Her Vampire Master Book two

Chapter Eight

"Not that long," Elizabeth said, “Only a few years,” She added while looking down at the biscuits. Charles had been shoving food at her for the last day. She didn’t want to seem rude, but she didn’t think she could eat another bite.

“Do you, that is, are you a witch?” Elizabeth asked.

Nadine let her head fall back against the back of the rocking chair, setting it into motion with her foot. “My mother,” she said with a fond smile. “That’s how I met Taavi. We come to Prague every few years. Mother swears by his herbs."

To pass the time while Elizabeth waited, Nadine gave her the abridged version of the list of baby names that she had settled on. Elizabeth was finishing her second cup of tea when Taavi emerged from the back room with her parcels, wrapped in brown paper and twine.

He squatted down beside her and went over her list with her, reminding her to wear gloves while handling the more poisonous herbs on her list. She thanked him and opened her purse. He named a figure, and Elizabeth understood the teenage boy’s injunction not to haggle. She could have had the lot of it shipped from England for less, but she didn’t hesitate, counting out the notes and handing them over.

“Come back in a week for the rest,” he told her, handing the money to Nadine, who tucked in inside her loose blouse.

“I will,” Elizabeth agreed, hoping that she would be allowed to return.

“Stay and have another cup of tea,” Nadine invited even though she looked sleepy.

Elizabeth smiled, “Thank you, but I should go. It's getting late.” she said.

Elizabeth stood from the couch, Taavi went to the door to open it for her as Nadine called out an old blessing as Elizabeth stepped through the door into the narrow alley.

Mist swirl around her feet, making her feel like she was the protagonist in some cheesy horror movie. She turned back to the door, Taavi stood just inside of the threshold, holding her cloak and her packages. He handed her the twine wrapped packages and settles the cloak on her thin shoulders, "Remember what I said about the henbane." He warned.

"I will," she said with a nod, "Thank you." She added.

His hand rested on her shoulder for a moment as his dark eyes scanned further down the alleyway.

"You should come back in, now." He cautioned her quietly.

"Giro, giro, tondo," a high, thin voice mocked in the distance, "Casca il mondo, Casca la terra, Tutti giù per terra."

Elizabeth slowly turned around to see the small childlike vampire from the attack on the house drifting through the mist towards her. Now that she knew that the vampire wasn't a child at all, but a really old vampire, Elizabeth was amazed that she had missed it.

Not the vampire part, that was obvious. But the fact that she was not a child when she was turned.

The teenager who wasn't a teenager, was jogging down the alley with a stake clutched tightly in his hand. The small vampire looked at him with pleasure and hatred, he stopped a few feet from her.

"My, don't you look like a little darling tonight?" He sang to her.

He looked towards Elizabeth, "The proposal still stands, even if you're a bit old," he gestured towards the opposite end of the alley, "Off with you."

“But..." Elizabeth said.

Taavi gave her a slight nudge, "You should go quickly," He whispered, "Come back in the sunlight next time, it's safer that way."

"She's as safe as she wants to be," the vampire said in a sing-song voice, "She killed one of us and injured another with just a young minion for help." The vampire smiled darkly tossing her hair over her small shoulder.

Taavi frowned at the vampire's words, "That's all the more reason for you to go," he told her.

"She won't come in the daylight," the vampire warned him, "Can't come without one of her vampire's keeping watch." She pointed towards the small coach further down the way outside of the barrier. "The old one waits for her now."

***

The numbers at the dinner table were always assured to be uneven. If Fiona and Elizabeth had come tonight, they would have been seven instead of five. Matilda announced that the uneven numbers meant that they should sit anywhere they liked. Her brother had looked at her as if he thought this was silly as he took his place at the head of the table after seating Mary to his right-hand side.

Matilda was flustered by the lack of enthusiasm for her idea, she allowed herself to be seated at the foot of the table by Ciaran, Charles took his place across from Mary.

Charles sat bored out of his mind, the dinner conversation was tedious and mostly filled with excited flirtation between Ciaran and Matilda, while her brother ineptly tried to engage Mary in conversation while finding his sister's behavior extremely distracting.

Charles poked at an overcooked gray-green asparagus spear with his fork, he was trying to pretend to eat. It was mushy and yet it was another reason he was thankful to Mary, if he were human he would be too polite not to try and eat this. He smiled to himself thinking about what Fiona would do to anyone who tried to ruin one of her parties with mushy overcooked asparagus.

There was, in addition to the Brans, a houseful of servants. Milos had their numbers sorted out. Containment was an issue since they were planning to remain in Prague for the time being.

He sliced one of the beef medallions, it was served in a thick soup like mushroom sauce. The beef was very undercooked, it made it easier for him to eat it. He scraped the sauce off with his fork, smiling blandly with Harold Bran caught him at it. He looked at Mary and noticed she wasn't eating anything at all.

“It isn’t to your liking?” he ventured hesitantly.

Mary flashed him a dazzling smile, the kind that could make you feel like you were amazingly observant, even as she was confirming his guess.

He smiled back, shyly. Charles watched all of this with a smirk.

“Would you like anything else?” Harold asked.