“So, he is like you?” the guest blinked at the ladies, trying to not show she was rather flustered and also a bit turned on.

  “Suppose he is.” Margret shrugged, “He cares for us, provides what we need, but he can go out in the day.”

  “He is a ‘Dracula’,” Lottie smiled, resting her elbow on the table and placing her chin in her hand, her eyes a dreamy stare at their guest.

  “I suppose he would fall under the category of the original manuscript of Bram’s, yes.” Josephina nodded in agreement.

  She found herself now not wishing to disappoint and go through with this event. “Well then, tomorrow will be all that more enjoyable.”

  Margret let out a growl, “Again, we can’t—”

  “You can.” She simply stated, “Have him come.”

  Each looked at the other again.

  “We have never—" Lottie started before being cut off by a shrug of the woman’s shoulders.

  “Well, that will change.” She gave them that grin was only reserved for when she was plotting something, “I don’t do well in four walls. Never have. I need space to fly.”

  “The mansion is very large…” Lottie muttered.

  “And fresh air?” she questioned.

  They winced.

  “Exactly.” She smiled, “And also looking like a wet dog doesn’t make for a good first impression.”

  “That is true.” Margret nodded, “I recall my mother thinking that same way. She was correct with that to some degree.”

  “Well then let me make that proper impression with a do-over.” She looked over to Josephina who seemed to be thinking, “Yes?”

  “Alright then.” She gave a nod of approval, her own personal curiosity now coming into play. “I could arrange him to get you.”

  The other two looked at her with confusion.

  “What?” she tossed her hand at them to not fret over it, “She’s done well with giving her reasoning and I think allowing him to walk her back home is fair.” Josephina grinned with that hidden matriarch knowledge, “And he’ll be sure to keep her from tripping into more trouble.”

  “Thank you, it would mean a lot.” She grinned, only to shiver a moment. “Seems a chill is once again at it.”

  Lottie moved to get up, “Well, getting you some other clothes--"

  She shook her head, “I have to go back out anyway.”

  “A blanket or a towel perhaps?” she shifted in her chair, “Can’t allow you to catch cold.”

  “That would be lovely,” the guest fought off a shiver.

  The vampiress that seemed to represent the child of the fates left for one and then returned, a modern towel in her hands.

  The woman made note of it and found it odd. She covered up her confusion with a smile, “Thank you.”

  “We’re not monsters, we do have manners.” She grinned; her fangs now more apparent.

  “It’s an easier way to hunt I suppose.” She shrugged.

  “What?” Lottie cocked her head to the side.

  She looked at her, “What?”

  They again gave the strange guest a judgmental glare as she took the towel carefully out of Lottie’s hands.

  She felt the tension surge again and she gave a small smile, “I do have another question. Who are the children that reside here?”

  “Which ones?” Margret quizzed.

  “I heard only the voices of two little ones.” She thought back on it, very sure that they were indeed children.

  “That would be little Beth and her brother Beau. Harmless pranksters really,” Lottie nervously giggled.

  “Huh. And very curious too it seems,” she stated as she saw them peaking in around the doorframe to the main foyer of which she had originally come in. She cleared her throat. “Come on, say hello, no need to be frightened of me.”

  The girl’s dark orbs went wide as she popped up on her left side, “Your eyes are really green! They are so pretty!”

  She smiled down at her, “Thank you! Aren’t you so sweet!”

  The boy appeared on the guest’s right, studying her before turning to Josephina, “Are you going to eat her?”

  Josephina hissed at him, “Mind your manners!”

  His eyes narrowed at the guest and his head leaned to his right shoulder, “How did you even know we were here?”

  She looked to the side and took a breath before asking with a playful grin, “Do you believe in psychics?”

  “Like fortune tellers?” Beth piped.

  “Those aren’t real!” Beau scoffed.

  Her perfect brow arched and leaned her body down closer to them as she dropped her voice to a playful whisper, “Then how do you explain how I saw you before you let me?”

  He contemplated it before shrugging his defeat, “Hmph. No idea.”

  She lowered her voice to another octave, “I’m fae, I can’t help it.” She leaned back in the chair and looked from one to the other, “And you both are just so cute. So, twins?”

  “No,” Beth giggled, “I’m the baby, he’s the older one.”

  “So, you’re the spoiled one?” she looked to her with a wink.

  “I wouldn’t say that exactly.” Shyness got the better of Beth, clearly taken off guard and slowly she began to twist herself from side to side just as any small child would, causing her turn of the century dress to swish with her movements.

  “Well, I am delighted to meet the both of you.” She grinned and clasped her hands between her knees, “Perhaps next time we can play, and you can show me around this place?”

  Two pairs of eyes lit up with glee, “You mean it?”

  “Yes, and if there are any others, they can come with us too.” Her heart ached as she realized that they were very much children that were not aware of the fact they were dead.

  “You promise?” Beth almost whispered.

  She blinked in confusion, “No one else like me has come?”

  “They have, but they never stay…” Beau pouted.

  “Well, I am going to come back tomorrow, and you can give me a tour before dinner, how about that?” she asked holding out her now open hands and crossing them at the elbows in front of her for the both of them to shake.

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  Beau tried to hide his excitement with a small smile. “Okay. Yes, as long as you promise.”

  “I’ll do you one better,” she reached her hands more out to them, “We shake on it.”

  They looked to her hands, at each other and up at her. Beth and Beau reached out in unison, her with her right and he with his left. They hesitated a second more before taking her hands and shaking them.

  She grinned at them, “I promise I will come back.”

  Both of them tore out of the room in a fit of giggles after they let her go.

  The three ladies impressed by the show then asked, “How?”

  She came back to the coven as she felt a pang of sadness in her chest, quickly clearing her throat again as she sat back up. “I have a six-year-old nephew whom I am very attached to, and I raised a lot that weren’t my own. As for seeing? Yes, I am able to, among a few other things.”

  “Elaborate?” Margret leaned forward.

  “I can talk telepathically and receive thoughts, but only from those with the same frequency.” She saw the immediate skepticism and gave a nod, “Yes, there are limits and not all telepaths are the same.”

  “Suppose you do learn new things.” Josephina looked at her more closely than before, “I don’t believe I have ever met someone like you before. What are you exactly? Witch?”

  “Oh no! Well, some may think that, but I don’t feel I am one.”

  “Do you do magic?” Lottie put her arm up on the table, leaning on it as she started to become excited over the idea.

  “Magic? Suppose I do, what of it?” the guest shrugged.

  “What kind?” she pressed, “Does it make you a witch by how you practice?”

  “No. And I make things so…”

  “That is magical in its own way I suppose.” Lottie smiled, “All artists hold a special magic when it comes to creating from nothing.”

  “You sound like you speak from experience,” she bit her lip as she attempted to not show too much excitement.

  Margret grinned, “Lottie was the one that painted the portrait in the foyer.”

  Lottie tossed her hand, “That was ages ago! I doubt I still have the skill.”

  “I don’t know, would you mind if I bring you something? See if you still have it in you?” she tempted.

  “Oh? Well, I would not mind.” Lottie thought on it and tapped a finger on top of the table, “Might be good for the children too. They should have some culture.”

  The other two ladies bobbed their heads.

  “Then we can work on also getting this place together. No fine spirits or creatures should have to suffer.” She beamed as she looked around the room.

  “What are you thinking?” Lottie also let her eyes skim the area, trying to follow whatever the guest was envisioning.

  “Restoration. I have friends.” She looked back at them with unadulterated joy, “Helps when the previous owners are around to tell you how it was in its glory.”

  This caught Margret’s attention, “Things like this really exist?”

  The guest looked at her with worry, “You have not left the house, have you?”

  “No. Not since--"

  Josephina shook her head, “1933.”

  The woman’s eyes narrowed, “But you said…”

  “Yes.” She nodded before lifting her finger, “But…there is more than just us involved in that story and the sun will be up by the time that I finish it.” She quickly stood up as she realized that she had possibly said too much, “I’ll go get your escort.”

  “Oh, thank you.” She smiled, not sure why she now felt she needed to rush her out.

  “You’re very welcome.” Josephina turned to the kitchen and went on to the basement. The smell of the meat and stale blood was too much, even for her. She was shocked to find he was mopping the floor and found the smell of bleach smacking her in the face, “What the hell are you doing?”

  He looked up at her and shrugged, “Cleaning the floor.”

  “I see that…and you don’t do this…at least not here…” her brow arched at him.

  His eyes cut a moment before he stood straight and held onto the mop, “I do. You just aren’t around when I do it, now why are you here?”

  She folded her hands in front of her, “I wanted to see if you would be so kind as to escort her home.”

  He gave her a look, “I think she can walk herself.”

  “We need the assurance of her return. Please.” She smiled, knowing very well that something moved between them and she wanted to know what it was.

  He took in a frustrated breath, “Fine.”

  “Thank you!” She sang as she turned to go back up into the kitchen.

  “This is a stupid idea!” He called after her.

  She continued to walk and shot back, “Just be a gentleman, please.”

  He shook his head and returned the mop to the sink of bleach and disinfectant as he gritted his teeth, “Okay, I’ll be a gentleman.”

  She waved him off as she returned to the table, finding the three of them laughing and sat back down, “You are still welcome to remain here.”

  “No. I refuse to impose after such a good conversation and hospitality.” She tossed her a full smile.

  Josephina saw something flash in the face of this stranger. Something she did not expect to see since her early years as a human. “Then your escort will be along soon.” She looked to the other ladies, “Now what did I miss?”

  “Just a story of art and how not everything can go right the first time,” Lottie caught her breath from a fit of giggles.

  The woman looked to them, “I’ll tell you more tomorrow.” Her eyes then fell on Josephina, “Is he alright with it?”

  “He is.” She searched the others, wondering if they had also picked up on the shift of energy between them.

  Lottie sighed, “Hopefully he will go without Mildred.”

  Margret gave a nod.

  “And he can be a bit shy…and careful,” Lottie chimed in.

  Josephina smiled, “At least he isn’t a monster and he does have his oath to uphold.”

  Margret noticed how the guest had gone quiet, “Are you alright?”

  She gave them a nod as she tried to force her heart rate down. “Yes,” she smiled, wanting to fly out the door so as to avoid another risk of making a fool of herself.

  “You look ill…” Lottie moved to touch her, then stopped.

  “I assure you that I am just fine.” She swallowed hard, finding herself trying to keep it together. A noise in the doorway caught her as she looked over to see his perfectly built form in the doorway.

  His face was still half covered, only now it was a black neoprene mask. His clothes were reflective of a greaser, his short dark waves combed back with a soft nod to the era. His hand now held an umbrella instead of a cleaver. Black leather now covering his hands instead of the other worn-down ones. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

  Her eyes went wide again. She now could tell how tall and solidly lean he was. She stood and nodded to the ladies, “Thank you so much for the time and the towel,” she handed it back to Lottie as she moved to the doorway to the direction of the front door. She moved to face her back to him and closed her eyes, taking a breath, aware that it could just be moments and her trying to distract herself for the rest of the walk home. The overwhelming energy he gave off shook her, reality setting in that he might not be as she first believed. Her eyes opened to an offered arm on her right side and her face showed that her mind went blank.

  He waited a moment, his left hand instead slipping around her waist and to her left hip, holding her next to him. He took his time to guide her out the front door and onto the porch, skillfully opening the large umbrella with his right hand and still keeping a hold of her. Josephina closed the door behind them with that knowing grin that she was indeed right about her hunch.

  The small woman’s right arm slipped around his middle, reading him carefully and finding him to not be disappointing. His energy was warm and not like she expected. He seemed to be a shield of some kind with the way it felt like a dome around them. He came across as a protector, but she was aware of him also becoming a beast when provoked.

  He felt her body’s off and on shivers as he realized how soaked she was from the rain before. Her Harley Davidson vintage hoodie was still damp, as were her tight jeggings that were rolled up to just under her knee. Her black converse high tops were definitely not helping to keep her body heat as he noted her body quivering and instinctively pulled her in tighter to him.

  She was not sure how to take it as she continued to hold him to her, his body giving off a soft heat regardless of being undead, then again, she had never been in the presence of a Dracula before. Where they all like this? Somehow maintaining themselves and having their soul? She did find the idea of not having a soul, but still being alive odd. Reading souls was something that came in handy for her, however he was blocking her for some reason and the only thing that she could read was his energy. She had questions for him, only to decide against it and continue to keep this stroll as uneventful as possible.

  Both remained in silence as they walked in step down the road and around a block to the end of a long drive and a gate with a brick and iron fence around it.

  “Thank you…” she smiled as she stopped in front of the large gates.

  “Linnaeus,” he held out his hand to her.

  “Linnaeus,” she took it and shook it, “And hope to see you again tomorrow.”

  He studied her, a soft smile crossing his own face. “As I do you.”

  She started to open the gate, only to stop and turn back. “Would you…like to stay, even for a drink?”

  He blinked before shaking his head and moving back toward the manor.

  She opened the gate and sighed as she walked up the long drive to an old Victorian home. She could see some of the lights were on, probably her roommates getting wind of the whole ordeal. But she was distracted with herself. Linnaeus. It was a rather unique name, however…could he have realized something about her? She thought at how it would not make a difference and she had more pressing matters to deal with.

  Before she hit the door she caught the argument of some video on the widescreen showing paranormal evidence and the skeptic of the trio was working on debunking it. As she quietly attempted to slip to her suite undetected, she caught a ‘Don’t even try it Nyx!’ from the living room. Her head hung as she instead strode to see the two of them sitting and watching the vids on the large screen.

  “Dude! What happened?!” Rochelle exclaimed.

  “Bad night.” She sighed, peeling off her still soaked hoodie. “I need a shower, a pot of tea, an entire pack of Oreos, and comfy clothes with a warm blanket before I even fathom talking about it.” She peeled off her black and white converse as she sat on a small bench next to the door.

  Aurel looked over the back of the couch, his mouth dropped. “Need me to kick someone’s ass?”

  “No. Not yet.” She sighed, “Just let me get warm and I will be back to tell you about it.”

  “Take your time,” Rochelle shooed her as they resumed the video and returned to the debate.

  Nyx was thankful for it as they ignored her as she made her way up to her bedroom suite. Her mind was trying to take in all that happened. The reactions, the concern, the protective natures. But him? How could she talk about them? They would want to join her. Perhaps it was just a date? A simple date. Though she had yet to come out of the familiar closet…gods what was she to do? And those eyes. His energy…what just happened?