Chapter 8(A Valerian Sunday)

Eloise slowly walked down the stairs toward the dining room. She walked to a stop when she saw Wrath at the door. Behind him was Elric, speaking to him. He was about to turn away when a voice called him from within.

“Brother” Corianne's enthusiastic voice called.

“You were not leaving without a good morning, were you?’ Thorne asked.

Eloise watched as he smiled right before he entered the dining room. Her mind went back to the events of the past week and she cringed.

She'd been kissing that wolf and telling it things she never told anyone. All to find out it was her husband. How could he trick her like that?

Just a few minutes of life and he was already getting under her skin. Wrath was nothing like Corianne described.

The kind, well-mannered and loving brother she heard of was nothing like the man she met this morning.

He wasn’t well-mannered. He was arrogant, incredibly blunt with no regard for her. If he did, he wouldn’t trick her all week and expect her to be nice after that. Not speaking of that weird smile he had on all the time and him pushing her into the wall as if she weighed nothing more than paper.

"My Lady, are you alright?” Lucy asked with furrowed brows noticing the sour look on Eloise's face.

"I'm alright. Let's go" She told her.

"Tsk. Die? He is too stubborn to" Eloise entered the dining hall to hear Miles say.

The siblings were already seated and having their breakfast. The large table was served with tea and all sorts of cakes and bread. Thorne was seated at the immediate left of the chair at the head of the table.

Next to him were Miles and Corianne. Grumpy Leonard was seated on the right side of the table next to him was Heath, laughing about something Thorne said.

Eloise quietly watched them from the entrance.

All heads suddenly turned to her including Wrath. He smiled at her but she averted her eyes. Even though he was not close to her, his gaze made her uncomfortable.

“Good morning,” Eloise said as she headed for her seat on the immediate right to the chair at the head of the table.

"Good morning" They all responded awkwardly.

The brothers exchanged looks, quietly communicating amongst themselves. The air at the table suddenly grew awkward. Wrath headed for his seat at the head of the table. Once he sat down, he reached out for his morning newspaper right when Eloise was also aiming for the paper. Their fingers touched and Eloise was quick to withdraw her hand. The table became tenser than before.

“I did not know you read the paper” Wrath said.

“There are a lot of things you do not know about me,” Eloise said meeting his eyes.

He smiled. She had that pout on her small mouth indicating her irritation. She was still angry about earlier, he thought.

“Here you can have it,” Wrath said, motioning the paper towards her.

“Thank you” She replied but didn’t touch the paper. She turned to find the siblings staring at them. They quickly averted their eyes turning to their meals.

“Okay, I can not stand this. This was supposed to be a lovely family breakfast, not an uncomfortable one” Corianne suddenly said after a few minutes of awkwardness.

“Why do we have breakfast at all? Can we not just eat in our chambers on Sundays” Leonard said with a groan.

“No, and what is with you and early Sunday mornings anyway?’ Miles said with a chuckle while popping a grape into his mouth.

"What is with you and that absurd pipe?"Leonard said in a grumpy tone.

Eloise suddenly giggled. It was just as Wrath said, Leonard was very irritable on Sunday mornings.

She turned to find the siblings looking at her with smiles.

“I agree with Leonard, Sundays are not the best but Mondays are the worst,” She said following a loud groan at the table.

The feeling was mutual, she thought

“Leo, how did your trial go on Friday?” Eloise suddenly asked.

Leonard raised a brow in surprise. She remembered, he thought. Leonard worked as a lawyer at the Imperium. He dealt with both criminal and civil cases. For as long as he remembered, no woman was ever interested in what he had to say about his profession. Leonard was an intellectual, he loved to speak with people who shared the same ideas as he did. However, no woman he'd ever known shared that ideology. They were more concerned with the season's best dresses and the color of their lips than some boring court case. Hence, over time he'd learned not to interact with women.

But Eloise was different, she seemed interested in everything he said. Not only was she a great listener, but she was brilliant. A beautiful mind, he once told his brothers. She gave him ideas and sparked scenarios he'd never thought of. For the past week, all he did was envy his brother, Wrath as the days passed. This woman was out of this world.

Leonard suddenly lightened up as he began talking to her. He filled her in on everything concerning the case. There were times when he refused to share his work with his siblings when they tried to indulge him, saying it was confidential. Now, he hardly knew the meaning of the word. The others joined in making the table liver more than it's been in years.

Wrath sat silently at the head of the table as he watched his siblings. He'd never seen them this happy together and in one place in a very long time.

Elric placed a cup of blood tea and a newspaper before him drawing his attention.

“Thank you, Elric. Any word from The Dronish?” Wrath asked.

“Yes, my Lord. He arrived last night. He intends to join you for your morning ride today” Elric told him.

“Alright” Wrath replied right before he glanced into his paper.

“Can I come too?” Corianne asked Wrath.

Wrath looked away from his paper with a closed look.

“That is not funny, Annie,” Thorne said.

“It was not supposed to be. When are you ever going to let me ride again?” Corianne asked with a sulk.

“You will only end up hurting yourself, remember,” Heath said with a small frown.

Eloise noticed the atmosphere at the table suddenly changing again. They were very protective of her, she noticed.

“It was only one time. I can control…”

“Corianne” Wrath cut her off abruptly. Corianne's golden orbs met with Wrath's.

“That is enough already,” He said in a quiet but stern tone. Eloise noticed the look in his eyes when he scolded her, like a father to his daughter.

The table suddenly went quiet again with the sound of only cutlery and crockery clinging.

“We can take a walk and you can show me the garden. I heard you are an excellent gardener” Eloise quickly said changing the topic. Corianne gave her a small smile but the sadness in her eyes lingered.

“She is a splendid gardener. You should see her whole bush of white roses” Leonard said.

“That was mostly Old Buckle. I only helped in nursing the bed” Corianne said with a smile.

“She also has her pottery and woodwork workshop close to the garden. She has all kinds of exquisite works there. Annie, you should show Eloise some of your works” Thorne said.

“They are just a few designs, I made. They are nothing interesting as they make it sound” Corianne said a little embarrassed.

“She is just being modest. She built a whole replica of the Valeria five years ago. She represented all its cities and towns, even including the smaller peninsulas. She represented every tiny detail with sheer brilliance. All with wood and paint. I have never seen any woman with excellent talent as Corianne” Wrath said smiling.

Eloise noticed the look in his eyes as he spoke of his sister. His voice was filled with nothing but pride. All her brothers spoke of her with pride.

“It is displayed at the city museum every Thursday. Would you like to go see it?” Heath said.

“I would love to. You are amazing Corianne, you should be proud of yourself. I know I would if I had such outstanding talents” Eloise told her.

“Thank you, Eloise. What about you, is there anything you love to do?” Corianne asked.

“Well, I can sing and play the piano,” Eloise told her.

“That is incredible. Wrath sings and plays the piano too” Corianne said gesturing towards Wrath.

“Oh does he now,” Eloise said with a small smile. She glanced at Wrath to receive a smile but his eyes were still glued to his paper.

Wrath slowly folded his paper and placed it on the table.

“I will be heading out now,” He said to them.

“I will come along too. Nothing helps than a good morning ride” Miles said as he stood up. Heath and Thorne stood as well.

“Leo?” Wrath called him.

“No, I have some cases I have to go through. Have fun” He said as he stood up from his seat.

“You ladies have a good day,” Wrath said. He placed a kiss on Corianne's cheek then threw a glance in Eloise's way.

“You too,” Corianne said with a smile. She watched as her brothers walked out of the dining hall. Wrath dragged Leo with him and the others laughed.

‘I have never seen them like this in a very long time” Corianne said with a sigh.

“Together?” Eloise asked.

“No, happy” She replied with a smile.

Minutes later, Eloise walked side by side with Corianne as they headed for the garden. Behind her were Lucy and Sally pushing Corianne's wheelchair.

“I apologize for not telling you about the brother, earlier. He never prefers to stay in that form” Corianne said, addressing Wrath's wolf form issue.

“There is no need for that now. I was displeased at his trickery” Eloise told her.

“Is that why you are uncomfortable around him?” Corianne asked. Eloise furrowed her brows, how did she know that? She thought.

‘I am half daemon, vampire, and part witch, with empathic quirks’ she said quickly.

“Wow, that is incredible. How old are you?” Eloise asked.

Corianne chuckled softly. “Two hundred and five this Christmas. I get my new pair of prosthetics then’ she said excitedly.

Eloise smiled, wondering what was going on in that head of hers. How was she able to put on that smile every day? How did it feel to feel what everyone was feeling around you? You could tell if they were lying, sad, happy, scared, or uncomfortable as she was minutes ago.

“So what happened to your legs?” Eloise asked hesitantly. She noticed the subject of her legs was a very touchy subject even for her brothers. She observed this at the table when she spoke of going for a ride.

‘The witch plague. It got me when I was just a baby. My brothers searched the face of the earth to find no cure. Wrath reached out to your parents they….’

“My parents?” Eloise asked.

“Yes, Henry and Arabella cast a spell that saved me. But it was black magic. To get something you must give something in return. My legs paid the price and my magic as well. I can not use my power as a witch” Corianne told her.

“I’m sorry,” Eloise said. She moved to her side placing a hand on her shoulder.

Corianne smiled unable to hide the sadness in her eyes anymore.

“Let us look on the bright side, I survived and I am the only one who has,” she told her.

She looked at Eloise and the warm look on her face made Eloise smile too. She must have an incredible amount of resolve to speak this wholeheartedly.

“What about your brothers, do they possess empathic quirks too?” Eloise asked.

“Only Wrath does. Since he is a Primal, he possesses all six quirks. He is part vampire, witch, wolf, and daemon, his fairy and shifter side are dormant but that is because he chooses to. Thorne and Heath are both hybrids. Miles is part witch and vampire but he possesses telepathic quirks” Corianne told her.

“Telepathy. He can read minds?” Eloise asked with an astounding look.

“Yes. But he can only read minds by touch” Corianne explained.

“I see. That is amazing” she said.

They walked to a stop at the entrance to the vast garden where they met a tall black-haired man in his early thirties, with an irrigation can in his hand.

“Old Buckle, good morning. How are you doing today?” Corianne asked with a smile.

Old Buckle, she'd heard that man before, Eloise thought.

“A very good morning to you too, Lady Annie, my Lady Valerian. I am doing very well, thank my Lady” He said with a bow.

“I hear you are very protective of your flowers, Master Buckle,” Eloise said.

“Protective is an understatement, My Lady” Lucy muttered earning a look from Old Buckle.

“I am my Lady. And please call me Old Buckle” He said with a bow.

“Old Buckle has been tending to our garden and working at the greenhouse for almost fifty years. Recently he has been growing medicinal seeds Thorne has been experimenting with. Everything he touches blooms” Corianne said.

“Your words are too kind, Lady Annie” Old Buckle said earnestly.

“I hope to be dazzled too. Do you mind showing us around?” Eloise asked.

“Not at all, please come this way,” He said as he gestured towards the garden.

“They were all beautiful. But I was quite intrigued by the black roses. I have never seen their kind before” Eloise said to Corianne as they entered the manor after they had toured the garden.

“Thorne brought its seeds from one of his travels from Spain. They are extremely rare in these parts. But they are incredibly beautiful” Corianne told her.

Eloise nodded in agreement.

“My Lady… calm down. You can not…” They heard Elric's voice from within the manor.

“You do not understand. I have to see her. It is urgent” another voice said.

Eloise and Corianne stepped into the foyer to find a distraught blonde-haired woman speaking with Elric. Elric looked their way and so did the woman. She was dressed in a blue cloak matching her light blue eyes. Eloise gasped softly. Those eyes reminded her of…. They reminded her of Cole.

“Elvira?” a stunned Corianne muttered.

“You know her?” Eloise turned to her in question.

“You have to leave!” Elvira said abruptly as she walked towards them.

“What… I know what you are” Elvira rushed towards Eloise with her vampire speed. She suddenly took both Eloise's hands. An image of Cole pushing her off the balustrade flashed before her eyes.

Eloise gasped suddenly stepping away from her.

“Stay away from her” Corianne moved defensively towards Eloise.

“You… you don’t understand, Corianne. He is coming… I… You can not stay. Look do you not see it? Look!” Elvira yelled her eyes wide as if she were possessed.

She burst out spewing muffled sounds. As if she was speaking to herself.

“What….what is wrong with her?” A shaken Eloise asked Corianne.

“That is Elvira…” Corianne hesitated for a second.

“Elvira the Mad?” Lucy said with her eyes wide.

‘I am not mad!’ Elvira yelled startling them.

“Calm down, Lady Elvira” Elric said as she stepped before her holding her back.

“Believe me…you have to leave. He is coming!” Elvira said abruptly.

‘Who is coming?’ A confused Eloise asked. She wasn’t making any sense, she thought to herself.

‘My brother. He is….” Elvira suddenly paused with her eyes wide.

“V? What are you doing here?” Eloise's gaze moved towards the entrance and she froze. The very hairs on her neck stood upright. Her eyes locked with his, and her heart thumped loudly in her chest. The shock in her eyes was obvious to him.

“Cole” Wrath's voice boomed in from behind them.

Eloise stood rooted to the spot, watching as the two embraced. Did they know each other? Yes, they did.

Memories of the night of her death flooded her mind.

Cole glanced at her with a smile then focused on Wrath.

Fear suddenly gripped Eloise and her eyes swiftly moved to Elvira's. She had the same terrified look from before.

Cole was here? Why was he here? Was he here to kill her? Eloise thought with dread suddenly gripping her.