Indecent Folks

She finished stitching my wound and handed me a small bottle. "What is that?" I asked, holding it away from my face as it smelled terrible. "That's an enchanted medicine. It'll help you sleep and heal faster."

"By faster, I hope you meant like vampire-kind-of-fast," I murmured hopefully and forced the bottle into my mouth. I coughed from the terrible taste and tossed the bottle onto the tray.

I sighed and adjusted the pillow behind my back to recline better while staring at the vaulted ceiling. "Why would you tell me so much if you won't let me leave with it?" I asked, taking a glimpse of Paige's back as she cleaned the tools on the sink.

"I'm just messing with you. Do you think I'd kill for nothing? I could just compel you," she replied, obviously amused by the way she restrained her laugh.

I sunk deeper into the bed. "Please tell me you're joking."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"My parents made me drink a Reisin."

She finally shot a glance at me, confused and surprised. "The counter-compelling serum?"

I shut my eyes, and for some reason, I felt like my body already welcomed all the fatigue that I was trying to ignore earlier. "If I'm going to die tomorrow, at least let me have a pleasant sleep," I said, letting my eyes close from exhaustion.

**

My mind was already awake, but it took me a while to open my eyes. I no longer felt the bed on my back while it seems like I was floating. When I opened my eyes, Sawyer's face greeted me as my head rested on his chest. The ceiling above was as elegant as those in the Peraven Palace. Even the unlit sconces on the wall were pretty, while only the moonlight passing through the enormous arched windows illuminated the hallway.

When the thought of Sawyer carrying me in his arms finally sunk into me, I jolted in surprise and pushed him away, causing me to flop straight to the cold floor. My arms ached from taking the pressure of my fall, but I endured and forced myself to sit.

He stared at me in disbelief while his arms remained in the air. "Paige told me you passed out, but you look awake as hell."

I squinted my eyes at him and stood, looking at the arched windows to my right. It has no panes, so I saw what looks like the entirety of the village. "Where are you taking me?" I asked him, keeping my eyes glued outside. "To your room."

Instead of turning to him, I marched to the window and rested my hand on the cold ledge. "Who lives here?"

"Before, the whole family of Millard. Now it's only their son and the servants who live here."

From here, I got a good look at the structures inside the walled village. There were two complexes in front of me. The one closer to the gate was where I stayed earlier, and the other one was this barn in front of the mansion that had a small signboard made of wood. It says "Workshop."

I didn't realize that I was holding my breath as I looked around. This place was mesmerizing not only by its structures but the secrets it kept. "There's a village of vampires here, and no one found out?"

"It's a long story. Come on, you need to rest," Sawyer told me before grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the window.

We entered the door at the end of the hallway, but I heard a clanking of metals behind us, so I turned around. It was dark, and I couldn't see if there was someone at the other end of the hallway. The door suddenly closed because Sawyer pushed it, so I shifted my gaze at him. "Come on," he said and gently pushed my arm.

I looked around and noticed that we were standing at the end of another hallway. This one was more extensive. There were six doors on each side. All of which had an oil lamp fixed in between the doors.

I heard another clanking of metals from where we stood, so I glanced at the door before turning to Sawyer, who was acting like he didn't hear anything. "What was that?" I asked.

"Nothing that concerns you," he replied before walking to the sixth door to my right. He took the ring of keys that hung onto his belt and inserted one of them into the door's lock. "Come here," he ordered before slowly pushing the door made of thick planks of wood.

"Why does that look like a prison door?"

He glared at me before entering the room. I stood by the door and waited for him to kindle the oil lamp on the wall. The light illuminated the place very well, and my eyes first landed on the canopy bed to my right. "That was intricate," I whispered, staring at the parted curtains hanging onto the posts at each corner of the bed.

"Your clothes are on that trunk," he pointed at the table below the oil lamp where a huge trunk sat atop it.

"If you need anything that you didn't find in here, knock on the first door to your left," he said before walking up to me. I stared at him as we stood in front of the door. "Are you waiting for something? Get in," he ordered. "This kind welcome looks suspicious," I whispered. "Especially after what Paige told me."

He raised his eyebrow and gave me a bored look. "You're in a mansion, in the residence of a vampire family; what did you expect for a room? A rathole?"

I sighed and walked in before looking around. There was another door on the corner adjacent to a wooden window and a dressing table beside the trunk. On the wall at the head of the bed hung a beautiful and elegant tapestry with flower designs.

"This kind welcome looks suspicious," I reiterated.

I walked to the dressing table and took a look at myself. A disappointed sigh swiftly escaped my lips when I saw my terrible hair and dirty upper garment, which was only a vest made of old canvas. I winced when I suddenly smelled my scent. God damn, how did Sawyer bear to stand near me?

My eyes landed on the trunk, so I lifted its lid to check the clothes that they provided. There were all nicely folded drawers and long sleeve chemises made of cotton, linen and silk.

**

The moon shone brightly through the window. I shut my eyes and felt the freezing wind while memories of my past drowned me. A series of familiar shrieks, growls and words of pleading filled my ears. I think I won't be able to sleep peacefully again. My memories of that night will forever haunt me.

My stomach grumbled from hunger, so I turned to the door and walked up to the room that Sawyer told me. Suddenly, the door at the end of the hallway sprung open and revealed a young woman.

She was petite and pretty, but my heart almost dropped when I got a clear glimpse of the black veins under her red eyes. She wore nightwear, but even the white fabric turned red from what I assume was a bloodstain. She ran towards me, and it was a normal run, so I had the chance to dodge and move to the other side of the hallway.

"Excuse me! There's a situation here!" I screamed at the top of my lungs in hopes of getting the attention of somebody.

"Who did this to me?" she whispered.

I gently shook my head and picked up the oil lamp from its holder on the wall behind me. "Look, whoever they are, I am not one of them. So if you don't mind, I'll just go back to my room and forget about my hunger-" "My hunger is insatiable."

I forced a friendly smile. "Did I ask?"

Unfortunately, it triggered her, so she ran towards me again. My hands trembled as I sprinted towards the door to leave this hallway.

I pulled the handle and closed the door behind me, panting in fright. What a fucking night. What a fucking night! The lady seems to be a baby vamp, and from what I've learned, they don't have a full grasp of their abilities until after a few days since they turned.

Just a heads up: FindNovel.net is the only place to read the complete version of this book for free. Don't miss out on the next chapter-visit us now and continue your journey!

Did no one hear anything? Why was this mansion so empty? I walked away and endured the chill of the cemented floor against my bare soles until I reached the dark end of the hallway. My hand gripped the lamp while I walked down the similarly cemented staircase. The smooth bannister felt cold against my palm.

Downstairs was another hallway with arched windows to the left, but there were rooms to my right, unlike the hallway upstairs. "Hello? Is someone in there?" I asked after a few knocks.

Silence filled the room while I desperately waited for someone to open the door. I sighed in disappointment and looked around. "Excuse me? Does anyone hear me?" I yelled.

"I do," responded someone from the other end of the hallway. When she revealed herself, my shoulders dropped at the sight of the baby vamp.

She smirked at me, but I had no time to watch. I turned behind me and ran for my life. Whoever manages this mansion need to designate a guard on every goddamn floor! I looked around when I reached the base of the stairs, but all I saw was another hallway full of rooms, so I kept running until I got to the lower ground.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips when I found what seems to be the main door. I hastily lifted the bar off its holder and pulled the handle with all my strength. The wind blasted on my face, feeling colder against my sweaty neck. I stepped out and faced the door, so the baby vamp won't be able to attack me from the back. The stones were painful against my feet, but I endured the pain.

I gazed at the entirety of the mansion in front of me. The building was vast and lengthy that the hallway where Sawyer and I talked earlier was only on the right wing. At the centre of the building was a spacious porch, and above it was balconies on each floor.

"Where the fuck are these people?" I asked myself as I looked around, still carrying the lamp.

The wind blasted on my face yet again, and the baby vamp was already in front of me in a snap. Holy shit. She smiled like a devil's spawn, and I got weak in the knees, so I collapsed on the ground. An edged rock pierced through my palm as the oil lamp fell and broke in front of me, causing a small fire.

I moved away, and so did the baby vamp, but I walked on the other side of the fire to keep our distance when she tried to come to me. Am I really this clueless about vampires? I thought she wouldn't be able to manifest supernatural abilities until after a few days.

She winced and stepped back the moment she got too close to the fire, but her eyes did not leave my bleeding hand, so I raised it and smiled at her. "You want this?" She gently nodded. "You'll have this only if you stop coming for me. This village is full of vampires. They would surely know what to do with you. So please," I pleaded. "Let's just calm down."

She growled again, ignoring what I just said. "I need a nice meal, so God forgive me," she whispered before running at full speed towards me. She grabbed my neck, but her face made a shocked expression while blood seeped from her mouth. Jesus Christ!

I froze when she stumbled on the floor, and a figure of a man appeared behind her. When I looked back at the baby vamp, I found an arrow pierce through her nape, prompting me to cover my mouth. That's awful and disgusting! A couple of men showed up, so I turned my gaze ahead. They looked at me like they just finished watching the theatre. The man who showed up first holding a crossbow stood out the most. He must be about a few years older. I noticed a scar above his left brow as I stared at him. He walked towards me while he rested his crossbow over his broad shoulder, so I got a closer look at his blue eyes. His black hair was tied from the back, revealing a wing tattoo on the left side of his neck. My eyes darted on his nice all-black clothing. It was elegant, but not too fancy. He sported a wool vest and a tunic tucked in his pair of breeches. His cloak swayed along with the wind while his leather boots ground against the stones making his every footstep audible. He stopped when he was only about two steps away from the dead vamp in front of me. "Your blood smells nice," he whispered in a deep voice, leaving an arousing sensation on my nerves.