1 Chapter One

The courtyard was silent as a quiet breeze rustled fallen leaves from the bare treetops. Night had crept up quickly on the individual soul that resigned in the lonesome courtyard. Her hair was fair and as silky smooth as the finest silk. Her eyes dared no glance away from the light novel that she held delicately in her small hands as though it would break if it were to fall. Her blouse was solid white, unlike the dark massive that was her hair. The blouse was newly bought and washed by the hands of her servants. Their hands were the only that had touched unlike that of a man whose light hands and wandering fingers had not grazed her smooth and delicate skin in nearly a thousand years. It upset her at just the thought. The isolation and solitude weighed on her as though it was a physical thing that meant to torment her with old desires and complaints. Nothing could really be done about it, however. A human's nonexistent satisfaction could never compare to that of a vampyr such as Lady Valerie whose lips were the red of burning fire and passion. No one could truly be satisfied. Not even a vampyr and their inner, maddening thirst…

It was well past midnight when Valerie was visited in her courtyard's gardens by a stranger in black emerging from the night and shadows hidden from the full moon's bright gaze. When the two stranger's eyes met, though Valerie's head never shifted away from her book, they both flashed dark crimson through the dark as a warning before returning to their natural color. It was only until he stepped into the moonlight that Valerie realized he was a mercenary she had hired weeks before to retrieve for her a special request. He kneeled in her presences with his hood hidden face lowered. Slowly, Valerie lowered her book in her lap and gave her full attention to him while she remained seated on her stone bench.

"Good evening, Countess. A fine night we are having tonight, yes?" His voice was rough and low like the growl of feral beast. Beneath the shadows of his hood, a set of perfectly sharpened teeth showed like pearly, shark teeth.

"Indeed. Hurry, then, and speak up! I hate when others interrupt a perfect night such as this," Valerie replied with impatience and annoyance dripping off her tongue as she was tempted to raise her book once again and resume reading. Though, she didn't when the mercenary reached into the bag that hung off his side where he revealed a sealed envelope.

Valerie's brow rose in curiosity as the man held the plain, white envelope out to her which she gladly took from him. Looking it over, anyone would think it was just a simple envelope unless you had access to the underground black market. The seal across the folds of the letter was solid black and imprinted with the black-market crest of an oozing skull. This was something no normal citizen would think the Lady Valerie would possess. The weight of it felt heavier than it should have been. Maybe it was the sudden excitement of finally hearing a reply from them after all these months of waiting. Valerie wasted no time tearing the seal and retrieving the letter from within. Her eyes quickly scanned over the few words written within:

Dearest Buyer D1,

We, here, at the Goodie Goodie shop are happy to inform you that your request has been recognized, accepted, and fulfilled. The order shall be placed immediately. Thank you for shopping and showing support through the purchasing of our finest goods. We hope to hear from you again. Enjoy.

Sincerely, V

Valerie softly read the words aloud before the mercenary cleared his throat and whispered in a slightly shy manner.

"Milady, this was to be delivered a week before now. Your servants asked for me to inform you that your request has been delivered to the manor, oh, a few seconds ago." There was a sudden silence that lowered down upon the two beings in the garden. Valerie blankly stared towards the dark green shrubs and hedges that blocked out the disgusting scene of dead greenery outside the world inside her own domain. The hot, summer wind blew and rustled a nearby tree. Though trying not expose weakness before the Countess, the mercenary watched her with weary, fearful eyes as though he believed she would lash out at him.

"You waited to tell me that now?!" Valerie was up and off the stone bench in one, swift motion with both the book and letter grasped tightly in her hands. Despite himself, the mercenary physically leaned away from the Countess as she threw up her hands and marched off towards the manor's brightly lit doorway.

"Come. Come," she snapped with long steps. The wind flowed through her hair and glossy gown, swaying against the breeze behind her. "Let me pay you for your hard work."

Inside the manor-where guests from afar would be greeted-the entrance hall was nearly empty aside from two, sharply dressed men guards standing at attention on either side of something dreadful looking that knelt on its knees on the marbled floor. Valerie stepped in while angrily shouting at a small, servant girl with the mercenary still keeping a good distance between himself and her blazing fiery. He did not want to be caught in that or even be put on the other side of that angry shouting.

The servant was dismissed with the wave of Valerie's hand as she came to a halt a few feet before the thing kneeling by the widely opened doors. Valerie's judging eyes looked it over in distaste with a displeased click of her tongue. The guards, like the mercenary, could not meet her icy gaze at all without being challenged by her cold vibes.

"Does it speak? Can it speak?" Like her cold, emotionless eyes, her words lacked the emotions to care at all that what knelt on the marble was a human man. The man gritted his teeth with piercing eyes glaring at the Countess until the left guard kicked him in the side as a warning. The man made a tch noise before forcing his eyes closed and away from the Countess. He opened his mouth a few times without any words or sounds until he licked his upper lip and found his voice again.

"I-I do," he managed to get out before the right guard put a boot to his back and forced him to the floor. The man landed on his face, growling and gritting his teeth in an angry gesture as his chain bound hands clicked behind his back where his wrists strained against the metal that dug into his flesh. Though the man had both cuts and bruises across his face and bare arms, he still seemed to hold a great deal of fighting spirit and a will to disobey. This caused the Countess to shake her head once and look down upon him with more hateful loathing for the weaker species that were humans.

"Maybe a week in the cellar without food or water will fix that attitude. If not…well, we have our ways," Valerie cooed in a venomously sweet way as a twisted smirk played across her face before she waved the guards away and took the mercenary tightly by the collar. As the human was dragged away, the Countess lead the way up the spiraling staircase to a magnificent room that was her bedchambers where she rewards the mercenary for his hard work, nonetheless.

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