Black Blood

Claude pulled into the drive of the building that looked to be pretty much a castle. It was even larger than any of the other buildings I had seen before. I felt my breath leave me as I stared out the window of the car.

"It's beautifully overdone, isn't it?" Claude asked. I startled at his words, and looked over to him. He had already parked and turned the engine off, and was leaning over his seat to grin at me.

"A little," I said in a small voice. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Are you alright?" he said.

I nodded and replied, "Yes. I'm just nervous. I'm not ready to face..." I trailed off. Claude had no clue how close Edward Blackblood truly was- to be honest I had not clue either really, just a guess based on what I had been told. I smiled a little and shook my head. "I've never met a king before."

"We can wait in here for a short while," Claude offered. I nodded again. "Just for a little."

"I'll go on first," Jean said. He opened his door and then looked back at Adrian. "You, come with." Adrian's eyes widened.

"Hey, I have a name!" Adrian protested, but Jean had already exited the car and shut his door. Adrian grumbled and scrambled to undo his seat belt and follow Jean.

I smiled wider and covered my mouth, looking out the window after them. Adrian jogged to catch up to Jean as soon as the door was shut. Claude let out a low chuckle and I looked back over to him. There was a warm smile on his face as opposed to the usual one that I had decided was unnerving after all.

"Come on," Claude said. He opened his door.

"C-Come on?" I repeated. I shrank back in my seat. He continued to smile and nodded his head.

"To walk around a bit," he elaborated. "We're not going in there just yet. The gardens surrounding this place are beautiful. The brief break you wanted?"

My eyes widened. He was allowing me this moment to breathe and think, however short it would end up being. I was also curious now to see what the gardens looked like. Maybe I'd find the moment to tell him about Edward Blackblood and the second encounter I'd had with him?

"Yes, please," I said. I undid my seat belt and had my door open within seconds. "Let's go. I'm not going to pass this chance up."

"Alright," Claude chuckled.

I led the way, taking us through the gardens that were just as beautiful as he had said they were. There were lots of different types of flowers, and tall hedges which we ended up passing through. Eventually we ended up lost in what I now realized was a maze.

"I, uh, I think we're lost," I said with a short laugh. Claude patted me on the shoulder.

"You're lost," he said. "I know my way around this place like the back of my hand." I rolled my eyes at that.

"That's good, at least," I said.

"Have you had your fill of looking around the garden, then?" he asked. I nodded, even though I still hadn't told him about the dream. I couldn't do it, and I had no idea why.

Claude led us expertly back out of the maze, through the flowers and bushes, and back to the front fo the castle-like place. I stared up at the towering building, that must have been somewhere between three and five floors tall.

"Don't worry," Claude chuckled, patting me on the shoulder. "We're just going to be on the first floor."

I felt relief, but as we climbed the steps and entered the building, the size of the entryway was truly intimidating. We spent a good five minutes just walking across the marbled floor, and we were still only halfway through the hall.

"This is a bit much," I laughed, my voice echoing loudly through the room. Claude laughed too.

"Just a bit," he agreed.

There was a commotion from behind the door we were approaching, and Claude grabbed my arms to stop me walking, pulling me closer protectively. We paused and listened. Adrian and Jean burst through the door.

"The king isn't here," Jean said in between panting. Adrian seemed calm in comparison, though wide eyed.

"What do you mean?" Claude asked. He raised a brow. "He's expecting us. This place is huge, he has to be here somewhere. Have you searched-"

"He truly isn't here. You would be able to feel his presence," Adrian said before Jean could reply. "Claude, something doesn't feel right here. I think we should go."

Claude pulled me even closer, looking around. He inhaled deeply and narrowed his eyes. I watched with wide eyes, looking back and forth between Claude and the other two.

"You're right," Claude said. He started leading me back over to the front door. "We need to be cautious leaving though." Adrian and Jean nodded.

Jean rushed over to the door in a blur, the vampire speed startling me. I should have been used to that by now. Before Jean could reach out for the handle, the doors blew open and off their hinges. Jean was thrown back with the doors. A dark, tall silhouette stood in the doorway. I knew immediately who it was. This figure held the same presence I had felt in my dreams.

"Edward Blackblood," Claude hissed.