DRAGOS.
I'd found my way to my mother's room yet again. Despite the countless number of times she annoyed me, I still always found myself seeking her advice.
Azrael had returned from his vampire business trip and was in our mother's room, providing feedback. But I was too preoccupied to care or even pay attention. My mind was taken up with thoughts of why Dawn could have resisted my compulsion, but I couldn't come up with any plausible explanations.
My mother strutted to her bedside table and started taking out the accessories in her hair, speaking like I wasn't in the same room with them. "Nothing's going to change his mind, Azrael. Maybe you can try talking to your mule of a brother, but he won't feed from the source. All he wants to do is waste away in his room and go on those long, useless walks in the orchards"
Azrael uncrossed his legs and arose from the chair "And the girl? What's going to happen to her? We can't just let her walk away"
As our mother took out her braid crown and unwrapped her thick, long hair, she picked up a brush and began to comb through it.
I watched her every move, although my mind was elsewhere. My eyes merely trailed along, not completely focused.
"Do whatever you wish with her" she said to Azrael "I never really needed a manager in the first place. I only employed her as food for Dragos"
She threw an angry glance in my direction. "It's a shame, though, she seems to be a kind-hearted young girl."
"Kind-hearted" Azrael repeated with a sneer, walking to stand behind her.
Gently, he ran a hand through her hair. "She's human. She's food. Where's the girl anyway?"
"In the quarters down..."
Suddenly, I snapped back to my senses.
The realization that Azrael was about to feed on Dawn hit me, especially since I hadn't yet discovered why she was able to resist my compulsion.
For a reason I couldn't understand, a wave of anger washed over me.
Perhaps, it was because of Azrael's eagerness to devour her or perhaps it was simply because I disliked him and didn't want him to have Dawn.
I sprang to my feet, startling both my mother and Azrael, who stared back at me in surprise.
"Do not lay a finger on her" I warned.
Mother misinterpreted my words, assuming I had changed my mind about refusing to feed on Dawn.
A smile spread across her face as she approached me with arms wide open "My boy, I am delighted to see you've changed your mind"
I brushed past her, shaking my head "No, Mother. I haven't"
The smile dropped from her face.
"I'm still not feeding on Dawn"
Before she could reply, Azrael cut in angrily "Then why protect her? If you're not going to eat her, you might as well let me. Now, now, brother" he remarked humorously "Don't tell me you've grown fond of her. Fond enough to keep her as a pet"
I shot him a dangerous glare and Azrael backed off.
"Why do you insist on protecting this human girl?" My mother asked.
I walked towards the window, aware of the aura I possessed, trailing behind me and filling the room.
Ever since I was a child, wherever I went, a menacing aura that sent chills down the spines of other vampires, even those within the Dark Order, followed.
It was this same powerful aura that made my parents realize, from the moment I was born, that I was a fully pure vampire—just like Dragavei.
"My compulsion didn't work on her," I said quietly.
"That is impossible" Azrael scoffed in disbelief. "Your compulsion is the most potent of them all. Why won't it work on a mere mortal?"
Turning from the window, I leaned on the frame and stared at my mother, explaining what had happened. "I looked her in the eye and told her not to move. She moved"
Worriedly, I started to pace the room, my hands behind my back "And I was close enough. Close enough for it to work. Not only did she move after I ordered her not to, but she saw my eyes"
I stopped pacing and looked at my mother.
"She saw my eyes, Mother. She noticed how they changed when I attempted to compel her. She wasn't supposed to see that"
Frustration was clear in my tone. "It wasn't supposed to happen, how is this possible?"
My mother remained where she was, motionless and puzzled "There has to be some sort of explanation to this"
She glanced at Azrael who had been quiet. "Perhaps your powers are declining because you haven't fed from the source in a…"
I cut in angrily, refusing to entertain the idea. "Don't you even try to use this as an excuse to try to manipulate me into feeding again"
"It's just a theory, I'm not trying to manipulate you into doing anything, silly boy!" She fired back defensively.
My eyes refused to leave hers as I spoke "Until I figure out what she is or why my compulsion didn't work on her, no one touches Dawn"
I started for the door but stopped at Azrael's side, staring him dead in the eye. "No one"
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DAWN.
The next day, after finishing my duties, I headed out to explore the endless surroundings of the villa to satisfy my curiosity.
I'd heard from the head gardener, of the beautiful orchards, and about how Dragos particularly visited one every day.
His unexpected closeness the previous night and the touch on my neck still puzzled me.
Not only had he looked miserable as if he needed company, but he had also leaned in, as if for a kiss.
The same man who had snapped at me that same morning, demanding I got out of his room, had leaned in for a kiss.
My head spun with various questions.
Deciding to keep the thoughts at the back of my mind, I continued strolling.
As I rounded a corner, I caught sight of the first orchard, and a sharp gasp of happiness left my lips.
It was the smell that first hit.
The sweet fragrance of fresh fruits and the musty, damp smell of the healthy, earthy soil.
A delightful laugh slipped from my lips as I took in the sight of the rows and rows of beautiful apple trees, the calm breeze rustling their leaves and filling the place with a sense of calmness.
"So beautiful" I muttered, bringing out my phone to take some pictures for my mother.
As I moved forward, my attention glued to my phone screen, I stumbled on a tree root hidden shallowly under the earth's crust and fell, spraining my ankle.
I cried out in pain, biting down hard on my lip to prevent me from screaming any louder as a jolt of pain sliced through my leg.
Yelling for help would prove futile because the gardeners had already come to carry out their tasks.
I was alone.
And to make matters worse, I didn't have the number of anyone in the household yet.
On glancing down at my leg which had started to swell, I fought back a sob.
It was just my second day at work and I had already created issues for myself.
Fighting back the urge to cry yet again, I tried lifting myself from the ground in an attempt to stand but another jolt of pain tore through my ankle and I sat down back.
Tears stung my eyes and I didn't try suppressing them anymore.
I was helpless and in pain. The urge to call my mother surfaced, but I shook it off.
She was already sick enough as is and I couldn't have her worrying over me again.
I started to drag myself across the ground, the harsh blades of grass scratching my hands and legs as I pulled my weight.
It hurt, but I had no choice.
If I was going to have to drag myself across the ground all the way to the mansion, then that was exactly what I was going to do.
Just as I had bowed my head, my hands braced in front of me, mentally preparing myself to embark on the long, tedious, and painful journey, a pair of bare feet appeared in front of me.
They were a very beautiful pair of feet.
Surprised, I looked up to see Dragos gazing down at me, a scary crease in his brow.
I released a short, nervous, laugh as he crouched to stare at me, saying nothing.
His gold-colored eyes inspected me closely and I got to see his surreal features up close, in broad daylight.
Dragos was a beautiful man.
He was wearing a baggy white sleep shirt on some gray bottoms, giving off the idea that he had spent all his morning there.
His beautiful, long hair was packed behind loosely but some strands fell over his face.
He looked like sex.
"What are you doing here?" Dragos asked brusquely "You shouldn't be here"
"I-I didn't know this orchard was off limits, I'm sorry. I came only to admire the trees until I slipped and fell"
Slowly, his gaze shifted to my swollen ankle.
"Are you alright?"
Surprised that he cared, I shook my head, another tear escaping my eye. "No," I whimpered, "I'm hurt"