Bambi and the Duke

Moments passed before Vivian had calmed herself. Leonard pulled his kerchief to wipe her tears and handing it to her so that she could blow her nose.

"Do you want to rest?" he asked, seeing the rims of her eyes that had turned red.

"I won't be able to sleep," she whispered.

"It's okay. I will be here," he assured her, "As long as you want me here," and even after that, thought Leo to himself.

"The switcher, he came to retrieve the potion from the box in the village."

"Potion?" his eyes started to narrow at the mention of the potion.

"The person you mentioned about infiltrating the council, that was the person we met today in the dead man's village. Paul, Sister Isabelle and another councilman. Unfortunately, I couldn't see who he is impersonating in the council," when Leonard had found out about Sister Isabelle being impersonated, he had guessed it to be so as a councilman's attendance to a certain place wasn't fixed. They were sent only after the discussional meeting and today it happened to finish in less than a few minutes, "The witch and that person are working together."

"Just one witch?" Vivian nodded to her head, "Did you see her?"

"I couldn't," she wiped her tears which was stuck to her lashes. Sniffing, her eyebrows contoured together, "It was really hard to read from the box. I tried my best but it was as if only those fragments were left on it."

"I know you did your best," he patted her head, "You did wonderful today, Bambi and I am very proud of you for standing your ground and noticing things which rest of us failed. With your help, we'll be able to save a lot more lives," which was true. People like Paul could be saved than being framed for something they were not responsible for. Before he could say what he wanted to say, Vivian spoke first,

"I understand why you did what you had to do," her black eyes peered up at him. Though she wasn't in the same wavelength as him, she understood his actions.

After putting Vivian to sleep at night by spending time next to her in silence, he had gone to walk towards the balcony of the room.

Leonard knew Vivian couldn't stay mad at him for long. The fact that their cold fight had gone and stretched for three days must have been a record as it was the longest time they had gone not speaking to each other. Vivian was the kind of person who couldn't stay angry long and it was always Leonard who got angry, not her. She was the calmer person while he was the boy who crashed every and anything out of pure rage.

He remembered her crying, asking him to look at Paul's crime which he had done without fail but everything had pointed out to his previous housekeeper. There was not a hint that could have proved the innocence of the man. Leo himself wanted it to be untrue when he had heard about it but the heat at that time had been too much to handle. To lose someone in front of your eyes was one thing, to kill the person yourself was another.

For a man of his calibre, it wouldn't have been much but he was still a person who had emotions behind the handsome passiveness face of his. And though sleep wasn't necessary for a vampire, one needed rest but it had been a while since he had slept well.

Some of the nights were a repetition of days and nights he had already lived through. It was as if the nail that was stuck to his heart refused to leave and was only hammered more with every passing time until he could let it go only if he accepted it to be part of him.

He had killed Vlass and Paul's family for making sure the future wouldn't hold any harm on either him, Vivian or anyone he held dear though right now there wasn't many he cared for.

When he first had entered the council, his first job assignment had been important like any other councilmen. Needing to make sure there was justice being served. But in return to justice, there was only more bloodshed. He had learned the hard way of a councilman. He had killed the person but one of the relatives had killed his fellow councilman out of pure revenge. Lionel being the direct authoritative who was his head, had to step in and kill the entire family to make sure no errors could be left out from the past.

Leonard carried the guilt for sometime before discarding it. In years of experience, one would only try to seek out for light than live in darkness.

Before Vivian had fallen asleep, she had told him, "That's the last potion that is left of in the possession of the witch which was given to the switcher. I think the switcher might use it on one of the pureblooded vampires who work for the council."

But he doubted it would be used on a single pureblooded family. If the humans could be gathered to only create a mass murder, there was possible that the black witch who was the owner of the potion bottles was trying to create a mass murder by baiting the pureblooded vampires in a mass killing, thought Leonard to himself.

With all the potion which was given to the Lord, he had kept one with him to learn about its properties. The potion that was given to Lord Nicholas had been handed over to the council lab department which was destroyed. It seemed that the one he had in his possession and the one the switcher had was the last one left before the witch would have to wait for years before creating one as the herbs and other plants that were used to create were destroyed.

He wondered who that councilman could be who the switcher had taken a form of.

Not knowing when she had fallen asleep, Vivian sat up on the bed to find the bed empty. Her eyes trailed around the room until it went to find the shadow of silhouette which had formed on the floor due to the person standing out in the balcony.

Vivian had been upset when she had found out about what she saw. She wondered how many times, the law had punished the innocent who wasn't involved in the matter.

Pushing out the covers from her lap, her feet stepped on the ice cold marble floor. Padding slowly to see Leonard who stood there. From where she stood, she could see the wind blowing his blonde hair.

As if sensing her presence, he turned to speak to her, "Get back to sleep. You have a good amount of hours before the sun rises today."

"Why aren't you sleeping?" she inquired. It wasn't one or two time but several time where she had noticed him awake and not in the same bed she would have seen him sharing with her. Did he have trouble sleeping? She wouldn't be surprised if it was so. With things being so dire since weeks and months, one could hardly have a peaceful sleep.

Vivian didn't know how he did it but once she had stepped in his line of sight and near him, he had pulled her by her waist effortlessly as if he was sweeping a feather from the surface. She didn't complain. She had missed the safe haven like feeling by being near him like this. With not speaking to him for the last three days, she had missed him immensely.

He pulled her even close so that he could hug her in his arms. To feel her, to not only reassure her but also him that she was here with him right now.

"Vivi, allow me to drink from you," he whispered above her shoulder where he had placed his chin staring at the abyss. As she didn't respond, it made Leo wonder if she was still sleepy or if she was being apprehensive of giving her blood to him.

Vivian didn't answer him but she pulled away herself from his arm, staring into his eyes as she moved her hair away which was hovering over her neck. She made way for his sight so that he could now view her lean slender neck which was smooth under the moonlight which rarely shone down the lands of Bonelake.

Unlike the previous times, Vivian didn't shy away from what he needed from her. Her readiness only softened his wild mind that had come to prowl during this hour of the night with her being presented for him to have.

Leonard pulled her waist to press to the front of his body to earn a gasp of surprise escape her lips.

With one of her arm which was stuck between her and his body while the other rested on his chest. If she hadn't placed it there, she wouldn't have known that his heart was beating as fast as hers. His red eyes looked dark.

Leaning forward and letting her lean back slightly, he brought out his fangs which traced the column of her neck before biting into her tender skin to feel her flinch in his arms.

The prick on her neck was compensated with Leonard's warm mouth that sucked on her skin which made her shiver in pleasure and in cold. Though it wasn't the time to feel like this, she couldn't help but feel the need for his closeness form at the bottom of her stomach. She moved back her neck so that he could have easier access, secretly wanting him to explore more which he obliged without having the need to be told verbally.

Her eyes were closed as he drank blood from her neck. Sigh escaping her lips as the pair of lips that was on her neck sucked the skin to bring in more blood into the pureblooded vampire's mouth.

Suddenly she felt her legs dangling in the air as Leonard had put his arm around her leg to pick her off the ground to take her inside. But he didn't stop at the sight of her bed. Walking across the room, he opened the door and took her to his room. Leo didn't like spending his time here in the guest room and it was only for her sake had he not asked yet to sleep in his own bed.

Right now, he wanted her in his bed than a bed which was used by the others in the past. To have one's woman in their own bed was what was right in Leo's eyes.

Kicking the door of his room open, he closed it with his leg before taking her to his bed and almost throwing her at the centre of it. Vivian's body bounced and as she tried to get back her composure Leonard was on top with his mouth back to latching on her neck to drink more blood from her.

"Ah!" Vivian's voice escaped her delicate lips when Leo bit into her skin this time without using his fangs. His coarse tongue lapped on the little wound that had come to bruise. Not leaving it with just one, he bit into another side of her neck until her neck had started to form small patches of blue and green on her skin surrounding her neck.

Feeling him kiss below the shell of her ear, she felt him pull back such that she saw the trail of blood that had dripped down from one side of his lips. His eyes looked alive like it wanted to devour her right away sending a shiver down her spine. His hair had been ruffled due to the wind which only drew out the wilderness from his soul.

The way he looked now, it made her think if it was the trouble in his mind that had been agitated to the point that he looked as if he would tear her out. She didn't know if it would be out of killing her or out of touching her.

Wanting to temper it down, she placed her hand gently on his cheek. Running her thumb the way he often did to her she felt him lean into her touch.