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PHYSIENTS WILL ALWAYS OFFER BEST STORIES AND LIVE STREAMING ALL TIME
Closing wounds- Part 3
Lucy stared at Theodore, and when he stepped away from the door, she stepped inside his room, her face expressionless like him. She placed the lantern on the side table after noticing the room's brightness.
It felt like it was only yesterday she had come here to his room, knocking on the door to ask him questions for which she never got answers as she expected him to give. She looked around the warm and cosy room, where he had closed the windows and drawn the curtains over the windows.
"Were you going to sleep?" asked Lucy to drive the silence in the room when she heard the click behind her which came from the door being closed.
"I had a few parchments to go through which was given by Mr. Fitzwilliam over the tea estate in Humsbrey," answered Theodore, walking around to pull out a chair for her to sit.
Vampires usually healed themselves quickly, but it seemed like Theodore's wounds had not vanished and continued to stay on his face. Somewhere Lucy felt guilty that Theodore had been hit, due to her words that had fueled Samuel.
"I bought the box of first-aid," said Lucy. She didn't have to utter more words because she knew Theodore understood her intention without her having to speak out loud.
"Do you hate me so much that you said something to Samuel that made him punch me?" questioned Theodore.
"Sit, so I can tend to it," Lucy dodged his question.
Theodore pulled out the round-framed glasses from his face, placing it on the table before sitting down on the chair which he had pulled for her. Lucy opened the box, taking out the bottle of liquid so that she could soak the cotton in it. Once she was done, Lucy leaned forward, holding her heart still to start dabbing the cotton on Theodore's face.
In silence, Lucy continued to dab the cotton on the cuts and scratches, "I apologize for what Samuel did," she said, turning her body to take the bottle so that she could pour more liquid on it, and continue pressing the cotton.
"You shouldn't have stepped between us earlier. I had only started to enjoy the fight," came the response from Theodore. Lucy only stared at him, pressing the cotton to see him continue to look back at her unblinkingly, "Did you come to tend or worsen the wound?" there was a faint smile on his lips.
"Both," came the honest response from Lucy to receive a chuckle from him. When she was done trending to his wounds, she threw the cotton away and closed the box.
"How are you doing now?" asked Theodore, "Calhoun will support any decision you make." Lucy was aware of it. She knew Calhoun would not question her, especially after knowing what Samuel had done behind her back.
Was that all that Theodore had to say over what happened? Lucy asked herself. A part of her wanted to press the wound that was on his face for his reactions all these years, although she knew it wouldn't make any difference.
"I know," she replied before saying, "I should get back to my room," and she started to walk towards the door ready to leave.
"Lucy," she heard Theodore call her, and she felt her heart skip a beat which Theodore noticed. She turned around to look at him stand up from the chair, "Thank you for this," he pointed his finger to his face. Lucy took that he was speaking about her tending his wounds and not him receiving it.
Even after so many years had passed, the feelings that she had turned to hate, it was not hate but was only a veil to cover her true feelings for this person. Keeping her expression composed, she gave him a nod, "Goodnight," and she left the room with the lantern and the box she had come with.
Back in the village of East Carswell, since James had returned home, he had gotten to bed quite early. And though he got into the bed, the pain he felt that was shooting up his body was unbearable that kept him awake. Though the night was cold, James could feel his body burning as if it was on fire. He didn't know what hour of the night it was, but considering the noise outside the house had turned quiet, he believed it was the time where people had fallen asleep.
For some odd reason, even the slightest noise fell on his ears, and when he heard the wooden floor creak in his house, his eyes flew open. He pushed himself to get out of the bed to see what had caused the sound.
Walking towards the living room, he saw nothing, but when he turned, he found a man who was holding a knife with him. The man came to attack him, but James pushed the man away while feeling his body tingle. He could feel his bones starting to hurt. The intruder whom he had pushed didn't seem to get up, and James turned worried. He was about to go near the man, when at the same time, another intruder appeared to attack him. James caught hold of the man, twisting the attacker's arm and asked,
"Who are you?! Why are you trying to attack me?"
The intruder was a vampire, and he struggled to get out of his hold, "Tell me!" James demanded while continuing to twist the vampire's arm.
James was unable to control the werewolf's blood that was right now flowing in his body, and his strength tripled. The anger spiked in him and he heard the vampire groan in pain. "Mr. Barnes sent us here. Ugh!" the vampire pushed James away and went to attack him back again.
The vampire looked confused at the gold and yellow eyes of James, that almost glowed in the dark. Killing a human was easy, but for a human, this person had odd eyes and strength.
With one intruder lying on the ground and another fighting with James, James heard someone knock on the front door. Before the intruder could get him, James didn't know how it happened, but his hands went to the vampire's head, and he twisted it around to hear a snap and the vampire fell.
Why did Mr. Barnes send his people to kill him?! James questioned himself. Who was at the door at this hour of the night?
Pulling the body away from the living room to the kitchen, James made his way to the door. He slowly opened it to see it was Catherine Barnes.
"Catherine?" asked James confused, "What are you doing here?"
"I, can I come in?" James didn't know if it was a good idea. But since the men were sent by her very own father, he let her in. "I was worried about you because you left abruptly." Catherine looked around the house as she had heard some sounds coming from inside while knocking on the door. When she looked at James' face, she noticed his eyes, "What happened to your eyes?" she frowned.
James turned his head immediately, not meeting her eyes, "Your father sent some men after me. Do you know about this?" he asked, changing the subject right away.
"What? Why would my father do that?" asked Catherine and James showed the second person whom he had dragged to the kitchen, "I don't think it is my father. I mean why would he even do that?" this time it was her who was confused, "And what is wrong with your eyes? James?" her eyebrows furrowed.
James couldn't restrain the beast within himself. It was trying to push itself to the front, wanting to take control of his body. He couldn't hear what Catherine was speaking as his ears rang, and he covered them. The bones in his body started to reconstruct itself, and he groaned in pain.
"James?" Catherine was worried, not knowing what was wrong with him.
He fell on the ground, his mind turning blank, and the werewolf slowly took over his body, mentally as well as physically. He slowly started to change, his clothes ripping apart as fur started to cover his skin. Catherine, who witnessed this staggered back in shock with her mouth open. The werewolf growled, snarling at her.
The first intruder who James had thrown at the wall moved, trying to get back on his feet when he heard the feral growls in the house. He realized the person in this house was not an ordinary human but something more than that. He pulled out his crossbow, readying the arrow in it that was made of silver, and the vampire jumped outside where the feral growl was emerging from.
Seeing the werewolf, the vampire drew his arrow and was about to release it. The werewolf heard the snap behind it, and in an instant, it caught hold of the vampiress, turning the position in a way where the arrow was shot at Catherine.
Catherine didn't know what happened because everything happened so fast in front of her eyes. James had turned to an over-sized wolf. The werewolf was holding her neck. She slowly looked down at her chest to catch sight of the arrow that had pierced through her.
"J-James…" she uttered the man's name, her eyes turning hollow and vacant just like her heart.
The werewolf dropped her on the ground, and soon Catherine looked like the air and water had been sucked out of her body. Before the vampire could draw another arrow, the werewolf killed the vampire before disappearing from the house.
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Untrue- Part 1
Music Recommendation: In Ordina by Tristan Eckerson
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In the Hawthrone castle, Calhoun was returning back to his room when he caught sight of Madeline, who stood outside her room in the open corridor, looking up at the sky where the moon was visible. He walked to where she was and hearing his footsteps, she turned to look at him.
"You are back," said Madeline, seeing him stop walking when he came near her.
"Where else would I go?" Calhoun teased her, his eyes taking in her blonde hair that was let down, cascading down her shoulders, "Not able to sleep?" he asked.
Madeline was waiting for him as she had not seen him over the time of supper. She was getting used to him being around her, and if there was someone she believed who didn't want to kill her, it was Calhoun.
"You didn't return from the forest soon," Madeline responded, and her words warmed Calhoun's cold heart.
"I had to make sure your grandmother was well-rested. The last thing we need is a haunting woman," he joked to her before continuing to say, "Also something was wrong near the cave."
"The guards?" asked Madeline and saw Calhoun nod.
"Yes. The guards were found dead. All of them who were around the cave," on Calhoun's words, Madeline's eyebrows furrowed.
She said, "They were there before I entered the cave, but when I stepped out, it was like they disappeared." She hadn't realized it right away because of the werewolf that was chasing her that time, too intent to kill her.
"That is because their bodies were found far away from the cave. They are all dead," stated Calhoun and Madeline's eyebrows furrowed even further. Dead? She knew she had some abilities, but she never meant any harm to those guards, and she doubted she was the one to kill them. But what if she was? Her thoughts went to overdrive, "It isn't you," Calhoun said as if reading her thoughts and Madeline looked back at him.
"What do you think happened then?" she questioned him.
Calhoun's lips pursed, "It might be caused by someone who is trying to get to you."
"The first fallen angel?" whispered Madeline.
"There are no scratch marks on the guards, no bloodshed. It looks they are in an eternal sleep." When Calhoun said this, Madeline wondered how he was sure it was the first fallen angel because it could be anyone. He fished something in his trouser pocket, and he pulled something out. Bringing it forward, he opened his palm for her to see a lone white feather.
"A feather that belongs to the angel. Or dark angel," said Madeline. She picked up the feather to feel a jolt run down from her hands and she dropped it immediately, "The first fallen angel," she concluded.
"But if my grandparents are right, then that person should have come to me, isn't it?" questioned Madeline. Why would the first fallen angel leave her as she is, while only knocking the guards down?
"Maybe what your grandparents said was untrue. They probably didn't know the truth, and neither do your parents," answered Calhoun. He turned his body so that he could place both his hands on the edge of the railings, while he looked up at the sky, "Sometimes knowledge that has been passed down can be wrong. Incorrect with details. Because we know you were only defending yourself and the others."
"That doesn't stop me from being volatile, does it?"
"Everyone is volatile. You learn to control it in time, Madeline. I am a person who used to kill a lot of people in the past, but now the count has reduced."
"How did you control it?" asked Madeline, "I don't want to hurt people by mistake."
"You won't," came Calhoun's trusting words, "There's a difference in what you and I do, sweetheart. You kill to protect. I kill for my enjoyment. I don't think you can be worse than me."
Madeline wondered if this was Calhoun's way to cheer her up, "Back in the forest, I think James was somewhere returning to himself. That is before he left the forest."
"Hm, James," Calhoun wondered if James would ever be out of the picture. The man's name didn't bother him as much as it did in the past, but with James turning to a werewolf, things didn't look good. A werewolf's bite could be fatal, and there was no cure. Just like how the cure for a werewolf didn't exist. Except, according to what Madeline said, her grandmother had mentioned about the cure's existence.
Madeline was worried for James. He had gone through a lot for this lifetime, and all she wanted was to save him from turning to a complete werewolf and return to his human form.
"Is there no way to find and bring him back here?" she asked Calhoun.
"I don't think it would be a good idea to have posters of a werewolf called James Heathcliff be placed around the villages or towns," said Calhoun and Madeline's frown deepened, "If what you said is true, he should use his head for once and return to the castle if he's back to his human form." But even Calhoun knew how stupid humans could be. Especially people like James, they were driven by emotions.
Madeline was worried, and she bit her lower lip.
"Let's hope James will return at some point of time after he's done chasing the moon," said Calhoun. Dropping his hands from the railings, he turned to her while letting his left side lean against the railing, "How is your sister? I heard your day has been very eventful." When she gave him a look, he said, "I heard it from Theodore."
It felt like Theodore was the eyes and ears of Calhoun during the King's absence, someone who kept the King well informed on what took place in the castle.
"She's locked herself in the room. Mama asked me what happened that had got Beth upset," said Madeline, her eyes moving to look at the garden that was built inside the King's quarters.
"Did you tell her that your sister was acting like a spoilt little girl throwing tantrums?"
"I told mother to give Beth some time alone so that she can gather herself. I don't know if I was too harsh, but she was testing my patience, and I couldn't resist," Madeline's hand turned to fists.
"You know I can still talk to her," Calhoun let Madeline know that his offer still stood, "One sentence and it will bring her back to the way you want."
With furrowed eyebrows, she asked, "And what is that?"
"Death sentence," came the casual words from him. Madeline was not happy with Beth's behaviour and attitude, but that didn't mean she despised her sister enough that she wished for her death, "You will be quite surprised to see the effect of those words have on people. They make a complete turn of character."
"She will be traumatized," Madeline shook her head. Her grandparents and parents had done enough when it came to manipulating Beth. Madeline didn't want to be like her family.
"Let's see how effective your words and action was towards her," Calhoun hummed. If they weren't sufficient, he would be more than willing to show Beth the way to death so that she could start redeeming herself. His hand went to hold hers when he felt the static and Madeline quickly pulled back her hand from him, "Don't be scared, my love. Give me your hand so that I can hold while I also see what happens." He stretched his hand forward, waiting for her.
The last time when she had felt the static on her fingertips, it had left a cut on Beth's hand. She looked into Calhoun's eyes who didn't look fazed by the static or of the possibility of her hurting him.
Calhoun raised his eyebrows at her, "So scared at the thought of hurting me?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice, "I won't let go. I promise."
Taking a deep breath, Madeline apprehensively placed her hand on Calhoun's hand to feel the static and heat. The last time Calhoun had caught hold of her hand, it had bled, something she was not used to looking at.
"Your skin is burning," Madeline frowned.
"I am too hot," Calhoun ran his tongue over his fang, "See. It isn't bad. Let's see if you can hurt me. Let's go from here."
Without another word, his wings sprouted from his back, and they left the castle.
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Untrue- Part 2
"What are we doing here?" asked Madeline, looking at the open ground and trees around them. Calhoun had flown far away from the castle to the deepest heart of the forest.
"To have some time for ourselves," answered Calhoun who had let her down on the ground. The enormous black wings that had appeared suddenly before, had now disappeared, "With everyone asleep and no one to disturb us at this hour of the night, I think it is a perfect time."
Madeline didn't know what Calhoun was exactly speaking about. Except for the moonlight, everything else emitted darkness. The trees far away from them seemed quiet but the crickets around them chirped.
"Stand here, sweet," said Calhoun, leading her to stand almost at the centre of the open ground. She saw him walk away from her, entering the forest before he returned with some branches in his arms to drop them down on the ground while having a decent distance between them.
"What are we doing here, Calhoun?" questioned Madeline.
"I want to see how much of your ability has developed since the last time," Calhoun offered a kind smile to her.
His intelligent red eyes looked at her. He had tried to find from other sources about the fallen angels and the dark angels, and he found some interesting things about them. It was time for Madeline to bloom in many ways and he didn't want to curb it like her grandparents. To think that the sweet smell of rose had stuck to him all those years. Calhoun believed that they were meant to be together. It didn't matter if one was good and the other was bad.
Was he planning to throw the branches at her? Asked Madeline in her mind, seeing him play with one of them, "I don't know how to harness the energy."
"You usually feel the burst of energy through your fingertips when you feel you are in danger. Would you believe if I said that an angel's child was stolen?"
Madeline looked confused, "What?" But Calhoun didn't wait to clear her doubts. He broke the branches into sharp stakes before throwing one of them at her with less force so that she could catch hold of it.
She caught hold of it immediately in her hand, "What did you mean by that?"
"The story you mean?" asked Calhoun, his voice nonchalant as ever, "There are too many stories, Maddie. The question is, which one you believe and which one is the truth," he said, throwing another stake at her.
"Tell me the one that you believe," her voice louder because of the distance they had between them.
"Catch all of them, and I will tell you," chimed Calhoun before throwing the next stake, using more force than the earlier stake he had thrown at her.
Madeline didn't know why she and Calhoun were playing catch, but as she caught the stakes one after another, Calhoun increased the speed of the stakes at her. It was as if he was testing and pushing her. Trying to see if she would do anything about it, but so far all she had done was catch them with her hands.
When the next one was thrown, Madeline staggered back as she could see that Calhoun was being serious. Somewhere she could feel that he was enjoying throwing the stakes at her. She could feel the burn on her palms because of the stakes that she caught. Did his affections for her fly away when they were up in the sky? questioned Madeline.
"You are doing better compared to the time when you were shot by the arrow in the forest," said Calhoun.
She was doing better now because she knew he was throwing the stakes at her. What happened when they went hunting was something she had not expected to happen.
Calhoun could tell by Madeline's body movement that she was picking up speed as if going on a flight or fight mode. Wanting to push her, he threw another stake right after he launched the previous one. Madeline had been busy concentrating on only one, and by the time she saw the second one come close to her, her body froze. But instead of piercing her, the stake caught fire and turned to dust in an instant.
Madeline saw the dust shimmer away in the wind. Wanting to test her further, he threw three more stakes at a time, and her eyes widened, but when the stakes came near her, they caught fire and turned to nothing less to stardust.
"It's right there with you," stated Calhoun, his eyes staring at her. The angelic abilities resided in her human body, showing up only when it was needed.
Madeline was confused looking at the dust on what happened as she had not even attempted to touch them. Looking at her hand and then at Calhoun, she heard him say, "I met a woman who once knew a fallen angel. The woman said that the angel named Paschar left the sky because he fell in love with a human," explained Calhoun, "When he descended down the earth, some of the angels were not happy about an angel having a relationship with a human. You know how the angels have double standards," he threw shade at her grandparents.
Calhoun had taken Madeline's hands, running his finger over her palms to feel the scratches.
"Spiteful, that no punishment was delivered to the first angel they made up a rumour of redemption. To hunt down the children of Paschar."
"This is very confusing," confessed Madeline. To understand what Calhoun was speaking, she needed to sit down because she could feel her head spin, "Do you mean to say, I am the child of that angel?"
"It sounds bizarre, but it is how the story goes. While he willingly descended, the fallen angels were thrown out. You see the difference?" asked Calhoun to her.
"How is that possible? I am the granddaughter of my grandfather, and he should have turned to one of the dark angels before I had my turn."
"It is the soul that is important, Madeline. It is possible that in the need to protect, the dark angel's ability was hidden for many years to only show up now in you. The few fallen angels, like your grandparents, they were involved with demons. Friends?" Calhoun had a thoughtful look on his face, "It isn't too different from what we heard earlier. That Paschar was trying to collect the dark angels so that he could protect them and kill the people who wanted to use his children as a sacrifice. The fallen angels are called fallen for a reason because they are turning to demons. You need to remember that demons and fallen angels are different, things are not the way humans perceive it to be. After some time, fallen angels transition to demons."
So it was angels, then fallen angels and then demons, thought Madeline to herself. Where some had directly turned to demons since the very beginning.
"You are a demon too," stated Madeline before whispering, "But you are different."
Calhoun offered her a charming smile. "Did this woman say where to find Paschar?" asked Madeline.
"Now that is the tricky part," smiled Calhoun, "No one has seen or heard about him for centuries."
Madeline frowned at this, "Where is this woman? If she knows where the fallen angel who knows about this Paschar, we can go find more from that fallen angel. Like, follow the bread crumbs-"
Calhoun saved her breath by saying, "She's in the graveyard."
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Untrue- Part 3
Music Recommendation: Haunted Forest Sounds | Ghostly Murmurs | 1 Hour
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"What?" Madeline asked, utterly confused.
She didn't know if it was because of the night and the time for her to sleep, that she was hearing it wrong or things were hard for her to understand.
Calhoun stepped forward, placing his hands on both sides of her face. Without another word, he pressed his lips on her forehead.
"After bringing you back to the castle, I went to take a look at the closed graveyard in your grandparent's village. I found a soul there, a ghost. Want to meet her?" offered Calhoun and Madeline shook her head to make sure she was wide awake.
"I mean yes," she nodded her head.
With the night that continued to prevail in the village, Calhoun and Madeline stepped in the middle of the cemetery, away from the possible wandering eyes. She realised how she and Calhoun often went to look at things during the time of night, when everyone was sleeping. Looking around the cemetery, Madeline asked,
"Where did you meet her?" She wasn't sure if she was ready to meet a ghost, but she had Calhoun with her, said Madeline to herself.
Calhoun walked to one of the cemented graves and knocked on it. Madeline took note of how fog started to form in the air, and a woman woke up from her grave, who was almost transparent where one could see things through her. The woman appeared to look around in her late twenties.
Madeline felt goosebumps forming on her skin. Ghosts existed, said Madeline to herself.
"You again," Madeline noticed how the woman didn't look happy on seeing Calhoun, "You demon."
"Good evening, Lady Ruth. I brought someone with me," said Calhoun, and the ghost turned her gaze from the vampire to look at the girl who stood behind another grave.
The woman suddenly flew in the air to come and stand in front of Madeline. Madeline was quick to take two steps away from the ghost. She stared back at the ghost, holding her ground and trying not to faint.
"You are his only child," said Lady Ruth, the Ghost.
"The first fallen angel?" asked Madeline to see the ghost shake her head and step away.
"I am not speaking about the devil but the angel Paschar. There was only one who fell from his own will, while the rest were thrown out for their indecisiveness, who now are turning to demons," said the ghost, "If you are here, I believe you are here for answers?"
"Calhoun told me what you said to him."
The woman stared at Calhoun and Madeline, her eyes shifting, "What a rare sight to see a demon and an angel together," said the ghost, her voice was nothing less to a whisper. The sound of the crickets increased in the cemetery and at a distant tree an owl hooted.
"A dark fallen angel," said Madeline but the woman shook her head again.
"You are not fallen. The children of Paschar are not fallen. I have been here since the beginning of the time. Since some of the angels fell...The fallen angels, they are neither angels nor demons. We used to call them the in-between in my days."
Madeline pursed her lips, stepping forward as the ghost started to move away, "What do you know about Paschar? I was told that he is collecting dark angels."
The woman turned around, a faint frown on her face, "How odd," she whispered. While the ghost took time to talk, Madeline looked around the cemetery.
"I have seen people getting buried in here before it was closed. The fallen, they have been trying to get back to their original state, but the problem is that they have already turned too corrupt to turn to an angel again. I have seen some of them being buried in here," and she started to drift away. Madeline and Calhoun followed her in the cemetery, "The one's who were unaware of what they were capable of, they are all gone. People who were still breathing were buried in the coffins." Lady Ruth's ghost stood in front of one of the graves.
"This is mine," Madeline took note of her name on the grave that was on the right side of where the ghost stood.
Calhoun went ahead and pushed the top lid of the cemented grave where Lady Ruth stood. When Madeline turned to look inside it, her face scrunched. It was a young boy's body that was rotten, but not to the bones. It looked like life had been sucked out of the boy.
"Is he one of the-"
"Like you?" asked the ghost, "Yes. Just like you. Must be forty-eight years ago. The first fallen angel who turned to the other side, who the humans are aware of, he has no interest with the other creatures who now walk as humans on these lands. From what I know, he doesn't even care about it."
Calhoun tilted his head to take a better look at the boy inside the coffin, "That is fallen angels against the children of Paschar. And Madeline is the last one?" hummed Calhoun.
The fallen angels or the in-between believed that they would get redemption if they killed the dark angels. But it was not true!
"You have never met Paschar?" inquired Madeline.
"We don't get to meet heavenly beings. Not the first fallen, or Paschar. They are as good as non-existent in just words and memories," replied the ghost.
"Even when the angels were cursed to live as humans. I didn't see both of them," the ghost looked at Madeline, "You should watch your back when it comes to some of those fallen angels as well as demons," she said, shifting her eyes on Calhoun.
Madeline turned to look at Calhoun whose eyes snapped from the boy in the coffin. He pushed the coffin's lid close, "He's fine."
"People will come for you to use your soul can be used as a ticket to get to heaven. "
Calhoun, who was quietly listening to the ghost, asked, "Why didn't they do it with others? Like this one here?" he hit the lid of the grave.
Madeline could see Lady Ruth stay quiet before answering, "There have been times when they put humans and demons in the coffin, mistaking them to be dark angels. They tried to kill them, but unable to do it, they ended up putting the dark angels in the coffin, hoping it would work. The spite went too far making others believe that every dark angel needs to be killed."
"That sounds fun," commented Calhoun.
Far away from where Calhoun and Madeline were, in the village of East Carswell a person wearing a cloak walked through the back alleys. The lights inside and outside the houses had been blown out, leaving some parts of the village dark where the light of the moon couldn't reach itself.
As the hooded person continued to walk, his shadow moved along the wall until he came across another person who was waiting for him in the dark.
"Seems like you took your own time," came the man's voice, who had been waiting in the dark. The other person who had just reached said,
"My father said he would be visiting Yorkshire and I was waiting for him. Why did you call me here?" When moonlight fell on the person, one could see that it was a woman.
"I think it is time for us to discuss about the fallen angel, Mary," said the man with a hint of a sneer in his voice. He pushed the hood back to reveal bruises on his face.
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Dark alley
"This is not the place to talk about this," whispered Mary, her brown eyes glaring quietly at the vampire who stood in front of her. When they heard a creaking sound come from the closest rooftop, her eyes immediately went to look at the house.
"You were supposed to visit the castle on the King's invitation," the man narrowed his eyes, displeased with the woman.
"As I said, I have been busy. My father said he would be coming to Yorkshire, but I don't know what happened because he did stop at Hanletop. He said history was repeating. Nothing more than that was explained in the letter I received from him," said Mary, pulling out an envelope that had her father's letter in it.
The vampire snatched the envelope from her hand and then read what was written in the letter, "So where is he now?"
"In the castle," answered the woman and the man chuckled, "What's wrong?" she asked.
The man folded the letter and returned it to the woman, "I would have known if they had visited the castle. I was right there with everyone. There has been no such word about them having visited the castle," the smile on his face died down. "I was promised that I would get the key, and you told you were still confirming it?"
"Things like these take time. Did you think that you could just use it? I have been trying to get my hands on it myself but we haven't been sure," came the woman's words, her face contouring with annoyance, "We have had many dark angels appear in the past, but they turned out to be useless, and you are aware of that."
Samuel scoffed, his eyes that were red turned black. "Don't give me that bullshit. I know the fallen angels have ears and eyes on a lot of things. You told to keep an eye on the girl, but she's nothing but human."
"That's where you are wrong," stated Mary, "You demons don't know how to identify a dark angel, and you come to us. My parents buried my niece two times, and both times, she got out of the coffin."
"And you didn't think it to be unusual?" scoffed Samuel at her pathetic excuse, "Don't tell me it is because you want to save her as she is of your own blood."
The woman rolled her eyes. As much as the demon in front of her wanted to use her niece to get back to heaven and attain back his powers, the same way she had been working on getting her powers. When he sneered again, she raised her hand, twisting it to have the demon cough up blood, "Don't forget that just because I look like a human, it doesn't mean I am one. I still hold powers, Sam. I didn't have a generation skip," she then dropped her hand to receive a glare from the demon, "You look bruised and battered like a dog beaten by its master. What happened to you?"
Samuel spat the blood out of his mouth. This little bitch, he cursed in his mind as he had forgotten that she had some abilities.
"That's why I am here now?" Samuel had stayed close to the people in the royal castle so that he could keep an eye on things. To get the immediate news about the dark angels, but today, he had been humiliated before being thrown out of the place. He didn't know why the bruises continued to stay on his face instead of healing quickly as it normally did, "I am tired of playing this game."
"It doesn't work like that," Mary let him know, looking at the demon, "Every time when we collected the dark angels in the past and tried to kill them, they caused nothing but damage to us. We even had the demons come to take a look before, but the dark angels are indestructible."
"There's nothing in this world that cannot be destroyed. You only need to find more information on it which you don't have," Samuel's voice turned impatient. Most of the fallen angels who were living as humans were nothing but humans, useless, thought Samuel in his mind before he heard the woman say,
"Every time we have placed them in the coffin, their weak bodies couldn't handle the spells nor the closed space. They died early. Within a day or two," she had a frown on her face as she continued, "And that only means that they were wrong ones. The people whom we buried had been used to misguide us into believing that they were dark angels. And when we placed my niece, we assumed she would turn dead just like the rest."
"But she isn't in the coffin."
"She returned but without powers," replied Mary.
The first time, they were slightly sad when they had placed her in the coffin. For sixteen years, the girl didn't wake up, and her family perceived Madeline to be another dummy dark angel. Because dark angels were supposed to have immense power, but after those sixteen years, Madeline had woken up and returned home.
At first, the Harris' family had been in shock, which was later replaced by the thought that the little girl was not a dark angel as she held no abilities. It was like there was nothing in her, and she was only a plain human. Mary remembered how her brother and his wife were happy that their daughter had returned, and that God had shown mercy upon them. But a few years later, the girl killed another demon. Believing they had to be cautious, her parents had done what they had to do by putting her back again in the coffin.
But she returned again with no abilities. A human, just like her sister Elizabeth.
Until now, they were sure that Madeline was not a dark angel, and it was only a false alarm. But with what her father wrote in the letter, it didn't look like it was a false alarm anymore. It was possible that Madeline was the dark angel.
Mary said, "I will gather others so that we can decide when is the right time."
"That's more like it," smiled Samuel, his eyes returning to red. He rubbed his jaw. He wanted to get even with the person who was the reason why he even received bruises in the first place.
________
Red Riding hood- Part 1
After seeing Madeline off to her room, Calhoun walked towards the East Wing of the castle, his footsteps quieter compared to the time in the morning against the cold floor of the corridor. With every step he took, the cold torch lit up with fire, and when he walked past the lit torch, it exhausted itself, turning that part of the corridor cold and dark again.
Reaching the doors that were painted inky hue, he pushed them to step inside the room. Not too long, the doors of the room opened again, this time it was Theodore who had entered the room.
"My King," Theodore bowed his head. He was no more in his nightclothes which he had been wearing in his room, he had changed into a regular shirt and trouser.
Calhoun was looking at the grounds of the castle through the closed glass window when Theodore arrived. He turned around to catch sight of the bruises that were on Theodore's face. He had heard about Theodore's and Samuel's fight over his half-sister, on what transpired in the evening.
"Why aren't your bruises healed yet?" asked Calhoun, his eyes narrowed at the red lines. A vampire took less than thirty minutes to heal bruises like this.
"I am not sure. I thought it would have healed by now," replied Theodore, but Calhoun didn't move his eyes away.
Calhoun's jaw ticked, "That bastard," he muttered under his breath, "Make sure that Samuel Greville never enters the castle again. And stays the fuck away from Lucy."
Theodore didn't have to be told as he would make sure to keep Samuel away from the vampiress. Lucy had openly declared on dissolving her and Samuel's marriage, "I wonder how we missed it," Theodore heard Calhoun say.
Seeing Theodore's questioning expression, Calhoun said, "Samuel is not just a vampire. He's a demon. If the wound is caused by a vampire or a human, the wound heals quicker, while the wound given by our own kind, it takes time to heal."
Calhoun ran his hand through his hair. It was possible that Samuel was not aware of his and Theodore's true identity. They had known Samuel for two decades, and neither of them had found out about each other being demons until now.
"It would have been helpful if I had gotten into a fight with him years ago," murmured Theodore in thought.
"How is Lucy doing?" questioned Calhoun. He hadn't seen her after he had broken the news about him being her parent's murderer. He wanted to make sure she was alright, and she wouldn't make any rash decision. He walked towards the table where the bottles of wine and other liquors were kept, pouring the liquid in two glasses before he offered one of them to Theodore. Something he didn't do with everyone.
Theodore took the glass from Calhoun, replying, "She's trying to hold up. I thought we decided to not tell her about it ever."
"Hm, we did, didn't we," said Calhoun, making his way towards the large window, "She would one day find out about it. Instead of her finding it from someone else, I thought it was better to tell it myself while not mentioning your involvement in it."
Years ago when Theodore and Calhoun had planned the King and the Queen's murder, they had agreed that it would be something that would be kept just between them while the rest could make up theories that would be nothing but baseless without any foundation of proof. That way, the High House who had risen in authority at that time would never find out the truth.
Now with a third person knowing it, Theodore wasn't sure if Lucy would be able to keep the truth within herself. For a vampiress, she was less of a vampire and more of a human, someone who was influenced by little things. As much as her parents used her as a pawn by getting her married to Samuel, Lucy had continued to love them. He had seen her breakdown when she had seen their bodies.
"I wonder if it is because of Madeline," said Calhoun, his eyes looking at the sky.
It was those damn brown eyes. The way they looked at him as if they were judging him sometimes and Calhoun chuckled. Though Madeline didn't say some things, her eyes were expressive enough for him to read her,
"With everything going on, I think it is time to let Lucy know the truth. I am sure she will come to understand it one day. Not to forget, now that Samuel is out of the picture, I am sure you will take good care of my little sister," said Calhoun, his eyes caught sight of Theodore's reflection on the window, seeing him bow in acknowledgement.
"Did you find out on who it was near the cave?" inquired Theodore, shifting the subject which Calhoun took note of, and he smiled.
"Found a white feather not too far away from the cave. Did you hear anything about the werewolf or the aunt? She doesn't live far away that the letter would be lost," Calhoun took a sip from his glass, "Madeline's grandparents took time in arriving at the castle, and now her aunt is taking time. Not to forget, even her parents had taken their own sweet time. If it was some other time, I would have assumed that they are a family who are always late, but evidently, there's something off about this family."
Theodore, who stood at the back, asked, "Would you like me to go take a look at the lady's residence?"
"Let's give it another day. I also have errands for you to run," stated Calhoun, emptying the entire glass he had been holding with one gulp, "Something tells me that she will be here tomorrow."
The ghost, Lady Ruth had told that the fallen angels were working with the demons. Dimwits, thought Calhoun to himself. There was a possibility that there would be some who come to hunt his sweet girl for a reason which was based on false information and for a reason, he would kill every one of them.
"But there is someone whom I would like you to check upon," Theodore heard Calhoun say when he was sipping the liquor from his glass, "The werewolf."
________
Red Riding hood- Part 2
When Calhoun saw James for the very first time, James appeared to be this overly gentleman type of man, smiling sweetly at his woman and trying to win her over. Due to the strange turn of events, James was bitten by a werewolf. The man whom he wanted to get rid of before, Calhoun was now trying to keep an eye on him. He rolled his eyes at this. If it weren't for Madeline, James would have been living in the coffin by now.
Calhoun said, "Madeline said that James was in the process of turning himself back to his human form. If it is true, he must have gone back to his shop and house."
"I will make sure to bring him here from his house," Theodore finished his drink, placing the glass down, bowing his head. When he was ready to leave he heard Calhoun say,
"He might be in his werewolf form, so make sure you don't get bitten by him. Even though we are demons as well as vampires, the bite will still have side effects."
Theodore quickly left the castle, making his way to the village of East Carswell riding in the carriage. He had the coachman pull the carriage on the entrance of the village so that the sound of the wheels and the horses wouldn't alert any person, who would be up at this hour of the night.
Stepping down from the carriage and already knowing where came what, Theodore didn't waste his time when it came to going to the shop which was closed and dark inside. It seemed like no one was working overtime, thought Theodore to himself. With no one around to see his crimes, he pulled a pin from his pocket and opened the lock of the shop's door, which opened with a sound of a click. After having a look inside the shop, he locked the shop again and headed straight to Mr. Heatcliff's house.
When Theodore reached the house, he didn't have to step foot inside the house to see the dead person as he smelt the blood wafting in the air that came from the house. Was it another murder that was committed by Lady Catherine, who had decided to place the body inside this time rather than leaving it in the backyard? Without touching the front door, Theodore walked around the house to notice a big opening in the back door that was broken possibly by a forceful exit, because the wooden pieces had fallen outside the house and not inside.
Getting inside and finding the dead people in there, Theodore's eyebrows rose. And he immediately returned to the castle to report to Calhoun on what he saw.
Calhoun stared at Theodore while he was informed about the scene in Heathcliff's house.
"James would be held responsible as this is the second time a body will be retrieved from his house. And this time being the bodies. Might as well turn his house as a graveyard," commented Calhoun with a sardonic voice, "I would love to offer him my help, but he keeps digging his grave deeper and deeper."
"Lady Catherine didn't die because of the werewolf but because of the arrow. By tomorrow morning, the news will spread across the land," said Theodore.
"Did you find whose men those were?" questioned Calhoun and Theodore shook his head.
"They must have been hired," came the quick reply.
Calhoun tched, "If they have access to silver, they must be sent by a wealthy family." His eyes narrowed in thought on what Catherine was doing in the house along with the vampires who were found dead with her. Was it possible that Mr. Barnes had sent his men to get rid of James and Catherine had by chance visited James to end up dead somehow?
"Mr. Barnes won't be happy tomorrow," said Theodore.
"I guess we'll be having another visit from the High House. Not to mention with James' disappearance, it will only draw that much attention to him." Calhoun dismissed Theodore from the room.
Calhoun sat with one leg on the window sill while the other rested on the floor of the room. James didn't have access to arrows of silver ends. The man didn't have a decent bone in his body to kill in his human form. His outbreak from his house was in his werewolf form, and he hadn't killed the vampiress.
For now, James would be in clear because no one knew he was able to turn to a werewolf, but if the High House would come to hear it, they would hunt him down. Not to forget, the bodies now laid in his house.
Madeline's grandparents feared the High House, and with the recent information from the ghost lady, Calhoun discerned he had some things to discuss with Helena.
The next day as expected, Madeline's aunt arrived at the castle with smiles on her face and a hug to offer.
"It is so good to see you girls!" hugged the woman who had short blonde hair, "How are you doing, Beth?" she asked and received a smile from Beth, a smile that didn't reach up to her eyes. The young girl had been in shock and had barely uttered any words.
Beth had never been slapped on her face until now. Not by her grandparents, nor her parents or anyone else. Receiving one from Madeline was like her sister showing her her place in this castle. Markus was dead, and the Wilmot's were gone. Her life had returned to the way it was before she had met Markus.
After the exchange of words with Madeline, Beth feared that the King would not spare her. According to Madeline, the King knew about her trying to poison him, and if she even breathed too hard, she would receive a death sentence just like his cousin. She had been so consumed with the thought of standing next to the crown that she hadn't realised she was walking towards the path of her execution.
The thought shook her. She didn't want to die!
To make it worse, every time her parents looked at her they had a look of disappointment and Beth felt ashamed, making her feel inferior. It was like no one wanted to speak to her; nobody cared about her anymore. It made Beth feel hopeless.
"And you, Madeline," said their Aunt Mary, her arms wide open for Madeline to step forward and hug, "I couldn't believe when I heard that you were going to get married."
Madeline hugged her aunt, "It is good to see you here, finally, Aunt Mary," she greeted.
"Now only if your grandparents were to arrive here in the castle to spend time with us," said her aunt and the smile on Madeline and her parent's face froze.
Before anyone could reply, Calhoun stepped out in the corridor and said, "The invitation has been already sent to Madeline's grandparents, and we have been waiting for them."
Mary stared at the King, who made his way to where the family was standing. A prideful vampire, thought the woman. Putting up a smile, she bowed her head.
The King said, "I was hoping you would know what's taking them so long to make it here, unless they got eaten by werewolves."
The smile on the woman's face fell right away, and Madeline wished Calhoun didn't mention about what happened with his subtleness.
"My Lord?" asked Aunt Mary.
Calhoun slightly tilted his head as if not understanding her question and a smile broke on his lips, "I was referring to the story of the red riding hood. You know, werewolf eats…"
Grandmother, Madeline filled the sentence in her mind because that's what happened.
_______
Hiding- Part 1
Everyone, including Madeline's aunt, stared at the King who recited a fable that went around in the land. Madeline didn't know why Calhoun would bring up about werewolves and hinting about her grandmother being eaten. Was he trying to test Aunt Mary's intelligence? Madeline questioned herself.
Mr. and Mrs. Harris felt extremely uncomfortable. It was only yesterday that they had found out about what happened to Mr. Harris' parents. Coming to terms with the death of family members was one of the hardest things to do. Mr. Harris would have been angry if his parents hadn't put Madeline in the coffin not once, but twice. Naturally, he was shocked, but Madeline was still his firstborn child, and no one liked to have their children spending their time in the coffin.
While Mr. Harris had grown to be unaware of the tales about the angels, Mary, his sister had taken a keen interest to find out and had started to look for answers when she had first found out about the dark angel's who were Paschar's children. The woman didn't have abilities like her parents or her niece, but she had got hold of a spell that was enough to keep the demons at bay.
Beth's mood slightly uplifted because whatever the King had said, it had thrown her aunt off.
Their aunt offered a pleasing smile to the King, eyes shining back again. The woman said, "There are no werewolves in the land of Devon, my King. I don't think people should whisper fable-like these in here. It is only in Warring's land."
"One can never be too sure about it," retorted Calhoun, "It has come to my attention that the werewolves are spreading around the other lands and Kingdoms."
"Werewolves need to be eradicated from the lands. They are harmful creatures," stated Aunt Mary, a pleasant smile on her lips.
"Yes, the High House will be coming here to deal with the werewolves," Calhoun casually mentioned, noticing how the woman's facial expression didn't change and her heart continued to beat in the same pace. But her eyes slightly narrowed at the mention of the High House. "I heard they have other business to deal with too. Something about the past," the King continued.
"It is good to see people working for others welfare," answered Aunt Mary, and Madeline wondered why Calhoun was holding the conversation with her aunt for so long, which he usually didn't do with everyone. A frown appeared on her forehead, was Aunt Mary perhaps involved with her grandparents?
"Nicola, why don't you lead Lady Mary to one of the best guest rooms in the castle? I would like to make sure that Madeline's family are well taken care of," said Calhoun, his words 'well taken care of' having another underlying meaning to it, "It is quite unfortunate that Madeline's grandparents aren't here yet. I have gotten the rooms prepared, and they are waiting for them."
"That is very generous of you, my Lord. I am sure my niece will be happy here," came the quick reply from the woman, who was ready to talk to her brother, but the vampire was not done speaking to Madeline's aunt.
"It is good to see that you and the Harris' family are so forthcoming and welcoming when it comes to mine and Madeline's marriage. It is difficult to find people these days with their aggression and lack of tolerance towards the vampires and the same goes with the vampires towards the humans," said Calhoun. Aunt Mary had a tight smile on her lips, while the King continued to offer her a polite smile, that looked less polite and more intimidating.
When Madeline's family left the corridor with the maid who went to show where Aunt Mary could settle in the castle, Madeline who had stayed behind with Calhoun turned to him,
"Why were you reciting the story of the Red Riding Hood to Aunt Mary?" asked Madeline.
"I thought she would enjoy a child's story, not to forget," Calhoun's eyes turned to look at her, "I think it's a wonderful way to bond with each other. What?" he cracked a grin and Madeline shook her head, "Could you recollect again on what your aunt was doing in the past?"
Madeline's eyebrows furrowed at the question. She responded, "She took us to my grandparent's house. So that they could help."
Calhoun hummed in acknowledgement. He then said, "Don't stay alone with her."
"You think she will kill me?"
"Well, yes. Your aunt might not be a fallen angel like your grandparent's, but that doesn't mean she won't use you for her own gains," stated Calhoun, bringing his hand forward to smoothen her hair before tucking the piece of hair that was on the side of her face behind her ear. He ran his finger over the side of her ear lobe to notice Madeline's heart skip a beat.
"With what the ghost said, the demons and the angels will come looking for you for their gains. To use you so that they can redeem their sins through you. The fallen angels and demons find it hard to live as ordinary people on these lands, call it their pride or greed. They want to return."
"You don't?" asked Madeline.
Calhoun was not just a vampire, but he was a vampire who had demon blood in him.
Parents could often disregard and give up on their child whom they brought up with love and care, later to treat them as a pawn for their own benefits. People often followed the path of power, and love between people changed in time. As he said, people wanted a comfortable life, instead of working hard, they wanted to return to who they once were. It made Madeline question if the fallen angels retook birth, repeating the cycle of life as a punishment, because that made sense. Calhoun's intentions were different compared to others when it came to Madeline.
She heard Calhoun say, "I have no interest in lame things like those. I am content with what I have," he said, looking at her, "My happiness lies here with you. Wherever you are."
As cunning as Calhoun was, words like these had somewhere crawled into her heart, his words warming her, and she leaned to his touch, a smile on her lips.
______
Hiding- Part 2
In the guest room, after the head maid had left the room which was assigned to Mary, she looked at her brother, "When did you last speak to father, Emmet?"
"It must be weeks since I last received any letters from him. Why?" asked Mr. Harris, his words slow and careful.
Mary said, "Father sent this letter to me a few days ago. He said history was repeating itself and knowing not many things have repeated in the past, I went to the place where we were supposed to meet each other, but he never showed up. I was hoping I would find him here."
Mr. Harris shook his head, his head feeling almost doll-like with his neck stuck because of the lie, "No, we haven't heard from them. Invitations were sent out to everyone."
Hearing this, Mary's head tilted, "Huh, I wonder why the invitation never turned up at my doorstep from your side, brother. What are you doing? Getting Madeline married to a vampire and not a human. Don't you know anything corrupt in nature will end up triggering her?" questioned the woman.
"That was before, Mary. Madeline isn't like that anymore," dismissed Mr. Harris. Upon their parent's words, Mr. Harris had sheltered Madeline away from anything violent. He had also made sure that Beth and her wouldn't witness any execution, shielding their eyes away from the gore. But in the end, Madeline had met the King.
A small speck of disappointment settled in Mary's eyes on hearing this news. She had come here for the sole purpose of retrieving Madeline and making use of her so that she could ascend to a higher position. But now, her brother was telling Madeline was normal?
"And how sure are you about this?" asked Mary.
"She hasn't killed anyone this time. God has been merciful and listened to our prayers, Mary," replied Mr. Harris, but Mary was looking for the opposite.
She turned to look at her sister-in-law, "Have you taken note of anything odd about her? I remember she had a tendency to break glasses."
Mrs. Harris remembered Madeline coming to her and telling about her breaking the glass, and she had also witnessed Lady Rosamund's glass shatter to pieces. "No," she answered. Despite her in-law's words, Frances believed that her daughter was innocent and she wasn't going to have Madeline placed in the coffin for the third time.
It was true that in the past, Frances had pushed Beth forward, letting her take the light while making sure Madeline was protected, to later be married into a humble home. Something that would not trigger her memories. And so far, Madeline had hurt no one.
"That's not true," Mary was not taking no for an answer. She shook her head, "You both are hiding something from me, aren't you?" She pulled out the letter from her coat and stretched her hand forward so that her brother would take it from her, "Read this."
Mr. Harris took the letter and started to read it. At the same time, Mary said, "Father has not just written about history repeating, he also wrote about the glass shattering in his house," she huffed, walking forward, "You need to understand that dark angels are called dark for a reason. They will destroy things around us and people whom we love and care for. She will kill all of us," whispered Mary.
It was alright, thought Mary to herself. She would sacrifice the girl. Her parents had feared, thinking the dark angel would bring destruction, and it was the same information that was fed to others. But Mary, she knew it wasn't about destruction. A person that could kill demons on the spot while remaining unscratched, it only meant how much power that person had within themself.
"Mary, you know how father and mother are. They believed in a lot of things. Madeline is a human, just like her sister Elizabeth," Mr. Harris didn't want his sister to be hovering over his daughter, waiting for Madeline to kill someone as it was ridiculous. Also, another reason being, he would still want to have a sibling because if the King found out that Mary was trying to put Madeline in the coffin, it would not be his daughter but his sister who would be lying in the grave.
"Okay," Mary sighed, "I will believe your word and not father's," she smiled at her brother, making it look like she had given up.
"You will see that Madeline is doing fine, and she's also happy with the wedding," assured Mr. Harris, "Why don't you rest?"
Mr. and Mrs. Harris offered the woman a smile. Stepping out of the room Mr. Harris closed the door turned to his wife, who had a worried look on her face.
Away from their quarters where the guest rooms were, Beth had decided to take a walk in the empty corridors of the castle so that she wouldn't have to face her parent's disappointed looks directed at her. While she was taking a stroll, she saw Lady Lucy walking from the other side. When they came near, Beth and Lucy offered each other a bow.
"What are you doing here in this side of the castle, Lady Elizabeth?" inquired Lucy.
Beth was slightly taken aback by the question because, since the day she had arrived with her family, no one had ever asked her why she was walking in certain parts of the castle. "My apologies, I didn't know I was not supposed to be here," she quickly bowed her head.
Lucy shook her head, "Pardon me, that is not what I meant. You were walking alone by yourself. Would you like to accompany me?" asked the vampiress and Beth nodded her head, as she didn't see any harm in taking a walk together.
When they started to walk together on the quieter side of the castle, Beth was quiet, and it was Lucy who began the conversation, "How are you holding up, Lady Elizabeth?" She was talking about Markus' death, "It must hurt when you find someone you loved is gone, but it usually hurts less when you haven't loved."
Lucy glanced at Beth before looking in front of her.
"I-I, I am doing alright, milady," replied Beth. She felt like she was stuck between a rock and a wall, in a difficult position because of what had transpired in less than a week. "How are you doing, milady?"
Lucy smiled a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She said, "I will be okay in some days. Loss is something hard to cope with, but we all learn to let it go in time."
Beth didn't comment on it, worried that her words might instigate another meaning. She was already walking on thin ice with everyone.
"I heard what you did, Lady Elizabeth," came Lucy's voice and Beth's feet almost froze which she had to force it to walk, "In the past, both Markus and Calhoun were in the run for the crown. I have treated both of them with respect," said Lucy, "I was happy though, that I had a brother of my own. Because when you are in the castle, life turns lonely and even though there are plenty of people who are ready to wait on me, I wanted someone who understood at least some things about me even if it was little, which my parents never understood."
Lucy continued, "There were some things, which Calhoun understood that others didn't, and I started to care for him. Because you always care for things that are closer in relation. The King is one of the few people whom I care about and is my family. You should be able to imagine how I felt when I found out that someone tried to poison him."
Beth felt her hands turn cold. She had not expected Lady Lucy to bring up the topic so directly with her, especially knowing the mild nature of the vampiress who was sweet and kind.
"Lady Elizabeth," said Lucy, her feet stopped and she turned to Beth,
Beth tried to salvage her actions, "That, Lady Lucy it was something-"
Lucy raised her hand for Beth to stop, "You are lucky to have Lady Madeline as your sister who loves you and treasures your relationship with her dearly. If not, you would have followed the same fate as Markus. I would like to believe that you were influenced by circumstances and not for your benefits. The next time something like this happens, neither of us will be merciful."
_______
Hiding- Part 3
Beth didn't know how to respond to Lucy's words. Her mouth had turned dry at the not so subtle warning from Lady Lucy. The vampiress then offered her a smile, "It was lovely walking with you," and she walked in the other direction, leaving Beth alone in the corridor.
Silence engulfed around Beth, she could feel the hollowness in her chest, like she was wronged. Why was it always Madeline? Asked Beth. It was like she was the one who had made the pie and Madeline was the one to eat it. She felt worse than awkward and embarrassed to be around people who knew what happened.
The King had not even taken the poison, nor had she offered it to him! Yet, here she was being blamed because she had followed Markus' plan.
Beth walked towards the open window, placing her hands on the edge of the window while letting an exhale because her chest felt heavy. She was used to being praised, loved and having people admire her. She had never been on the receiving end of people's blame.
She had been happy that the King had noticed her, but his interest was on her sister Madeline. And then after a few more days, she was delighted that Markus, the King's cousin, had taken an interest in her. He treated her just like she wanted to be treated, caring for her. But he was executed, and now she was left with nothing but eyes looking at her with mistrust.
Her eyes filled itself with tears of frustration, looking outside at the garden.
"What are you crying about?" came a voice behind her and Beth turned around to glare at the man, who had taken a comfortable position leaning against another window to her right.
Beth quickly blinked her eyes, to get rid of the tears but instead it had turned so full that it spilt on her cheeks. She quickly wiped it with the back of her hands. It was Raphael Sparrow, the man who had taken the poison that she had intended to give it to the King.
"What are you doing here?" asked Beth, taking a step away and ready to leave.
"I was looking for you," came the obvious answer from Raphael. Beth gritted her teeth at his response. She had taken herself to walk in the most unlikely place in the castle where people would not walk, and he had found her. She didn't know-how. The man knew there was poison in the drink and he was possibly the person who had informed to King about it.
"What did you want?" Beth took a careful step backwards.
Raphael didn't reply nor did he attempt to move. He stood there, watching the same girl whom he had stared for hours in her room while watching over her.
"Why were you crying?" he repeated his question and Beth pursed her lips.
"Why do you want to know? If you have nothing important to talk, I will be leaving," she bowed her head, ready to leave but Raphael straightened as if intending to follow her.
"That's quite rude for someone who went as far as to poison the King, which I happened to drink. Not to forget, you didn't even stop me from drinking it," said Raphael, and Beth felt the guilt weigh more on her shoulders. With her misdeed already known to people, there was little to nothing Beth could do when it came to shifting the blame on someone else. Her face turned red, and her tongue-tied with Raphael's confrontation.
Since the last few hours, Beth was tired of receiving looks from others and the guilt burdened her. She felt too ashamed.
"I am sorry for what I did," apologized Beth so that she could get rid of Raphael. She saw him smile.
"You are not sorry for what you did," replied Raphael and Beth frowned, "Are you sorry for losing the man who promised you the world? Or are you sorry because you were unsuccessful in poisoning the King? Or is it that you wanted me dead as you didn't stop me from drinking it?" he asked in a calm voice.
Beth felt overwhelmed, and if it wasn't for her mistake, she wouldn't be speaking to this peasant-like man who wore a robe with a rope tied around his waist and his hair long until his neck. Even though Beth was in the castle, she was having the worst hours of her life. Tears again brimmed up to her eyes,
"I told you I am sorry. It was a mistake-"
"That didn't work in your favour?" asked Raphael, "You are only sorry because you fear for your life. If your sister still believes in you, there must be some goodness left in you." Beth turned angry, was he telling she was a terrible person?! She had apologized for her deeds, what did he want?
"What do you want me to say?" asked Beth in frustration. She wasn't able to meet the King's eyes in fear, and her parent's spared only a few words with her. Just because Madeline was going to be a Queen, she had gone as far as to slap her! Instead, her sister could have told it through words.
She stared into his pitch-black eyes when she heard him say, "To be a better person."
Raphael offered Beth a smile, and without waiting for her reply, he walked away from her. Beth's hands that were turned to fists loosened and the tears that she had been holding back fell on her cheeks. Even this insolent man was making her feel bad about herself!
Not too long, the magistrate of the village East Carswell arrived at the castle to meet the King.
"What brings you here this early in the morning, Charmire?" asked the King with a questionable look.
"My King! Another murder has taken place in the village. It is Issac Barnes daughter with two other men who have been found dead in Mr. Heathcliff's house," informed Charmire with a worried look on his face.
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