Appointment with Rhostislav Mihailov @0200 hrs.

I stifled a yawn as I straightened everything in the room around me.  I had been up early and had tried to take a nap but, to be honest, I was excited.  And nervous.  How often could a person say they  met a vampire? Oh, excuse me. A vampyre? Sure, people brushed by them every day thinking they were humans but I knew that Mr. Mihailov wasn’t. And not only was he a vampyre he was one of the older ones.  I didn’t know why he had scheduled this session but it was bound to be-

“Good evening.”

“Jesus!” I let out a squeak and a book went flying across the table and sailed toward the floor.  Just as quickly a pale hand grabbed it and flicked it back into place.  I looked up to see him grinning widely.

“I apologize.  I did not mean to frighten you.  Sometimes I forget that I walk so silently.”

“I-it’s not a problem Mr. Mihailov.”

“Please, call me Rho.” He flashed another grin before strolling over to couch.  Sitting down he glanced around the room before focusing on me.

The pen in my hand trembled as his full focus was on me.  ”Uh…”

“Am I making you nervous?”

“Just a little.”

“Ah, I try to put people at ease but I always seem to fail.  Why is that do you think?”

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking the questions?”

“Da. Yes, this is true.  So, perhaps you should ask your questions before I am called away.”

“Called away on what?”

He shrugged languidly.  ”Business.  There is always something I must do. The protection of others is what I take the most interest in.”

“Protection against who?”

“My enemies. Their enemies.  Blood frenzy. You must understand I take my job seriously.  And when I fail it pains me greatly.”

“Have you ever failed?”

For the first time he looked away from me. “Yes.”

Rho likes to be in control of any situation.  He’s not that different from a human after all.

“Indeed I am very different from a human.  I hold onto my humanity with both fists because if I let it slip-” His eyes flashed red before he shook his head. “Nyet. That will never be my fate.”

“So, you can read minds?”

The tension slowly left his body as he slowly nodded.  ”If the human, I beg your pardon, if the person is projecting strong enough.  Beside the fact that I can read your handwriting from over here.” He chuckled when my hand flew to cover my notes then his head tilted as he studied me.

“Are you reading my mind?”

“Hm? Oh, yes but it is more of a background noise.  I was just thinking that you are a unique individual.  You do not do this for fame or fortune but to actually help people.  That is rare in this age.”

“Thank you.”

“You are welcome.  Now, come.  Ask me your questions that you have written down there.”

“I like to be prepared,” I muttered as I scanned my notepad.

“That is a good trait to have.”

“Have you ever been back to Russia?”

“There is nothing, nothing, for me there.”

“You have no other family?”

“Any family that I had has been dead for centuries.  My clan is my family. As are some packs.  Family is not all about blood.”

“Have you ever turned anyone?”

“…You must understand that, for a time, I was lonely.  I wanted a companion that would understand what I was going through.  I found a woman near death and saved her life…by making her as I am.”

“And how long were you two together?” She watched as his hand curled into a fist.

“One hundred and twenty years, six months and eight days.”

“Did you love her?”

“I did. And she betrayed me.  Betrayed everything that I thought we stood for.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know how I was turned, you know the evilness of it and I swore that I would never do that.  I would rather walk into the sun, have someone drive a stake through my heart, then turn a defenseless human without cause.  And she did that.  A little boy.  Because she wanted a child.  It was like staring into my past.”

“And then?”

“The child died and I had to put her out of her misery.  Next question if you please.”

“Umm…”

He smiled faintly. “Yes, I have had sex with a man.  I have loved a man.  Wanted to spend my eternal life by his side.  But he grew old and I buried him.”

“So you loved a human?”

“Is that so wrong? All beings just want love.  I do not turn for pleasure or selfish reasons.  I would not want someone to come to hate me as I once hated what I am.”

“How did you lose your eye?”

“It was not lost.  I took my own eye.  In a delirious haze.  I always had visions and being a vampyre only amplified them.  Can you imagine knowing you have to drink in order to survive but also knowing that the blood comes with a price? Their most painful memories made mine.  And my Maker used to pick the most wretched humans for me to feed off of.”

“Why didn’t it grow back?”

“Because I wasn’t a full vampyre yet.  My circumstance was unique.  I would rather not get into it now.”

“Of course.  You and Caine’s father were close…”

“Yes, he was like a brother to me.  I’m Caine’s godfather you know. ”

I smiled at the hint of pride in his voice.  ”You love Caine.”

“I would do anything for that boy.  Risk anything.  I made a promise to his father.  I will carry it out.”

“What was the promise?”

“That, my-ah sladkaya, was between Bernard and I.” He winked and I felt myself blush.

“What did you just call me?”

“It’s a form of sweetheart.”

“Oh! Um…”

“You remind me of Alana.”

“I do?”

“Yes, she’s such a sweet child.  But she has a fierceness about her that she hasn’t tapped yet.  But there will come a time…” Rho frowned then straightened.  ”I must go.”

“What?”

“I must go.  Something is-”

Between one blink and the next Rho was gone.

Heart thudding I put down my pen.  Rho was beyond writing down a simple summary.