Amos and Iggy

Hemakshi looked carefully at Iggy. The human had such light eyes, he must be blind. But there Iggy was, doing laundry with ease, lights on, sorting it by color even. Hemakshi stepped up and knocked on the open door.

The man did not jump. He turned with a shirt in his hands. “Oh, I thought I heard someone walking down the hall. What can I do you for, Amos.”

“Hemakshi, call me Hemakshi.”

Iggy nodded and returned to folding. “Sure. Lots of you have names that mean something. What’s yours?”

“Golden eyes.”

Iggy let out a burst of laughter. “Honestly? Really?” He turned with his hands on his hips. “I wonder why,” he added sarcastically.

Hemakshi motions to the other man’s face. “What about you? Your eyes tell me your blind.”

“Newsflash, I’m not,” he answered with a falling tone. “After all, how would I be able to sort laundry? Darks, whites, colors. Asha, mine, Larry’s.”

“That’s why I asked. It’s strange. Were you at one time?”

“Blind? Yeah. A serious experiment gone wrong. They wanted to give me night vision. Instead they gave me no vision.” He shrugs. “But Davide took me in, fed me his blood. I didn’t think I was worth anything so I figured, no matter what happen I wouldn’t care. Turns out, he completely fixes me. Except aesthetically.”

“So how’d you end up here if you were a Knighting’s slave?”

“A gift to Asha. That’s all.”

“That was awfully nice of Davide.”

Iggy just nodded. He stacked the clothes into a basket and hitched it onto his hip. “Was there something you needed, Hemakshi?”

“Could use a feeding. I was using Larry, but he’s still resting from Asha.”

Iggy was a little hesitant but nodded again. “I… suppose I can do that. Let me just put this in Asha’s room.”

Hemakshi stepped aside and Iggy slid out, Hem on his heel. “Why don’t you call her Mistress like Larry does?”

“Why should I? She doesn’t require it of me. I don’t think she requires it of Larry either but he still does it. I think he’s not been a servant long enough. He’s still a bit of a robot.”

“Right, servant. The politically correct term.”

Iggy waltzed into Asha’s room where she slept, placed the basket on her desk, and left, shutting the door quietly. “Shall we go to my room or yours?”

“Mine, it’s closer.”

Iggy thought how this whole situation sounded vaguely sexual, and silently hoped that it wouldn’t be. He wasn’t against homosexuality in general, but something about Hemakshi scared him. He couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was, though. He didn’t voice these concerns either, and carefully stepped into Hemakshi’s room. The vampire kept his room very neat except for his desk. His leather bag was in the corner against the wall, papers strewn about the top, a few heavy books left open. The heavy curtains to his bed hang open.

Without a glance to Iggy, Hemakshi sat on his bed. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

Iggy turned. “I was just admiring your room.”

Hemakshi nodded. “It’s like all the other rooms, just lived in.”

Iggy sat beside him. “Right. I know. Bit more lived in than mine I guess. Then again, I don’t get to spend too much time in there. Always taking care of the house, or Asha.”

Hemakshi placed a hand on the other man’s cheek. “And now me, as well.”

“Yeah.” Hemakshi pushed the man back into the bed, leaning in close, teeth grazing precious flesh. Iggy turned, trying to give better access to his neck. He never was too comfortable with being fed from the neck, always teaching newborns to go for the limbs as well. It was all the same blood, no matter what body part you bit. Blood from the jugular tasted just as fine as from any other artery. But there was no time to argue when there are sharp teeth against tender skin.

Hemakshi pressed his lips against the skin. He could feel the blood pouring through the veins, heart racing. He could smell the shampoo lingering in his hair. He licked sweat off the man’s neck, smiling. Salty yet so sweet. Iggy’s hands were on his elbows, and clenched as Hemakshi bit him, eager to suck the life force in his blood. And everything felt bright, sharp, clear.

Until it didn’t. Behind his eyes Hemakshi was flooded with images. Dark and desolate, being fed from by so many. Never enough time to recover before the next one came. Short periods of rest to do chores in the basement. Meals being given by another slave, and plates taken out when he was done. He was never allowed in the main of the house until newborn vampires had moved on, whether it was to another house, another clan, or just out of the newborn title which could last up to a year.

Then there were images of the Knighting library. Rearranging books, cleaning desks and tables, sweeping the wood floors or repositioning freshly washed blankets and pillows. He would peek around a corner. There was Asha, long legs and long hair. A beautiful women with low-cut tops and pen ink all over her arms. She was all smiles and laughter with Master Davide. The world seemed better on those days he could see Asha Perne. Eventually, she would ask him to join them at the table, drinking wine and laughing about modern people. All he paid attention to was the curve of her lips, her bold cheekbones, and the flutter of her lashes. And the way she’d touch his hands and arms so gently, tenderly. He was captured in her gaze and had fallen for her.

He had rose colored glasses on and couldn’t find a fault in her. He was in love. He couldn’t wait for those moments when she tore his clothes off. It wasn’t just feeding, it was so much more than that.

Hemakshi pulled away and licked the wound. He sat up. “It’s funny,” he murmured. Iggy looked at him, eyebrows raised. “Everyone always thinks about zombies having visions from eating brains, but it never occurs to them that blood spills its own stories, too. It always has.”

Iggy swallowed, backing up to the head of the bed, trying to get away from Hem. “W-what did you see?”

“Everything.” Hemakshi smiles.