There was no telling how long Charlotte held Lord Hunt. By the time he stopped trembling, it felt like hours had gone by. The whole time, he kept his face buried into her shoulder and his arms wrapped around her as though his life depended on it. She hadn't planned on trying to move away from him when he needed the support, but that didn't change how desperately he clung to her. This was something that he had waited so long to do. It would be hard, she was sure, for some time. At least he would be able to start healing now that there was some closure. When he finally managed to stop trembling, Lord Hunt loosened his grip around her and slowly sat up once again. He looked even more tired than he had before. The only real evidence that he had been crying was the glossy look of his eyes. The entire time he shook and wept into her shoulder, he hadn't made a single sound. It would have been impressive if it wasn't such a tragic circumstance. Charlotte's heart ached for him. She wished she
The next few days were spent in a routine that Charlotte had unintentionally set. In the morning hours, after she woke up, she would leave Lord Hunt's room and after eating, would head to the library to work on putting together the story of The Lords and Lady of Willow Creek. When the afternoon came around, it would be lunch and then she would tend to the gardens until sunset. After that, she would spend the rest of the evening and night with Lord Hunt. The first tasks were always changing his bandages and allowing him to feed. They would spend the rest of the night just enjoying each other's company before retiring together. Lord Hunt would talk freely to her about his life in Willow Creek before the tragedy and when he became emotional over the stories he told, Charlotte would comfort him as she had done on the first night. It was a cycle and a slow moving one, but Charlotte felt that she was more content now than she had been at the start. The confusion had cleared and while they
At the mention of being taken, Lord Hunt stood from the table. No words were said, he just launched himself at Rimidal, seemingly to prevent him from doing what he said he was going to do. Everything that happened next came in such a blur that Charlotte only had enough time to gasp and stand from where she was seated at the table. The moment that Lord Hunt reached Rimidal, he moved a hand out to swat at the side of Lord Hunt's face, the back of his hand making contact with his cheek. A motion that looked like it would have been just a simple backhanded slap, had enough power in it to throw Lord Hunt through the dining room wall. A loud crash echoed in the hall and dust from drywall filled the room. As soon as it occurred, Charlotte was up and out of her chair, a gasp tearing from her lips. She wanted to rush over to Lord Hunt and make sure he was okay since he was still healing from his injuries, but she stayed frozen. That one little slap had enough strength to put Lord Hunt through
When he came to, Rodrick was still laying in the debris of the broken wall. His head was throbbing terribly from the impact it had made. After gathering himself to his feet, he took a quick moment to assess the damage done by the smack he had taken. The cheek that made contact with Rimidal's hand ached and was sensitive to the touch. There was a cut on his forehead, which left a streak of blood down the side of his face. Luckily the throw he had taken into the wall hadn't seemed to disturb the wounds to his abdomen too much. For that, he was thankful. The last thing he needed was to be worrying about his healing wounds rupturing. It would only put him out of commission even longer. Rushing at his master was foolish and he knew that, but he wasn't able to stop himself. The only thing that had run through his mind at the time was the prospect that he was going to take Charlotte away. His attempt had been pointless, even if he hadn't been healing from the stab wounds still, there was
"You really think it's a wise idea to try and face him in your condition? You know the likelihood of him just letting you take her back without a fight," Vincent called out to him. Rodrick paused in the corridor. He knew that his old rival was right. If their master took a liking to Charlotte, he would want to keep her there for himself. Which meant that getting her back would be even harder. In which case, he wouldn't have the strength to even withstand another hit from Rimidal, especially not while he still hadn't fully recovered. Despite that, he still had a mind to go after her. He didn't want Charlotte to be stuck there any longer than she needed to. Already, it would probably have to wait until tomorrow night and that alone was enough to leave Rodrick unsettled. Rimidal's castle was a few hours away and even more secluded than Willow Creek. There was no way he would be able to reach it before sunrise. The timing of Rimidal's unexpected visit almost seemed to be planned for th
The ride in the carriage was just as silent as the car ride had been.The only sounds that drifted through were the clip-clop of horse hooves and the distant crash of waves. The space that Charlotte was confined to with Rimidal had shrunk in size. She sat in a small coach seat that was just opposite of him, their knees nearly touching. With the windows blacked out, there was nowhere for her to look. So, instead of staring directly at the dangerous vampire across from her, she settled her gaze to the floor. She felt as miserable as ever. Despair started to take its grip around her to the point where she was starting to wonder if this whole thing hadn't just been a mistake. Maybe she should have taken her leave with the other servants, the first night she truly got angry with Lord Hunt. Or perhaps it would have been better to take Lord Eclaire's offer and run away with him on a promise of being treated in luxury. If she had done either of those, she wouldn't be sitting where she was no
Rimidal swept the double doors closed as he left Charlotte alone with the group of vampires. As soon as they shut into place, the six girls gathered around her. Charlotte was left to stand in the center of a small circle, turning where she stood to capture the expression on each of their faces. They were looking over her curiously, talking among themselves as though she was an object instead of a person. A few of the comments she caught honestly made her a little uncomfortable. So, she tried not to let her mind linger on them, hanging onto the idea that these girls followed Rimidal's instructions without any question. "She's got the scent of another vampire on her," one of the girls said with an amused laugh. "Did our King bring a little treat that belonged to someone else?" Another one laughed. "Oh, that means she has experience. His majesty only said we couldn't hurt her, not that we couldn't have fun with her," came a third voice. "Girls, that's enough. This isn't how we tre
Charlotte felt hands on her shoulders before she was turned and forced to face Beatrice. Beatrice looked at her with a frown and a fierce glow to her eyes. It was enough that it had Charlotte dropping her eyes down. She was unable to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks and she felt foolish to be crying in front of someone she just met and seemed so strong. There were no words that Charlotte could come up with to explain away the reason she was crying. She was certain her reaction to Beatrice's explanation had been enough. "Hold your tears, there isn't a reason for it," Beatrice said. Her words were firm, but she spoke with a soft voice. "Rodrick has not marked a single human in centuries. The fact he has done that much alone speaks volumes." Blinking through her tears, Charlotte glanced up to her again. "Does… everyone know what's happened to him?" "I would say all of those who belong to Rimidal know of his fate. Before ever moving to that little town, Rodrick and Rimidal
The next afternoon, around noon, all of the castle staff was asked to wait in the entrance hall. The request had been made by Rodrick early that morning, after speaking briefly with a maid that stopped by the room to check on him. Just like it started, Rodrick approached the staircase right around the time he requested to find the hall packed. At the moment, he stood alone on the staircase, figuring it would be more impactful this way. Especially since the staff wasn't the only company he requested that afternoon. Vincent was pulled from the room he chose to occupy for the night and asked to stand in on the announcement as well. The other vampire stood near the bottom of the left staircase and looked less than amused to be there. At least, he could say that Vincent didn't give him any trouble when he was the last to arrive among the staff that afternoon. It really did seem like he was trying to bury the hatchet so to speak. Rodrick wasn't going to ask what Serina's ghost said to hi
Those spoken words were all she needed to pick right back up where she left off. After flashing him a quick smile in return, Charlotte found herself locked back into his embrace. Their lips meeting more passionately and tenderly than they had ever done before. She imagined that if it were still possible, it might have been enough to take her breath away. It wasn't a feeling she was missing out on though because she had become so aware of everything else around her. The touch of his skin under her palms while she smoothed her hands up his chest no longer seemed chilling to her. It felt just like her own and now she was able to fully enjoy every curve of the muscles he hid beneath his clothes. His alabaster skin was so perfectly flawless and carefully chiseled. It didn't stop with the touch of her fingertips. Charlotte eventually moved her eager kisses down to explore his body. Every touch sent her senses wild. It went beyond the tingling she used to feel from his touch. She was so a
Charlotte woke up confused. The last thing she remembered was having a knife pressed to her throat. Shortly after that, everything got foggy, both literally and figuratively. Her memory faded once Rimidal's fog settled in. There were glimpses that she saw in her mind where she thought she saw Lord Hunt there beside her and holding her in his arms. Everything after that went completely black. She had no idea when they arrived back to Willow Creek or for how long she was out. That wasn't the strangest part for her though. It was when she came to her senses in Lord Hunt's bed. Her clothes were different and the way they felt on her body was different. Now dressed in a deep red satin nightgown that only came to her thighs, the smooth material felt cool against her skin. That was not the only thing she noticed that felt odd, it was the sounds. From somewhere nearby, she could have sworn she heard her name being said even though Lord Hunt was the only other person in the room. Then the
When they arrived back in Willow Creek, dawn was just on the horizon. There was no life in Charlotte's body anymore. It was just shortly after they started their long drive, that Rodrick felt the last of her faint breath. If she didn't come back from this as a vampire, then he would have lost her. For the time being, Rodrick was remaining composed while he clung to the glimmer of hope that he had done enough to complete the change. While he was certain he gave her enough of his blood and venom to start the change, he wasn't at all sure if he was too late in giving it to her. All there was left to do now was wait to see if she would rise again in twenty four hours. A painful wait to know if he had lost someone he only just accepted his love for. Rodrick wasn't sure if he could go through another loss like that again. Vincent trailed into his castle behind him while Rodrick moved as swiftly as he could to carry Charlotte up to his room. The castle staff that caught sight of him ascen
The sounds of Charlotte's shallow breathing and the scent of blood were near. Rodrick was certain that he was getting closer to her. He just needed her to hang on long enough for him to reach her. Before he could get to her, however, another shadow appeared in the fog. This one was of Rimidal himself. His glowing eyes cut through the dense cover. Rodrick could barely make out his features, his form appeared so dark as though he were merely a shadow of himself. "This is your last chance, Rodrick," Rimidal's voice echoed through the fog. "I will not allow another, if you wish for closure with your lost love." Rodrick stared at the shadowy form of his master. He knew that this was a test of life or death. In this case, the life that would be lost would be Charlotte's instead of his own. Why Rimidal chose to take her life and not his, he wasn't sure. Rodrick knew that if he allowed himself to get lost in the fog with the ghost of his past, Charlotte would die. Time was running out for
Rodrick's eyes moved from where Charlotte was standing with Beatrice, over to Rimidal. "What do you want me to do?" he asked. "No, don't! He'll kill you!" Charlotte choked out, tears streaming down her face. "Quiet now, I don't want to hurt you," Beatrice said to her. Despite her words, she didn't move the blade away from her throat at all. Rimidal smiled at him, his eyes only seemed to take on a glow. The lights in the chandelier above flickered then, as though a breeze had somehow touched the flames inside the lamps. Then, without explanation, they started to go out one by one until the room was completely black. There was a collective reaction from everyone else in the room. A clamor of confusion at the sudden darkness, unsure of what had caused it. Just as quickly as the lights snuffed out, they all lit up at once again, this time their flames were a low, flickering blue. It gave the entire room an eerie glow. To make matters worse, once the flames relit, Rimidal had vanish
It took them a little over an hour to walk up the steep, winding path through the cliff until they reached the large front doors to the castle. Once they arrived, they stopped together to take it in. For Rodrick, being back at this place was a strike of nostalgia to before things had taken a dark turn. In a time before he had even set foot into Willow Creek, he spent a lot of his life at this castle. It had even served as an inspiration when he designed his own in Willow Creek. Ever since Serina passed away, the relationship he had with Rimidal deteriorated. Rodrick effectively cut everyone out of his life and isolated himself inside his own castle. He knew that everyone that was in touch with Rimidal likely knew what happened to him and why he had suddenly stopped coming around. It felt a little bittersweet on that note, to be here like this. With the possibility that his once close friend and master might be attempting to end his life tonight. There was no going back now. Rodrick
By sunset the next night, Rodrick was already out of his bed and carefully pulling a shirt over his shoulders. His stab wounds were still present and they had his body sore with too much movement. The hit he took to the head when he went through the wall had left a visible gash just at the top of his hairline. These were minor things, he told himself. He could not afford to wait around to heal at this point. There was no telling what Rimidal might subject Charlotte to if she was left in that castle for too long. Just as he was finishing readying himself for the night, the doors to his bedroom suddenly flew open. At no surprise, the culprit behind the jarring interruption was Vincent. Of course he looked like he was already prepared. Unlike Rodrick, all signs of their fight the last time he was there had healed. Another fact that came to no surprise for Rodrick, he hadn't been the one that pulled a knife. "For someone so determined to get his lover back, you're moving awfully slow,"
"Lord Hunt, I have heard of him," the redhead said. "My Lord mentioned him a few times. About how shameful it was to watch great Lords fall stagnant." Charlotte's smile faltered to her words. Another truth that Beatrice told. Everyone who belonged to Rimidal knew about Lord Hunt and how time stopped for him. She wondered if Lord Hunt realized how well known his story was. At least that chunk of it without the details. Maybe he didn't care if they knew or not. It sounded like all that mattered to him was staying in his continuous time loop. Until Charlotte stepped into his life to disrupt it. "Yes, he's only just started to recover," Charlotte answered quietly. Before their conversation could carry on anymore, the wooden doors to the room were suddenly thrown open. The echoing sound had Charlotte jump and turn towards the door. The other six just gathered together and watched as Rimidal led two people into the room with him. He brought them over to one of the lounge areas and invi