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PHYSIENTS WILL ALWAYS OFFER BEST STORIES AND LIVE STREAMING ALL TIME
ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 221 Murky side of the forest
The horses continued to gallop, keeping a small distance from each other as they moved past the trees in the forest, with Eve and Vincent riding on each of them.
Lady Aubrey had never stopped her from learning things men knew, while most elders didn’t allow their girls to ride on the horses and preferred they learned to be good at housework and be a good wife and daughter-in-law. Though Eve did learn to sit on the horse when she was eleven, as years went by, she took the horse along with Eugene to the fields before they rode on it.
A smile spread on Eve’s lips as she moved against the wind, and pieces of her hair pulled out of her ponytail to fly on the sides of her temple.
When her horse came closer to Vincent’s horse, her eyes fell on the pureblooded vampire and she felt her heart slip in her chest. His silver hair was pushed to the back because of the wind, and he looked confident. The man looked confident with everything he did, making her wonder how one could achieve to be so comfortable in their own skin as Vincent Moriarty.
After they had entered the deeper side of the forest, Vincent pulled the reins of his horse and said, “This looks like the place.”
Eve pulled the reins of the horse she was riding. The horse neighed before softly clip-clopping against the wet forest ground from the previous night’s rain. Dismounting from the horse, she looked at the trees that now surrounded them. It seemed quiet, except for the gentle rustle of the leaves.
“We are meeting a person here?”
“Mhm,” Vincent dismounted from the horse before patting its mane.
Eve looked back and forth as they had entered the heart of the forest, and she had seen not a single person apart from them. She asked him, “People don’t live here except for some of the outcasts like the witches or the rogues.”
Vincent turned to her and offered her a bright smile with his eyes shining. He remarked, “Haven’t you heard of this saying? It is the fastest approach that is always illegal.”
“I think it would be better to wait.” She had waited for so many years. What was a week compared to it? But Vincent had already started walking, and Eve followed him.
If Vincent had taken her blood and spoken about taking a piece of her hair, it only meant one thing. They were here to meet a witch. Though people around her had grown wary of the vampires and werewolves, nobody could digest the existence of the witches who were notorious for taking lives.
Eve walked close to Vincent, looking around the place and asked, “Have you met this witch before?” The ground was muddy and murkier than when they had started to walk, where the horses were stationed.
“Two times,” Vincent replied, pulling out the direction dial that pointed the red arrow ahead of them. He shouted, “Gwendolyn! It’s Vincent Moriarty!”
“Doesn’t seem like she’s here,” Eve whispered, and she turned behind on hearing the leaves rustle.
Vincent walked two steps ahead, his eyes scanning the place carefully. He responded, “She’s a shy and adorable woman. Gets scared easily by seeing another woman of her beauty.”
At his words, suddenly an arrow flew at them, and Vincent caught it with ease. The end of the arrow was hot, and Eve noticed the fumes. She whispered, “I don’t think she wants us here.”
“Oh, hush,” Vincent looked back in the direction of where the arrow had appeared. He called the witch, “Gwendolyn! I need your witchy woo-woo help, come down wherever you are hiding.”
When one of the branches creaked ahead, Eve’s eyes fell on a beautiful-looking woman, who jumped from the tree branch. Her eyes were blue and her hair black. Right now, she glared at Vincent and shouted,
“Get out of here. I don’t want to do any business with you.”
“Don’t be like that Gwendolyn. I know you are upset with what happened last time, but it won’t happen this tim–“
“You tried to kill me!” The witch raged.
Suddenly the beautiful witch’s appearance changed, where her perfect teeth were imperfect with only a few teeth in there, while her hair turned dry and frizzy and she morphed between a young and old woman with no eyebrows and a crookedly pointed nose. This was the true appearance of the witch.
“But I never killed you, I let you walk away with less injury than the last. Let us be civil and help each other,” Vincent tried to win the argument with the witch. “I need you to find me a person. I will let you pass the next time we come across each other.”
“I will fucking kill you before that!” the witch retorted and laughed while her head wobbled like a doll and so did her body. The witch pulled a rope from a tree’s side and a series of stakes were released in the air, coming from every direction and heading where Vincent and Eve stood.
Vincent turned to look at Eve, whose eyes were wide with the speed the sharp stakes were flying toward them. He stepped in front of her and watched her eyes close as if ready to feel the stakes pierce through her and his body.
Eve heard most of the stakes hit the ground in force. During that time, she didn’t feel even one stake touch her. Instead, it felt as if everything had turned dark. She opened her eyes, only to meet darkness again.
And then, slowly, the light started to fill in and around her, where Eve realised she was shielded by something black and big. As the shield moved away from her and towards Vincent’s back, her mouth turned dry on comprehending what they were.
“Wings…” Eve whispered, noticing the enormous bat-like wings.
The wounds it received from the flying wooden stakes healed in two seconds as they disappeared behind Vincent’s back. Her eyes went back to look at Vincent, who looked annoyed.
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 222 Witch’s Burrow
When Vincent stepped in front of Eve, facing the witch who continued to wobble her head, he said in a low voice, “If it weren’t for the reason that I need your help, I would have torn you apart. You ruined my clothes.”
Eve’s eyes fell on Vincent’s back, where his inner coat and shirt had been ripped from where his wings had earlier appeared.
The witch grit her uneven teeth and glared at Vincent. She started to run away from Eve and Vincent. They ran after her, following her.
While they continued running, Eve asked, “Do you think she will help us?”
Vincent pulled out a ball from his pocket and threw at the witch that hit her leg. Soon the witch stumbled and rolled to the ground, hitting one of the nearby trees.
Vincent smiled and turned to Eve, “Told you she is just feeling shy, and needed some coaxing.”
They walked to where the witch struggled to get up, and Eve noticed wires strapped around the witch’s ankles to stop her from running. The witch turned back to the beautiful woman Eve had seen the first time they met.
Gwendolyn pleaded with a soft voice, “Let me go! I have not stepped into town for two months!”
Vincent pulled out a gun and placed the gun’s nozzle on the witch’s head. The witch quickly blurted, “One month! I didn’t kill anyone except for animals!” Her appearance turned back to a hideous witch, clicking her teeth and staring between Vincent and Eve.
“Where’s your burrow?” Vincent questioned the witch.
“Right over that rock and under the ground,” the witch quickly replied, and when Vincent pulled the cork of the gun, she begged, “Don’t kill me!!”
“Who said anything about killing you?” Vincent’s smile was cynically bright enough to shine with his sarcasm as he was still furious about his ripped clothes. He said, “Do something like what you did earlier and you won’t have a head. Lead to your burrow.”
The witch half glared and half bowed her head, “I will find whomever you want.”
“Great. I wonder if you can find people’s common sense, as it seems to have left many of them,” Vincent remarked. He freed the witch’s legs, and she got up, walking towards the rock, and they followed her.
They entered the burrow that was slippery, muddy and wet with nearby trees’ roots that hung around the walls. There were jars filled with dirty mud, which Eve didn’t dare to look further because she knew she would find something disturbing. On the other side, stood a wide fireplace that burned.
Vincent demanded, “We are looking for someone.”
“Did you bring the blood for it?” The witch asked, while slightly limping on the even ground and looking around her shabby house to pick the ingredients. She placed them all on the table.
Eve leaned closer to Vincent and asked him, “How do we know she’s going to do what you say?”
“Good question. If she doesn’t she knows I will blow her head off, don’t you, Gwendolyn?” Vincent questioned the witch, who glared at him before standing at the table. He pulled out the vial that had Eve’s blood and placed it on the table. He then said, “Where are your other friends?”
“Ran away,” Gwendolyn sneered before snatching the vial and looking at it. “Name of the person. Who needs to be found.”
“Rebecca Barlow,” Eve answered the witch, whose eyes fell on her.
It didn’t go unnoticed by Eve and Vincent, with how the witch watched her as if she wanted to taste her organs.
The witch placed a mortar and a pestle in front of her, and soon she started to add things along with Eve’s blood. Mixing it with the pestle, she dropped the liquid at the centre of the table. Taking a closer look at the table, Eve noticed the markings of towns, villages, forests and other lands. It was a map.
Gwendolyn started whispering something under her breath and Eve’s knees started to shake.
Vincent held Eve’s arm to support her. He said, “As we are using your blood, the witch’s spell draws out your energy so that the said person can be located.”
“The Council can make use of the witches to find missing people. They should hire some of them,” Eve murmured, feeling her body under pressure.
“Will never work for those shitty people, you slut!” The witch’s eyes went wide in anger by just the mention of it. Vincent pulled the trigger, the bullet pierced through the witch’s shoulder, and she yelped in pain. “You bastard! You are going back on your words as before!”
“I said I won’t kill you, but I didn’t agree to not shoot you for stopping in the middle of my work,” Vincent jerked his head towards the table, and the witch went back to the spells.
The still liquid on the table started slithering like a snake, moving elegantly and left a trail of redness behind it. It then stopped at one point, and Vincent remarked,
“Looks like her body has already been dug out with the others this morning.”
It was because the trail of blood had stopped at the scribbled writing ‘Darthmore Council’ on the table’s surface.
A sigh escaped from Eve’s lips. After all these years, she would finally reunite with her mother after many years… only that she was reuniting with her mother’s skeleton. Her dream wasn’t wrong, her mother’s body had been buried in Darthmore.
“What will happen to the other bodies that have been dug out?” Eve asked Vincent, as she wasn’t sure what the Council would do with them.
“Lesser known people who belong to the lower status will be thrown away. While people of status if present, which we are aware, will be buried in the cemetery,” Vincent chimed, and Eve nodded. He said, “If the Council has already cleared the women, you can find your mother out of the three.”
She just had to wait until the council members wouldn’t be hovering around the bodies to identify whose it was.
The witch took the opportunity of the slight distraction and suddenly picked up something and threw it at the table, which created a cloud of smoke in the burrow. Eve coughed, the smoke irritating her vision, and tears filled her eyes. The witch cackled, ready to escape from there, but the cackles were interrupted, and soon it sounded as if she was choking.
The flames in the fireplace increased. When the smoke started to settle down, Eve’s eyes fell on Vincent, who stood next to the fireplace, watching the witch burn.
And just like that, the witch was dead.
Vincent was the first one to get out of the witch’s burrow. Turning around, he noticed Eve struggle to climb out.
“Need a hand?” Vincent offered his hand for her to take.
Eve’s eyes fell on his hand and then at Vincent, who had cocked his head to the side. As much as she didn’t want to rely on him, it seemed hard not to do it. There were some things that she couldn’t do alone.
Holding his hand, she felt him help her out of the slippery burrow. She asked him,
“Are all witches like that?”
“You would be surprised that all are the same. Beautiful and pleasing outside and ugly inside. Just like some of our own kind but exaggerated. Humans, vampires, werewolves or sirens. Given the opportunity, she would rip out of our hearts and eat them for supper and breakfast. Using the rest of the body parts for sacrificial use,” Vincent responded to Eve.
They started to walk away from the witch’s burrow, their footsteps causing a soft, squelching sound on the wet forest ground because of the rainwater.
“You think mermaids are pure?” Eve questioned him, a subtle smile on her face.
“I am yet to see a mermaid who is selfish. If you want, maybe you can initiate it,” Vincent turned to look at her. The corners of his lips tugged as if he knew the in and out of mermaids. “If vampires, werewolves and sirens mostly comprise the darkness of our world with their greed, selfishness, amid the humans; then mermaids are the light because of their naive faith in things.”
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 223 Excuse to Woodlock
Music Recommendation: Heavens, what an afternoon- John Lunn
—
While Vincent and Eve were leaving the forest, Marceline stood in the town of Woodlock.
Her carriage had been parked away from where she now walked.
Marceline’s eyes continued to look around the place, before her eyes fell on the handsome Duke of Woodlock. He stood next to the town’s head, talking to him. She was mesmerised by him. This was the third time she was in the town, watching him from a distance and admiring him.
Looking around, she noticed a woman carrying a milk can on top of her head and another can in her hand. Taking this as an opportunity, she stepped into the street and stood looking in the opposite direction. Just when the woman carrying the cans appeared closer to her, she turned back and crashed into the lowly woman.
“Oh, no!” The lowly woman exclaimed in shock. The milk spilt on the ground, wasting her effort and time.
Marceline expected the woman to apologise to her, as she was from high society. Instead, the woman demanded from the vampiress, “Couldn’t you be more careful while turning than behave like a princess?” The woman’s eyes were slightly yellow.
“You should have walked on the other side. I do not have eyes on the back of my head,” Marceline didn’t scold back as Noah was nearby.
hat is a vampiress even doing in Woodlock? You spilled all my hours of work,” the woman accused her.
As the little commotion took place, Noah’s attention fell on them and noticed it was Viscount Moriarty’s daughter, Marceline Moriarty.
Excusing himself from the head of the town, Noah made his way to where Marceline was getting scolded by a woman from his town. The vampiress’ eyes were downcasted, and she continued to listen to the woman’s words. Noah questioned,
“What’s going on?”
The woman quickly bowed at Noah and complained, “This vampiress spilled the milk cans I was supposed to deliver!”
Marceline softly said, “I didn’t purposely push it down.”
“She did! She wasn’t here before, but on seeing me she decided to come and stand—”
Noah took out a few shillings and handed them to the woman, “I hope this will suffice for your loss.”
“Thank you, Duke Noah,” the woman bowed and gave a look at Marceline before walking away with her cans.
“I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to cause trouble towards anyone,” Marceline’s eyebrows were drawn close to each other in sadness, “I was looking for a person’s address and got lost. I didn’t know whom to ask.”
Noah offered her a polite smile and asked, “Who are you looking for?”
“Lady Anaya Chambers. I heard from one of my friends that she is an expert in designing dresses and I thought to get acquainted with her,” Marceline enjoyed standing close to him. “But unfortunately, I will have to wait. I have milk spilt over my clothes now.”
“Lady Chambers? How strange, she is at my mansion. You don’t have to worry about the spilt milk. I am sure no one will even notice it,” Noah assured her, “Let me bring you to her as I am going back there.”
“Thank you so much, Duke Noah,” Marceline bowed, and she started to walk with him.
Noah asked her, “Where is your carriage? I don’t think I saw it.”
Marceline answered, “My carriage wheel is broken and my coachman took it to repair. A friend of mine was travelling this way and I decided to take a ride here. I will have to think about how to get back home later,” she softly laughed while looking at the sky that had started to turn pink and orange along with the blue.
As they walked on the street, heading towards the Duke’s mansion, Marceline watched Noah from the corner of her eyes. He didn’t appear as talkative as the first time she had met him at the ball night held in her mansion. To strike a conversation, she apologised,
“Forgive me for what happened earlier back on the street. You must think I am clumsy,” Marcelined looked troubled.
“Don’t trouble yourself with such thoughts, Lady Marceline. I know someone who is clumsier than you are,” at the thought of the person, a smile appeared on Noah’s lips. He then said, “People of Woodlock are friendly. The woman behaved that way as she lost her day’s bread. It might not seem much, but some live their lives day to day, than some who don’t have to work at all. Surely you understand the woman didn’t mean to hurt you,” Noah turned to look at her with a smile, and Marceline quickly smiled at him.
“Absolutely,” Marceline agreed with him, but Noah had a fair idea that the concept was lost when it came to the vampiress. Out of keen curiosity, she said, “I didn’t know you were closely acquainted with the Chambers family. Is that why your clothes are so refined?” She indirectly complimented his dress sense.
When Noah smiled, the corner of his eyes crinkled, and he replied, “My clothes are stitched by the same tailor whom my father and uncle get their clothes done. The Chambers family and my father have known each other for a long time. They are visiting us.”
When they reached Sullivan’s mansion, Marceline’s eyes moved across the tall standing mansion, surrounded by gardens and high walls as if to secure it from thieves entering. The butler took Marceline’s coat, and she walked next to Noah, her mood brightening with every second she spent with him.
As they continued to walk, Marceline noticed two men coming from the opposite direction. When they neared, Noah greeted them with a bow,
“Good evening, father. Uncle James.” So this was Noah’s family members, thought Marceline in her mind.
Seeing the vampiress, Noah’s father inquired, “Who is this young lady with you, Noah?”
“This is Lady Marceline Moriarty. Daughter of Viscount Eduard Moriarty,” Noah introduced Marceline. “This is my father and my Uncle James.”
“It is a great pleasure to be meeting you, former Duke Jeffry Sullivan,” Marceline slightly bowed, just because he was Noah’s father and then at the other man.
Noah’s father nodded, “How is Eduard? Since we both retired from the Council’s work, I haven’t seen him around much.”
“He’s doing very well. I will be sure to pass him the message that you inquired about him,” Marceline smiled, and the man nodded.
Noah’s father then turned to look at Noah and asked, “How are things at the Council? Have all the bodies been dug out near the Council.”
Noah nodded, “It has indeed been busy. Except for a few bodies, we are unsure who the rest belong to. It looks like bodies of people who are nobodies in the society and all together might be buried elsewhere. It might conclude by tomorrow as everyone is working on it.”
“Mr. Walsh seems to have opened the jar of dead worms,” Noah’s uncle, James, remarked with a frown. “How many of them were there?” he questioned.
“Thirty-seven of them. Mostly Vampires and werewolves and a few humans,” on Noah’s words, James nodded.
“It is good that the Council is working on it diligently,” said James.
Marceline added to his thoughts, “I was in shock this morning when I found out that Mr. Walsh was the one who killed Lady Camille. It is a shame to have such scandalous people in our society,” she shook her head in disappointment.
“Very true,” Noah’s father agreed. “Hopefully things will settle down soon and the news hasn’t set panic in people.”
Noah led Marceline further into the halls.
“You must have a closely knit family, Duke Noah. It must be lovely to have people with attachments,” Marcelin remarked.
“That is true. I grew up with everyone being close and nice to each other. My father and his brother, that is, my uncle have been very close. A few years ago, when I was young, there was a rogue attack of werewolves and it had been a hard time in Woodlock. If it weren’t for my uncle, my father would not have been alive. And my father has always supported my uncle. Little things tighten the bonds,” Noah smiled and then added, “It must be the same for you?”
Marceline smiled with a slight gingerness with how things were turning under the Moriarty house. She said, “Yes, most families are like that.”
The vampiress had hoped that her mother would continue to resist the lowly governess, but instead it was going the way she didn’t want to.
They came upon an expansive patio where three women sat at the table, drinking their evening tea. The vampiress’s eyes quickly moved to look at the youngest she-wolf, locking eyes with her and offering her the sweetest and politest smile she had to offer.
“This is my mother, Hilda Sullivan. And she is Lady Madge Chambers, and her daughter, Anaya Chambers,” Noah introduced the women before saying to Anaya Chambers, “This is Lady Marceline Moriarty, she is here to discuss dress designs from you.”
The women bowed and greeted each other. Noah’s mother remarked, “I didn’t know Viscount Eduard had such a beautiful daughter.”
“Your words are very kind, Lady Hilda. But I don’t think I have a presence like yours that I am yet to achieve,” Marceline’s words were refine enough to get the older women’s approval.
“Aren’t you sweet, why don’t you come take a seat. Lady Madge and I were going to step back inside. You can speak to Anaya freely,” Lady Hilda stepped away from the small table and walked away from there with the other woman.
Noah said, “I hope you will be able to get the kind of dresses you want. Lady Anaya is a talented woman,” he praised the she-wolf, and Marceline’s eyes fell on the young woman’s dress, which did look different compared to what people mostly wore.
Lady Anaya smiled, “Why don’t you take a seat, Lady Marceline.”
“Thank you,” Marceline nodded and sat next to the she-wolf.
Noah then said, “I will be going now. I need to visit Darthmore as I have been summoned for work there.”
Though Marceline wanted to see who Noah was going to be engaged to, at the same time, she had hoped that the man would drop her home. It was why she had earlier said she didn’t come in her carriage in the first place.
Unable to keep her thoughts in her mind, Marceline hesitantly said, “Um, my way back home.”
Remembering the vampiress didn’t have a ride back home, Noah turned to Lady Anaya and asked, “Lady Marceline didn’t bring her own carriage. Can you please see to it that it is taken care of?”
“Certainly, Duke Noah,” Lady Anaya politely smiled. Marceline watched Noah leave with a slightly sullen face while the she-wolf stared at the vampiress.
Marceline spent time with Lady Anaya, discussing the dress designs for herself. The vampiress didn’t find anything special about the she-wolf compared to the other women of the high society whom she had met.
After a while, when they finished talking and started walking towards the mansion’s entrance, Lady Anaya asked, “How is your younger sister’s governess doing? Ms. Barlow.”
“She’s doing fine, teaching my little sister and helping her as any governess would do,” came the airy words from Marceline. She then asked, “How long are you going to stay in Woodlock. I would like to visit you as much as I can and get the designs done for my dress.”
“I will have to go back home with my parents after a month, but I am guessing I will be back again later,” Lady Anaya smiled at Marceline and noticed how the expression on the vampiress’s face slipped for a moment. She said, “You seem to be well acquainted with Noah.”
“Not as well as I would like,” Marceline softly laughed. “Just between us women, I was hoping to get to know him better.”
“The Duke does have his charms, doesn’t he? I am sure anyone who has come across his kindness would feel fortunate knowing him,,” the two women’s eyes met as they smiled at each other.
The two young women walked out of the mansion, and Marceline wondered if Anaya was taking her for a stroll. When they reached a street where there were many people and carriages were parked, the she-wolf said,
“One of the things about Duke Noah is that he is a down-to-earth and humble person, Lady Marceline,” Lady Anaya stopped walking and turned to Marceline, who now held suspicion in her eyes. The younger woman said, “Unfortunately, all the carriages in the Sullivan’s mansion are in use, which is why I decided to make sure to see you off in the carriage,” she smiled at the end.
“….” Hearing Lady Anaya’s words, the smile on vampiress’s face fell.
The coachman of the local carriage shouted, “To Skellington, Darthmore, and Raven’s towns!”
Lady Anaya waved at the coachman and said to him, “A ride to Skellington,” and pulled out a few shillings from her pocket. Turning to Marceline, she said, “You don’t have to repay me, Lady Marceline. I hope you reach home safely.”
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 224 Returning home
When Vincent and Eve returned to the Moriarty mansion, Vincent was the first to unmount from the horse and Eve was next.
Seeing the horses arrive, Alfie quickly stepped out of the mansion and ordered the servant to take the horses back to the stable. When he noticed his master’s ripped clothes on his back, the butler’s gaze moved to look at the governess. He ran back inside the mansion and returned with an overcoat that belonged to Vincent.
Once the butler helped Vincent wear his coat, he asked, “Shall I ask Briggs to pull the carriage to the front, Master Vincent?” Receiving a nod, he left.
“Thank you for confirming that my mother’s body has been dug out today. I will be able to be at ease after burying her,” Eve thanked him, while they stood near the pillar. “Have you ever used the witch’s finding skills before?”
“I don’t lose things that easily, and what I want to find cannot be found with what I have,” Vincent spoke in vagueness, but Eve wondered if it was vague. He said, “It is important to have blood to find the person and name. Dead or alive.”
“Then why did you earlier ask for my hair?” Eve’s curious eyes questioned him, and his lips twisted.
“Just for fun,” responded Vincent, staring at her. “Also, it isn’t every day a witch complies to your words. We were lucky that she located your mother, most of them attempt another spell that backfires. When we were kidnapped, my father had sent men to look for witches to locate me and Marceline, but the witches killed all of his men, and it caused a delay in the search.”
Eve noticed how nonchalant Vincent was about the incident that had occurred in the past. The sky had turned dark, and clouds clashed against each other, containing lightning within themselves.
When Vincent continued to stare at her, Eve couldn’t look at him anymore without taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. At the same time, a carriage entered through the gates of Moriarty mansion, and he remarked,
“Looks like you can use this carriage, while I use mine.”
The carriage paused, and before the coachman could get to the door to open it, a furious-looking Marceline opened the door with a thud. The coachman, who was about to open the door, got smacked by it. He held his nose and stumbled back.
Marceline didn’t see Vincent or Eve standing at the side and stormed right inside the mansion.
“Now that, that is my sister Marceline,” the smile on Vincent’s lips turned wicked as if he picked the scent of wolves on Marceline. He wondered what had got her in such a mood.
Vincent whistled to receive the attention of Marceline’s coachman, who bowed at him with his hand still covering his nose.
“What did you do to make Marceline angry?” Vincent demanded, his coppery-red eyes subtly narrowing. The coachman felt the air around him turn heavy and thick.
The condition wasn’t any less for the other servants who worked for the Moriarty family, being stuck between the two siblings. As he was Marceline’s coachman, he couldn’t reveal the entire truth. But at the same time, it was hard for anyone to deal with Vincent Moriarty; a lie could get him in trouble.
“I didn’t do anything, Master Vincent. I was only waiting for her to return,” the coachman attempted to wiggle out of the situation.
“And?” Eve heard Vincent push the servant to continue to speak.
The coachman slightly lifted his head, looking at the mansion’s entrance where the vampiress had stepped into and saw she was out of sight. He then quickly said,
“We were in Woodlock. I saw Lady Marceline step inside the local carriage and leave the town. She returned after a few minutes, sweaty and in a foul mood… She was scolding about the local carriage being dirty and the coachman not having ears. I don’t know why she got on the local carriage…”
“My my. How rare for my sister to use a carriage beneath her taste,” Vincent sounded more than pleased and his eyes shined in pure evilness. He ordered the coachman, “Take Ms. Barlow to Meadow and drop her at her home.”
The coachman bowed, obliging to Vincent’s words, and while he turned the carriage around, Eve said to Vincent,
“I will see you tomorrow.”
Vincent tilted his head, offering her a bright smile, “Is it my imagination or do I sense a touch of sorrow in the tone of your words. Want me to drop by your home tonight to wish you a good night?”
“No,” Eve’s quick refusal just made Vincent want to annoy her that much more. “Once I reach home I will be sleeping soon.”
“Mm,” Vincent’s eyes glowed, and he said, “It does seem like something is different in you today than yesterday, isn’t it?” Though the mermaid’s eyes were often soft on everyone, with him in particular, Eve had always seen him with a look of suspicion and a glare next to it, which had mellowed. “I didn’t take you to be someone who is easily swayed by my words,” he taunted her.
“I think you are imagining things now. If possible, you should probably get some rest too.”
“How thoughtful. More than rest, I am thirsty,” the smile on Vincent’s lips turned into something unreadable, and he said, “Let us hope it is what you say.”
The carriage halted, and the coachman pulled the carriage door for Eve to step in. Before she could get inside, Vincent wished her,
“It was good to ride together and hunt down a witch, wasn’t it? Sweet dreams, Eve.”
The way he wished her, Eve was worried about him appearing in her dream. She wished him back, “Goodnight, Vincent.”
Stepping inside the carriage, Eve sat down, while the coachman closed the door and walked to the front of the vehicle to take his seat. Their eyes met as if they wouldn’t see each other again, but the night was long and it had only begun.
Soon the carriage was pulled away from the Moriarty mansion and on the road, while Vincent got on his own carriage to travel to Darthmore.
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 225 Skeletons and its remains
Music Recommendation: The War Room- Trevor Morris
—
A murmur of thunder could be heard coming from the heavy clouds that clashed in the sky. Now and then, the sky lit up with lightning, showing a hint of brown in the clouds, preparing to release a series of lightning to strike the lands.
In one of the Council room’s, thirty-seven skeletons and a few bodies with flesh being decomposed lay on mortuary tables. Lit lanterns were left to hand on the walls, while candles were lit to keep the room bright.
Two members of the Inner Circle stood in the big room, along with the Head of the Council and the Duke of Woodlock.
Sylvester tapered the end of his moustache with his fingers, whilst he looked at the skeletons. Because of the time that had passed since the bodies had been buried, the deceased who had been buried for many years had decomposed, and the only available items of them were damaged in tatters. Men and women of great stature had leather boots or belts, along with stoned ornaments.
Vincent entered the room, and Mr. Stoker commented, “Aren’t you working rather late tonight, Vincent?”
“It would be a sin to sleep when the Council discovered thirty-seven deceased who haven’t been identified yet , Mr. Stoker. Not to mention, the man who was caught last night and the woman he buried are people of my town. My family would be disappointed if I didn’t try to help,” Vincent responded as he made his way to where they stood.
“It looks like people of Skellington like to kill,” Mr. Stoker taunted, not too fond of Vincent after his previous remarks in the Head Council’s chamber.
“We must be excellent diggers then,” Vincent smiled at Mr. Stoker, whose eyes narrowed. Clayton looked at the silver-haired vampire from the corner of his eyes.
Sylvester, who was looking at the nearby body, turned to comment, “I hope you aren’t telling us that you have contributed to the number in this room, Mr. Moriarty.” The man’s red eyes stared at Vincent cooly, but Vincent returned it with an unfazed smile.
“I didn’t know you liked me so much that you want to see me behind the cell,” Vincent raised one of his eyebrows at Sylvester. “I was talking about gardening, but it seems like you took it wrongly.”
Sylvester smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes, and he said, “Certainly not. The Head of the Council sees you as his prodigy. It would be a great loss for the Council if you were to step behind the cells.”
“Don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t do anything the Head of the Council wouldn’t like. And even if I do, I wouldn’t be this careless,” Vincent’s eyes lit up with amusement.
The last sentence was something everyone could believe. Vincent Moriarty rarely made any mistakes and wasn’t foolish to make a blunder like this one. But they didn’t know he had dragged them to his handiwork.
One of the councilmen entered the room, and walked to where Vincent and the others stood. He offered a deep bow to them. Clayton questioned the person,
“What do we have so far, Aldworth?”
The councilman named Aldworth passed the parchment to Clayton and reported,
“We could recognize only twenty-nine bodies out of thirty-seven. We went through the previous missing reports. We summoned the families to identify them. From the identified, sixteen of them were from high society, seven of them from the middle class and the rest from the lower ones.”
“What about the unidentified?” Noah asked the council member. “What kind and sex?”
Vincent’s eyes moved to look at the Duke of Woodlock, watching him as the councilman answered,
“Clarks rechecked and the remaining are four humans, two vampires and two werewolves. Four females and five males, Duke Noah. I think they all belong to the lower status as nothing was found on them.”
Noah nodded, and walked to look at the skeletons that had tattered belongings next to them. Vincent remarked, “If the bodies aren’t identified, it could also be because the families of these are all dead or they didn’t have one to begin with.”
A deep frown came to settle on Clayton’s face. He said, “Did you find anything more about Mr. Walsh?”
The councilman nodded, before he said, “I did, Sire. From the information we received, his wife told us that he’s never been someone of temper. But he has a list of mistresses he’s been seeing. Eight of them in total.”
Mr. Stoker said, “I met the man at the cell and he told a councilman came to get him, telling one of his mistresses was dead and something about a letter.”
Aldworth added, “Mrs. Walsh said she won’t be paying a penny for his defence. Uh- after finding out about his affairs.”
“Either the man is lying through his teeth or someone framed him,” Clayton’s lips set themselves in a thin line. “Keep him in the dungeon. Handover the skeletons to their respective families. The unidentified can be buried in the Darthmore’s cemetery,” he looked at Vincent and Sylvester, “I will leave this work to be done in your good hands.”
When Clayton and Mr. Stoker stepped out of the room, Sylvester stepped in front of Vincent and said in a low voice, “Don’t think you will always get away with what you do or how you handle things, Vincent. Everything has a reverse action and it is only yet to come.”
A sinister look crept into Vincent’s eyes as he smiled. He responded, “How strange that I was thinking about the same thing. Especially after your name came up with one of the assassins.”
“You will have to be more specific about what you are talking about,” Sylvester smiled.
“You do anything to Clayton, I will come after you without a doubt,” Vincent watched Sylvester stare at him with an unwavering expression.
“I will keep that in mind,” Sylvester offered a slight smile before walking away from the room.
Noah, who had been looking at the skeletons until now, turned to look at the two vampires. Vincent watched the Inner Council’s back, and as Sylvester left, he spared a look at the Duke, offering a slight bow and Noah did the same in greetings.
Vincent walked up to where Noah stood and looked at the werewolf’s skeleton on the table. The vampire asked cheerily, “Anyone you know?”
“No,” Noah replied, and he slipped his hands into his pockets before asking, “There is something I have been wanting to ask you, Mr. Moriarty.” He turned to meet the vampire’s eyes.
“Why does it seem like it is about the governess? Unless I am wrong, but I am not, am I?” Vincent watched the Duke stare at him, where his face lacked the polite smile he often wore.
“What are your intentions with Genevieve?” Noah asked without beating around the bush, and Vincent liked it, but not enough.
“That is something between her and me, isn’t it, Duke Noah. It isn’t very polite to snoop in the matters of people, lest you like her,” Vincent let his back rest against the edge of one of the mortuary tables.
“We are friends, and I care about her,” a look of seriousness appeared in Noah’s eyes.
“So are we,” Vincent quickly replied and added, “And when I said we, I meant Eve and I are friends too.”
“I never knew friends suck blood out,” stated Noah.
“When you are friends with a vampire, it is obvious. She doesn’t mind, why do you care?” Vincent noticed Noah’s eyes hardened at his words, and he only enjoyed it. But there was also something that fascinated his curiosity. Wanting to push the werewolf further, he said, “Her blood tastes divine. You are a werewolf, so it is hard to imagine, but every drop is delicious. Especially the places I bit–“
Noah’s hands clenched, and he hit Vincent’s face, his eyes shifting from black to yellow.
A chuckle escaped from Vincent’s lips, and he ran his tongue on the corner of his lips to taste blood. He said, “You don’t love her enough, do you? If someone told that to me about the woman I love, I would have killed the person.”
Noah unclenched his hands and calmed his emotions. He stared at the vampire. He had underestimated this vampire’s skills when it came to provoking people. He knew he could not have Eve, and he had told himself, when someone worthy came along, who cared for the woman, he would step away.
But the Duke knew that this pureblooded vampire standing before him didn’t do relationships. Yet as diabolic Vincent was, Eve was still alive next to him.
Was he the one for her? Noah asked himself.
When Noah started to walk away from there, Vincent remarked with one corner of lips curling , “I have been curious why a remarkable man as yourself didn’t reveal his affections to the woman he has harboured affections for four-five years.”
For a moment, Noah stopped at the door and turned back to look at Vincent. He said, “Looks like you have done a lot of background checks to find something like that.”
Vincent hummed, “It is one of my many amazing qualities,” and his eyes slightly narrowed, when Noah walked away from there. He then turned to look at the humans skeletons that was placed next to the werewolves skeleton. He murmured, “Now which one is the right one.”
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