Melody of Blood and Night

Ten

The Vampyress was putting away a tray filled with dusty glassware of various shapes and sizes, when Aedlyn flung open the door and strode inside with the Prince in tow, a leather satchel hanging at his hip.

His face scrunched up almost immediately as he demanded, "What is that smell!?" sniffing the air, nostrils flared. Ghislaine scanned Aedlyn from head to toe, crimson eyes gleaming with disapproval.

"No. No, this won't do." She declared, shaking her head, hand on her hips.

"What...won't do?" Aedlyn glanced around hesitantly.

"This right here." The Vampyress said, shaking a slender finger at her outfit.

"Can someone explain," Zaivian began, eyelids draw together, "Why in the name of Eos does Ghislaine have jars and jars full of BODY PARTS!?" He exclaimed, hands outstretched in front of him.

"Think of them as...." Ghislaine tilted her head to the right, a hand on her chin, "Keepsakes." She stated casually.

"Keepsakes!? For what!?"

"My kills, of course."

"You're...you're kills?"

"Why yes. Would you like one, Your Highness?" She whispered in his ears with a seductive purr, which earned her an eye roll from Aedlyn.

"Uh...umm" The Prince stammered.

"I thought so. Go wait outside and try reckoning some numbers." Ghislaine directed. Prince Zavian hurried out of the room, eager to leave.

"Hmmm..." The Vampyress drawled, looking Aedlyn up and down with a frown on her face. She walked over to her wardrobe and fumbled around till she found what she was looking for. She emerged with a piece of clothing and held it up for Aedlyn to see.

"No. no. Absolutely not." She took a step back, refusing firmly, but somehow ten minutes later, there she was, standing in that skin-hugging blouse. It had two thin straps that dug into her shoulders, almost to a painful degree, struggling to support her ample bosom. She had to wear it because apparently, it was tailored out of a strange piece of fabric which water couldn't seem to penetrate.

"You have got to be kidding me." Aedlyn scoffed in disbelief.

"I mean where do you even get this stuff?"

"This right here." Ghislaine began, ignoring her completely, "Is a Potion of Breath. It gives you the ability to breathe underwater. Do not break it." She warned, handing her a cyan liquid swirling in a tiny glass vial.

"How long before the potion starts to take effect?"

"Half an hour, maybe more or less. Now, let's not keep His Royal Highness waiting, shall we?"

Zaivian began to share his findings as soon as he heard the doors open.

"According to my calculation so far, we have an approximate of-" he paused, stilling his shaking leg and looked up from the papers in his hands. His eyes darted from Ghislaine to Aedlyn in a swift glance before coming back to the scribble of numbers before him.

Or at least, that's what he had planned to do. But he couldn't pry them off of the lost princess standing before him, dressed from head to toe in black looking like the Goddess of Temptation. He found himself admiring her curvaceous physique. He found himself unable to tear his gaze away from her. Now, with her hair swept back in a ponytail that sat high atop her head, he couldn't believe she was the same woman who had been trembling in his embrace half an hour ago.