The Housekeeper (Ruby Rose/Terra Juana fanfic)

TWENTY-FIVE

Ruby was taking a picture of the cathedral of Palermo with her phone while Terra read a travel guide she'd bought in a library, they both had been in the city before, long years ago, and had found out which ones were modern places of interest to visit them. We went to a market were fruits and veggies were piled up in wooden boxes like colourful precious stones, above all tomatoes and lemons, we ate at old trattorie and osterie and even on the street and Ruby didn't care, we watched the sunset on Mondello beach, Terra dragged us to visit the royal chapel of the Palace of the Normand which was covered with golden mosaics and we stayed in a hotel that used to be a palace surrounded by lovely gardens and with breathtaking views of the sea. Humans were kind to us while we talked to them but the vampires forced them to forget about us one minute later.

Everything was perfect, a romantic weekend in an interesting city with my two precious girls who even accepted to pose for a couple of pictures with me. I was having fun even if, as usual, something was bothering me in a corner of my mind. I knew Terra would gladly answer any question about her vampire nature, she wanted me to feel comfortable with the decision I had made about turning when we got back home in Los Angeles, but after the incident at the party with Julie and our misunderstanding the next day, I didn't want to argue with them again or talk about uncomfortable topics. We were enjoying our day and didn't want to ruin it. I raised my hand slowly and sniffed my wrist discreetly before shaking my head slightly.

"What are you doing?" I looked up and realized my girls were staring at me with curiosity and bewilderment. I smiled and shrugged moving a step back.

"Nothing... We should go to the harbour now, we need to get on the boat one hour before it leaves and we could have dinner at the restaurant or grab some food in one of the two pubs and eat it in our cabin..." My voice faded away when I noticed they were still looking at me closely only they were worried because I couldn't stop stuttering nonsense. "I was..." I pointed at the interior or my wrist, blushing. "Julie said that I smelled good and I guess she wasn't talking about my Dior perfume... Can you really smell my blood?" I whispered and mi girls exchanged an awkward glance before nodding reluctantly.

"Yes, you smell sweet and besides..." Terra hesitated for a second. "When we're lying in our bed and I hug you quietly, if I focus on it carefully... I can hear your heart beating and your blood running through your veins. It sounds like water gurgling through pipes, in a delicious way... I don't know how to explain it but it makes me happy when I hear it." Ruby nodded smiling while I stared at them with my mouth wide open.

"Can you smell the blood of all those humans right now?" I asked dismayed waving my hand at the square, bar terraces and labyrinthine streets leading to the harbour.

"Well, some of those ladies are wearing pungent perfumes and there's a cloud of hairspray around their heads, but yes, basically I can although some humans smell more tempting than others."

"And don't you think it's weird?" Terra frowned, taking a quick look back over her shoulder for a second, while her sister pointed at a bakery in the building in front of me before asking.

"Can you smell fresh bread and croissants? Is it weird or delicious?"

"Yes, all right, I understand it. But I'm not finding an open bakery every time I move one step and Julie said that, if I pricked my finger with the pin, no vampire could restrain themselves... What happens when you bump into a human who smells way more to tempting than others?"

"Julie was being dramatic," Terra answered firmly looking back at me while Ruby nodded. "Most of the guests attending that party were vampires with hundreds of years of experience and they respect Marcus, no one would dare to offend his daughter-in-law attacking her in his house, even if the younger ones could feel tempted but there're rules, hospitality is sacred and you're under our protection. They wouldn't hurt you, believe me, you aren't in danger surrounded by vampires."