Jittery Heartbeat

Her golden eyes darted at the man as she seemed to be in a momentary numbness. This vampire... he knows who the wolf is? Does that mean he belong to the Church?! She gulped, her eyes looking all over the carriage as if to search for a way where she could escape unnoticed. Her heartbeat quickened when she realized there was only one door which she couldn't escape from as the vampire's leg blocked the passage. It was as if all this time he knew she was being chased.

Was this why he had let her inside??

"I am flattered you know me sir!" The wolf named Zennox seemed to be brimming with happiness that the vampire know who he is.

On the other hand, the vampire's eyes looked at his hands that was still a paw along with his sharp claws that were drenched with blood, "You wounded yourself? What happened?"

"Yes sir! There was this lady. She is the phantom thief, you know, the one who had been thieving everything from food, clothing, and now jewelries. She has been stepping all over the town folks, especially the store owners in the Baker's Avenue. We just caught a glimpse of her but she had ran from the rain and I stepped on some broken bottles that made me slow down a little," trailed off the man with a look of sadness.

"That's unfortunate," the vampire commented as if he was feeling sad but she could still see his lips that widened in a smile.

Psychopath, she cursed again and his eyes went to her as if he heard her thoughts aloud.

"About that thief," started the vampire that gave her shivers. She felt herself sinking to her seat and her heartbeat drumming so loudly it almost sounded like a the town's bell.

Should she kneel? But to this pompous vampires? Not him being a vampire that made her hesitant but that smirk he had that felt as though he would push her off a cliff with a smile and will remain unbothered for the rest of his day.

"Are you sure it's a lady? It's difficult to think she could outrun you Zennox," pointed the vampire and objectively the wolf went silent.

"Well, the shop keeper first said the thief was a male but then a female. Now that you say that, Lord. That thief did just wore a woman's garment. They didn't look very distinctive as a woman or a man," the wolf said, seemingly taking three steps back on his own judgement as he noticed the flaws. She breathed a relieved breath that the vampire had helped her.

"Remind me how that thief look like? You didn't mention their features," commented the vampire and she snapped her eyes at him.

What if this vampire didn't know she was the thief since the beginning and he was just pointing out the oddness he heard? What if... he would now know who she is and throw her off with a cold shrug?!

There is no reason for him to help her, she thought to herself, expecting the worse outcome. Her nerves went errant while her body went to a full blown panic.

"Black hair, golden eyes, and pale skin. A human for sure," the vampire's eyes then moved to her where they both locked each other's gaze in a stalemate. She turned paler and quickly reached out her hand to hold his fingers only to be startled with how cold it was despite her being the one drenched in raindrops. He smiled as warmth spread from her fingers to his.

"Lord?" Asked Zennox and the vampire turned his face with a grin.

"Would you like to investigate my carriage then? Surely that's the reason why you had stopped me," said the vampire and to this, she could only see her own demise. First the church will investigate her, then they will send her to the torture house?!

God! Lucas and Marcie will be waiting for her in tears, she thought to herself, feeling her own heart sinking down to her stomach.

"Will you let me? If that wouldn't impose so much trouble on your side then..." the wolf trailed when he caught side of a woman's dress from the window which the vampire purposely shown by lifting his curtain. Zennox stared at him in shock and his cheeks reddened when the vampire placed one finger over his red lips.

"I would let you but I am currently having a very intimate moments here," The vampire then hummed, "But if you insist, you can watch."

"H- Huhh?! No I wouldn't dare!" Watching the Lord making out with a woman?! That might be an enjoyment to someone else but not to him!

Zennox quickly clasped his injured paws together and cleared his throat. "Have a great day Lord Magnus!" Not wanting to trouble the vampire further, the wolf quickly bent his body forward as if to bow and then ran with his tail between his two legs. The vampire let down the curtain and his eyes turned back at the human girl who had stared at him with her eyes full of fear and woe. Seeing her pleading with her delicate face was unexpectedly lovely.

"Loving my hands?" The man who now she knows as Lord Magnus spoke up with a smile.

She didn't catch a look of his face when there was more light, making her to stare at his sharp jawline from the shadow contrast with a gulp.

She looked at him and cleared her voice while pulling away her fingers, "I thought you will sell me out?"

"Oh are you a fish? Or a mermaid? The first one will bring me no money but the second one will surely fetch me quite a lot," he commented while she didn't hide herself rolling her eyes at his sarcasm. "I have to point out that rudeness of yours even though I helped you, Miss thief."

"Listen, I'm not a thief," she said but as she cleared her name a sun-like jewel as bright as her eyes slipped from her pocket and rolled down slowly until it stopped to his black shoes.

He stared at it and they both went to silent.

"That's embarrassing," he commented after the momentary pause.

"S- Shush," she pleaded, feeling the need to kill herself. "You don't get it. That jewelry shop owner, he doesn't really own these jewels. He stole them from the slums. Some people who live there don't know how much their jewels are worth for and he took advantage of this, saying he will only pawn them and will give it back to them after they have paid their debts— those debts being lower than the actual jewel prices. I just came to take them back, alright?"

Entertained, the vampire who she thought would deny her accusation hummed and leaned forward as though he wanted to hear more of her words, "What about the food, Miss phantom thief?"

"That bakery and the restaurant use children of slums to make their food and farm for them but they are underpaid. So I want to let them taste the real fruit of their hard work," she had explanations for every of her actions but the vampire who didn't comment on anything seemed to not believe her. This somewhat upset her even though she had accepted to being called as a thief, "I know you can't trust me..."

"I do," he said, freezing her on spot. "But that doesn't disregard your action as thieving."

"You speak as if you are innocent," she couldn't help but bite back at his comments even though she knew she shouldn't.

"I am not, indeed. I'm a very proud villain and I don't do things in honor like you. I don't shy away from killings either," and when he said that, she shuddered, feeling the genuine fun he had while he spoke about killing as though it was an act normal for anyone else. "However one of these days if you continue to do what you did now, you will only dig your grave," the man commented as he leaned back on his chair.

"Is that why you helped me?" She asked him, looking at the vampire with confusion. He didn't want to help the church people to capture her even though they seemed close. He didn't call her thief and listened to her explanation. Yet at the same time, he didn't seem like he was a kind person. His action and his behavior confuses her.

"Hm?" He asked.

"You don't want me to dig my grave in front of you?"

"I'm just a little weak to cats. I have a soft spot for them," the vampire said. "That being said. You aren't frightened of me either, don't you?"

"You'll die if I stab you with a silver dagger on your heart. A vampire still have a weakness so I'm not scared," she explained but quickly fixed her words, "But I'm not going to kill you, trust me."

"For a thief, can I trust you words?" The vampire hummed while she felt a sweat forming on her forehead. As she expected, she should have built a good relation with him instead of clapping back to every of his words. "You haven't even thanked me for helping you. First letting you in my carriage. Second, I chased out the bad people for you."

She lifted her golden eyes and cracked a smile. Even though he is an apparent danger, he didn't seem like he would kill her for some reason. She placed her hand near her chest and bent forward, "Thank you, sincerely."

The vampire seemed gladdened that she had thanked him. He quirked one side of his lips higher, "What's your name?"

She wondered if it was a trap and decided to reply it ambiguously, "Elle." Although it was near her real name, it wasn't necessarily her the entire name

"Elle, a simple name. Not too shabby," he commented as he looked down to his fingernails. "Well then Elle..." he trailed off as suddenly Monday had stopped the carriage urgently again. "What's this time, Monday?" He sighed, expressing his concern with how his coachman kept on stumbling upon accidents today.

"We- Well Lord Magnus," Monday whispered. "There was a cat.." he continued with his words but Magnus had long ignored his words. He looked forward, finding only a golden gem left on the chair in front of him as Elle had disappeared from the carriage. The raindrops sounded louder as the door was opened beside him but all he could focus on was the golden gem that had glistened so brightly that it lighted the entire dark carriage.

He chuckled as she didn't forget to leave the gem as though thanking him for the trouble. "Oh my, seems like with the arrival of a real cat, that black kitten left instead," he whispered his brief sadness as his new toy had left him.

"L-Lord?" Monday who didn't understood what happened called out to his Lord, wondering if the silence meant he was finally fired. No, fired was still good, at least he wasn't killed!

He didn't reply to his panicky coachman and instead leaned forward to take the green gem to his hands. He lifted them high, reminding himself to the eyes of the phantom thief who had gone against all odds by standing to the people of the slums as though she felt their grudge as her own. "I have a lot of this," he said to himself as he wasn't one who is short in gems and expensive jewelries. "But somehow this shine the brightest."

"Milord?" Monday asked again.

"Shush Monday. This is the fifth time you have called me," the vampire lifted his finger and the door closed itself without anyone's touch. "What are you waiting for? We are going back to my new castle."

"At once!" Monday noted, a little too loud with his voice. He quickly whipped the horse while his Lord inside the carriage continue to admire the amber with so much mirth that he hadn't experienced for a very... very long time..

"Seems like this new town I govern will be so much exciting..." he whispered, feeling that this golden gem would be a start of something unknown....

*** A/N: if you like the book, please add it to collections or consider supporting by commenting and power stones! Every support is very much appreciated to keep me going!! <3