In the October Wind

The next morning, after Charlotte got her things settled in at the inn, she decided to hit the library first just to see if she could drum up any records of this mysterious vampire lord. There had to be something if he truly had been there for a while. The castle at the end of the main road appeared to be old, so she couldn't imagine that he just moved in a short while ago. Something was telling Charlotte that that castle had been there just as long as Lord Hunt had been occupying it. Now she just needed that proof. Vampires became part of the public just a few centuries ago, according to the research she did on them. The first vampire to announce his existence was the oldest of their kind, he was known as the First Vampire. Ever since he made himself public, the others followed suit and soon enough they became so common that a new set of laws were eventually established in order to hold vampires accountable for the deaths they caused. Those laws stated that a vampire could not leg

Lord Hunt's sudden cold shoulder had her bewildered. The only thing she had done was answer his question. The answer seemed innocent enough. There couldn't be any harm in getting to know someone and yet, he had shut down. There had to be an answer to that. Finding those answers might prove to be a little trickier than she thought. Charlotte wasn't done there just yet, she was going to use the chance she had while at this ball to try and find out something. Even if it was just a little bit of a hint on how she might be able to speak with Lord Hunt. Her idea of where to start was with one of his contracted servants. Those that had agreed to work for Lord Hunt as a supplier of live blood. Exactly what their relationship was to their employer, she wasn't sure. Kaleb Mosey had made it sound as though they were treated as nothing more than just regular employees. Something in itself that was unusual for most vampire lords and something that was still worth learning about. She entered t

The process of creating the contract to work for Lord Hunt took a little longer than Charlotte would have liked for it to. She was in Mr. Mosey's office for at least another hour and a half, just going over paperwork and signing things. He gave her a long winded explanation as to what she would be expected to do while working for Lord Hunt. These were all things that Charlotte had already learned by talking with Shayla. Of course, she couldn't just tell him that because it wouldn't take the legal part of it out. These agencies and these contracts were all developed so that vampires could be regulated just like any other citizen. It was to keep them under close watch so they just didn't go on killing sprees like they might have in years passed. The idea of it was to protect human life and keep the vampire population under control, while appeasing those who were intrigued by vampires. Regardless of its reason, it didn't make Charlotte feel any better about going through the process.

While Charlotte had accepted the silent challenge that Lord Hunt initiated, it didn't mean she wasn't any less nervous about it. Shayla had informed her that Lord Hunt didn't actually bite or put his mouth on his servants, but rather used a sharp blade to drain their blood. It sounded a lot more professional than the traditional way, which to Charlotte always seemed more intimate. But she wasn't too keen on the idea of being sliced with a knife either. She spent most of her day wandering around the castle grounds and trying to calm her nerves of what was to come. Charlotte wanted to prove to Lord Hunt that she was going to stick to her goals. There wasn't going to be anything that pushed her out of what she had set out to Willow Creek to do. The castle was beautiful in every aspect. Each room was lavish and well kept, as though time had barely touched it. But as the hour drew closer, Charlotte became more and more unsettled. Charlotte was back in her room fifteen minutes prior to

The next week was terribly long for Charlotte. Not just because she had to busy herself with tedious tasks with an injured hand, but because she was anxious to speak with Lord Hunt again. The cycle continued the next day as though they had never had their talk. Every afternoon that Lord Hunt issued out his task list, Charlotte swore she caught his eyes lingering on her for a second longer than they did anyone else. When at last it was her turn to offer blood again, she found herself eager to have a moment alone with him. Although, she did have to admit that being made to wait twelve days instead of just a single week was a little irritating. Lord Hunt had promised her a meeting once a week and had yet to follow through with that promise. If he had meant for it to be two weeks, then that was what he should have said, she felt. It was just something else that she intended to talk to him about when he finally showed up to her room. Just as he had nearly two weeks prior, Lord Hunt arri