Vampire Residence

XVII

Nearly two months passed, and Daciana now only seemed to appear when Morgana's father was absent.

Morgana wasn't sure how to feel about this new development. On one hand, it meant that the uncomfortable confrontations with her father had ended- at least for now. But on the other hand... It meant spending more time with this strange woman, this enigmatic presence that kept appearing in the bakery night after night.

As she worked, packaging pastries and tidying up the front of the shop, she couldn't help but steal glances towards the door, each time half-expecting to see Daciana's silhouette appear.

Every time the bell above the door rang, she tensed, her heart rate increasing just a little bit, her hands pausing briefly in their work. But the next few moments would pass, and there would be no one there, just the soft, familiar sounds of the bakery.

Morgana tried to pretend she wasn't waiting for the next appearance of the strange woman who had so captivated her father's suspicions. But the anticipation gnawed at the back of her mind, making every customer who walked through the door a disappointment when they turned out to be someone else.

Finally, as the last customer of the night left, the bell above the door jingling softly as it closed behind them, Morgana was left alone once again, the bakery immersed in an unearthly silence.

Just when she was certain the woman wouldn't show up again that night, she heard the soft creak of the front door swinging open. Morgana froze, her heart skipping a beat as she recognized that familiar sound.

The woman walked in, closing the door behind her with a soft click. Her steps were almost silent as she moved over to the counter, her eyes locking onto Morgana's figure at the back of the shop.

"Working late, I see," she noted coolly, her voice holding a hint of a smirk.

Morgana felt her skin prickling under the woman's gaze, her heart rate increasing again despite her best efforts to feign indifference. She forced herself to keep moving, trying to maintain a sense of normalcy as she finished tidying the display counter.

"We've just closed," she said, her voice a little more breathless than she'd hoped.

"Yes, I can see that," Daciana replied, her smirk growing just a fraction wider. She leaned against the counter, watching Morgana work with a kind of detached nonchalance.

"Your father is not here tonight."

The observation was more a statement than a question, but the implication was clear.

Morgana's hands paused in their work again, a flutter of anxiety in her chest. She could feel the woman's gaze on her, heavy and expectant.

"He... had some business elsewhere," she managed to reply, trying to keep her voice steady. "He won't be back until morning."

Daciana hummed in response, her expression shifting just a little - intrigued, perhaps. Her eyes never left Morgana.

"So you are all alone here?"

The question was casual, but there was something else behind it- something that sounded almost like satisfaction.

Morgana felt her stomach twist at the woman's words, a mix of anxiety and... something else that she couldn't quite name. "Yes," she answered quietly, her voice a little shakier than before.

"I'm alone here."

The woman hummed again, that same look in her eyes as she peered over the counter.

"Your leg. What happened to it?"