Chapter 48

☆ ☆ Beta Morgana ☆ ☆

When we arrived at Biscuit Head, a line was already forming outside the doors; I was glad we had left early and arrived when we did. I left my belongings in the SUV, taking only my wallet, and stepped out of the car, "I'll be back so..." Darius cut me off, "Not without giving me a kiss first."

I huffed as I climbed back into my seat and gave him a quick peck on the lips. I stepped back down and closed the door before joining the line. I was the seventh person there, and since I was picking up at 8:15 a.m., I shouldn't have to wait too long after the doors opened. I listened to the conversations discreetly, but there was nothing of value divulged. 

The doors opened right when the clock struck 8:00 a.m., and the hostess helped the first guests to their seats. When it was my turn, the hostess asked, "Inside?" I shook my head, "I have a to-go order; I placed it last night." She nodded, "Biscuits and gravy, right?" I nodded in agreeance.

She went to the back of the restaurant to grab our food; upon her return, she asked, "Do you need utensils?" I nodded my head, "Yes, please." She grabbed some plastic silverware and tossed some napkins into the bag before handing it to me. "Thank you.", I said, taking the bag of food and the cup holder from her.

I went outside, and Darius got out of the car when he saw me and opened the door to help. I put the bag of food down on the floorboard and put our coffee in the cupholders. It was 8:10 a.m., and the Biltmore Estate was approximately three minutes away. 

Darius drove to the Biltmore Estate and parked in the closest of the three parking lots to the castle-like mansion. The smell of our breakfast overwhelmed the SUV's cabin. I pulled the food out of the bag in their takeaway boxes; they had three biscuits in each box, with a container of gravy filling up the last spot. 

I handed Darius a packet of silverware, some napkins, and his first box of food. I placed the other two on the center console and took out my own. Darius said, "This is delicious!" I saw him set his first box on the dash, and my eyes widened, "I can't believe you devoured it that quick." I hadn't even started to eat yet. The biscuits were sizeable, and I poured the gravy over them. 

I took my first bite, and I was hooked. Darius was right; it was delicious. I had gotten through my first biscuit, and I noticed him stack the second to-go box on the dash. "Did I get you enough to eat?" He swallowed some coffee before answering, "Definitely, I just eat fast, you know that." 

I chuckled, "If you're still hungry after that box, you can have my third one." He paused and then turned serious momentarily, "I would never take food off your plate, and if we only had one biscuit between us, I would give it to you. It's my job to provide for you and ensure you are taken care of, mate."

I blushed at his comment and continued to eat my meal. We had ten minutes before we could enter the estate. Darius finished first and retrieved our tickets from the manila folder. I tried to finish my meal quickly and chugged my coffee to wash everything down. I grabbed my belongings with five minutes to spare, and we set out.

We walked a short distance and were met with a beautiful courtyard with a large water fountain in the center separating us from the massive estate. I took out my camera and began snapping photos. The vantage point gave us a full view of the estate. After snapping a few pictures, I grabbed Darius' hand, "Come on, Hubby, let's enjoy our honeymoon." He smirked and followed me.

We arrived at the estate's entrance just after 8:30 a.m. The walk took longer than I anticipated. Everything about this place was over the top; even reading the statistics on paper didn't fully convey the stupendousness of it all until you were standing in front of it. It took my breath away, and I had almost forgotten about the mission, inundated by the beauty. 

"You okay?", Darius whispered, bringing me back. I replied, stunned, "Mmhmm." He nudged my shoulder, "I'm the only one allowed to take your breath away." I replied, "I'm sorry, mate. I just got overwhelmed by the size." He chuckled, "I'll keep it put away for now." His joke brought me back fully, and I rolled my eyes and nudged his ribs with my elbow. "What?", he played coy. 

He took me to the tiled terrace entrance, where we presented our tickets. The clerk at the stand looked at them and said, "Oh, your guided tour won't start until 10:30 a.m." she paused, "You're free to walk around the estate at your own pace until then or view the gardens." I grabbed Darius's arm and asked, "What do you want to do, honey?" He responded, "Let's tour the house on our own; while it's still quiet."

He was right. It was quiet. We were the first guests to arrive, and the only other people were the staff members. She handed us two black electronic devices, "This is an audio guide that will talk you through each of the rooms and their points of interest. You'll have to wait for your guided tour to access the exclusive areas, though." We nodded and thanked her before wandering off. 

I set an alarm on my phone to vibrate at 10:00 a.m., signaling us to return to the entrance for our guided tour. The smell of death was pungent to our heightened senses, and it was evident that vampires inhabited this space at night. We would stay vigilant and note where the smells were stronger during the day. After they close to the public at 5:30 p.m., but before sunset, would be the ideal time to plan our attack. 

The audio tour had us start in the winter garden, so I took pictures to document the mansion's layout for later use. The home screams opulence, and keeping your jaw from dropping was challenging. Next, we went to the billiard room, where two pool tables stood nearby a fireplace that hadn't been used in a long time.

Everything was kept in pristine condition; there wasn't a cobweb in sight, and many pictures and trophies from hunts over a century ago adorned the walls. I snapped several more photos. Next, the voice directed us to the smoking room. A faint tobacco scent lingered from the furniture and books in the room, and the ceiling, which had previously been white, was tarnished from nicotine stains. 

From what I had seen and smelled so far, the vampires didn't disturb the main floor very often; I still documented each room with my camera, diligent in my mission. The hunting room was next. It had built-in curio cabinets that showcased well-preserved waterfowl trophies and several shotguns and hunting rifles. More deer trophies were sitting above the cabinets like the ones in the smoking room.

We walked into a passage. There were more rooms to the right, but they were roped off. We were directed to the banquet hall next. The room had a medievalist appearance. There was a massive triple-sided fireplace in the center against a wall, with a beautiful stone sculpture carved above it by Karl Bitter. The audio recording said that he was inspired by a scene from Wagner's epic Tannhäuser Opera. Karl called the piece The Return from the Hunt.

Several tapestries hung from the walls of the banquet hall; the large intricate pieces had to be at least four or five hundred years old. A pipe organ sat between two tapestries, and a table for 26 was centered in the room. This place put every pack house that I had seen to shame. I took more photos with my camera, and we moved on to the next room. 

The breakfast room was smaller than the banquet hall but still lavish. It had a table for twelve in the center and another fireplace, this time adorned with a crest with lions on either side. More vintage paintings were present, and I noticed a security camera in the corner of the room. I questioned myself: Had I been so overwhelmed by the luxuriousness of everything that I had missed them in the other rooms? 

I pulled out my camera to take some more pictures and then scrolled through the ones I had already taken. Sure enough, I had captured a few of the security cameras in the photographs. Damn, I needed to focus. I'm sure the cameras were there to prevent people from stealing or vandalizing the place. Still, I needed to figure out if someone was reviewing live footage or if they just recorded it for prosecution purposes. 

We went into the music room next, and the pungent smell of death was heavier here. Just then, the alarm caused my phone to buzz in my back pocket; I snapped a few quick pictures and turned to Darius, who had just followed along, seemingly aloof. I said, "We need to head back for the guided tour." He nodded and followed along as we made our way back to the entrance.