The Demon’s Bride

After her assistant had left, Martha then shifted her position to walk outside and bowed on the presence of the Lord, "The shoes should be done by the end of the week, milord."

"Wonderful," Ian retracted his hand from Elise. He stood up and Elise followed. She watched how Martha smiled at her with politeness and heard Ian spoke, "Elise you could go in advance, there is still something I am going to request Martha to do."

Elise was curious but she went to leave the store as Ian said. When the door clicked close, Ian's smile turning to a different one where warmth was void and only wickedness appearing.

"I should say you have a very chirpy assistant, Martha," Ian dropped a remark without seeing Diana's who was cleaning the cup and the glass whose face turn surprised when the Lord mentioned about her. There was a wall between them when Diana talked about Elise, which had her wonder how the Lord was able to hear her speak.

"I apologize if she offend you in any way, milord," said Martha, being someone who stayed with her father the entire time the man had come to the store, she knows better the lines which she wasn't supposed to cross.

"I'm not so petty to be offended by the words she hadn't said yet; and if there was anyone offending me, I don't think their head would still be attached with their body." The assistant upon seeing Martha's cue quickly fled to the back of the store. The small action was noticed by Ian but he only wanted to play with them not to kill.

"I want you to create another shoes, this time it is for a ball, make it far better than any shoes you have in the store and one that enchanted Elise's beautiful legs. Oh, and make it easy to take off."

Once Ian had made his order, he then left the store knowing how it was dangerous for Elise who attract ghosts to be alone. As it seemed before ghost had come near her even with him around.

Seeing the Lord left the store, Martha recalled her assistant's question. Since the past Ian had never brought anyone to the store. The man had a habit to keep things he was fond of to himself and he doesn't bring others to the shop unless he like the person but that day had never come until today. At least to Martha's eyes, the red headed lady seemed to be an exception.

On their way home with the carriage, Elise watched Ian's eyes looking at the scenery and he turned to speak, "I forgot to mention you this before but Elise, you have plenty of power in you. It's still weak but it is getting stronger now. Do you want to know how to use your sight?"

"Do you mean my sight?" asked Elise, does Master Ian meant by was her ability to see things that were not seen by normal humans?

"Yes. You can't borrow the power of faeries but you could use the ghosts' help, they maybe a very unreliable ally but you could control them. As long as you can talk to them all you have to do is one thing to have them follow your orders and answer to your questions," Ian's lips quirked up as he spoke as if he was planning something to do.

"I only have to do one thing?" It doesn't sounds hard to only do a single thing but somewhere Elise doubt that it would not be easy.

"Yes tell them you are Diablo sponsa scriptor, that should do you good," Ian red gaze twinkled after his reply. He didn't know that being weak was filling Elise's mind. Because she had never been weak. It make him wonder why she thought herself as weak.

If Elise was weak, she wouldn't be here now. She lost her family, suffer from the endless misfortune that was similar to a wheel, turning around every time to plummet her to her lowest when she was the happiest. Yet Elise was still here, moving on with her life. She also protected herself well and Ian knew it like the time of the spider, how she had save herself.

"What does Diablo sponsa scriptor mean?" Elise asked, her head tilting. Was it alright for her to claims to be the term when she didn't know what it meant?

"Something good which would make you happy but I will not tell you the meaning for now," His red gaze staring at her was with meaningful gaze but also a playful one as he knew Elise's curiosity was reaching to the peak right after his words.

Once they arrived back to the mansion, Ian touched her skin but his warmth failed to come as the gloves were on the way. Taking one off, he then touched her cheeks, caressing it to then stop at her lips again.

"Is there something wrong with my lips?" asked Elise, her blue eyes looking at him was glassy like a liquid glass.

Elise saw Ian raised his brow at her, "Why do you ask?"

"Master Ian, you keep rubbing my lips and I thought maybe there was something on it," Elise replied she didn't know and had been questioning why Ian was rubbing her lower lips and his eyes staring at it with a deep brooding look.

"No there isn't anything on it. Your lips is a perfect, healthy, and a luscious one," Ian praised as his thumb brushing her lower lips to press when he used enough power, he watched how his thumb entered her lips. Elise's heart jerked at the sensation of his thumb while Ian enjoyed the sight of her eyes covered with confusion and panic. Redness covered her cheeks to the tips of her ears and the lips on his thumb quivered.

A fierce expression stormed over Ian's eyes which Elise found and her throat rolled when she gulped. She then heard, "If you wish to know about Maroon, come to my office whenever you have time. You don't need to hesitate, my door will be open for your day or night."

His offer sounded more like a sweat coaxing to Elise's ears where he offered her to stay at night with him and the recollection of the night ago where she had to roll her nightgown to have most of her skin exposed to her bottom come to fill her mind, turning her to be more embarrassed.

Ian never missed her expression and seeing her heartbeat taking a turn, his smile widened. "I should go in now, don't stay out for too long," he said to turn his back, letting Elise to cool down her heating cheeks.

Once Ian left to enter the castle, Elise brought her hand to cover her cheeks. She made her way to her room and sat on her bed. Even though fifteen minutes had passed, she could still hear how her heart was drumming.

When Elise tried to remember the look Ian had on his face when his thumb entering her mouth, she shivered, the spot of her lips where he touched tingled and she bite on the spot. Ian was bad for her heart, Elise thought. But today was a great day. She got to experience the day outside with Ian. She then wondered what 'Diablo sponsa scriptor' meant? Was it a language she doesn't know?

Elise thought to find a language books in library but with no clue what language it was, she doubt it would be easy to find out. Master Ian would always answer her question but this time he didn't. Why was it?

Finding no answer, Elise then stood up from her bed, walking to place her cloak on her dressing table when her eyes stopped at the envelope which was directed to her from the vampire, Edward Harland.