“Where are we going?” She asked once she figured they had ventured too far from the shopping center. She had never been to this part of town before. The buildings all looked rundown and abandoned. There were rats scuttling about on the streets. Kids played with nothing more than rocks and sticks. “Where are we…?”
She stopped, refusing to move another step as she witnessed all the poverty around her. She knew the lesser-class lived modestly, but she had no idea they lived like this.
There was a carcass of some disfigured animal dangerously close to her foot. Noticing it, she jumped away, a small scream emerging from her lips. “I want to leave…”
The men didn’t say anything, they just kept walking, their pace leisurely as if they were perfectly comfortable walking through such a desolate place.
Not wanting to be left behind, Azurdee scrambled after them. “I thought we were going to talk about solving my problem!” She called out, nearly slipping on some unidentifiable sludge that lined the street.
Finally, she managed to catch up, walking next to them, but the brothers still said nothing.
Azurdee started to worry. What if she had been led out here so they could harm her in some way? She clung onto her bags even tighter, fearing the worst.
Finally, they stopped in a small, pathetic garden. At some point, the apple tree probably bore delicious fruit, but now, its last leaf quivered on the branch, despite it being the height of harvest season. It was dying, just like everything else in the neighborhood.
“We just thought we would go someplace where there would be no nobles,” Kai explained.
Azurdee could understand why. This place was a pigsty, but despite this thought, she held her tongue. She had been rude to them once and she didn’t want to do it again.
“Sit down, sit down,” Noah said in a cheerful voice, motioning to the weather-beaten bench nearby. Part of it had been eaten away by termites. The legs were covered in so much rust, it was a miracle that they hadn’t corroded away and collapsed.
“I think I’ll stand…” She said, not wanting to risk such a thing.
“Suit yourself.” Noah shrugged, plopping down on the bench, his arms slung over the back of it.
Awkwardly, Azurdee shuffled from foot to foot, feeling uncomfortable. She rubbed her arms, goosebumps covering her skin.
“Cold?” Kai guessed. Before she could answer him, he shrugged off his long trench coat and wrapped it around her shoulders.
She smiled slightly at his act of kindness, grateful that at least one of the siblings knew a thing or two about manners.
“So, can we talk about your idea? I really need to get home soon…”
Suddenly, Noah flew forward, a deep growl emerging from his throat. A young vampire stood frozen in fear behind Azurdee, the contents of her coin pouch spilling on the ground. Noah picked up the vampire by the scruff of the neck, his teeth barred with anger. “Empty your pockets.” He hissed.
Terrified, the vampire did as he was told, pulling out a few more personal items from his pockets.
“All of it.”
The vampire hesitated, finally pulling out one of Azurdee’s monogrammed handkerchiefs, the same one that had been used during her coming of age ceremony. She had stuffed it in her bag, just to get it out of her sight. Seeing it again made her stomach churn.
“Actually, he can keep that one.” She said, wanting to get rid of it.
The pickpocket ran off with his meager booty, Noah staring him down before he picked up her stuff and returned it to her. “You need to be more aware of your surroundings. I can’t be watching out for you all the time. Of course, if you want to hire me as your personal bodyguard, that’s another story.”
“I can take care of myself,” Azurdee said with her head held high, even though she had come so close to being robbed.
“If you say so.” Noah chuckled, thinking it cute that she thought she was strong enough to defend herself.
A moment of silence passed between them. Azurdee once again shifted from foot to foot, feeling strange being in this neighborhood. She clearly didn’t belong. “Can you two just tell me what your plan is?” She was starting to get desperate at this point.
“As we said before, we’re just as good at taking things as we are at hiding them.”
“What do you mean? How is that going to solve my problem?”
“It’s easy.” Noah butted in. “We take you, then we hide you.”
Azurdee’s eyes grew wide, thinking they had already taken her.
“Don’t look so scared. We haven’t kidnapped you.” Noah assured. “Besides, if we were to hide you, we would do so in a place much nicer than this. We might be lesser vampires, but we’ve done pretty well for ourselves. You might actually like living with us.” He winked, his lips dancing with mischief.
“You want to hide me from my fiancé?”
“That’s the plan.” Noah nodded.
“If we hide you long enough, he’ll be forced to call off the wedding, will he not?” Kai asked, his voice stoic.
“I guess… but I doubt you two would do this for me free of charge. What do you want in return?” She asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.
“Oh… nothing. We’re just trying to perform our good deed for the year.” Noah flashed his fangs, before he reclined back even further, his expression carefree. “After all, it’s not like you can force true love.”
Chapter Ten
“What do you mean?” Azurdee asked, noting a strange twinkle in Noah’s eyes. What was he saying? Had he been in a similar situation before? Was he trying to warn her?
“Don’t worry about him.” Kai interrupted. “Why don’t we grab some lunch and we can talk about this further?”
Azurdee bit the inside of her lip. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but I really should be going home. It wouldn’t be wise if we were seen together…” Azurdee looked over her shoulder, the hair on the back of her neck standing on edge as if someone were watching her at that very moment.
“C’mon, you have nothing to worry about here.” Noah got up, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “We’ll keep you safe!”
Azurdee wanted to answer him, but their sudden contact made her forget how to even speak properly. Her mind was in a jumble as his intoxicating scent wafted to her nose, invading her senses. He had a deep, musky scent, like someone who spent most of his time in the woods. Masked underneath was the lingering scent of blood, sweet and delicious.
She looked up at him, her eyes wide and uncertain.
“There’s a nice little place down the street here.” Kai offered. “Run by a friend of ours. We can assure you that no one from the nobility will be there. Well, no one but you.”
Azurdee finally managed to pry herself from Noah’s grasp. Doing so made her feel incomplete, like a part of her was missing. She ran her fingers through her hair and took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind of the ridiculous attraction she felt for these men. They were worlds apart. She shouldn’t be falling for them, and yet…
“Come on, we won’t take no for an answer,” Noah smirked, grabbing her hand and dragging her along.
With no other choice, she followed them, her eyes darting all over the dirty streets. It seemed everywhere she looked, there were people standing in the shadows, watching her, judging her.
She shivered, pressing herself a little bit closer to Noah who wrapped his arm around her waist. “Scared?” He asked, whispering into her ear as he rubbed her hip, his hand moving dangerously low on her body.
Azurdee shook her head, pulling his hand back to her waist. “Watch it.”
“Ooh, feisty. I like that in a woman.” His voice assumed a seductive tone, wrapping around Azurdee’s mind, making her legs feel like jelly in an instant. She almost stopped in the middle of the street, but Noah pulled her forward, pressing her even closer to his body.
“Where did you find a piece of ass like that?” Suddenly, a vampire with greasy hair, blood red ey
es, and a few missing teeth stepped onto the street, blocking their way.
Noah instantly wrapped his arm around Azurdee a little tighter, his muscles tensing at the threat.
“Move along, Jacob,” Kai said, his voice as calm as ever, but his clenched fists and rigid posture gave away his hostility. “Or you’re going to regret it.”
“Oh yeah? What are you going to do?” Jacob licked his lips as his eyes roamed Azurdee’s body. “She’s a nice one… you have to share.”
“We don’t share.” Kai approached the vampire.
The air around them intensified with excited energy. Azurdee held her breath, wondering what was about to happen next, but before the fight began, Noah pulled her away, covering her eyes with his hand.
Seconds later, a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the streets.
Azurdee’s eyes widened and she tried to look back, to see what was happening, but Noah held her steady, preventing her from witnessing the violence.
Behind her, Kai thrust his long, sharp claws through Jacob’s stomach, piercing through his gut. The vampire screamed in agony, blood spewing from his wounds. Before he could fall to his knees, Kai picked him up by the neck, dangling him above the ground. Jacob struggled, clawing against his attacker’s hand, but it was useless. Kai just squeezed his fingers a little tighter, rage in his eyes. The mere thought of this sleaze ball laying a finger on Azurdee drew him mad.
“Kai. That’s enough.” Noah called out, breaking Kai from his rage-induced frenzy. Hesitantly, he put the vampire down, letting him crumble in a heap.
He wouldn’t die.
No vampire ever truly did.
They just healed. Very slowly. And very painfully.
Eventually, Noah guided Azurdee around the wretch agonizing in the street. She was completely speechless when she looked at Kai, his hand covered in another vampire’s blood. She never expected him to be so vicious. He was usually the calmer of the two. A shiver ran through her spine.
“He was just protecting you,” Noah whispered, his hand still tight around her waist as if he would never let her go. “If Jacob had his way, you’d be screaming for mercy by the time he was done with you. It was about time someone put him in his place.”
“I…” Azurdee was both grateful and terrified. She was glad they had protected her from that creep, but at the same time, their willingness to use such violence scared her. There was no telling what they were capable of.
“Well, in any case, here we are.” Kai had just finished cleaning his hand of the blood when he stepped forward, opening a glass door.
The building it was attached to looked rundown and vacant. Azurdee bit her lip, unsure.
Before she could voice her concerns, however, Noah pushed her inside.
To her surprise, it was actually quite nice. There were quite a few vampires scattered around in tables, enjoying a sandwich and a goblet of wine. Everyone looked relaxed, their eyes as black as coal.
When Kai and Noah stepped inside, the vampire behind the counter looked up, offering them a bright smile. “It’s been a while, boys.” The woman was older, her black hair starting to go gray. It was unusual for a vampire to age so rapidly. Those who did were usually the ones who didn’t drink enough blood. “Any reason why you two have been avoiding your dear mother?” As she finished her question, she finally seemed to spot Azurdee, who was standing awkwardly between the two men.
A bright smile crossed her face before she fumbled for the glasses on the top of her head. “What do we have here?” Her grin deepened when she saw Azurdee’s cute face and beautiful figure. “You’ve never brought a woman before.”
Noah rolled his eyes in response. “I wonder why…”
“Don’t give me that, I’m your mother.” She pointed a spatula at him like she was about to hit him with it. “Anyway, what’s your name, dear?”
“A-Azurdee.”
Paula, their mother, noted the girl’s nervous stutter and smiled kindly. “Hopefully, my boys have been taking good care of you.” She leaned in closer. “If they give you any trouble, you let me know, I’ll put them in their place in no time.”
Again, Noah rolled his eyes before towing Azurdee to a vacant table. He handed her a menu before plopping down beside her. Kai sat on the other side of the booth.
“Why are we here?” Azurdee asked after staring at the menu for a minute. “I really should get going… people are going to start to worry.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll have you back home before the sun rises,” Noah answered. “Stop worrying so much. If you’re going to live with us, you should get used to our company.”
“Who said I’m going to live with you? I haven’t agreed to your plan just yet.”
“Oh? So, you’re going to marry Fredrick after all?” Noah snickered. “I bet that will work out just fine for you.”
Azurdee ground her teeth together, growing agitated by the fact that these men seemed to be playing games with her. “Look, I just want to go home.”
Just then, Paula came around with a notepad in her hand. “So, what can I get for you?” She was looking straight at Azurdee.
“Well, I’ll– “
“I didn’t ask you.” She cut Noah off. “Really, Noah, I’ve taught you better manners than that. Why can’t you be more like your brother?”
Noah held his tongue, even though it was obvious he wanted to say something.
“Uh…” Azurdee racked her brain for an answer. In all honesty, she hadn’t properly looked at the menu.
“How about a nice roast beef sandwich and a goblet of wine? Today’s special.”
“Sure.” She answered, not knowing what else to pick.
“Perfect, I’ll have that right out for you.”
“What about us?” Noah called out, but their mother didn’t bother to answer him. Looking a little frustrated, he grumbled something under his breath that Azurdee couldn’t quite understand.
As they waited for their food, silence settled around them, making Azurdee anxious. She didn’t like it one bit, it felt awkward. “Look, I respect what you guys are trying to do for me – trying to protect me and all, but I swear, I can take care of myself.”
Both men looked skeptical, but they didn’t say anything.
“But, I’ll sleep on it, alright?”
Kai reached into his pocket and pulled out a little notebook he liked to carry with him. There was a pen attached to the cover that he slid off and uncapped, revealing a beautiful quill tip. Opening the notebook to a blank page, he started to write in a clear, flowing cursive.
“Now, you’re just showing off.” Noah huffed. Kai glared before he continued to write something down, eventually tearing off the page and handing it to Azurdee.
“It’s our address. You can come find us whenever you’re ready.” Kai explained.
Azurdee took the piece of paper. “Flint District?” She asked, tilting her head in confusion. “I’ve never heard of it before.”
“That’s because we’re the only people who live there,” Noah said. “It’s our own little paradise. We built a beautiful home for ourselves, away from it all. Really nice view and everything.” He leaned closer to her. “Do you like the ocean?”
“Y-yes…” Azurdee nodded.
“Well, we’re right by the seaside. In the morning, you can hear the waves crashing against the shore. Now… just imagine what it would feel like to be in my bed, listening to the ocean with me by your side.”
Azurdee’s face instantly reddened at his comment. She started to picture the scenario and for some reason, they were both naked, their bodies locked together. She almost shivered at the thought, her hormones raging inside of her. Why did she want him so bad?
She did her best to resist the urge to jump on him right then and there. “But… if you live in a remote area… how am I supposed to find you?”
“Do you know where the Pillai Mountain is? If you come at it from the west side, there’s a path. It will lead you right to our home.” K
ai explained. “Do you want me to write that down for you?”
“No, no. I should be able to remember it.” She stared at the address. “Pillai Mountain.” She repeated as if that would be enough to engrave it in her memory.
“You really should consider it.” Noah shimmied a little closer, his arm slung around the booth above her, his posture relaxed. “We’ll keep you hidden. No one can ever hope to find you. And while you live with us, we’ll make sure to be very gracious hosts. Make you feel at home and all that. Do whatever we need to do… just as long as you don’t marry that politician.” Noah spat his final word.
Before Azurdee could respond, Paula returned with Azurdee’s sandwich and blood.
“Enjoy.” She said, her smile bright and cheerful before she walked off, serving some of her other customers.
She took a bite out of her sandwich, surprised to find that it tasted so good. She expected it would taste bland and rubbery coming from a lower-class restaurant, but it was even better than the food that was served in her own home. Somehow, the simplicity of the sandwich made the flavors rich and savory.
Maybe, a new perspective was really all she needed.
Chapter Eleven
As promised, they walked her back to her estate before morning. “Well, we would walk you up to the door, but I doubt you want to be seen with a couple of lower-class men,” Noah said, standing in the alley’s shadow. They were a few streets away from Azurdee’s home. Even being this close was dangerous, but Azurdee was grateful that they had helped her get home. After everything that had happened that evening, she was a little more anxious than usual.
“Will you be okay?” Kai asked, gently taking her hand in his. “We can take you now if you’d like.” He whispered, his eyes searching hers, hoping she would reconsider her decision.
“I’ll be fine. The marriage isn’t for a couple more weeks. I have time to think things over. Maybe Fredrick isn’t as bad as he seems.”
Noah snorted.
“But I really do have to go now.” Without thinking, she kissed Kai on the cheek and before Noah could get offended, she did the same to him. “Thank you for everything!”
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