Chapter Three

   After dinner, Esper excused herself and made her way outside to a balcony. She stood in the cold and braced her arms on the railing, collecting her thoughts and processing them. There were so many new faces and names, all of which were from the highest of nobility. Taking a deep breath, Esper slouched over the railing and exhaled slowly.  

   "Long night?" A voice sounded from the doorway. She looked back to see the black-haired and red-eyed vampire approaching her. Esper recognized him as the late arrival. 

  

   "You are Seraph, right?" Esper hoped she had guessed the proper name. He nodded, confirming she was correct. The small victory gave her a brief feeling of relief. 

  "Not so much a long night, just a lot to take in." Esper sighed as she looked up towards the sky. It was so clear up in the lonely mountains. Her father had chosen the perfect location to claim as his homestead—no rush of cars in the city, just pure serenity.  

  

   "You shouldn't worry. Just relax and go with the flow. Don't let the stress get to you." Seraph reached over and tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Just listen to what your heart says." 

   Esper tinted pink from the small action. She knew the vampire male was right. If she was continuously stressing, she wouldn't listen to her instincts. Esper needed to enjoy herself and relax. 

   "You are right, but it still doesn't mean I won't worry." She pushed off of the railing to thoroughly look at him. Seraph was stunning, his bone structure was strong, but his face seemed so gentle, almost familiar. But what drew Esper in the most were his deep crimson eyes. They were her favorite part of a person. She believed you could tell a lot about somebody through their eyes. 

  

   "In time, you won't." Seraph gave her a soft smile. The grin took Esper's breath away and changed her mind. Eyes were now her second favorite part of a person, Seraph's smile currently ranked number one. 

   "Come, let's go inside before the snow starts up again, and you catch a chill," Seraph suggested. He outstretched his hand and offered it to Esper. She nodded and placed her hand in his. When she touched his skin, Esper felt sparks shoot up her arm. Blaming the shock on static electricity, she put her hand in Seraph's and let the man lead her back inside.  

  

   The rest of the group was sitting in a lounge, all chatting. Wesley was leading the conversation, going over the upcoming events. Esper glanced around and found her favorite chair empty. She discreetly took the seat and curled her legs up into the chair.  

  "Later this week, there will be a ball to officially start the Rites. Your families will be attending as well as members of the high council. The second one will be when the girls choose their mates, celebrating their pairing. Other than that, you are free to roam the grounds. I'm sure the girls would be more than happy to show you around."  

  

   Everyone listened intently to Wesley, even Esper. He went on, giving a detailed verbal tour of the grounds, going over the libraries, kitchen, indoor and outdoor gardens, and various recreational rooms.  

  

   "And one final item. I think it goes without saying that the exchange of each other's blood is strictly forbidden until the closing ceremony when we announce the pairings." Wesley gave all of the young vampires a stern look. 

  The sharing of blood was only reserved for pairings because it wasn't just sharing their life essence. A pureblood was able to share their powers with those who consumed their blood. If a vampire wasn't strong enough to control themselves, they could enter a frenzied state.  

  

   As the conversation came it an end, Wesley excused himself, letting the young vampires mingle amongst themselves. They all sat in silence; no one really sure what to do or say. As the moment became awkward, Maxim stood up, pushing his glasses back into place. He walked over to Esper and held his hand out to her.  

  

   "Would you do me the honor of joining me on a walk, Lady Esper?" Everyone looked at him, completely stunned by his boldness. Esper took in a slow breath and placed her hand in his.  

  

   "Um, sure." She stood up with his help and followed Maxim out of the room, feeling everyone's eyes follow them. They walked through the hallways in silence until they were standing outside in a snow-filled garden. When they were a safe distance from the doorway, Maxim let go of her hand and faced Esper. 

  

   "I apologize for taking you away from the group, but if I want to sway you towards my direction, I need to spend time with you alone." So that's what this was about, she thought. Esper shook her head in response to his apology. She did find it sweet, but it was unnecessary. 

  

   "There is no need to apologize. To get to know one another, being alone is completely understandable. There are fewer distractions and no audience." Maxim nodded in agreement.  

   Deciding to take the lead, Esper crossed her arms behind her back and started wandering around. They walked in silence as Esper led Maxim through the snowy pathways. 

"So, what do you like to do," Esper asked, breaking the silence at last. She turned to face him again and walked backward as they talked.  

  

   "Well, I am the head of finances for my family's enterprise; I draw up the statistics for future growth and development. I handle the financial accounts and all potential investments."  

  

   Esper gave him a strange look. "That's not exactly what I meant."  

  

   "What do you mean," Maxim asked, slightly confused. "That is what I like to do."  

  

   "That isn't any fun." She chuckled at his seriousness.  

  

   "Then what do you consider fun?" He inquired.  

  

   "Well." Esper paused for a moment and looked around. A huge grin took over her face as she thought of a wicked idea. She sneakily grabbed some snow from a bush as they walked and formed it into a ball behind her back. "I like to do stuff like this."   

  

  Esper threw the snowball, laughing as it splattered across her victim's chest. Maxim pushed his glasses back into place again and swatted the snow away. He let out a slight chuckle once he was all cleaned up. "You are so dead."  

  

   Esper took off running as he started forming a snowball. She ducked behind a bush as he threw it, narrowly escaping. She quickly began molding a few more balls and poked up from behind the bush and promptly threw them, a few of them grazing Maxim's shoulder. Their back and forth went on for several minutes. They each had gotten a couple of decent shots on one another, but most were misses.  

   Having run out of premade snowballs, Esper ducked behind another bush and began assembling a bundle. When she poked her head back up from resupplying her ammunition, she looked around confused. Maxim had disappeared.  

  

   "Maxim," she called out, but there was no response. She stood up and looked around but, Esper couldn't find him anywhere. When she was about to call out again, Maxim popped out from behind a bush. He tackled her to the ground, and the two erupted into laughter as they tumbled downwards. They slowly stopped laughing and locked eyes with each other.  

  

   "How was that for fun," Maxim asked, slightly out of breath.  

  

   "It was a good start." Esper gave him a soft smile. He slowly moved his head closer to hers, his hair softly dancing upon her skin. He pulled back a little, wiping some snow from Esper's ivory skin before leaning down once more for a kiss. A voice shouted out, shattering the moment and atmosphere between the two.  

  

   "Hey, what is going on out here?" A female voice called out. They looked up from behind the bush and saw everyone outside. Saffron stood at the front of the group, tossing a snowball up in the air menacingly.  

  

   "Did you really think you could have a snowball fight without us knowing?" Saffron shouted, giving Esper a devious smile. With lightning speed, Saffron threw the snowball right into Esper's face. Everyone took this as the signal to start and ran out to the garden, taking tactical positions. Snowballs were soon raining on Maxim and Esper as they ducked behind the bush again for cover.  

  

   "Oh, this is so on!" Esper declared. Her body trembled with excitement and adrenaline. Esper flashed Maxim a mischievous grin as a surge of power began emitting from her. When it came to athletic feats, she was very competitive. Snowballs formed from the snow around them instantly and began floating in the air. The young female walked from the bush with at least thirty icy spheres orbiting around her.   

  

   Everyone looked in awe at the magical sight. Well, everyone except her friends. Senna shouted at her friend, who was clearly showing off. "Esper, that's cheating. Not everyone has an ice affinity!"  

  

   "All is fair in a snowball war," Esper shouted back and began laughing maniacally as she launched her squadron of snowballs at everyone visible.  

    "Well, if that's the case," Remy yelled, his maroon hair flying as he ran to a massive snow pile. "Then take this." 

   The snow started forming into a small army of snowmen, flinging snowballs in every direction. Their snowball fight lasted for hours, Remy and his army of snowmen claiming victory by a landslide.  

   The sun began to rise, and everyone decided it was best to head inside. Maxim approached Esper again, hoping to escort her to her quarters. 

   "I appreciate the offer," Esper mused. "But I don't think I am quite ready for everyone to know where my bedroom is. But how about we compromise and I let you take me as far as the top of the stairs?" 

   "Your terms are agreeable." Maxim placed his hand on Esper's lower back as they walked back to the house. The small but intimate touch made Esper's face warm. She was going to have to get used to male attention in the following month. 

   When they reached the top of the stairs, Esper turned to face Maxim. "Well, this is my stop. It was a pleasure getting to know you, Maxim." 

   "The pleasure was mine, Lady Esper." Maxim grasped her hand and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "I look forward to our next meeting." 

   Giving a brief wave, Esper turned and headed towards her room. When she got into her room, she let out a big sigh of relief—finally, a little time for herself. Changing into comfortable clothes, Esper hopped onto her bed to do a little reading before catching some shut-eye.