COCKADOODLE DOO!!!
A rooster crowed outside in the early morning.
Talia opened her eyes to see light shining in through the curtained window.
Morning had broken over the winter wonderland and the sun had actually managed to peer through the deep dense layer of precipitation that had brought so much snow to the area.
Along with the barnyard sounds of the morning, there was also little Devin singing the Raining song again.
This time, however there was someone singing along with him.
The male voice singing along did not sound all that great. He could barely hold a tune and was all over the place with rhythm, but he was bravely singing along with Devin, who was a surprisingly good singer.
She turned her head to the sound of the singing.
Devin was sitting on a man's lap, teaching him how to sing 'Raining Wolves'.
Talia zeroed in on the man who was crooning along to the child's baby-pitched voice.
It was the vampire!
She struggled to get up off the bed, but her body felt like soft molasses.
"Relax Darling," a voice on the other side of her murmured and a heavy arm was thrown over her body, holding her still.
"Cedric." She whispered, trying to turn her head towards him, but her body was not very cooperative.
"How are you feeling?"
"It's—a little hard to move, but I'm not hurt anywhere."
"Good. I was worried about you." He rumbled deep in his throat and reached out to smooth her head with his warm hand.
"Cedric, why is he in my room with Devin?" She whispered a bit more harshly.
She could see more clearly, now that she was more awake. The vampire who had kidnapped her was sitting on the wing chair near the pot belly fireplace with Devin on his lap.
Meanwhile, she was lying supine on one side of the bed with Cedric lying on the other side. He was under the covers with her, hugging her body and keeping her warm.
"It's okay. He's not going to hurt Devin. It's a long story, and I'll explain it to you, but trust me. Devin is safe."
Talia nodded and closed her eyes. If Cedric said it was okay, then it was okay. She was too tired to put up a fuss.
It was midmorning when Talia woke up for the second time that morning. This time, Devin was lying next to her, napping and there was no sign of either the vampire or Cedric.
She gently began moving her body around, still feeling a bit sluggish but she was at least able to control it again.
Talia got up gently without disturbing Devin and went to use the washroom that was attached to the watchtower.
By the time she had finished washing up and changed into clean fresh clothes, she could hear Anna and Portia moving around the watchtower, taking care of Devin.
"Good morning Milady." The two nursemaids bowed.
"Good morning!" She greeted them.
"Morning!" Devin smiled and greeted her, holding out his hand so she could pick him up.
"No, Aunt Talia can't pick you up right now. She's not feeling well." A deep voice resonated from the corner.
Talia turned towards the man who had spoken. It was the vampire from the night before, standing in one corner, casually leaning against the wall.
"You!" She muttered with guarded hostility.
"Relax Talia." The man smiled. "I am not going to do anything to you."
"Yeah, like I believe you." She scowled and quickly moved towards Devin, picking him up and tucking his head into her shoulder.
"I am truly sorry about yesterday. I might have been a bit…rough with you."
Talia eyed the man.
In the morning sunlight streaming in through the partially uncovered window, he did not look as ominous or as threatening.
Of course, his hair was still long and black, but at least it looked clean…silky fine even. He was still tall and powerfully built, but it was a muscular tall, not a skeletal tall.
His black eyes with the strange red pupils looked otherworldly, but at the moment they were crinkled and smiling at her so they didn't look as macabre as the previous night.
His skin however…it was still that deathly pale shade of white, and she bet if she touched his face, it would be smooth as a baby's butt—and freezing ass cold too!
"You're a vampire. What are you doing in this place?"
"You know Talia, I really like you. You're straight and to the point. No beating around bushes for you."
Talia threw her head up high. "I'm a modern American woman. When we say yes, we mean yes, and when we say no, we mean no!"
The man began to laugh. It wasn't a frightening blood-curdling laugh like how she would expect a vampire to laugh.
It was a genuine laugh, as if he was quite amused by what she had said.
"Did I say something funny?"
"No. You simply said what I would expect a person named Talia would say." He smiled and dropped his voice a bit lower. "You still haven't accepted my apology yet."
"That's because I haven't forgiven you yet. Don't you know that it's bad manners to kidnap a woman if she does not want to be kidnapped?"
He nodded. "Yes, yes."
"And don't you know that it's a wicked thing to inject anesthetics into a woman and knock her out if she does not want to be knocked out?"
He nodded again. "Yes, yes."
"Why are you even here? You are in the bedroom of an unmarried woman. That's another rude thing!"
Once again, he nodded. "Yes, yes."
"Stop saying 'yes, yes' like you're some yes-man!" She snarled which got the vampire to begin laughing again.
"Hahaha." He held his hand to his chest as he laughed at her. "Oh my goodness. I can't believe you are the way you are. It's so refreshing to see how straightforward you are."
Talia pursed her lips at him. She was about to say something more when Devin turned his blond head to the vampire.
"Maaaaaamaaaaaa." He pointed at the vampire. "Uncle Van."