“You’re jumping to
conclusions about me.” Seth told Rikard. “For all you know I’m all about
women.”
“Perhaps, but I doubt it.
I’ve been around for more years than I care to think about, and have become
fairly perceptive about things like that. You may be bi-sexual and enjoy the
pleasures of a female from time to time, but when it comes to looking for love,
it’s a man you want.” As they turned the corner and the lights from the shops
shown a few blocks ahead of them Rikard, slowed his pace. Turning to look at
Seth he said, “Tell me about him.”
“I assume you don’t mean
Kemp,” Seth replied with a slight smile. “Alright, not that there’s that much
to tell. I met him during the War Between the States. I was Khalid’s Child, but
at that point he had other things to occupy his time and gave me free rein to
do as I wanted, as long as I never forgot that he owned me. And what I wanted
to do was travel. Of course, given that there was a war going on, that was
somewhat restricted but I did make my way south, ending up in Atlanta. Mark was a young, human civilian
working as a clerk in one of the shops.”
Seth sighed as he
remembered. “There was an instant attraction that soon grew into love on both
our parts. Of course we had to hide it. Homosexuality was not accepted back
then and could have caused him a great deal of trouble had anyone found out.”
“Did he know that you were a
vampyre?”
“Not until the very end and
then it was too late.” Seth’s face shut down and his pace quickened. Only when
Rikard put a hand on his shoulder did he slow down and continue his story. “We
had two wonderful years together, despite the war raging in the country. And
then…then came the battle for Atlanta.
Sherman, the bastard, ordered the cannonading of the Confederate lines, and of
the city itself. There were only a few civilians left there and Mark was one of
them. It was my fault. He was torn between leaving the place he’d grown up in
and loved, or staying, hoping the enemy would move on eventually. I supported
his staying because I was so certain I could protect him from the marauding
soldiers, if it came down to that.” He sighed deeply. “The soldiers I could
have dealt with, but not the artillery barrage. We were cautious, we hid in the
basement, but that didn’t save us in the end. Didn’t save him.”
“Did you try to? Did you
tell him that you could turn him to save his life?”
Seth nodded, his face filled
with pain. “He was horrified, terror stricken. If he could have run from me he
would have. Instead he died denying our love.”
“I’m sorry,” Rikard said
softly.
“As am I. If I’d been
truthful with him from the beginning he might still be alive today, or at least
he wouldn’t have died hating me for what I am.”
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