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PHYSIENTS WILL ALWAYS OFFER BEST STORIES AND LIVE STREAMING ALL TIME
ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 241 Unheard of the accused
Music Recommendation: Tick-Tock Hans Zimmer
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In the town of Meadow, Eve had finished packing her things in the trunk and locked it. Carrying it down the stairs, she placed it outside the main door. Ready to leave the house, she locked all the windows and doors.
Eve’s eyes fell on the letter she had written for Eugene on the dining table. This way, when he returned, he wouldn’t be startled by her absence.
Carrying a bag on one of her shoulders, Eve locked the main door and slipped the key into her dress pocket. She touched the door while looking at the house where she had built memories with Aunt Aubrey and Eugene. She said,
“This isn’t a goodbye. I will return when these feelings are gone. Until then…” But she didn’t promise.
She stepped away from the door. Her hand clutched the trunk handle, pulling it along as she walked away from the house. Crossing streets, she made her way to the local carriage stop. She had decided to get on the carriage going to Thresk Hills and hop on another local carriage that would travel to Berkshire.
But when Eve was still halfway away from the stop, someone pushed her from behind with force. She quickly lost balance, and her hand let go of her things to fall to the ground.
When Eve was about to stand, she heard someone remark, “And where are you going in such a hurry?” The voice belonged to Mrs. Humphrey, who walked around and came to stand in front of her.
Eve looked confused and asked, “Was it you, who pushed me?”
Soon people started to gather around. Mrs. Edwards came to stand next to Mrs. Humphrey, and her eyes narrowed at Eve. One of the men kicked Eve’s trunk for it to move away from the young woman.
Unaware of the intensity of the bad mouthing that had taken place behind her back, Eve noticed some of them look at her in disappointment, while the others looked at her in disgust.
One of the townsfolk stated, “We know what you are, Genevieve. You cannot hide it anymore.”
But Eve mistook the man’s words, that they had discovered her secret about her being a mermaid.
A nervous sweat broke on Eve’s forehead, while dread quickly sank into her heart. There was no way they had found out about who she was. She had been meticulous. How did they find out about it?!
Mrs. Edwards shook her head and said to Eve, “I thought you were a decent woman of Meadow and supported you thinking you were a governess, but look at you. You have brought nothing but shame!”
With no support from Aunt Aubrey and Eugene in the town, Eve looked at them with fear in her eyes. She was speechless, and seeing it, one of the men demanded,
“Have you no shame? To be calling yourself a governess and then you go behind people’s back and sleep with men for money?”
Eve’s eyebrows furrowed further, now even more confused than before, and she said, “I don’t know what you are talking about,” and stood up. She dusted her palms and felt a sting as she scraped her palms against the ground. “You must have mistaken me for someone else, or it is just a misunderstanding,” she was firm with her words.
“Look at that,” Mrs. Humphrey scoffed and sized Eve. “Did you really think you could hide your dirty secret of how you have been earning a lot of money? Trying to prove that you are better than us, when you are nothing but a whore!”
Eve glared at the woman for her absurd comment, “I don’t know what you have been cooking in your head, Mrs. Humphrey, but my only job is working as a governess.”
“That’s what she says,” this time, Patrick joined from behind and looked at Eve as if he could barely look at her anymore. “You have been stealing the masters of the wealthy house who are already married. Trying to turn into one of the master’s wife? Too bad that your secret is no more a secret.”
Mrs. Humphrey looked at the gathered people, who gasped and looked at Eve in disbelief. She said loudly, “This woman here, invited a married man into her house in the middle of the night. And the man stayed for hours before he left. I wouldn’t like to detail the shameful things this woman has been doing in our town.”
“Disgusting woman! Throw her out of the town!”
“Punish her!”
“Punish her for her deeds!” Men and women started to shout.
Eve tried to keep a brave face because she had never slept with any men. The ire of the people towards her was increasing with every passing second, and they didn’t just look at her with anger, but also hate. And somewhere, it had started to scare her.
Far away from the town of Meadow, ten minutes had passed since Vincent’s carriage had left Skellington. His tongue ran over one of his fangs before the sharpness drew a drop of blood from him.
The journey to Meadow would take at least forty-five to fifty minutes and Vincent clicked his tongue in impatience.
Mr. Briggs, who was riding the carriage, heard something crash that ended up in him pulling the reins of the horses to stop the vehicle. He turned to ask,
“Master Vincent, ar–Master Vincent?” The coachman’s eyes widened on seeing Vincent, not inside the carriage.
Back in Meadow, Eve watched the crowd stare at her. She said to them, “I need proof about what you are saying about me. You are trying to slander my name with these allegations that are untrue. Bring me the person who told you that I am sleeping with men.”
“Do you hear that everyone?” Mrs. Humphrey continued to gaslight the townsfolk and said, “She is asking for proof because she knows she won’t be caught like that. But if not me, ask Mrs. Edwards and she will tell how this disgusting woman has been getting dropped by different men in the middle of the night. For a governess, the job gets over by evening. Yet here this woman returns home late at night when everyone is asleep so that no one finds what she’s doing.”
Mrs. Edwards nodded but then whispered to her friend Mrs. Humphrey, “It was only one carriage that came at night. Not two.”
Mrs. Humphrey shushed the gullible woman by saying, “What difference does it make? One or two?”
Another person who belonged to the town questioned Eve, “Why aren’t you speaking anymore? All these things are true, and yet you are trying to hoodwink us by telling us lies rather than accept your fault.”
People started to talk amongst themselves while looking at Eve with scornful eyes,
“She’s using her beauty to trap wealthy men.”
“But really, was it necessary to use such means? Patrick Humphrey has been wooing her for a long time, and she could have settled for him!”
“How disgusting,” came another comment from another person, “To think she would do something so shameful. She needs to be hanged to death!”
“Hang her to death!” Someone else agreed before adding, “This way no one would dare to bring shame.”
But one of them worried, “Isn’t death too severe as a punishment?”
Mrs. Humphrey stared at Eve, who stared back at him.
Eve was at her wit’s end that the people she had loved and cared for, the same people now, were on a witch hunt because of baseless rumours. Her heart shook, and fear started to crawl up her feet. She said,
“I haven’t done anything wrong and I have stayed true to myself.” She then looked at Mrs. Edwards for help, “Mrs. Edwards, you have seen me grow up right before you, how can you assume that I would do something like that?”
Mrs. Edwards pursed her lips because she had seen the carriages and gifts. She said, “I cannot believe you are still lying to us!!”
Eve grit her teeth, and when she was about to speak, someone threw a stone at her that hit her forehead. Holding her face, she winced because of the throbbing pain, while the mob turned agitated towards her.
She felt something warm and wet drip down her face, and noticed her blood fall on the ground.
“A woman like you has no place in our society or in our town!” Mrs. Humphrey decided, and some people agreed, cheering her words as if they knew the truth and were standing against the bad.
Someone from the crowd pushed Eve much more harshly to the ground. Her hands scraped more, and the front of her dress near her knees tore and dirt covered it.
Eve stared at the ground before raising her head and questioning the people,
“I love Meadow dearly. I became a governess to also show that Meadow is worth looking at than being treated like vermin. Why do you trust that person, when you have known me for so long. Why can’t you judge me for what you know?” her voice shook while her face had turned warm with a mixture of anger and pain.
She asked them, “Why do you believe someone, when you haven’t seen it in your own eyes? When you haven’t heard it from your own ears? I… I am a governess, and apart from teaching a child, I didn’t do anything. I don’t have such a relationship with any man as you think.”
Eve pushed herself to stand up in front of everyone and turned to look at Mrs. Humphrey, who harrumphed. She then turned to look at Mr. Humphrey. Until yesterday, he was trying to woo her.
She said, “If you want to talk about lies, why don’t you ask Mr. Humphrey why he was removed from his previous post and now–“
SLAP!
Patrick slapped Eve before she could reveal what he had done at the Quintins. He glared at her while she was on the ground, and he said,
“This woman should be severely punished. So that she learns her lesson for spewing continuous lies and what she has done!”
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 242 Reaping each other’s fate
Music Recommendation: Journey Sequence- Max Ritcher
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Eve’s face turned pale.
It was because she noticed the people around watching her with a loathful gaze. The look in their eyes was something she had never expected to see, and now that she did, it frightened her. Her cheek that the man had slapped had turned numb in pain.
Some of the people, even though they didn’t utter a word against her, didn’t support her either and watched the scene in front of them.
Someone in the crowd shouted in rage, “Drag her to the town’s centre!”
“Aye! Aye!” A few townsfolk agreed while Patrick stared at Eve with his nose up high.
There was no one here who supported her, and she was alone. Her blue eyes had turned wide, and she tried to defend herself, but it was one against many.
Patrick noticed Eve looked helpless, and he sat on his heels to level himself with her gaze. He said in a low voice only for her to hear,
“It isn’t too late to change your ways, Genevieve. Ask for forgiveness and I will protect your honour by marrying you.”
“I’d rather die than marry a man who would lie to this depth,” Eve glared at him, and soon she saw Mr. Humphrey’s lips turn into scorn.
Patrick stood up and shouted, “Take her to the town’s centre! She lacks morals!”
A few men, who had their eyes on Eve for the longest time, had no confidence in approaching or asking for her hand until now.
But now as the young and beautiful woman had fallen in everyone’s eyes and with her value plummeted, they took the opportunity to touch her. When she stood up, they pushed and pulled her towards the centre of the town.
The crowd had gone wild as they shouted and threw names at Eve that she didn’t deserve. The mermaid had gone speechless and numb over the people’s behaviour. People mishandled her, such that when she was dragged and pushed, it tore her long sleeves, ripping it. Deep scratches appeared on her arms as people had dug their nails into her skin.
Eve was then shoved to the ground, and Lady Humphrey informed everyone, “My dear people of Meadow. We have gathered here because of this woman with loose values, who refuses to accept her misdoings and will only continue it. What do you think we should do?”
“Throw her out of here! We don’t need her here!”
The town’s magistrate had just arrived at Meadow, when he noticed a commotion far from where he was. He quickly made his way to the place and noticed a young woman on her knees, while people called her names with anger and hate.
“Punish her! Stealing other women’s men without a conscience!” One woman shouted.
Patrick walked over to where his mother stood, taking her place. Eve watched and heard people continue to humiliate her, and it broke her heart. Tears glistened in her eyes as she had never imagined to be demeaned to such an extent.
The magistrate quickly walked to where Mrs. Humphrey stood, but it wasn’t just him but also Mrs. Humphrey’s husband who had walked to her.
The magistrate questioned Mrs. Humphrey, “What in God’s name is going on here?!”
“This woman here is a whore, spewing lies and has gone as far as to spoil others’ marriages. A woman came here, crying out about her mistress’s marriage that this woman is trying to break. We as the people of Meadow have decided to take the matter in our hands!” Mrs. Humphrey stated as if she was doing the magistrate a big favour.
The magistrate frowned before he said, “You cannot do that, Mrs. Humphrey! This town is my responsibility and without my approval, you cannot go picking on someone no matter what they have done!”
Mrs. Humphrey turned irritated that this magistrate, who was of their own town, was denying what everyone in Meadow now believed in.
Her husband was shocked, and he pulled his wife to the side and questioned in a low voice, “What are you doing? Leave such things to the authorities, and what she does has nothing to do with you.” Earlier, the man was at his house when he heard about what was going to happen to Ms. Barlow.
Mrs. Humphrey’s eyes widened, and she responded, “Of course, we have everything to do with her. This is our town, and we need to make sure nothing bad happens here.”
“You and I both know that’s not what this is about! You are only offended because of her refusal to Patrick,” said her husband.
“I would never do that!” Mrs. Humphrey looked offended and said, “If you cannot support the town, I suggest you go home and not partake in this.”
The man couldn’t believe how things had turned and looked at the helpless young woman. He warned his wife, “Let the young woman go, and let us get back home.” But Mrs. Humphrey was too stubborn, and the man sighed, “What you are doing is not right. Things like these have repercussions.”
Eve slipped her hand into her pocket, and pulled out the coin with the skull and crown symbol on it, that Vincent had given it to her. She knew showing it to the townspeople would never work, because they didn’t know its importance, but the magistrate did. The magistrate’s eyes on falling on the coin, widened.
When the magistrate tried to say something, the crowd pushed him to the back, and he struggled to get things under control. Frustrated, he decided to bring the guards to get things.
Eve sat on her knees on the ground, similar to a criminal. Patrick had slapped her face so hard that blood oozed from her forehead and the corner of her mouth.
Patrick roared to the people, “Greed makes us do bad things. And this woman was greedy and who knows for what more? A woman spreading her legs shamelessly with different men.”
“Tie her to the horse and let it drag her!” One of the men shouted.
“Don’t you have anything to say or beg for forgiveness?” Lady Noida, who was familiar with Eve, questioned her, while being appalled by Eve’s lack of reply.
“Genevieve, there’s no point in you behaving as if you are innocent. The best would be for you to beg for your deeds. This way, we will consider reducing the severity of your punishment,” Eve’s neighbour, Mrs. Edwards, said to her.
Eve, who was staring at the ground, raised her head to meet the woman’s eyes and said, “I have done nothing wrong to ask for forgiveness.”
“Yet she continues to protest!” Another stone was thrown at Eve, but the stone passed above her shoulder because of the lousy aim. Patrick caught the back of Eve’s head, gripping her hair enough to make her cry in pain. But the sound only fascinated him and a few others as if wanting to hear her cry more.
When Patrick started to drag Eve, a massive gust of wind swept the town of Meadow, mainly where most of the townsfolk had gathered, and dust rose in the air.
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 243 Wrath’s Silhouette
Music Recommendation: Drive to Parkersburg- Marcelo Zarvos
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Most of the dust that had settled on the ground and the nearby buildings rose, creating a fog. The people of Meadow closed their eyes and coughed, using their hands to shield themselves from the dust. “Where did this wind come from?” Mrs. Humphrey coughed while waving her hand in front of her.
When the dust started to clear, some people noticed something far away from where they stood. For a moment, as if their eyes deceived them, they noticed something big move from both sides before it disappeared and noticed a person’s silhouette.
Most of them looked at the silhouette with a frown. After two seconds, the person stepped away from the dust. Someone questioned, “Who is that?”
Like others, Eve had raised her hand in front of her eyes, and when the dust settled, she lowered her hand. But as she knelt on the ground, she couldn’t see what the people around her saw. It was because Patrick had let go of her hair. She wondered if the town guards were finally here, hoping they would take her side and not against her.
Patrick Humphrey’s face paled as if he saw a ghost, or more rightly to be said as if he was going to turn into a ghost. W-what was this pureblooded vampire doing here?! Though his mother and him, along with a few others, had planned to bring Eve’s misdeeds to light, he hadn’t expected this arrogant vampire to be here.
Silence filled in the place while every person stared at Vincent. When he started to walk toward them, Patrick quickly lied to the people,
“That is one of the man, she is sleeping with!”
Some people were nothing less than a herd of sheep, ready to jump over the cliff just because one of the sheep said to do it.
On hearing Patrick’s words, one of the men started to walk toward Vincent and demanded, “How dare you show up here and encourage such behaviour?”
Vincent stared at the man as if he didn’t exist. When the man raised his hand to hit him, missing the part that the person who had arrived wasn’t a human but a vampire, Vincent caught hold of the human’s hand with ease and twisted it behind the man’s back.
“Ahhh!” The human screamed with pain shooting up his arm. “Let go of my arm, you damn basta–AH!” he yelled, when Vincent twisted it further.
“That isn’t very nice,” Vincent’s cold voice sent chills down the spine of the human, who stopped struggling, while people turned scared and worried. He turned to look at the human and said, “You don’t seem like a bright person. Do you know it takes only a second to dislocate your arm?”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?! Let go of my arm right this instant!” The man shouted, and a few other humans, out of stupidity, decided to speak up for him, while they hadn’t bothered to stand up for Eve.
“Stay away from the matters of Meadow! You have no right to interfere in our matters,” said one of the townsfolk.
“This isn’t your town! Stop meddling with Meadow!” Mrs. Humphrey shouted from behind, and when Vincent’s hollow eyes shifted to look at the woman, she quickly hid behind her son before glaring at the vampire to think he could intimidate her in public.
Eve, who had been sitting on the ground until now, widened her eyes on hearing the vampire’s voice. She pushed herself and stood up, finding Vincent standing not too far away from where she was. Seeing him, her lips trembled while her eyes turned hazy because of the tears that started to fill in her eyes.
Vincent’s murderous eyes were quick to look at Eve, and his jaw clenched at the fragile state he had found her in. A wound on her forehead left a trail of blood on the side of her face. Her clothes were torn and her clothes dirty.
These people had hurt Eve. All Vincent saw was the pain in her eyes, as if she was trying to control herself from breaking down. He said coldly, “I don’t think you know how it feels, do you?” And he pulled the man’s arm hard enough to dislocate it from his shoulder, and the human cried out in agony.
“AHHHH!” The man fell to the ground, clutching his arm and the people around turned stunned.
“How dare you harm a fellow townsman of ours barbarically?” Mrs. Edwards demanded Vincent, “We will complain to the authorities!”
“Why don’t you come out and in the front? Let me see if your face is as dumb as your words,” Vincent taunted the woman, who, like Mrs. Humphrey hid behind another person.
Though the humans wanted to fight Vincent, they could tell by his appearance that he was no ordinary person. They were intimidated to go near him after what he had done to one of their townspeople. When the pureblooded vampire started to walk towards the crowd, they quickly moved from where they stood, giving him the way before he reached where Eve stood.
Silence filled the place while everyone watched the vampire staring at Eve.
Without notice, Vincent raised his hand to place his finger below Eve’s chin and turned her face to look at her forehead, where the wound was fresh. He noticed relief in her eyes as she asked him,
“What are you doing here?”
“I told you I would protect you, didn’t I?” Vincent stared at Eve as if she had asked him something obvious. He then questioned the crowd, “Anybody cares to tell who hurt her. Unless you prefer I start skimming all of you one at a time.” He turned his wrath-filled eyes to look at the crowd.
The men and women who had earlier called Eve names and pushed and ripped her sleeves, hurting her, all stiffened in their places. They didn’t want their arm dislocated too.
With Vincent, who stepped in front of her, Eve noticed the tear on the back of his overcoat. He removed his coat and turned around before draping it around her shoulders. He said to her,
“Don’t shed tears for people who don’t value or care for it. And you, my little girl, are worth more than these low lives.”
Mr. Humphrey’s jaw clenched as he had wanted to see Eve suffer because even in his mind, he believed that the woman had slept with men, and one of them was this vampire. He commented,
“So much for an employer. I don’t think there’s any employer who would treat the female employee like this, unless they are sleeping with the person.”
Vincent raised one of his eyebrows and tilted his head, “Funny that you mention something that I am not aware of. I must have been sleep walking.”
One of the women voiced, “This woman needs to be condemned for her sins. Sleeping with married men and spending night–“
“And whom is she sleeping with?” Vincent interrupted the woman.
“So many men!” replied a man at the back.
“Who?” Vincent questioned the person who spoke. “You don’t have names but you’re so eager to jump on the wagon of this witch-hunt.”
“Mrs. Edwards and Mrs. Humphrey know all about it. Patrick saw a man stepping out of Dawson’s residence in the middle of the night,” stated another person, looking at the two women who had told them all.
Vincent turned to look in the direction of the two women who had put the false allegation on Eve. He openly threatened them, “I will deal with you once I finish with the ones who hurt her.”
Patrick demanded, “You are her employer from high society and she’s just a governess, why are you trying to protect a secret that is out?”
Vincent’s eyes narrowed at the human, and a chuckle escaped from his lips, leaving the people confused. In a dead tone, he said to Patrick, “Genevieve Barlow is my woman. I don’t think you understand what you did. No worries,” he offered a spine-chilling smile, “I will make you understand it thoroughly.”
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 244 Repaying humiliation
The townsfolk of Meadow were taken aback by the vampire’s words, especially Mrs. Humphrey, her son Patrick and Mrs. Edwards, whose mouths had turned dry. They stared at Vincent with a gobsmacked expression.
On the other hand, Eve slightly frowned at Vincent’s false claim on her to be his woman. Her lips pursed because he had already made it clear that he wouldn’t return her feelings. Even though what he said now was a lie, to protect her from the people who watched them keenly, her heart didn’t miss to skip a beat at his words.
Patrick overcame his shock and gritted his teeth in anger. For years, he had pined for Eve’s affection, and this vampire had swooped right under his nose and stolen her! Common sense soon jumped out of his brain to be replaced by ego and idiocy. He blurted,
“So you agree that you both have been sleeping together. The truth is finally out of your mouth!” He then turned to look at the people and said, Did you hear that? This shameless whore–“
Vincent grabbed Patrick by his collar.
Patrick fumbled for words and warned Vincent, “If you hurt me, do you think the guards here and the Council will let you off the hook, just because you are a wealthy man?” He tried to free himself, but the vampire held him tightly.
“I adore people like you. Thanks to you, I get to stretch my fingers,” Vincent’s eyes held a sinister look that scared Patrick.
Raising his other hand, Vincent repeatedly punched Patrick’s face, and within a few seconds, the human started to bleed from his broken nose and three teeth fell out of his mouth. Mrs. Humphrey looked at them in horror and shouted, “Release my son this instant, you obnoxious vampire!”
Vincent glared at Mrs. Humphrey, who gulped even though she continued to stare back at him. He paused from punching Patrick, but didn’t let go of the human’s collar.
Blood dripped down from Vincent’s hand that belonged to Patrick.
Vincent then stated, “I don’t think I caught your name, not that I need it.” He then spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, “If we are talking about the bad things people are doing, it is only right to tell what you did,” he turned back to look at Patrick, and the corner of his lips curled as his fangs came into view.
Patrick was in pain and trying to stop the bleeding from his nose to pay attention to what the vampire had just said.
Vincent continued to say, “This man here, who was talking about morals, was recently thrown out from his job of managing one of the timber mills owned by Henry Quintin. Because he stole money from his employer, and we all know stealing isn’t a good habit. He now works as a servant in Quintin’s mansion. If I didn’t hear it wrong, he begged and cried for the job.”
Murmurs started to erupt among the people who stood there, whispering with each other, while they looked at Patrick Humphrey.
Mrs. Humphrey scoffed and defended her son, “You are lying! My son doesn’t work as a servant, but as a manager!”
Vincent let go of the human’s collar and soon placed his hand on Patrick’s head as if he was an animal being stroked, “Tell them I am wrong,” his eyes glowered before he gripped the pathetic human’s hair, similar to how Patrick had earlier pulled Eve’s hair.
“Ah! AH!!” Patrick shouted, wincing in pain.
“You are threatening him, wanting him to oblige to your claim!” Said another townsfolk, before he took a step backwards when Vincent’s glare was transferred to him.
“Now why would I ever do that? I was doing exactly what you and the others did,” Vincent’s eyes darkened, and he mocked them, “Only that I am stating the truth, while you decided to collude Ms. Barlow’s name without any actual proof.”
When Vincent gripped Patrick’s hair tighter, the man quickly accepted, “Yes, yes. I stole Mr. Quintin’s money! You are telling the truth, please let me go!”
More whispers started going around the people, and Mrs. Humphrey stared at her son with shock. Her lips moved, but no sound came before she finally questioned, “That isn’t true, is it, Patrick?! This vampire is forcing you to tell things!”
Vincent dropped his hand from the human’s head, but he wasn’t done. He twisted the man’s arm. Patrick was quick to panic, and he grovelled, “Please forgive me! I take back everything I said to Ms. Barlow! I only said those things because a maid came here yesterday to help her mistress! Plea-ahh!”
Even though Mrs. Humphrey was in shock about what she learned about her son, he was still her son and unable to see him in pain, she went to release him from the clutches of the vampire.
“Whatever it is! You are only forcing him to say it,” the woman stubbornly tried to pull Vincent’s hand away from her son. “It doesn’t erase the fact that this woman has spread her–“
SLAP!
Mrs. Humphrey’s hand covered her cheek, her eyes wide in horror as she was slapped in public. The woman coughed and tasted blood in her mouth.
People suddenly turned quiet with not even a whisper of the wind. As Patrick continued to wince with his hand twisted, Vincent unapologetically said to the woman, “Sorry for not saying this sooner, but I am not biassed when it comes to a man or a woman. So if you thought I would not break your bones, you are sorely mistaken.”
No one dared to utter a word, frightened that the vampire would deal with them similar to the other three people of the town. Some had started to harbour guilt over what they had done to Eve, now in doubt if what they heard was true or if it had been made up.
While everyone stared at the Humphrey’s, Vincent’s gaze shifted to look at Eve, who stared at him. He kicked the back of Patrick’s knee, and the human fell to his knees and his hands on the ground. But Vincent continued to look at her, before he took a step forward for the human to scream. He had stepped on the human’s hand, putting enough weight for the bones underneath his shoes to crack and crush.
“AHHHH! MY HAND! MY HAND!” Patrick yelled, clutching his bloody hand close to his chest, when Vincent stepped away from him.
In shock, the townsfolk of Meadow watched the scene in front of them with their mouths hanging open. This vampire… was utterly insane. He was pulling and breaking people’s limbs, not to mention he had slapped an older woman! Out of fear, they bowed, and one of them said,
“Please forgive us for blindly believing the rumours, Sire!”
“We are sorry, Genevieve!”
“We didn’t know any better! It was their fault!” One of the men pointed at Mrs. Humphrey and Mrs. Edwards, immediately transferring the blame to them.
The others agreed while Mrs. Humphrey held her burning cheek in her hand. Mrs. Edwards, who now stood away from her friend, tried to hide, not wanting to be harmed by this vampire, who looked like he was looking for blood.
An empty chuckle that sounded sinister escaped from Vincent’s lips, and he said,
“If only forgiveness could fix things. But you scarred Ms. Barlow by humiliating her, hitting her and tearing her clothes.” He cracked his knuckles and drawled, “So… Everyone responsible for Ms. Barlow’s current appearance, step forward. If you don’t, I will find you and make it much worse.”
One of the women cleared her throat and said in a low voice, “Some of us didn’t do anything. I even told them what they were doing was too harsh,” when the vampire turned his gaze at her, she quickly bowed.
At this time, the magistrate, who had earlier left the scene, returned with four guards following him. Seeing Vincent, his eyes widened at what the pureblooded vampire was doing here. When his eyes noticed the wealthy vampire’s coat on the woman, who was earlier being humiliated, he turned nervous.
Vincent stared at the crowd before his eyes fell on the magistrate and a crooked smile appeared on his lips. Just because they didn’t participate didn’t mean they weren’t guilty, and he would deal with them in his own way.
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 245 Completion of Act I and II
Music Recommendation: Data Mining- Choi Jung In
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The townsfolk who hadn’t directly participated in punishing and humiliating Eve earlier waited for the vampire to dismiss them from the place, so they could scurry away. But they didn’t have plans to go home, as they were interested to see what was going to happen.
The people involved in dragging Eve up here, didn’t step forward in fear of being beaten. Hoping the vampire was bluffing about knowing who had touched Eve.
The magistrate looked back and forth between the pureblooded vampire and the people of Meadow. Responsible for the matters in the town, he wanted to settle down things and made his way to where the vampire stood.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Moriarty,” the magistrate offered his deepest bow to Vincent. “If you will allow me, I would be more than happy to take over the situation—”
“What’s your name?” Vincent demanded, turning to the human.
“Terrance Salmon, Sire,” the magistrate quickly introduced himself.
At his name, Vincent licked his lips and ran his tongue over his fangs, and this lone action was enough for the magistrate to sweat. He questioned, “Considering Ms. Barlow has the coin of protection in her hand, I believe you noticed it?”
The magistrate replied nervously, “I tried to help her, but these people didn’t allow me and pushed me to the back,” and it was the truth! The man knew the coin’s importance, which was why he had gone to fetch the guards hoping to reduce the damage.
Vincent’s eyes narrowed before he said, “This might be an opportune time for you to quit, Salmon. What do you say?”
The man’s eyes went wide, and he fumbled, “I—I did the best I could to help her. This woman here,” he pointed at Mrs. Humphrey and continued, “Is the one who provoked people when I warned her.”
“It seems like Mrs. Humphrey likes to orchestrate plans, doesn’t she?” Vincent turned his cold eyes at the woman, who turned pale as if she had lost all courage. He said to the magistrate in a low voice, “Resign from work before I hold you guilty with the rest of them. Or… you can stay quiet and follow me. What do you choose?”
The magistrate didn’t want to lose his job or the position. Knowing the pickle he was in, he took a few steps backwards and stood behind the vampire.
“Wise choice,” hummed Vincent.
Eve’s eyes followed Vincent, watching him walk towards one of the men before grasping the man’s neck.
“P—please! I didn’t mean to do it!” The man stuttered, while Vincent squeezed the human’s neck, digging his nails and suffocating the man.
“Poor you. Your hand must have acted on its own. Such a rueful hand, perhaps we should throw it, hm?” Vincent glared at the man with murderous intentions while the man tried to pry the vampire’s fingers off his neck.
To honour Eve’s feelings and not hurt her, Vincent drew the line by not drinking her blood even though all he wanted was to sink his fangs. And here this low life had decided not just to hurt her but also waste his blood.
“Please don’t kill me!” The man looked frightened, and his eyes moved to where Eve stood and desperately begged her, “Forgive me, Ms. Barlow! I was swayed by Humphrey’s words. They said some maid came to the town and complained that you were sleeping with her mistress’s husband. Please let me go!” He pleaded.
Vincent looked around the place before his eyes fell on a nearby metal pole. He dragged the man there, harshly banging the human’s head against the pole.
“My God! You are right, hands to act on their own!” Vincent behaved surprised, “Let me hold it better.” He smacked the human’s head against the metal rod until blood started to drip from the man’s head.
Watching more blood spill in their town, the people of Meadow looked at the vampire with horror in their eyes. Mrs. Edwards, who had been hiding behind others, made her way to where Eve stood and whispered,
“Genevieve! I am so sorry for doubting your character,” the older woman’s eyebrows furrowed in worry, but Eve didn’t turn to look at her. Mrs. Edwards called her again, “Genevieve, please listen to me! I beg you to ask the vampire to stop hurting people, these people are part of Meadow. You have known them for so long and—”
“Where were those people when I was being shamed?” Eve’s voice held pain.
Mrs. Edwards tried to salvage her situation, and she shook her head and placed her hand on Eve’s arm, “You know how hard the world is. A woman needs to keep her legs closed unless it is the man she marries. Sleeping with other men is shameful and we didn’t want you walking in the wrong path.”
A sad smile appeared on Eve’s lips, which didn’t reach her eyes. She turned to her neighbour, meeting the older woman’s anxious eyes, who was scared of being punished next.
Eve’s eyes held sorrow, “So easily you decided that I was in the wrong. I wasn’t allowed to clear the misunderstandings. I told you…” her eyes moistened. She felt a lump in her throat before continuing, “All of you have known me for the longest, seen me grow along with your children. You marked my character as disgraceful. I belong to Meadow, this has been the home I knew, and instead of believing me, you believed what you wanted to see, heard things without verifying it even once.”
Eve had believed that this town was hers like any others and that the people here cared for each other. She was aware that if they found out about her being a mermaid, an outcast of society, she would be handed to the authorities, but she hadn’t expected them to drag her through the streets.
This was how society worked. No one ever bothered to know the truth about someone whose name was slandered. Instead, they joined the wagon to judge and point fingers at the person.
It wasn’t the wounds on her body that hurt her, but the loss of trust that made her sad. If Vincent hadn’t come, the people would have broken her spirit.
“That’s true,” Mrs. Edwards nodded, ready to agree to anything Eve said, “It was completely wrong of us to do it, forgive—”
Eve placed her hand on the older woman’s hand that was on her arm, pushing it away from her. She said, “I am sorry, Mrs. Edwards, but I cannot forgive you or the others.”
Another woman, who stood nearby, softly gasped and accused Eve, “How can you be stone hearted when everyone is begging you? You want to see them dead?”
“You have some nerve to speak to her like that after what you did,” came Vincent’s voice, and the woman quickly moved away from Eve.
Vincent dropped the man who fell next to the metal pole unconscious. He made his way to where Eve was, standing next to her, before turning to look at Mrs. Edwards, who gulped as she was in his line of sight.
“Actually you are right,” Vincent stated, and Mrs. Edwards and the other woman cautiously looked at him. The pureblooded vampire exclaimed, “How rude of this young woman to not forgive you! How can you do that, Eve?” Then came his sarcastic words, “After all, they only called you names, threw stones at you and dragged you through the streets. There’s no need to be so stuck up about forgiving them, mistakes like these always happen. It happens with them too, like now?”
Vincent raised his hand to his mouth and licked the blood off his fingers and the townsfolk around swallowed their anxiety.
One of the men responsible for tearing Eve’s sleeve quickly came forward and bowed, “Please spare us! We promise to never do anything like this!”
When the man didn’t receive a response, he raised his head in time to get a punch from Vincent, and the man fell to the ground. The man groaned and spat blood on the ground and. He stuttered, “Y-you said you wouldn’t punish us if we came forward!”
Vincent clicked his tongue, one side of his lips turning into a sneer, “I said I would reduce your punishment, never said anything about not punishing you.” He sat on his heel and caught hold of the man’s pinky finger between his two fingers and the human started to sweat. “Would you have stayed quiet if someone ripped your woman’s clothes? If the men touched her inappropriately?”
“Salmon,” Vincent called the magistrate, “What does the law of your town say if a man tears a woman’s clothes that she’s wearing in public?”
The magistrate was clever enough to save his own life, than try to save the ones who didn’t deserve it. The last thing he needed was to face the wrath of this pureblooded vampire. He said, “Punish them the same way as their mistakes, Sire.”
“Tsk tsk,” the corner of Vincent’s lips curled, “Let me show what your thoughtless action did,” he crushed the little finger’s bone with one press between his fingers.
“ARGHHH! UGH!” The human whimpered while hurling in agony.
Vincent tore the man’s shirt and stood up. He then asked, “So who is next?”
The magistrate wearily moved closer to Vincent and requested, “Sire, if you want, I can put them in the dungeon!”
“Don’t be scared, Salmon, no one here will complain about your lack of skills as a magistrate,” Vincent looked at the people.
One of the townspeople asked, “Do you… Do you want to drink our blood?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Vincent rolled his eyes, “Ripping your head off your neck and letting the blood flow into a glass, that is the last thing on my mind, apart from washing my hands and bathing in it.”
Vincent had an intimidating aura around him that made the humans tremble. Especially after seeing what he had done to others.
All it took was one more glare from Vincent for seven more people to step forward, who had dragged Eve. After ten minutes, each person had a bruise and swelling on their faces. Beating them into a pulp was easy, but it would also gain sympathy in the eyes of the others, something Vincent didn’t want.
Vincent picked up Patrick from the ground with the back of his neck, and looked down at the terrified human. Knowing how this worthless being was trying to court Eve until now, and had decided to throw mud at her because he couldn’t have her, he wanted to rip his heart out.
But death was too easy, and the pureblooded vampire wanted to watch them all burn. A smile crept up his lips and he threatened, “If I see you anywhere near Eve next time, or even so much as to whisper about her, I will gouge your eyes, stuff it in your mouth and bury you alive.”
Patrick quickly nodded, unable to take any more pain than he already received, “I—I promise.” He was scared of his head being snapped any second. Right now, he couldn’t see with one of his eyes as the area around it was swollen because of Vincent’s punches.
“I am not convinced,” Vincent deadpanned, and Patrick panicked.
“I won’t look at her or talk to her! I swear!” Patrick shook in fear.
Vincent gripped the human by his jaw and twisted his lips in displeasure. He raised his other hand. Bringing it near the human’s mouth, Vincent said, “Just to be sure, you know,” and he flicked the front tooth out of Patrick’s mouth.
“AHHH!” Patrick’s voice echoed in pain, and the others held their breath, as more blood dripped on the ground.
The people who had been beaten by Vincent, bowed and apologised to Eve, “We are sorry for everything we did. We are ashamed of our earlier behaviour.”
Eve doubted that any amount of apology would make things go back to the way it was. She wanted to leave, far away from here, so for the sake of it, she nodded and said, “Okay.”
Vincent noticed how Eve didn’t want to be part of this anymore and wanted to leave, picking up the look of discomfort in her eyes. He warned, “I don’t want to hear anyone discussing what happened or what you did to Ms. Barlow today.”
“Yes, Sire!”
“We won’t speak about it!”
“Sorry, Ms. Barlow!” came the collective voices from the crowd, but Eve didn’t respond.
The pureblooded vampire looked at the townsfolk before offering them a crooked smile. This was Act I and the next one was Act II. But the final one, he would deliver it with much joy and the thought of it brought excitement to his cold, hollow heart.
Once Vincent and Eve started walking back to Dawson’s residence, the magistrate ordered the guards to “Take these trunks back.” He then looked at the beaten and broken to say, “The ones who Mr. Moriarty’ talked’ to, will be kneeling on the ground here with their hands up. This includes you too, Mrs. Edwards.”
Mrs. Humphrey’s eyes widened, and she said in shock, “We aren’t children! The vampire has already punished us, and he wants us to kneel in public?”
“Until the sky turns dark or you will be thrown inside the dungeon for a week,” the magistrate added, and the woman grit her teeth.
The humiliation!
A few of them continued groaning in pain. Mrs. Humphrey tried to hide her face, by looking at the ground and so did the others, while they kneeled and raised their hands. She had started the day by showing Genevieve Barlow her place, but instead, the vampire had turned the tables on her. She gritted her teeth in anger.
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“Mo-ma…mothaar,” Patrick groaned with pain in his mouth as he had lost his teeth and his injured hand needed attention.
“Shut up, Patrick!” Mrs. Humphrey snapped as she still couldn’t believe he had lied to her about his job.
“If it weren’t for you, Mrs. Humphrey, we would have been in our home without broken bones!” One of the men blamed her.
“You brought us trouble with wrong information!”
“It wasn’t me but the maid! You believed it as much as I di—”
“We have heard enough, Mrs. Humphrey!” This time it was Mrs. Edwards who held a look of bewilderment in her eyes along with shame. “I just told Genevieve was having different carriages in front of her house, and you came to the conclusion that she was sleeping with different men for money! You and your son are full of lies!”
“How dare you! You were the one who started it!” Mrs. Humphrey responded with an appalled expression.
“You are the—”
“That’s enough!” The magistrate snapped at them, “One more word and you two will be spending another night here in the same place and position!”
Everyone who knelt on the ground quickly closed their mouths while their faces were covered in shame and embarrassment. While other people, who hadn’t taken part in the incident, were relieved and watched them from afar, not knowing what was waiting for them.
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 246 Having your back
Music Recommendation: Gerda in the rain- Alexandre Desplat
—
When Eve had locked the door and left earlier, she hadn’t expected to return this soon, at least not like this. She was happy to see Vincent, but not happy to let him find her in the condition he did.
She pulled the key from her dress pocket, fumbling through the door’s keyhole with unsteady hands.
“Give it to me,” Vincent stretched his hand in front of her.
“I can do it,” Eve whispered while trying to get the door to open. It took her a moment to realise the door had jammed. She turned to Vincent, but her eyes didn’t meet his eyes, and she stepped away from the door for him to take her place in front of the door.
Vincent turned the key stuck to the door and used his other hand to push and pull the doorknob and heard the door click.
“Thank you,” Eve said when he pushed the door open.
When they stepped inside, Eve asked Vincent, “Take a seat, Mr. Moriarty. Would you like to drink something? There’s no milk in the house, maybe a flower tea? There must be some biscuits that are still in the jar, let me go take a look in the kitchen.”
Vincent frowned at the way Eve now refused to meet his gaze. He said, “You are hurt. Sit down.”
Now that they were alone, Eve’s feelings returned for him with twice the fold. Though happy, at the same time, the ache in her chest appeared, and she wasn’t ready to hear him reject her again. It was why she didn’t dare to clarify what he said earlier to the townsfolk about him and her in front of everyone.
Eve nervously waved her hand and said, “It is nothing big. I will clean it in front of the mirror in Lady Aubrey’s room. Let me go and get you something to eat–“
“Eve,” Vincent stopped her, “I need you to sit down, so that I can help you clean the wound and the blood on your face. Please,” he added, and Eve couldn’t help but slowly meet his eyes.
Her eyes were filled with tears, and her lips trembled. How cruel that the only person she could cry in front of openly without having to hold back her tears was this pureblooded vampire. His cold eyes held concern and worry in them, and the walls she had built since last night crumbled.
Vincent walked to the kitchen, and Eve wondered if he had read her resignation letter. It was possibly why he was here? After two minutes, he returned with a bowl of water and a cloth in his hands. She took a seat in the living room, and he pulled a chair to sit in front of her.
When the wet cloth touched her forehead, Eve hissed, and Vincent stopped his hand, “I know it hurts, but bear with it for a few seconds.” Her nails dug into the palms while he continued cleaning the corners of the wound before following the trail of blood down the side of her face. “I didn’t think the people here would misinterpret the sight of a carriage in front of your house to be something else. I am sorry that my carelessness cost you today.”
“You don’t have to be sorry about it. It wasn’t your fault, but the people of Meadow,” Eve responded.
No one ever pointed their fingers at the members of high society who often had people visiting them in different carriages. But because she lived on the lower side of society, it was easy for one to point their fingers as their thoughts were narrow.
“You don’t have to put a brave face in front of me, Eve. Never have to,” Vincent had finished cleaning the blood trail and noticed a smear of blood on the corner of her lips. He dropped the stained cloth on the table and placed his hand on the other side of her cheek, “Let your feelings out.”
Eve didn’t understand why Vincent’s touch was gentler than before, and his words were enough to squeeze her heart as if ready to burst. With great difficulty, she had gathered her thoughts and herself, and she doubted she could do it again.
“I don’t think it would be wise… I will break..” Eve whispered, her eyes lowering from his gaze.
“I will be there to put you back,” saying this, Vincent leaned forward from his seat, and his lips touched next to her lips where blood had dripped before from one corner of her lips.
Eve’s eyes widened, feeling the pureblooded vampire’s lips so close to her own. Her heart started to race, but she did nothing to hide it. She felt his wet tongue taking away the trace of blood on her skin. Her glistening eyes slowly closed, feeling the gentle softness when his lips touched her skin, while not realising the depth Vincent’s earlier words held.
When Eve heard footsteps approaching the door, her eyes fluttered open, and she pulled away from Vincent, something he didn’t like.𝗶𝗻𝗻𝐫𝗲𝐚𝗱.𝐜𝐨𝐦
Soon Patton appeared in front of the house and informed, “Mr. Moriarty, I have urgent news.”
Vincent’s eyes narrowed, displeased with the interruption. When Eve looked at him, her doubtful mind remembered the night of his rejection, and she cleared her throat before standing up from the couch she had been sitting on.
“What is it?” Vincent asked loudly, who was annoyed, and he got up to make his way to the opened front door. His eyes turned to look at where Eve stood with her arms crossed, where she looked in the opposite direction, before turning to look at a worried Patton.
Patton looked left and right before he said in a low voice, “Two more bodies were dug out in Darthmore, and Sylvester has blamed it on you to Clayton. You are urgently needed at the Council, Sire.”
Vincent gave a nod, “Go, I will be there,” and Patton bowed. The man then hurried towards the waiting carriage parked in front of Dawson’s residence and left in it. Patton found Meadow to be odder than the last time he had visited, as the town had turned quiet and caught sight of some people kneeling on the ground.
Hearing the receding footsteps, Eve turned back to look at Vincent, who approached her. Without a word, he pulled her into his arms, embracing her closely as if not wanting to leave her in this state.
“I have to go to Darthmore for work. Come with me,” Vincent said so he wouldn’t have to worry about her.
“I will be fine here,” Eve assured him, her heart beating against his chest. He pulled himself back and stared at her. She offered him a smile, but that didn’t do it for Vincent. She then said, “You don’t have to worry about me. I doubt any of the townsfolk will do anything to me now. You should go,” she knew there was a pressing matter in the Council. He had saved her from trouble, and she was grateful for it.
“I will be back soon,” Vincent promised her, to which she nodded and watched him step out of the house.
Now alone in the house, Eve’s feelings were all over the place. What happened outside her home was still fresh in her mind, and Vincent’s kindness towards her was nothing less than a knife twisting in her heart. Her hand touched the corner of her lips, the feeling of his lips still humming in her heart.
Two hours passed while she sat in the living room thinking about what had happened when she heard a knock on the door. Opening it, she noticed it was the magistrate who decided to drop by to check on her.
“Ms. Barlow, I apologise for not being able to help you earlier. Mr. Moriarty told me to check on you if you need anything,” the magistrate asked her politely.
“Can you arrange a carriage for me to travel?” Eve asked him.
The magistrate frowned at her request but immediately agreed, “O–of course! I will have it arranged right away!”
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 247 Last stop of search
Vincent reached Darthmore earlier than Patton, who was still on his way travelling back to the Council in the carriage. The pureblooded vampire was short on time and wanted to return to Eve quickly, after what she went through at the hands of the townsfolk.
When he walked towards the building, one of his men quickly appeared and bowed, “Mr. Moriarty, the bodies are in the laboratory. The Head Council wants to see you in his chamber.”
“I am sure he does,” Vincent started to walk towards Clayton’s chamber. Upon reaching the front of the Head Council’s room, the small boy-like vampire invited him,
“Come in, Vincent. I am guessing Patton has already informed you about the bodies found?” Questioned Clayton, who sat behind his desk, and it looked as if his head floated above the edge of the desk. “Sylvester told Hart that you are the one who has been digging and burying body. How many more should I expect?” There was a deep frown on the young-looking vampire’s face as he stared at the silver-haired vampire.
Vincent stared right back at Clayton before he shrugged, “Frankly, none from my side. All of mine were already dug out.”
Clayton pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered, “I knew it.”
“Why is Sylvester pointing his fingers at me? Unhappy, that I put him in the dungeon?” Vincent questioned while pulling the chair in front of the desk and sitting down.
Clayton dropped his hand and glared at Vincent, “That’s what Stoker believes, but Hart is suspecting it to be you. There’s no proof, which turns Sylvester’s words baseless, doesn’t mean you aren’t being watched, Vincent. I told you to stop your killing spree.”
“You would be surprised how careful I have been today. Didn’t kill even a single person even though I wanted to,” Vincent offered a bright smile to Clayton, who only continued to frown. He said, “Sylvester’s hands are tied and the guards in the dungeon are my men. Did you know that the Duke of Woodlock visited him in the dungeon, but they didn’t share many words?”
“You think Noah is involved in Fowler’s death?” Clayton asked, slightly taken aback. “A lot of people came to see Sylvester at the dungeon.”
“I am not saying he is, but the two of them do seem close. Did you interrogate him?”
“Sylvester claims he has nothing to do with Fowler’s death. He said he’s being set up by someone,” Clayton moved his hands away from the desk as he leaned back against his chair. “Of course, the proofs are there, but he isn’t willing to accept Fowler’s death on his hands. The Duke has been inquired about it too, but he said he is as shocked as others to know that Sylvester planned Fowler’s death.”
“You wouldn’t mind if I called him for interrogation again, would you?”
Noticing the sinister look in Vincent’s eyes, Clayton’s eyes narrowed, and he replied, “I don’t see any harm in it. Why are you suddenly so interested in him?”
“I have always been interested in him,” hummed Vincent while tapping his fingernail on the surface of the desk. Noah Sullivan was no longer just a Duke in the eyes of the pureblooded vampire. The werewolf was a man who liked Eve, and Vincent knew Eve’s feelings in the past had wavered towards the person.
Clayton sighed in frustration, as he didn’t know who else was burying bodies around the land assigned to the Council. When his eyes fell on the drops of blood on Vincent’s shirt, he questioned, “I didn’t know you were working.”
“I wasn’t,” Vincent answered, and Clayton pursed his lips. “It was all for good reasons, and you would be happy if you knew.”
“One would think that after all these years, I would have gotten used to the way you approach things,” the frown on Clayton’s forehead deepened, and though he had the appearance of a young boy, his forehead said otherwise with the subtle lines on it. “Who was it?”
“Men and women of Meadow,” chirped Vincent, and the Head Council turned confused. “They were having a witch hunt and I thought to return the favour. Don’t worry, they are all alive.”
Wasn’t that the same town that Vincent’s governess belonged to? If the pureblooded vampire had decided to meddle in it, it was possible that the ‘witch’ here was none other than the governess. Clayton shook his head,
“I would have never thought for you to care for a human. A woman at that.” He said it because Vincent’s mother was a human, and unable to defend herself or her children, she had died. Not to mention, the man who had killed the former Moriarty Viscountess was a human.
Vincent stared at Clayton before his lips turned into a crooked smile, “On that account you wouldn’t mind if I did something more, would you?”
The Head Council held a weary look and said, “I will. I don’t need a midnight mass murder.”
“Oh hush, now. I am not so petty to murder people. Not always,” said Vincent, pulling his hand away from the desk and checking his nails.
“But you are petty enough to pull something,” Clayton held a dead expression on his face, wishing Vincent didn’t tell him what trouble he was up to, and now that he did, he glared at him. Schooling his expression, he questioned, “Why go to such lengths for a woman you only like. Or is it because she’s the only one you can stand being around?”
The question wasn’t about why anymore. But if he had to answer, the answer was simple. He didn’t like seeing tears in her eyes.
Having been buried in work since yesterday, the thoughts about the mermaid had not surfaced to the front until he had travelled back home. Not that she had disappeared from the back of his mind.
It was the content in Eve’s letter that had angered him. The silly mermaid had failed to understand what he meant when he said he owned her life. But it was the thought of her not being around left a gap that he hadn’t foreseen. His blood boiled, remembering what he saw in Meadow. Anger simmered beneath his skin that hadn’t cooled down after seeing what they had done to her.
It was the second time Vincent had seen Eve with a broken expression, and this time it was far worse than the last time. He wanted to protect her, not because she was a mermaid anymore, but because of who she was.
Today, Vincent realised that he was bound to worry about Eve for the rest of his life.
He remembered her eyes threatening to spill the tears she had been holding back and her cheeks tinting pink. He ran his hand through his hair, pushing it back that once again fell on his forehead and in time noticed Clayton watching him.
“I know I am the apple of your eye, but you don’t have to stare that hard,” remarked Vincent and Clayton rolled his eyes.
“I feel like throwing up,” the head of the Council muttered.
Vincent turned to look at the clock on the wall, counting the time that had passed since he had left Eve back in Meadow. He wanted to wrap the matters here so that he could return to her, hoping the magistrate was making sure no other townsfolk would come to bother her again.
After some time, the woman who worked in the Council’s laboratory knocked on the door of the Head Council’s chamber.
“What do you have, Clarks?” Clayton questioned her.
“Sire, the skeletons are older than a decade or or two. They aren’t recently buried skeletons,” Clarks informed, and Vincent whistled at it.
Clayton nodded and stated, “Looks like Vincent escapes the need to be interrogated as Sylvester’s claims have proved to be wrong.” He said to Vincent, “We need to find which other person has been burying the bodies. Guards have already been placed, which makes the surroundings impossible to be used for burying bodies.”
Vincent got up from his seat, “Now that my name is clear, it seemed like I am not needed here. I will take a look at the bodies in the laboratory.”
Clayton nodded, and Vincent stepped out of the room with Clarks.
[Music Recommendation: Data Mining- Choi Jung In]
Wanting to look at the skeletons found recently, he made his way to the other building where the laboratory was located. He asked the woman, “Did someone tip to dig the ground to find the skeletons?”
“One of the ground guards found a finger bone sticking out from the surface. The rain that poured must have continuously eroded the surface of the soil,” Clarks informed as she walked one step away from the pureblooded vampire.
“Looks like the people who wanted to bury the bodies were in a hurry to get rid of the person, hm,” Vincent hummed, their shoes clicking against the ground as they made their way through the corridor.
Once they reached where the skeletons lay along with their decomposed belongings, Vincent stepped forward and looked at them. Both of them appeared to have quality leather shoes, but there was something peculiar about one of them, and he came to stand in front of the table where the skeleton lay.
He wondered what was the reason, that this person was buried.
Vincent then took a step closer to observe the tattered fabric on the skeleton, still intact even after years, while the other skeleton had a leather coat with holes. He turned the body and noticed the tear of the tattered dress on the back, which had a blood stain. This woman’s skeleton… could it be that this person was Eve’s mother and the one they buried before was someone else?
Eve and he had believed that those were the only bodies in the ground of Darthmore and had picked the skeleton that matched with the closest answer. He frowned,
“Was it this skeleton’s finger that was sticking out?”
Clarks, who stood on the other side, turned to look at Vincent and replied, “Yes, she was the one. She was probably buried alive.”
Minutes passed, when Vincent noticed a grey patch on the dress. He moved the thin layers before looking at the inner material that reminded him of the patchwork he had seen many years ago. The way the thread was sewed through stood out even in the past.
Vincent’s eyes narrowed and his suspicion turned stronger. He tore the cloth along with the patch, leaving the woman in the room speechless.
“Um, Mr. Moriarty, do you need the dress?” Clarks asked him in doubt.
Vincent didn’t stand around and quickly disappeared from there.
Stepping out of the building and going far away from people’s sight, where the sky had started to change colour, ready to welcome the night, Vincent’s wings appeared from his back before he flew away from Darthmore.
Vincent clutched the tattered fabric, while his wings flapped in the sky. By the time he reached the almost abandoned town, the sky had started to turn darker, and he landed back on the ground. He stared at the building with broken doors and windows. His jaw clenched, and his eyes darkened.
He finally stepped inside Eve’s former house, and his eyes looked around before they fell on the cupboards.
Walking towards them, he opened one of the cupboards and looked through the scarce things covered in dust and cobwebs. He then opened the next cupboard, his hands moving across the old clothes until his hand pulled out a small-sized coat with patchwork and similar threadwork.
Vincent remembered the little girl who had worn it and whispered, “It was you…”
_____________
ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 248 No one home
When Vincent reached Meadow, darkness had fallen upon the lands. Most townsfolk were inside their houses, while some walked on the streets, heading home. And then there were people who were continuing their punishment in the centre of the town–sitting in shame and humiliation.
The people responsible for hurting Eve earlier, continued to kneel on the ground with their hands up and a tired expression on their faces, as hours had passed since they were in the same position.
“Hands higher!” One of the guards demanded from Mrs. Humphrey, who, out of pain in her arms, had lowered her hands.
“My arms are aching,” Mrs. Humphrey complained with her face scrunched in pain. “How much longer are we supposed to stay here like this? We have begged for forgiveness.”
“Mrs. Humphrey, you should feel grateful that your body is still intact and not broken,” the man whose finger had been crushed glared. After being slammed against the metal pole, he had woken up after an hour of unconsciousness before joining everyone else to kneel with them.
Mrs. Edwards was exhausted even though Vincent hadn’t broken her bones or slapped her. She wheezed in exhaustion, “I will never look at the Dawson’s residence ever again. I don’t want to do anything with their matters. Nothing at all.”
Noticing the pureblooded vampire appear out of nowhere, one of the men shushed everyone from complaining. Patrick started to sweat, and moved to the side so the vampire wouldn’t wash him like a dirty cloth.
Vincent didn’t bother to spare a look at the townsfolk and walked past them as if they didn’t exist. He reached Dawson’s residence and knocked on the door, while feeling his mind racing with his thoughts.
The lantern hanging in front of the house burned with a low flame.
In the past, Vincent’s doubt had surfaced because they were both mermaids, but his memory of the girl had been suppressed. It wasn’t that he was in love with the little girl, as he was too young and too proud to have feelings for a being who was below his pureblooded lineage. But he had been fascinated by the girl who cried pearls.
He couldn’t tell what exactly his young self had been enamoured about her. If it was her appearance or if it was her tears. Somewhere he had wanted to find her again as if he had lost something in the crowd. Knowing there was something more, after all, she was the first and only person to bite him. The thought made him narrow his eyes as he stared at the closed door and knocked on the door again.
The woman Eve had turned out to be, what Vincent was familiar with, she pulled out actions from him that he had never shown to people out of his family, which was also rare. Though he found joy when it came to annoying people in general, it was her reactions that he enjoyed the most.
Vincent frowned when Eve didn’t open the door. He walked around the house and stood in front of the living room window. Looking inside, he noticed it was dark, and his eyes narrowed.
Hearing footsteps outside the gate of Dawson’s residence, Vincent turned, hoping to find Eve, but it was the town’s magistrate.
The magistrate held a smile on his lips, as if he had perfectly done whatever Vincent had ordered him to do. He greeted the pureblooded vampire, ready to receive the praise,
“Mr. Moriarty, good evening. I followed all your orders and helped Ms. Barlow to get a carriage–” it took only a second for Vincent to wrap his hand around the magistrate’s neck.
“I told you to keep a watch on her, not send her away from here,” Vincent’s gaze turned furious, as he glared at the magistrate, who started to cough and tapped his hands on the vampire’s fingers around his neck.
“M–Mr. Moriar–arty,” the magistrate panicked, “I can’t b–breathe!”
Vincent let go of the magistrate’s neck, knowing time was slipping like sand through his fingers and he demanded, “What time did she leave from here?” The human coughed and gasped for air.
The magistrate noticed sparks of anger spilling from the vampire’s demeanour, and he nervously answered, “I–I don’t remember the exact time, but it was before the sky had turned completely dark. I remember asking her why she was lighting the lantern if she was leaving.”
‘I don’t want it to be dark when he comes here. If he comes by… please tell him that I am sorry,’ the magistrate remembered Eve’s words before she had climbed into the carriage.
Vincent ran his fingers through his thick lock of silver hair and an irritated sigh escaped from his lips. He had hoped she would rest after what had transpired today. He had told her he would be there for her, didn’t he? That he would return to her.
The pureblooded vampire’s anger that had lowered earlier increased tenfold. Noticing the intimidating aura coming from Vincent, the magistrate turned fearful.
Having never come across these feelings before and with the attention to visit the Council, Vincent had missed conveying the words that could have made Eve stay back.
But Eve had left Meadow and him.
Vincent turned away from the door. She couldn’t have gone too far, he thought in his mind. Soon black wings emerged from his back, and the magistrate’s eyes widened in shock, as he noticed the wings spread wide behind the vampire’s back and with one flap of the wings, the devil-like vampire shot up in the sky, leaving Meadow.
[Music Recommendation: I love you- Kris Bowers]
Far away from Meadow, Eve’s head rested against the side of the carriage as the horses pulled the vehicle through the forest path. She looked outside the window, where the trees passed in the darkness.
Eve knew she wouldn’t have been able to leave Meadow if Vincent had been in front of her. The resolve she had built would drown, and so would she.
There was a heaviness in her heart as she moved farther and farther away from the person she had feelings for. Only two days had passed since she confessed to Vincent and he had rejected her. She didn’t forget the kindness he had shown her.
“Excuse me,” the woman passenger called the male passenger, who sat next to Eve. “What time is it now?”
The man pulled out his pocket watch and brought the device closer to the window. He answered, “It is going to be thirty past seven, milady.”
Earlier, the town’s magistrate had got the local carriage in front of her house before loading her luggage and picking up two more passengers on their way.
“Thank you,” the woman offered a small bow before her curious gaze shifted to Eve as she sported a wound on her forehead.
Eve offered a bow to the blonde woman, and the woman realised she had been staring, and she returned the bow before looking outside the carriage. Before leaving her house, Eve had changed her clothes and combed her golden-blonde hair that had been pulled by people earlier. She had then wrapped a scarf around her face as if wanting to hide the wound on her face that could attract attention.
When the carriage reached Thresk Hills, the local coachman got down from the driver’s seat and opened the door for the three passengers inside it. Once both the woman’s trunks were brought down to the ground, the woman who had earlier asked for the time asked the local coachman,
“Where are the carriages for Berkshire parked?” It seemed like this woman was going to ride along with her too, Eve thought.
The local coachman turned back, pointing in the direction, “You will find it on the right corner there. The carriage must be on its way and will move at eight.” The woman murmured a thank you, who only had a small bag with her and walked in the direction where the carriages would arrive.
Eve’s blue eyes looked at people still walking up and down the streets of the town. She wondered if the inn where they sold the cakes was open and had cakes left. There was still time before the carriage she was going to travel in would arrive, and a little snack would ease her nerves.
Picking up her trunk with one hand and carrying the smaller bag over her shoulder, she started to walk towards it. But when she arrived at the inn, the couple were closing the place as if they were done for the day.
Eve bit her lower lip. It seemed like she had run out of luck today. How unfortunate, she thought to herself. She turned around to go back to the local carriage stop when she saw him standing a few distances before her.
Her feet stopped, and she stared back at him.
“What are you doing here, Genevieve?” Noah asked her with a frown when his eyes fell on her forehead.
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 249 Night of findings
Eve was as surprised as Noah to see him in Thresk Hills at this hour. In the haste of wanting to get away from Meadow and Vincent, she had forgotten to send a word to the Duke of Woodlock that she was moving to Berkshire.
Noah walked towards Eve, coming to stand in front of her and asked with deep concern, “Is everything okay? What happened to your forehead?”
Embarrassed and ashamed to talk about what had happened back in Meadow, she offered him a smile. She shook her head and said, “I was walking without light at night and hit my head against the wall. She touched her wound even though it stung to let him know she was fine and there was nothing to worry about.
A little confused, Noah asked her, “And the trunk?”
“Ah, I decided to go to Berkshire where Aunt Aubrey has gone to visit a friend of hers. I became worried about her because she had complained about her back,” Eve replied, looking at Noah, and he nodded.
By the look in her eyes, Noah could tell that something had happened as they looked sad and she didn’t want to talk about it.
Noah said, “The carriage will be coming on the other side. Did you come here to eat something?”
Eve turned to look at the inn, which was now closed, “I thought I would buy some cakes.”
“Unfortunately, most of the shops here close early since the activities of the rogues have increased. I know a place where you can carry something along with you for the journey,” Noah suggested, but Eve quickly shook her head, refusing,
“That’s fine. I can manage until tomorrow morning,” Eve waved her hand, but at the same time, her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten anything since early noon.
Noah chuckled hearing it, and said, “I don’t think your stomach agrees with you. The place is nearby, and the food must have already been prepared.”
“Okay,” Eve replied, and when she went to pick up her trunk, Noah caught hold of the trunk’s handle.
“It would be rude to have you carry, and I walk empty hands,” the Duke was ever polite and they walked to the next street.
The little inn where Eve and Noah stopped was on the way to where she would climb the carriage. While Noah spoke to the owner, Eve turned to look at the streets around them. Once the owner went back inside, she asked,
“Did you finish your work for the day?”
Though Noah did have to be somewhere, he had decided to stay. He smiled, “Almost done.” The wound Eve said she had received from the edge of the wall was fresh, as if it had happened very recently and made him worried. Before she could say something, he asked, “Are you alright, Genevieve?”
Eve didn’t like the question because it brought in emotions that she was trying to keep away so that she could put on a brave front. She was far from alright, and she swallowed the lump she felt in her throat.
Noah noticed Eve turned silent and did not reply to his question. Her eyes moistened and sparkled under the light of the lanterns. Unable to help himself and wanting to comfort her, he stepped in front of her and hugged her. He consoled her,
“I don’t know what happened, but everything will be okay.”
When Eve closed her eyes, the traces of tears passed to her lashes rubbed against Noah’s coat, absorbing it. She whispered, “I hope so too.”
Eve wondered if Vincent was still in Darthmore.
Noah had held back his feelings for so long that, now that she was in his arms, he closed his eyes trying to give her anything she would need. Dropping his hand, he stepped back and said, “I know you want to leave for Berkshire right away, but during the night, the rogues sometimes show up at the edge of the land. If you go by morning, the problems would be less and you would have crossed over the edge. I will arrange a carriage so that you can reach where your aunt is.”
Eve didn’t have the heart to stay here, but Noah’s words made sense and the time of night… did bring unknown trouble. She didn’t want to go back to Meadow now, and she had nowhere else to go.
At the same time, Noah didn’t want Eve to be alone and added, “Tonight you can stay at the quarters where Lady Anaya and her family are staying. My carriage is parked in the next street.” Taking the food from the inn, they carried the luggage, and made their way to the vehicle.
By the time Vincent reached Thresk Hills, he fervently looked for Eve before meeting the local carriage man who had brought her and the other two passengers to this town. He demanded,
“Did you see a woman with golden blonde hair climb the carriage for Berkshire?”
The local carriage remembered the woman and vigorously nodded, “Yes, that lady! She climbed the carriage that left ten minutes ago.” As Eve had covered her head with a scarf, the man didn’t register her, but the other passenger woman, who had earlier asked him for directions.
Without wasting another second, Vincent disappeared from the town and looked for the carriage. His bat-like wings flapped behind his back, his eyes on the forest path and when he finally caught up with the moving carriage. Going ahead of the path, he descended to the ground while his wings disappeared.
On seeing someone who appeared to be stranded, the coachman pulled the reins to stop the carriage. He shouted,
“What are you doing in the midd-forgive me for my insolence, Mr. Moriarty!” The coachman recognised Vincent and offered his deepest bow.
Vincent walked to the carriage door and pulled it open. But Eve wasn’t there, and it was another woman. Where was she? He gritted his teeth and snapped at the coachman, “There was another woman, who climbed this carriage. Where is she?”
“Only one passenger was picked up from Thresk Hills, Sire!” The coachman quickly replied.
Vincent’s hands clenched into fists, before one of his hands banged the carriage next to him, straightening both the coachman and the passenger’s back, who sat inside the carriage.
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 250 Shelter of the wolf
Music Recommendation: One step at a time- Alexandre Desplat
—
On reaching Woodlock, the carriage in which Noah and Eve were riding entered the gates of the Sullivans’ mansion before the vehicle came to a halt.
Noah turned to look at Eve, noticing her stare at the empty seat in front of her, something she had been doing since they had left Thresk Hills. Though he hadn’t pressed her for what happened, he was still curious to know who had hurt her. It seemed like he met her after she passed through a difficult time, where he could not help her, and he knew there was only a little he could do about it because of his circumstances.
He couldn’t recklessly put her under everyone’s eyes and his inability to help made him clench his jaw.
But Noah’s heart craved to be there for her. After all, she was the only woman he had loved. Even if it meant it was from afar. He tried to protect her in his own way.
When his coachman Kieran opened the carriage door, Noah noticed Eve didn’t realise they were at his mansion and he called her,
“Genevieve?”
Eve snapped away from her thoughts and turned to look at him with her blue eyes that reminded him of the deep sea. He smiled kindly, “We have arrived at Sullivan’s mansion.”
Noah and Eve stepped down from the carriage, and he said, “Let me lead you to the quarters where you will be sleeping tonight.” Eve turned to look at the carriage, where her trunk sat behind the vehicle. He assured her, “Don’t worry about it. Kieran will keep an eye on it tonight.”
Eve apprehensively asked, “Your family won’t mind me being here?”
Bringing an unmarried woman home at night wasn’t something that was welcomed. Not to mention, she was no more just a woman from the lower side of society, but someone, who had been accused of having illegitimate affairs with men of the high society.
Noah replied, “My family wouldn’t mind, Genevieve. Nor would the Chambers’ family. Please be at ease.”
Eve followed Noah inside the mansion, where he led her through the hallways and corridors while her mind returned to what happened a few hours ago with the townsfolk and Vincent. She didn’t bother to admire the beautiful mansion and blindly followed the Duke before they walked up one of the mansion’s stairs and arrived at the guest quarters.
They met Lady Anaya on the way, who looked surprised to see Eve at the mansion at this hour. Both the women bowed, and Eve greeted first, “Good evening, Lady Anaya.”
“Good evening, Ms. Barlow,” Lady Anaya greeted her back and asked, “Is everything alright?” without directly hinting at the wound she noticed on Eve’s forehead.
Noah was the one to reply, “I met Genevieve in Thresk Hills, who was going to travel to Berkshire. But I asked her to go in the morning because of the rogue activities,” and the she-wolf nodded.
“That is good. The rogues have been causing quite a bit of an issue lately,” Lady Anaya agreed and then asked, “Did you eat something, Ms. Barlow? Let me tell the butler to prepare the dining room. Also, there are newly made nightdresses that Ms. Barlow can make use of tonight.”
Eve quickly shook her head, “I am perfectly fine, Lady Anaya. You do not have to worry about it. I have my trunk in the carriage, and can take it from it.” She was fine sleeping in with what she wore now.
Lady Anaya said, “I am sure you must have compactly packed your clothes and removing it now would be a hassle. I would be upset if you refused.” When Eve offered another bow to the lady, the she-wolf smiled.
People often saw wrongs in the women of the High Society, but women like Lady Anaya defied them. So did the women of her town, Eve thought.
“Thank you,” Noah thanked her, and Lady Anaya’s eyes met him, where she gave him a nod. The she-wolf walked away from there, while Noah led Eve to her room.
When the butler prepared the dining room, it was just the three of them, as the other family members had already finished their dinner an hour ago. Noah sat on the head of the table, while Lady Anaya sat on his immediate left and next to her sat Eve. Once the maids started serving the food, they started to eat.
Lady Anaya inquired with Eve, “Who lives in Berkshire?”
Eve swallowed her food and replied, “My aunt’s friend. At the moment my aunt is there, visiting her.”
“Berkshire is beautiful, especially with the oncoming time of Winter,” Lady Anaya chatted as both Noah and Eve were quiet. Eve kept slipping away in her thoughts while Noah kept a watchful eye on her. “The last time I was there it was almost two years ago. Is this your first time visiting the capital?”
“Second,” replied Eve, and the woman nodded.
“I see,” Lady Anaya murmured before resuming her meal.
Noah asked Eve, “How long do you plan to stay there?”
“I haven’t decided yet. But it will be long,” upon Eve’s answer, the Duke nodded.
Lady Anaya noticed the way Noah stared at Eve. She asked their guest, “The Moriarty family must be flexible to work with, isn’t it? When my governess missed two days of work, my mother was angry at her,” she softly laughed before adding, “Everyone should get a time of vacation.”
Eve decided not to mention her quitting working for the Moriarty family and only mustered a smile at Lady Anaya’s words. Even if she wanted to continue to work, she couldn’t go back and this time, it wasn’t because of Vincent. Word of false rumour would eventually pass to different towns that she was sleeping with men for money. She wouldn’t be able to work here, as no one would want to hire her.
After finishing dinner, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. Lady Anaya’s newly made nightdress was already placed on her bed, which Eve wore. She got inside the bed, pulling the blanket close to her chest.
But when Eve closed her eyes, the memories of people dragging and shaming her appeared in her mind. She could still hear the scathing words of the townsfolk that echoed in her ears. She twisted and turned in the bed before sitting upright at the edge of the bed for long minutes.
She placed her feet on the carpeted floor and stepped out of the room. She walked to a nearby patio in the corridor, looking at the beautiful view of Woodlock town under the night sky.
“Having trouble sleeping?”
She turned and noticed Noah, standing a few steps away from her. He had changed his clothes to his night dress, wearing a thin brown coat tied around his waist.
Eve gave a nod. It seemed like she wasn’t the only one unable to sleep tonight.
But unlike her, Noah hadn’t gone to bed to sleep and sat in his armchair for minutes while thinking about her. He had asked Kerian to see if something had happened in Meadow, but the man had returned with no answer except to say, ‘The townsfolk were scared, and no one was willing to speak.’
Deciding to stroll near the quarters where Eve now slept, he walked only to find her standing on one of the patios.
Noah now walked to where she stood and came to stand next to her in front of the railings. He said, “The season of rain has ended and soon it will start to snow.”
“It has been cloudy since yesterday,” Eve replied, noticing the sky didn’t hold stars or moon. “This place has a beautiful view.”
“It does,” Noah responded while looking at her. He watched the fringes on her forehead move to the sides because of the wind. Every day she seemed to grow more beautiful than the day before, but so did the look in her eyes, which held unspoken pain. Unable to keep himself from knowing, he asked, “Who hurt you, Genevieve?”
Eve clutched the railing while she didn’t look away from the view of the town. She then said, “It was a misunderstanding, but it has been cleared now.”
“If it has been cleared, why does it seem like you want to run away from this place? Was it Vincent Moriarty?” Noah asked her.
Eve quickly shook her head. “No,” she replied, even though the pureblooded vampire was mostly the reason why she wanted to leave. She said, “I thought a few days away from here would help me clear my head. A little break from everything.”
A subtle frown appeared on his face, and he said, “You can always talk to me about anything, and I promise to not judge you.”
“I know you won’t. But sometimes the burden is too heavy that if you share it with another, things might not be the same,” Eve smiled at the end, which appeared to be sad. She said, “Thank you for offering me a place to stay for tonight.”
Noticing the look of pain in the eyes of the woman he loved, his emotions took over reality, and he let his guard down. He placed his hand on top of hers, which was on the railing and said, “There is something I want to tell you.”
Eve looked at him with a questioning gaze, “What is it?”
“I…”
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