The vampire and the assassin

Chapter 4

I followed behind Lucian and got into his car once I was outside. I didn't say anything, as it seemed that the vampires were talking amongst themselves about whatever business it was that they had been busy buying out. I just looked out the window, taking in all the different sights. I noticed how in the area we were in, it must have been on top of a hill or mountain, as to one side was a vast forest that I'd heard werewolves howling in, and the other side was open, and I could see the lights glittering of whatever town or city was close by to us. It looked so beautiful that I wished I could have stayed there a moment longer to enjoy the sight. As we drove, I didn't notice any demons or anything that I'd seen before Lucian had made me a prisoner; maybe the chaos had been sorted. I glanced over at Lucian, who didn't seem to look at me once, so I didn't bother asking my question; maybe where I was heading I'd be able to find out. I wasn't putting any money on it.

Lucian's phone began to ring, and he answered it while sitting next to me. I didn't bother to listen to the conversation; if it was important to me, I was pretty sure he'd tell me whatever I needed to know, so I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes as my stomach growled in protest of hunger.

"Change of plan, just go straight to Xander's house." I felt Lucian shift in his seat next to me, so I lifted my head up and looked at him. "We're going straight to Xander's house, there's no time for you to change and get yourself ready for him."

"Ok," I muttered, mostly to show that I was listening to him, and then turned my attention back to the outside of the car.

"Are you not going to ask me any questions about him?" Lucian asked, seemingly slightly amused by my attitude. Either that or he was starting to get mad at me but was doing his best to hide it.

"I tried earlier, but you got angry at me for asking, so I figured that I'd figure the situation out the best I could when I got there." I shrugged, not even bothering to look at Lucian that time around.

"No, what you were asking were questions about why I wanted this done. Like I said to you, what I set out to gain from this has nothing to do with you in the slightest." I heard Lucian shift in his spot again as if he were bored of the conversation, which suited me fine, as I was in fact bored of the conversation as well as him.

Neither of us spoke during the drive, and I could feel myself beginning to fall asleep, which was both a blessing and a curse. I hated the idea of falling asleep in a car with Lucian, considering I knew what he was like and I knew if I'd done something to offend him, he wouldn't think twice about teaching me a lesson, but in the same breath, I counted it as a blessing as the silence was driving me crazy and also because I could see if he truly was serious about needing my help. After all, if I got him mad and he lashed out at me, it meant I was within my rights to tell him no, even though I knew it wouldn't end well if I had told him no. So I allowed myself the luxury of a little shut-eye before we arrived.

"Rosabelle, wake up; we're nearly there." I heard Lucian's voice and felt him shake me a little. I opened my eyes and looked around to see pitch black; there was nothing around other than trees. Great, I was going from one remote location to another. In the distance, I could hear the howls of wolves, which set me on edge a little. "The one thing we did not discuss was when the wedding would be." I heard in Lucian's voice an urgency to tell me when the deadline for this job was. I guessed we were closer than he'd led me to believe. "If I remember correctly, you have five weeks until the wedding."

"And the plan is to simply let him trust me, and when we get closer, you'll bring my dagger, and then I'll do the job."

"Exactly. Think you can do it? My brother is very mistrustful of everyone he meets, so you need to be extra charming and special."

I nodded. I had no idea how I was meant to do that. The worst case was that I simply found a way into his room before the wedding and took care of him like that. I'd figure it out after all; I had a lot of pent-up anger to get out of me, and I certainly wasn't going to let the idea of killing Lucian's brother slip away; after all, Lucian was next on my list once I was free.

The car stopped at some large iron gates that were open. I noticed the beautiful mansion house made of light-colored brick, and it had lights that shone downward onto the front to light up the front of the house, and in the garden, it looked like there were hidden lights to light that up too. Wow, so this was the life of luxury that vampires lived. I should have figured, after all, they'd been around for god knows how long and had probably earned a lot of money in that time, so it was no surprise that Lucian's brother lived in a massive house like that. It wouldn't have surprised me if I found servants in the house to keep it clean and tidy for him.

"Shall I go ahead?" The driver asked Lucian. I couldn't help but frown a little and wonder why the driver was asking such a question; after all, it was his brother.

"Yes, drive to the front of the house," Lucian commanded. "He will have his guards waiting if I know my brother; as I said, he doesn't trust anyone." Lucian then looked over at me as if he were trying to drive home the point of how paranoid his brother was around people he didn't know. "Just remember little assassin, our deal. Go back on your word, and I will kill you. Also, don't forget to do what you have to do; just don't get too comfortable. The biggest thing you need to remember is that your freedom is on the line."

The car slowly drove around the mansion until it stopped at the front, where two guards waited with the doors to the mansion open. The front looked amazing in a way that I'd never seen before. There were bushes with flowers growing by the side of the doors, and there were more of the downlights that were on to give the front a soft glow. I found it hard to believe a vampire lived there; it looked more like the home of a millionaire, which made me wonder what the inside was like and if they had everything you'd expect to find in a human house inside or if they'd got rid of it to give them more space to do vampire stuff.

"Our welcoming committee is here." Lucian grinned and then looked over at me. I couldn't help but glance over at him, wondering just what I had signed myself up for. The car door opened for him as he stepped out. "Now hurry along, little servant girl, and follow your master." His face was lit up by a grin, as he seemed to be enjoying every moment of it, including my discomfort at the whole situation. Why did I have to make a deal with the devil? Oh yeah, that's right, so I wasn't killed.