"Aunt Susie, are you sure you can go back to work now?" Eli asked.
Aunt Susie's already wearing her office attire and is ready to go out. It's only been two days since she was discharged from the hospital.
"Yes, Eliora. Don't worry. Anyways, bring that necklace I made," Aunt Susie took her keys and went to the door, "Something's been roaming around you these past weeks. I can feel it."
Eli stared at her Aunt blankly. Since Aunt Susie is superstitious, she also is connected to some shaman and practice their ways. Eli looked at the table and saw a necklace with a small vial as a pendant with a weird red liquid. But what is roaming around her? Aside from E and Tram, there's no one else who looks suspicious.
"That will help you. They don't feel comfortable with that potion." Aunt Susie said before closing the door.
Eli took the necklace, and since it is quite pretty, she decided to wear it. It's been 12 years since she started living with her Aunt and she gradually got used to her weird beliefs and practices.
She remembered the time when she had to take a bath with different leaves and roots boiled in her bathwater because she was seeing ghosts. She can't remember who the ghosts were now since it's been years and since then, she never saw another one.
As she was about to eat breakfast, she felt another heavy craving for coffee, she didn't have any for the past days because of her hyperacidity, but right now, the waves of thirst are drowning her. She went to the convenience store and bought an instant coffee, if ever her Aunt finds out that she's drinking again, she'll be scolded non-stop or she might even perform a ritual on her to stop drinking coffee.
After having breakfast, Eli went straight to her class. She remembered that Trace was asking things about Sandra, who suddenly appeared by their classroom door and took a seat beside her.
"Eli, good morning," Sandra greeted.
Sandra smells like roses and honey. It's a perfect fit for a beautiful lady she is. Eli took a couple of sniffs in the air. It makes her imagine that she's in a field of roses with a honey farm.
Sandra smiled at Eli who seems to be daydreaming, "Thank you for your help yesterday, Eli."
Her imagination suddenly disappeared, Eli nodded, "No problem. Anyway, one of my boss' friend asked who you are."
Sandra's eyes suddenly went huge, then she excitedly asks with her hands on Eli's shoulder, "Is it the blond guy with gold eyes?" she asks with a huge smile plastered on her face.
Eli was taken by surprise by Sandra's action, especially that she mentions Taylan. She shook her head and pulled Sandra's hands away from her slowly, "No," she said, "Not Tay, it was Trace." Since they are not that close, having Sandra hold her this way was uncomfortable. Will her Aunt's potion shoo Sandra away?
Sandra's smile slowly vanished, "Oh," she faced the professor who just came in, "I see." Her voice sounded disappointed.
Eli brushed it off and listened to their professor. She took a few glances at Sandra, was she interested in Tay? It's true that ladies suddenly came visiting the library often since Tay appeared. He's real eye candy, but Eli doesn't feel that attracted to him, especially that he has some weird pedophilia fetish with Macky.
"Brr..." Taylan suddenly felt a cold shiver run through his spine. He sighed and sipped his tea. He remembered the scent the other day. Now that he think of it, it was not from the Queen, it smells different. It is similar, but there's something that makes it smell like it was also his scent.
Taylan taps his pen on the table while thinking about how specifically the scent was not from the Queen. It was from another royal vampire. It was familiar to him. And if ever their child was born, it might be his own fragrance as a royalty.
Rein appeared before Taylan can even dig deep into his loneliness.
"My liege, I heard Eli said something unpleasant to you the other day," Rein kneeled with his head on the ground, "I apologize for her behavior. Kill me if you must. She is just but a human."
Taylan stared at Rein who's on the floor, he had to think for a while about what his guard is saying until it hit him.
"fetish" was the word Eli just randomly threw at him. His nerves tensed up and he had to take a few breaths. He already forgot about it, but here comes her boss, apologizing for her sake.
Tay sighed, "Stand up," he ordered, "Don't worry about the human. Just do what you have to do."
Rein stands up and bowed, "Thank you, my liege."
Ben and Eli arrived at the library after a few minutes and Rein was waiting for them at the entrance.
"Eli, we have to talk." Rein said and held Eli's hand. He looks so serious.
Ben just looked at Eli and left her with their boss. He doesn't have the energy to ask what is happening. The dreams he's getting these past days are slowly turning into a nightmare that he can't even sleep properly.
Eli looked at Rein with confusion, "What is it, Sir?"
Rein, who was about to open his mouth suddenly smelled an antagonizing odor coming from Eli. It was not a normal scent from a human. It was a similar odor that shamans before used to drive vampires away.
He let Eli go and backed away, unconsciously, he was covering his nose which offended Eli.
Eli sniffs herself and threw a deadly stare at Rein, "Hey! I don't smell bad!"
Rein was about to say sorry but the smell makes it hard to breathe that he runs inside the library and left Eli irritated.
Ben saw their boss running away from Eli who looks annoyed while watching Rein run upstairs. He can't help but laugh with Eli's expression. She looks like she's about to kill someone.
"What happened?" Ben asked as Eli approach him.
"I don't know. Do I smell bad?" Eli went next to him and pulled her shirt to Ben.
She was pouting while pulling her shirt for him to smell. Ben snorted but sniffs her shirt anyway.
"No, you smell like your cologne. Did Sir Rein told you something?" Ben went back to cleaning the tables while Eli put her hand on her hip and stared upstairs.
"No, but he looks like he just smelled the most pungent smell ever."
Rein closed the door behind him and took a deep breath. Taylan was staring at him with his tea on his hand. He looked like he was suffocated.
"Is something wrong, Rein? You look like you had a sniff of Foniko," Taylan went back to observing the streetwalkers.
He noticed that human females of this time are wearing less clothing. People also seem to color their hair. Only vampires can change their hair color naturally, is this mimicking that humans are doing?
Rein cleared his throat and stands up straight, "I apologize to my behavior, My liege. And it is true, Eli seems to be carrying a Foniko."
Taylan looks back at Rein, "Why is she carrying such exclusive potion that only the shaman of our kingdom were able to brew? It's been 500 years, how come someone still knows how to make one?"
Rein nodded, "I don't know, my liege. Should I ask her?"
Taylan snorted, "Can you go near her?"
Rein was left dumbfounded. Of course, he can't. It'll be suffocating if he stayed longer than two minutes near the potion.
Taylan was watching the people pass by when he saw the same woman. "It's Sandra," he said and then he sent Rein outside to take her inside. He has to know if it was her who has that fragrance.
Eli was about to arrange the chairs when Taylan suddenly appeared behind her.
It's true, Eli is carrying a Foniko. Only royalties can't be affected by the odor it gives that is why shamans weren't able to stop vampires. Eli smiled at Taylan. Whenever she sees him, she gets reminded of E's description of vampires.
"Hey, Tay. What's up?" Eli asks as she pulls and pushes the chairs.
Taylan was watching Rein and Sandra talk outside while following Eli, "Do you have any potions with you today, Miss Eli?" he asks while keeping his eyes at Sandra.
Eli stopped and looked at Taylan, "How did you know?" she asks and pulled her necklace, "My Aunt gave me this. She said it'll help me though I don't know how."
Taylan held the vial and saw the red liquid, "Why did she give you this, is there any particular reason? And how did she got something like this?"
Eli wrinkled her nose, "I don't know. She said something's... uh, around me? I don't know. And she has some shaman friends. Why? Is it effective? And how did you know?" Eli's eyes are twinkling. If this is working, then she'll believe in potions and magic.
Taylan smiled, "I saw that you're wearing it. And yes, it is ..." he leaned close to Eli, "a hundred percent..." slowly, his face is getting near to Eli, "...effective."
Eli's heart suddenly pounded. It's the first time she felt her heart get excited this much except when she has too much coffee. She can even feel her face heating up while she somehow stops breathing.
Taylan suddenly found himself maliciously too close to Eli. He gathered himself and pulled the necklace, "I'll take this. I need this," he said and turned around.
"Why do you need that?" Eli took a deep breath and acted like nothing happened.
Taylan paused and turned his head around and smirked at Eli, making her heart once again pound hard. Taylan is a hundred percent handsome, now that she saw him like this.
"A lot of girls are roaming around me now, I need to shoo them away," Taylan said in a low sexy voice.
He was about to say that only Eli can stay around him, he snapped and woke up. Why is he acting this way with a human? The moment he went close to her, it's as if she took over his mind. He clenches the potion enough to break it. Is this not a normal Foniko? Why is he acting this way? This is a disgrace for his Queen. How can he feel attracted to another human when he is married?
He was about to go upstairs when he saw Sandra spraying something all over her body before catching up with Rein inside the library. He went first upstairs followed by his guard.
Eli was left frozen with Taylan's smirk repeating in her head. She was never attracted to any guys before that she concluded that she may be attracted to girls, but that still isn't the case. Now, she found someone who is attractive enough for her heart to react to.
She snapped out when she saw Sandra going upstairs. Then, she remembered, she likes Taylan. If she ever wants to have him, he'll not think twice about dating her. She's way more beautiful than her. She even looks happy to follow Taylan upstairs.
Taylan's only fooling around her since she's been teasing him about his fetish yesterday.
Ben noticed that Eli's been looking down when Sandra came in earlier. He went to her and stared at her, she's still staring upstairs.
"Why is that girl here? We're still on break." Ben commented and finished arranging the chairs.
"I don't know," Eli's voice was weak. She sighed then returned to arranging the chairs.