Chapter Two

All the brothers stared at Eve, lost for words as she stood before them, leaning on her left hip and crossing her arms.

Reiji blinked, frowning, and clearing his throat. 'Excuse me?'

Eve raised her eyebrows, smiling. 'I said 'I understand'. What's the problem?'

Ayato tilted his head, jumping off his seat and walking towards her. 'You've got a lot of nerve speaking to us vampires like that. Or maybe you want to be punished? Is that it?' He smirked, grabbing her arm and squeezing it.

Eve scowled, yanking her arm from his grip, 'Maybe it's because I'm not afraid of you...', she looked around at the brothers her eyes staring holes through each of them, 'None of you are allowed to kill me, and even if you were, I've never been scared of dying, so what's the point in me being afraid? The way I see it, the situation is what it is and I just have to accept it.'

Subaru's eyes went wide. A human who isn't afraid of vampires...who just accepted that she was to become a blood bank for one of them. Was he hearing things right?

Reiji pushed his glasses up his nose. 'Well, I suppose it will be refreshing to have obedient prey for once-'

'But...', Eve interrupted, crossing her arms and tapping her fingers against them. 'I want to choose who gets to...feed off me.'

All the brothers frowned at her. First, she says she isn't afraid and now she wants to pick whose prey she becomes? Was she crazy or stupid?

Eve sighed, rubbing her temple. 'I've already said that I accept why I'm here and what's going to happen to me, so could you at least give me the respect to have a choice when it comes to this?'

Subaru tilted his head, frowning as Eve stared at Reiji and tapped her fingers against her arm once more. Pushing himself off the wall, he walked to stand behind Ayato's chair. 'Damn it, just say yes, Reiji, so we can get this over with.'

Reiji looked at Subaru, then back to Eve. After a few minutes, he nodded, gesturing to the rest of his brothers. 'Very well, I will let you choose. If I were you, I'd consider this choice carefully...'

Eve nodded, glancing at all of the boys repeatedly.

'Well, they're all fucked up one way or another. You have a sadist, a pervert, a pint-sized psychopath, a strict one, a lazy one, and one who'll use any excuse to punch a wall. Not exactly your run-of-the-mill guys. Then again...'

After a final glance around, her eyes finally settled on Subaru. She took a moment to smile and nod. 'I choose Subaru.'

Reiji hummed to himself. 'Very well. It is decided.'

While Ayato and Kanato grumbled, Laito laughed, teleporting behind Eve, and placing his hands on her shoulders. 'Have fun with Subaru, little bitch. But if you ever get bored of him, you can always come to me for some fun...'

Eve rolled her eyes, gripping both of his wrists and slamming her head into the bridge of his nose. As he stumbled back she glared at him. 'Paws of the merchandise, pervert.' She then picked up her rucksack and flung it over her shoulder, turning to Reiji. 'If it's fine with you, I'd like to go to my room and unpack.'

Reiji turned to Subaru, gesturing to Eve. 'Subaru, be a gentleman and take her to her room.'

Subaru scoffed, turning around and marching towards the entrance hall. Eve shook her head, striding after him.

While Subaru stormed ahead of her, Eve wandered along behind him, taking in her surroundings. Like the living room and most of the entrance hall, the first floor was, for the most part, shrouded in darkness, with only the windows and occasion wall lamp providing any light. She could feel the plush carpets crumple under the soles of her black Doc Martens as she brushed one of the silk curtains hanging by a window they passed. The smell of aging stone kept gliding up her nose and making her snivel, while the stale air forced her to hold back from gagging.

As they continued to walk, her mind wandered to questions she was curious about the answers to, making her think out loud. 'So I take it the wives' tales are true, vampires can't go out in sunlight or they turn to ash. Explains why this place is so dark...'

Subaru let out a ragged sigh, shaking his head. 'We don't turn to ash under sunlight, it just hurts to be in it since it can weaken us, almost as bad as a lunar eclipse can. Why do mortals make up such ridiculous tales about us?!'

'Probably because they've never met a real one like me? It's not like you sit down with mortals to eat takoyaki in the park every week, is it?' Eve retorted, shrugging her shoulders and flipping her head to hang over her left shoulder.

He glared over his shoulder at her. 'Humans are our food, nothing more, and that includes you. You're no more clueless than the rest of your kind. You have no idea what we're capable of and you never will.' He grumbled, putting more distance between him and Eve.

'Whatever. Though you're right about one thing, most humans probably will never know a luxury such as this house. It's beautiful...' She smiled at him, watching as his eyes softened ever so slightly before he turned away. 'But something tells me you hate it here. Why?'

Subaru growled. 'None of your business. We're here anyway.' He stopped in front of a mahogany door, pulling a key out of his pocket and unlocking it. After opening the door, he stepped aside, allowing Eve to walk in first.

Looking around, Eve tried to hold in her giddy excitement. She had a four-poster mahogany bed, with a red and black duvet set and sheer curtains to match, plus two black bedside tables. The carpet was slate grey throughout, leading to a large window that had a bumped-out window seat covered with red and black cushions. In front of the bed, was a large gold vanity with a folding mirror and two draws which had slate grey knobs, plus her suitcase, which had been left there by the butler. The only thing that wasn't her favourite colour was the mahogany wardrobe that sat against the wall where the bedroom door was.

'I could get used to this.'

Subaru watched as she walked around to the room, dropping her small rucksack at the bottom of the bed, and then moving back a few steps. Smiling, she ran, jumped, and landed flat on her back, the mattress bounced slightly. Seeing her happy face, he allowed himself a momentary, small smirk. 'Happy?'

She sat up, swinging her legs around and sitting to face him. 'Trust me, coming from sleeping on a mattress on a stained carpet in a damp room that has mould growing on the walls, this is like staying at the Hilton in Tokyo. However, something tells me that my mother made a point of telling them my favourite colours. She can be such a mother hen at times, I swear...'

'A mattress? How come you don't sleep in an actual bed?' Subaru questioned, leaning against the door frame.

Eve shrugged, pulling herself and walking over to get her suitcase. 'Mum's job only just covers the rent and food, so if I want a new bed, I have to use my own paycheck, and I haven't been able to work for the past couple of months.'

'Why not?' He asked, frowning.

She smirked, flipping her hair over her shoulder triumphantly as she threw her case onto the end of the bed. 'None of your business, Subaru.'

Subaru rolled his eyes. 'Then tell me something else...' He watched as she paused leaning against one of the bedposts and waiting for him to speak. 'Why choose me?'

Eve looked down, before looking back up and giving a lopsided smile. 'I'll get back to you on that once I figure out the answer myself.' She said, half laughing and turning back to her suitcase.

Subaru watched for a moment more as she pulled what looked like her phone out of the rucksack, smirked at the screen, and typed something on it, before turning to leave. 'Dinner's at 8. I'll come and escort you.'

'Cool...' she half responded before she called out to him. 'One more thing, Subaru!'

He turned around, raising an eyebrow at her. 'What?'

'Tell Reiji that he should expect a phone call either tonight or tomorrow from Karl Heinz…' He raised his eyebrows, surprised she knew his father's name. She then smirked before speaking again. 'Oh, and the chef should know I take my steak medium rare.' She said, winking at him. Watching as he scoffed and stormed out of the door, she turned back to her suitcase, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

By the time Subaru knocked on Eve's bedroom door, she was almost drifting off to sleep. After finally finishing her unpacking, she'd opted to test out the en suite bathroom she discovered in the process. With a bright white and black patterned floor and a bright white wall to go with it, a marble vanity, a stand-alone white bathtub, and a separate rainfall shower cubicle, it was a far cry from the tiny square bathroom in her apartment back home. Sinking into the warm, rose-scented bathwater relaxed her so much she almost fell asleep instantly.

Now lying comfortably on her bed, she almost didn't want to get up. Knowing she had promised to do as they said kind of annoyed her, but she wanted life here to be simple, right…?

A second knock pushed her to get up from the bed and walk to the door. 'I'm coming, just a minute…' She sat on the chair by the vanity and pulled her Doc Martens on, tying them both with a double knot in a flash, and walked toward the door. When she opened it, Subaru was leaning against the opposite wall of the hall, staring at her. She rolled her eyes, moving into the doorway and closing the door behind her. 'I was taking a nap when you knocked, so I didn't hear you the first time.'

'Whatever, follow me…'

Sighing, she followed along, rubbing her tired eyes, oblivious to the tiny smirk on Subaru's face.

'So, little bitch, why don't you tell us more about yourself…' Laito cooed from the other end of the table.

Eve nodded her head, swallowing the piece of steak she'd been chewing before she answered, 'Depends on the question.' After taking a drink of water, she smirked. 'Although I don't understand why you're so interested if I'm honest…'

'Well, I'd like to know more, it's nice having another girl in the house!' Yui said, beaming at her as she took a bite of her own steak.

Eve snorted, shaking her head at the petite blonde sitting opposite her. Despite her ditzy nature, which she'd witnessed on the way to dinner when Subaru and she watched her nearly fall down the main staircase, only to be saved by Ayato. Though he seemed to be her boyfriend given how he made a quick job of stopping her fall and was now keeping a possessive arm around her shoulders. Completely clueless, but she seemed nice enough. At least she'd have someone to talk freely to. She shrugged, cutting a piece of her steak as she spoke. 'Well, what do you want to know, Yui?'

Yui fiddled with her fingers as she looked at Eve. 'Forgive me if this is too personal, but you're well versed in English, so I was wondering where you were born…N-Not to say that it's bad I-I mean you might just have an amazing English tutor-'

Eve shook her head, laughing as she swallowed another piece of steak. 'It's fine. I was actually born in the United Kingdom. My dad was training as an army medic and he met my mum by chance while she was there studying to be a nurse at university, and they became good friends. Eventually, they got together and when my mum finished her degree, she and my dad made the decision to return to Japan. A couple of years after mum finished her studies, they got married over in the UK, as per my grandmother's demands, but ultimately decided to return to Japan permanently...and then I came along. Mum taught both me and my dad her native language, So all of us are fluent in English and Japanese.'

Yui smiled. 'She sounds like a very talented woman. Is she working at the moment?'

Eve nodded. 'She works at the main hospital in the next town over and before I came here I did babysitting work for other people in the apartment complex we live in.'

Yui frowned, taking a sip of water before she spoke. 'What about your dad? Is he working or is he currently deployed somewhere?'

Eve stopped for a moment, looking down at her plate and sighing. Subaru saw her eyes start to glaze over. 'Um...No...My dad died three years ago during a mission…they'd been on some kind of escort assignment when their convoy was ambushed…He wasn't armed, obviously, so when they attacked, there wasn't much he could do apart from trying to get the injured out of the firing line. He was killed while dragging one of the new cadets to safety…'

The table fell silent, except for Yui who was on the verge of tears. 'I'm so sorry, Eve, I shouldn't have-'

Eve blinked, reaching across the table to pat Yui's hand. 'Don't be. You weren't to know. Besides, I still have a piece of him with me…' Seeing Yui raise her eyebrows, she reached into her pocket, pulling out a set of dog tags, and presenting them to her. 'My mum got his medals and uniform, but according to his commanding officer, he specifically requested that these be given to me. Wherever he is, he's looking out for me, and I take them everywhere with me as a thank you.' She winked, repocketing the dog tags, and returning to her meal.

Subaru scoffed, staring at her and shaking his head. 'So you believe in God too? Pair of idiots…'

Eve stared back, raising her eyebrows. 'I never said that. If there was a god, there wouldn't be so much bullshit happening to good people. No, I'm talking about his spirit…' She smiled, gripping the dog tags in her pocket. 'He gave me something that was a part of him, something that he held dearly, so when he gave it to me, he gave me a piece of himself. So in a way, he lives on through me. I think that's why our parents leave or give special things to us, to show that they trust us to keep their spirit alive, and I think that's a much better way to think about death than just putting someone in a box that's either going to be buried six feet underground or be burnt in a furnace, don't you?' She asked, tilting her head as she gazed at Subaru.

Subaru's, as well as everyone's eyes, widened instantly. After a minute of silence, Yui reached across the table to grip her hand, making Eve blink and stare at her. 'I agree, and your dad would be proud of you for turning his death into something positive…'

Eve smiled, squeezing Yui's hand in return. 'I appreciate that Yui…' She turned to look at the brothers, shrugging her shoulders, 'And I don't expect you guys to understand, since death for vampires is probably much different than humans, so I'm not bothered if you disagree.'

The conversation ceased and the rest of the meal was eaten in silence. As all the boys went their separate ways leaving the table, Eve and Yui headed towards the first floor, Yui brimming with excitement. 'Perhaps once you're a bit more settled, we could go for a walk around the estate. I could show you the grounds and it'll be a chance to get to know each other!'

'That sounds really good. Although you might be sick of me by the end of it...' Eve chuckled, patting Yui on the shoulder and watching her shake her head.

'No, I promise I won't. I-If anything I might annoy you, w-which if that's t-the case, I apolo-' Yui waved her hands, shaking her head frantically.

Laughing, Eve wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave the blonde a side hug. 'Yui, I was joking around. And considering you're the only other human around here, I'll be glad to have someone normal to talk to.'

'Oi, pancake! Stop making me wait and get over here!'

Both girls followed Ayato's voice to the bottom of the staircase to find him leaning against the bottom right railing and frowning at the pair. Eve glared back, shaking her head. 'Please don't tell me you let him call you that all the time?'

'I've asked him not to a million times, but...he isn't mean all the time, I promise...' Yui lowered her head, a light pink blush dusting the top of her cheeks. 'He just likes to tease me I guess...'

Eve smirked, lowering her voice to a whisper. 'Does someone have a crush?' Seeing Yui's blush darken, Eve giggled and winked at her. 'Your secret's safe with me don't worry.'

Yui let out a breath, smiling back up at Eve. 'Thanks. I wish I could talk longer, but...'

'No problem. Goodnight, Yui.' Eve nodded, waving a hand as Yui jogged over to Ayato, who grabbed her hand and pulled her up the staircase. Huffing, Eve made her way up the staircase and wandered towards her room. Silence loomed around her, and if this house were occupied by any other residents, she'd have just presumed everyone had retired to bed. She found herself looking over her shoulder as she navigated the hallways.

By the time she got back to her room, the moon's rays were flooding through the window, casting a spotlight of white on the dark carpet. Kicking off her boots once more, she plucked her pajamas from under her pillow and made for the bathroom door. She was stopped by a dull rustle and she turned around to find Subaru perched on the window ledge, seemingly scrutinizing her. Frowning, she approached him, tilting her head. 'Something I can help you with?'

He tilted his head, some of his hair falling over his eyes. 'Do you really believe that? That parents leave us things as a sign of trust?'

She raised her eyebrows, 'Yeah, I do. Why?' She watched as he pulled a silver knife out of his shirt pocket and showed it to her. She furrowed her eyebrows, looking from the knife and back to him, 'Who gave it to you?'

'My mother.', he replied, gripping the handle tightly, 'But I don't know why she would trust me with something like this when she knows how I feel about-' He stopped, sighing and turning away from her, 'Just forget it.' He grumbled as he stood up, stomping across and out of the room, slamming to door behind him.

Eve stood there, shaking her head and staring into the now empty space.

'What the hell was that about?'