~Markus~
I knocked at her door, hearing the silence on the other side. There was a feeling that she said those words under some kind of pressure from someone's side and now ran away, being afraid of the consequences.
{If she really did that, then it would be easier to believe, that the woman who was supposed to be my mom, apologized for her words.}
I knocked again, but this time heard the rustling sound on the other side, then the clicking sound of the lock, and her pale face with bloody eyes looked out at me. Her black hair was falling down her shoulders, as she hated tying it. She opened the door and pointed at her room. I put my hands in my pockets and looked over her.
Eleanor was dressed in a silk antique dress with sleeves as a bat wings and a thin bathrobe. She looked over me and a thin smile appeared on her lips.
"Are you free?" she asked, looking at me and still pointing to go inside her room. I looked over her room and her once more, then turned around and went alongside the corridor.
"Follow me," I heard her closing her bedroom door, and following me to the room I was heading to her. We walked into the library, I sat at the chair, and she took one in front of me. She looked at me from head to toes, her bloody pupils were studying every inch of my body, as if choosing a prey. I stood up, opened a secret shelf, put two glasses and a bottle of blood on the nearest table, then closed the shelf.
"You don't believe me?" she asked when I was filling the glasses with human blood. I held her one glass, then sat back at the chair, and crossed my hands on my chest before answering her.
"There's only one person whom I believe as much as myself," I said, without specifying who this person was, as it was pretty clear. She got it quicker than I supposed.
"Aurora? That's not a wonder. If you decided to marry her, knowing her for not so long, then there should be something in her, we haven't noticed." Her voice wasn't full of sarcasm and irony, so it was even harder for me to believe in her words. However, I feel she's hiding something, and I'm gonna find what.
"She's a dhampir, and after we spend a night together, she built a bond I was able to feel," I said, then looked at her thin pale fingers with black nails twisting the wine glass, "And not only that. She was meant to be mine."
"How did you know that? Went to the Oracle?" she was mocking me, but, probably, unintentionally. I frowned.
"Were you following me?" I finally took the glass in my hand and made a small sip. She shook her head and pouted her lips.
"How can you think so about your mother!" Eleanor jumped from the chair and her bloody eyes stopped at me.
"Sit down," I commanded, and she immediately took back her place, "I felt it at the very first night. All those girls you mentioned before wasn't able to turn my fire on… And what made me even more interested in her, was her unique abilities to not been afraid of the fire in me."
"That's interesting. So, if we talk about Aurora, have you noticed her strange behavior with blood?" Eleanor's tips of the lips twitched into a smile. I frowned and took a small sip again.
"What are you leaning towards?" I tilt my head to the left side, looking at her red pupils.
"I meant she refused to eat human food after she smelled a lot of blood in the room. Did she have nausea?" her question made me turn back to the balcony, where she jumped aside after I proposed her a glass of blood.
"Are you going to say she faked her being a dhampir? That's impossible!" I squeezed my hand in a fist, and she pressed her back to the chair.
"No, no! I mean, that's impossible to fake if you said you share unique dhampir bond! Also, I saw on my own eyes her having an invisible shield, that can absorb your fire!" she made a sip of blood as if trying to collect all her thoughts, then said something, that made me shocked. "I meant she can be pregnant, but she doesn't know that or don't understand!"
~Aurora~
When I went down to the first floor, I noticed a few guards hanging around the front door of the mansion. They were going here and there, as if guarding something or someone.
"Markus went to talk with his mother outside?" my voice made them flinch, and they froze on their places. Their red eyes focused on me, then went down on my open neck and shoulder, seeing bite marks there. I crossed hands on my chest.
"No, Lady Aurora. They are on the second floor, in the library," said one of the guards, and looked at another one, pointing at the area of his neck and tilting his head in my direction. That another guard looked at my neck and his eyes rounder, then he lowered his look to the floor.
"Then why are you behaving so strange?" I frowned.
"Mr. Lachovskiy and Ms. Malone went outside and hasn't returned yet. We were asked to leave them alone, but… It's been a lot since they are there. If something happens to Mr. Lachovskiy or Ms. Malone, the boss will turn us to ash," said the guard and looked down at his toes. I frowned harder, remembering the looks Kristof and Mallory exchanged in the dining room.
{Are they secretly lovers, or Markus knows about their affair?}
"Two of you go check if they are okay. If you see them having… doing something together, don't interrupt," I smirked and looked aside to the dining room, where a smell of tasty coffee caught my nose in a trap. I followed the smell and the two waiters opened the door from the other side, hearing the clicking sound of my stilettos.
"Lady Aurora, you saved us at the first dinner with Malone Family. How we can say thanks to you?" one of the waiters smiled at me, showing his white fangs. However, my attention was caught by his blue eyes.
"Are you a half-blood?" I asked, looking at his shining blue eyes.
"I'm a hybrid, Lady Aurora," he said, making me round my eyes. Seeing my shocked expression, he smiled and explained, "My father was a werewolf and my mother was a vampire. Forbidden love."
I opened my eyes widely from shock, looking at his deep blue eyes. They had such a power I never saw before in any eyes, except Markus's.
"Markus knows who you are?" I asked, and looked at the second waiter, "Can you brew me a cup of coffee?"
"Sure, my Lady," he quickly vanished, while I looked at the second waiter, "What's your name?"
"Luke," he said and bowed his head, "Mr. Malone was the only one till today who knew who am I for real."
I shook my head, still being unable to believe hybrids to exist. At once, so many questions raised in my head, but the second waiter appeared and held me a cup of coffee. It's fresh, tasty aroma took my nose in a trap again, and I made a sip.
"Luke, can you go with me to the garden? I was supposed to have Mallory as a company, but seems, she was stolen by Mr. Lachovskiy," I looked at the guy, who nodded his head and looked at the other one.
"Don't worry, I'll have you back," said the other waiter, looking at his partner. I smiled, taking a sip of coffee.
"You both have nothing to worry about. I take all the blame for myself," I smirked, then turned around and went outside with a cup of coffee. Luke followed me, taking off his apron and gloves. He followed me to the garden, where he asked that was bothering him.
"My Lady, why you asked me to go with you? I'm afraid Mr. Malone wouldn't appreciate me as your company," he said, still going on the yellow-brick path near me. I smiled, taking a sip of coffee.
"I'm just curious to know something who's almost like me. I'm dhampir as you know," I said and looked around the park. It was a nice looking park with green grass, a lot of different flowers and blooming plants. The smell here was so good that I stopped and enjoyed it for a few more moments. There's no better smell than the smell of blooming flowers.
"Well, creatures like me, and you are very rare, my lady. However, we're still different, and I still doubt how Mr. Malone took a werewolf in his house. Vampires and Werewolves are natural enemies," he shared his thoughts and made me curious too.
"Can you transform? In a wolf, I mean?" I asked, taking a sip of coffee, then kneeled down and smelled a blooming dark red rose. Now I know where Markus took such beautiful flowers for a bouquet for me.
"I do. Mr. Malone once said some of his friends gave him to me as he thought I'm just a wolf pup, and Mr. Malone would take care of me. He said he was very surprised when I transformed in a boy at sudden," Luke near me smiled, then looked at me, "Mr. Malone was nice to me. I expected him to throw me off, but he didn't. He told me to say no one who I am, not to transform when I'm not alone, and to keep it a secret. But, I think I share it with you?"
I turned around and looked at his blue eyes, then smiled.
"Sure, Luke. It will be a secret for the three of us," I smiled, "But what you have from a vampire?"
"Unfortunately, almost nothing. I just have fangs, that can't make a vampire from human, and some vampire superpowers that makes me stronger than any other werewolf." He shrugged, and looked at the balcony, which happened to be a balcony of Markus's bedroom. "Mr. Malone say I haven't opened some vampire abilities. He promised to train me, but he's too busy. I don't blame him. He already did too much for me."
I suddenly looked at Luke and a ridiculous thought appeared it my head.
{No, it can't be true….}