A/N: A few days ago I discovered by chance that my last chapter was subconsciously very much influenced by Melusine's 10th chapter of "Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On" after once again reading her story. Thanks again for your great work, Mel. If you don't know her stories yet, I can only recommend reading them. They are phenomenal!


Chapter 5 ~ A kiss in the dark

I knew something was different from the moment I awoke. It was quiet around me. Too quiet. Usually in old walls like in this mansion, you can hear all kind of sounds – footsteps, electric humming, the creaking of wood and the last crackle of a fire going out in a fireplace... On my skin I could still feel the last warmth of the sun, which, according to my inner sense of time, must be just about to set and had warmed my Eric and me pleasantly during the day. But laying there waiting for my child to shake off the shackles of his daydeath and gain consciousness, I became freezing cold. Nothing, no sounds at all reached my ear and that honestly scared me. Nothing in nature was ever completely silent and since my involuntary birth as a creature of the night I had always absorbed the sounds of animate and inanimate nature. But what I experienced in that moment made me feel dead. For it not only paralyzed my limbs, but also seemed to freeze my thoughts to ice.

Desperately I stretched my senses in all possible directions and after endless minutes I finally discovered an anchor. A heart beating steadily. It was slow and certainly belonged to a sleeping human, but it was still an anchor to which I could cling and pull myself out of the paralyzing cold that held me captive. What exactly was wrong with me? Since when had I felt so overwhelmed with feelings? I could not let that happen! With a loud growl I concentrated on the distant beating of that heart and forced my body to move and sit up. First yesterday's episode of my subconscious, which had allowed to show the unpleasant memories of my past during the boy's tragic story, and now this. As soon as I was back in Dallas, I would have to deal with it intensively! But at that moment I just wanted to find out why such a dead aura radiated in this huge building.

Thanks to Danu I felt in this moment how my Eric's body moved a bit next to me. I turned my gaze towards him and felt instantly nostalgic. Since the night of his first awakening as a creature of darkness and my blood, I have enjoyed watching him every night since then, when he opened his eyes after the long day. My Eric was what you would call today a morning grump. Even though the sun had long since loosened its grip on his limbs, it still took a few minutes before he wanted to get up. As much as my Viking loved life, he also appreciated sleep to gather his strength, and in peaceful times, I sometimes had my dear trouble to get him to get up. This had not changed after all our centuries together. But today I was grateful for it. For to see how his body relaxed after day's rigor, while his face still remained peaceful before the thirst of revenge would fill him, also calmed me and gave my mind a peaceful moment.

Then he opened his eyes and turned his head toward me. Our eyes met and as expected, the fire in his awoke when the memory of last night returned. But instead of jumping up and getting ready to fight, he kept looking at me, and from the corners of my eyes, I saw his left hand approaching my face. With a gentle movement, he put his hand on my cheek and I closed my eyes with a tired sigh.

"We don't have to do this, you know? We could just fly away. I'm sure Her Excellency will understand."

"But then you would be depriving yourself of your revenge..." I heard myself say. It was strange how well Eric has always been able to read me. For a moment it occurred to me to withdraw from him, because I felt how my pain hurt him. But to feel our connection closing would surely hurt him even more... And I could not do that to him. Not to the man of my blood who, with his decision to be by my side, had saved me for over a thousand years now from denying life and going to my ancestors.

"Oh, I'm sure our Japanese friend will let his katana taste the blood of these two jävel as well. And if not, I know where they have their residence. It will be my pleasure to pay them an unscheduled visit."

His casual tone, as if he was talking about a visit to Pamela's hairdresser, brought a smile to my face. "You do realize, my Eric, that you would be committing a criminal offence in that case? It is either tonight or never."

"Her Excellency-"

"Have you forgotten what I taught you, boy? She may be sympathetic to us, but she won't interfere after an act like this. The European authority would demand your head and knowing full well that I would protect you by killing them all and thus triggering an international vampire war, she would stop me. You know as well as I do, she would find a way. So, no. Take your revenge today or not at all."

Like him, I put my hand on his cheek and began to stroke across the dried-up trail of blood that ran across his face.

"You should wash up before we leave the room. It would only cause questions as to why you had the bleeds."

"Shower together?"

"What do you mean?"

"You may be older, Godric, but the sun let you bled too."

Could that be? With a furrowed brow, I took my hand off him and ran it across the corners of my eyes. And indeed, I felt some dried blood on me, too. Well, it seems that too would be on the list of things to think about when I got back to Dallas. I hadn't felt myself bleeding...

With a sigh I got out of the bed and nodded to my Eric. "A shower together it is then."

It did not take long for us to get ready for the night. Under normal circumstances we would have taken our time, because it was not often that we showered together. But the memory of the death and the funeral of the little boy were still too fresh in both of us. And that was also the reason why I did not run away from my task. The Pythoness had given me this task, and just as Eric would avenge the boy Kjell, I would bring the main culprit to justice.

When we left my rooms together, the sun had hardly set and we heard that most vampires only just started to stir. So we had more than enough time to find Livia. I was sure that she would ask me for help because of the young man, to make him forget the horrible act he had been forced to do.

But still there was hardly anything to hear in the huge mansion. Thanks to my observation at the beginning of the day, however, I now knew about Livia's aura and could detect it without difficulty. I gave Eric a sign and together we walked through corridors and halls that all were deserted. With an uneasy feeling I noticed how the icy cold numbness from before wanted to take possession of me again. But then I heard the now familiar soft whisper of Livia's still very slowly beating heart, that you would easily overlook if you did not know what she was, and I was able to concentrate on it. Eric and I entered another but much smaller room and stopped in surprise. Not only Livia was there but also Kaito. I inhaled sharply. She was wearing a pitch-black one-shoulder-dress, which had beautiful adornments on her cleavage. It was skin tight and reached to her ankles and I saw that she was wearing flat and light sandals with it. Her hair had been artfully twisted into a complicated braid around her head and looked simply beautiful. She was just bowing to Kaito and her soft voice reached my ears when she thanked him in his native language.

"I hope he will be better when he wakes up, dear child."

She bowed again and my heart contracted painfully. She had asked him... Well, logically it made sense. They had known each other for fifteen years and he had been her teacher. My mind knew that. Then why did my heart hurt?

"Good evening, my friends."

Kaito had turned to us and acknowledged us with a short nod. Eric was more in control of himself than I was and approached them with a smile. I heard him tease Livia with a playful tone, calling her a beauty like a queen of the night. Oh yes, she looked like a queen, but to me she was an ice queen. Her face was blank, her posture cool and her eyes – which had shown so much feeling just hours ago – were empty. She talked, even smiled, with Eric and Kaito but she was only a shell of herself. I had to withdraw from her, for it hurt me too much. Such eyes I had seen before, a long, long time ago. Eyes of one from my human family, who had tried to protect me, only to have to watch my death and then to fall victim to the thirst of my newborn existence as a vampire. This night would not be easy for me. I knew that now. All the more reason to make sure she gets to live. And if I had to convince every single vampire who was against it, I swore to myself that I would get Livia out of here and give her a new life.

"What happened, old friend?"

Kaito had stepped silently beside me to the window and with a quick glance back, I saw that Eric was just leaving the room with Livia.

"The boy who poured Eric's drink was killed by the French."

"Well, that explains her behavior. Thank you for that information, Godric. I assume Eric wants to take care of it?"

"Yes."

"I see. Well then. The decadence is due to start again in a few minutes. Let's go to the others too. One word of warning though, I sense a change in the atmosphere all around. This is always the case when the sons of Dragan come home..."

I nodded to show my understanding. Let them come; five vampires more or less did not make any difference, the oldest was only almost nine hundred years old. And they were all spoiled nobles who had not really had to fight for anything in their human lives. As vampires, they had certainly relied only on their newly acquired abilities instead of practicing in combat with and without weapons.

A good fight would do me a lot of good, though. Did the Pythoness foresee that this mission would take me like this? Whatever the outcome tonight would be, she would have to answer to me. But now it was first of all necessary to fulfill my task. I followed Kaito resolutely and prepared myself inwardly for what this night would inevitably bring.


I had failed. Again… All day long I've been blaming myself now. But after what those present had told me, it was clear to me that this was my master's punishment to me. How should I proceed now? Look him calmly in the eyes and act as if nothing had happened? I couldn't do that. I had thought that I could put on a mask and hide my feelings behind it. But who was I kidding? Mr. Tanaka had seen right through me. It was only thanks to his politeness that he hadn't asked me about the reason for my state of mind and Louis' condition. And even the Celt, who had known me for only a few hours, had looked at me as if he was looking directly into my soul. What he might have seen, I couldn't say, but it was enough to let his inner flame cool down again and withdraw from me. I didn't want that! I had to pull myself together! All the others were dependent on me. But I didn't know any further and couldn't think clearly. I was so tired because I hadn't slept all day after the funeral. And because I had now given each children a drop of my blood too and they couldn't control their understandably frightened feelings so well, it also caused me a lot of trouble.

Nevertheless, my mind worked tirelessly as I walked beside Mr. Northman. I hadn't yet seen my master, but I felt that he was near. Hearing his distant laugh as we neared the banquet hall I felt my rage stir and I found myself wanting to drive my two daggers into his cruel heart. Would the Viking support me in this or would he execute me on the spot for this affront against my maker? For the moment he walked quietly beside me and I absorbed the strength he radiated. That was new – last night he had been a very reserved vampire as far as his strength was concerned. Why did he now share it so freely with me? Unless... Did he sensed some of my depressive mood too and wanted to help me with being so calm and thoughtful right now? A few minutes ago he had joked with me, but that had seemed very fake. Like a mask. Like… my own.

Sighing inwardly, I tried to get rid of some of the pressure I was feeling. But it didn't work. In the last light of day I had bitten myself hoping that it would bring me relief by drinking my own blood. But that too had been a lost effort.

With slow steps I entered the banquet hall and saw that everyone else was already present. Feeling dread rising inside my stomach by seeing my master's face I stopped and let Mr. Northman continue alone. For a moment he looked back at me over his shoulder, but when I showed him a short smile, he continued with a nod and joined Lady Tatarou. Everyone was still standing as if randomly distributed in the sitting circle and a soft voice inside me wondered how they would be spread today. Would they look for new conversation partners?

Automatically, I searched and found the three serving maids, who carried the carafes in and stood waiting at the edge of the company. Actually, I hadn't wanted any of them here and would have preferred to lock them all into the kitchen and the adjoining rooms. But Aliena, Carmen and Sarai had argued that this would cause far too much questions if none of the servants were present. Unfortunately, they were right... But by my life, they wouldn't be harmed. And if I had to prostitute myself to my master for the rest of my immortal life, no one would die on my watch anymore. That I had sworn to myself while watching the flames that had consumed Kjell's body.

As if he had heard my thoughts, my master looked at me and I managed to smile at him while I curtsied.

"Where have you been, daughter?"

His voice had a deep scratchy tone on it today that sent an icy shiver down my spine. But somehow I managed to hold my smile and take a few steps towards him. However, I sensed that my voice would fail if I gave him an answer now, whatever it would be. But luckily for me, Godric and Mr. Tanaka also came into the room at that moment and my former mentor spoke for me.

"I must apologize, Dragan. It is my fault that we have only just arrived. I asked Livia to show us the new paintings in the fireplace hall. You definitely must give me the contact information of the artist later on, those are masterpieces like from Liebermann, Monet and my favorite Friedrich."

"Oh, well..." my master muttered as my mentor walked past me and continued his conversation.

Then I felt Godric's presence beside me, and just like Mr. Northman, I felt as if he enveloped me in his aura, wanting to give me strength with it. I was confused – why did these three help me? First Mr. Northman, now Godric and Mr. Tanaka even lied for me. Why? Why? Why? Why? My head started to hurt and dizziness set in, like my blood pressure was dropping. If I wouldn't hold onto something really fast, I'd probably pass out right away. Surely my master could explain it to our guests that I hadn't drunk anything since the day before yesterday, given that I was doing this I-must-restrain-myself-in-society-diet. But that would only upset him and endanger the servants even more. Great, this thought now made me nauseous too and I would certainly have collapsed if Godric hadn't stepped in front of me at that very moment and embraced my waist. Because I was covered by his body thanks to his quick action, I allowed myself to lean against him for a few seconds and when my legs stopped shaking, he led me a few steps to a small couch that stood in the corner of the hall and was arranged so that one could sit and look at the magnificent wall hangings that decorated the walls all around from ceiling to floor.

"You look pale."

...

That's one clever statement, I thought sarcastically. But alas, I should be thankful for his pithy conclusion. Because it allowed the casual listener to conclude that I had simply not drunk. And it gave me the necessary explanation, which I immediately presented him with a composed expression.

"I had no blood tonight… and my sleep wasn't very restful."

Damn it. Freezing, I closed my eyes, scolding myself silently. Why had that second part slipped out? Now he would ask me about it and I couldn't give him an answer! This night also seemed to turn into a nightmare. I held my breath and waited for the inevitable question of the why.

But to my astonishment it didn't come. After I had waited a full minute, I dared to turn my head and look at the vampire next to me. He looked thoughtful, gazing at the wall hangings but without really seeing them. Looking at him silently, I still saw his flame of life, depressed by suffering and sorrow, flickering deep blue instead of a healthy bright yellow-red. I don't know what came over me then, but seeing him like that made me forget my own grief for a moment and put my hand on his chest above his heart. That awoke him from his rigidity and he locked his eyes with mine, having an unfathomable expression in his eyes. This time my smile was real which I formed with my lips, even if it was a sad one.

"Whatever it is that troubles you, Sir Godric, I offer you my ear if you wish to talk about it. A flame as strong as yours shouldn't be diminished by grief. This world needs your fire."

His eyes widened and I realized I'd just given away one of my gifts. Oops... Well, as long as it cheered him up, I was fine with it. And my master didn't seem to have noticed my slip, since he was still engaged in a lively conversation with Mr. Tanaka. But then my body literally froze to ice when I saw the Merciers joining my serving maids and looking at them with lewd looks. I immediately tuned my hearing to them and couldn't suppress an unladylike growl when they asked where the children were tonight.

"Shhh..." I heard a soft whisper near my ear and my gaze immediately shifted back to the vampire who still had my hand over his heart and who would have been blind and deaf not noticing my ambivalent reaction.

"Stay focused. Remember what you learned from your Tanaka sensei. Breathe... Do not lose sight of your goal."

My goal... As we stared into each other's eyes, I did exactly as he told me. Breathe. In and out. In and out. At the same time, I wondered what kind of goal he was talking about. Did he mean it metaphorically, like we were at archery practice or-

His eyes didn't let go of mine and I felt my thoughts begin to dissolve. Again I had the feeling as if he wanted to glamour me. Could it be that he could glamour vampires? That would be both a very powerful gift and a terrible thought. Such a gift in the wrong hands could do godly but fatal things to this world.

Before my mind could drift into a downward spiral, I felt him put his hand on mine, which was still resting on his chest. But then I realized that I had clenched my hand into a fist and certainly wrinkled his tunic. Slowly I relaxed my muscles and tendons and looked at him apologetically.

"Forgive me," I whispered and a calmer expression appeared in his eyes.

"No harm was done, little one. Do you feel strong enough for the rest of them? Shall I get one of the serving maids for nutrition?"

Following his train of thought, I quickly shook my head and tried to soothe his concerns with a smile.

"That won't be necessary. I feel much better now. Thank you, Sir Godric."

When I rose, he stood up too and I realized my hand was still over his heart. Laughing sheepishly, I smoothed out his tunic, which was still the same as the night before. This told me a lot about his character and was a pleasant change to the constantly changing clothes of my master's guests. From the corner of my eye I saw the fiery red dress that Juleka Lefevre wore tonight sparkle and I hardly wanted to look at it because I knew it would hurt my eyes. In contrast to that was his same and almost inconspicuous choice of garments truly pleasant.

When I wanted to give him another smile, my master's angry voice reached me and destroyed the moment, however. Together with Godric I turned in the direction of his angry calls and I knew immediately that the brothers had complained to Dragan about the missing children.

"Daughter! When you are finally finished with your rendezvous, perhaps you would have the goodness to explain to us why there are only three, THREE, of them and why they are here doing the children's work!"

Breathe... Again I thanked the Celt inwardly for his strengthening, and with appropriately quick steps I went to Carmen and grabbed a glass on the way there. I held it out to her and she immediately filled it while bowing her head to me.

"Of course I can explain it, master." With a smile that hopefully didn't look too cold, I handed him the glass and positioned myself in front of the three serving maids.

"You must know that earlier, during my usual rounds with the servants, I became aware of an illness that have spread among the humans during the day. In order not to jeopardize the further celebration for our guests, I had therefore decided not to let anyone come up here and take over the service myself. However, Sarai, Carmen and Aliena asked me if they couldn't come to help. Such loyal servants we have... "

If the background of the story wasn't so fucking sad, I wouldn't have been able to hold a laugh, just like the faces of some of the vampires present were distorted because of my story. That's right, Pierre and Jacques, think that my protégés have Hep D or something like that. It serves you right to feel fear! With one of my most beautiful smiles, I wished them the brightest sunshine in my mind and enjoyed their pathetically fearful looks.

"Are these three healthy? What about the blood?"

Seeming a little nervous, my master smelled the contents of his glass and I closed my eyes briefly with a sigh.

"Master, do you really think me capable of poisoning you and our guests?"

The look he gave me was... frosty, to put it nicely. But since this discussion would lead nowhere and any further exchange of words would have embarrassed us in front of the guest, I turned to our Indian guest.

"Sir Aryan, I apologize for this inconvenience. Please do not let this keep you from celebrating."

As if I had given them a kind of starting signal, nearly everyone began to talk in disarray. With a sigh I turned to the three young women behind me and started to fill the glasses for the guests one by one and give them to them personally. When I brought Mr. Northman and Lady Tatarou their glasses, she spoke to me seriously.

"That was quick thinking of you, Livia. Thank you."

Normally, I would be flattered by such a compliment from her, but being in the company of my master and the brothers, I just felt dead inside, so I just nodded to her briefly. Unless it was necessary, I just didn't want to talk to the other vampires. Now I had given them an explanation why my state of mind was so different than usual, but as we all know, caution is better than leniency. Therefore I gave our Swedish guest his glass without saying a word and was about to turn away when his words of thanks reached my ear.

"Tack så mycket."

"Varsågod," I replied without thinking. But then I realized that we had just been talking in Swedish and I looked at him questioningly.

"How?"

Only in passing, I noticed that Lady Tatarou was turning to the Irishman, and then Eric Northman was suddenly very close to me.

"Today, a lament from my Nordic home kept me awake during the morning hours. The thought crossed my mind that someone who had mastered the pronunciation so precisely would not only have learned it by heart, but would speak the language in its entirety."

Then he looked me in the eyes with such a serious expression that I got the feeling he knew exactly what was going on inside me and, above all, why.

"Was I mistaken?"

"No..." I shook my head. "For every new member of the household I learn their native language. It's a sign of respect I have for them."

"A beautiful thought. One, I'm sure, you won't be thanked for it."

That made me smile. "Now you're wrong, sir. I-"

A sudden signal in the background of my mind stopped me from speaking. Could I be wrong? But there it was again...

Knock – knock – knooock – knooock – knock – knooock.

My lips formed a truly honest smile and Mr. Northman looked at me questioningly.

"Pardon me, sir. I just have to let my brothers in."

Thank God that those of our bloodline didn't have to be invited in at the door like all the other vampires. For my brothers, all I had to do was open up the field in my mind I had surrounded the mansion with. Within a few seconds it was done, and with a quiet whoosh and wind at my neck I was suddenly grabbed and whirled around. I admit an impetuous squeal left my throat that soon turned into a liberated laugh.

"Let her down, Rinal," I heard my second oldest brother say in a monotone voice. Then the world stopped spinning and my eyes turned to Nikolai, Wadim and Yari who knelt in front of my master and greeted him.

"They are such spoilsports," someone sighed into my ear and I whirled around and embraced the brother who was only about 100 years older than me. Next to him stood Arman, my second dearest brother, with whom one could steal horses at any time.

"Rinal, Arman, it's so good to see you. How are you?"

As always the dear charmer, Arman took my hand and pulled me into his embrace to give me a kiss on the cheek.

"The sight of you makes this night brighter, dear sister! But come, Rinal, let us first greet father and the guests. It seems we've dropped in the middle of a – um, not so cheerful – party. I wonder why he sent for us."

His chocolate brown eyes looked at me questioningly as he rubbed his short stubbly beard whenever he thought about anything.

"You'll have to ask Dragan, I don't know," I quickly dismissed the responsibility of answering his question. Because how could I have done so? The reason for this just now stepped next to Mr. Northman and looked at my brothers with a distinctly critical eye.

"Oh wow, I just cursed father for calling me away from the desert rose I wanted to eat and now I'm really happy he did it. Godric of Gaul, it is an honor to make your acquaintance. Rinal Markaitis..."

My brother bowed to Godric perfect in form and then again to Eric Northman.

"Sirs, you, Godric, and you, Eric Northman, have an unmistakable reputation where my travels have taken me."

"Really?"

Oh, man, the smirk on the Viking's lips made me guess which direction the conversation would take.

"Well, said desert rose has a sister who still swoons over a certain Nordic swordsman who showed her over 300 years ago how persistent your countrymen's raids had been."

This paraphrase caused Mr. Northman to burst into a loud and infectious laugh. Even the Celt suddenly had a twinkle in his eye.

"I remember these nights, Eric. The girl had actually intended to become a nun before she met you."

Chuckling, he put a hand on Sir Eric's arm and the two of them looked at each other with such warmth and affection that it suddenly opened my eyes. They were a bloodline! The Celt and the Viking...

All of a sudden everything around me went dark and I saw torchlight and smelled the approaching death of a dying man. A strong gust of wind, gurgling noises, bodies falling to the ground and a being, resembling a demon, bent over the dying man at his burial place. A being, whose tattoos looked so insanely familiar.

"Livia?"

My vision changed again and I was back from wherever I had been moments before. Dazed, I blinked a couple of times. Nothing like that had ever happened to me before! What exactly happened?

"Earth to Livia..."

A hand waved dangerously close in front of my face and I turned slightly to the owner of this body part.

"What?"

"You know, it's kind of rude to just zoom out in the middle of a conversation."

"Bite me; you were just talking about your bedding-achievements. You know damn well I can't have a say in it anyway."

All of a sudden, there was silence around me. Oh, great. I had once again managed to say something without thinking... I closed my eyes and rubbed the bridge of my nose with a groan.

"I apologize for that mood kill. Please, keep talking. Arman, Rinal, I'll get you a drink. Sir Godric, I haven't brought you anything yet either. Do you want the same blood type as yesterday?"

After his silent nod, I left my small group and went quickly to the table where the serving maids had placed the carafes on the heating plates.

"Let me help you."

Startled, I winced slightly and turned around. Godric had followed me and was now standing beside me.

"Well, if you want to."

While I held out a glass to him and he poured himself a drink, he wouldn't let me out of his sight.

"You handled that well, Livia. You should be proud of yourself."

Remembering our conversation back on that couch, I knew what he meant. But because I saw from the corner of my eye how my master was just moving towards the door of the hall and was about to pass close to us, I nodded just barely and innocuously. My brothers followed him and it was clear to me that when they would all come back, a different mood would prevail. They would all then be armed and perhaps even throw the Celt out. Patiently, I waited until they would all have disappeared from the hall. But contrary to my expectations, Dragan didn't leave just like that but came to stand next to me.

"I will withdraw briefly with my sons to give them a proper welcome. You stay here, Livia, and make sure everyone is comfortable and having fun."

Cold, stoic and with his hands folded behind his back as if I were a stubborn child who needed to be chastised... Wasn't my punishment enough for him? I only hoped that if I pleased him, it would make him peaceful again.

"Of course, Master."

I never thought it would be so hard to smile at someone who didn't return the same kindness. At least I was spared an unkind remark, for without another word he then rushed past me. My brothers also passed by, but from them I got a smile, a wink and from Nikolai and Yari at least a nod to show that they would greet me properly later on. Only Wadim stopped and grabbed my arms. I felt Godric stiffen next to me, but I wouldn't let my very own greeting with my eldest brother be taken away from me. I joyfully laid my forehead against his inclined head and for a few endless seconds we both just stood there with closed eyes and breathed the scent of each other. I wish it could have lasted but all too soon I felt the waiting gaze of our master on us and slowly released myself to cup his face.

"Welcome home, my brother."

As it was our custom, he leaned forward once more and kissed my forehead, before turning away and nodding at Godric as acknowledgement.

"He is very quiet."

"The entire world calls him Wadim the Silent. But if you really listen to him, you realize that's not him at all. He's just not a man for empty words." I sighed, smiling. No matter how inconvenient the occasion, I was still glad to see them again after years of absence.

Nevertheless, I was worried about what would happen later on. Would Dragan really go so far as to throw out an uninvited guest who hadn't done anything wrong so far? Nervously, I chewed on my bottom lip and tried to find a way out. At the same time, I looked at the other guests to fulfill my task. But apparently I didn't have much to do at the moment – the Merciers had already returned to a card game that Mr. Northman and Mr. Kavanagh had joined. Sir Aryan had just asked Madame Lefevre to dance again and the two of them were walking towards the open dance floor. Smiling, I turned to Sarai.

"Could you please turn the music up a little louder for them?"

So far the music had been more subtle and quieter than the previous night, but if we could help with such a simple gesture to make sure that the two of them had a good time, I was happy.

"Of course, Mistress." The young woman smiled back and I let my eyes wander further.

Lady Tatarou seemed to like our windows very much, because she was standing in front of one again, but this time she had received company from Mr. Tanaka. All who remained was...

With a quick spin I turned back to the Celt and let a quiet laugh light up my face.

"It seems you'll have to make do with my company if you don't want to go to any of the other groups."

An amused glint made his eyes both more focused and softer.

"You are very pleasant company, dear Livia. Contrary to sycophants and vampires who hide their aggressiveness to avoid trouble with the sheriffs, you are pure and honest."

Pure and honest... Ashamed I closed my eyes. That he had such an opinion of me pleased me of course, but it was not true. Unfortunately... That was the moment I made my decision.

"Sir Godric, would you accompany me for a moment? I... I have something to tell you."

Shyly I looked up to see his reaction and he nodded invitingly, gesturing to the couch where we had sat a felt eternity ago. Together we went off, but I didn't lead him to the couch but to the next room, which followed immediately. There I looked around briefly, but no human soul – and no vampire – was to be seen far and wide. Quickly I grabbed his hand and pulled him to a wall candle holder which I turned and at the same time pushed the wall inside so that the entrance to a secret passage became visible, into which I pulled Godric. If he was surprised, he hid it very well and remained silent.

After I had closed the wall door again, I had to collect myself for a few seconds. Was my action right? Was I actually allowed to risk further endangering the lives of my underlings? Because there was an unwritten law in my bloodline that no one from outside was allowed to know about the secret passageways. But I had to warn him! We were standing in total darkness, but I could see him as well as if we were standing outside in the midday sun. His forehead was slightly furrowed and his wonderfully shaped lips were slightly pinched together as if he was struggling to say something. But instead I suddenly felt his hand on my cheek and with a sigh I leaned my head into his waiting hand. Could it be that I developed feelings for him?

"What is it you wanted to tell me, Livia?"

If so, what exactly were those feelings?

"Sir... it was not originally planned that my brothers would attend the party. My master..."

There were minimal movements of his fingers, but I felt his caresses on my ear clearly, and instead of continuing to talk, the air flowed audibly from my mouth, while I closed my eyes in shivers. I had never before been aware that my ears were such erogenous zones and would ignite something in me that I had never felt before at any man's touch. Or was it only because he touched me in this way?

His caresses became softer, more expansive and when his hand slid across my neck I could catch myself a little. When I opened my eyes again his gaze had taken on a hungry expression and that something inside me widened and spread to my very core. It was as if his clearly visible lust had awakened my vampire instincts as well.

"What is it, my dear? What is it you want to tell me in this night-black tunnel? Or do you not want to talk at all, but let your body speak? Your eyes are like the brightest stars again..."

His lips came dangerously close to mine while he spoke and I was close to follow the temptation and the ever-increasing urge within me. But I wasn't allowed to! There wasn't much time! Putting my right hand on his chest I stopped him in his movement.

"As much as I wish for it, Godric, we must not. He would know at once... Please, listen to me. I don't know why, but my master dislikes you and is very suspicious of you. That's why he called my brothers. I know none of them are nearly as old and powerful as you, but I fear he intends to force you out of the mansion at gunpoint. And if he knows Eric is your progeny, he may threaten him to get what he wants. And I don't want to see either of you or Eric hurt!"

My words seemed to have sobered him up, and he looked at me curiously, but at the same time with a suspicious glint.

"How do you know Eric is mine? That is not common knowledge."

His hand was now resting on the back of my neck, just moving up a little, so that I felt his fingers digging tenderly into my hair.

"I..." How could I explain it to him? Would he believe me? "I saw it."

"Explain."

"I had some kind of day dream earlier when you were touching Eric and you were both looking at each other."

"A day dream? What kind of? What did you see, Livia?"

"Um... you were there. Your hair was all in a tangle, hanging down into your face. You were only wearing old trousers and... boots and in the warm glow of torches I could see your tattoos like last night... You were bent over Eric and talking to him, offering him life instead of death. He was dying and your mouth and chin was covered in blood from the Vikings you had just killed..."

As if by magic my hand had found its way from his chest up to his mouth and slowly I let my fingertips slide over his bottom lip. My gaze was fixed on his eyes, but I felt how his lips parted and from the corners of my eyes I could see his fangs. They were so long and beautiful. Oh, how I wished at this moment that he would taste me.

"Say something, Godric," I breathed.

"Thank you for your honesty and warning. But do not worry. If Dragan should plot against me, I will respond accordingly."

Then suddenly, he clasped my face tightly and held my gaze captive with his unwavering gaze. I felt as if he let a part of his powerful aura flow directly into me and I knew that it was as strong as a maker's command.

"If it comes to a fight, do nothing. You do not take your Master's side and if he gives you an order you will hear his words but your body will not move and react to it."

His voice was clear and tender, but it had a strength that he hadn't yet shown to me. I realized that he was really glamouring me and couldn't help but nod obediently at his commands.

"Why?" I managed to ask nonetheless.

For a long time he just looked at me, but then he closed the gap between us and his lips finally pressed against mine. It was a longing, sweet kiss, and I really wish it was under different circumstances. But all too quickly I felt another breath of air on my face as he moved away from me.

"It will hopefully protect you. But now come, Dragan has just left his office with his sons."

For a brief moment, the question popped into my mind as to how he could know that. But his gaze still held me captive, so I just reached beside me and opened the hidden door to go back to the banquet hall with him.