ALLURE OF THE NIGHT (C)

Chapters 61-70

Eve was surprised to see Vincent standing in front of the entrance door.

He wore a dark grey coat with fur around the collar and the lapel fold. His coppery brown eyes looked slightly darker because of the fallen night in the lands.

"Mr. Moriarty, what are you doing here?" Eve was surprised to see him here at this hour of the night.

Vincent wore a serious look on his face, and he said, "I received word that there is an unknown creature hiding and living in the town of Meadow. I have come here to see it and capture it."

Eve, Eugene and Lady Aubrey turned alert when they heard the words from the vampire. The skipping of their heartbeats was camouflaged with the little commotion happening outside the house and in the town.

"Unknown creature?" Eve asked him while questioning if he was waiting for her to come out with the truth.

"Yes. I was hoping you could help me..." Vincent's voice drawled, his eyes not looking away from her even for a second. "My men are busy searching for the creature, and I thought I would rest my feet and have a cup of tea here," a crooked smile appeared on his lips.

Eugene and Lady Aubrey let out an internal sigh of relief when they heard Vincent's words.

Eve nodded and stepped backwards, "Please come in."

Vincent stepped foot into the Dawson's humble house and looked at the furniture and things there. Lady Aubrey, standing in the living room, offered him a bow, and he returned it.

"I am Aubrey Dawson, Genevieve's paternal aunt. Please have a seat," Lady Aubrey introduced herself to Vincent.

"Good evening Mrs. Dawson. A pleasure to meet you. I heard quite a lot about you," said Vincent, and the elderly woman subtly raised her eyebrows. "Just like you sent your servant to look into the Moriarty family, I had to make a little background check about the governess I was hiring. I hope I am not interrupting anything," his eyes fell on the half-written parchment, ink bottle and quill resting on the table.

A slight nervous smile appeared on Lady Aubrey's face while she tried to be hospitable to the vampire in their house. She politely answered,

"We weren't doing anything important that cannot be resumed later. Eugene," she turned to Eugene, who quickly nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.

Eve and the others could hear the continued commotion coming through the windows and doors that they hadn't caught on earlier. She tore her eyes away from the window and met Lady Aubrey's eyes, who offered her a look of worry, which quickly disappeared when Vincent turned to look at them.

"If I may ask, what creature are you looking for, Mr. Moriarty?" Lady Aubrey inquired who stood next to Eve. Eve watched how Vincent made himself comfortable on the chair in their living room, placing one leg over the other.

"Word has it that there is a siren living amongst the innocent and kind people of Meadow," said Vincent, looking to the side where the fireplace burned logs of wood. "It seems like someone fell under the charms of the creature, which is why there was a recent death of the cattle in your town."

When the incident occurred, everyone in the town believed it was a witch's work who had slaughtered the cattle for her own benefit. But now that the truth had been found, it left Eve and the two humans in the house speechless.

Though a siren and a mermaid were both creatures that belonged to the water and had similar features, they were not the same. While the mermaids believed in peace and kept to themselves, the sirens lured men and women, not sparing even children who came in contact with them. They mercilessly killed and ate the humans.