Vladimir held on to a sleepy Scarlett as a copy of what was going to be published in the Paris papers was being handed to him. He glanced over to Stephan who was entertaining Liz as best as he could but she was still upset over her past creeping up. He had figured it out, and told Stephan so he wouldn't think it was him. They decided not to bring the subject of Liz's past up unless she did so they left it alone; he'd fill Scarlett in on the details once they were alone, one day. This was the third flight they had taken this night on their way to Germany because the brothers thought it a necessary precaution over what they had read that day. It wasn't like them to run but it wasn't like the women they were concerned about could defend themselves as they were threatened. Once they were in the air their next stop would be where they would separate from the woman and they would make their way back home and they could proceed to their next destination. "She's going to be upset."
Stephan didn't bother looking over, his brothers solemn tone was clear enough. "Let her be. We can't take her to that place, you know as well as I that it's too risky. Besides, they will want to have the women seen outside and pictures will be taken." He didn't have to say that they would be expected to accompany them and that would be harder to excuse themselves away. "Absence will make the heart grow fonder but in this case where it's already maximized I'm not so sure you will survive the reuniting." He chuckled noticing how tightly the woman held on to his brother even in her slumber.
Vladimir hissed softly, he didn't want to wake a now sleeping Scarlett. "Perhaps once I survive the scolding on my return I should look forward to that then?" More chucking from his brother but Vladimir was worried because he just didn't know how she would take his departure. He dismissed it for now and focused on the paper in front of him.
We were given an exclusive and rare audience with the elusive Ms. S yesterday in the penthouse suit of Mr Lonescu. We were, sadly, denied her full name but will persist in our efforts in obtaining it. Mia's talents were called on again to outfit S for this meeting and she was as brilliant as ever; Paris would be at a great loss should we ever lose our Mia. On to the lady of the hour. Upon entering the luxurious space we were not immediately greeted but soon caught sight of S with her man. We, before even completing the interview were convinced of their complete devotion to one another; Paris has worked her wonders once again. After asking her full name we were informed by her that she enjoys her privacy and that only those that matter to her know it. As we learned, S and Vladimir have only known each other for a little over a year and officially met though Mrs De Lacombe. S says, when she first saw Vladimir she didn't know of his wealth, or cared but then when she got to know him that, the money, didn't matter to her. S we have learned has recently inherited a small fortune of her own so it seems that money really does not matter to her. We asked if she knew the relative in question that left her the inheritance and she says she figures that it must have been a relative she was not told of. We asked S if she was enjoying Pairs and she said she was but didn't go into any details of her adventures as she pointed out that she couldn't do Paris any more justice than every poet has in history. Fair enough. We then asked how long we would have the pleasure of her here and she hinted that a few more weeks were in order but wasn't sure if they were going to stay in the city or venture out into the country. One thing we did notice was the glances between the two lovers, they left us quite warm just observing the two of them. We asked her of what first attracted her to Mr Lonescu and we were met with a long pause and thought perhaps she was dismissing the question. She said, quite earnestly, his kind voice and soft touch were what first put her at ease around him. We asked why not his looks and she said "His looks are the least of his attractive qualities, but yes, his looks are scrumptious." We asked about their first kiss, something that is very telling, and tell us where and how it happened. S's own words, "I was already in love with him but I don't think he knew it so when he asked to kiss me I wasn't going to say no. -long pause- I nearly fainted, my heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to explode and I then knew that no other man could kiss me ever again. No one would ever compare. It was the most uplifting and sobering moment of my life." We asked what she liked least of the man and she still hadn't found a flaw. Love is truly blind but we also could not find a flaw in the man. We then asked what she thought of our President Markus and she said she thought him to be very kind to her. We informed her of his being very taken by her at the gala and she just giggled and at which point Mr Lonescu spoke up and said "Lucky for me S prefers younger men." making S grow silent for several moments as the two just stared one another down, smirking the whole time. The showdown was interrupted by Vladimir's brother, Stephan, showing up, a man that we would have loved to ask several questions regarding Mrs De Lacomb but perhaps another time. The two men kept to themselves as our interview continued. We learned that S had made the acquaintance of several of the brothers friends and business partners but she refused to elaborate about any of them; why would she, why risk her powerful position in high society. S didn't divulge any of her past, didn't tell of us of any of her family or what she even did before she met Mr Lonescu. The woman was delightfully charming, mysterious, genuine and like the man she is unquestionably attached to, silent. When it came time to snap the picture here we were delighted to have Mr Lonescu offer to be in it but as we have learned, he's just as camera shy as ever.
Vladimir looked at the picture he and Scarlett were captured in; his back was to the camera and Scarlett's side profile was featured. Her one hand was on the back of his neck and the other on his arm, she was looking at him, and the smirk on her lips was priceless. He was the reason for it, his hand had a good grip of her bottom. The picture prior to it was just of her against the windows with the Eiffel Tower in view; the picture was for Mia of course, as a thank you for the outfits she supplied on short notice. The aircraft started its descent and he looked over to Stephen who had already given up on waking Liz. "You will need to carry her to her bed brother. If you can manage."
"It hardly seems fair knowing that I can't join her."
Vladimir smirked, he'd not only join his love but have the privilege of stripping her down prior. The plane came to a halt on the tarmac and the brothers with the women in arm exited it and quickly got into the waiting car. The trip to the private home wasn't too long but it was expedited quickly given the late hour and vacant roads. The driver dealt with the the bags as the men took the women inside and to their rooms. "Just her coat and shoes brother." Vladimir chucked as he disappeared into his room with Scarlett and set her down on the bed to peel off the many layers she had on, only stopping once he got to her underwear. He internally groaned at seeing her there; what he wanted to do to her just then to rouse her awake made him hungry for her again. 'Soon.' he told himself, 'soon'. He heard Stephen in the other room with Liz, grumbling, and when he reached him he was staring down at her limp body on the bed, shoes and coat already taken off.
"She's going to get hot wearing all that." Liz, like Scarlett had put on several layers of clothes for the trip so they wouldn't get cold. Stephan looked to his brother to get some kind of permission to proceed with the disrobing of her but Vladimir just shook his head 'no'.
"Trust me. Strip her down as I did her friend and you will regret it. An angry woman, one that we can not get rid of so easily, is asking for trouble." He had picked up on his brother's desire for her but he also picked up on Liz's cautiousness in giving her affections much like her friend. The brothers left the women and went to inspect the residence. The home in the forest was of a considerable size and the checking of it needed to be done at a human's pace to be sure nothing was present that could record any of their supernatural talents. Once the men were done Vladimir heard his brother settle into the den and after checking on Scarlett he joined him.
"I think I would like to tell Liz what we are." Stephan had been wanting to do so since he first went out with the woman; it felt like a real barrier to him. He knew the risks involved, the possible threat to them and what he'd need to do if she divulged the secret. "What do you think?" He would abide with his brothers wishes, there was no question.
"I think it will be fine. She will have her friend with her, it will go better than it did with me. I'm certain of that." Vladimir recalled the moment that she figured it out, how he felt the deepest regret of his existence in that moment, but now he had the greatest joy. "If you are concerned it can wait until after our return?" There was no question in his mind, or apprehension, over his brother wanting to include the woman into the knowledge of their existence.
Stephan considered the delay, it was a viable option and one where they could be around if there was any fallout that needed taking care of. "It'll give her time to accept it and decide if she…" He wanted to say 'if she wants anything to do with me.' but he stayed silent. "I'm going out to hunt."
Vladimir gave a nod and Stephan vacated the place quickly; he could guess where his brothers head was at but thought it best not to inquire about the specifics. After centuries of knowing each other's business there was an extreme sense of trust to allow the other some form of privacy. Vladimir made his way back to where his love was soundly sleeping; his heart was heavy, he dreaded having to tell her of his departure without her but he hoped that she would understand. He slipped in between the sheets beside her and stretched his arm around to hold her carefully. 'It will be hell without her.' Was the only thought he could think for several moments. It was bad without having her with him when they went to Asia but now, now that he knew what he was leaving behind, there would be nothing but the longing to get back to her. It was several more hours before she slowly stirred awake; there was an initial startling at the new surroundings but it faded quickly. "Morning."
The room wasn't completely dark but it wasn't so bright that it made Scarlett want to close her eyes. She felt Vladimir's arm around her and she also noted what she was wearing; it wasn't much, she smirked. Despite the lack of clothing she wasn't cold, the heavy blankets on top of her were thick. "Morning. Where in the world have you brought me now?" From what she could tell with the limited light the room looked like room of a log cabin but much fancier.
Vladimir guided Scarlett on to her back and brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face. "We are in Germany. Black Forest region, in mine and Stephan's home, in the deep woods." She smirked up at him in approval. "Liz woke up a hour ago and you should probably join her for breakfast as Stephan has used every excuse he has not to eat." HIs fingers danced down her body, under the covers, and smoothed over her breasts and down to her belly to her scar; his lips quickly followed the trail down to the scar and light kisses followed.
It might have well have been a dream because it was all so perfect in that very moment. Scarlett's fingers found their way into Vladimir's hair as she happily sighed. "I'm not going to move if you keep that up." There was an amused chuckle but he didn't stop and after a few long drawn out swipes of his tongue he edged down to her hip with his fingers hooking around the hem of her panties to inch them off. Scarlett didn't resist the action, she didn't resist him moving her leg over his shoulder, she did start to whimper softly as his tongue rolled around her clit and though her folds. She let out a breathy 'yes' as her eyes rolled back and she groaned.
Vladimir knew his brother could hear them and he knew he couldn't just bolt away from the table where he was with Liz. It wasn't fair to Stephan but Vladimir hadn't had the pleasure of his love for almost a day. He wasn't in any rush to bring Scarlett to rapture like this regardless, he needed to take his edge off for the day too but he knew she did need her morning nourishment so he couldn't take his time either. Scarlett's soft moans combined with her rapid heart beats and whispers for him to go deeper nearly brought him to his end but he continued lapping his tongue over her folds and then moved back up her body as he pulled off his boxers and positioned himself at her entrance. "Should I keep you here a little longer love?" Scarlett gave him another breathy 'yes' and then he sank himself into her. Her legs hugged him as her lips found his; she was exceptional, perfect in every way in his eyes. Their slow moving embrace quickened as did Scarlett's heart beats and the creaking of their moving weight on the bed until he felt her body stiffen and her walls tighten around his length; she gave a tense drawn out groan for him. He followed her a second after, his body expelling his essence deeply within her. She hugged his body with hers; it was warm and it kept him there for some time. 'It will be hell without you.', he felt the sharpness of the impending pain of leaving her already; he decided he would savour every moment until it came.
Liz had given up trying to have Stephan join her in breakfast, the food was getting cold already and Vladimir and Scarlett were still not there. She was still at odds in accepting the invitation to come along with the the group to this place; waking up in a strange room had her still feeling unsettled. When she happened on Stephan in the hallway after emerging from her room; he was adjusting a painting on the wall, she was lead to the dining room. He had told her where she was but the house was quiet that she decided she would feel better when her friend was with her. She was nearly done her coffee when the two appeared around the corner; Scarlett was bouncing awake. "I'd offer you coffee but you seem rather chipper already." Vladimir just gave a smirk and went over to the little buffet table where the food was set out and made a plate up to bring it to Scarlett; it was endearing to Liz to see her friend being waited on.
Scarlett saw where V was headed and was taken back by the action for a moment before she replied. "Must be the country air?" Liz didn't appear to buy the excuse but she wasn't about to tell her the truth. V settled himself beside her when she sat and started feeding her small pieces of fruit and bite sized portions of sweet breads. Scarlett could only glow her contentment at him; V was more than she could ever dream of in a man to love. She did watch him give his brother the occasional glance; his expression shifted when it did. She was curious as to why the silent communications were happening but stayed quiet. "Did you sleep well Liz?" Her friends attention was on a rather large portrait of roses above the little buffet breakfast that was set out.
"Surprisingly well considering I was still in my travel clothes when I woke up." Liz then noticed the intense stare between the two men and quieted down.
Vladimir heard what his brother had outside before they arrived in the room. Their privacy was compromised and that wasn't acceptable to either of them. The perpetrator was too close to the house as it was but with the present guest it would be tricky to get rid of him without the risk of Liz discovering their nature. They couldn't let the intruder leave alive ether without knowing what they had discovered if anything at all; this was a private place registered under an obscure alias that needed to remain so. Vladimir was about to make an excuse to leave the table, and trust that Scarlett went along with it when his brother spoke.
"Could go take care of that photographer brother?" Vladimir gave him a nod. "I suspect there is another not too far off…." His brother was already gone as it was said. Liz looked puzzled and Scarlett picked up a strawberry on her plate and bit into it without blinking. "My brother and I have elevated senses Liz, as well as an abundance of physical strength." Liz remained quiet but visibly disturbed. "My dear Scarlett, tell your friend what we are." Stephan didn't like commanding his brothers human, mate, but Liz looked as if she was still in some disbelief; she gave a nod, his brother trained her well.
"Liz, they are vampires." Saying it aloud didn't sound strange at all to her; in fact it was a great relief. "I've known for over a year now." Her friend was very good at keeping her emotions at check but since Yvette had put a crack in her armour she knew Liz may still be vulnerable. "We are safe, you will have to trust me."
The bone chilling scream knocked Liz out of her daze of disbelief; she shook the rest of it off. The scream rang in her ears but Scarlett was serIous, this wasn't a sick joke amongst the rich to which she was now privileged to be allowed to socialize with. "Is that why I had to come get you?"
Scarlett shook her head. There was a multitude of thoughts going through her head and one was that Vladimir wouldn't need to go out that coming night if he could get the two intruders; she was honest with herself, no, she didn't care about them. "No, I saw him with someone by accident." Scarlett shrugged. "It was a bit too much to take in at the time, like that, but the thing you have to know is that we are safe."
There was silence in the room. Scarlett went back to eating and Liz held her coffee cup with both hands, presumably contemplating. "Scarlett is correct Liz, you are safe with us." There was a nod but she had her eyes fixed on her cup. "My brother, you have noticed, is deeply in love with your friend Liz and Scarlett's friendship with you is something we also value." He set his paper down and wandered over to the window. "Our kind, once in love will not allow anything to interfere with it. I am very determined that my brother not have anything disrupt his happiness and his contentment is deeply influenced by how happy Scarlett is." Vladimir appeared in the distance, he was done taking care of the intruders and was headed towards another part of the house to get cleaned up Stephan guessed. "My brother returns. Scarlett can you tell your friend more about us." It would be easier coming from a friend he thought.
Scarlett paused for a moment. "Okay, well, as Stephan said they are insanely strong and can run very fast. They can see in pitch dark and can hear very well." Liz was staring at her in a mix of disbelief and shock. "Their eyes are naturally red and they need to wear contacts to hide them." Scarlett noticed Stephan's movement from the corner of her eye. "You get used to it. I actually prefer it now, the red." She watched Liz's eyes look over to where Stephen was and could imagine him hearing her heart racing as she looked at his eyes. "I'm probably right in guessing that those intruders are dead now, out there, and they will never be found again." She sighed. Yes it was a hard thing to think about, let alone say. "They had no business being anywhere near here and what the brothers are is the biggest secret that you must keep Liz." Liz gave a nod. She understood. "Stephan took care of, killed, the guy that attacked me and in all honesty I don't care, I mean, that low life will never hurt another person again." Vladimir appeared at the door and walked over to Liz; his eyes were ablaze, and he set down a very fancy camera near her.
"They are all of you, taken this morning." He had heard enough of the conversation to know that his brother had shared their secret. She was taking the news rather well and but when her hand went for the camera it was visibly shaking. Vladimir sat back down beside his love; her eyes lit up, pleased to see his glowing. "It's rather lovely out today, we should take a walk?" Scarlett gave a nod and kept nibbling on her fruit, only pausing to give him a peck on the cheek; she knew there may still a trace of blood in his mouth.
Liz tried to keep her eyes on her friend, it was keeping her steady but the camera, the dead man's camera in front of her was making her question why he had to die. Her hands shook as she took it and switched it on to see what was in its memory card. The pictures streamed by, they were grainy and appeared to be taken from a great distance. The first set were of them at the airport disembarking from the airplane, Stephan cradling her in his arms. Them getting into the car to come here. Next set was of the house, scoping it out it seemed, again from a great distance. Liz's mouth gasped at the next several photos, it was of her in her underwear and several states of undress and Stephen walking up on the roof. Her fingers found the right buttons and she started deleting them. By the time she was done, when she looked up, Stephen was still by the window and the other was kissing her friend so tenderly that it almost made her forget he had just murdered two people. "I erased all the ones of me." She found the memory card and removed it. "There are several hundred more…." Stephan moved from his post and came to stand beside her with his hand out; she placed the card in his hand and watched him crush it to a powered with his thumb.
There was no need for him to see what remained on the card, he was sure his brother had viewed them all. "We only wish to be left alone to go about our business, it's not too much to ask." He glanced at his brother and a bit of envy found its way to the surface inside of him. He was happy for him and now that Liz knew their secret he hoped that he could share some kind of friendship with her. He had the feeling that if she had felt anything for him earlier would now be diminished; there was no point fooling himself with that illusion now. "I'll be in my shop tinkering away. If you need me for anything just call out."
Liz wasn't thinking, or perhaps she was too much and blurted out. "Can I see it?" Her mind was working on options now. Tell and be murdered, keep quiet and stay alive. Stay in this room and watch your friend make out with a murder or go with the other one to scope more of the place out. Stephan pulled her chair out for her but refrained from offering her his arm; he must have seen how nervous she was. He lead her out and down several hallways and down a set of stairs to what was possibly another wing of the house to an open area. The glittering in the room made her pause for a moment. When he said tinker she didn't think he meant at crafting jewelry; there were several necklaces and tiaras out along with spools of gold and silver as well as small jars containing gems of all colours. Liz recalled her broach and put it all together. She watched him step behind a high workbench where a holder of sorts was set up and pick up a tool with fine blade on it and start etching away on a small band of silver. She stepped around the space, keeping her hands to herself and looked at the many tools and pieces in various states of completion. "You have a gift for this."
Vladimir had mentioned it to him, a while back, how he broke through the barrier of fear with Scarlett and it was quite simple; he had to come down to a human level. Nether of the women could ever reach them on theirs, his brother said, but it was an easy thing to find a way into their sense of humanity. "Thank you. It passes the time and one can only look at market reports and stock graphs for so long. Would you like anything?" Liz quickly shook her head and kept moving around the room. It was probably a good thing for her to distract her mind off the immediate new information at hand and find another focus. "I started tinkering about a century ago, I find the process relaxing. Do you have any hobbies?" Shifting the focus back on her, he thought, might also be a good way of distracting her and he could learn more about this woman.
"Shadow cards. I once used to make them but I had to stop because it was hard on my eyes." She also recalled another reason why she stopped, she had no one left to gift them to. "And flowers, I liked arranging them but it was heartbreaking watching them die. Century?" She turned to look at him, the red of his eyes were still frightening to her but she was determined to be brave; if Scarlett could overcome her fear then so could she.
"Yes a century, and to answer that other question that is lurking in your mind my brother and I are over two thousand two hundred years old." Liz fell silent and he went back to the intricate engraving on the ring he was working on. He did notice she was near one item in particular, one that was meant for her even before he even knew her. "Many of these trinkets I keep, some I make into other things and with a rare few I give away. I'm proud to say that there are several of my creations in the royal vaults in England. The monarchy, for some time, sought after me, my works but they never did find the 'goldsmith'.". He chuckled. "Lately I have been gifting things to my students, the ones that made it through school and on to the big stage." He could sense a wall coming down between them. "I recognized your name and recalled you were one of my students. Don't be alarmed by me bringing it up, I will not question you about it, it's none of my business but I'd thought you'd be interested in knowing what in this room was meant to be yours." There it was, the wall had formed, he could feel it but there was also a hint of curiosity. He pointed to the bench behind her to the laurel wreath; it was a splendid piece, one he couldn't at the time, bring himself to part with because of the associated tragedy.
She hadn't touched anything in the room and was now tempted to touch something that was meant to be hers from so long ago. "It's beautiful. I would have loved it then." The leaves if not silver and gold coloured looked otherwise real in every detail, the little added flowers in various states of bloom with their gem centres were so delicate. Liz imagined it took him some time to create it and the the cost of it was dizzing. Her heartache over the memory was snuffed out promptly; she didn't need to feel it now and she didn't deserve the gift even if he still meant for her to have it. "I certainly don't deserve it now, I wasn't triumphant that night or in life so..." She turned back to him, he was focused on his work. He shrugged at her response so she moved closer to him, trying to be brave. "What are you working on now?"
"This is a gift, a promise, my brother needs to make. You see, we are needing to go to Russia and my brother wants to assure Scarlett he will return to her as we can't bring her with us." He kept working as he talked as the distraction was not interfering with his detailing. "When we are gone we will be relying on you to keep an eye on her. There will be a security detail of course but they can't be her friend, confidante, as we imagine she will be upset." He glanced up at Liz who was looking hard at him. "My brother will be angry the entire time he's away from her and we will be unable to check up on you two."
"Is he proposing to her?"
That made Stephan pause. "No. Marriage, in the way you perceive it, for immortals it's not like that. We don't have the same rule of law that you do when it comes to relationships." He completed the last swirl of the family crest and set the tool in his hand down. "For all intensive purposes they are married, they forsake all others for each other. I saw it in Asia when we were there, many young lovely ladies tried to spend a night with my brother and they were all turned away." She was staring at him and he smirked; he wasn't so prudent on that trip. "I firmly believe that she would sooner die than have another man touch her and from what my brother tells me, look at her in the wrong way." The knowledge of Scarlett's devotion to his brother was comforting. "Yvette and Henri are married but the vows of devotion between them were not done in front of a priest. Only my brother and I were there, allowed to witness it and defend it should it be questioned."
There were more of them and she met them without evinced knowing; this little fact frightened her all over again. She also recalled her feelings towards the man in front of her; it was all too much and perhaps a walk in the forest was a good idea to get some air and set her thoughts straight. She watched Stephan carefully polish the silver, presumably platinum, band; it was from what she could see a masterpiece. Deep down she envied her friend, Scarlett in her own way had found it all. Liz had known hundreds of women that sought after the security of riches but her friend had found something more precious with these vampires that put it all that to shame, a deep love. "I hope she accepts it, she's funny how she doesn't like such things."
Stephan smirked, Liz knew her friend well. "No she does not, it's a challenge with her." He held out the ring for Liz to take and look at, she did but her hand was trembling. "She will accept it, her love is so strong that she won't refuse." He watched the reflection of the coven crest he just engraved mirror in Liz's eyes and his only hope at that moment was that one day she would accept them without fear, for the sake of her friend. "I'd like you to give that to my brother, discreetly, he would be wanting your blessing and that'd be a sign of it?"
Liz gave him a nod. Her friend was happy and it wasn't her place to ruin it. She slipped it into her pocket and questioned herself again whether or not she approved of her friend's choice in her boyfriend or if she really had any say in the matter; blessing or not. "I'll do what I can so S doesn't see." Liz followed Stephan's lead out of the space and back to where they were and found V by the window holding her; they were talking softly and seemed so serene. "Well if we are going for that walk I will need to get a better pair of shoes on. Excuse me." Liz was off and within ten paces from the room, down the hall, Vladimir was behind her. Liz swallowed hard and glanced to him; she recalled how captivated she was with this man when she first heard his voice but pushed those feeling down and away for good. The ring came out of her pocket. They were well enough away from the others not to be heard. "It's not like I can threaten you should you mistreat her so, " she sighed, "she loves you and I don't think you should take that lightly." Liz set the ring on his outstretched hand and continued to walk to her room.
"I don't, not in the least." He could tell Liz's feelings were still quite extended and raw from all that she had gone through in the last hour. She looked as if he was taking her one and only friend in life away and was already mourning the loss. He sped off to fetch his loves shoes and returned back to her and waited for Liz with his brother.
Scarlett wasn't sure what to think about all that had happened. As much as she didn't care about the photographer she worried that Liz might not see it in the same way. V returned with a pair of shoes that were more suited to walking outside and had them on her feet promptly. This little selfless act warmed her heart; much like when he'd take her hand to steady her or pull her in close for no reason but to be closer to her. Liz was with them in no time and out into the forest they went; Liz was by her side and the men walked ahead of them. The day was dim as the clouds looked as if they would rain on them at any moment. She knew they could hear them but this was becoming normal to her. "I recall you telling me that they lived solitary lives. You were more right than I could give you credit for at the time." She looked to the men ahead of them, they were chatting away when Stephan sped off, vanishing. Scarlet smirked as Liz gasped. Vladimir soon followed behind and they were alone.
"How did you get so numb to them, their eyes and all of that?"
"They," Scarlett paused to look around. "They love me, one as a lover and the other as a sister. It's like being surrounded by a blanket of security that's infallible, the eyes are nothing to get accustomed to when there's that. When you see all that they offer and what little they ask in return it's not much to get past what they are. Yes they need to eat but who they take are those who have given up on life already and those who mean to intrude on their privacy, as you saw." They continued on the path they were on. "He brought me my shoes and made me a plate of food… has anyone ever done that for me or someone that is so old and rich, humbled themselves for me? Liz, I should have died in that filthy alleyway and… " Liz held up her hand and looked away; she had heard enough. "I love him for setting me free and wanting to love me for who I am." Scarlett took Liz's arm and they continued walking as the terrain changed from one of deep woods to a more rocky one. There was the sound of deep rushing water and the sky was finally clearing up. There was also sounds of boulders being smashed and laughter. "We found them."
Liz looked to her friend as they approached the water and it took her a few moments to find the men. Vladimir was on the side of the rock face opposite of them heaving off large chunks of it and Stephan was below catching them before he slammed them down into the water. There was gleaming of sunlight from them that she thought was because of them being wet but she was wrong. Liz looked to Scarlett who was just glowing at them. "What are they doing?"
Scarlett shrugged. "I have no idea but there is no way I'm getting wet." Vladimir shot her a look and grinned as Stephan called up to him to presumably stop because in the next moment he leapt off from where he was and was walking towards them on the opposite bank where they were.
Liz watched her friend stand her ground as the drenched man approach her and touch her nose and say something she didn't quite hear and her friend respond even more silently. It made the man grind his teeth and take her hand to lead away from the rushing water. It occurred to Liz, seeing the both of them like this, they were content. It wasn't like it was back in Paris where they spent several evenings together in conversation but here, like this where they weren't hiding anything; especially not how they appeared in the sunlight. Liz tried not to stare but the sheen off of their skin was too captivating. Stephan spent some time in the chest high rushing water and for a moment Liz thought the water was going to wash him away but he remained where he was; focused on what was in his hand. Her friend was still in sight and the two of them were talking when she heard the brush of wet clothing behind her and tuned.
Stephan, once beside Liz glanced to his brother who was breaking the news to Scarlette of their departure in a couple of days; Liz's attentions, once off of him was towards them as well. "He's telling her now and she seems to be taking it rather well." He listened and waited until they wandered back towards the house before he handed Liz a small stone with the most perfect crystals that seemed to be growing out it."Quarts, it's a gift." Liz was looking back and forth from him to the stone and whispered a 'thank you' to him. He wasn't discouraged but yet not hopeful at her response. They started walking at a slow pace back the same way his brother and Scarlett went and caught Liz looking at the stone several times and feeling the smoothed parts of it where he had shaped it down.
Liz was still picturing the two of them at the river moving and tossing boulders as if they were nothing; it was a stark contrast from the man beside her who was doing a fine engraving earlier. The silence between them was deafening and Liz had to break it. "This is really quite lovely, I'll treasure it always." The vampire gave her a nod as they kept walking. Vladimir had sped himself and Scarlett off a few moments prior. She wanted to be with her friend, alone but it would have to wait until they were off back home, a place that she was missing even more now. "How long will you two be away for? I do hope it's not too long for Scarlett's sake."
There it was, any hint of affectIon or flirting he had been enjoying in Paris was now gone. The truth is an evil and cold mistress; Liz had shut him out, he was convicted. "One week, less, if we can manage it. We are still attempting to contact the immortals of that region to make them aware of our arrival and that it's a peaceful one but we still are waiting for a response." He sighed. "We never wanted to go, it's a dangerous trip for us but the payoff will be a good one." He hesitated for a moment, he didn't want to say it but to keep things open between them he forced himself. "We will not even risk feeding while we are there for fear of discovery, that's how concerned we are. As for the locals we will say that we are not taking any of their… as a sign of respect so it will hopefully be enough." Liz looked a little more shaken. "Not to worry though, we can survive for months, if needed, but it's not pleasant." The woman had gone pale. "I'm disturbing you, my apologies madam." The house was now in sight so Stephan sped off to his room to change and left Liz to travel the last little bit of the path alone.
How those words would haunt him, 'I was already wet.' in the next week while he was away. If it were not for the company present and his needing to tell her of his departure he would have taken her on the spot, roughly and without care of her clothes remaining intact. They were back at the house now and she was hesitating in letting go of him; she was deeply hurt by the news but was trying to be brave. "It will be fine, Liz will be with you and you'll hardly notice." He had been counting the days since her last cycle had started so he knew that it would commence when he was gone and her grumpiness would occupy her time. "You can be a tourist in your own city, see things and try restaurants." The various credit cards he had acquired for her were still sitting on the side table where she had left them after he gave them to her before she had latched back on to him. "You can have as much coffee as you like love." She snorted as he held her in his arms; he was more valuable to her than coffee, impressive. "It will be more difficult for me being there if I knew you are upset the whole time love. Please see this as opportunity to explore and discover yourself and listen to your own voice speaking to you, telling you what you want, desire from each day." A nod. Progress. "I will miss your being grumpy for those few days love, I do adore you getting angry at things and snapping but what a splendid time we will have when I'm back?" A small gasp and realization setting in to her made her body ease against his. It was not easy task for him to speak to her in a way to get his point across and not seem cold in his demeanor. "Going somewhere we don't wish to be will be hard on us my dear, we'd rather not go but it's worth the risk. If we didn't take such risks then we would not be where we are today." Vladimir threaded his fingers through her hair and made a loose fist to pull her head off his chest to look her in the eye. "My promise to return to you is my bond and I will honour it."
"I just, I…" Scarlett still felt as though her heart was being tested or ripped out or abandoned, the latter feeling was making her hurt the most. "I just hate that you will be away from me and it's not fair because we just got together." She sighed deeply. "I'm selfish, I love feeling your love around me keeping me safe but I know if your mind is set on not bringing me then so be it." She tried to keep telling herself that he did know best and was, in fact, keeping her safe by not bringing her but it was getting difficult. She had felt a few cramps creep up on her on their walk already so she gathered what he meant by her being 'grumpy'. "I just want you."
Vladimir had heard his brother come back into the house and Liz outside making her way back. Every word she had said to him rang true. "It's going to be difficult without you love and when I get back we will make up for our lost time." He left it at that and lead them from their bedroom, where he had changed into dry clothing, and down to the den. The room itself was dark with the deep coloured wooden paneling and the dark leather furniture that was scattered about the room; it boasted its age but also comfort. Vladimir watched Scarlett as she walked around the space, looking at the books as her fingertips graced a few of their spines. She stopped and admired the art in the room, something he hoped had a hand in inspiring her to appreciate and then moved on to the only window to look out. This is what he liked that about her, not the lack of questions about what she was seeing but the quiet appreciation of her observations. Stephan soon joined them but was off when they heard Liz wandering around; he brought her down to the room. She too looked around and dared to slide a few books out to examine their covers and first few pages. Vladimir sat himself down at the desk and pulled open a laptop; he checked to see and confirmed that the immortals at their destination knew of their intentions. As 'ancients' their wandering about in other's territories almost never drew suspicion because, if they had intended to take over the area they would have done so centuries ago. Not one immortal ever contested their passage through their territory now that he thought about it, no, they didn't find them a threat to their positions of power it was the other set of brothers that elevated themselves to a position of power over all without permission that were the hated ones. "We have been welcomed brother."
Stephan gave him a nod and joined him, "One less thing to concern ourselves with. Are they requesting a meeting?" Stephen looked and saw there was no indication of one. "I'm sure if they wish we will run into them." Noting the initials at the bottom of the note he saw that the same immortal that they had met a few hundred years ago was still in power. Their steady diplomacy was slowly granting them unhindered access to many places in the world and allies that would be more inclined to step up to aid them if they needed them. "We will still not tempt to feed in their territory unless invited to do so."
Vladimir nodded and also guessed why his brother wouldn't say such a thing out loud as to upset their delicate company. "She will come around to it, rest assured, my beloved did once she understood what members of society we fed on were taken, she didn't seem to mind so much. As it is I believe she is not too far off from accompanying me in the hunt" He smirked. "She would make a tempting lure." He chuckled as he glanced to her; she was so sad looking. Stephan took a seat beside him and opened up a second computer as they got to work checking all their stocks and reading the news sites from around the world. Planning and forecasting was a fine art that needed copious amounts of information; nothing was too trivial. They sat there for the remaining time until they heard the small vehicle come up the road with the ladies lunch. He left Stephan to continue working as he took the women into the dining room, setting his contacts in place. Once the food was set out the caterer promptly left. The meal was chicken and it was prepared in the local traditional way, schnitzled. There were a variety of steamed vegetables as well as roasted potatoes; the caterer he selected was eager to please. He sat Liz down first and then Scarlett who wasn't too pleased about what she saw before her, her feelings were an open book to all. Liz made a very polite compliment on how wonderful everything looked and smelled but Scarlett's appetite was nowhere to be found. Liz was watching him watching Scarlett. "Then now, I see we aren't too eager to eat h'm?" His hand went to the fork and he pierced a small potato with it. "This looks very good even to me love." He brought it to his lips and gave it a sniff before he licked it; the dreadful taste of butter and salt entered his mouth. In truth, he only prefered the salt he lifted off of Scarlett's skin. Scarlette was wide eyed and Liz froze. "Where are my manners, this is your meal, not mine...I don't think I'd take to kindly if our roles were reversed." Scarlett smirked and leaned over and guided his hand with the fork to her and bit the potato off the utensil. The motion, the movement of her lips over the vegetable, her teeth appearing were all a little bit too much for him; his eyes darkened.
Scarlette heard Liz gasp but only smirked at the man inches away from her. "I don't think I would love." She backed away from him and slipped the fork out of his hand. She mouthed,"I can feed myself from here unless you really want to put things into my mouth." And hoped that Liz didn't hear too much of what she said but she was certain V did; his eyes remained fixed on her. She chuckled as she picked up the knife and continued with her meal. It was his hand that slipped on to her thigh and found its way up. When Scarlett looked back to Liz she was looking down at her food as if she were disrupting a private moment between them. "This is delicious Liz." Vladimir rose up and left but the look of promise of what was to happen later was written on his face.
Liz had to shake off what she had seen. "I thought you said their eyes are red?" It was a near whisper but she guessed they heard her. The little smirk and hesitation on her friend was enough for her to gather why. "Oh…" She shook her head and thought how much more settled she would be when she was back at home.
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