Chapter Seven

R hapsody woke up early the next day and saw the other half of the bed still empty. The marquis had left rather suddenly last night, telling her he had an urgent matter to take care of. Whatever it was, she hoped the matter safely resolved, and Rhapsody said as much as she penned a short letter for her Master before leaving for her rooms.

Classes would soon start, and she had yet to bathe and break fast. An underground passage allowed Rhapsody to leave the south tower without being seen, and in moments she emerged in the main hall of the students' dormitory.

Secret muscles ached as she hurried up the stairs; she wondered how long such pain would last and whether her body would always ache every time her Master took her. It was a rather nice ache though, so there really wasn't anything to complain about.

Rhapsody's thoughts continued to dance around her Master even as she showered, and she was quite embarrassed when she realized how her fingers had unconsciously drifted to the triangle between her legs, its movements mimicking the way the marquis could so skillfully stroke her into having an orgasm.

Heartkeeping was to be blamed, Rhapsody told herself. If not for being the marquis' heartkeeper, she would not be so wanton...yes?

On her way to class, she heard other girls talking rather excitedly about the marquis, all of them wondering what chances they had to nab the most eligible vampire in the kingdom. None, of course, Rhapsody thought. The marquis was only attracted to girls who were Not Normal, and unfortunately for the other girls, they were the very definition of normal.

Monday lessons began with Blood Chemistry in the apothecary, and Rhapsody's friend Peyton was already at their table when she entered the class.

"You look quite radiant," Peyton remarked suspiciously.

"Thank you."

Peyton laughed. "You are so adorable."

"Thank you," Rhapsody said again.

Their professor for Blood Chemistry was not overly fond of lectures and instead preferred her students to acquire knowledge by means of experiments and case studies. Over forty minutes had passed and Rhapsody and Peyton already halfway through with the day's series of tests when a diminutive redhead plopped down on the only other vacant chair in their table.

"You're late again," Peyton told the other girl darkly. "Also, you're wearing makeup. You'll get in trouble for that."

"I'm not wearing makeup," Emily snapped.

"Then what's that on your lip?" Peyton asked sarcastically. "Blood?"

Emily took out a mirror case from her pocket to check her reflection. "Shit."

"We're not allowed to swear either," Peyton pointed out.

"Mind your own business." Emily threw Peyton an evil look while rubbing furiously on the mark until all that was left was her reddened skin.

"With pleasure," Peyton retorted sweetly. "Will you inform the professor you would want to work on these experiments on your own or shall I?"

And so it went, with the two bickering back and forth for the rest of the morning, and it was times like this that Rhapsody wished the kingdom would allow for the use of ear plugs. She tried her best to concentrate on her studies, but when this proved too difficult, her mind began to drift elsewhere...until she found herself daydreaming about the time she spent in her Master's arms.

Oh!

She quickly closed her eyes, but it was no use. She could still see her Master in her mind, naked and virile, his smooth skin turning golden under the candlelight as he poised himself over her, the glistening head of his manhood already twitching at her swollen entrance—-

Rhapsody's legs involuntarily snapped shut when she felt moisture suddenly rushing out of her to line her folds.

What madness was this?

How could she think of such a thing when she was in the middle of her lessons?

Rhapsody worked hard to keep such thoughts out of her mind for the rest of the morning, but this proved impossible, and the struggle had her hungry and exhausted by the time lunch break rolled in. Fortunately, it was also a time when Peyton and Emily were finally freed from each other's company, and this allowed Rhapsody to enjoy some semblance of peace and quiet.

Although the dining hall was already quite full by the time Rhapsody and Peyton arrived, their favorite window-side table was still unoccupied, and no sooner had they taken their seats when the staff came to present the day's menu cards.

Rhapsody opted for oysters and politely declined any of the fine wines offered. Peyton went for lamb and red wine, and as soon as the footmen pushed their trolley to the next table of students, the other girl quickly burst into speech. "Tell me you're not really buying Emily's story."

"That she's not wearing makeup?" Rhapsody asked blankly.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "No, silly. I'm talking about her boo-hoo story of being a poor little girl with a sick mother, blah, blah, blah."

Rhapsody frowned. Indeed, everyone knew that Emily was from an impoverished family and with a seamstress mother who had recently fallen ill. It was the reason why Emily was often late or missing classes outright...or so the other girl said.

"There's just something about her I don't trust," Peyton grumbled.

"You don't trust anybody," she pointed out.

"True," Peyton acknowledged with a shrug. "But enough about that girl who always ruin my mornings," she dismissed with a sniff. "You've heard about the Marquis of Sangre coming here, haven't you? Everyone reckons the marquis has come here to acquire himself a pet," Peyton shared in between elegant sips of her soup. "Do you reckon it's true, though?"

"I do not think I can answer that," Rhapsody said honestly. After all, her Master had not said anything about making their affiliation public.

Peyton, however, seemed to think she was joking. "You've got the driest humor. I love it."

When lunch break ended, it was their turn to part ways, with Peyton heading down the greenhouse for private lessons on botany while Rhapsody was to attend a weekly lecture on Social Graces. On her way to the third floor, however, a manservant approached Rhapsody, saying politely that he had in his possession a note from faculty.

Dear Rhapsody,

May I have the pleasure of your company this afternoon? I await your presence at the tower.

Sincerely,

Your Master

P.S. Excuses have already been submitted (and duly accepted) to your professors on your behalf.

A STRANGE TIGHTNESS constricted within the marquis' chest as he watched the bookshelf by the alcove swing open to reveal a staircase from which his pet eventually ascended. He had spent the entire night in the school's restricted library, reading what he could of soul seers. A foolish attempt to convince himself that Lady Zari's vision might not come true, but it was all he could do, with Sir Isaac yet to respond to his urgent missives.

An exquisite scent drifted to him, and it drew his attention back to his pet. Lavender, frangipani, and poison ivy . And when she came close, he saw that her eyes were soft and lustrous, and her cheeks flushed with color. Would it make him an arrogant arse to believe that this was because she was pleased to see him?

With any other girl, that would indeed be the case, but with his pet and her emotionally distant ways...

Probably not.

"Good afternoon, milord." His pet's voice was a sound that was still wonderfully and uniquely her own. Lace soft and hauntingly serene, innocent still, but something had changed, too. A whisper of allure , Mihail thought, that only a woman who knew the pleasures of flesh could only possess.

"Good afternoon, milady." He waited for her to ask of his whereabouts last night, but she did not. She was indeed every inch the perfect pet, one he did not deserve...

Rhapsody was startled when the marquis suddenly cupped her chin and place a quick hard kiss on her mouth.

When Mihail pulled back, he saw that his pet was gazing up at him with wonder.

"How unexpected," his pet marveled as she took the arm he offered, and they began to walk.

"What's unexpected?"

"Your spontaneous kisses," she explained. "I did not realize how strongly attracted you were to what's Not Normal. "

Mihail was exasperated. "It's not—-"

His pet looked up at him expectantly.

Ah, fuck it.

If such a thought was what gave his pet a sense of security as his pet and heartkeeper, then he was fine with having her think he was a pervert.

"Where are we going, milord?" Rhapsody thought to ask as the marquis helped her into a carriage, a sleek, black model with a discreet emblem of the House of Sangre's coat of arms at the back.

"I received a message from the authorities," Mihail murmured. "Their chief coroner has returned from Brimstone. He shall be performing the autopsy today. I thought you'd like to be present while he presents his findings."

"It would be nice to have additional proof that I was not his killer," his pet remarked.

Mihail casually turned his gaze towards the window so as not to be tempted to smile. While his pet had a point, the placid tone in which she uttered the words had made it seem as if she was discussing something as trivial as the weather.

It was a fairly short ride to the headquarters of the Enforcers, and its facade deceptively nondescript: an old stone building located across the Office of Citizen Affairs and with nary a signage to identify it.

The marquis' coachman steered his horses towards a narrow passageway that led to the building's side entrance, a sturdy-looking metal door illuminated by the torch burning brightly on each of its side. An Enforcer, his assignation made recognizable by the uniform he wore, came out while the marquis was helping Rhapsody out of the carriage.

After bowing to them in greeting, the officer wasted no time in escorting them straight to the mortuary, where the chief coroner was already busy dissecting the corpse.

"Come forward, milord..." The coroner's bushy brows shot up when he saw Rhapsody. "Milady."

Mihail's pet curtsied in answer to the greeting, and the marquis could very well relate when the coroner started coughing. Here they were, surrounded by dead bodies, and yet his pet acted no different from how she usually was when being introduced in balls and such.

Seeing that the coroner was still in a laughing coughing fit, the marquis took over introductions and simply presented his pet as Lady Rhapsody Norwood.

"I am Sir Rudolph Mulligan, a baronet from one of Lunare's bear packs." The coroner, now recovered, responded in a gruff tone.

"Thank you for making time for us," Mihail said, knowing that the man had yet to rest from his journey.

"It is of no trouble. I enjoy my job—-" Rudolph paused, realizing only at that moment how strange and suspicious this would sound, considering his line of work. But when he glanced at the marquis' companion, the young lady was actually nodding in seeming assent.

How eccentric , Rudolph thought, but delightfully so , and it was nice to see a man such as the marquis appreciating a girl like her. Might be an interesting story there, too , he pondered, but that was something to think about for another day. For now, work beckoned.

"As you can see here..." The coroner used his scalpel to point at where the victim's throat had been slit open. "I can say with absolute certainty that this isn't self-inflicted. The slice is too clean, almost delicate in its precision, and such a manner requires time. If this were self-inflicted, you would not even reach the halfway mark before your hand starts shaking and the wound starts becoming a little jagged."

Rudolph placed the scalpel back on the tray. "I have examined the rest of the victim's body thoroughly but have found nothing of note. No bite marks from a shapeshifter, no puncture wounds to indicate the involvement of vampires..."

"A human killer then?" Mihail asked.

"It's possible. That's all I can say."

Rhapsody, not in the habit of voicing her opinions unless asked, kept her thoughts to herself as the marquis thanked the coroner for his time. Once inside the carriage, however, she was startled when her Master indeed asked for her thoughts on the coroner's diagnosis.

"It was unexpected, milord," Rhapsody answered honestly. "I do not think he is incorrect in any way in his diagnosis, but I also know how stringent the kingdom's procedures are for granting visas to tourists."

"I was thinking the same thing myself," Mihail acknowledged grimly. Chalys had embassies all over the world, and in those places their people employed the most advanced technologies to eradicate any threats to the kingdom. In worst case scenario, this meant killing spies and terrorists thinking to come into their land. But in most other days, this simply meant rejecting visa applications of individuals with even the smallest potential to cause the kingdom unnecessary trouble. It was not uncommon, for instance, for a foreigner to have his application rejected merely because he had been given a speeding ticket.

"Another possibility is for a local to be the murderer," Rhapsody thought out loud, "but does this not seem improbable as well?"

"Extremely so," the marquis said with a deepening frown. "The people of Asphodel have their own dark sides, I'm sure, but I'd imagine that if a local were to kill someone for reasons outside the usual, it would be more ritualistic, owing to the influences of the other territories..."

In other words , Rhapsody interpreted silently, the children of Asphodel grew up hearing whispers about ghosts and demons, werewolves and vampires, and all things that went bump in the night . Such stories would never be discussed in the light of day and within the drawing rooms of Polite Society, but deep in their hearts, they knew that the unspoken was true.

"Quite the conundrum," Mihail heard his pet seemingly murmur to herself, and the way her lips pursed afterwards almost had him smiling...until he remembered how she used to occasionally involve herself in investigations of murders and hauntings.

Shit .

For as long as she stayed within school walls she remained safe, and he would have nothing to worry about. But outside it?

"Milady?"

"Yes, milord?"

"Just to be clear," he warned, "you are not to involve yourself in this investigation in any way, understood?"

"Yes, milord."

Her unquestioning obedience was refreshing, but at the same time, he couldn't help thinking it was too good to be true. Where his pet was concerned, things were rarely as simple and straightforward as she made them seem to be.

"Master?"

He jerked in his seat, caught off guard by the sound of her voice making sweet love to those sinful syllables. "What is it?"

"Would you tell me when you wish for us to copulate?"