Music Recommendation: Amelia y Enrique- Ivan Palomers
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Seeing the unwavering smile on Vincent's lips, Eve wondered if this saviour would turn into her murderer one day. Last night, her foot had bled, and after pulling the glass piece from her leg, he had sucked every drop of her blood from it.
Eve said, "I thought you just finished your breakfast."
"Just because one finishes breakfast doesn't mean that you cannot make a little space for your favourite dessert, does it?" He took a step toward her, and Eve took a deep breath without attempting to step backwards. Because she knew there was no point running. If Vincent wanted to catch her, he could catch her even after she left the town; and this was his house.
When Eve took a deep breath, she smelt a musky scent that came from Vincent and at the same time, there was something very breezy as if he had taken a walk near the sea. The next moment, she stared into his coppery brown eyes that stared into her blue ones.
"I have tasted blood from many. Uncountable if you ask me, yet there is something very intoxicating about the taste of your blood," there was a slight gleam with the way Vincent looked at her as if she was a delicious meal that he wanted to devour.
Eve looked around to ensure no one could listen to them in the corridor. She lowered her voice and asked him, "I have heard blood of my kind does that to vampires. Which is why people don't see mermaids or merman's walking on the land."
"Seems like what happened in the ballroom has upset you, Ms. Barlow," stated Vincent, his eyes keenly continuing to look at her.
Eve watched the vampire take a deep breath, and he closed his eyes as if recollecting the blood he had tasted and drank from her. This made her softly gulp.
"I saw the mermaid's body yesterday," her voice trembled when she remembered the mermaid's half body being taken to the mansion's kitchen. "You cannot expect me to be happy after seeing my kind being brutally killed. Would you be happy if you saw your kind being treated like that?"
pᴀɴᴅᴀ-ɴoᴠᴇʟ "Do you want the truth?" Vincent drawled, getting a little closer and a smirk appeared on his face when he heard her heart hitch. "Everyone can go to hell."
"It isn't about the same kind, but one at least has a heart and conscience," blurted Eve.
He said, "I didn't know you thought so highly of me, Ms. Barlow. Or did something change?"
Eve's lips set themselves in a thin line. After Vincent had saved her last night from being killed and torn into many halves by the vampires or werewolves, she believed there was some goodness in him, something she might have overlooked in the past few days. But here they were, back to where they had started.
She said, "Every life is to be valued, Master Vincent. Every life matters because they come here like any of us and they have family and dreams. I don't know about you, but I am not someone who stands still and watches such horror as if it's nothing."
Vincent hummed as if he thought something deep and said, "And what if those dreams are one of evils? Let us say that the people who killed the mermaid were put under trials and were set to step up on the gallows of the town. Would you tell that their life matters too?"
"I believe people are capable of change if they try. I know it is something that needs to come from within. If a person is allowed to redeem, then why not?"
"And if they don't? What then? Are you alright with them finding more of your kind and butchering them for their own pleasure, Ms. Barlow?" Vincent raised his eyebrows and continued, "Your words are noble, but they are impractical. Unless you are willing to bend rules but you don't seem to be one who would do it."
Eve's jaws clenched, knowing Vincent's words were true, but at the same time, she didn't like how this world took the matters of others' lives as if they weren't worth it or worth saving. She retorted to his words,
"Not everyone shares the same interests as you, Mr. Moriarty."
Vincent noticed how the mermaid changed how she addressed him during their conversations. It started with being obedient by calling him Master Vincent, and when she wanted to deliver her thoughts where he vexed her, it often turned to Mr. Moriarty.
He hadn't seen a woman like her, one with an opinion. And for someone who belonged to the endangered species of their world and came from a town like Meadow, she had a firm opinion. Undoubtedly, the woman offered amusement in his mundane life, and Vincent enjoyed it. He wondered if it was because she was a governess, which had given her this much power and thoughts.
"It would be odd if everyone shared the same interests as me, Ms. Barlow," Vincent replied to her words, and he leaned forward to hear her heart skip a beat. He said, "I can smell your blood. You know... foot isn't exactly a part where I drink blood from. Next time we should find a better place for me to sink my fangs."
In fact, he had a much better place which was enjoyable not just for him but also for the woman from whom he drank blood. But then, at the same time, this was only a governess, and if it weren't that she was a mermaid, Vincent wouldn't have allowed her to get this close to his breathing space.
"You didn't treat your foot going home?" Vincent questioned her while taking one step backwards.
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Eve frowned and said, "I redid the bandage."
"Foolish little thing," murmured Vincent, and Eve sent him a glare, "Easy there. I see more than necessary sometimes."
Eve closed her eyes before looking away from him. She demanded, "Why do you always associate the word little girl with me?"
"Isn't that because you are a small person?" When Eve parted her lips, ready to counter his words, Vincent elucidated it for her, "When I tell small it doesn't mean by your mind, but your appearance. You look like an eighteen year old, but try to look like you are far older by dressing up, little girl."
This time, Eve didn't go to retort and decided there was no point arguing with him. After all, he did save her life.
"Let us go to the piano room," stated Vincent, and he started to walk towards the piano room, where Miss Allie was waiting for her.
Eve looked back and forth in the corridor before following him.
When they reached the room, the little vampiress who had caught sight of her brother and her governess walked into the room, stood up from her chair and bowed her head in greeting.
"Hamster, go get your favourite box," ordered Vincent, and Allie turned to look at Eve before she nodded and left the room.
"Box?" inquired Eve, and Vincent took a seat on the chair, where Allie had been sitting until now.
"Remove your shoe and sit," his tone didn't allow her to refuse him, and she did as she was told. Eve noticed her bandages were spotting with blood, but that was because it didn't get enough time to heal and walking around didn't make it easier.
"I was waiting for it to heal," Eve said before he could tell anything.
"Waiting for a magical fairy? Like my sister?" Vincent questioned Eve, and his words held more meaning than what she could infer from them.
Once Allie returned to the room with a box in her hand, Vincent ordered her, "Lock the door, and play something for us."
Allie nodded and sat on the bench in front of the pianoforte. The little girl soon started to play a song while Vincent pulled out a needle with a slimy thread.
Vincent cleaned the wound and applied something to her foot. He then started to stitch the wound on her foot, which was still open and hadn't healed from last night. Eve bit her lip to stop herself from screaming as the needle going in and out of her skin wasn't easy. He redid the bandage, and once done, she brought her foot down without slipping it back into her.
When Vincent found her staring at him, he raised one of his eyebrows, "What?"
"You have been helping me since yesterday..."
Vincent cleaned his hands with his handkerchief and got up from his seat. He said, "Don't get dewy eyes. The last thing I need is someone finding out what you are and sinking their fangs in you."
How could she forget that she had turned into his personal blood supplier now, thought Eve to herself.
Her and Vincent's relationship had moved from employer-employee to predator-prey, with her mermaid blood binding her to this secret agreement. Her life had been sealed to a pureblooded vampire.
Even though Vincent had started his conversation with him, indicating to her that he wanted to drink her blood, as every minute passed by, Eve realised he didn't make an attempt to take her blood.
With Allie, who continued playing the pianoforte, Vincent turned to look at the little vampiress.
Eve noticed Vincent's gaze softened as he looked at his little sister. But within a second, whatever look was in there, it vanished making her wonder if she had only imagined it.