The Demon’s Bride

Elise gulped, her heartbeat begins to race in fear. Remembering the roof where she nearly falls just by one more single step, her blood felt as if it was turning cold. Wake up, Elise! She shouted in her mind. If this was a dream she could wake up and solve the problem.

The effect of the voodoo magic should have gone by now with Tracey's death, then why was she still under the influence of her dream? Unless it wasn't voodoo magic that made her dream nightmares?

Fortunately, she could walk and Elise made her way to her bed which was the safest place she had right now. If she goes out, who knows what kind of new experience she would have to go through and she didn't want to fall from the roof.

Quickly pushing herself to the bed, Elise pulled the quilt to turn and see the glass window before feeling unsafe and turn her face to the other side of the bed when her blue eyes met the red pair of eyes.

Surprised, Elise's eyes widened and her body sprang back but as if it was Ian's teaching for her not to ever move back, her body stopped awkwardly where her hand was one on her back, seeming like a person who was caught red handed and wish to make a run for it. Elise did feel like she should dash from the situation but she didn't.

She could barely see Ian's face with the shadows looming over him but she could tell it was Master Ian who was now sleeping on the other side of her bed by his red colored eyes. But Elise wasn't sure yet and she questioned, "Is that you Master Ian?" and after her words, Elise pursed her lips, her fingers squeezed the quilt she had covered over her.

"Will anyone come at night other than me here?" Ian's voice rang in her ears and Elise felt ticklish. She couldn't believe Master Ian was here on the side of her bed where she would usually sleep. "You looked surprised earlier. Did you think you were about to have a sleepwalk again?"

"Yes," she replied. It was on her mind how dangerous her sleepwalking was. She didn't want to sleep out of fear she would die when she did. "Master Ian, how did you enter my room?" Elise asked the question she had in the back of her mind.

Was it the teleportation magic he used? Ian couldn't have used the door and window without opening it because if he did come from either of the openings, Elise would have known.

"I came with my tricks," Ian replied his smile widening when he saw Elise's eyes kept on running away from him, looking anywhere else. It was obvious how his presence on her bed was rattling her. "All to the corners of this castle is mine, it comes without saying that I have many of my ways to enter each room here including yours. I didn't want to interrupt you when you were reading a letter earlier." Ian's eyes rolled to the corner of his eyes. The vampire's intention by sending the letter is clear. He had taken a liking to the treasure he had in hands now.

Elise blinked at him. She had thought Ian came the moment she blew the flame from the candle but from his words, she could take that Ian had stood inside her room long ago. "How long have you have been inside the room?" Until when and what words did she hear between her conversation with Hallow? It didn't seem to her that Hallow noticed Ian's presence in the room either.

"Why do you ask me?" Ian replied to her question with another. Elise couldn't see his expression but somewhere she felt that his eyes were narrowing when he spoke, "Were you hiding something that you wish I wouldn't know such as maybe the sender of the letter?"

"There isn't anything that I am hiding," Elise replied. One more moment late until she realized her lies had been deciphered.

How was she supposed to hide her feelings when the person she was in love with could tell everything from her heartbeat?

The poor Elise, however, didn't know that even without his hearings, Ian could tell how she loved him. The question was would she be able to stand him? Seeing how she was able to accept his words that he had murdered his father and seeing his endless killings it seemed no matter what he would do Elise's eyes would forever settle for him which was what Ian wants.

"I see there isn't anything you are hiding then tell me who sent you the letter? Maroon told me it was from someone special to you," Ian hummed, his words alluding her to reveal what he wishes to know.

"It is from Mr. Harland, we met in Clin Village," she added. In the letter, Edward said she could call him by his given name but she felt weird to call the man's name when they had only met twice.

Elise looked up at the man resting on the side of her bed, wondering what Ian was doing by staying there. If someone knew they had shared a bed, it would be scandalous and she tried not to think.

Elise didn't know how to keep her mind focus on his question now. The lack of light saved her. If the room was a bright light and Elise saw him sleeping on the side of her bed while staring at his eyes, she knew she would not be able to keep up with everything. Worse, Elise was sure her heart would burst.

Yet the sooner she thought of the light and how the darkness saved her, Ian snapped his finger and all the candlestick brightened with flame, giving the dark room the light. Elise saw Ian sleeping on the side of her bed with his left hand propping his face. His eyes were somewhere intimidating, having Elise gulped in nervousness.

"I remember him of course the vampire. It comes to my notice how you seem to have known the vampire well after meeting him only once that you two begin to exchange letters now." Ian's bright red eyes that often seem as if he was someone who watched from the third point of view looked narrowed on her when he dropped his remarks.

When his smile seemed to leave his lips, the situation around Elise turns fragile. As if one touches the air it would make the line between them crumble.

The fragile air made Elise bite the inside of her cheeks, "I met him again when I went to the market," she replied. She had forgotten to say her meeting with Edward in the thread shop, thinking that it wasn't something she should tell him to but thinking it now, she felt like someone who had lied and hide the meeting.

"I didn't hear that before when I had asked you after the trip to the market," he spoke there were bits of disappointment in his eyes she could see that squeezed her heart.

Elise didn't want Ian to misunderstand her as someone who was hiding the fact and quickly spoke, "I forgot to say it," started Elise when she felt Ian pulling her arm, bringing her to raise her back from the bed and pushed her to rest on the place where he had slept on.

Elise's heart leaped out of its bound, her eyes panicked when she looked up but when she did, she couldn't look anywhere else other than his eyes. Ian placed his hands on the side of her head, pushing the pillow her head was resting on. His handsome face showed the observing look and she could see him feeling somewhere curious yet displeased. The thought that they were on the bed set her nerves haywire.

"You forgot even though I know well how smart you are, sweetheart? Tell me what happened between you two when you meet each other again on the thread shop, Elise?" asked Ian, being as gentle as he could but it didn't help because he wasn't a being of gentleness. His red eyes fiercely gouging the expression she made under him and the intensity had Elise turn stiff like a board.

Elise felt her lips stammered with their distance, she was afraid his lips would touch her but at the same time elated that in the short distance sigh just a light push she would be able to kiss his lips. It made her to feel torn. Her cheeks heated in the color of red with every thought that passed her mind and each breath she breathed became harder to take while her ears picking the drumming sound of her heartbeats.

"I-I met him in the thread shop, on the day I went to the town," Elise gulped, her throat constantly going dry as if she was thirsty, "Mr. Harland came to the shop and we talked briefly. I didn't expect him to send a letter either, he didn't say anything." It had Elise to ask herself how did Edward know where she was staying at? Was it her slip up?

Ian narrowed his eyes on the piece of information she gave. She didn't lie and Ian knew Elise wouldn't lie to him but there was to an extent Ian would want her to be oblivious. He didn't want her to not know who and what the vampire was aiming for. "He came to the thread shop?" He asked for her confirmation.

"Yes, he came to see the threads to help his family's business," Elise replied only for Ian to chuckle dryly.

"The vampire is lying." Ian declared. Her body flinched when his cold fingers sauntered from her wrist to enter the sleeve of her dress. "He is not a good liar I should say, giving lame excuses such as that, tch," Ian shook his head, "I know now not only grim reapers are set with not a good brain but a vampire too."

"He's lying?" Elise asked his unclear words.

"Did you think he came to the thread shop only for the threads?" Was there anything else other than the threads in the thread shop? she questioned. Knowing the question that passed to his mind, Ian explained, "There are many thread shops, Elise and his job isn't to scout for threads it was an excuse. He came there for something else. Something that had to ripen beautifully after reaching the age that exuded a very sweet scent that bees like him would love."

In all her innocence, Elise could still not understand his words. "Flowers?" she asked.

"Not flowers. It is finer than any flowers." His red eyes sent her a shuddering presence. Seeing how she was still in her confusion he slowly whispered. "It's you, Elise. He came there for you."