Eddie was pretty sure he had already been awed by the Tarus family's wealth, but he still couldn't help himself from practically slobbering over the looming mansion ahead of him. The wrought iron gates itself was a sight to salivate over; the iron bars were coated with gold, or so it seems to appear. It wasn't possible for the whole gate to be made of solid gold… Right?

The gates opened without a sound, boasting of how well maintained it was despite the frequent storms. The wheels of the limousine crunched against the gravel as it moved forward with deliberate slowness, not that he was complaining though.

It gave him a chance to drool over everything in sight.

It took almost another minute to reach the garage, the estate was that large. Eddie realized that to deem the building where the limousine would be parked a 'garage' was an insult. It seemed more like an aircraft hangar than a garage, with its spaciousness and luxury. Not that an aircraft hangar would have such comfort, but it was the closest thing Eddie could relate it to in such short notice. A crest resembling a Taurus rearing back before charging forward hung over the polished marble walls, gleaming in the rays of the morning sun.

Leoric caught him gaping and followed the direction of his stare. "That's the family crest of the Tarus. Impressive, isn't it?"

Eddie nodded dumbly, enraptured by the way the light bounced off the carefully sculptured work of art. "It's beautiful."

Leoric laughed heartily. "I won't have it any other way."

Eddie approached the crest, the representative animal of the Tarus clan. "What does it mean?"

"Strength," The Moroi stepped forward, mirroring his movements. "Courage. Pride. Values all Tarus family members live by." Leoric, too, gazed at the symbol wistfully for a long moment in silence before he inclined his head towards Eddie. "Come, your tour of the estate awaits."

"A pretty long tour, from how huge this place is." Eddie murmured.

"It's not all sightseeing, Eddie. I need you to check the defenses I have in place and tell me what you think we lack. I'm not taking any chances of the Strigois breaching my house, even if we're a good distance away from the nearest house."

It was true; the Tarus estate resided far from prying eyes. It was secluded and remote, providing the perfect housing for the eccentric millionaire Leoric had made the human population believe he was. It was the perfect cover in Eddie's opinion, for nobody would question his movement or speculate about his aversion to sunlight. The only problem he could imagine was bringing Noel to school from here.

Noel. Ever since his announcement about staying away from her, she had shunned him as if he was a vile insect. She refused to even acknowledge his presence, preferring to remain in her room and shooting a snide remark or two his way whenever they had to speak. If he didn't knew better, Eddie would think that she was angry with him for staying away from her.

But he did know better.

And it was for the best.

Even if a part of him begged to differ.

"Eddie?" Leoric's voice dragged him out of his thoughts. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." Eddie shook his head to clear his mind. "I apologize. I got lost in my thoughts."

Amusement glinted in Leoric's eyes and he smiled in comprehension. "Not used to it yet?"

"Nope," Eddie admitted, still a little shocked by how perceptive the Moroi was. However, it wasn't that surprising once he had found out that Leoric was on the Council. Wealth solely could not have ensured him such a lavish position, and he had to have other admirable qualities to get him there. "I never expected things to be so…"

"Different?" Leoric raised an eyebrow. When Eddie nodded, his expression turned pensive. "I guess it would take you a while to adjust. Don't take too long though, I have a few friends coming over for a reunion on Sunday."

Eddie frowned. It was already Friday, so he only had a day to learn the proper manner to go around with his duties. "I will try my best."

"Good." Leoric nodded in approval and kept to his word by giving Eddie the entire tour. The whole estate was split into four different sectors : work, relaxation, recreational and dining. The dining sector was located on an airy balcony, overlooking the surrounding forest. The entire place was put together from wooden planks, ranging from dark ebony to light mahogany, making it seem as one with Mother Nature just a few meters away.

The relaxation and recreational sectors occupied a majority of the land, boasting of a tennis court, heated pools, a Jacuzzi and a Zen garden – a recent addition by Leoric in an attempt to calm his feisty daughter down.

The failure of his noble intent was obvious.

Most people would figure that a someone as wealthy as Leoric would never bother with work around the house since he had a number of servants to see to his every whim. On the contrary, he enjoyed and spent most of his free time working outside, fixing broken furniture – courtesy of Noel during her many temper spikes – and piecing together new ones. Much to Eddie's surprise, most, if not all of the furniture in the Tarus household was made single-handedly by him.

The working sector, therefore, had a tool shed with a wide assortment of equipment. It was also the last area on the tour, and Eddie had found every defense set in place satisfactory. Enchanted stakes were all in the appropriate place to ward Strigois off, and the cobblestone walls surrounding the estate did not show any signs of corroding or weakening.

"Everything is in order," Eddie reported as they finished their round. "I don't see how anybody can get in without setting off the alarms."

"Good, good." Leoric seemed reassured. "Now that you know your way around the house, I'll get someone to show you to your room."

"Sure." Eddie replied, grateful for the reprieve. He needed a bit of rest, considering how he had not gotten a wink of sleep yesterday night. He was too busy trying to force his erection down – to no avail, he might add. Knowing the Noel was just a door away, well within his reach, did nothing to soothe the burning ache to sink inside her body.

No, it only intensified it.

Leoric nodded curtly, turned and strode back to the mansion with a regal air. Halfway, he stopped and pivoted to face Eddie again. "One more thing."

A tingle of dread shot down Eddie's spine. "Yes?"

"I have given you a room to facilitate your guarding duties of Noel."

Warning bells started chiming inside his mind, but he ignored it. Surely not… "And what is that?"

Leoric shot him a surprised glance. "Do you need to ask? Your room is adjoined to hers."

Noel stomped up to her room, angry and frustrated with a certain someone she can't seem to get out of her mind. So much so that she had declared his face somehow adhered to the inside of her brain, making it an impossible task to forget him.

Not that she was trying extremely hard.

Of course, she had come up with a reason for her inability to dismiss Eddie from her thoughts. She had not fed for the past 2 days, weakening her considerably – both mentally and physically. That, she rationalized, was the only plausible reason. She refused to entertain any other ridiculous notions that were along the lines of her being obsessed with him.

She was not.

Realizing that she had just given that notion a second thought – yes, second, not first – she flung open the door to her room with far more force than necessary. Even her previous crush, who had hurt her irrevocably, had not taken residence inside her mind for so long a period of time. And the fact that Eddie had wriggled his way in in just a short span of days…

No.

She wasn't going there.

Besides, he had announced his intention to stay away from her. She would allow that as it worked to her benefit. Without him around to distract her from her vow, she won't have to worry about getting closer to Eddie. Not that she was going to get closer to him, of course. She won't dream of it.

Except that she had dreamt of it.

A few times.

Ergh! This contradictory nature of hers that had never stuck around before was starting to get on her nerves. She had never been so uncertain before, she had always had a tight grip on her life. Now, with the arrival of her Guardian, it seems that her control had slipped away, leaving her in a never ending spiral that only she can pull herself out from.

And the only way to do that is to get rid of Eddie.

Fast.

Here comes trouble for Eddie... Or will the plan backfire and somehow bring the two closer? ;D

I've made up my mind about which characters I would be writing about.

One, is of course, Eddie Castile.

Next, the one and only Adrian Ivashkov.

Third, the young and underaged (:) Jill Maestro (Dragomir)?

LASTLY, THE NEWEST ARRIVAL!

MIA RINALDI.

Yes, that little bitch that fucked up Rose's life for the first part of the series. Since she turned to the good side, I figured she deserves a happy ending as well. Can you guess the pairings for Mia and Jill? Guess!

A cookie for you if you guess it right :)

Until next time!