"Ces, are you alright?" Elios took short glances and tried to balance his focus on the road and his concerns for his master's well-being at the same time. The reflection of the rear view mirror clearly gave him a fraction of the troubling view. It was contagious, seeing her like that caused distress on Elios' part. Deep inside, he knew it was not the sole work of alcohol that enabled her to wear such a fragile expression.

With anxiety adding to the absurd amount of alcohol intake, Ces attempted to soothe her flaming nerves by concentrating on the downpour, every drop hazily trailing down the windows. Despite the song of the rain, she could still hear her blood pounding incessantly against her chest, as if it was to explode. She did not know what to say and how Elios would react if she told him.

No, Elios can never find out. It was too early for that.

"Master Ces?" His voice grew more worried. He had to call her twice to gain her attention.

"Why yes, I am fine." Ces lied and her butler clearly saw through it. "It is a shame you had to see me in this pitiful state."

Her hands were still trembling, not from fear but from the familiar ecstasy that deluged her senses. Relieving the memories of the past was one thing, but acting on it was another. Ces' mind was wandering elsewhere, aimlessly into the depths of her memories on the events that took place earlier. She was aware for a fact that Amber had always been extravagant with her gifts, going through disastrous means just for old time's sake. That little despicable devil, Amber was more than capable of unleashing Ces' suppressed monstrosity, a side which she thought she had completely forgotten, sealed away in the memoirs of her past.

Knowing Ces, she feigned innocence and placed the blame on others. Repeatedly telling herself that it was an accident, an unconscious act, she would pretend to feel guilt for a little while and act as if the deed never happened. That was how she lived her life — deceiving herself. If that was said with certainty, then all that happened to her until now were a bunch of ill-fated accidents.

Accidents are inevitable. It was bound to happen sooner or later, Ces convinced herself. What caused her innermost turmoil was her brother's absence in the concerning events. Ian, her second oldest brother, was the only one who accepted her regardless of her unfavorable position as the Buandiller's black sheep.

With no one by her side, she did not know who to turn to for comfort. For now, the best thing to do is to bury these insignificant amount of distraught and leave it to the loop of denial until it disappears.

Ces was impressed with her friend's meticulous planning. First and foremost, Amber had successfully driven her to a drunken state of mind after offering her rounds. Second, she had lured her in her lair, giving her a delectable meal served up in a silver platter. And last but not the least, voilà, bon appétit. That sneaky woman. Ces should have known better but she would be lying if she said she did not love it.

The dungeon, Amber had called it, was a hidden basement underneath her club. It was a safe haven where they could write their rules and do as they please without attracting law enforcement. Illuminated by a lavender-scented candle, the cramped room produced intoxicating fumes that helped set the mood. Ces was in no position to reject the preposterous offer. Another filthy excuse, another reason to put the blame on anyone but herself.

A steep staircase revealed itself when they entered the dungeon and a massive door was built at the bottom of it. "I had it renovated." Amber knocked on its soundproof walls.

The inside was more or less cozy, furnished with ancient artifacts and an array of medieval torture tools laid flatly on the table. Before Amber took on the names the Temptress and the Succubus, she was the Empress' ruthless interrogator — someone who could make anyone talk. To tell the truth, these tools had done most of the persuasion. There was no one else better than her at making people spill their secrets as she resorted to physical and mental torture. She was a valuable asset, at least, during the time when the Empress used such violent means. If it only weren't for the Empress' change of heart. Her generosity towards humans restrained the potential of all vampires.

After being unemployed for so long, you could guess what she did for fun. That was her wicked history. After all, there was a time where vampires thrived in a lawless era. They all had their fair shares of forgotten sin.

And that was how vampires afforded to live a complacent life, discarding any trace of humanity (not much of it was there to begin with) when temptations presented itself, only to put the mask back on for show. However after putting the mask on for so long, they tend to forget.

Ces caught a glimpse of movement at the corner of her eyes. There was a gentleman, barely clothed, chained to the walls with his hands and feet tightly cuffed, and a piece of cloth gagged him. Retreating to the corner of the room, he wriggled and squirmed at the sight of the two predators who had just walked in. Then it dawned on her that this was the gift, very much alive.

A human.

Ces felt a sense of déjà vu wash over her.

"Surprise! Think of it as a belated gift." Amber happily snatched a rusty hammer from the table. She cut through the air and swung it around, testing its weight. "Just like the old times, til' the last drop!" She hollered.

"This is your gift?" Ces understood her resolve. Back in the olden days, it was proper tradition for vampires to go through this initiation. It was the best birthday present anyone could ask for.

"You seemed terrified. You don't want it?" Resting the hammer on her shoulder, she swiftly made her way towards the man. Color drained from his face. His provocative scent sweetly filled the room. Ah, the scent of fear. This is what made humans enjoyable preys. "Your fangs say otherwise."

Ces rolled up the sleeves of her blouse and her gums throbbed, feeling the thrill ride her bones. "It's just," she paused, "It has been awhile. This surely brings back memories." Still holding herself back, she assessed the situation carefully. Judging from the man's attire, a convict from another country perhaps? Amber would not be too careless to randomly abduct a citizen of Lougrand City. That would be taking a piece right under the Empress' hound-like nose.

"You're taking too long to get ready. I will do the unwrapping for you." Amber lifted the hammer and its flat edge connected with the man's leg, crushing it. The satisfying sound of bones cracking resounded throughout the hollow room, followed by his muffled cries."A piñata!" She cried in joy, brutally hitting him over and over again in the same place until the man's flesh tumbled out.

"Enough of that. You will soil our clothes." She grabbed the hammer and returned it on the table.

Amber pouted, "Oh, you've gone quite soft."

Soft? Ces would never feel remorse for a lowly human. The alcohol was mercilessly toying with her mind. She was hallucinating. The man strangely took on the appearance of Elios, seeing him in the victim's stead, even though their facial features were on a different magnitude. Would the result be different if this was how she met him? Through Amber's hobby. A victim, a piece of meat to satiate their desires. Ces could not imagine the very same tragedy to befall on her butler.

"The Empress is keeping a close eye on me lately. I have to be careful." Ces reasoned, "But I'll make this an exception seeing that you have prepared this much for me."

Ces leaned closer and stared into the man's frightened, watery eyes, his pupils dilated. Get away from me, you monster, screamed his eyes. **She took it back. Without a doubt, he did not resemble Elios in any way. How could she be a fool to set this coward on par with her butler? His entire body radiated fear. He had a desperate look mounted on his face, the look where he would rather choose someone to suffer on his behalf if given the option. It was a selfish look; he was willing to give up anything in order to survive at this point, all the more Ces despised it.

"Amber, I've been meaning to ask you. What was it like meeting France for the first time?"

She recalled, "He was trembling so much that he wet his pants. Don't tell him I said that. Is that really necessary right now?" Ideally, that was every butler's initial reaction. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. Shall we?"

"You first." Amber smiled.

Showing no hesitation, Ces drove her nail towards his neck and slashed his throat to deafen his useless cries. She licked the fountain of blood off his salty skin and roughly pounced at his neck, sucking him dry until his movements had been reduced to none. Amber joined her afterwards, sipping from the leg she broke open. Enslaved to her lioness of an appetite, Ces blacked out in the process and allowed her instincts to consume her. Slowly, life left the man's body as their jaws were clamped shut, tightened around their chosen area of feeding.

Amber licked her lips upon finishing her meal. "It never gets old." She turned to see Ces passed out comfortably from the over-consumption of blood or alcohol, she could not tell. "And she's asleep."

When she regained consciousness, she was sitting on the floor of the same basement, her hands wrapped around the man, whose dreadful screams had been silenced by death. She loosened her grip and the body dropped to the ground, accompanied by his own pool of blood.

And that was how her night came to an end.

"Ces, we have arrived home." Elios had been standing with the car door opened. A large black umbrella popped above him, which bounced back the rain and sheltered his body from the angry skies. In an attempt to reach through Ces, who seemed disconnected from reality, he placed a hand on top of her shaking fingers. The tremors came to a halt under his touch.

Stepping out into the puddled concrete, the scent of earthy rain reduced the lingering aftertaste of blood in her mouth. She swallowed down her troubling thoughts, as if it were that easy.

Ces emerged from the bathroom, her hair coiled in a towel. She was wearing a night gown. Like soaked wings, expanding from her back was a sheer train that trailed behind her. Her skin was all glittery from the moist. A shower was what she needed to empty her mind. She had washed herself, washing away the blood and sweat along with the faintest trace of murder down the drain. This time, she did not require any aid from her butler.

Elios drew his breath and averted his eyes. A devil in an angel's disguise. If only he knew the dress she was wearing was her post-murder attire, a lucky totem that was said to pacify the upcoming nightmares lay in store for her. But then if he knew, he wouldn't call her an angel now would he? Elios was waiting by the dressing table, surmounted by a white antique mirror which was large enough to paint the entire room.

"Did you get along with France?" Ces humbly sat on the stool before him and freed her hair.

He nodded and proceeded to tend to his master's nightly routine. Feeling the soft silvery strands slip through his fingers, Elios combed her hair until dry. She smelled like eternal spring; however, underneath the mask of flowers, she was scentless.

The mirror reflected back a moving picture of Ces idly watching her butler make this funny impressions while he blabbered about France's conquests. It was mostly nonsense but she seemed to enjoy his company and listened regardless of the boring subject.

"I like him," Elios summarized, "Although he's quite loose-lipped and told me things he shouldn't have said."

"What else did this new friend of yours say?"

He paused to think, looking for the right words for censorship. "I'd say Amber is really taking good care of him in all aspects." He looked amused.

"Don't tell me you're jealous of their arrangement." Ces faced him and daringly spanned a hand across his chest. "Do you think that's how a master should treat her butler?"

His liveliness danced away from his face. Elios moved a few steps back and he held her shoulders firmly, her exploring hand dropped to her side. "Ces, you are in no position to say such things. You are still under the influence."

How innocent. Lovely but Ces needed a distraction. "Then isn't this the perfect opportunity to take advantage of me?" She smiled, looking forward to see how he would react.

Elios gently scooped her petite frame into his arms, lifting her from the ground by surprise. Well that was easy, she thought, no man has ever resisted her charms. As he approached the bed, he dropped her body on its springing cushion in a cruel manner. "Goodnight, Ces." Elios tucked her in and covered her face with a blanket.

Now, her eyebrows furrowed into deep confusion. That was anticlimactic. "What?" Ces flailed her arms about, removing the blanket to have a clear view of Elios, who looked just as unpleased as her.

He was upset. "Just what kind of man do you take me for?" Elios grumbled. "Never mind. You seemed out of it especially ever since we left The Playground. Did something happen with Amber?"

"Can we not talk about that?" Her fists were clenched tightly against the sheets.

"Excuse me for prying into your matters. I'll be off to my chambers." When he was about to march away, Ces stopped him and reached for his hand. He looked back, surprised.

"Elios, I am not fine." Her tone dropped, even her eyes had lost its feistiness. For a moment back there, they looked stuck and lost in a never-ending nightmare. "Can you stay with me tonight?"

He could not bring himself to say no, Elios admitted defeat. He laid next to his master's side after finding his comfortable place. They were so close yet the bed still felt spacious and empty, like a thick suffocating wall pressed in between, separating the two. He could not simply understand how her mind worked. For someone who had been alive for over a century, her thinking must be had been influenced by that somehow. That explains her unpredictable behavior.

Elios had a long way to go if he wanted to decipher her thoughts piece by piece. What he feared the most was to share a bed with a vampire, knowing that there was no way a half-blood like him would be perceived as someone worthy to stay intimately by her side. They were from a different background to begin with, the seal stamped on his skin ensured that.

When a half-blood mates with a human or another half-blood, the child born is unmistakably human. But when a vampire mates with a half-blood, pregnancy would be impossible. The only way for a purebred vampire to be born is for two vampries to mate. He remembered this lecture from the Foundation, it was as if they were implying that they could fool around without bearing the consequences in mind.

What had gotten into him? Laying next to a vampire, a beautiful one at that, poisoned his mind with irrelevance. Maybe, it has been long since his last.

On the bright side, Elios could just make fun of her sleeping habits, the embarrassing and unconscious kind of vulnerability. He watched Ces as she was curled up against her pillow, her curved eyelashes casting a shadow upon her cheeks. Does she know that she looked human sometimes? It would be wise not to bring that up, she would probably not want to be associated with the likes of them.

In Ces' sleep, she was facing her worst fears, nightmares that burrowed into her heart. Tears accumulated in the sleek crevices of her closed eyes, rolling down once the dam was full. Vampires, even with all their gory display, are still capable of having emotions so human that they fail to live up to their vile reputation. *But wait, aren't vampires supposed to have blood for tears?*Elios looked again. The tears on her face were as clear as glass. What a fascinating discovery.

Drowsiness was finally creeping up to him but Ces came back to her senses, climbing out of the bed in an energized frenzy, as if an imaginary emergency alarm had been set off. She was on her guard, quickly scanning the room and then she turned to look at Elios who was very much wide awake. The entire scene would be frightening if her bed had been a coffin instead.

"What's wrong?" He was startled.

"Elios, you did lock the doors right?" Ces hastily opened the bed-stand drawer and pulled out a handgun which was loaded with premium wooden bullets. But that wasn't enough.

Upon seeing the weapon, Elios gathered himself. "Yes, I wouldn't miss such an important thing. What are you going to do with that?"

"What else?" She removed the safety lock with her teeth. "We have an intruder to kill."