A bunch of computer language gibberish ran across the screen in front of my eyes as the system loaded up. I was spending yet another day in the archives looking for the identity of that demon bloodsucker that had killed Melissa.

Every morning, I had hope, but by the time I finished up to go participate in training my hopes were dashed again.

It was taking even longer than it had the previous time, because the council leeches had added a lot of new vampires to the system since the last heist. I hoped they were only adding data and not that that many new vampires had been created in the last half century, a horrible thought.

The leech had been right about one thing that I certainly did not want more vampires in the world. Forget less additional vampires, less total vampires was definitely the way to go.

I pushed aside my impatience as I waited for the login screen to load. Wyatt had set me up with a username and password and Henry had shown me how to get into the system myself, so I had basically free reign.

The entry fields came up and I typed in my username, LHuman and my password, allhailmyMistress and hit enter. I certainly not been given a choice as to what they were and I did not know who had picked them, but it was obvious that someone was still trying to get under my skin. It might have been her, or it might have been her faithful toadies enthusiastically helping her.

Either way, I did not complain. I had bigger concerns than her frivolous games.

And as much as she apparently adored annoying me, she mostly left me alone besides. As she said, I likely fared better under her physically than I would have under another vampire, except for the defenses holding me inside her home, but that was a problem for later.

The computer finished loading and I moved back to where I had left off alphabetically.

As a boy, I had not wanted to sit and learn to read when I could have been out learning to hunt and fight, but I had to admit that it was useful now. Rusty at first, as I had read through entry after entry the memories of lessons when my mother could make time had began to come back. I silently thanked my parents for forcing the issue, for doing everything in their power to ensure my survival.

I clicked on my first entry of the day, a female leech named Grace. She had that slightly sadistic expression I saw so commonly on the faces of leeches in my experience. I quickly scanned through her entry and discovered that she was only a little older than I was currently.

As a new vampire, I would be able to take her out relatively easily if I tried.

The next entry was a male leech named Max Grant. Most vampires seemed to go by a single name as if one name was enough to cover their grandiose egos, but there were exceptions. I had noticed many of the older ones also had recorded aliases.

I studied Grant's face, as wrong as the rest of them. He was not my quarry. I read through his file, he was another leech sired during the human suppression wars.

With a groan I moved onto the next, Graves.

Fitting name for an undead monstrosity. I went into the entry, half expecting that Graves would be Melissa's murder, but I was immediately disappointed to see a feminine face looking back at me instead of the picture burned into my brain.

My frustration was mounting. I scanned the entry and quickly moved onto the next.

At the light crack of the door opening, I paused and listened. The footsteps grew louder, easily heard over the soft electronic hum.

"I was looking for you."

My roommate's voice echoed in the cave like room. I turned in my chair and looked at him expectantly.

"The mistress has company again."

"Am I going to be confined in our room again?" Being forced to stop my search would be freaking frustrating.

"No, just keep a low respectful profile and it'll be fine."

I could do that.

"Oh, and fight training is off, although you're still expected for fitness training."

All the better. I could spend more of my day down here in the archives. I nodded my agreement.

"Who's here this time?" I asked. If I knew, I could look up their entries in the database and ensure that my quarry had not come to me. I could only fantasize about being so lucky.

"Naomi and Davidson. They're pro-human conservation so it's unlikely anyone will be bothered by them, plus they've got their own feeders along."

There was still something rather distasteful about the way the other humans here acted so matter of fact about the things that should horrify them.

If I did not get away, would I turn into a slavering, willing slave just like them? It was a disgusting thought, but I reassured myself that I was not going to let that happen. I was never going to let go of my goal.

Theo left and I quickly searched the two names he had given me. They seemed to be much as he had said, and I recalled the leech telling me to kill Davidson last. His entry was full of information that seemed to be meant to be unflattering to the eyes of vampires, but it only solidified her opinion of him in my mind.

Naomi's was similar. Apparently neither of them were winning any leech popularity contests. They seemed to be slightly less cruel and vindictive than the other bloodsuckers.

I shrugged and turned back to my search.

* * * * *

Hours later, I had completely made it through all the G's, with no luck. I was torn between irritation and relief when I noticed the time. I stretched my cramped muscles as I got up and made my way to the dining room, where I collected a plate and took my food outside.

Noon was easily the best time of day, especially in fair weather with not a single cloud in the sky. We humans were creatures of the sun, even more now than I imagined we had been when we once dominated the planet. The midday sun was bright and hurt my eyes after the dim artificial light of the archives, but I revelled in it. The sun was humanities' protector and provider.

It was common knowledge that vampires avoided the light and this was the moment when humans had their chance to thrive once again. It was safe to come out and live.

Even though her slaves seemed to be accepting of their status with the leech as their mistress, there was something about this time of day that seemed to perk them up as well. A number of other humans were outside, milling about and Lucas was sitting and laughing with the woman he was often with. I briefly wondered how the two of them could look even slightly happy.

I felt a twinge at the sight. I supposed that they reminded me on some level of my parents and what I might have had with Melissa.

There would be no chance for me to find that with someone. I had seen too much and I did not think I could ever forget that the spectre of loss was always lurking. It did not matter, because I was well used to being alone by now.

I turned my attention to my food, until someone sat beside me. A glance showed me the dark complexion of the new slave named Travis.

"Hey," I said.

He nodded in response, and then went straight to the point. "Are you happy here?"

I considered. None of the leech's faithful devotees seemed to be in earshot. "No, but I'm looking for something."

"What?"

I lowered my voice even further. "I can't say, but once I find it..."

He nodded, apparently taking my point.

"Why?" I asked.

He pulled at the collar around his neck. "If I see an opening, I'm going to take it."

I nodded to acknowledge his intent. "There aren't many, if any."

"If there's not, I'm going to try to make one. You in?"

"Once I—"

"Nice weather we're having?"

We both turned to see Jeffry as he headed over to us, a fake looking smile spread across his face. I was certain that he had not been close enough to hear what we were saying, but it was obvious that the interruption was very intentional, a good reminder that none of these men dedicated to her could ever truly be my allies.

"Yeah, great. Perfect for leech disintegration," I said. I could have played nice, but that would have probably been more suspicious than just another mild threat. Travis stiffened beside me, but whether it was because of Jeffry's presence or my response, I could not say.

Jeffry settled his tall form down on the bench on the other side of Travis, much to my displeasure. "So, Travis, how're you settling in?"

"Fine."

"Not really talkative, huh?"

Travis shrugged and I turned my attention back to my food, taking quick bites. The sooner I was done eating the sooner I could retreat to relative solitude in the computer archives.

I listened absently as Jeffry tried to grill Travis for information with no luck. I enjoyed the traitor's frustrated failure at the task. It was amusing to be an observer of such conversations rather than the one under the spotlight.

I could have applauded Travis' performance.

Tray empty, I stood up. "I've got to get back to it. Later." I met Travis' eyes for one moment. It seemed I might finally have an ally in this crowd of leech lovers.

"See you at training," Jeffry said.

"Sure."

I spared them not another glance as I walked back into the leech's compound.

* * * * *

I spent hours going through more entries and moving through the H's when I stopped to go to the gym for my regular fitness training. It no longer frustrated me, because I had come to consider these scheduled moments as another way of taking advantage of the leech, a sort of much deserved payment for everything she and her kind had inflicted upon me.

Never before had I experienced the luxury of security while I took care of my physical health. Even when I had spent time with groups of humans, there was always that nagging feeling at the back of my mind that the bloodsuckers could find us at any moment. While desperate, I had never truly felt weak since my first vampire kill, but now energy seemed to thrum in my veins, like success was truly within my reach.

The improvements in my capabilities pleased me and pushed me harder. I did not resent the trainer calling out orders, I tried to surpass what I demanded, focusing on what I was doing while trying to drown out the pointless conversations of the other humans around me.

Still, sometimes they spoke of relatively interesting topics. Lucas was always scheduled at the same times as I was, but today he was busy talking with some unfamiliar man instead of trying to act like we were friends.

"He won't care that you're down here?" Lucas asked.

"Nah, as long as we follow procedure, Master Davidson doesn't really care what we do during the day."

"Yeah," Lucas agreed, sounding pleased with the information. "We don't want to piss her off, but otherwise our mistress lets us do our own thing, too."

There might have been a catch in his voice when he spoke about angering her, but he quickly kept talking. I wondered if he had stepped out of line in the past, considering his easy attitude towards her now. I was not going to ask.

"She's big on human maintenance in order to avoid blood scarcity."

Davidson's slave laughed. "Yeah, I've heard Master Davidson ranting about her."

Lucas laughed at the idea. He would probably tell the leech later and she would likely be pleased to hear it, if I had her figured out at all. She was like a succubus who lived off the misery of males. It was a wonder she needed to drink blood at all.

"How long have you been with him?" Lucas asked.

The other slave stopped to consider. "More than nine years now."

"That's four years longer than I've been with my mistress."

"Were you bought?" Davidson's slave asked.

"Nah, she found me in the wild," Lucas said. His tone was unnervingly calm, almost as if he found the memory to be something besides unpleasant. The hairs raised as a cold feeling ran down my back.

"Lucky. I was on the block when my master bought me." It was obvious from his tone that the memory was not a pleasant one. His attitude made more sense.

"Yeah, I've never been there, but I've seen enough to know that." Lucas's voice deepened with an unusual solemnity.

"I've seen enough to know that it could have been much worse."

Both of them lapsed into silence for a long moment, before Lucas turned the conversation to petty comparisons of slave accommodations. I returned my focus to my task at hand.

I stayed until the last moment before the next group of humans came to take their turns on the equipment.

* * * * *

With only a short break for supper, I spent the rest of my time in the archives until my back ached and my eyes burned, checking one more entry, one more entry, just one more entry.

I had pushed through the H's and the I's and was into the J's. I entered the next profile. I would give up for the night after I was finished reading about this next leech.

But against all odds, after a decade of searching, the face from the worst of my nightmares stared back at me.