I opened my book, only to set it down again, moments later to reopen it. It was nearing two o'clock in the morning; our high hour. Lady Danbury side-eyed me from the sofa where she was writing letters from. I wasn't looking her way, rather staring at the fire blaze with my forefinger resting contemplatively on my lip. With a sigh my old caregiver set down her paper.

"You'll never get through your book that way." "I can't concentrate," I freely admit, still gazing at the flames. "That's evident. What do you find so distracting? What are you so preoccupied with, your grace?" Electing not to answer immediately, I merely peered over at her from the corner of my eye. What am I so preoccupied with? I can't help but wonder….

And yet I already know.

So did Lady Danbury. Her head shook a little. "Would it be easier if she wasn't here?" Her ladyship asked while returning to her scribbling. This caught me by surprise, making my shoulder fling and my face to fully turn in her direction. "What?" "Daphne. She's the reason you can't concrete, isn't she?" "W-Well yes…. But I don't see that as any reason to send her away. This is a temporary fixation; a child-like fantasy. It'll pass soon….." My lips uttered as my eyes rolled back to the fire. "Mmmmmm, you sure about that?" Course Lady Danbury didn't sound so sure.

My hand ran over my face in an exasperated manner. "I don't know what's wrong with me…. Why can't I stop thinking about her? Why am I so worried about her? It doesn't make any sense. It can't just be hunger; if it was, it wouldn't explain why I'm so concerned for her safety. I just don't know what it could be…" Her ladyship listened quietly, keeping on with her letter-writing for a second. She eventually gave me a nod after a moment of contemplation. "It's not unusual for vampires to be protective over humans- if they desire not to eat them, that is. But not to the degree you're taking it; that's the abnormal part." "I know, but what does it mean? There has to be a reason," I shot back in a frustrated tone. Lady Danbury looked up at me for a second then back down at her work. "Perhaps it's….. But no, that's impossible." "What? What's impossible?" I perked up again, interested in that she had to say. "Nothing. Forget I mentioned it," her gloved hand gave a wave. "Forget what? What are you talking about?" Sitting erect now, my eyes were burning a hole through her. My old caregiver glanced up at me, hesitated, and then let out a defeated sigh.

"As you know, vampires have a sixth sense; one humans don't have. We can sense certain things before they happen. Now I've only seen this with a few cases when I was a nurse for humans, but sometimes vampires can tell when a human's about to die." "What?" That was all my brain could think to utter. Just "what"? She nodded. "They sense it before it happens, though they don't know that's what they're sensing. They just feel a strong sense of fear around the human's life ending prematurely, like what you're experiencing now." I felt like I was going to be sick. "So….. Miss Bridgerton's going to die, then? H-How soon?" She shrugged. "Judging by what you've told me, maybe a few months?"

Not even wanting to consider it, my head gave a violent shake. "But…. no! Miss Bridgerton's not going to die! Her great uncle is coming for a visit in June, and Anthony…. No! She's absolutely not going to die. It's utterly impossible!" "I certainly hope you're right, Simon. For her sake and yours, I hope you're right." "W-Why?" I looked back at her afraid. My sake? What did she mean by that? Her eyes met mine, sharpening closely onto them. "Because those vampires who can sense a human's death, they're the reason they die." "What?" "For you to sense Daphne's death, you would have to drink all her blood in the near future, effectively killing her. That's why you can sense her death prematurely; the link you two have will be paramount one day. That's also why you're so anxious to keep her safe- you're preserving her so that you might drink from her later."

My hand practically slammed down onto my chair's arm, making Lady Danbury blink to me in surprise. I hadn't mean to be glaring so harshly at her just then but I think I was doing so all the same. "That is not going to happen. I would never do something like that. Never." "I know you wouldn't, Simon. That's why I said it's impossible. It's probably just a defective gene you inherited from your father. I know full well you do not intent on feasting on Daphne's blood, and certainly not to the point of death." "Absolutely! I do not need human blood; I am perfectly healthy. And besides, I have no intention on losing my memory," I claimed with finality. Her ladyship flashed me a grin. "I know, your grace; I know…" Then she went back to her letters and I returned my attention back to my book. But of course I could not focus. Lady Danbury's words repeated like a wheel in my head. They pissed me off….

Really pissed me off.

She gazed back up at me as I suddenly stood up. "Simon?" "I'm going for a walk," I said without looking her way. I wasn't angry with her per se, but more so the situation in general. I still couldn't think of an adequate explanation as to why I felt this way, but I knew "that" couldn't possibly be the reason. Why would I kill Miss Bridgerton? My stupid brain is driving me toward keeping her safe so intensely. "That's why you can sense her death prematurely; the link you two have will be paramount one day. That's also why you're so anxious to keep her safe- you're preserving her so that you might drink from her later."

My fist slammed against the wall in the hallway I was currently marching through. The impact was so hard that it left a small dent. I stared forward for a second, then slowly over at my balled hand. As I examined my fist and the wall behind it, my eyes lowered a little. I did my best to calm down and visibly relax my shoulders. "What am I doing?" I asked myself out loud. It's not that I wouldn't mind a permanent connection with Miss Bridgerton, a human. But I don't want to kill her to get it. I want her to live. I want…..

Without my realizing I was doing so, I began walking toward her room. It was the middle of the night for her and I knew full-well she'd be asleep right now. I didn't want to see her exactly, more so check on her. Make sure she's still breathing…. Humans are so fragile; anything could end them really. Thinking about it only made my feet pick up the pace.

I paused outside Miss Bridgerton's room, staring at the door for I don't know how long. Eventually, after some time had passed, my hand raised up to press flat against the wood of the door. I gently closed my eyes, honing my predatory senses. She was inside sleeping, breathing….. Every beat of her heart, each flutter in her eye, even the flash in her throat as she breathed- I could detect them all. Content with this, my own eyes began to reopen on their own accord.

Why? Why do I feel this flush of relief whenever I know she's safe? Why do I need to know where she is at all times? Why did looking at her from my balcony that one afternoon change me so profoundly? I want to be near her. I want to hear the sound of her voice; her beautiful, beautiful voice…. This can't be love. So then what is it? I don't love Miss Bridgerton, but…. But….. "Your thirst is clouding your judgement, my lord. Go get yourself something to drink and you'll feel better." But I can already see myself growing more attached to her with each passing day, and I doubt my thirst is causing this affection.

So then, where is it coming from?