Gregory wasn't lying when he said that we would soon reach the castle in Germany.

I allowed myself to slump to the ground with relief as soon as we landed on the bridge near the main entrance.

"Oh, sweet mother earth, I will never let my feet leave your soil ever again," I theatrically vowed practically kissing the gravel in gratitude.

"Come on, Lulu, it wasn't that bad," Tony told me from my side trying to get me to stand up.

"What's that sound? Could it be the voice of lies and trickery trying to fool me to leave your safe embrace, mother earth? Such a thing would be futile seeing how I had nearly plummeted to my death!" I theatrically replied, throwing a sharp glare at my little brother.

"Heh, sorry about that…again," Tony lamely began apologizing as he scratched the back of his neck, "But hey—Gregory saved you didn't he?"

Tony turned to the vampire who was standing behind me. He was clearly amused by my exaggerated performance.

"Oh yes, how could I forget about the vampire whose lovely sarcastic wit lost him a personal year's supply of blood," I spat out while glaring at the jerk.

His toothy smile only grew wider from my verbal onslaught.

Jerk.

Now that my eyes were opened, I could finally take a good look at my sardonic savior.

He was dressed in all black with a red feather trim along the shoulders of his jacket. His hands were wrapped in stocking gloves and I noticed some piercings glinting from his right ear. Unlike the majority of his family, his hair was cut short in a modern style.

My assessment of his appearance must have been spotted because the amused look on his face turned into a smug one.

I rolled my eyes at him.

Hoping to convey that he shouldn't read too much into my lingering gaze.

I was simply… curious.

That's all.

Honest…

"Anyway…we need to come up with a plan to handle those two caretakers," Tony informed me, trying to get this night back on track.

"Already did," I simply stated while getting back up to my feet.

"Really? When did you devise a strategy, Miss Lulu?" Rudolph asked me in fascination.

"When I was nearly strangling your brother in a death grip on the way over here," I honestly replied.

"I have the marks to prove it," Gregory chimed in.

"Oh, you do not!" I called him out on his bluff.

"Lulu, focus, what's the plan?" Tony asked me, bringing my attention back to the matter at hand.

"Right, well I am in no way able to incite any fear into anybody at the moment," I begrudgingly admitted, showing my still shaking hands, "So, what we are going to do is have a handful of the family come with us and hide off to the side. Rudolph, you will be hiding nearby at the top of the doorway and wait for our signal to make your appearance. I want you to appear upside down in front of them with a large toothy grin when you say hello, got it?"

Rudolph eagerly nodded his head, excited to jump scare the flighty caretakers.

"Good, now, once Rudolph makes his appearance I want the handful of vampires to fly in behind him. Make sure that those two see you fly. We can't have them thinking that this is a prank in anyway," I carried on with my plan.

The small group nodded in agreement. I could tell that they didn't fully understand why I wanted their family seen when they had spent centuries in the dark. But if everything worked out the way I had hoped, then the castle would be ours and I would be able to add a gag order to the purchase of the castle.

"Alright, now Tony," I began while turning to my brother, "You are not a little kid. You are a confident and strong young adult. I need you to be the first one they see and the one that they keep their attention on. So, you are going to smirk and make them angry enough that they don't look at me at all."

"Uh…why?" Tony asked in confusion. He wasn't used to me not taking control of a situation and was growing concerned.

"Because if they sense any kind of fear from me, then it might make them act brave when they see Rudolph's family," I told him, "Human behavior is a tricky thing and they might be brave if they think there is a 'poor human creature' they need to protect. It isn't likely that those two will grow a spine, but we can't take the risk."

"Got it…but how do I make them mad?" Tony asked in all seriousness.

I snorted at this.

"Just channel your annoying little brother instincts," I stated in an obvious manner, "Also, work in there something about their bratwurst."

"What?"

"Mom insulted it earlier and it got them steamed," I relayed to Tony, "I think just a mention of their precious bratwurst will get them to rage about her previous commentary."

"I…think I know what I'm going to say," Tony happily informed me with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Perfect," I whispered before clapping my hands together and calling out, "Everybody ready?"

"Just one question," Gregory began, gaining my attention from the group.

"Yeah?" I genuinely asked getting ready to go over any part of my strategy that may not have been clear.

"How did you come up with this plan when you were crying in my chest, again?" He asked me with a devious smile.

"I was NOT crying!" I indignantly shouted at the bully, my face going red in embarrassment.

"Come on, Lulu, just leave it," Tony began trying to pull me away so I wouldn't thrash the rude teenager, "He's just trying to get a rise out of you."

"Gregory, be nice to Miss Lulu," Rudolph chastised his older brother while we walked towards the castle entrance, "She's trying to help our family, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah," Gregory waved off his younger brother before taking his hiding spot with his sister.

Rudolph helplessly shrugged his shoulders before getting into position himself.

I looked down at Tony, seeing an amused look on his face.

"I was not crying," I reiterated before heading off to the side, not too far from Tony in case he needed me, but not close enough for the innkeepers to spot me.

The mean-spirited tyrant was going to get a bulb of garlic launched at his face.

Tony knocked on the large wooden doors.

Thankfully, both caretakers came to the door. This may be easier than I thought it would be. I mused while taking stock of their trembling frames in the doorway.

"Mr. Tony Thompson," they both stuttered out in fear, still thinking that my brother was a vampire.

"What are you doing back here," the older man questioned in shock.

"You are ze bed and ze bratwurst, right?" Tony asked the two in an obnoxious German accent. If that was him mimicking, acting was not in Tony's future.

"We are the bed and the breakfast!" The old man cried out in outrage, obviously thinking that Tony was going to make fun of their beloved bratwurst recipe.

Oh, heavens.

This really is too easy.

"So, cheer up!" Tony began, "I brought you some guests!"

I nodded my head at Rudolph who dropped down on his cue in perfect timing.

He was facing the two caretakers so I couldn't see if he was showing off his pearly white fangs as instructed. However, the way the two jumped back in fear, told me that he followed my instructions to a 'T'.

"Hello!" Rudolph cheerily called out to the two.

"The little vampire!" They both called out in horror.

"Annnddd family!" Rudolph happily replied.

I nodded towards Anna for the group to start making their entrance.

Each vampire flew beautifully to the front door, one right after the other. This helped to ensure that the innkeepers saw their vampiric powers of flight and wouldn't mistake it as a prank.

Absolutely perfect.

Sure enough, the stimulation was too much for them to take and they both fainted at the front door.

"Uh…is that what you wanted to happen?" Tony asked while turning towards me.

"Yes, now we have to move quickly before they wake up," I told him while walking forward to remove the garlic from the old woman's neck.

"Here, start getting rid of the garlic in hall and I'll help you once I come back downstairs," I ordered Tony before turning back to the old couple, "Gregory and Rudolph, could you please help me carry them to their bedroom?"

All three boys nodded their heads and started on their designated tasks.

"What do you need me to do?" Anna asked me from the side.

"Could you please go with your two aunts and uncle to gather the rest of the clan from the forest?" I politely requested before following Gregory and Rudolph.

They small group of vampires agreed to my request before zooming off into the night sky.

Once we made it to the third floor, I opened up the door so the boys could lay the couple in their bed. I looked around and was happy to see that there weren't any windows in their bedroom. If I had to guess, they chose this room to ensure that no vampires broke in during the night.

My eyes rolled at their foolish behavior before I grabbed the door key that was laying on top of their threshold. They had told me in the beginning that each door had its own key that was placed nearby so no keys would get lost in such a large castle.

"Ugh, it reeks of garlic in here," Gregory snarled out, hissing at the bulbs hanging all over the wall.

"We'll clear it out later once the paperwork is signed," I assured him while motioning for him and his brother to follow me.

I could tell that he had a follow-up question to my statement, but the overpowering smell of garlic caused him to gag and cover his mouth.

Both vampires looked absolutely miserable, so I asked them to stand further down the hall where the smell wasn't so bad. Then, I hastily shut and locked the door before giving the key to Rudolph.

"Hold onto this key for right now," I requested, "If they wake up before my parents get back then we'll tell them we are searching for the lost key and to sit tight, okay?"

"You truly think of everything, don't you mortal?" Gregory questioned with a smile on his face.

Was he being nice and complimenting me?

I couldn't tell so I just shrugged my shoulders and motioned for them to follow me back downstairs.

My eyes landed on Tony's figure as he was quickly throwing the garlic into the large, black garbage bag in his hand. I told the two vampires how there was a nice den that was garlic free down the other end of the hallway. I suggested that they go get a fire started and rest while we disposed of the garlic. They readily agreed to my idea and ran off in search for a bit of clean air in the castle.

Tony turned his gaze to me and held an extra bag out in offering.

It was going to be a long night.

The entire clan had just flown to the entrance as Tony and I finished clearing out the last of the garlic from the main hall. We hauled the trash bags to the dumpster out back and saw everybody looking more at ease now that all the garlic was disposed of.

We could still smell a bit of garlic on our hands and clothes, so we decided to go take quick showers. Tony would take the first shower since he had less 'girly' stuff to take care of.

His words not mine.

I just rolled my eyes and agreed to his terms.

My body leaned against the door frame as I patiently waited for my turn in the bathroom. I decided to text my parents, to help put their minds at ease, and told them about our current status at the castle. I informed them of how we got into the castle, how the two caretakers fainted and we locked them in their room, that Rudolph was holding onto the key for safekeeping, and about my plan to let them out in the morning. They sent me a reply back, thanking me for keeping them updated, and told me that they would be arriving home in about 3 hours and will take care of the rest. I nervously worried my bottom lip with my teeth with how close they were going to be pushing it to sunrise.

I needed a distraction…

I needed to start planning.

That always calms me down.

Thoughts started spinning in my head of the next steps that needed to be taken in order to ensure the clan's safety and my family's happiness. I could feel the tension in my shoulders ease as I thought about each possible scenario and how we were going to handle them.

There were still a few plans that I needed to collect more data and information about, but there was enough foundation for the majority of my plans to work.

I would have a lot of emails to take care of once I finished taking care of my hygiene.

"Alright, Lulu, your turn!" Tony called out from the other side of his bedroom.

Pushing my mental to-do list to the side, I opened the door and was met with a burst of steam to the face.

"Geeze, Tony!" I called back, "Did you leave any hot water for me?"

"You take hot showers?" He cheekily replied, "I thought there was just ice in your veins!"

I barked out a laugh before locking both doors and hopping beneath the warm, inviting spray of water.

Just what the doctor ordered…

Once I finished rubbing the stress and dirt away, I had dressed in a pair of pink and blue, plaid boxers and a dark blue long-sleeved shirt. Seeing as how we had company, I had appropriate undergarments on underneath which included a sports bra and panties. However, I was not going to give up my comfortable sleepwear for a few vampires on the premises.

Tony followed suit and was dressed in his usual, oversized, striped pajamas. We both looked and felt extremely comfortable at the moment.

"Aren't you going to dry your hair?" Tony asked me, noticing my long, damp golden locks in the light.

"Nah, I'll let it air dry tonight," I answered back, "Besides I have a lot of work to do."

His eyes traveled to my hands that held my tablet, keyboard, cellphone, and charger.

Tony rolled his eyes.

"Lucy, you're going to overexert yourself," He chided, "You should play games with us instead."

Tony then lifted his hands at the collection he was carrying down to the family of vampires.

"Tony, I'm fine, honest!" I said trying to convince him, "I'll play games with you guys another night, okay?"

"Alright…I'm holding you to that!" He said trying to point an accusing finger at me.

I chuckled at him as we continued down the steps towards the others.

The majority of the family was sitting in the currently heated den, amiably chatting, while the rest scoped out their new home in search of a nice, dark room to sleep in once the sun came out.

Gregory was sitting in a chair in the corner, reading a book, while the other three children played 'Sorry' in front of the fireplace.

I was currently sitting on the couch typing away on my tablet. My mind vaguely heard one of the children ask Tony what I was doing. He jokingly said 'taking over the world' in response. Normally I would reprimand him for giving away my secret plans of world domination, but there just wasn't any time to play tonight.

This email to Abrhams about adding a gag order clause to the castle purchase paperwork was extremely important and needed to get done ASAP. He was not impressed that I was still up this late at night, quickly converting the time difference between San Diego and Germany. Abrhams was trying to convince me to get some sleep and that he would have everything prepared and emailed to me in a couple of days. I told him that I needed it expediated and finalized today.

He did not like that request.

Mr. Abrhams calmly told me that he worked for my parents, not me, and that he was under strict orders to not finalize any paperwork without their permission.

Why do I have the funny feeling that he was going to snitch on me to my parents?

My caller id lit up with a picture of my mom's face.

Crap.

"Uh-oh…I know that look on your face, and I know that ringtone," Tony began cheekily taunting, "You're in trooooubbblllleeeee!"

I gave him a look of disapproval before answering my phone.

Might as well get the lecture done and over with…

"Hey! I was just thinking about you," I lamely began, "How is my gorgeous mama bear doing this fine eve—"

"Lucretia Eleanora Thompson!"

Crap.

Full name…never a good sign.

"Yes, ma'am," I sighed out, knowing I couldn't sweet-talk my way around mom.

Dad sure, but mom—never.

Tony laughed at my failed attempt of flattery while I threw a pillow at his head.

"What are you planning, Lucy," my mom demanded in a no-nonsense tone of voice.

"Planning? I'm not—"

"LUCY!"

"Okay, okay," I reluctantly assuaged, "Well…remember when I came back from my picnic and you guys said that Tony was going to bed early so that he could play with Rudolph the next day. Which by the way, was a total lie and he ran off to Transylvania while your obedient daughter stayed in Germany; just saying—perspective."

Tony threw the pillow back at me when he heard me trying to throw him under the bus so that I could save myself a lecture.

"Lucy, we will discuss with your brother the terms of his punishment later without your input. Now get on with the story," my mom informed me, not falling for my distraction techniques either.

Dammit.

I really am going to get into trouble.

"Well…I figured it'd be easier for Tony to visit his friend if we lived in the area…"

"And we specifically told you to that we would handle looking at the available listings—"

"But the property I prepared the paperwork for wasn't an available listing!" I interrupted, trying to make her see that I technically didn't disobey her orders. "We just had to give the current owners enough incentive to vacate. Oh… by the way, please don't tell dad that I contacted Archibald, you know how much he hates him and calls him a shady investigator. But, all that aside, I did find out what the appraisal is for the place and the finances of the couple—"

"Lucy! Do you hear yourself?" My mom stopped my ramblings in frustration, "You should have come to us first with this idea! I mean there are rules and guidelines of keeping up such a property."

"I know there is," I honestly told her while grabbing for my tablet to open my email back up, "Which is why I already researched the necessary steps to keep everything legal and maintained. Here I'm sending you a summarized version of what I found with the links attached at the bot—"

"Lucy, sweetie, I love how resourceful you are."

"Aw, thanks mom—"

"But you need to let us, the PARENTS, handle things," she conveyed, trying to hold back her aggravation.

"Mom, I swear I was honestly going to tell you my idea after I finished sorting through the necessary requirements of purchasing a castle—"

"Oh, my God!" Tony cried out, startling me from my conversation, "You BOUGHT a castle!"

"No, Tony, I didn't buy a castle," I informed him, annoyed at his sudden interruption, "I was assembling the necessary paperwork and data needed to buy—"

"You BOUGHT a castle!" He screeched even louder, peals of laughter making his voice echo in the room, "You are sooooooo grounded!"

"Tony! Quit being a brat!" I called out, chucking the pillow at his head once more.

"Lucy, this conversation is far from over," mom told me, getting the final word in, "Your father and I will discuss your punishment with you once we get home."

"Wait, you called it home! So, does that mean we are buying the castle?" I asked excitedly, "Because I have an idea of how to go about the gag order clause that I want added into—"

"LUCY!"

"Right, right, you have it handled. Totally letting it go and you take over, sorry!" I quickly apologized to my mom.

"Thank you! Now, no more emailing Abrhams. Play a board game with the other children, draw a comic book with Tony, or…something! Just be a kid, understood?" My mom ordered with a tone of finality.

"Yes, mother," I mollified, feeling slightly guilty for making my parents worry about me.

"Thank you, we love you and Tony both and will see you soon."

"We love you too and we'll see you later," I answered back before hanging up the phone.

I let my phone fall onto the couch before placing my head in my hands in frustration.

Dammit Abrhams.

He's a brilliant lawyer and loyal to the company, but still!

Couldn't you have given me a little more time before snitching to my parents?

There was still so much to do!

First, I had to figure out a way to get the entrance to those catacombs cleared without raising any suspicion and then somehow get the clan's coffins out of there without anybody noticing. In the meantime, we'd have to order blackout curtains for the rooms with windows as an extra precaution for our vampire friends.

Not to mention we need to set up a veterinarian to come and remove cow's blood safely so that the clan could have something to eat. We'd have to get a gag order on the vet too so there will be no questions of why we need cow's blood. I mean, we can't let them drink straight from the cows and create more vampiric bovines.

They'd definitely have an angry mob at their door if flying cows infested the village.

This will all be temporary, of course, it'll be just until I—er—I mean, my parents, set up negotiations to buy some sort of blood bank or hospital. That way we can write off a couple of 'misplaced' bags from the donations and give healthy human blood to the clan.

"…lu, Lulu, LUCY!" Tony screamed in my ear, making me jump from the couch and land on the floor.

"Tony! Don't scare me like that!" I reprimanded my brother while trying to gain control over my racing heart.

"Then don't get lost in thought like that!" Tony scolded me right back, "Mom and dad are already mad at you for scheming—"

"I didn't scheme," I groused out, "I planned. There is a difference."

"Lulu…" Tony groaned, already knowing that I was going to get into more trouble.

"Tony, I need you to do me a favor," I began reaching for my tablet.

"No—uh-uh. No way am I going to let you sche—fine, 'plan' anything else when you probably haven't gotten any sleep in the past couple of days," Tony yelled at me while grabbing my tablet from my hands.

"Tony…" I complained trying to reach for my tablet, "There are just a couple of things that I have to look up and…well…uh…"

"Plan for?" Tony supplied, still holding my tablet out of reach.

"Please, Tony," I pleaded with my little brother, "Mom and dad will be back in about…two hours, and I'll be long done with my, uh, researching, okay? I just want to look up a couple of things then I'll go straight to bed as soon as they come home, deal?"

Tony looked conflicted before he started to hand me back my tablet.

He jerked it just out of my reach before firmly reiterating, "You'll have one hour to do your research and I won't tell mom and dad. BUT, you will not plot, plan, or scheme any hostile takeovers, gag orders, or…or whatever business world domination thing you do, got it?"

"Got it," I confirmed before happily taking hold of my tablet and setting it up on its wireless keyboard.

Just a couple of things then I'll sleep.

Just a couple.

Tony's POV

Rudolph nudged my side before asking, "Are you sure it's alright to let your sister do her, uh, research? She looks really tired…"

"Yeah, I know, but what am I going to do?" I asked my new best friend, "If she doesn't get to plan before my parents get home then they'll take all her devices away and she'll be up all night pacing with worry. Then my parents will slip a Benadryl into her food to make her sleep, she'll be paranoid about what she eats the rest of the week…Trust me, it's happened before and it's better to avoid the whole thing."

Rudolph raised his eyebrows in alarm at my story.

I guess it was a pretty extreme story, but that's what happens when you live with an overprotective genius.

"Your sister is very…uh," Anna began proclaiming, trailing off when she couldn't come up with the right word.

"My dad says 'strong-willed'," I easily supplied to the cute vampire girl.

"I call it stupid," Gregory snarled out in agitation from his chair in the corner, glaring at my big sister.

A protective feeling bubbled inside my chest.

"Dude, what's your problem?" I spat out, "She's trying to help your family and make sure everybody is safe."

Seriously, why does he always want to pick a fight with Lulu?

If she was listening to this conversation then she would have easily put him in his place.

However, the consistent tapping of her keyboard told me that she was millions of miles away. Concentrating on her outline of every possible scenario that could happen and how to fix it.

"My problem is that she's the only one who seems capable enough at keeping us hidden and our enemies at bay, and yet she does nothing to ensure she keeps good health," Gregory heatedly informed me, "If this weak mortal is to fall then must we return to the shadows of decaying crypts?"

Gregory suddenly stood up from his perch and advanced towards my oblivious big sister.

"Knock it off, Gregory," Rudolph interrupted his brother's angry progression.

"Gregory, we won't let anything happen to, Lucy," Anna told him in a soothing voice.

"Then get her to bed," Gregory demanded.

"She will sleep," I finally stepped in, realizing that all this anger and aggression towards Lulu was him worrying about my sister.

"But first she needs to plan," I raised my hands to stop his interruption, "Look, this is kind of like therapy for, Lulu. Sick and twisted therapy, for sure, but it helps her relax. She needs to feel as though she has some sort of control over the everyday chaos."

This insight seemed to halt Gregory's rage somewhat and he stepped back from his two siblings who were guarding my big sister.

"I promise that she'll plan for an hour and we'll get her to stop, okay?" I swore to the older vampire.

"She has exactly one hour," he hissed out before sitting back down in his chair, continuing his glaring contest at my sister's blonde head that was lit up by her tablet's screen.

I smiled gratefully at Rudolph and Anna before we both returned to our seats to finish our game we had just started.

The three of us were having an absolute blast playing 'Operation,' but a nagging feeling kept creeping in the back of my mind.

This feeling kept forcing my eyes to glance away from the board game, and gaze at Gregory and Lulu; one still completely oblivious to the other's temper.

I wonder…

"Time is up, mortal," I heard a voice declare as my tablet was snatched away from me.

"Wai—what?" I questioned in confusion as my outline and data were whisked away from my fingertips, "There is no way that was an hour!"

"That was indeed an hour, Miss Lulu," Rudolph called out from the other side of the room next to Anna and Tony.

I blinked in surprise as I saw Gregory hand my tablet to Tony before said vampire looked at me in irritation.

Almost daring me to dispute my time allowance with him.

I rolled my eyes.

I'm scared of falling, not him.

"Can't I just finish—"

Gregory suddenly lunged at me while hissing in anger.

My body slightly jumped in alarm and I sat up a bit straighter.

What on earth was that about?

"Gregory, chill out, I'll handle it," Tony told the older boy who seemed slightly confused about the term 'chill out', "Lulu, we don't want you to work anymore. We are all worried about you and want you to come hang out with us for a bit."

"I didn't think mortals could hang upside down from walls, Tony," Rudolph stated incredulously at this new fact that was given to him.

"No, it's an expression, it means uh—uhm…" Tony trailed off trying to find the best way to describe the term 'hang out'. He looked at me with pleading eyes.

"It means to spend time with friends and loved ones," I supplied for him.

"Yeah, that," Tony immediately agreed with my simple definition.

"Am, I considered a loved one to you, Tony," Anna flirted with my younger brother.

Tony became a flustered stuttering mess and I relished in watching him squirm under the gaze of a pretty girl.

Eventually, Tony came up with this beautiful response, "Only if you—uh, ya know, want to be…"

Tony then shyly looked up at Anna who smiled at his sweet declaration before leaning in—

Oh…oh no!

I immediately jumped up from my spot and quickly pulled Tony away from the little vampire girl.

My eyes noticed Gregory and Rudolph pull Anna away as well. Rudolph was in the middle of scolding his love-struck sister while Gregory looked at her with a disapproving gaze.

"Okay, that's enough of that for the day…night? Wait, is it day or night?" I asked out loud, trying to spot my phone so I could check the time.

"It's technically still morning time, but only a couple of hours until sunrise," Rudolph informed me while handing my phone to Tony who hid it away with my tablet.

Smart kids…

I didn't even notice them grab my phone.

"Okay, well I guess we have about an hour left of playtime before our parents get here," I quickly calculated in my mind, still not liking how sunrise would happen just as they got home. "How about you guys finish up your game while I check on the innkeepers and once I come back we'll all play 'Uno'. And that also includes you Sir Hiss-A-Lot."

I threw that finally jab at Gregory who was still glaring at Anna.

"Whatever," he mumbled back in reply.

Geeze, and I thought that I was rude in the mornings.

I rolled my eyes at his attitude before making my way to the third floor. My knuckles quickly rapped on the innkeepers' wooden door, hoping to not get a response.

Apparently my luck ran out by the end of the night.

"W-wh—who is there," the old man fearfully called out.

"It's Lucy Thompson," I began informing them, "I was just coming to check on you after my brother's prank made both of you faint. Are you two alright?"

"O-oh, uh, ya, we are fine," the old woman said in a trembling voice.

"We, we are just going to stay in our rooms for the rest of the night, Miss Lucy Thompson, okay?" The old man added on to his wife's statement.

"Sure thing, no problem," I said, grateful that they didn't even want to attempt to leave their room with vampires around, "My parents should be back in about an hour and they want to discuss something with you in the morning."

"Outside, right? I mean—uh—it'll be such a beautiful day and we can all have a picnic outside in the nice sunlight," they both begged me.

I smirked at their obvious behavior.

"Sure, that sounds acceptable," I informed them both, "Have a good night!"

"Good n—night!" They stuttered back, reaffirming my belief that neither one was going to sleep a wink.

I had turned on my heel and almost screamed in fright.

Gregory was silently standing right behind me.

I glared at him to which he raised his perfectly curved brow in response.

My hand reached for him as I dragged him away from the door and towards the staircase.

"What were you doing standing right there?" I questioned as we got a safe distance from the couple.

"I was making sure that you didn't stupidly grab another… 'device' that would take you away from your family again," Gregory honestly informed me, clearly not impressed with my past behavior.

"Look, you were right to get mad at me when I tried to go back on the one hour rule," I began stating, owning up to my past mistakes, "But it won't happen again…Not unless you need me to buy another castle for a recently rescued vampire clan."

I tried joking with him towards the end.

He was not amused.

If anything, the glare on his face intensified.

I let out a sigh in frustration.

I must have really screwed things up big time…

"Gregory, honestly, I am really, truly sorry for not hanging out with the family and not holding myself accountable to the time limit," I earnestly apologized this time, not enjoying this strange, heavy feeling in my chest, "Will you please forgive me?"

He continued to stare at me with a stoic expression on his face.

I'm assuming he mastered that look from his dad, but I didn't dare voice my thoughts out loud with the tension thick in the air.

I couldn't take his staring anymore and my head lowered in submission. My painted pink toes wiggled against the stone staircase. I could feel the cold spread through my feet, and I regretted not putting some socks on before leaving my bedroom.

Gregory finally let out an exasperated sigh before clasping the back of my neck, tilting my head back up to meet his gaze.

"You made the others worry, mortal—"

"Lucy." I automatically interrupted him

"What?" He questioned in confusion to my sudden declaration.

"My name is, Lucy, remember?" I reminded him.

He paused for a moment, he stared at my gold eyes and I stared at his red.

"Very well," He began before stepping even closer to me, practically nose to nose with each other, "Do not make us worry again…Lucy."

It made me happy.

To hear him say my name made me happy and I couldn't figure out why.

There must be something wrong with me.

Gregory remained rooted in his place, refusing to let me turn away or break eye contact. He's waiting for a response…

I nodded my head in agreement.

Hell, as long as he said my name, I think I would agree to anything…

"Good girl," Gregory praised me before quickly stepping away and making his way down the stairs, "Come along, you have to show me how play this… 'Uno' that you signed me up for."

My hand rested over my pounding heart before I stuttered out a response and slowly followed the older vampire.

I must be getting sick.

That was the only explanation as to why my knees feel weak and my face was burning up.

I'll definitely take advantage of my being grounded and get plenty of rest and vitamin C.

Yep, just need to take things slow for a couple of days.

That's all it was.

Honest.