He let out a scoff as he turned a corner, his expression hinting disgust. Not too long ago, he would glare at her brethren, but now that aversion had faded. It had to, considering they were nothing compared to the idiots that roamed. He kept seeing them, walking through the castle like if it belonged to them. All had a room, yet they always crowded the main halls like a pack of loud animals.

Bastian kept his distance, focusing on himself, never choosing to cross a corridor that was not guarded by one of her underlings. Somehow, now he felt slight sympathy for them, because they also abhorred those insufferable leeches.

As he made way, he looked down at what he carried. He had taken a few books and blank papers from the library in the castle, as well as some spare ink. He would make good use of them in his room, to which he was heading to, ready to call it a day as the sun set.

He was not going back to the quarters on the eastern side of the castle. His steps were leading him to the northern wing, to its most secluded area, near the western tower that crowned it.

Soon after Nerys had said… that, he was assigned another chamber. It was not as small as the ones of the servants, but not as big as the accommodations vampires had. His new room was closer to hers than the quarters had been.

She had hated to send him with all the servants, and now she had an excuse to give him a better place to stay in while those fools roamed. If she could, she would have told him to go back to those chambers she had first allowed him, but they were far too lavish for a human to own.

In his opinion, he did not need any luxury. The one he had just been granted was a perfect middle ground. It was more spacious and private than the one he had in the quarters, with a bigger bed and more furniture.

Nerys had always known that he liked to be alone sometimes, lose himself in his readings and writings. The desks and grounds of his living space always ended up full of notes and diagrams. He could not do that in the quarters, not while other servants roamed all around, the area far too noisy.

He had the privilege of her favour, so he was allowed to roam almost anywhere without having to work again, and none of those fools could question it. Her brethren knew well that she would treat him like royalty if she could, but they kept quiet about it, partaking in the temporary façade.

Bastian crossed an outer gallery, heading for the inner ones. His steps echoed through the arcs that delimited the courtyard, his posture relaxed as he walked… unaware that he was being watched. Those dusky eyes narrowed in the shadows of the patio, seeing him get inside the northern wing, out of sight.

Not for long…

Idris whispered, two of his men listening carefully by his side.

“One hour. Everyone is still half-asleep.” He chuckled, letting his fangs show. “He has been awake all day…”

The other two nodded, having paid close attention to the schemes of their sire. He needed a distraction, and they would provide him one. He had been keeping an eye on the human for a couple of days, planning carefully. His death had to be silent, unseen, and traceless. It had to be an accident, one that he could not be blamed for.

There was always a guard around; the human was never left alone outside of his room. He was lucky, watched over zealously by her cronies. It was painfully clear that she cared for the maggot; she always had this preoccupied look on her face while not near him.

Such nonsense would end soon, at dusk. They waited for it patiently, their eyes beginning to glint as darkness fell. As soon as their figures blended in the shadows, they moved forward.

Bastian was now inside his room, arranging what he had carried onto his desk, blissfully unaware that he was a target. His eyes were slightly lidded, tiredness obvious in them. He had been awake since dawn, for there were always fewer vampires around during the day.

He looked sideways and tried to push his sleepiness away, because he felt a small nudge on his shoulder. A small smile grew on his lips, seeing Nadiya looking down at him from a nearby shelf, her peck an obvious show of grouchiness.

Bastian laughed silently and raised a hand to her, keeping it still for her to look at. After a few seconds, she hopped and perched onto it, letting him hold her closer. He pet her softly with his other hand, giving her a slightly inquisitive look, eyeing her feathers.

“You know, if you don’t like this room either, you could fly off.” There came the loud croak, and he noticed well how she inched closer to his wrist, flapping her now lustrous wings. “If you really want to stay with me, you will have to put up with what I have.”

After one last nudge at her beak and one soft peck from her, he raised his hand up gently. She promptly flew the distance towards the shelf she had claimed for herself, once more eyeing him down raptly.

He let out a loud yawn and walked groggily towards his bed. Deep inside, he was glad that she was refusing to leave, even though she could fly now. The window of the room was open, yet she preferred to stay and keep watch in the nights. He suspected the reason, and he was thankful for it.

“We… We just have to deal with this mess for a while. Just…” He sat on the bed, struggling to form words in his tiredness. “You’ll have those chambers and the nest you made again, Nadiya…”

She leaned her head and did not caw, seeing him crawl into bed like a vampire who had spent a full day at the beach, subjected to sunlight and water. His eyes were fast to close shut, with one last yawned groan.

Once she saw him fall motionless, she examined her surroundings. She quickly flapped to another higher shelf, finding the shadows there comforting for sleep. As always, she wanted to hide as much as possible, because she could hear two things she did not like. Vampires were beginning to wake and roam, and her human was snoring faintly.

She tried to fall asleep like him, perched above… both unaware of the vampires that plotted outside in the nearby corridors, maliciously.

Idris leaned at a corner, glaring as he peeked into the hallway, eyeing the door he needed to cross to get in that room. There was a problem, constant and extremely annoying: the guard. Those jade eyes were determined, showing the same firmness as hers.

As aggravating as her clan was, he could deal with them easily, with his own. He grinned, his fangs showing in his pleased laugh, hearing a commotion two hallways ahead. The guard blinked, startled by the yells of two vampires, who were seemingly lost in a drunken brawl. There were curses and shoves, the sound of a banner being thrown in the scuffle.

Idris stood tall and advanced towards the door, for the guard bolted towards the fight, expected to keep an eye on any potential threat near the room. Sadly, by addressing that issue, the real menace was being disregarded.

“My…” He chuckled, laying his hand onto his chest in a faked proud posture. “I should give them an acting award. They are overdoing themselves.”

He could hear them faking hatred, insulting each other while the guard tried to make them stop. They wouldn’t desist in the fight, not until he did his part. He would, efficiently and silently, leaving no trace once it was done.

His sharp eyes narrowed as he walked to the door, with confidence. He halted there, not making a sound as he leaned his head against it, listening intently. He had killed humans for centuries, so he was at the top of the food chain. It would be no lie if he said he knew his prey better than it did. He could hear the familiar sound of breathing, in a rhythm that could only be achieved with a deep slumber.

He leaned away with a snort, to then look down at the knob of the door. His claw rested on it tentatively, and his eyes glinted as he managed to turn it. The chamber was not locked. No room meant for a human ever was in vampiric domain, but still, it was surprising, considering her zealousness.

It can’t be so easy…

As he invited himself in slowly, he made no sound. His body crept like a shadow, while his eyes gleamed in the dark, fixating on the prey ahead.

Such a peaceful expression; blissfully ignorant.

He closed in on the human, amused by how he could sleep so soundly in a castle full of predators. Any human should fear that fact, but him more, having been an insurgent.

He would never understand Nerys, why she allowed them to feel safe, granting them freedom and protection. Their pathetic existence was meant to be sacrificed for their superior one, evolved and enlightened.

The blood was so close… he could sense it. A heart was beating slowly. It was extremely tempting, but he wouldn’t take any of it, not a single drop.

At last, he stood at the side of the bed. His shoulders trembled with laughter as his clawed hand rose over the human’s head, to then lower slowly. He would not bite his neck and make him bleed to death. It was much more common for humans to die in their sleep, suffocate.

Such fragile beings…

He slowly lowered his hand, intending to lay it over his mouth, ready to silence when conscience returned and fear struck his mind. The human would have been awoken and killed, if not for the fact that he halted when a faint raspy sound echoed.

Idris took a step away, alert. He glared around, trying to guess what he had just heard. It did not come from the human, for he was still fast asleep. His sharp eyes widened, because he saw a shadow above him. Two smaller eyes were piercing him, furiously, wings and feathers bristling and tensing. A crow began to inch slowly on a shelf, baring its beak in a silent hiss.

There had been silence in the room. And it was kept, but not the tranquillity that accompanied it. The vampire panicked when the crow dashed down at him, an angry fast peck missing one of his eyes by inches.

Somehow, even if the animal flapped wildly and kept dodging his strong swings of claw, no furniture was struck and sent to the ground. The lord tried to stab the bird with his nails, but he was failing miserably, its lunges far too wary and calculated.

Nadiya kept a keen eye on those claws, having seen them before. She would not let herself be snatched. Her moves were chaotic and high, only her beak making contact, with his head. She did not know it, but the vampire despised animals as much as she despised his kind.

He cowered, hissing silently as he received a stronger peck on his brow, which made him stumble back. To make matters worse, he flinched when he heard the human groan softly, still asleep but bothered by the faint thuds and flaps.

Idris finally managed to swat at Nadiya, making her recoil away onto the shelf again. He panted, seeing her lean her body aggressively after the futile strike, tensing to ready herself for another furious lunge.

She only took two seconds to warn him with that motion, leaping again with her talons and wings open, unfazed by his efforts. If hateful looks could kill, he would be dead on the spot. An angry croak escaped her, seeing the bastard dash for the door, his expression one of fear and panic. She tried to hit his eyes one more time… but the door closed, and she collided with it.

She flapped strongly and landed on the floor, to then ruffle her wings and feathers pridefully. After a few seconds, in which she kept watch on the knob, she hopped away and flew off to the shelf. From it, she kept glaring down to guard her human, who was still blissfully unaware of the scuffle. He was used to her making noise and snatching items in the dark, so he did not wake and discover her zealousness.

Outside, a vampire panted and leaned on a wall, trying to steady his breathing with a hand over his chest. His eyes were still wide, in surprise and shock. He was supposed to be on top of the food chain. His claws, fangs and eyesight were unmatched by any creature. He was fast, strong, able to kill with ease any foe that opposed him.

I have been stopped by a damn crow. How?

He gasped silently, hearing steps, nearing. A snarl escaped him, recognizing them well, calm but firm. He glared one last time at the door, his dusky eyes aflame with hate and anger, frustration and shame. His death was all he wanted, but he had to dash away instead. He hid past a corner, just as Nerys walked into the corridor, her expression one of concern and annoyance.

She had no idea why those two fools were having a drunken brawl in the area, but she did not like it… and she did not put up with it. Her claws put a quick stop to that nonsense, for the ones of the guard failed to do so.

She was the lord of this castle, and such behaviour would not be tolerated. Her patience had a limit. They would stay in their designated chambers, or else.

Her expression softened when she neared the door, for her thoughts shifted to another one. She took a deep breath, to then listen intently with her eyes closed.

He is asleep.

Bastian did not wake when the door creaked, two green eyes peeking into the room softly. She was relieved to see him sleeping peacefully, slumped there without a care in the world, finally taking a break after browsing archives and books all day.

She smiled, but she soon blinked after a moment. Her eyes met those small ones, which were piercing her inquisitively from above, almost warning.

Nerys raised a claw in front of herself to apologize silently, taking a step back. She left and closed the door, her uneasiness gone.

Nadiya did not make a single move to take her out, even if those claws were larger and sharper. She did not deem her a threat.