then was suddenly in front of my face. I widened my eyes as he grinned manically at me, shaking my shoulders. "Daughter! We are together again! We love death, and the fates have blessed us with a son!"
I chuckled as I drew him in for a hug. "I owe it all to you, baba."
"Ah! Leave me be!" He turned and speeded to unpack his stuff to put it in the closet.
Suzie went up to him calmly to kiss his cheek. Maybe the reason men have such thick beards is so you won't see them blush, but Suzie can melt even the most frozen, stubborn of hearts. His hands slowed as he folded his pants in his dresser.
"We love you." Suzie said simply, then came back to my side.
He had his back to us while he growled lightly -- it almost sounded like a purr though, and my heart melted, too, alongside his.
I followed Suzie's example, kissing his cheek, and said, "I love you, dearest baba."
I saw a tear slip out of his eye, then crawl into his beard. We stepped out of his room.
"See you soon."
"Hm!" he replied.
We glided to our bedroom, and smiled at each other.
That night we spoke in tiny whispers, still hearing each other perfectly, but giving Tigra the option of not listening in if he didn't want to.
----
The next morning, I heard the clacking of keys from a laptop coming from downstairs, and raised an eyebrow to Suzie. She gave me a confused face back, then we began to get dressed for the day. It was still so odd to prepare for the day instead of the night, but that was our new normal.
Our day-to-day revolved around Luca now, and only Luca. Simply because he was the most important person.
We came downstairs to find Tigra at his laptop.
"Good morning! Breakfast, baba?" I chirped.
"Yes."
