The gentle rays of sunlight filtered through the curtains and rested on Shinoa's eyelids. Her eyes twitched as a groan escaped her lips. Shinoa lifted her arms to shield her eyes from the vicious rays. Taking a moment to recall yesterday's happenings, she sat up with a start. Her eyes scanned herself. At least she was still wearing her uniform. Her cuffs were gone though. A change she welcomed. Her fingers traced the nape of her neck, feeling the slight depression. It felt warm. Like he was still there.

The holes were more or less healed up. What Shinoa still couldn't understand was how did her wound closed up so fast. She remembered Crowley licking it. Maybe it was the vampire's saliva. The more Shinoa pondered about it, the more her cheeks flared up. She covered her face with the spare pillow.

'God, what the hell am I thinking!' she mentally screamed to herself. It then took her another minute to realise that she had been sniffing the spare pillow intensively.

'It smells like him…. Wait,' she thought as she stared suspiciously at the spare pillow in her hands. Then, she remembered that he had rested on the pillow yesterday when he cuddled with her. She looked down deadpanned, her mouth opened to let a string of dead laughter escaped. She covered her face and screeched to herself. Poor Shinoa was about to smack her head against the bed post when she heard the doors clicked open. Crowley whistled causally as he carried a tray and entered the room.

"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the coffin," he chuckled, laying the tray in front of Shinoa. Her lovely lavender hair was ruffled up, with some odd ends sticking about. Her eye bags were a bit more pronounced than the day before.

"Was that a vampire joke, my fair knight?" she chomped down the bread and sipped the tea, appreciating the delightful aroma. Her eyes narrowed sarcastically. "So, what am I going to do now?"

Crowley contemplated.

"Well, I can't send you back home. So, I suppose you can stay here for now," Crowley said while pointing to a door beside the one 'entrance door'. "That's the bathroom. There are spare clothes inside the closet."

Shinoa nodded. She finished the bread and tea. It was probably the best breakfast she had in a really long time. Shinoa moved her legs to the side of the bed. She lowered her feet to the ground and steadied herself as she used the bed post as a support. Crowley walked over to her and offered her his hand. She stubbornly took it as the misfit duo made a beeline to the bathroom door.

"Don't follow me," Shinoa warned, closing the door before it was stopped by Crowley. His right foot struck between the doors.

"Sorry, lavender, but I also need a bath," Crowley pried the doors opened with ease. Shinoa stared in disbelief. Her full strength was easily toppled over by this sadistic noble vampire.

"It's not gentlemanly to barge into the bathroom when a lady is using it, fair knight," she half-smiled, half-gritted her teeth. A wave of deadly aura emitted from her. However, Crowley being Crowley, he coughed and pet the little girl.

"In the first place you are in my residence, lavender. So, technically, you are barging into my bathroom," Crowley mentally gave himself a pat on the back.

"Secondly, I fought of some of your kind earlier this morning. A warm bath would be enough to soothe this old knight's sore muscles and bones." He loved the way Shinoa shuttled at the mention off him fighting the humans. She was imagining the number of soldiers he killed off. The number of lives lost. The amount of blood shed. A hand tipped her chin up. Crowley could see that she was putting on a brave face but deep down inside she was crying. After 825 years, Crowley knew how fragile a human was.

He lifted her into the air like a child. A tear landed on his cheek. Shinoa was crying. Now, Crowley knew he had crossed the line. He carried her bridal style in one arm. The other arm went to on the tap. Water gushed out and into the huge tub in the middle of the room.

"Don't frown. It doesn't look good on you," he said as he dropped her on ground.

"Undress and get into the tub," he uttered.

"Then don't look at me, perv," she flushed. She heard a defeating sigh from Crowley. His back turned to her. His hand rose to his head.

"I won't look," he answered earnestly. Shinoa unbuttoned her uniform, letting it slide to the marble floor. She sneaked a peek at Crowley. His back was still facing her. She slid her bra straps and unclasp the hook. Her left leg went into the tub. It was warm and inviting. She sat in the middle of the tub, her back facing Crowley's.

"You can come in now," she squeaked. She heard some buttons clicked and something dropped to the ground. The footsteps were getting louder and louder, closer and closer. She felt the water level rise and a cold broad back against hers. Her hair, now a mess of purple, clashed with Crowley's red and black mane. Shinoa hugged her legs as she crouched down. Her mind was muddled with confusion.

'What in the world am I doing in a bathtub with a god damn vampire?!' she mentally exclaimed.

Crowley took a small ceramic bottle from the side of the bathtub and poured the milky white shampoo into his hair. He ruffled it into his scalp, lathering his hair. Crowley then passed the remaining contents of the ceramic bottle back.

"Shampoo,"

Shinoa did the same for hers. She messaged her scalp, enjoying the citrus scent. Being caught in a war, she hardly has the luxury to take a bath, let alone enjoying a shower. It was always fighting and survival. Shinoa was too caught up with her thoughts that she did not realised that some suds were dripping down her forehead and into her eyes. A stinging sensation erupted. Shinoa closed it shut to prevent anymore suds from entering but the stinging sensation only got worse.

Feeling the water in front of her, she collected it in her palms and splashed her face. The problem was that the water had shampoo mixed in it. So, the pain intensified.

"Crowley…" Shinoa bit her lips. It was so unlike her to ask for help, especially to a vampire. "I got suds in my eyes. Can you show me the tap?"

In her pitch black darkness, his cold hand gingerly grasped her right wrist. She felt a creak and a gentle flow of water flowed through her fingers. She cupped it and splashed it at her eyes. A light chuckle was heard from behind.

"Well, I'm done," The water level in the bathtub dropped as Crowley stood up and dried himself with the white towels. He put on his pants and army top, securing the cape last.

"I'll be guarding the door, lavender. Don't want anyone else barging in," Crowley sniggered.

Shinoa sighed. She would have to give in to his antics for now. At least she had a filling breakfast and a relaxing bath. The question is… how long will this dream last before the nightmare catches up. Wrapping herself in another white towel before the cold air could touch her wet skin, she walked to the closet. A couple of white dresses met her eyes. She ran her hands though the material. Some were satin, some silk, others velvet.

All of the designs were simplistic but tasteful. Shinoa reached towards one of the white dresses and put it on. There was a mirror inside the closet. Shinoa stared amazed at the stranger in the mirror. The stranger wore a gorgeous dress with a frilly collar and short sleeves with lacing details. The satin dress ended above her knees, a mesh continued from her waist to her ankles. Shinoa twirled around and was mesmerised by how the dress flowed along. There was an issue though. The dress could only be buttoned close from the back.

"Is everything okay, lavender?" Crowley asked from the other side of the door.

"Yes, everything is fine. I'll be out in just a minute," Shinoa called out. She saw her uniform. Picking it up, she felt torn. What were her friends doing now? She hugged the uniform, tears welled up in her eyes once more. The black clashed with the white she now wore. Making sure that her uniform was folded and nestled in the closet, Shinoa took one last look before closing the closet. She walked barefooted to the doors and pushed it opened.

Crowley was outside sitting in a comfy chair. His chin was rested on his hand. He was getting thirsty. His fangs were aching for blood. Shinoa's blood. When he first drank her blood, he felt an electrifying burst in his heart. He had drunk blood from many humans before. Majority of his victims were sucked dry and left for the dead. Yet, why was he thirsting for Shinoa's blood only? Crowley unknowing touched his throat. His attention was diverted to the bathroom door now.

Shinoa walked out, her new dress on and her hair cascading down her back. Crowley mind went black at that moment. He was spellbound. Captivated even. He noticed Shinoa was reddening though.

"Uhm, could you help me button the dress?" she squeaked in embarrassment. She felt so exposed under the intense gaze of Crowley. He stood up and she turned around. She lifted her lavender hair to the front. Crowley took off his gloves, his fingers sliding the buttons into the corresponding holes. He was so tempted to sink his fangs into her neck.

"Lavender?" His was at the last button.

"Yes?"

"Can I drink your blood again?" Shinoa looked at Crowley. She could sense a hint of desperation in his words. She was scared. But now that she looked into his red eyes, she could see that he was suffering. How sad it must be to drink the life out of someone else just so you could survive. She smiled brightly and closed her eyes.

To be frank, Crowley was amazed by how Shinoa took in all in. His heart thumped. It felt warm. Like a gentle light flickering in the dark. He bent down, wrapping his hands around her waist, bringing her closer to him. Fangs sinking into her flesh, he sucked the delicious sweet blood. He savoured as the liquid warmed his throat. His tongue felt the holes and circled it carefully.

When Crowley came up, there was only two slight depressions at the back of Shinoa's neck. As he buttoned up the dress, Shinoa tied her hair to her side. She noticed Crowley untied hair.

"Well, fair knight, as a reward for helping me with the dress, I shall braid your hair," Shinoa tried to reach Crowley. Emphasis on the word tried. Shinoa, standing at 4'11", barely touched the shoulders of Crowley who stood at 6'3". It was comical to see Shinoa tiptoed and yet unable to reach Crowley's head. He lifted Shinoa up much to her surprise and laid her on the bed. He then sat down on the floor beside the bed.

"Braid away then, lavender," Crowley said, letting Shinoa have full access to his hair. Shinoa happily worked her hair braiding skills.

'His hair sure is soft,' She felt the hair, layering one lock over the next. She inhaled the citrus scent unknowingly. "Lavender, if you take your time, my hair is going to grow longer than yours," Crowley laughed. He got a cute pout from Shinoa. She finished the braiding. Crowley, resting his head back on the bed, inspected the braid.

"Not bad, lavender," Crowley glazed at Shinoa. The way her lavender hair curled. The way her hazel eyes reflected him when he looked into them. The way she smiled. Shinoa's head was hovering above Crowley's. He lifted his right palm on her head, pushing her closer to him. Shinoa, though alarmed, lowered downwards. She didn't know what was Crowley going to do. How unexpected this vampire was. They were only an inch apart. Shinoa's heart was beating like crazy. She closed her eyes.

A peck on her forehead. A gentle light one. Crowley pecked her forehead. Crowley. The vampire that captured her.

It was at this point that Shinoa knew her heart had been captured by none other than Crowley Eusford.