Chapter Eight:

Vampire Hunter…

It was the only thing on Yuki's mind, but it was apparently the last thing Kaname wanted to talk about. After mentioning it in the car, he hadn't said another word until they arrived back at the vampire mansion. And even then, he only ordered her to stay indoors and headed off to manage more business. Whatever danger was back at her house, she had no idea. And once again, she was left alone to drown in her own thoughts.

The couches below the indoor second-floor balcony were more comfortable than they looked. They appeared to be stiff, but they were anything but. The glass-top coffee table in between them was empty and looked to be in perfect condition. There were no scratches, or even signs of anything being put on it. She wondered if they had maids come into the house daily to keep everything so pristine.

Yuki turned as she heard footsteps coming from the large staircase behind her.

"Yo," Aido said, raising a hand to greet her. Yuki froze. "Oh, right… Sorry about before. I shouldn't have scared you like that," he laughed, waving it off.

"It's fine…"

"Soooo," he continued, seemingly a bit wary. He stepped onto the first floor and walked over to her. He sat on the couch to her left and kicked his feet up on the coffee table, shoes still on. "How long are you going to be staying with us?"

"I'm not sure. I just know that I can't go home right now."

"Ah. Well, Lord Kaname isn't one to give up any information, so that makes sense."

"Has he always been that way?"

"Not really. He was a bit different when we were kids. For instance, he only got that scary aura of his when we got much older."

"Aren't you seventeen?"

Aido blinked a few times in confusion before a lightbulb went off in his eyes. "Ohhh, we were just kidding," he laughed. "We all have the ages we tell the schools so we can enroll. Lord Kaname is older than the rest of us, but I knew him when we were kids."

"So then, how old are you? Really?"

"I was born," he paused, counting numbers on his fingers as he glanced at the ceiling. "One hundred and… sixteen years ago? Yea, that sounds right."

"What are you telling the poor girl?" another voice called from the staircase, and Yuki turned to find the other blonde vampire, Takuma.

"Nothing much. Why?"

The ashen-blonde haired vampire ignored Aido and walked around the couches. "Is he bothering you?"

"No, not at all!" she said quickly, waving her hands in the air. "Aido has been very kind to me, and I appreciate having someone to talk to. Kaname is… a very busy man."

"I'd hate to be the king," Aido piped in, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. "I have enough to worry about with my family being part of the council, but imagine running it? I'd lose my mind with all those old geezers trying to tell me what to do every day."

"Please watch what you say, Hanabusa," Takuma sighed. "If Kaname heard you—"

"Shh!" Aido jumped, sitting upright on the couch and glaring at the other blonde. "Yea, I'd get smacked around again. I know, I know."

"I don't think Kaname would hurt anyone," Yuki said softly, but she was met with a very awkward silence and shocked glances. She faintly remembered the dried blood all over his clothes when he came to her room that one night and gulped. He never seemed violent when he was with her, but… "He's very kind," she added, looking to the floor. She hadn't noticed the beautiful dark red carpet under the coffee table until just then.

"Must be nice to be the Vampire King's favorite toy, huh?" another voice said, and Yuki turned once more to the staircase. It was the orange-haired scary man.

"Toy?" She cocked her head to the side. She definitely wasn't a toy to Kaname, but she wasn't sure if she was allowed to talk about their bond with these vampires.

"Akatsuki, be nice." Takuma sighed again, and Yuki got the feeling that he was almost like the oldest brother of the group. He seemed genuine and reliable.

"Whatever."

"What's got you in such a bad mood?" Aido frowned, but his tone was sarcastic. "Lord Kaname feeding on Ruka again—?"

Akatsuki had Aido by the throat within a half-second and Yuki yelped, covering her mouth with her hands. The larger man lifted him off the couch and into the air with one strong grip. Yuki watched, wide-eyed, but Takuma just tsk'd at them like they were play-fighting. Akatsuki held out his free hand and suddenly, a ball of fire appeared in his palm. Aido gagged as he scratched at the large man's fingers around his throat.

"Don't mar his face before the ball," yet another voice said. "You know he won't be able to heal as quickly if you use your fire, Akatsuki. How mean…"

"Rima, where's Senri?" Takuma asked, just as Aido was released. He fell to the floor in a fit of coughs, but it seemed like everyone was ignoring him now. The fire had dissipated, too. Yuki stared at him still, wondering if he was okay.

"He was with Lord Kaname, last I saw. I think his father came here earlier today with some requests." She did a small twirl and looked at each of the other vampires. "I just came to ask your opinions on this dress. I was thinking of wearing it tomorrow night."

Yuki looked her up and down. The dress was black with dark blue lace at the collar and around the bottom hem. It fit her small frame and fell gently over her hips. Her shoulders were exposed and the lace continued down her arms to flared black sleeves. She wore blue tights and small black heels to match.

"It's beautiful…" she said, and Rima looked over, as if just noticing her on the couch.

"I wasn't asking you," she spat. "I'm asking the people who will actually be there. No humans allowed." She stuck out her tongue.

"Actually, I heard that familiars will be allowed this year, and some aristocrats are bringing their playthings with them this time. It is the first ball of the season, so I'm sure someone will make a spectacle of blood or whatnot. You know how our families are."

Akatsuki rolled his eyes. "I still don't understand the appeal of keeping humans around."

"They're like pets," Rima said, bouncing on her toes. She curled her fingers together behind her back and danced a little where she stood. "My parents love their humans. They say they bred them specifically for their blood. I've never been allowed to taste them before, though. So, maybe they're lying." She shrugged, and then looked at Yuki. "Like you. You must have really tasty blood if Lord Kaname keeps you around."

"I… I don't think—"

"Can we all just be nice to the poor girl?" Takuma sighed again. "She is Lord Kaname's guest, after all."

"Well, I just met her yesterday, so how special could she be?"

"You said you've known him for five years, right?" Akatsuki asked. "So, how come we've never met you before? Were you lying to us?"

"No, I—"

"It seems strange. I mean, he's got no use for humans. He can have whatever aristocratic blood he wants. Anything else would just be downgrading, wouldn't it?"

"It's a ridiculous notion. Purebloods have no need for familiars. Unless, of course, they just want their laundry done or fresh meals made every day. But I don't see you cooking or cleaning around here. So, what purpose do you serve our Lord?"

"Yea, how did you even meet?"

"And don't forget that delicious scent you give off. Maybe that's why he likes to keep you around."

"Does he drink your blood?"

"That seems like the more likely option, but still—"

"Enough!" Takuma shouted, and the others just groaned at him. "You're making her uncomfortable," he frowned.

"I still wanna know," Rima said, walking around and plopping down, right next to Yuki. She jumped and stared into the vampire girl's round, blue eyes. She really was gorgeous, just like the rest of them. "Why does Kaname keep you around?"

"Well…" Yuki paused, realizing that everyone was staring at her once she opened her mouth. She wasn't allowed to tell them the truth, so she didn't know what to say. "Kaname and I… I mean… We're just…" she paused again and mentally sighed. "We're just friends."

There was a long moment of silence between everyone, and Yuki found herself staring down at the bloodred rug again.

"You're not friends," Akatsuki suddenly said, crossing his arms. Aido had crawled back up onto the couch and nodded his agreement.

"You're something else to him."

"Don't tell me he sleeps with you?" Rima suddenly blurted out, and everyone froze, like they just saw death, and suddenly, Yuki understood why.

"Yuki." The long U and deep voice were like angels singing. "Come." She looked to her left and saw him standing there, dressed in a black button-down and pants. His hand stretched out to her and she softly smiled.

"Is everything all right?" she asked, standing and walking over to him. She took his hand.

"We can speak in private," he said coldly, and met the eyes of the other vampires. Yuki noticed how all their gazes dropped to the floor when he met them. Takuma and Aido even dropped to the floor, bowing low. "And Rima…"

"I'm sorry!" she quickly cried. "I'm really sorry!"

"You will not be in attendance tomorrow evening."

The blue-eyed girl's face dropped as if someone had just died, her wide eyes glued to the ground.

"Kaname..." Yuki said, holding his hand with both of hers and looking up at him. Rima might not have been the politest vampire, but she certainly cared about whatever event was happening tomorrow, and Yuki looked sadly at her as she nervously grabbed at her beautiful dress in her lap.

"I'll deal with the rest of you later—"

"Kaname," Yuki repeated, pulling on his hand this time.

"What is it?" He was terse, and everyone else was silent.

"I think preventing Rima from going to this ball tomorrow is a bit extreme. She was so excited for it…"

Kaname's eyes slowly lost their aggression and he exhaled. He turned to the others. "No more of this nonsense," he said. "You will be respectful towards any guests I bring into this home."

"Yes, sir," Aido whispered, and the others followed with the same.

"Rima, you may not leave the house for a week. You may attend tomorrow evening's event."

"Yes, sir," she said quickly, standing quickly and bowing extra low. "Thank you, my Lord."

Yuki exhaled as if she'd been holding her breath for a long time, but when she glanced towards the couches, she realized that all the vampires were staring at her, especially Rima. What was going on? Why were they looking at her that way…?

"Come, Yuki. It's getting late."

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"I could sense your discomfort from the other side of the house," he said flatly.

"I'm sorry."

Kaname sighed. "No, it's not your fault. The others need to learn to behave themselves."

"They kept asking why you keep me around," she said softly.

"That's none of their concern."

"I'm sure it concerns them quite a bit, though. Isn't it better if we could just tell them the truth? They think I'm some worthless human." Her face dropped a bit at her own words. But it was true, wasn't it? They were really only interested in her because of her connection to Kaname, and it seemed like besides that, they didn't care to interact with humans at all. Besides entertainment… whatever that meant to them.

"I will tell them when they need to know."

"I would rather they know now…"

"Why?" Kaname sighed. "I will make sure they are respectful towards you from now on, so you have nothing to worry about."

Yuki sighed a bit in return. "Anyway, I'm glad you let Rima go to the ball. She was excited about that dress she was wearing. So, thank you for changing your mind."

"It's a silly event. The council holds four of them every year, but I think it's a waste of time. It's all about showing off to the aristocratic families. It gets tiresome."

"Are you going, as well?"

"I have to."

"Oh…" Yuki sat a moment in silence on the edge of the bed, Kaname beside her. She wondered why he hadn't told her anything about the event. Of course, if humans weren't invited, there would be no reason for her to know, but still… "And humans can't go to this event?" She peeked up at him through her eyelashes, trying to seem hopeful.

Kaname lightly smiled at her attempt, but just shook his head. "It's no place for a human."

"But Rima said that humans were allowed to go."

His smile faded as quickly as it came. He closed his eyes and breathed for a moment before answering. "Vampire families may bring their humans, but they will be here to serve us. Not as guests. They will serve food and drink, but that's all." And when he said drink, Yuki could tell that he didn't just mean juice and wine.

"What's this ball for anyway?"

"It's a social event. All the powerful families meet in one place and talk with one another. And talk about any new members of the aristocrats, lineage, heritage, finances, alliances, drama. Boring things like that."

"That doesn't sound boring," Yuki replied, looking up at him again. But Kaname pursed his lips and shook his head again.

"You wouldn't enjoy yourself. The humans at the party will be ignored, mostly."

"Maybe I just want to go because you'll be there," she added, the corners of her mouth turning up into a small smirk.

"And what would you do?" he played along, smirking back.

"Well, it's a ball. So, I hope you'd bring me a glass of wine." Kaname rolled his eyes.

"The last time you drank wasn't something I would like to repeat."

She shushed him and he rolled his eyes again. "And then maybe you'd ask me to dance," she continued, standing from the bed and doing a spin in front of him. She leaned towards him and he lifted an eyebrow at her. She smirked. "And then I would politely decline, because I can't dance."

Kaname stood and placed his hands on her waist, making her jump. Her face got a little hot. "And then I would tell you that it's rude to decline such an invitation from me, and I'd take you to the ballroom floor." He grabbed one of her hands off her hip and positioned her to dance. Yuki laughed and shook her head.

"This won't be pretty," she giggled.

He pulled her into him and lifted her feet until she stood on his shoes. She looked up at him and grabbed his shoulders so she wouldn't fall. He started gently swaying from side to side and Yuki tried to hold in her giggles.

"And then you'd dance around with me like I'm a child," she laughed.

"I'll make sure you never fall."

"And everyone would be watching us…"

He sighed. "…wondering why a vampire is dancing with a human girl."

She looked up at him and tilted her head as he swayed with her. "And then you would tell them that it's because…?"

There was a moment of silence and then Kaname stopped dancing. He lifted her and set her down so her feet were back on the bedroom floor, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "You should get some rest," he finally said, motioning to the bed behind him. "I'll join you shortly. I have a few more matters that should be concluded before the end of the night."

"How does this work?" she asked tersely, her good mood fading as he did his usual conversation diversions. "You're bonded to me, but I can never show my face in your world? I'm just here to be a good little human who does what you tell her to do and hides away in your bedroom?"

"Yuki…" he frowned.

"No, don't tell me to get some sleep. Or we'll talk about it later. Answer me now. Because I'm not some trophy you put on your mantle and hide me away, and right now—the way I feel—I hate it."

"Yuki—"

"No, Kaname! I don't get it. I'm a human surrounded by people I don't know or understand. And I don't get why you're hiding me from everyone, even the people you say you trust."

"Yuki, listen to me," he said, quickly stepping forward and placing his hand against the side of her face. "I am the most powerful Pureblood alive. It allows me to rule the vampire race, but it also gives me many enemies. Enemies who, if they ever found out that we were bonded, would try to use you to manipulate me. Being a human in this world of mine isn't safe… but I want you with me. Do you understand?"

"I don't like being a secret…"

"Tell me what you want me to do," he frowned again. "If it's within my power and it's not a danger to you, I will do whatever you ask of me."

"Can the others know?"

"Others?"

"You know… like Aido and Takuma and," Yuki paused for a moment and looked at the floor. "And Ruka."

As soon as the name left her lips, she heard Kaname sigh. "I won't tell Ruka."

"Why not? Why her?"

"Yuki, please," he sighed again. "Her parents have been trying to merge our families for generations, and she's taken it to heart. She's hoped for it ever since we were children, and she's followed me ever since the idea was placed in her head. I would not trust Ruka with keeping this kind of secret. It's bad enough she feels threatened by you."

"She does?"

"Don't look so hopeful," he frowned. "It's not a good thing to make an enemy of an aristocrat."

"I wasn't…"

"If it would make you feel more at ease, I will tell Aido, Takuma and Akatsuki. That way, they can also help protect you when I'm not around. But no one else will know and you will drop this conversation for good. Is that acceptable?"

"What about the ball?"

"No."

"Why not?" she frowned. "Other humans can go."

"The other humans at tomorrow's event will be doing one of two things. They will be serving food. Or they will be serving themselves. Do you understand?" Yuki pursed her lips and looked away, pulling her face away from Kaname's gentle hand. He stared at her, his eyes turning from stern to sad. "If you came with me tomorrow, every powerful vampire within a thousand-mile radius would see that I keep a precious human companion, and soon the whole race would know that you are mine."

"And then I would be in danger?"

"Yes." He took a step forward to push her onto the bed. Yuki sat down and looked up at him. "I have very few weaknesses, and none that anyone can exploit," he said, pressing one knee onto the bed beside her and kneeling into the sheets. He brought his face close to hover over hers. "Except you." He placed a slow kiss on her forehead and pulled back to look into her eyes. "And I would do anything to keep you safe."

"I know," she whispered, but he closed his eyes and just shook his head above her.

"You have no idea," he whispered, a sad smile spread on his perfect lips. And when his eyes opened, he leaned down to kiss her for a moment of bliss. "You should sleep now." He lifted her upper body with one hand and pulled the bed sheets back with the other. Yuki slipped her legs underneath them and Kaname sat down on the edge. "May I join you?"

"I thought you had some things to finish."

"They can wait until tomorrow."

Yuki's heart fluttered at the gentle smile he gave her. She was really going to sleep in bed with Kaname, just like they always did. It felt like forever since the last time she'd been able to hold him close as she fell asleep. But this time would be in a much larger bed, and in her guardian angel's enormous bedroom.

He tugged on her pants with a smirk and Yuki realized she was still wearing her school uniform. She shyly slipped out of them and tucked her legs back under the sheets. She watched as he kicked off his shoes and slipped into a pair of sweatpants in his vampire speed. She wished he'd let her get at least a glimpse of him changing, but that was best for another time. His shirt came off next and he bent down.

But just as Kaname moved under the sheets, his body heat reaching her skin, Yuki remembered something.

"Kaname?"

"What is it, dear one?"

"Why did you call my father a vampire hunter?"

She could hear the long exhale that came out of his mouth before he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her against him, a little harder than usual. He brushed his lips through her hair and breathed her in.

"Get some rest, Yuki."

"Okay," she laughed, a small smile on her face. She wrapped her hands around him and tried to pull him even closer, burying her face in his warm chest. It was so easy to fall asleep to the sound of his heartbeat. And she'd gotten a lot of her questions answered already, so she figured he could always answer that one tomorrow.

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Hello my lovelies!

Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. I finally developed some plot points in my head, instead of having no clue where I was going with this story. But now I do! Hooray! So hopefully the chapters will come easier to me, and faster for you. LOL Leave a comment if you liked it. *heart* *heart*

Yours Truly,

-Light