Chapter Two

Meeting

The figure paused outside the large building, glancing up at it in the middle of the storm. She was not affected by the wind or the rain, staying dry and un-rumpled as she stood in the middle of the driveway. It made the Tyntesfield Mansion over in Somerset, England look small, and that place was quite large.

(I'm serious! Look it up! I would love to live there!)

The woman gave another smile, but covered her mouth, forgetting what she was here for. She couldn't go in there with fangs and claws now, could she? She would have to take on the body of a human again, just like she had to while she was in the hospital. The Claws and fangs would just have to be gone here, as well. Oh well. She could always just call them back the moment she needed them. If she needed them. She didn't have to count everything on them, anyway.

Walking forward, the woman reached up and knocked on the door. The Wills of Mairlynn and Joshua Drakeford would be being read here soon, so she had little to no time to waste. She, after all, had to earn the two souls she had already received. If she didn't, she wouldn't be able to get anymore and where was the fun in that?

The door pulled open on her and she gave a smile.

"Can I help you?" A polite, elderly man asked her.

He held short white hair and a pair of glasses on his face that went with the black, butler uniform he was dressed in. He held a look of sorrow, but he tried to hide. She knew why, too.

With her smile still there she made herself shiver. "Hello. I'm looking for the Drakeford residence," She told him. "Please tell me that this is the right place. If not, I'm afraid to step back out into the rain again. It's awfully dreadful tonight."

The elder man looked surprised and glanced the woman over.

She held long, gorgeous black hair and a pair of reddish-purple eyes that he had never seen the color of before. She was tall, about 5'9' and was dressed in a long, black trench coat that hid her clothes from the storm. A suitcase was at her feet and it made the man sigh.

"Yes, this is the Drakeford residence. Who is it that you're looking for?"

"I'm here in regards to Madam Mairlynn."

A look of pain flashed across the elder's face. "My apologies, Miss, but I'm afraid that I have to inform you on-"

"Her death," The woman lowered her head and shook it in sorrow. "Dreadful, isn't it? Poor Lady. And her Husband, too. I heard all about it. That's why I'm here," She then gave a small grin. "I'm here for the twins."
"Who's at the door, Alois?" A young voice came from inside.

The woman peeked around the doorframe and spotted who she was looking for. Her smile grew larger.

Reymond and Ramona Drakeford were walking down the steps, heading towards the door. Booth the children were young, not even over the age of ten yet, though looks of pain and sorrow were all over them. Reymond was dressed head to foot in white and red with short, reddish-brown hair and blue eyes. Ramona matched her brother, only in a skirt, with long hair reaching to her waist. Reymond wore a ring on his finger that held the crest to the Drakeford family with Ramona's was a necklace.

"This is…uh," Alois stepped back and the woman took a few steps into the house, her bag now in her hand. She pause, turned towards the children and gave a bow to them.

"I am Aurora Rush, a…distant friend of your mother's." The woman smiled. "I had heard the news and came as quickly as I could." She raised her eyes to catch the twins' as they stared at her in surprise. "You have my condolences. Young children at your age should not endure tragedy like this."

Reymond glanced away in anger, fighting back the tears that he had refused to let show while Ramona gave a soft curtsy to her. "We thank you for your concern, Madam Rush. You are the Rush that my mother went to school with, are you not? She has told us many stories about you."

"Why, yes I am," Aurora grinned as she straightened. "And surely the stories weren't any of the pranks I pulled on the boys now, were they? Stories like that shouldn't be told before you get to know me."

The good think about getting souls is that the memories are all there as well.

Ramona gave a giggle as she recalled some stories about that very subject; even Reymond let out a laugh.

"It is good to finally meet the woman behind our Mother's stories. I must say, you look quite different than I had expected," Ramona admitted. "But in a good way, I assure you."

Aurora straightened. "No problem with that at all, my dear," She told them. "I know that this is horrible to ask, but would you mind if I stayed here for the night? I fear the very thought of going back out into that storm in the middle off the night."

Reymond glanced back at her, his tears retreated again. "Of course not. Mother would be ashamed of us if we had sent you back out into the storm. Alois," The old man quickly came forward. "Will you please take her bag to one of the guest rooms?"

"You must be hungry," Ramona reached forward and snapped her fingers. Another man, this time a younger one with blond hair and blue eyes in the same suit that Alois was wearing, came forward and began to remove her jacket. "We were just heading to dinner. Come and join us."

Aurora smiled as the two children looked her over. Not very women wore pants in this day and age, but she was one of them. Black leather with boots and a red shirt loosely tied closed with strings like you would normally see on men from ages before. Her sleeves were wide and slightly frilly, but not too much, and black lines outlined the collar.

Each child grabbed her hand and began to drag the woman down the hall.

"Dinner sounds delightful. And," Aurora called to Alois and the second man as they started up the stairs. "Thank you very much." Both men looked surprised but then gave her pleased smiled.

Aurora didn't notice it until after she entered the kitchen. The other demon that was residing in the mansion. She could sense it; not in the dining room but close. Perhaps the kitchen. She just knew that it was there. It smelled familiar for a moment but she quickly shoved it aside. If anything thought about taking the children, Aurora would stop it. She had a contract to fulfill after all. After they were of age she didn't care, but before then…

12 others were sitting around the table of the dining hall, all towards the two chairs sitting at the head of it. One seemed to be a priest, another a lawyer, and the others seemed to be relatives as in brothers and sisters and whatnot.

"Who's this?" A middle-aged woman demanded, pulling a cigarette from her mouth.

"This is a friend of Mother's," Ramona introduced her as they continued towards the table. "They went to school together."

"A friend of Mairlynn's, hmm?" They all gave her a look over. "And just where is it that she met you?"

"Like Dear Ramona here said, Mairlynn and I went to school together. Don't worry, I remember you as well, Melissa." The woman grinned, showing her perfect, white teeth. At least she had gone ahead and hidden her fangs. "I'm surprised that the name Aurora Rush has not arisen in your head." The cigarette fell from her mouth, giving Aurora the victory of a snicker as a servant came forward and pulled a chair out for her beside Ramona. "Thank you." She smiled. The young man flushed.

Did servants here not get any 'thank yous' for what they did? Aurora decided not as he pulled out another chair for the ladies and was ignored. She smiled again. It seems that humans were still as nasty as they ever were.

"Vincent!" Reymond gave a short call. Footsteps could be heard to the door leading down into the kitchen and it burst open. Three figures came in with trays of food and began setting them around the guests, but the last man that came forward with the final three plates made Aurora freeze as her eyes narrowed.

The other demon had entered.

And he looked right up at her, his eyes narrowed themselves. As she glared at him, she had the feeling that she had seen this demon before. But what was it? Why was she thinking that?

Things were silent for a moment before Aurora realized that the two of them were being stared at. She cleared her throat and turned to smile at the two children beside her.

"My apologies," She faked a nervous laugh. "He looked like a friend of my brother's. Forgive me." She told them, glancing back at the man as he moved towards her and the children.

He held long black hair that he kept back in a tie and a pair of brown eyes that seemed to glow in the light. He was dressed in the clothes of a cook, just in the color black and minus the big, white hat. A pair of square glasses were on his face and his nails were painted black.

"It's quite all right, Madam," The man replied smoothly as he leaned down next to her to place her plate down. The voice was familiar as well. What the hell was going on? "It's not a problem, I assure you." She glanced sideways into his eyes and noticed a reddish glow to them.

He knew what she was as well. "Thank you." She grinned. He nodded, giving her another look, and then backed off back into the kitchen.

Aurora continued to grin as she ate the food she didn't need. It looked like a conversation will be happening between the two of them later that night.

The dinner was surrounded by things that didn't mean much to Aurora so she ignored them all. Until they were moved into the library. The bookcases were enormous and covered with books of all kinds. She immediately went to the books. They were one of her most enjoyable ways to spend time. The human imaginations were such entertaining things.

She didn't really pay attention to the Will as it was read until it came to what she was really for.

"And for Ramona and Reymond," The man in the suit continued. "Within the death of both your parents at such a young age, we cannot leave you alone. If you had been older…" The man shook his head sadly. "Everything in this house and the money of your parents is left for you. It seems that your parents have left the name of your Guardian with us. You're Guardian is-" Before the man could continue, Aurora glanced around the others in the room. Ramona looked fearful, Reymond faceless. Their family members all wore looks of greed. She then caught view of a figure behind a bookshelf on the other side of the room, watching as well.

It was that demon. What had the twins called him? Ah, Vincent. He was watching, his eyes glowing red again. Aurora smirked.

"-Miss. Aurora Rush."

Quickly again, everyone looked surprised, except for the man behind the bookshelf. He smirked. And the others looks changed to disappointed. The twins were still surprised.

"What?" Aurora played her shock perfectly, setting her book down. "Me? Why me? I haven't seen Mairlynn in years! I mean my goodness. I've only written to her, nothing else."

The man shrugged. "You're who the Lord and Lady choose. There's nothing that I can do."Aurora glanced at the two children again. They still looked shocked. She turned to look at the ground, her hand covering her smirk.

Step one, done.

Step two, now engaged.