Who the hell is ringing the doorbell so early in the morning? That's not the main issue
Eli is holding me tightly. His face is on my chest. But that's not the main issue either.
I could feel his skin on my chest. That's the issue here. I remember going to sleep last night after he promised that he wouldn't do a thing to me when I didn't even ask him to make such a promise. I don't remember when I fell asleep with him lying beside me.
Now, he's holding me like a pillow. The front of my shirt is missing a large area of fabric. His lips are pressed against my right nipple.
Damn him! What the fuck is he doing? Did he do this when I was asleep?
When I try to move, he moans in protest, brushing his lips against my nipple and sending surges of electricity through my skin. "Honey, don't go..."
I gasp when he parts his lips and takes it in his mouth. That's it. He doesn't move at all. He's deep in sleep. What the hell is wrong with this man? If I was married to him, I would have divorced him by now for frustrating me like this to death.
It's morning. Someone is still ringing the doorbell like a madman. "Eli Sanguine, open the door!!!"
Isn't that Valentin Krauss? Why is he back here? Eli raises his head and looks at me with sleepy eyes. A slow smile appears on his lips. "Good morning, Nell."
"Just what are you doing?" I glare at him.
"I want to sleep more," He tells me with a drowsy voice. "I couldn't sleep because I was trying my best to not jump on you."
You should have jumped on me if you wanted to. I don't know what to do with this idiot. He keeps playing with me like this. "Why did you tear my clothes when I was sleep?"
"Tear what?" He looks down and widens his eyes. "Nell, they are bigger than I imagined them to be. Your nipples are erect."
He's looking at them like he has never seen boobs before. His eyes fill with desire. He licks his lips lecherously and I find it hot. I don't know why it that. Still, I need to get the facts right. "Eli, you have seen me naked when you found me that day in the bathroom."
"You are right." Eli blinks at me in surprise. "But I was only concentrating on saving you. I didn't pay attention to your breasts at that time."
I didn't expect to hear that. Then, it's not strange either. It would be strange if he paid attention to my boobs instead of my slitted wrist.
"ELI SANGUINE, IF YOU DON'T OPEN THE DOOR, I PROMISE THAT I WILL BRING DEATH TO YOU!"
He sighs and moves away from me reluctantly. He glances at my breasts with longing. "Wait for a while. I will you the attention you deserve."
"..." He's talking to my boobs. I am not sure whether I should be creeped out or not. I cover my breast with the pillow. My face is burning with heat. He looks back at me and gives me a knowing smile. Then, he leaves the room.
"Argh!" I press my face against the cold wall. "Maybe I should seduce him and eat his virginity before he eats me."
***
With a happy mood, Eli walks to the door while fixing his clothes. He doesn't remember when he tore off her shirt. It seems that she didn't mind it. Though she's not saying it, she wants him to do more. Seeing her frustrated expressions is delightful. How long can she hold herself back before she tells him that he belongs to only her?
The man is still pounding the door and roaring like a bear.
Why is this annoying creature here on such a good day? Because of him, he couldn't continue to feel his wife's softness. What's the point of taking a vacation if he can't enjoy mornings with his Nell? He opens the door.
Valentin Krauss is not alone.
The man beside him is a little older and taller than Valentin. His emerald eyes are calm and his dark hair is combed back. Eli could tell that they are brothers.
"Why are you here again?" Eli questions Valentin with a cold and detached tone.
"She's a Krauss." Valentin smirks at him, "Her name is Nell Krauss. We are here for her."
Eli glances at the man beside him. "Are you her father?"
Nathanial Krauss shakes his head. "No."
"You still don't insist that you are her father, right?" Eli scowls at Valentin. "Leave before I call the Council and report your misbehaviour. I have had enough of your craziness."
This ghoul has some guts. Valentin glowers at Eli. "What can the Council do? She's a Krauss. We are here to take her back."
"Take me back?" A sharp and aloof tone makes Nathanial shudder. He tilts his head a little to get a glimpse of the woman walking in their direction. Nathanial suppresses his surprise when he sees the woman in her late twenties. Dressed in a loose white shirt and a checkered trouser, she has a petite frame. Her hair is as pale as the light of the moon, and vibrant hazel eyes with gold flecks. "Who are you people bothering us?"
This rebellious attitude and mocking smile remind him of someone. Nathanial inhales sharply and looks away. Without a doubt, she's a Krauss.
"Nell, you are a Krauss." Valentin tells her with a loud voice, "A Krauss can never marry a ghoul. Leave with us. You are not meant to mingle with the likes of him. My mother will forgive you because she knows that you had no idea about your lineage."
"What the fuck!" Nell wrinkles her nose. "I already told you that I am not a Krauss. Who I marry is not your mother's business."
Eli lets out an exasperated sigh. He looks at Nell. "Nell, can you get my phone? It's in the bedroom. I have to hold these idiots back."
This is getting out of the hand. Nathanial grabs his brother's arm. When Valentin meets his eyes, he shakes his head. "Don't speak."
His younger brother becomes quiet and steps back. Nathanial smiles at Eli. "I am Nathanial Krauss. I apologize for my brother's behaviour. My brother has been an idiot. How about we talk inside? I will explain everything."
"Say whatever you want here." Eli doesn't move away. Short-tempered people like Valentin speaks everything on the face while the man like Nathanial Krauss hides everything behind their calm facade. Nell returns with his phone with the Devil cat right behind her.
Nathanial takes a glance at the spirit cat. He couldn't sense the moon magic because he's born with night magic, but he could tell that the spirit is younger than it seems. It is only two decades old at most.
"The idiot came back with another idiot." The Devil hisses at Valentin. "Do you want me to bite your balls this time? I don't want to do it, but you leave me no choice."
"Shut up." Valentin snaps at the Devil. "If you attack me again, I will send you back to the place you came from."
"As if you can." The Devil rolls his eyes.
Just what kind of mess did his brother create? Even the spirit hates his brother. Nathanial lets out a heavy sigh. He sees Eli tapping his phone. "Mr Sanguine, please make the call after you hear me."
Eli raises his brow. He doesn't like either of them, but he wants to hear what they have to say. Valentin might be a fool, but Nathanial doesn't seem like a fool. "Alright, speak."
"She's not my daughter." Nathanial looks at Nell who is watching him with a deep frown. "She's not Valentin's daughter either."
"Then, why are you here?" Nell asks him, annoyed. "He created such a big scene yesterday. Even if he dated my mother for a while, he doesn't have the brain to do the basic calculations. I am already at my limit. I am going to call the cops if you harass us again."
"Let me finish." Nathanial raises his hand and smiles. "Our family heirloom reacted to your DNA. We don't have any doubt that you have a Krauss' blood in you."
Not only the bowl reacted to her DNA, but it also caused a big problem yesterday. His mother was wrong. Despite the disappearance of the moon in the morning, the silver fire isn't going out. They have never seen anything like this before. They are also clueless about how to stop the fire. It's one of the reasons why his mother commanded them to bring her as soon as possible.
Nell clicks her tongue. "That again!"
They won't be here if they weren't sure. Eli looks down at the cat. Does this cat know who her father is? The Devil cat is showing no reaction. Instead, the cat is scratching his neck with his paw with an indifferent aura.
Eli sighs. He's been relying on this cat too much. "Mr Nathanial Krauss, do you have a definite proof with you? Maybe you can show us the family heirloom. We can't accept mere words."
Mere words? The corner of Nathanial's lips twitches in anger. They don't know what their family went through last night. Nobody could get one minute of sleep. Even if the fire isn't burning anything, would anyone get close to an unpredictable magical fire? To make it worse, Valentin already told them that the bowl broke into pieces. How would they prove now? That bowl was one of its kind. "There was a situation. The family heirloom got destroyed because of the extreme reaction."
"A paternity test then?" Eli suggests.
"That is not possible at the moment." Nathanial touches his ear. "Her father cannot be contacted at the moment."
The only suspect is his younger brother, Zachary Krauss. They are not even sure if he's alive.
Around thirty years ago, Zachary Krauss disappeared as if he never existed. He was the youngest sorcerer of that time. When Zachary disappeared, they looked for him everywhere, but they found no trace of him. If Zachary met Isabelle around twenty-seven years ago, then he might have left on his own volition. But does that man know that he has a daughter? What if she's not Zachary's daughter?
If Nell is his daughter, Zachary will come out of his hiding place.
"You know who my father is?" Nell sneers at them. "You confirmed it when you can't even contact him? Aren't you making random guesses?"
"I am not making random guesses." Nathanial realizes that Nell is as difficult and infuriating as her father. "The family heirloom reacted to your hair. He will come back soon to acknowledge you as his daughter. For now, come with us. My mother wants to see you."
"There are some things that you need to understand." Nell stares hard at him until Nathanial breaks their eye contact. "First of all, I am an adult. You cannot force me to go with you whether I am a Krauss or not. Secondly, even if the man who impregnated my mother was a Krauss, I have no interest in him or his family. Lastly, I am not going to meet anyone. If someone wants to meet me, they have to come here."
What is this woman saying? Nathanial is losing his patience. She should thank her stars that she's a Krauss. She's asking his mother to come to her? She's still an illegitimate daughter. Where did she get this pride?
"You heard her answer." Eli smiles at him brightly. "I am going to give a call to the Council anyway."
The door closes on his face, leaving Nathanial in a daze. Valentin has been watching everything while gritting his teeth. If his brother hadn't asked him to remain quiet, he would have taught them both a lesson.
When the phone rings, Nathanial releases his breath. He looks at the screen. It's his mother. She won't be pleased. "Mother."
[What did you do?] His mother yells. [The entire manor is burning for real.]
"What?" Nathanial exclaims in horror.
[We must save the family heirlooms. Don't make her angrier. Bring her here, even if you have to beg on your knees.]