The Vampires Pet

Chapter 20

Nicholas continued to tell me about Phantom and cats in general. I learnt the reason the stories said cats were familiars to witches was because of the cats ability to see through to people's souls and it was common belief that witches had the purest souls. Though Nicholas disagreed with that, he thought witches souls were corrupt, ironic coming from a blood sucking murderous vampire.

Some people believed that rather than being able to see through to our souls, that cats actually saw souls. Rather than seeing the physical form of people, they just saw our souls. In their eyes, our souls were a blurry and floating liquid like view according to Nicholas. Although he wasn't a cat so he wasn't exactly an accurate source of information but he always seemed to know practically everything. 

Nicholas had stepped out of the room when Huxley had turned up, saying his father was calling for him. I had met Nicholas's mother and his obtuse cousin but never his father. Based of Nicholas's grumble and annoyed expression I could gather he had a strained relationship with his father.  

Phantom meowed at me, I smiled softly down at him and scratched under his chin. Nicholas had also told me that 'she' had named the cat and the reason behind it. Phantom was like a ghost, he would wander down the lonely halls, sometimes heard but never seen. As I learnt earlier when he gave me a fright, he appears out of nowhere and seamlessly makes his way around the house barely ever being seen by people. He will only become apparent to ones eyes when he chooses to be. I smiled at the thought that he allowed me to see him and if the whole seeing souls was true, then Phantom clearly had seen mine. 

I faintly remembered a cat that use to come to my home when I was younger. I couldn't remember its name, if it even had one, but the images of a cat walking around the house and sleeping on my bed came to mind as I stared at Phantom. 

He suddenly leaped from my lap and walked behind the couch, I watched him until he disappeared. He appeared shortly after, carrying something gold in his mouth.  I gasped when he jumped back on the couch and I realised what he had picked up. 

"Phantom, you can't bring that out." I said as he dropped it in my lap, he stared into my eyes almost challenging my thought of putting the necklace away. 

I pursed my lips and caved under his gaze, it was almost as powerful as Nicholas's. I held the necklace in my hands, I was still unsure what to do with it. It wasn't like I could wear it, it was definitely way too extravagant and expensive for someone like me to be in possession of. I'm sure Nicholas would be more than unpleased that I took yet another thing while on a job with him. I wasn't exactly a thief and actually, the necklace came with me rather than me taking it, it wasn't against its will. 

The bedroom door opened, rendering me frozen as the necklace in my hands was more than noticeable. I didn't have time to even think of hiding it as Nicholas walked in front of me. I glanced up at him, fear and worry filled my eyes. His eyes were trained on the necklace, a few creases decorated his forehead as he tried to figure out what I was doing with the necklace and where it came from. 

He placed a bowl he was carrying on the side table and locked his eyes on mine. 

"You really wouldn't be a good thief or liar at that, your heart reacts too much and you show your every emotion on your face." He said, c*****g an eyebrow as he sat on the end of his bed opposite me. 

I gulped. "Sorry." I wasn't sure what else to say. 

"Where did that come from?" He nodded at the necklace. 

"I uh.." I stared down at Phantom, silently cursing. "I found it." 

"Uhuh, I see and where exactly did you find it Fairy?" His eyes were narrowed but not angry. 

"Er so." I winced at my words and lack of. "When we were hunting berserks." 

He furrowed his eyes slightly. "When? You were at my side at all times." 

"When you killed that berserk that I believed was still partly conscious. He broke a part of the floorboard and when you walked outside I noticed something under them so I grabbed it." 

"And you hid it in your pocket?" 

I shook my head. "Not quite Master."

"Not quite? Explain Fairy."

"When you called for me, it gave me a fright so I dropped the necklace and ran after you. I didn't think about it again until we got home and I noticed it was in my pocket, I didn't mean to take it, I swear." 

"Just like you didn't mean to take that book right?" He gave me a pointed look. 

"Well... I guess." I sighed in defeat, dropping my head. 

Phantom brushed his head against my hand, causing my hand to close around the necklace. I glanced at him, 'this is all your fault' I mouthed, he meowed in return, clearly unfazed. When I glanced back up, Nicholas was studying me with pensive eyes. He was trying to work something out, what that something was, I had no clue but I knew it involved me. 

"Give it to me." He held out his hand, I hesitantly passed him the necklace. 

He studied it with the same eyes he had studied me with. I wasn't sure what seemed so interesting about a golden necklace to him, I had studied it already but nothing seemed to stand out, it was just a really nice piece of jewelry. The ruby matched the intense glow of Nicholas's eyes. 

"I'm sorry Master. I should've told you when I found it in my pocket." 

His gaze on the necklace broke as his eyes snapped to mine. "I'm sure I already mentioned today how that word was getting on my nerves." He said coldly. "I'll be needing this for now." 

He walked to his bedside table and put the necklace in the top draw. I didn't want him to take the necklace but there wasn't much I could do about it. I sighed quietly and looked at Phantom, I gave him a pointed look but scratched under his chin anyway. It was nice to have someone else in this house, even if it was a cat that just got me in trouble. 

Nicholas walked back to me. "Eat." He pointed to the bowl of porridge he had put on the end table. 

I silently ate the porridge, my eyes staring out the windows as the sunny day turned to cloudy. Rain drops soon fell, causing soft hammering on the roof that soothed me. The rain, although distressed others, it always calmed me. Sometimes I compared myself to the rain, I was disliked by many too but the few souls like my parents and grandma, they liked the rain. They always spoke about how the rain filled the rivers and creeks, it watered the thirsty plants and allowed us to have baths whenever we wanted. Just as the sun had it's benefits, the rain did too but many refused to see that and just focused on the shadowy days it brought. 

The air was always crisp and fresh after rainfall, it was tranquil. My father and I use to play in the rain, often getting scolded by mother who in turn would join us anyway. During those times, I felt as free as the rain and the clouds that carried it. Now was I was trapped as I helplessly watched the rain fall outside. 

"Come." Nicholas's rough voice knocked me from my thoughts. 

I glanced up at him, staring blankly until he started to walk towards the door. I stood up, leaving Phantom on the couch and following Nicholas. He walked without missing a beat all the way to the front door, I furrowed my eyebrows slightly, we weren't going out again right?

He opened the door, letting a rush of cool air hit me. We stood on the porch, the rain wasn't heavy but it still created a foggy atmosphere. Nicholas arm reached out in front of him, his index finger out straight, pointed to the side of the circular cobblestone parkway. There stood a less than tidy flowerbed, the flowers were clearly being consumed by the weeds. 

I turned to Nicholas with furrowed brows, he caught onto my confusion quickly. "Weed the flowerbed." 

"In the rain?" I glanced at the rain and then back at Nicholas. 

"Well I wouldn't of brought you here if I didn't want you to weed them in the rain." 

I nodded my head slowly, I didn't mind the rain but the cold it brought with it. I could dance in the rain all summer but in autumn when the land was prepping for winter, the chill with the rain could be unbearable. I started walking out into the rain, the soft drops hit me and at first they didn't bring the cold with them. 

Nicholas thought this would be a punishment and although it was, I didn't mind it much at all. I made my way to the flower bed and knelt down, the cold had started to crawl over my body, leaving goosebumps over my exposed skin. I started weeding, the rain falling down my face in droplets. I wasn't sure how long I was weeding before my body started to shake from the cold, my bottom lip quivered and my sight had started to become blurry from all the rain on my face. 

The rain began to get more heavy and I knew I was soaked through. I turned and glanced back at Nicholas who was leaning against the wall by the door still, dry and warm with a smirk plastered on his face. I turned back to the flower bed, with all the rain, It was becoming difficult to see what was a weed or an out of season flower, I'm certain I pulled a fair few flowers out accidently. 

"Hurry it up." Nicholas yelled over the rain. 

I glanced back at him. "I can't." I yelled back, shooting him a glare. 

I turned away from him and stood up to change positions, my leg beginning to cramp from the cold. As I stood, my weak leg suddenly slid out from underneath me. With a yelp I fell backwards, landing on my ass then the momentum taking me back so I was lying on my back staring up at the clouded sky and falling rain. 

I huffed out a breath, getting rid of a few droplets that were on my lips. I didn't move to get up, I just lay there and closed my eyes, listening to the rhythmic sounds of a rainy day. Soon I heard footsteps approaching, I cracked my right eye open to see Nicholas standing above me, sheltering my head from the rain so I could stare at him. 

"What are you doing Fairy?" He asked. 

I shrugged. "I slipped." 

"Oh I saw that." He smirked. "But why are you still on the ground and not weeding the gardens?"

"I can't see what's weeds or flowers anymore, there's too much rain." 

"At this point I don't care what you pull out, just weed the garden so I can go back inside." 

"Then just go inside." I challenged, staring into his eyes. 

"I'm not stupid enough to leave you out here to make a run for it." He half growled at me. "So hurry up so we can go inside." 

He reached down suddenly, grabbing my wrist and pulling me effortlessly to my feet. I wiped my face with my arm, not that it helped much.  

"Then help me." I said. 

"What?" He gave me an incredulous look. 

"Help me." I repeated. "It will get done faster with two people, then you can go inside." 

I wasn't sure what washed over me, call it confidence or idiocy but I was sure it was from the rain. It gave me strength, even when it chilled me to the bone. 

"You do realise this is your punishment right?" He gave me a dumbfounded look. He probably thought the weather was getting to my head, and well it was but not in the way he thought. 

I stared into his eyes, they showed no apparent anger which only gave me more confidence. I was starting to notice some things I said or did, didn't anger him as I thought they would, I could tread carefully and see how much I could get away with. 

"I think it's beginning to be yours too." I let out a breathy laugh, looking at the raindrops running down his face. 

I didn't think he would actually help, I just wanted to make him stand in the rain for as long as I could to give him a taste of his own medicine for a bit. Secretly, of course. So when he narrowed his eyes and smirked as he crouched to the ground, my eyes nearly fell from their sockets. I stood still, staring down at Nicholas as he pulled a weed from the flowerbed. 

He turned to me, his eyebrows raised. "What are you gawking at? Hurry up." I crouched beside him, brushing the rain and hair out of my eyes. I grabbed a weed but before I could pull it out, a hand wrapped around my wrist. "That's a flower." 

I looked down, blinking until my eyes focused more and saw the blue flower. I nodded my head and continued weeding, trying not to pluck the flowers. Nicholas was working quickly and easily, he could see better than I could and move his not frozen limbs faster. 

"What in the world are you doing Nicholas?" Both of us looked up at the voice and stared at his mother. 

Nicholas turned his head back to mine, his eyes locking with mine. "I'm weeding. What else would I be doing mother?" He laughed. 

A ghost of a smile appeared on my lips at his laugh. 

"I think my son has finally lost it." His mother said. 

Her next sentence was incoherent to my ears but I didn't miss the look that flashed over her face or how her eyes lingered on me before she turned and disappeared into the house.