The Housekeeper (Ruby Rose/Terra Juana fanfic)

TWENTY-FOUR

I took a sip of my glass of wine leaning my back on a column, a spot from which I had a perfect view of the yard and the guests moving from group to group, chatting and grabbing canapés from trays while they kept ignoring me... I didn't care. I didn't pay attention to the female humans either even if they were desperately trying to catch my eye to be able to learn more about "the big secret." If they believed I was rude, well, that was my home and I could do whatever I wanted. I had a mission and was focused on it with all my senses. I spotted Antonella standing in a corner watching if the waiters she had hired were working well, waiting for Marcus' signal to bring the trays with pastries and chocolates. I smiled at her and she nodded before monitoring the surroundings again... exactly what I did too.

There were a lot of pretty vampires in the house that night but I knew only certain women with special characteristics would catch my partners' eyes, I knew them well and beauty wasn't enough: Ruby would like someone capable of laughing and joking, not a self-centred snob, and Terra would demand a modicum of intelligence and culture, she couldn't stand idiots. Some women wandering around the yard were out of the competition because of that, for example the nun disguised as an ominous raven, but there were some of them left and I was determined to find out who their old lovers were. I didn't understand why I felt such a compulsion, it was related to our bond most likely, but I must find them to make clear that the vampires were mine finally. Suddenly, I understood why they were so upset when we bumped into Maria and later when she sent me a text. My jealousy was stupid and irrational but I was unable to get rid of it.

Terra and Ruby chatted with the guests wandering around while I remained vigilant and stubbornly silent, waiting for a gesture or a look that would betray them when one of those vampires got closer. My girls looked increasingly nervous, in fact, Ruby was drinking anxiously while Terra seemed to be about losing her temper. I frowned staring at her and sent my thoughts to her head through the bond.

"You have a Spanish partner now, you should know what that means..." The vampire rolled her eyes hard, upset, while pretending to listen to one of the elders.

"They should tell you, you'll find out anyway..." Dario whispered behind me but smiled amused. "I know Spanish and French people are supposed to get along badly because of a silly rivalry but I love Spanish girls, they're the best creating drama... This party is so boring..."

"You organized it..." I answered fixing my eyes on Ruby who was talking to a cute red-haired woman.

"Yes and that's why decorations, food and drinks are perfect... Unfortunately, the guests ruin it all: resentful humans, stuck up vampires, dismissive elders and an unbearable nun. I can't get anything good working with that base material. Anyway, I'm going to rescue Marcus again, he doesn't know how to get rid of the elders politely when they start talking about stuff they believe is crucial for the survival of the vampire race. Actually, they only want to stay relevant in this modern world they don't understand."

"You should invite them to your office to play video games and teach them to browse the net," I answered amused and Dario snorted.

"Those jerks are so attached to traditions that they still use an abacus to keep accounts of their fortunes, how am I supposed to teach them everything about online stock trading if they don't know what a calculator is?" The vampire walked away shaking his head and I kept watching my girls' reactions every time a pretty lady fluttered around them.

"Iselen, can you help me?" Vera got closer to me pointing at the corridor leading to one of the guest bathrooms, she looked worried about something while holding the dress on her shoulder with one hand and I followed her without thinking twice. "The zipper is broken, it's Aren's fault, he's unable to keep his hands to himself... We were in the garden, under the camellia trees with all those gorgeous candles and you know..."