Vampire in the dark

Song recommendations: Way down we go

Kaleo

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Lucian sat in his study, surrounded by parchment, quills, engrossed in his work. A knock came from the door. "Come in Josie,"

Josephine entered the room, a pleasant smile on her face as she approached Lucian's desk. Without hesitation, she perched herself on the edge of the desk, swinging her legs back and forth. "you are back from your walk" he said glancing at her "mmm, lady Kat is a charming soul to be around" 

"You seem awfully excited," Lucian commented, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the documents spread out before him.

Josephine chuckled softly. "Oh, really? Is that so?" she replied coyly, her green eyes twinkling with mischief.

As Josephine's gaze drifted over Lucian's work, she picked up one of the parchments, she hummed as she read through what was in the parchment. "What is this?" she asked, her tone curious yet casual.

 "Seems like some maids have been disappearing from the castle lately two bodies were found yesterday in the woods. "Lucian said not looking away from his the papers.

"Maids disappearing?" Josephine echoed, her demeanor shifting slightly. "Who do you think it could be? It's not your right?" She asked.

"you should know better, if that was the case they would be no bodies to find"

Lucian picked up another parchment. "The thing about thirsty vermin is that they're always sloppy, and end up making mistakes" he remarked cryptically. "though i have no interest involving myself. I will leave that for Sabastian to handle"

"Poor humans," Josephine murmured to herself, a hint of sadness in her voice. "May there sweet souls rest in peace."

"Indeed," said Lucian sarcastically , his attention returning to his work. "Now, Josephine, is there something you needed?" He asked and Josephine huffed folding her arms below her chest "you say that like you don't want me here" Lucian looked up from his work, to meet his sisters gaze. "would you leave if i asked you to?" came his dull reply "no" came her sharp reply.

Josephine shifted in her seat, her gaze turning to Lucian with a playful glint in her eyes. "so, when did you start taking interest in women?" she teased, raising an eyebrow.

Lucian's expression remained impassive. "what are you trying to insinuate Josie," 

"well a woman I have never met as been leaving with you, now how did that come about?"

Lucian sighed, his patience wearing thin, taking a minute to briefly explain Kat's arrival to his persistent little sister "wow another world, this is so fascinating, I did notice she was a little bit off, being away from home must be weighing quite a lot on her" "No wonder she seemed somewhat uneasy."

She got of the desk "well I will see in a while for dinner, I think I will go check on king I missed him a lot" Josephine said and left.

Lucian went back to his work, when the time of dinner came.

When dinner time arrived, Lucian took his usual seat, with Josephine to his left. Kat entered and headed towards her usual seat at the far end of the table, but Josephine called out, "Lady Kat, come sit with me!" Kat hesitated, not wanting to be rude, and sat down beside Josephine.

Kat sat beside Josephine, who turned to her with a warm smile. "So, Kat, how are you finding life in the castle?" Josephine asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Kat's gaze drifted to Lucian, his expression unreadable as he focused on his food. She hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. "it is okay I guess" Kat responded simply.

As they are, Josephine asked Kat about her experiences in the castle and her world. Kat responded politely, trying to avoid drawing attention from Lucian.

Josephine seemed genuinely interested and sympathetic, saying, "I'm so sorry to hear about how you arrived here. You must have felt so out of place. I do hope you get home soon, although it will make me sad because I won't get to see you again."

Kat nodded, thinking that Josephine seemed pleasant and not intimidating as Lucian. She glanced at Lucian, recalling the gruesome events of the previous day, but quickly looked back at Josephine, not wanting to draw his attention.

His sisters kindness and warmth towards Kat contrasted sharply with Lucian's cold nature, making Kat feel more at ease in her presence.

Kat was getting overwhelmed, with Josie's question about her world. So she offered to show her images on her phone later and the girls face lit up, Josie was about to ask another question but Lucien intervened, saying, "Josie, I think Katherine has had enough questions for tonight? " Josephine smiled awkwardly and apologized, "Oh, I'm sorry, Kat. I didn't mean to overwhelm you."

Sebastian stepped forward to pour tea for the two siblings. Unlike before, Kat closer this time and had a clearer view of the tea. Up close, she noticed its pure red color and its unusual thickness, far thicker than any regular tea should be, regardless of its color. The thought crossed her mind, were they drinking blood? Kat quickly dismissed the idea, thinking it couldn't be. Surely, such a thought was absurd.

After finishing their meal, Kat rose to make her way back to her room. Just then, a hand held hers, prompting her to turn around. It was Josephine. However, when their eyes met, Kat noticed for a moment Josephine's froze her expression looks a bit shocked, as if she had been momentarily entranced before letting go and regaining her composure. "Josie, are you okay?" Kat asked.

"Yes I'm fine just zoned out a bit" she laughed it off "oh okay" kat said.

"I will be going horse riding tomorrow. Would you like to join me? It would be better than spending your time cooped up in your room all day." Kat saw no harm in the invitation, after all, she often found herself with nothing to do in her room, especially now that Vivian was frequently occupied elsewhere.

With no one else to talk to, joining Josephine didn't seem like a bad idea, so she accepted, " what about you brother Lucian?" Josephine asked turning towards Lucian. At the thought of Lucian coming along, Kat immediately wanted to change her mind about going, "I'm occupied" came Lucian dull response. Kat let out a sigh of relief, which caught Lucians attention but he said nothing. "Good night" Kat whished as she made her way to the door Josie also returning her greeting. However, Kat couldn't shake the memory of Josephine's reaction when she had grasped her hand.

Josephine watched Kat as she retreated from the dining room. After Kat had left, she turned back to Lucian, her expression changing to one of perplexity. "Is Kat human? Just a moment ago, I touched her hand... I don't know how to describe it, but I felt this energy. It was faint, but..." She trailed off, struggling to find the right words to express what she felt.

Lucian raised an eyebrow. "Ah, never mind. I think I'm just really tired. I will go get some rest," Josephine dismissed her own thoughts.

"Good night," Lucian wished her, and she reciprocated before heading to her room.

Meanwhile Kat prepared for bedtime. After she returned from the shower and changed into a white two-piece nightwear, she tucked herself into bed, after a while of kicking Ans turning she fell asleep. It was already midnight when Kat suddenly woke up, feeling thirsty. Intending to grab some water, she realized there wasn't any in the room. She quickly picked up a blanket, draping it around her shoulders. she grabbed the lantern on her bedside table, the orange glow led the way as she quickly opened the door.

she checked through the corridors and saw no one, she stepped out quickly, wearing her fluffy white bedroom slippers. Moving quietly, she walked through the corridor eventually going down the stairs, in the direction of the dining hall. Just then, Kat stopped in front of a corridor that led out to the courtyard, the crimson glow of the moon shimmering on her dark skin. Taking in the beautiful sight, Kat stood in the middle of the lonely corridor, momentarily captivated.

Remembering she was heading to the dining hall, she hurriedly continued on her way. Upon arriving, she pushed open one of the large doors, trying to make as little noise as possible.

Luckily, when she stepped in, she found a jug of water on the table. Pouring herself a glass, she gulped it down, letting out a sigh. Just in case she got thirsty again, she decided to take the jug back with her to her room.

The clouds covered the moon, casting a brief shadow over the corridor. shadows danced as the moonlight struggled to penetrate the thick vial of clouds.

She walked passed, a few corridors as she made her way back to her room, she walked passed another dark corridor just then something caught her eyes she took a few steps back squinting her eyes to get a better look at whatever it was, she caught sight of a person's figure in the deem light. At the moment the clouds drifted away from the moon giving way for the moon light to illuminate the corridor, Kats eyes widened in shook at the sight before her. a man held a maid in his arms, her lifeless body limp and pale.

Terror seized Kat as she watched the mans face buried in the maids neck. the maids eye stared wide in fear, tears streak down her cheeks, Kat could see the girls veins as it seemed as though the girl has been drained of every drop blood, the man continued to bury his face in the girls neck like a hungry beast, out of fright Kat began to steps back, not knowing when she bumped into a vase, it startled her. her grip on the jug slipped, crashing to the ground.

She turned her head to see what had startled her, by the time she looked back, the man had already lifted his head now staring straight at her, reviling his blood red eyes, still terrified Kat recognized him to be one of the servants of the castle. She had come across him a few times, but right now he looked nothing like himself. his hair was disheveled and his shirt stained with blood, she tried to scream but it was stuck in her throat and no sound came out. horror washed over Kat as she saw the bottom of his face smeared with the maids blood, his fangs glistening in the moonlight.

He dropped the maid's lifeless body, falling to the ground with a thud. "fuck!" he cursed. Kat's Instincts kicked in and ran.

The vampire hadn't expected the lady to be there, and by this time of night, but now that she saw him, he had no choice he couldn't let her live. He had been feeding on the maids and hadn't been caught, but he couldn't let her expose him.

Kat ran as fast as she could, her heart racing with fear. She turned around, and for a moment, the vampire wasn't chasing her. Then she caught sight of him, Kat saw he muttering something under his breath in frustration and started coming after her, making Kat run even faster. She dashed up the stairs, her fluffy slippers barely making a sound on the cold floor. Kat's heart raced as she sprinted up the stairs, With each step, fear surged through her veins, urging her to run faster. But just as she reached the top of the stairs, her foot caught on something, causing her to stumble and fall.

The lantern she was holding flew out of her hand, shattering on the marble floor. The broken glass sliced into her arm, causing a small cut.

The vampire's senses heightened at the scent of fresh blood, his predatory instincts driving him forward with increased ferocity. He began closed in on Kat, his inhuman speed closing the distance between them with frightening efficiency. With a surge of adrenaline, Kat pushed herself back up, ignoring the pain coursing through her body. her breaths coming in ragged gasps. making a turn through the corridor, Kat could only pray for a savior. she looked back to see if he had caught up to her.

Before she knew it she bummed into someone, the smell of rose wood rafting up her involving her nostrils, instinctively she throw a punch at the persons face, but the person caught her fist effortlessly.

Lucian heard a commotion and came out to check he also checked Kat room and saw she wasn't in it, his brows drew together and he went to find her, just as he was following the sound of the hasty foot steps, Kat was running toward him, and she bumped into him.

"what do you think you are doing Kathrine" Lucian asked letting go of her fist, he sounded irritated and annoyed. Both their attention were drawn to the sound ahead. Kat struggled to catch her breath "there's a vam.... vampire, after me" Kat breathed when the sound got really closer, she hid behind Lucan, grabbing on to his shirt. "let go of me" Lucian said annoyed by the girls closeness "I'm sorry, but I cant do that" Kat was giving Lucian a headache and if she wasn't careful she wouldn't have to worry about the vampire after her as he would kill her himself.

"Go back to your room" Lucian instructed, Kat didn't have to ear him twice she ran back to her room.

When she got back to her room Kat slammed the door shoot closing all the locks she hurriedly went over to her dressing table pushing it to block to the he door. As kat finished her leg's gave out and she slummed to the ground in exhaustion. "I'm not going to die here" she muttered With her eyes closed.