Good evening,
I hope you enjoy.
Oxford Not Brogues
Haunted
Part Four
While Sebastian trimmed down the stems and placed both bouquets in separate vases, Seras' eyes wandered around. Alucard and Sebastian's flat was nothing like she imagined at all. Instead of all black furniture, black candles, spooky paintings and rattling chains, and coffins, it was instead very bright and welcoming. The small living room had a pristine white couch with two periwinkle throw pillows on each cushion. There was an elegant looking coffee table set up in front of the couch. The table was made of a fine dark brown veneer with a glass center. Resting on top of the beautiful coffee table was a vase full of pretty pink pansies and a plate of green and pink macaroons. To the left of the couch was a periwinkle armchair with a white throw blanket hanging over the back. Setup in front of the couch were two bookcases that were packed tightly with books.
Adjacent from the open living room was the small dining room. The dining table was very Victorian style and looked quite expensive. The glossy, dark brown wood was clean of any scuffs or scratches. The four chairs surrounding it had dark leather seats and wooden backs. To her surprise, the table was already set for three people, even though dinner hadn't even been cooked yet. The white porcelain plates had a beautiful trim of rose gold leaves. Even the silverware looked fancy considering they were gold and on top of black cloth napkins. In the center of the table was a matte black bowl full of glass red apples with a green stem. On either side of the bowl were long white stick candles that were lit. As Seras turned to examine the kitchen, she was immediately startled by something moving on the countertop.
"Oh, my god! What is that?!" The little human yelped as she pointed at what appeared to be two living lobsters crawling across a cutting board. "Is that a lobster?!" Calmly, the demon shifted his head to watch one of the lobsters try to escape its fate. Grabbing the lobster by its tail, he pulled it back onto the cutting board before he turned to look at his mate.
"Yes, it's for tonight's dinner." Sebastian answered. "We're making lobster risotto, remember?"
"I remember. I just wasn't expecting the lobsters to be alive still." Seras murmured as she cautiously approached the feisty crustaceans. Their beady black eyes moved up and down while their antennas twitched. She smiled at the two little guys before she noticed a large pot of boiling water to her right. Her smile immediately fell. She knew fairly well that they were having lobster tonight, but she thought they would already be dead. Knowing that they will have to do the killing made her heart sink with anguish. She wanted to help Sebastian cook, but she had no desire to hear their tails thrash or hear their claws scratch against the inside of the pot as they were boiled alive. The poor guys were going to suffer such a horrible death! The little human jumped when from behind Sebastian draped an apron over her head.
"I don't want you to get your dress dirty." The demon spoke as he tied it in the back for her. "By the way, you look gorgeous."
"Thank you," Seras whispered as she turned to smile up at him.
"Let's get cooking, shall we?" He purred. To her horror, he reached for one of the lobsters.
"Wait!" The girl exclaimed as she latched on to his hand, keeping him from grabbing the crustacean. Instead of being shocked that she stopped him, the demon tensed up and his eyes widened. Some red appeared in his pale cheeks, but it was barely visible. His heart thumped hard when feeling her hand on his. What bewildered him was that she was willingly touching him, even after seeing his horrific side. His eyes then flickered to hers to see such sadness in her expression.
"What's wrong?" He asked gently.
"Please, don't boil them alive! That's far too cruel. Isn't there another way so they don't suffer?" Seras asked. Her hand tightened around his, making his heart beat harder in his chest. Sebastian was not fazed by killing the lobsters by boiling it alive. But he was bothered by how disturbed his mate looked.
"Boiling them alive bothers you?" The demon asked, needing to be certain of what exactly was bothering his mate.
"Yes," Seras nodded her head. Sebastian then gave her a soft smile.
"Then I'll kill them swiftly so they don't suffer." The demon promised his angel.
"They won't suffer or feel any pain? You promise?" She asked softly.
"I promise, Seras." Sebastian responded as he placed a hand on his chest. "I will never lie to you."
"I trust you." The little human smiled at him.
"Why don't you and Alucard get started on chopping the tomato, onion, celery, carrots, and garlic while I take care of the lobsters?" The demon suggested. Glancing over, Seras found two cutting boards set up on the opposite side of the kitchen. There were two ribs of celery, two whole carrots, one large onion, a tomato, and a bulb of garlic.
"How much do you need for each?" Seras asked.
"I already set out the appropriate amount. Please, have it chopped, not diced. These ingredients are for the stock." Sebastian instructed her. The girl gave a bashful smile then.
"What's the difference between chopped and diced?" She asked nervously, feeling slightly stupid for not knowing basic cooking terms. The demon appeared a little surprised by her question, but he, thankfully, didn't look annoyed.
"Chopped is slightly bigger chunks while diced is smaller, finer." He explained. "You will have to take care of the garlic because Alucard cannot. You can leave the garlic cloves whole; it just needs to be peeled."
"Alright," Seras responded with a nod. She then shifted her head to glance up at Alucard. "Shall we get chopping then?"
"You should know that I've never chopped anything in my life. Well, food, that is." The No Life King purred with a twisted grin on his face. "And before you judge, this was while I was human. I have been through many wars, my dear."
"Hmn," The little human hummed as she casually glanced over at Sebastian in concern. When seeing the perturbed look on her face, the demon chuckled into his hand. "Interesting, interesting." She murmured before looking back up at Alucard. "With that in mind, I look forward to seeing your chopping skills. You can imagine dismembering a person if you need to." Before the vampire could respond, Seras stepped towards one of the chopping boards and started rearranging the vegetables. Placing an tomato down, she pointed a carrot towards it, placed one rib of celery diagonally on each side of the other end of the carrot, and then balanced the second carrot on top of the first, making a stick figure out of vegetables. "Better?" She giggled, getting a chuckle out of the two males.
"I have to give you credit, Seras. You're far more understanding than we thought." Sebastian spoke as he turned to face the lobsters. Alucard finally joined her at the other countertop to stand in front of the second cutting board. Pushing the vegetables onto the countertop, she grabbed a carrot to start chopping.
"I won't lie. I find it a little disturbing. But I also know how tricky war is; how dirty and gruesome it can be. And judging by how old Alucard is, when he was at war, he was more than likely using a very large and heavy sword. Stabbing, slicing, chopping…He did what he had to in order to survive. I don't blame him for killing just to survive." Seras responded. Staring at her from the corner of his eye, Alucard smiled warmly at her while he lazily chopped some celery. Using a butcher knife, Sebastian cut deep into the head behind the lobsters' eyes, killing them instantly for his mate so the crustaceans wouldn't suffer. Despite them being dead, their legs proceeded to click against the cutting board and their tails moved. Grabbing them by their tails, he carried them to the stove and gingerly set them into the pot of boiling water. As he placed a lid on the pot, the dead lobsters' tails thrashed against the walls of the pot. From the corner of his eye, he saw his mate stiffen.
"I promise they're dead, Seras. It is quite natural for muscles and limbs to twitch after death. That's all this is." Sebastian vowed while he took a large bowl from one of the cupboards. To help get his mate to relax a little, the demon removed a small remote from his pocket. Pressing a single button, music started to play from a stereo that was on the counter in front of Seras and Alucard. O Soave Fanciulla from La Bohème flowed through the kitchen. The corner of the little human's lips pulled back into a smile.
"This is pretty." She whispered, forgetting all about the lobsters.
"Do you like opera?" Sebastian asked as he took a tray of ice cubes from the freezer.
"I've never been to the opera, but I do like opera music. Even though I can't understand a word of it, I find it incredibly relaxing." She answered.
"What started that love?" Alucard asked.
"Mozart or Beethoven?" Sebastian added. "Normally, it's one of those two composers that get people interested in opera and classical music." He placed every cube of ice into a bowl before filling that bowl with tap water.
"I don't know what started that love. I just remember that the first time I ever heard opera, I fell in love with it. It was so beautiful." Seras responded. Setting the bowl of ice water to the side, he refilled his ice tray and placed it back in the freezer. "Mozart has great pieces, but I think I like Beethoven's music a little more. However, neither of them is my favorite composer." Having chopped both carrots and the tomato, Seras got started on the garlic as Alucard finished chopping up the celery.
"Then who is?" The demon asked. He leaned back against the counter and folded his arms over his chest while he watched the other two chop.
"Bach," The girl replied. "No doubt about it, Ave Maria is absolutely gorgeous. But my favorite piece of his is Cello Suite 5 in C minor. The cello resonates something deep inside of me and that piece…sometimes it gives me chills. I love it." As she was peeling the garlic, skin stuck to her fingertips.
"That is a beautiful piece." The demon agreed. "I have a feeling you'll like the selection of music I have chosen for tonight."
"I think so too." She chirped with a bright smile.
"It looks like you're having some trouble." Alucard chuckled as he watched her struggle to peel the rest of the garlic because her fingers were so sticky from the residue. Seras laughed sweetly. "I would offer you assistance, but touching it would inflame my skin."
"That's okay. I got it." She assured him.
"Let me assist," Sebastian suggested. Walking across the kitchen, he came to stand on her left. Grabbing some garlic, he helped her peel it. "I'm aware it's rude to ask a lady her age,"
"That's okay. I don't mind being asked." Seras responded. "I'm nineteen." Nineteen? The males thought to themselves. While she did appear young, they would have never guessed she was nineteen. They would have guessed her to be twenty-two or twenty-three at the most. But nineteen? That was still so young. Again, their mate seemed to know what they were thinking. "Don't focus on my age. I'm above legal age."
"True," Sebastian agreed. "But you've still barely lived life."
"Compared to you guys, people in their seventies have barely lived." Seras snickered. "Besides, I'm not focusing on your guys' ages. So please don't focus on mine. Let's just let our feelings lead us."
"I agree," Alucard purred. "Age is only a number."
"Right!" The little human exclaimed happily that the vampire agreed. "We found each other. Let's not let anything come between us."
"You sound so sure that you want this to work." Sebastian murmured, looking at her in surprise.
"Of course I'm sure." Seras replied.
"Why?" The demon asked softly. The little angel went silent for a moment as she thought about what answer to give. After a moment, she shrugged her shoulders.
"I feel like there's something there." The small blonde answered. "I think it would be best to explore these feelings than just…let it go, don't you?"
"I concur," Sebastian nodded his head with a beautiful smirk on his perfect lips. He finished peeling the last of the garlic. "Pardon me, I have to check on the lobsters. Why don't you wash up?" Leaving her side, the demon returned to the stove. As Alucard finished chopping the onion, O Sink Hernieder from Tristan und Isolde started to play. "So, where were you born?" The demon asked while he used tongs to remove the cooked lobsters from the pot. He immediately placed them into the ice cold water to stop the cooking process.
"London," Seras answered as she washed her hands at the kitchen sink.
"What about your family? Do you have any siblings? Are you close…" Before the demon could finish asking, he was interrupted.
"No family," The tense blonde responded quickly. Alucard and Sebastian glanced over at her when the tone of her voice changed. To them it sounded like she was a little vexed, or was that pain? "What about you guys? Any family or siblings?"
"That's a little complicated for me." Sebastian snickered while he gave his mate a sympathetic smile. What happened to her family? Was that the cause of her anger, pain, and loneliness to conjure when she was a child? Had she simply disconnected from them? Was she considered the black sheep of her family perhaps?
"Why is that?" Seras asked as she finally turned away from the sink to look at him. She dried her hands off on a towel.
"I came into existence fully grown. I was never birthed from a woman or had a childhood, so I don't have a mother or father." The demon explained. "However, there is debate if I actually have siblings or not."
"Why is that debatable?" The little human asked with furrowed brows.
"A great number of demons were birthed from a single woman, Lilith, the mother of all demons." Sebastian went on. "She is certainly no mother of mine, though she would definitely say otherwise. Because I was once an angel, unlike my 'siblings', I'm not related to any demons by blood, but a majority of them look up to me as some type of big brother, which I find irksome." This brought a gorgeous smile to his mate's face and she laughed ever so sweetly.
"Are there any 'siblings' you like, even a little?" Seras asked. It also amazed her knowing that Sebastian was a fallen angel. It was so bizarre to her knowing that he once viewed as pure and heavenly. He still was heavenly in her eyes, but she knew that was only to trick prey. He was one dangerous trap.
"There is only one that I tolerate." Sebastian admitted as he turned towards the cutting board he used to have the living lobsters resting on. "But that's only because he is extremely reserved and quiet. I hardly ever know he's there." Taking the cooked lobsters out of the ice cold water, he placed them back on the cutting board. "Would you like to assist me with cutting them open?"
"Sure," The girl nodded as she got one of the other cutting boards to place it beside his on the counter. He placed one of the lobsters on top of her cutting board and handed her a butcher knife. "What about you, Alucard? Any family or siblings?"
"None that are alive." Alucard answered as he came up beside her to lean against the counter and watch them.
"You can mirror my actions if you want." Sebastian told her as he started to cut open the lobster. Not wanting to screw up, Seras did mirror him.
"Tell me about them." The little human murmured to the vampire. "What were your parents like?"
"I loathed my father, so I have no desire to speak of him." Alucard informed her.
"And your mother?" Seras asked.
"She died when I was young," The No Life King replied, instantly earning his mate's attention.
"I'm sorry," She whispered with a clear look of empathy in her eyes. Did Alucard remember anything about her? Did he remember if he loved her or not? Does he still love her? It was so hard for her to read his expression. Hearing a loud crack, the side of Seras' face was splattered with something.
"Oh!" Sebastian exclaimed. Calmly, his mate turned to look up at him with bits of wet lobster meat on her face. "I am terribly sorry!"
"It's fine," Seras laughed. "I'm in the splash zone." When hearing her giggle, the demon laughed with her. He picked a small bit of shell off of her face. She then used the back of her hand to try and wipe off the rest of it. "May I use your bathroom to clean this off?"
"Go right ahead." The demon agreed. "Again, I am so sorry."
"It's alright. I'm not hurt or anything. I'll be right back." She murmured before leaving the kitchen to clean herself up. Turning back towards the lobster, the demon swiftly dismembered both lobsters and pulled the meat from every shell and crevice in the matter of seconds. He then cut the meat into bite sized pieces. Afterwards, he piled the meat onto a plate, which he covered with plastic wrap and placed in the fridge. By this time, Seras reentered the kitchen with a clean face. When seeing the hollow, broken lobster shells, her eyes widened. "How long was I gone?" She laughed.
"Not long," Sebastian responded. "I just didn't want to ruin your dress or makeup. Besides, the shell is kind of sharp. I didn't want to risk you cutting yourself."
"Then, what's next to do?" Seras asked.
"Now, we make the stock." The demon answered. He carried the plate of shells over to the stove and dumped it into the pot of boiling water.
"What are you doing?" The little human questioned his strange actions.
"It gives the stock flavor." Sebastian explained. "Don't worry, we'll strain it after the stock is done. Could you bring me the vegetables, Seras?"
"Sure," His angel nodded and brought him the vegetables on a cutting board, which he poured straight into the pot with the shells. "So, Alucard, you talked very little about your family. You didn't have any siblings?" Sebastian added bay leaves as well as salt and pepper to the stock before reducing the heat.
"I did," Alucard answered with a nod. "I had an older brother and a younger one."
"What were their names?" His mate asked.
"Mircea and Radu," The vampire smiled at his mate.
"Did you get along with them?" She asked while she stared up at him with a mesmerized look in her stunning eyes. He believed that he also detected a little bit of envy. Was she an only child? Has she always wanted siblings? Or did she have siblings but haven't seen them in some time?
"I did with Mircea, but Radu, my youngest brother, was…difficult to get along with. Mostly because he was annoying, but partly because he sided with the enemies while I returned home to conquer." Alucard told her. The smile disappeared from her face to be replaced with a frown.
"Why did he do that?" She whispered.
"I can't fault him." The No Life King admitted. "At the time, I was furious with him for turning his back on his country and me. But, gradually, I acknowledged that he was not to blame. He was awfully young, only being five when he and I were sent off to the Ottoman Empire as a peace treaty between our two countries. My brother was brainwashed. He learned their ways and befriended the Sultan's son. I hated him for it."
"Well, at least they didn't get to you." His sweet mate added with a small smile. "You sounded like a pretty tough kid." Alucard glanced at the little human who tried so hard to make him feel better.
"They tried to break me; they tried to make me submit." The vampire responded as he dropped his gaze to glower at the floor. "As a child, I was molested often. But…I refused to let them get to me. As I was defiled, I would remind myself that I would get retribution and I will return it tenfold. I envisioned destroying not only them, but their families and country."
"Jesus," Seras exclaimed under her breath with a ghastly look on her face. It was as if she would be sick at any minute. "I'm sorry, Alucard. How did you get it to stop? How did you get them to stop…abusing you?"
"I aged out," Alucard answered softly. "Shortly after I turned fourteen, I was too old to satisfy their perverse needs."
"I'm sorry, Alucard." His mate repeated with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that hell."
"Don't cry for me." The No Life King whispered before he used his thumb to brush her tears away. Alucard gave his sweet mate a warm smile. "That was so long ago. A different lifetime. It's nothing more but a distant memory." After cleaning away her rogue tears, he caressed her cheek with his thumb. "I'm sorry for ruining our date."
"You didn't ruin it, Alucard! Not at all!" Seras was quick to assure him. "I want to get to know you and Sebastian. The good and the bad." The girl then shook her head and gave him a smile to lighten the mood. "Why don't you tell me more about your brothers? Did you ever reconnect with Radu?"
"No," Alucard shook his head. "I stayed angry with him for the rest of my mortal life. He died a year before I did."
"What about your other brother, Mircea?" The small blonde asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.
"The last time I saw him was when I was twelve." The No Life King answered while he stared off into the distance, deep in an old memory. "By the time I returned home at the age of seventeen, both my brother and father had been assassinated."
"My god," Seras exclaimed softly, looking ever so disturbed. "You had nothing to return home to." Instead of expressing sadness, a large grin cracked Alucard's face and he cackled.
"Again, that was so very long ago. It doesn't bother me, so don't let it bother you." The vampire told her.
"The stock needs another ten minutes before we can strain it. In the meantime, I do need some ingredients diced this time." Sebastian spoke up, trying to help to redirect the conversation and lighten the mood.
"Sure," Seras muttered and forced a smile on her face. "What do you need diced?"
"Two shallots and about three cloves of garlic." The demon instructed her.
"Alright. Could you peel the garlic though?" She asked as she returned to the cutting board on the other side of the kitchen. Sebastian gathered the ingredients from the fridge, along with a bottle of white wine, and carried it over to where Seras was set up. Handing her the shallots to dice, he started on the garlic.
"Alucard, uncork the wine while Seras and I handle this." Sebastian directed. "Where do you work?" The demon asked as the vampire fished a corkscrew from one of the drawers.
"Oh, I'm a cop." Seras answered with a bright, cheery smile and a proud look in her eyes.
"Really?" Sebastian looked at her in surprise. "I never would've guessed."
"What made you want to be a Police Girl?" Alucard snickered as he successfully popped the cork out of the bottle.
"My dad," Their mate chirped. If possible, that beautiful smile on her face widened further. So, her father was a positive role model in her life. Sebastian considered while he studied her closely. Earlier she said she had no family, but he assumed she had just disconnected from them. He was now thinking otherwise. What happened to her mother and father? "I know most children view their own fathers as some type of superhero. But to me, when I was little, I really saw my dad as some supercop. I was so unbelievably proud of him and aspired to be just like him."
"What happened to him?" Sebastian asked outright. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Seras had stopped dicing the shallots.
"Um…" The little angel whispered uncomfortably. Alucard and Sebastian had been very open with her. Shouldn't she be open and honest as well? And she was the one who said this date was to get to know one another, the good and the bad. Taking a deep breath, Seras worked up the courage to answer. She proceeded dicing the shallots as she spoke. "My mum and dad were killed when I was nine."
"Killed?" The demon repeated as he shifted his head to look down at his mate.
"I don't really know the details, but my dad got in too deep with a case." Seras whispered. Sebastian could see it in her eyes that she was currently void of all emotion.
"And what happened to you?" Alucard asked.
"I grew up in an Orphanage." She answered. Ah, so that was the place she cryptically mentioned earlier. Alucard and Sebastian figured.
"And this is what caused those negative feelings to occur." The demon muttered to himself. Seeing how uncomfortable she was, he changed the subject. "I would offer you a glass of wine, but it needs to breathe."
"That's alright." She muttered. "This might be a stupid question, but what about you guys? Are either of you currently working?" Seras asked.
"No," Alucard snickered. "I hardly need the aggravation, especially since I have enough wealth to last me several lifetimes."
"And I'm a demon," Sebastian reminded her.
"Why does that matter?" Seras laughed. "You're living in the mortal realm. Money is kind of a necessity. What about this flat? How did you pay for it?"
"I can spawn just about anything I want." The demon chuckled. To prove his point, he held out a hand. Out of thin air, a single red rose appeared between two of his fingers. Without saying anything, he held it out to her.
"Sebastian has his own cheat codes on life." Seras laughed as she took the rose. Twirling it between her fingers, she smiled at its beauty. "Earlier you mentioned that a single rose means love at first sight. Is this just coincidence or are you trying to tell me something?" The flirtatious girl glanced up at the demon to give him a look that made his heart skip a beat. She's so gorgeous.
"Would it scare you if I told you that it was the latter?" Sebastian asked her with a smirk. Her smile widened while she stared deep into his eyes.
"No," She whispered and lightly shook her head.
"When I first saw you, I thought it was love at first sight. But Alucard was right. It was only a fixation." The demon admitted to her. "However, each new thing I learn about you, the more we talk and I look at you, I do believe that what I'm feeling now is love. And I would love to learn more."
"As would I," Seras practically purred.
"You asked if Alucard and I are currently working." The demon reiterated. "Currently, we are not employed. However, we were recently freed after an Organization went belly up." After he finished peeling and dicing the garlic, Sebastian turned and headed towards a bottom cupboard to retrieve a skillet. Placing it on the stove, he poured some olive oil and turned the knob to medium heat. "If you're finished with the shallots, could you bring it and the garlic over."
"Yep," The little human responded. Setting down her rose on the countertop, she scraped the garlic onto her cutting board and then took it over to Sebastian. "So what was the Organization and why did it go belly up?"
"First thing you need to know is that Professor Van Helsing imprisoned us." The demon informed her as he used a knife to scrape the ingredients into the hot skillet. "Have you read Dracula by Bram Stoker?"
"I actually haven't. Sorry." Seras admitted shyly.
"That's alright. But you are aware of the story, correct?" Sebastian asked.
"I guess so," She murmured with a shrug. "I've seen different movies, but none are the same. I know some characters like the Professor, Lucy, and Mina, and I know that Dracula goes after Mina and her friend."
"Correct," Sebastian confirmed with a nod.
"However, I'm portrayed as a villain in the story. A monster who wants to corrupt these young innocent girls. This is what's false in the story." Alucard added with a look of anger searing in his eyes. "I had fallen in love with Mina, but she did not reciprocate my feelings. I did try turning her; I believed that if she was a vampire she would understand…" Alucard trailed off, refusing to finish that sentence. Understand him and his feelings? Seras couldn't help but wonder while she stared at the furious looking vampire. She would admit, Alucard went about it in the wrong way, turning Mina against her will. But still, Seras couldn't help but pity him. It sounded like to her that he just wanted a genuine connection, a lifetime companion who he could rely on and possibly love, someone to be with him in that lonely, everlasting world of his. It made Seras want to cry just thinking about it. "Anyway, it backfired. Instead she used the connection we had to help the Professor track me down and drive a stake through my heart. And then she had the audacity to write a novel about it."
"Wait!" Seras chirped. "Mina wrote Dracula? But what about Stoker?"
"A pseudonym," Sebastian responded. "Authors do it all the time. In fact, many believe that Edward de Vere was actually William Shakespeare." While the diced vegetables softened, Sebastian focused his attention on the stock. Getting out a large bowl and strainer, he begun to pour the hot pot over it. The strainer caught the shells, chopped vegetables, and bay leaves while the liquid seeped through to gather in the bowl. "As Alucard said, turning Mina backfired on him and we were eventually caught."
"How were you caught?" Seras asked.
"Do you recall earlier when I requested that you don't use my name in public?" The demon asked, earning a nod from Seras.
"Yes," The girl answered.
"Well, Alucard allowed my name to slip. For a human to know a demon's name could bring trouble to said demon. The Professor learned my name and used it against me. Shortly after, he drove a stake through Alucard's heart. Alucard and I were then decommissioned." Once the pot was empty, he placed the pot back on the stove. Carefully, he removed the strainer from the bowl and set it off to the side. The light red stock steamed and smelled ever so good, making Seras' stomach growl. "What we didn't know is that the Professor had uncovered ancient runes. He used them against us, enslaving us and forced us to do his bidding. The Professor broke us, made us submissive…" He was interrupted.
"How?" She asked with a shrug.
"The runes," Alucard answered.
"If we disobeyed an order, the runes would send excruciating pain through us. The worst pain we could ever imagine. It was unbearable." Sebastian whispered with a frown as he remembered every single time he disobeyed an order. "The Professor tortured and experimented on us until he died in his late seventies. Unfortunately, we weren't free. The runes tied us to his bloodline, making us serve generation after generation. The Professor's son developed the Hellsing Organization; a place to train vampire hunters. Our last master, Sir Integra, she was probably the strongest Hellsing we had ever served."
"Not only that, but I had actually grown quite fond of her." Alucard admitted with a small grin. "She was a fine woman. One that I will remember forever."
"Did you love her?" Seras asked out of curiosity.
"No," The No Life King snickered. "I greatly admired her and she was dear to me. At the most, I felt a sexual attraction, but even those feelings were rare." Now seeing that the diced veggies in the skillet were soft, Sebastian added a box of risotto rice to it.
"One day, while Alucard and I were on a mission, the Organization was attacked. Nearly everyone was killed. Sir Integra fought well, taking down a good amount of enemies with her, but…humans aren't impervious to bullets. She succumbed to her wounds. With the Organization basically burnt to the ground and the last of the Hellsing family dead, Alucard and I were free." Sebastian continued telling their story. A smirk then formed on his face. "Exactly three nights later, we go to a bar and are enraptured when hearing an angel sing." Seras' eyes widened and her whole face turned a dark shade of red. Was that her he was talking about?
"So…uh…what were you and Alucard doing at that bar?" The shy human asked.
"I promised to be honest with you, Seras." Sebastian responded a moment later. "We were there looking to satisfy our appetites and sexual needs."
"Oh," Seras whispered and her smile slowly faltered.
"Out of curiosity, which part of that bothers you?" The demon asked while he stared at her.
"I don't…really know." The girl muttered. "I know that you guys have to eat,"
"I have adopted a new diet." Alucard interrupted her. "I will admit, when I was free from the Hellsing Organization, I did indulge my needs and devoured fresh blood from a couple of women. But last night, after we met, I returned to my original diet so you wouldn't worry about me killing to satisfy my hunger."
"What's your original diet?" Seras asked.
"Blood bags," The No Life King answered. "I've been consuming them for the past century. I have adapted to it, so I don't necessarily mind going back to it for you."
"That's kind, Alucard." His mate gave him a soft smile. "You don't have to change your diet for me though."
"I would offer the same, but I will quite literally go mad with hunger if I don't. I can go long periods of time without souls, and blood bags do help satiate that hunger a little, but eventually I'll have to consume a soul. I'm sorry if that bothers you." Sebastian spoke. His mate shook her head.
"I guess what bothers me is that I don't know if this is just a fling or more to you guys." Seras admitted softly.
"What?" The demon murmured.
"You both went to that bar looking for some fun." She reminded them.
"Yes," Sebastian agreed. "But instead we found something else altogether." The little human smiled bashfully at this. "This is not a fling, Seras. I promise you that."
"I believe you," She promised softly.
"Would you like a glass now?" The demon asked as he grabbed the bottle of white wine.
"I'll have some with dinner. Thanks." She politely rejected a glass right now. He gingerly poured about a cup of white wine right into the skillet with the rice. He then stirred it all together.
"Speaking of fun," Alucard purred with a twisted grin.
"Alucard," Sebastian warned him.
"These are important questions, Michaelis." The vampire chuckled.
"What?" Seras asked.
"He wishes to ask more intimate questions." The demon answered while shaking his head. "If you're uncomfortable doing so, don't let him pressure you into answering them." The blush on her cheeks darkened and her smile became a bashful one.
"I don't mind," The little human murmured as her eyes sparkled with interest and timidness.
"I hope you don't regret it." Sebastian muttered under his breath while he ladled the stock into the skillet.
"Do you remember your first orgasm?" Alucard asked. Almost instantly, the entire kitchen went silent. Seras' face paled drastically as her soul practically left her body. What did he just ask her?
End of Part Four
I hope you enjoyed.
Part 5 will be out next week.
Oxford Not Brogues