Chapter six
1300 Words
Alexander lay in bed, his chest heaving with exertion. Sabine, his casual lover who he just uses to satisfy his s****l urges, was curled up beside him, her eyes closed in contentment.
But as she opened her eyes and smiled at him, Alexander's expression turned cold.
"You're done," he said, his voice detached.
Sabine's smile faltered. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
Alexander sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, his back to Sabine. "I mean, you've served your purpose. You can leave now."
Sabine's eyes widened in shock. "You're just going to get rid of me like that?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Alexander stood up and began to pace around the room. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm going to do. You're nothing but a distraction, Sabine. And I don't have time for distractions."
Sabine's face crumpled, and she began to cry. Alexander watched her, his heart unmoved.
Just then, Claus burst into the room, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Alexander, my brother," he said, "I see you're busy. How...quaint."
Alexander's eyes narrowed. "Claus, what are you doing here?"
Claus grinned. “I came to talk to you about our little pet human”.
Sabine's tears stopped abruptly, and she looked at Claus with a mixture of anger and hurt. “What human pet?”… She asked but got no answer.
“What do you mean, Claus?”, Alexander asked with a serious expression on his face.
“You're just going to stand there and talk about a human girl instead of addressing what's going on between us?”, Sabine cried out.
Alexander's expression remained cold. "Sabine, you're being dramatic. Leave."
“Please Alexander, don't do this… let's talk this out”, she cried.
“Leave!”, Alexander barked.
Sabine's eyes flashed with anger, and she scrambled out of bed. "Fine," she spat. "I'll leave. But this isn't over, Alexander."
As Sabine stormed out of the room, Claus watched her go with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.
“Well, well, well,” he said, turning to Alexander. "Looks like someone's got a bit of a situation on their hands."
Alexander's eyes narrowed. “Shut up, Claus, why are you here?”.
Claus's eyes sparkled with excitement as he leaned forward, his voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. "I've been thinking, Alexander. We've been playing it too safe with humans. Don't you think it's time we took things to the next level?"
Alexander raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical. "What do you have in mind?"
Claus grinned, his fangs glinting in the dim light. “I think we should use Emilia to send a message to the humans. Show them that we're not to be trifled with”.
Alexander's expression turned cold, his eyes narrowing. "No."
Claus's grin faltered, and he looked at Alexander in surprise. "What do you mean, no?"
Alexander's voice was firm. "I mean that we're not going to use Emilia as bait. She's...different."
Claus raised an eyebrow. "Different? What do you mean?"
Alexander's expression remained cold, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of emotion. "I just mean that we can't use her like that. It's not right."
Claus's face darkened, his eyes flashing with anger. "You're getting soft, Alexander. You're letting whatever feelings you have for this human girl cloud your judgment."
Alexander's expression remained calm, but his voice was firm. "I'm not getting soft, Claus. I'm just being practical. We can't afford to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves."
Claus's anger seemed to dissipate, replaced by a calculating glint in his eye. "Fine. We'll play it your way...for now. But mark my words, Alexander. This human girl is going to be the death of us all."
Alexander's eyes narrowed, his expression cold. "I'll take that risk."
Claus walked off, leaving Alexander to his thoughts. Alexander watched him go, his eyes narrowing slightly as he wondered what Claus was planning.
After a moment, Alexander turned and walked in the opposite direction, his footsteps echoing through the hallway.
******
Emilia sat in front of the mirror, watching as Mrs. Jenkins expertly braided her hair. The gentle tug of the strands and the soft murmur of Mrs. Jenkins' voice was soothing, and Emilia felt her eyelids growing heavy. The candlelight danced across the room, casting flickering shadows on the walls as the wind outside whispered secrets in the darkness.
"There we are, dear," Mrs. Jenkins said, giving Emilia's braid a final pat. "You look lovely." Her eyes, warm with affection, met Emilia's in the mirror.
Emilia smiled, feeling a sense of gratitude towards the kind housekeeper. "Thank you, Mrs. Jenkins. You're always so kind to me."
Mrs. Jenkins smiled back, her face a map of wrinkles and concern. "You're a dear girl, Emilia. Always remember that." She paused, her eyes clouding over for a moment before she continued, "Now, off to bed with you. It's getting late, and the night can be...unpredictable."
Emilia nodded, feeling a shiver run down her spine at Mrs. Jenkins' ominous tone. She stood up, smoothing out her nightgown as Mrs. Jenkins handed her a small candle.
"Take this," Mrs. Jenkins said, her voice low and serious. "The darkness can be...frightening. But with this, you'll never be alone."
Emilia took the candle, feeling its warmth and light in her hands. She watched as Mrs. Jenkins closed the door behind her.
The room seemed to grow darker, the shadows deepening and twisting into menacing shapes. Emilia felt her heart beating faster, her senses on high alert as she climbed into bed.
She settled in, the candle's flame casting eerie shadows on the walls. Emilia closed her eyes, trying to calm her racing thoughts, but her mind refused to settle.
And then, just as she was starting to drift off to sleep, Emilia saw it. A figure, looming in the darkness outside her window. Tall, imposing, and utterly silent.
Emilia's heart skipped a beat as she froze, her eyes fixed on the figure. She couldn't see its face, but she could sense its eyes on her, boring into her skin like cold, dark drills.
A shiver ran down her spine as she wondered who it could be and what they wanted. The candle's flame flickered, casting eerie shadows on the walls as Emilia's breath came in short, sharp gasps.
The figure didn't move, didn't speak. It just stood there, watching her, its presence suffocating. Emilia felt like she was drowning in its gaze, unable to look away or escape.
And then, just as suddenly as it appeared, the figure vanished. Emilia was left staring at the empty darkness, her heart pounding in her chest like a drum.
She didn't move, didn't breathe. She just lay there, frozen in terror, as the darkness closed in around her like a shroud.
Emilia stood up, her heart still racing with fear, and tried to see where the figure had gone. She peered into the darkness, her eyes straining to adjust to the dim light.
As she moved closer to the window, she stumbled upon a figure standing in the shadows. Emilia gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as she realized that the figure was now inside her room.
The figure slowly stepped forward, its features illuminated by the faint moonlight streaming through the window. Emilia's eyes widened as she took in the familiar sight of a well-chiseled face, her piercing eyes gleaming in the darkness.
For a moment, they just stared at each other, the only sound of the heavy silence between them. Emilia's heart was still racing, but she felt a strange sense of calm wash over her as she gazed into his eyes.
"You again?" Emilia whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of her heartbeat.
- Writer
