Broken Soul

Dannie awoke the next morning thinking everything had just been an amazingly detailed dream. But once she sat up in the luxurious bed in her exquisite room, she realized it was all really happening. Evan was still a vampire and didn't know of her identity. And she was staying inside of his castle as a prisoner. Even though she felt more like a guest.

Dannie felt hungry. She hadn't eaten since she consumed a meal on her flight over. She decided to get up and find where the kitchen was. Without even bothering to put shoes or socks on, she left her room and started making her way down the stairs. Every inch of the castle was carpeted and she loved feeling it on her toes. She didn't change either and remained in her t-shirt and shorts for the time being. It wasn't formal but it was comfortable.

Dannie searched every open room on the lower level before finally finding the kitchen. As she went in, she heard noises like someone was already there preparing food. But it wasn't Evan or Myra. The young woman noticed Dannie lurking in and she smiled at her brightly. "Good morning! Care for some breakfast?" This woman didn't look a day over 25 and had long dark hair that was pulled back in a high ponytail and she had dark eyes that almost looked black. And she was wearing a black dress and a white apron. Her eyes reminded Dannie of Erick. She frowned for a moment but ejected thoughts of him out of her mind and returned her smile.

"Yes, I'd love some," Dannie replied and pulled out a stool and sat down at the island in the middle of the kitchen. Myra never mentioned they had another person here. "I'm sorry, but what's your name?"

"October," she replied cheerfully.

"Where's Myra?" Dannie asked.

"Probably still upstairs with the master," October answered. "She doesn't usually get up until he does."

The smell of bacon, eggs and pancakes made Dannie's stomach growl furiously. October set some silverware and an empty cup in front of her and asked, "Coffee?"

"Oh, yes please." She watched as October poured the steaming hot drink from the pot she was holding. Dannie noticed the jar of sugar on the counter and picked up her spoon and put some of it in her coffee, stirred it and then took a sip. "Are you a donor too?" Dannie asked curiously. "I mean, does he take your blood like he takes Myra's?"

October laughed softly. "No. He can't drink from me."

"Why not?"

"I'm...not human."

Dannie froze. "What do you mean? What are you then?"

"I'm a demon."

"Whoa, what??" Dannie was about to get up and run out of the kitchen and even out of the castle.

October could tell she had frightened her. "It's all right, Danielle, I promise! Calm down." Dannie relaxed and listened. "I serve Evan," she explained. "Every vampire has access to one demon. We are called upon when they need help or protection. I cannot bring harm to anyone unless they intend to harm him. And now, because you are here, he's ordered me to guard you. I'm just doing housework so I can stay here and not bring on suspicions. Plus, it gives me something to do. Please don't be afraid."

Dannie had no choice but to believe her. She had already seen more odd occurrences than she ever imagined possible. Her hands were shaking from the shock of what she had heard. Demons scared her, not only in the movies, but she had read about them and feared them even more than vampires. "I thought demons were supposed to be bad," Dannie said, her voice trembling a little.

October began to explain. "Demons...are a bit complicated. Usually, we just follow orders. Some of us serve other beings on Earth to make up for a certain wrong we've done in order to earn our free will back. I guess you could say it's Hell's version of community service." She softly laughed, which caused Dannie to. She still felt uneasy though it was decreasing.

"So, you feel no hostility toward me?" Dannie inquired.

"Nope," October assured her. "To be honest, we don't have a conscience. We don't see the difference between right and wrong like you do. Like I said, we just follow orders."

"Well, you obviously have emotions though," Dannie pointed out. "It's not like you're a robot just following instructions all the time."

"Only when we're in human form," October declared.

"So, you're like a shape-shifter?"

"I can change into a few forms. This human form, invisible, the black mist form and my original form. You don't want to see that one."

"I'll take your word for it," Dannie muttered, unsure of how to feel about all this. "Evan actually told you to guard me?" This surprised her. He didn't even know how valuable she was to him, but cared enough to summon his demon to protect her. She obviously still must have meant something to him.

"He did," October replied.

"Did he say anything else about me?" Dannie asked curiously.

October smiled. "What is this? Are we gossiping now?"

"No," Dannie laughed. "I just wondered, that's all."

"Well, I have to keep our conversations confidential," October told her. "But all he said was that he wanted me to guard you while he sleeps. That's all." She could tell Dannie was a little disappointed. "He wouldn't have asked me if he didn't care about you though. I didn't even know he was capable of caring."

October probably didn't know how valuable Dannie was to Evan either. "How much do you know about me?"

October's black eyes studied her silently. "Your name is Danielle Saroya. You're 24 years old. You front a rock band and have recently abandoned them to be here. There is more but I can't read through it. There's some kind of spell block on you. I'd ask what that's all about but obviously, you couldn't tell me."

"Sorry," Dannie apologized. She was still curious about several things. "How does Evan summon you anyway? I mean, how do vampires know they have access to you? He didn't know about all this when he was with us."

"Because he didn't need me then," October explained. "And he didn't know about me. I came to him offering my protection. And I told him how to contact me if he needed me. He didn't even take my offer at first."

"So how does he contact you?" Dannie asked.

"He just summons me. It's quite simple, really."

"Is October even your real name? It doesn't sound like the name of a demon."

October's face smirked. "No, it isn't."

"What is it then?"

"Not even Evan knows that. October is just my Earth realm name."

"I have a question." Dannie was full of them but October listened. "Is there a way for Evan to be human again?"

"I'm not sure if it's even been done," October said.

"So, you don't know?" Dannie almost felt her heart break but held it together so she could hear her reply.

"I think it can be done. I'm just not sure how. If there is a way, it probably would involve you."
Dannie was worried now. She wanted to ask more about the subject but realized October might not know. The demon could sense that Dannie was vital in Evan's survival. She just wasn't sure how. And Dannie couldn't tell her.

"Alright, here," October announced and set a plate of food in front of Dannie. Then, she began putting everything away. Telekinetically. Dannie didn't even realize until she looked up and noticed the pans, food, and dishes were floating around in the air. Dannie stared at the levitating objects for a few moments, remembering how Evan had moved the chair the night before. She was surprised how quickly she was becoming used to all of this. There were dishes washing and drying themselves and hovering into the cupboards and it didn't seem to bother her at all.

"Did Evan get that ability from you?" Dannie asked her. "He couldn't do that before."

"Telekinesis?" Dannie nodded yes. "Demons can gift certain powers to those who need them. And yes, I'm sharing some of mine with him.."

Dannie just ate her breakfast and thought everything over. She had one more question. "So...what am I supposed to do while I'm here?"

"Well, you're not allowed to leave without being accompanied by myself or Evan. There are hundreds of rooms here though, you'll find something to do."

Dannie looked down at her plate and continued eating. Then, when she looked up again, October was gone. Everything had been put away and the entire room was silent. Dannie were sure October was still close by, watching. It made her feel a bit uneasy but she knew it was just the demon's job.

After Dannie had finished eating, she explored the castle. She checked nearly every unlocked room for a television, a computer or even a radio but she couldn't find one. She did, on the other hand, find a huge room full of books. There were countless shelves of them all along the walls. Dannie browsed through the first few sets of books, found a couple that looked interesting and sat down on the red couch in the center of the room. Time didn't seem to matter now and she just read for hours.