Sabine enjoyed Ekaterina's gentle caresses across her back, her fingers as light as a dragonfly skimming across a still lake, and Ekaterina just found herself basking in the feeling of being loved.

"Who knew our eldest daughter was such a naughty child, trying to corrupt our younger daughter." Christabel was lounging on the chair beside the bed, looking at the two girls who were caught in the act of making out with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, and Sabine hastily climbed off of Ekaterina.

"Christa..." Valentina's almost resigned sigh came as she entered the room, her hand tussling her blonde hair into a mess as she looked at the two with a tinge of helpless in her blue eyes.

"While I did enter the room unannounced, I couldn't help but feel it would be a bit rude to interrupt our daughters 'bonding' moment." Christabel's brown eyes left Sabine and met Ekaterina's clear red eyes now tinged with a bit of fear.

"Christa..." Valentina sighed and tapped Christabel's forehead with a hint of reproach, and just when Ekaterina realized vampires could feel anxiety, Christabel giggled.

"I couldn't help it, I apologize, Ekaterina." Christabel's sudden appearance had made Ekaterina subconsciously ignore Christabel's feelings, and Ekaterina could only pout when feeling Christabel's genuine mirth.

"Two love birds, sitting in a tree~ K i s s i n g ~" Eliana laughed menacingly in the background, and while Ekaterina felt a bit annoyed at the situation, she was also relieved neither Valentina or Christabel seemed to mind their actions.

"Mom... You scared Kat..." Sabine's particularly sour and unhappy voice sounded as she propped herself up, her cheeks slightly flushed from the embarrassing situation of having her parents walk in on her pressing Ekaterina below her.

"I came to assist my youngest daughter with shopping, but it appears my eldest daughter wants Ekaterina to be her bride." Ekaterina finally understood where Sabine learned her mischievous nature from.

Truly, Christabel and Sabine looked similar, and when Christabel wasn't being purposefully mature, Sabine and Christabel could pass for sisters.

"I..." Valentina's emotions were more conflicted, not angry, simply confused. Of course, living for four thousand years, what hadn't Valentina and Christabel seen walking the earth?

While Valentina didn't mind the situation, instead of adopting Ekaterina, she could have simply had Sabine marry Ekaterina if she knew this would have been the outcome, as Ekaterina would still be their daughter regardless.

"Forget it... I don't mind, just... Keep your displays of affection out of the sight of humans. Vampires have seen more curious things." Valentina could easily list vampires who had, at some point, raised a child and then at some point, ended up as lovers.

Being a member of a race where time held little to no value except as a measure of strength, whether a vampire a century old fell in love with a vampire five thousand years old wasn't a problem.

A vampire's appearance was ever shifting, and their personalities, and while a vampire might not be changed easily, a vampire could still be influenced, and so vampires ended up being quite whimsical over time.

"You don't object, dad?" Sabine was the first to snap out of her brief daze, as she had already considered running away to a private island with Ekaterina to avoid her parents should they deny her her love.

Sabine had seen examples of it, a vampire loving a human so much, she didn't turn him in the end, instead allowing him to live out his natural days and eventually dying, because her lover couldn't imagine eternity.

A human so infuriated, he killed both his wife and children despite claiming them as his reasoning to live. Love was something that couldn't be clearly defined.

Sabine knew without a doubt, if Ekaterina was human, she wouldn't be able to watch her age and die, even if Ekaterina herself didn't want to be a vampire, Sabine wouldn't let her die.

She was quite aware of how her feelings began to bud for Ekaterina. She would have died, and Ekaterina appeared then, saving her from such an end.

If Sabine considered Ekaterina a brave yet foolish human then, through reading Ekaterina, despite the act being an invasion of her privacy, she learned that Ekaterina wasn't a brave hero, but someone who simply lacked love and care, and didn't regard her life as important.

Sabine originally wanted to repay Ekaterina's act of saving her life, but Ekaterina was attractive, in a way Sabine didn't feel to others, it was as if everything Sabine longed for, was concentrated into one person named Ekaterina.

Love was someone wanting what was best for the partner, and so, despite Sabine's inner feelings raging at her to find Ekaterina's old family and punish them, she didn't.

Ekaterina, while speaking, didn't have many fluctuations in her emotions. But when she spoke of Sabine, Sabine felt a sweet and fluttery feeling when she felt Ekaterina's fervent love.

Perhaps Ekaterina didn't know, as she lacked social awareness, but when Sabine looked into those red eyes and heard the words declaring that she wanted to stay with herself forever, Sabine felt as if the reason she existed had manifested.

Valentina shook her blond head full of hair and sat next to Christabel, braiding a lock of her hair while looking at Ekaterina with an expression somewhere between happy and slightly concerned.

"Ekaterina, Sabine... did turn you, and you might be grateful to her, but you need to be able to tell gratitude apart from love." Valentina's voice made Ekaterina freeze, and a moment later, Christabel snatched Sabine out the air and pulled her onto her lap.

"Calm down, Sab. While I would love for you to find someone you can love wholeheartedly, Ekaterina is also my daughter, and I also need to consider her." Valentina sighed, looking at her furious daughter, who grudgingly slumped when Christabel patted her head softly.

"I know... what gratitude is, Valentina... I felt it when Ms. Gracey would help me, someone who had no worth or family, and even then, she never stopped encouraging me." Ekaterina took a deep breath, frowning slightly.

"I was and am grateful to Sabine because she helped me become who I wanted to be..." Ekaterina looked at Sabine's green eyes that had become a bit teary and shook her head.

"I was grateful to my aunt and her family, and it was only after I grew up that I realized I was neglected by them. I wouldn't mind what they thought of me now, or really even care if they died." Ekaterina smiled wryly and looked into Valentina's blue eyes.

"But Sabine is different. I want to know her likes and dislikes, what she wants to do, and I would give my life for Sabine's." Ekaterina spoke seriously, and even Eliana inside her Vision was silent.

"When she promised me that she would stay by my side for a thousand lifetimes, I didn't want to bind her to it because I was... I felt like I didn't deserve such a thing..." Ekaterina's eyes began to water, but she didn't stop.

"But... I want to be with Sabine forever. Not just a thousand lifetimes... I... I like Sabine..." The feeling of sincerity hung in the air, and Ekaterina didn't know what to expect, and so she was immediately surprised when Valentina wrapped her arms around her.

"I'm sorry!" Valentina's soft voice cut off Ekaterina's response and then she felt dampness soaking her shirt. Feeling Valentina's slightly shaking shoulders, it was hard to imagine Valentina's seemingly perfect body which could destroy buildings and throw airplanes with ease seemed so frail.

"I didn't intend to bring up your past, Kat. I just wanted to make sure you understood what it was you fel..." Valentina's voice trailed off when Ekaterina hugged Valentina and pressed her head against her shoulder.

"I know and it's okay. You want what's best for me..." Ekaterina held Valentina, whose aura seemed less dominant than usual and more like a person who belonged to a normal family and not one of the Four ruling vampire houses.

"You're a good father, Valentina." It was Ekaterina's most heart-felt statement. Because she grew up without parents who loved her, when meeting Valentina and Christabel, she couldn't help but see them as perfect parents, perfect in every way.

Even with their personalities, even while facing their questioning, Ekaterina realized she still adored them. It wasn't quite the same emotions she felt for Sabine, it was different, less passionate and more respectful and admiring.

Christabel and Sabine joined the hug, and despite Sabine's earlier outburst, she was the most active in trying to cheer up her despondent father.

Valentina, seeing her daughters worrying for her, wiped her tears and pulled Christabel to the couch arranged against the wall, and pressed her head against the back of Christabel who was promptly placed on her lap.

"Val, no point in hiding your face now, it's already done." Christabel laughed softly, then blew a kiss to Sabine, winked at Ekaterina, and pulled Valentina out of the room.

"Oh, make sure to be ready at seven, we're going out, my daughters." Christabel's seemingly casual words made Ekaterina freeze in place, and Sabine was the one who seemed more helpless between them.

"You didn't even see if you could control yourself. Even though the demons gave you those gifts, what if something happens?" Whereas Ekaterina was still gathering her wits, it was actually Sabine who began worrying on her behalf.

"It's okay, Sabine. You'll be there, and I have Christab-, mom and dad to help, as well as this little guy." Ekaterina wasn't sure exactly what purpose the sparrow served, but a quick check with Eliana revealed it's purpose.

So long as Ekaterina was in danger, the sparrow would alert Tatiana, and Tatiana would immediately teleport over, ready to intervene.

The sparrow also served as a focus, which would help ease Ekaterina's blood thirst, so long as she didn't starve herself and fed regularly.

Of course, as a vampire, Ekaterina had no option but to drink blood, and while morally it could be deemed as wrong to feed on the blood of living things without their permission, it was something she needed.

"I have a gift from each of the demons, and while it might not help, I can have Eliana reduce the magical energy in my blood to help me focus on calming down." While Ekaterina reassured Sabine, Christabel smiled gently in the next room upon hearing Ekaterina calling her mom, while Valentina dried her tears.

"Do you think Ekaterina will hate me? I made her recall her past..." While Valentina was over four thousand years old, her coldness only extended to outsiders, and Ekaterina was not an outsider, as such Valentina couldn't help but reflect.

"I don't think she will, Val. Even if you feel like you've made a mistake, she's already forgiven you, if you want to apologize again, you can." Christabel gently ran her fingers through her lover's blond hair, smiling quietly.

"I didn't expect Sabine to find someone so soon, but Ekaterina is a good child. So long as they're both happy, we don't need to intervene." Christabel pulled Valentina into a hug, and then began to deal with the affairs of their House.

Although, House Starikov was one of the four main vampire Houses, their lack of concern about employing workers now meant there was several moles she needed to weed out, and with their innate gifts, it wouldn't at all be difficult.

...

"How do you feel?" Sabine squeezed Ekaterina's hand gently, asking in a soft voice barely above a whisper, but with their hearing, both knew it was clearly heard.

"I'm okay... I feel happy." Ekaterina smiled, her red eyes making Sabine lose herself in them once more, but Sabine simply hugged Ekaterina reassuringly.

"You haven't been around many humans, so just try to keep calm." While Ekaterina nodded when Sabine spoke, she couldn't help but recall her unstable moment days before.

If she encountered a human in that state, Ekaterina couldn't assure herself she could remain in control enough to not attack someone, even if it was just out of dissatisfaction or spite.

"Well, you'll be there to help me too, and while I didn't go out much before, I want to do all the things I didn't get to do before." Ekaterina couldn't help but want to see the world as Ekaterina.

"Valentina and Christabel, you, Eliana, and even the little green sparrow will be there, I'm not afraid." Ekaterina could recall the tantalizing smell of blood, but if she drank blood before hand, she felt she would be able to avoid doing something she'd regret.

"If you say you're able to, I'll choose to believe you. I'll make you five cups of blood, just to make sure you're full." Before Ekaterina could say anything, Sabine hurried out of the room with light steps, leaving Ekaterina in a daze.

"I don't really think I can hold five cups of blood..." Patting her flat stomach, she smiled wryly and followed Sabine's scent trail through the luxuriously designed Starikov Mansion.

Christabel 

Valentina