My mother, my brother and I were all sitting around the dinner table. We sat patiently, waiting for our host and my father to arrive. Charles stood behind Stephen like he was his shadow. The sound of the door opening caused all heads to turn, and I grinned seeing my father being led in by Claude. The happy emotion was slipped from my face though, my father looked very tired, very worn down. And slightly nervous of Claude. I looked to my mother, she was studying him as well.
"Father!" Stephen called, jumping out of his seat towards our dad. My father laughed, and wrapped his arms around his only son. A smile was my greeting, and I gave a short wave. He kissed my mother on top of her head, and I looked to Claude. He was staring right at me. I swallowed deeply, and looked down at my plate.
"Welcome~!" A voice shouted, and I looked to find a blond child with lovely blue eyes skipping towards the table. He eagerly slammed his hands on the table, his eyes scanning over each member in my family. There was a large smile on his face, and when his eyes reached Charles, he let out a small giggle. Then he sat, and the food was brought in.
Dinner passed with very little interaction with our host. Alois seemed content to simply watch my family, it was a little odd. But he was a cute kid, I couldn't judge on one meeting alone.
Triplets were removing our plates, they had an odd feeling about them. And as I was walking back to my room with Stephen, we passed a maid. The creepy feeling was back, but she seemed nice enough. In fact, I think she was my favorite servant here. However, she seemed deathly afraid of Alois, and that unnerved me some.
Charles had come into my room, checking on me before he retired to his own room. Alois had insisted he have his own room.
"I can't wait to get home, Charles. This place makes me uneasy." I said, getting under the covers of my bed.
"He's not human, is he? Claude?" I asked, watching him raise a brow.
"I'm surprised how quickly you noticed. But no, he isn't. I suggest you stay away for this demon, despite your taste for them."
"Excuse me?! I do not have a taste for demons!" I protested, shaking my finger at him. My face was flushing, and my eyes were slightly wide at the comment.
Charles tilted his head to the side, then neared me. Leaning in close, he brushed a strand of hair from my face.
"Perhaps it's us that have a taste for you then?"
I shoved him away, glaring at him when he chuckled.
"I shall leave you now, my lady. I would advise not leaving your room tonight." With that lovely warning, Charles left, no doubt to watch over Stephen. Despite having a room prepared for him. I sighed, and fell back into my bed. My eyes closed and sleep came fairly easily.
~~
With a yawn escaping my lips, I turned and laid on my back. My eyes blinked in the darkness. Damn it, I really had to go to the bathroom. Sighing, I threw off the covers. The voice of Charles' warning floated through my head, but I really had to go. I grabbed a candle, but found this place to be filled with a lot more candles and light than Ciel's place had been. It took a few tries, but I found the bathroom.
As I was drying my hands, I naturally glanced up into the mirror. My eyes widened, Claude was right there! But when I turned to meet his figure, he wasn't there. I dropped the cloth onto the floor, and walked quickly out of there. I tightened my housecoat around my body, I felt too valuable in the slip that reached just about my knees that was underneath it. His image was everywhere in my mind, and I couldn't reach my room fast enough.
Reaching my room without further incident, I sighed deeply. I was leaning against my closed door, when a figure walked out from the shadows of the room.
"You've got to be kidding me..." I mumbled, not even sure if what I was seeing was real. Claude smirked, but said nothing. When he was halfway across the room, I came to the conclusion that this was in fact all too real. My hands reached behind me, and when I felt the cool metal of the doorknob, I turned to get out of there and to my brother's room. My speed is easily matched with a demon, however. I was pulled into his body, my eyes filling with fear. A gloved hand reached up, and ran through my dark locks of hair.
"You've already displayed improper behavior Vanessa, don't continue that trend by walking out on a conversation. I'm curious to know something..." Claude said, tilting his head to the side as he studied my face. "Who's the other demon that you've been with? His scent is nearly..." Suddenly his finger curled around strands of my hair and he jerked down. My head went back, and a sound of surprise came from me. "..masking yours completely. Almost on purpose it seems. What's there to hide about you?" My hands went to his chest, where the hell did this demon get the thought that he owned me? Like I was some toy...His grip around the strands of my hair was painful, and it only tightened when I tried to get away. His hot breath ran across my bare throat. Suddenly, the hold on my hair was released, and I was pushed against the door to the room. I grunted with the contact, a hand reaching to steady myself, another to my head.
Claude moved closer to me, his body in front of mine but not touching it. "I asked you a question..." He said, moving his hands to my neck. The gloves had been removed, and his fingers danced down my throat, and to my shoulders, slipping off the housecoat. The cold hit my body, and I shivered. His hands continued to travel down my arms, and when they reached my hand, he gripped it tightly. Turning slightly, he held my hand and arm between his arm and the side of his body. My face and other hand hit his back, and I opened my mouth to protest. I tried to pull against him, but a sudden pain in my hand caused me to stop all movement. It was a sharp pain, in a thin line on the palm of my hand.
I was then released, and I looked down at my hand. The blood looked nearly black. Looking back up, the flicker of the candle in my room caught the knife's glint. Claude looked near hypnotized at it, and slowly he let his tongue drag along the length of it. I paled, I really didn't want to see his reaction to that. I've seen one demons, I was fine with only one. The candles in my room blew out, and I shivered. I tried to open my door, but I couldn't do it. Blood was pouring from my hand, and there was a faint glow of red behind me.
"I need out of the dark!" I hissed, unable to see anything. I felt a body against mine, lips at my ear. I stopped trying to pry the door open.
"Enjoy the night, the darkness, it's where we can do things that aren't acceptable in the light. Night is when we slake our thirst" The whisper sent a chill down my spine, but this was of a different matter. My hands were shaking on the door handle, and Claude's arms reached around me and grabbed them.
"I can't, this isn't proper..N-no. You can't do this." I said, my fear radiating off of me. A dark chuckle filled my hearing, but the pounding of my heart even louder.
"The greatest pleasure in life, is doing things that were are told we can't do." Lips trailed down the side of my neck, and I was melting into his touch. I didn't like the hazy feeling I was getting, I felt like I was in a dream. It took whatever senses I had left, to open my mouth and utter one name.
"Charles!" Claude pulled away near immediately, and the door flew open moments after. I fell to the ground, my hand pulsing with more pain.
