She was braining a lot lately. What plans Dave had with her? She never asked if he wants to turn her into a real vampire, she still feared his answer and the possibility. Her heart started to beat faster when she was thinking about this, but deep in her heart she knew what she’d say to this question when one day he decides to ask her. What else could be the purpose of being here? She was clever enough to know that he was teaching her not just because of her curiosity. Somehow she knew that he wouldn’t be that kind to anybody.

When Viola talked with Damien or the others, she came to know that the Duke hadn’t got such visitors like her for centuries. But sometimes they saw him in women’s company, but they disappeared after a few days. As the picture of her sweaty and naked Duke came into her head as he fucks those other women and takes their blood, she felt burning jealousy, which’s intensity surprised her. But as Damien said while he was serving her lunch, he assured Viola that this stopped since the Duke knows her. This was the answer Viola wanted to hear and she felt relieved as she took her spoon into her hand and started to eat.

But usually the employees weren’t in a talkative mood when she asked them about their lord. They were loyal to him over all, just the old valet gave her sometimes morsels of information. She wanted to know more of her vampire, so one day she found an old black book in the library, containing his family tree. She was amazed by how the House of Trastamára slackened its roots into the passing centuries. It had more famous and rich families around the world and one of them was the Cardonne family in Italy, Dave’s ancestors. It was sad to realize that only Dave remained from this enormous family! She felt sorry for him being alone in the cruel wind of the centuries…

She sighed and looked out of the window, it was twilight outside. She heard the distant song of the last birds before they go to sleep and give their places to the children of the night. She loved this part of the day, when the day slowly turns into night. She hummed an old melody as she propped her chin with her palm. She discovered that her senses were much sharper since she drank from David’s dark blood time after time. Although he didn’t let her lick too much since that first night when he sucked out a lot of her blood and gave back from his own to compensate her loss of blood.

Viola absentmindedly stroked her neck with her free hand. She was wearing a thin and long bourdon scarf, partly because the night air was a bit cool, but on the other hand she hid his marks too – although he said not to do it. She knew he liked to see his marks on her body, because it showed that Viola was his. But on the rare occasion when she went with Mario and Asher to the city, she didn’t like the curious gazes wander on her neck, so she covered the little wounds.

She closed her eyes and let only the cold blue and purple light of the coming night through her eyelids as the taste of his dark and burning blood came into her mind. She bit down on her lip from the memory. Lately she felt bloodlust which came upon her suddenly. Sometimes because of a scent or just because of a thought, but mainly it came when she was making love to Dave. The heat of the act, the overwhelming desires took over her completely at times and she attacked her lover with great force to taste that metallic and unique flavor. She could never be sure whether the Duke’d let her drink or not, because sometimes he stopped her before she could reach the throbbing vein on his neck, causing a wild and desperate growl from her. She hated this, because the burning hunger inside of her was nearly unbearable and all she wanted to do was sucking his blood as much as possible. Now she could never forget that delicious savour!

But Dave was careful, he didn’t gave too much of his blood yet, and she knew why. She felt the changes inside of her. His pure vampire blood made her senses much sharper. She could see a gull out on the sea from miles, hear the tiniest steps of a mouse in the cellar, which was a forbidden place to her. The food and drink tasted never like this before and her brain drew in everything she read! And the sex was out of this world, she couldn’t even describe the difference! She could hear every cell of her body screaming after him when he penetrated into her deeply…

Viola shook her head to wake up from her daydreaming, because she already felt the dampness between her legs. She took a few deep breaths and stood up to look into the garden, where the lights started to glisten in the early evening’s dusk. The sound of a motorboat drew her attention, but couldn’t see from the trees. Asher, who was lying next to the bed on a soft carpet, raised his head and cocked his ears then growled a short one.

“So someone is coming, right?” Viola asked the dog and turned her head back to the path which led from the peers to the castle. She heard the faint echoes of footsteps on the pavement. It was a clear night, the song of the crickets were clear even though the wind rose between the shrouds. Viola breathed calmly, folding her arms in front of her chest as she was waiting for the stranger’s appearance.

After a few minutes an unfamiliar figure evolved from the darkness as the lights of the castle lit the broad shoulders. It was a taller and more muscular man than Dave. His dark tufts covered partly his right eye as the wind’s soft breeze ruffled them. After a few flat steps he looked up suddenly, straight toward Viola’s window as if he sensed he was watched by someone. From this, and the silver shining in his dark eyes she knew that he was a vampire, too. Viola’s gaze wandered on the pale face and saw a long and straight nose, a narrow upper and a full lower lip, and a sharp-cut jaw. He was wearing a dark-green military jacket, dark jeans and black boots. Their eyes met only for a few seconds, then he continued his way to the main gate and Viola saw that it opened before he could reach it as Damien’s familiar shadow appeared on the few stairs and the pavement.

---

“That’s true, David. It’s good to be here again after all of those fights lately” he answered and followed him to the comfortable red armchairs.

“Ah yes, you were on some mission. Was it successful?” he asked while he poured the dark-red fluid into two glasses then gave one to his guest.

“Yes, we could solve it, but this isn’t the cause I’m here, you know it well” he looked into Dave’s eyes and sipped from the blood.

“Yes, Trent, I know” he sighed “What do you have for me?”

The other man reached under his jacket and pulled out a yellowish envelope with the black and red seal of the Crimson Heart Clan. He handed it to David and leaned back putting his left hand onto the armrest while his right lifted the glass again and smelled the fine blood.

“Is it from your guest?” he asked with a sly little smile.

Dave looked up from the envelope and put it down onto the nearby table “Trent, please” he smiled back “I’m not that improper. Not anymore.”

“Are you sure? I remember those days when you were bathing in blood and had dirty orgies nearly every night…”

“Those days are just past now” he shrugged and grimaced.

“Who’s she? She noticed me, she was standing in one of your room’s windows. Is she pureblooded?”

“You couldn’t tell? Trent you seem to loose from your abilities…” he laughed.

“I didn’t pay attention to it, I had something more important to deliver” he glanced at the elders’ letter for a moment.

“Viola is not from our race” he said quietly.

“She’s a human?” Trent’s eyes flashed.

“Yes, she is. And she’s my future bride as well” he looked straight into his eyes to make things clear.

“What? David, you know what people in the Clan will say?!"

“Yes, I know that it’s a degradation to give my pure blood to a human. I know that we, pureblooded vampires, make up just a small group and is an honour even just speaking with us. It’s clear for me that a lot of vampires’d die to taste our blood, but I don’t care. I chose her and this is my final decision, it’s my life. The elders understood it. Do you have problems with it?”

“Oh God, you’re in love with her?” his smile reappeared on his face. Dave didn’t answer just smiled “You love her! This was the last thing I could imagine about you! ‘Stone-hearted David’ loves a human!” he laughed.

“Maybe it sounds strange, but it’s true. She’s special. She has vampire ancestors although her impoverished family never showed vampire-activity in their lines. But her blood contains the taste of the Dark Gift” he smiled to himself and watched as the weak light broke on his glass.

“So you marked her?”

“Absolutely.”

“And how did she react?”

“For my surprise after a little fear she accepted the fact that I’m a vampire and seemed to be very curious. You wouldn’t believe how thirsty she is for science, combat techniques and for my blood.”

“Huh, the last one is no wonder. A pureblood’s blood has a rich, nearly sweet taste and is the strongest vampire blood” he shrugged smiling.

“That’s true, we are standing over all of the other vampires, except the Elders, but this never interested me too much. I don’t like bragging with this. First things first, I have the elders’ permission to turn her into a vampire, and the time is near now. Soon she’ll learn enough to deal with our world.”

“Well, you know what you do…”

“Thank you David. I have a few weeks now, the Elders were satisfied with my group’s work, I can rest a bit.”

“This sounds great, I call Amelia, they’ll prepare your room” and he just needed to think on his servant’s name and she appeared nearly immediately.

---

Her simple black skirt was dancing around her knees as the fresh night air came onto the dark corridor. Goose bumps appeared on her naked arms, because the wind was still cold a bit, so she folded her arms in front of her chest. With her black halter, which had a deep V-neckline, and the bourdon silk scarf she nearly melted into the half-light as she followed the servant. Before she could step in, Damien announced her arrival.

When Viola finally entered the room, with the hint of a little insecurity in her deep grey eyes, she saw the long table’s rich place setting right away, as if a whole crowd would join them, but only two men were sitting by the table. Dave leaned back in his comfortable chair at the head of the table, and on his left there was his mysterious guest. She knew well, that both of them heard her even before she stepped onto the corridor, but just the Duke looked at her. She continued her way and passed round the table on the left side, so she was standing on Dave’s right and opposite the other man. David offered his hand and she put hers into it allowing him to put a little kiss onto her hand, then he turned to his guest.

“Please let me introduce you the pureblooded vampire lord, Trent Reznor, one of the strongest captains of our clan, who helps to support the peace in our clan and handling conflicts with the living.”

Trent nodded slightly and took Viola’s hand with a stark grip to give a kiss onto it like Dave did before. But somehow Viola knew that this was just a formality, nothing else. She could feel how rough his hand was from the fights and felt that he showed a little of his strength to warn Viola. She couldn’t understand clearly why he did this. Maybe to frighten her a bit and show where her place was? She knew that as a human being she was from the lowest class she could imagine and Trent didn’t like to assort with her race, except when he was eating from them. This got clearer for her when he let her hand go right away and sat back into his chair, avoiding her gaze, just looking at Dave.

“And she is Viola de Montone, my precious love” Dave continued his speech as if he didn’t notice what happened. After it he waved her to sit down and Damien appeared immediately with a tray and a bottle, containing the red fluid the men used to drink and Viola knew well what it was. Then the old valet served her the soup after she put the napkin onto her lap.

“It’s a pleasure to meet David De Cardonne’s future bride” she heard Trent’s slightly ironic voice and as she lifted her head in surprise she saw that he was looking only at David, who sent a warning look at Trent, but after it he turned to her.

“Is something wrong, dear? Don’t you like the soup?”

Viola tried to stay calm although she was still surprised and a little bit shocked from

They set the dinner in silence - it seemed that Dave and Trent didn’t need her company, they were entertaining themselves drinking from their glasses and chatting. So she didn’t know why she needed to be there at all! This made her disappointed and somehow angry too. She saw how her Duke was so very keen to please him that he didn’t pay too much attention if she was there or not, so after she finished her dinner, she just excused herself and hurried out of the room as fast as she dared.