Chapter 04

[Ashbury Mansion, Poplar Faubourg]

The boiling water in the kitchen had reached it's highest point as Elisabeth finished preparing her tools.

The heavy China pot she had grabbed from her shelf was a genuine relic she had acquired from a friend she made in China.

There were few moments like these where she was just sat in silent awe at the amount of history she was able to witness first hand.

She had been alive before tea or coffee had ever graced the English shores. She was forever grateful to the British East India Company and Dutch East India Company for introducing the drink to her.

She opened the pot and scooped three tea leaves into it, one for the pot and one for each person. Elisabeth then poured the hot water into the pot and left it to steep. As soon as she closed the pot, she heard the front door open.

She moved from the kitchen with a smile. She watched as Jonathan took off his coat slowly and hang it before turning around.

The smile on her face dissipated as she noticed his poor attempt at hiding his distress. Worried, she immediately comforted him.

"What's wrong, Jonathan? Is your Dr. Watson alright?"

"John is fine, my dear." Jonathan assured her "It is something else that weighs heavy on my mind"

"What could trouble you so much that you look in pain?" Elisabeth asked, confused.

"I will tell you everything soon but I believe that we should be seated first. The tea I smell will help considerably"

Jonathan suggested calmly before guiding Elisabeth back to the fireplace and sitting her down. She tried to stand and tell him that she wasn't finished yet but Jonathan didnt listen.

He said he would serve the tea. She tried to stop him but was unsuccessful.

While he brought out the fine China and set the tea table next to her, Jonathan engaged in conversation talking about his discoveries and realizations while trying to ease the tension his words had created.

Elisabeth took a sip of the tea and scrunched her nose before relaxing and telling Jonathan he had done a wonderful job.

Her facial expressions changed all within half a second which most people would miss but Jonathan didn't.

He was partially successful with his ruse since Elisabeth was completely aware of his intentions and played along.

She had long figured out that the situation and knew that his distress had been caused by her. He had said that he had became different, something else after fighting the Disaster, stronger and more endurable. The only weakness he had now was her.

Jonathan knew that she loved tea and from his offer to serve her to the setting the tea table and his order for her not to move, Elisabeth felt that he was uncomfortable with the topic of conversation and was trying to ease her nerves.

Unfortunately, his actions had the opposite effect on her but she remained quiet and patiently waited for him to breach the subject.

Elisabeth could see that the more they conversed, the more relaxed he became and she was glad.

Even without his gift for empathy, Elisabeth could see that Jonathan was trying to be considerate of her feelings and she was grateful for his care but her curiosity had reached it's peak.

Right after Jonathan served himself a cup of tea, He took a sip, appreciating the heat that travelled down his throat and filled his stomach.

He closed his eyes and revelled in the quiet and warm atmosphere. Elisabeth watched him silently as he collected his thoughts.

Once ready, Jonathan's eyes opened and he looked at Elisabeth with a firm, unrelenting gaze.

"They caught the murder... It was Lord Blackwood"

"... "

Elisabeth, shocked, digested the words in silence as Jonathan continued talking.

"He had sacrificed four people previously to a ritual that he claimed would increase the power of his dark arts.

Tonight, He would have claimed his fifth victim had it not been for John and his partner. They saved a young girl's life" Jonathan spoke before sipping some tea.

"I read his thoughts and learnt that he had been taught the ritual by a close mentor.

Despite his non-belief in the supernatural, he saw the potential that fearmongering could have in sustaining his image as the most powerful man in England. He viewed life as worthless and beneath him."

"The Blackwood name is a scourge on humanity" Elisabeth stated, vehemently

"I feel the same, my lady but as you said, this problem falls on humanity. Just like you once told me, We are not human anymore and as such, cannot involve ourselves with them anymore."

Elisabeth nodded at his words and gestured for him to continue to which, Jonathan obliged

"My apologises in advance, Elisabeth but I have to ask about Jacob Blackwood."

The room stilled after Jonathan uttered that name. It had become taboo between them to talk about him which added to Jonathan's worries but he needed to make sure that he wasn't going to be a problem.

"I understand" Elisabeth replied stoically

Jonathan grimaced at how she had manually shut off her emotions as she talked about him. When he found him, Jonathan would make him pay for making her suffer, dearly.

"On the night of the disaster, I met a woman who had been mesmerised. It took a while for me to break the illusion but once I did, she told me that she had been approached by a vampire who called himself Lord Blackwood.

It wasn't until today that I realized the person you told me about and that man were one and the same."

"Why did you not tell me?" Elisabeth asked calmly

"I honestly paid it no heed. Before meeting her, I had solved the mystery of Charlotte's missing friend. She had been mesmerised by an Ekon as well.

A few dozen men and women saved from the clutches of evil Ekons had made my memory of the perpetrators blur together."

"And you think Jacob Blackwood is behind the recent terrors London is facing?"

"Unfortunately. I believe it is no coincidence that after our arrival, the situation developed and also involved my close friend. I hate to ask you this but do you think he is capable of this?"

"Sigh..." Elisabeth took a breath before speaking

"Under the curse of blood, I felt hate course through my veins. I had never felt more alive yet despicable.

My thoughts were constantly hounded with whispers of malice and destruction while sleep refused to give me any rest.

The only solace I found was in the death of others. Each and every life I took, Granted me a brief respite from the eternal torment I had to endure.

The crueller and more vicious the deaths were, the longer the moments of respite lasted. As you can imagine, over the course of two centuries, I had become increasingly creative and more depraved with my methods, all for a moment of rest."

"I'm sorry for bringing up these memories" Jonathan replied, mournful

Elisabeth nodded before continued "I sought death and destruction in search of peace but Jacob Blackwood was never cursed. He saw lives as beneath him and toyed with them as he saw fit. Although our actions mirrored each others, our thoughts could not be more different.

I once watched as he burned and tore through an entire village, without feeding a single time. He said that the sounds of their screams gave him all the sustenance he needed"

I once believed that everyone was born with good in them but I change my mind. Some people just want to see the world burn" Jonathan said in discomfort.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Reid but even with your level of skill, some people cannot be saved. You can not help someone who does not wish to be help."

"I see. So he is more than capable of committing these crimes."

"Yes. There were times where his depravity scared me, even with the Blood of Hate. He is an evil person, Jonathan."

"I understand" Jonathan replied "So why do you think he stayed quiet until now?"

"It is because of our return and William Marshall's death"

"Do we have something he wants?" Jonathan asked, confused

"Yes, me. He called me his muse. The only person who shared his need for annihilation and a true kindred spirit.

We were united in our need to sow chaos and guided by our malevolent natures. When I left his side, he promised that we would always be fated for one another and he would always find me."

"And what did your father's death have to do with him?"

"After he gave me his antidote, William Marshall's last act in the outside world was to hunt Jacob Blackwood. He caught him and disappeared for a year. When he returned, William Marshall said that Jacob Blackwood would never show his face to me again and for the last 100 years, he was right"

"He must have put the fear of God into him"

"Believe me, Jonathan. William Marshall alone was a strong enough deterrent. God never needed to step in"

"Why did Marshall not kill him?"

"There was nothing William Marshall valued more than his honour. He had taken vow after attacking me, never to end another life. He would never bend his principles, not even for me..."

"Then it would seem that Jacob Blackwood needs a new entity to fear or a permanent departure. Something that would guarantee us ever meeting again be too soon"

"What will you do, Jonathan?"

"I will cross that bridge when we arrive there. About Lord Blackwood, I found he may have a talent for the mystic arts as well"

"What do you mean?"

"Although his heart wasn't convinced for the ritual, his words and actions were enough. The ritual, John and his partner had interrupted was as real as they come. Henry Blackwood was in the midst of summoning an evil energy I had never seen before" Jonathan explained before turning his palm.

Out of the palm of his hand, surged the energy he had consumed earlier.

Jonathan skilfully manipulated the energy into a sphere and moved it towards Elisabeth to analyse. She was fascinated with it as she could feel the malicious intent that encompassed the energy ball.

"Is it dangerous?"

"If his ritual was successful, it would have strengthened his magical power. Considering that he wasn't even able to feel that power, let alone utilize it, it would have been at most, granted his some physical improvements.

Despite it's advantages, this energy comes with a terrifying downside. It corrodes it's host's mind and turns them into mindless monsters"

"Are you alright? Handling that kind of evil must be exhausting"

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you. I seem to be more robust than I give myself credit for."

Jonathan joked lightly before noticing Elisabeth's worried face and quickly returning to his serious demeanour

"Although it does have a debilitating effect on the mind, it can be managed. Fortunately, my mind is strong and growing stronger everyday from constant contact with the energy."

"You speak as if you are willing to keep it? It must be destroyed, Jonathan!" Elisabeth begged

"I understand your fears, my dear, but energy cannot be destroyed, only transformed. If I could trust anyone to host this energy apart from myself, it would be you but your mind is still too weak to handle it's temptations. Rather than release it, I will keep it and use it for good"

Elisabeth understood his words but accepting them was a different matter entirely.

She found it hard to accept that he would be constantly plagued by the carbon copy of the same curse than had befallen her and she blamed herself for being too weak to carry it.

Jonathan noticing her slow spiral to self deprecation, intervened.

"I am perfectly fine, Elisabeth. I would not give it to you even if you were strong enough. I am also growing stronger everyday which is a blessing. So please, do not worry too much"

Elisabeth nodded weakly with her head down and Jonathan couldn't help but find her adorable.

She was always like this. Strong, responsible and kind. She was firm with others but was the harshest on herself. Seeing her shortcomings only as failures.

Jonathan reached out a cupped her face in his hand as he tilted her head up.

Now face to face, Jonathan looked deep into her eyes and with all the love and warmth one person could give another, he spoke softly

"I never needed a strong or perfect partner. All I needed was you. From your profuse sense of responsibility and kindness to your incessant need to display proper etiquette or your inability to lie due to your nose scrunches.

The overwhelming smell of paint that had spread to every inch of your mansions and your obsession with eating and drinking despite having a lack of taste. I love everything about you and To me, you are perfect."

Elisabeth laughed at his words as she stared back at him. She could not detect a single lie in his words. She always wondered how someone so wonderful had remained unattached for so long.

She felt slightly overwhelmed and unworthy of his attention but this was a problem she would need to deal with herself. Jonathan believed that she was worthy of his love and care and sometimes, that was all you need.

She became embarrassed when she realized that he had said those words after watching her deflate and wanted to comfort her.

"I'm quite the handful, aren't I? Nothing like the prim and proper lady you first met" Elisabeth joked

"I liked both of them. The first woman I met was Lady Ashbury, my saviour and someone I admired. Now, I'm talking to my silly wife who thinks too much for her own good" Jonathan smiled

"Wife?! I think we've gotten ahead of ourselves, haven't we, Dr Reid?" Elisabeth spoke quickly in embarrassment, obviously shocked by his words.

Without a second wasted, Jonathan knelt down on one knee as he reached into his coat to grab something. He pulled out a box which opened to a beautiful ornate silver ring that housed a blood red ruby. 

"This was my grandfather's ring. He had given it to his wife as did my father. I'm proud to say that we Reid men have never broken our vows and it is a tradition I fully intend on keeping. Once we make our promises, only death could separate us from our fated ones."

Elisabeth was fixated on the ring in shock. Jonathan couldn't help but laugh at her expression. Seeing him laugh, she broke from her trance and glared at him slightly, not appreciative of his humour. Jonathan finished laughing before focusing on her eyes again

"I do not know what tomorrow may bring nor can I promise you that I will have all the solutions to your problems but with this ring, I promise that I will be by your side with every step you take and you will never have to face the world alone.

I promise to respect and cherish your good hearted, kind and compassionate soul. I promise to love, not for who you were but who you are and who you are yet to become. I promise to protect you from harm, stand against adversity beside you and look to you if I ever need help. You make me want to be a better person and I will strive to be better.

Lady Elisabeth Ashbury, will you marry me?"

Before Jonathan could finish his words, Elisabeth sped into his chest at full speed and hugged him, causing them to stumble backwards a few feet. She couldn't stop smiling as tears quietly streamed down her eyes while she looked at him. Jonathan worried at her lack of response, asked again for clarification.

"So is that a yes?"

"Of course it is, you silly little Ekon." Elisabeth replied before kissing him

The kiss was filled with passion but held no lust. It was full of warmth and happiness as they both revelled in their emotional high while trying to convey their true feelings to each other. The moment was sacred as two souls had finally accepted each other fully, flaws and all.

 The happy night marked the beginning of a new life and the origin of The Most Powerful and Noble Vampire couple to ever live.