Bambi and the Duke

Next book in the series, book #4: Young master Damien's pet

She gulped the remaining taste that was in her mouth, "Shall we go?" he asked her. Standing up, he gave his hand for her to take and when she took it, she was glad as she felt a sudden head rush as she stood up. It took her a couple of seconds to get her footing right before following Leo with her hand in his. 

The coachman had been waiting for them and upon their arrival, he quickly went around to open the carriage door to hear the duke say, "How long is the distance from here to the mansion?" It was the oddest question to the coachman as they had travelled across this path several times in all these years. And for the master to ask it, he found it to be rather odd. Nonetheless, the coachman bowed his head as he went to answer,

"It shouldn't take more than ten minutes from here to get back to the mansion, master Leonard," with the lady who stepped in, the man nodded his head. 

"Make sure you go carefully this time," Leo ordered his coachman and got in. The coachman didn't question with what or why's and instead, he continued to bow his head. Closing the door, he hopped on the front seat and rode the carriage towards the mansion. 

When the couple reached the mansion, Leo was the first one to step out who was followed by Vivian. 

Vivian who had been hurting before felt better than what she had been feeling. Her chest felt lighter which made her wonder what had just happened. Not to forget the taste of blood that her tongue remembered which had begun to crave. They were greeted by Jan the housekeeper who opened the doors for them, greeting the master first and then the lady with a deep bow. 

"Jan," Leo gained the housekeeper's reaction, "Prepare the blood tea and bring it up to our room right away."

"Yes, master Leonard," the housekeeper obliged, turning himself quickly from the couple, he headed to the kitchen. 

"I will go and wash myself up," Vivian informed him to receive a nod.

"I will be there soon," he said to see her walk up the stairs. Leo's eyes didn't leave her until she disappeared behind the large walls. 

Jan was quick in his tea skills as it didn't take him more than three minutes to prepare the blood tea which he was expertise with. Bringing the tray which held the cup he offered it to the Duke but instead of taking the teacup, he saw the man take hold of the tray.

"Thank you, Jan. If you could also prepare a meal and bring it up after half an hour..."

"Yes, master Leonard."

Leonard followed the trail of Vivian, walking up the fleet of stairs before he walked towards his room with the tray in his hand. When he opened the door, he noticed Vivian who had been standing in front of the mirror. Her head snapped to look at him as if consumed with shock and disbelief. 

"Leo," she whispered. Her once black eyes that he had come to be used to now stared at him with red eyes. It was as dark as the blood which would have dried in the open air. Holding the colour which many pureblooded vampires shared with each other. 

While Vivian who had only come to realize and notice the change, Leonard had noticed it after she was done drinking his blood. The colour of her eyes had changed once she had opened them. 

"I-I...I turned to a vampire," she uttered the words not believing her own ears as she said them.

"I noticed. How do you feel?" he asked her, walking up to her, he handed the teacup to her. How was he so calm when she was fretting about what just happened to her. 

She felt no different therefore she had no clue that she had turned to a pureblooded vampire or less a vampire. How did it happen? What happened?! At first, she had been having chest cramps and she could barely remember her stumbling through the forest next to where the carriage had been stopped until her lips moved away from Leo's wrist. The pain had been unbearable and excruciatingly slow that had begun to creep up and across her chest, branching the pain like roots that had made it difficult for her to breath.

"Calm down, Vivian," he said feeling the spike in her heartbeat which had begun to pick its pace out of anxiety. She might have shown the traits of a pureblooded vampire but there was no saying if she was hundred percent vampire right now. A vampire's heart was stronger than a human but they were yet to find how she felt and what had triggered, "We can speak about it later. Try drinking the blood tea," he suggested.

Vivian did what he asked her to, raising the cup she took a sip for her eyebrows that had been knitted closely to loosen up. 

"How does it taste?" she saw Leo wait for her to answer after she had gulped from the first sip. His eyes stared at her, waiting patiently.

"Sweet," she said.

"You can drink the entire cup," for some reason now, she felt as if she were being tested and it made her feel odd. 

"Won't you have some?" she asked thoughtfully. She had drunk his blood and she was sure it wasn't little. 

Leonard didn't mind and caught hold of her hand, bringing the cup to him to take a sip from it, "There. You can have the rest." For a vampire or a pureblooded vampire, their thirst was well taught to be regulated when they were young due to which it was rare for one to go rampant on humans for blood.

Vivian had not turned to a mere vampire but a pureblooded vampire, yet the sight of blood didn't entice her, neither did the smell. Something was wrong and he was sure that her transition wasn't completed or she had just transitioned wrongly. But she had been giving out signs of her lineage. 

Once she had emptied the teacup until the last drop in there, she asked, "What's going on with me?" 

"I think your body is trying to go back to the original state now. I don't think there has been any necessary trigger that would have started the process. How has your health been these days, Vivi?" he asked her.

"Same," she whispered the answer. 

"Same?" he tilted his head, "Same as in good health without any disruption or same as to what had today?"

"I have been having a little discomfort for a few days now, but it wasn't this bad," she didn't know if he was going to scold her for not telling it to him, "Am I vampire now?" she asked slowly.

"The taste of blood didn't repulse you and your eyes are deep, dark red in colour. So I guess you are," he smiled to ease the worry that had come to form on her forehead. Hearing his words, Vivian felt relief wash over her body. 

She went back to look at the mirror, to see her iris staring back at her reflection. She couldn't believe that she had finally be turned back to her original self, "Vivi," she heard Leo call her who had taken a step towards her. Turning back to face him, she waited for him to speak.

"All this while you have searched for memories of others but this time I need you to look within yourself."

"Within myself?" 

"Yes," he responded back, taking her hand in his, he took her to the bed and made her sit. He pulled a chair and placed it in front of her, "I need you to search your memories, Vivi."

"I never was able to find it until now," she admitted at his suggestion. Like any time she had been curious to find out if she could see her parents but she didn't know how she could because it always felt like a dead end. She had hoped to see her parents, hoped to hear them or why and when they had sent her away from the household but there was nothing in there. 

"That must have been a while ago," he ran his thumb at the top of her hand. Gently caressing it, "Start with me."

Vivian blinked, realizing what he meant. All this time she had touched objects and people, some of their memories had passed through them to her in ease like water being slid down on a windowpane while some were frozen. Until now she couldn't figure out why she wasn't able to read Leo. Maybe it was because she had never tried for it wholeheartedly. His feelings for her weren't opaque and was rather transparent. 

"I don't know if it is a good idea," she didn't want her stumbling across his memories where he had killed people mercilessly. Her parents being one of them.

"You are stronger than before. Don't think about it. Pick the other memories you want to read," he said sensing her reluctance, "As Sister Isabelle said some of us are hard to read. But your ability has gotten better, I can sense the confidence when you start to touch the objects to read what has occurred. I trust you to not stumble where you don't want to," he tightened his hand on hers, waiting for her to read.

"I have never tried it on you," she looked into his eyes, unsure of what they were going to do.

"I know. That is one of the reasons why you need to start with me before you go to your own memories. It is a good place to start," he encouraged, "There is something I want to confirm but you will have to find it yourself."

Vivian looked down at Leo's hands, feeling the heat that emanated from his skin. With a deep breath, she took the sep to probe into his mind where the memories laid hidden to another person. Similar to Abel, Vivian could see the different windows of memories that came in front of her, waiting to be touched and seen. 

Having never peeked into his memories before, Vivian picked the ones that were of their childhood when they were young. She saw the anger that had often surged and coursed through his veins when he was young, being one of the reasons why he was sent away from the Carmichael mansion so that he could take them. It was a fight between him and Christopher over something the other boy had said and done, irking the Duke which led to him beating the older boy.

It was the very next day when little Vivian had placed her hand on his cheek in an effort to reduce the pain on his bruised cheek. 

Pulling away from his memories, she said, "You were an adorable young man when we were young. Getting angry for little things."

One side of Leo's lips curled, "I am glad to hear that. If you have been able to break my memory barriers, you should be able to find some in your too now," and with that, he released her hands gently.

Taking her hands back, she held them together. She closed her eyes like many times she had done before for better concentration and as she tried it, it felt as if the ground was whisked away from below her feet. Smoke and fog began to surround her. Unfortunately for her, the way she had picked others memories, she couldn't do the same with her as she travelled back to the lost and forgotten memories of her, which she could have barely remembered for her age. 

And when the fog disappeared around her she saw had happened a few years ago. The reason why she was abandoned and the time when she was finally sent away with a maid.