TWO (ISELEN POV)

"Please, don't scream..." I beg quietly but it's futile.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Terra and I cover our ears with our hands grimacing: vampires and werewolves have acute sense of hearing and smell and loud noises and strong perfumes can be very annoying, this is why we don't like to live in big cities, usually.

"They always scream, damn it..." I growl angrily while the dogs join the racket barking, Ruby gets up abruptly and her chair falls on the floor with a loud bang along with a glass that shatters. More noise...

"But how could she stop screaming, poor thing?" Alfonso points behind him with his thumb. "Look at that... Anyone would scream." The necromancer shrugs while I realize that a handful of fairies have left the house and are fluttering around, small creatures with iridescent wings dropping glitter everywhere. Dogs keep barking excited and the human turns around to escape but Terra blocks her way immediately.

"Please, let us explain..." Ruby surprises us with her agility jumping over the table, pushing Maeve towards the swimming pool before running away, she won't get very far anyways since vampires and werewolves are really fast and we can chase her in less than a minute. Raven spreads her wings and moves very fast too to be able to catch the druid before she falls in the water while I get up reluctantly ready to follow the human... Although she's stopped in the middle of the garden breathing heavily, staring at us terrified while we look back at her confused, two of her dogs are running around her feet and keep barking like maniacs... Why doesn't she run?

"Please, don't hurt her..." she begs and we all look at Terra who's still holding the small black dog that's writhing in her tattooed arms. "I don't know what's going on here, I don't want any trouble... I just want to go home with my dogs..." She sobs desperately but remains still in the middle of the garden.

"What the actual...?" I ask perplexed.

"I like this human..."

"Terra!" I complain angrily.

"What's wrong? She's willing to fight against a handful of supernatural creatures in the middle of a forest miles away from civilization to save her dog from my clutches... I think she's adorable." I raise my hands in surrender and shake my head, resigned. "Listen, I'm not going to hurt your chihuahua and we won't hurt you either, okay?" Ruby's looking at us scared and moves a step back when the werewolf tries to get closer. "We only want to know how did you get in the property... you weren't supposed to be here... Iselen, can you do something useful for a change? I think she's so terrified she's not listening to me at all... Help me..."

"All right..." I whisper wearily. "Ruby, look at me..." I wave my hand to grab her attention and the human obeys, her skin is pale and her brow is beaded with sweat. Perfect... I point at Raven smiling creepily. "Demon... werewolf..." I point at Terra and at my chest, finally. "Vampire..." I'm standing in front of her a second later, very close, I've moved too fast for her mind to process it but it's pretty obvious that her brain is noticing that my brown eyes have turned to red and my fangs are getting longer while I smirk mischievously. The human lets out a soft cry and she passes out but never hits the ground, fortunately, because I catch her with my arms first.

"What have you done?" Maeve asks dismayed.

"I'm helping," I answer carrying Ruby towards the house followed by her dogs that keep barking. "Can you calm these mutts down while the witches prepare a room for the human? One on the second floor, big and with ensuite bathroom, and Alfonso... I need you to cast a spell to lock the windows and door and later go to her wood cabin to bring her luggage here... I bet she'll try to escape the moment she wakes up... Maeve, we should give her food and also water for the dogs and... They should, you know, do their business in the garden before we lock them up with their mistress..." Terra nods bending down to pet the animals but shakes her head exasperatedly at the same time.

"And how is this helping us, supposedly?" The druid points at the unconscious woman in my arms.

"Tomorrow, we'll unlock the door at dusk and she'll realize she's still alive, maybe she'll calm down and listen to us if she understands we won't hurt her..." I answer walking in the house.

"I don't think that things work like this with humans..." Raven whispers pensively behind me while some fairies walk the nymphs to the edge of the forest and necromancers collect the dirty dishes.

"Fuck, this girl smells really good..."

"Iselen!" Terra knows she doesn't need to scream from the garden for me to hear her clearly but she does it anyways because she wants everybody to know what's going on. "Don't you dare to bite the human's neck!" Maeve and the witches look at me outraged and I shrug.

"I didn't intend to do that..."

*****

"Iselen..."

"Mmmm..." I growl turning in bed till lying face down on the mattress. I don't know what time it is, too early for me, that's for sure; I can feel the sun shining bright outside weakening my powers and leaving he exhausted, although my room is dak with all the windows closed and shutters down.

"You're the most intelligent person I know but the fine art of diplomacy is not your thing, seriously... How could you scare the poor girl like that?"

"Shut up, Terra..." I whisper hugging my pillow.

"You were one of the best warriors of the vampire race centuries ago and I understand that you didn't need to be subtle in that line of work but I thought that you'd learnt how to be a little empathetic..." The mattress dips next to me when the werewolf sits down and I try to ignore her speech. "I think you have some kind of kinky fetish with kidnapping people, you kidnapped me too centuries ago the same way you did with the human..."

"I think I have a fetish with gags right now... Shut up and let me sleep..."

"What are we going to do with her? The more time she spends and sees things here, the more difficult to erase her memory will be..." Terra lies next to me and the scent of pine branches and berries that coats her skin floods my mind, it feels good but I'll never tell her that and will keep complaining about her wet mutt smell, of course. "How did she manage to get into the property?" I snort, ignoring her, and my muscles get relaxed while I slide into de world of dreams. "I don't know why I bother to talk to you, it's impossible to reason with a vampire when she's groggy..."

I'm too sleepy to nod, she' knows I'm completely useless during the central hours of the day unless I feel threatened and my survival instinct kicks in. Terra moves next to me sneaking under the blankets, her body sticks to mine and she puts her arm around my waist while leaning her forehead on my nape. I sigh satisfied and get more relaxed... it's been a while since the last time we took a nap together and I missed her.

When I wake up hours later, the werewolf is nowhere to be seen and sheets are cold which means she's got up earlier. I stretch my limbs and check my inner clock that tells me the sun is setting behind the treetops right now so I can go out without danger of becoming a torch. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating because I'm a powerful vampire, but burns would be serious and painful. I get up and open the windows, I smile satisfied when noticing the sky going from orange to dark blue before going to the bathroom to take a shower and get dressed.

"Running water, a very modern luxury..." I whisper delighted while the warm rain falls on my head. "I wonder if humans are aware that this is a miracle after many centuries washing up with cold water from a well... Humans... Shit..." I better hurry up because we need to have a very awkward conversation with Ruby although I hope it'll be after having breakfast because I can kill for a coffee and a shot of 0+.

It won't be possible, breakfast I mean. I understand it when I leave my room and see a group of people gathering down the corridor: Maeve holding some towels, Terra ready to take care of the dogs, Alfonso who will open the door... The witches and demon are waiting near the staircase while I walk towards them and lean my back on the wall right next to a painting from the 18th century showing a bucolic landscape that a sorcerer painted while spending a vacation in the Wind Rose long time ago. Damn it, I really need that coffee... I don't understand how I managed to survive before discovering the existence of this magical potion almost as good as blood.

"Let's go, open it, Alfonso..." The necromancer obeys the druid's order and I hold my breath waiting for the high-pitched scream but I hear nothing. I stand on tiptoes to be able to take a look over their heads and realize that Ruby's sitting on the mattress, hugging her dogs, she looks scared but also... resigned to her fate. It feels like she's given up, like she's not going to fight for her life and freedom. Her face is stained with tears looking at us expressionless and my stomach turns... I don't like to see the human like that. She looked prettier yesterday while eating rice salad and talking about fashion magazine covers. "Good evening, Ruby... I have clean towels for you. Terra will walk your dogs while you get dressed and then, we'll have breakfast together... and will talk."

"I promise you they'll be safe with me," the werewolf assures her quietly. "Seriously, we only want to have a conversation." The human stares at us cautiously and her eyes stop on my face for a second, opening them wide in fear.

"I'm not getting close to you, don't worry... In fact, I'm going to the kitchen because I really need my caffeine dose... I'll make tea too." I walk away slowly letting people with wide knowledge in the art of diplomacy persuade her to get dressed and go downstairs to eat. Raven and the witches follow me and we all manage to set a gorgeous table, we make toasts, bacon, eggs, roasted tomatoes, we cut fruit... What else we could give to a vegan? Oh yes, the green thing Maeve brought the other day... avocado. And cookies, cinnamon buns, currant jam and freshly made juice. Somme fairies appear suddenly carrying a basket full of wild strawberries.

"This is the main kitchen. Iselen decided that the house should keep the old kitchen and took advantage of the pantry next door to expand it and create a modern area..." Ruby comes in shyly followed by Alfonso, his two friends and Maeve, who's playing the role of a tourist guide, apparently. The human's eyes stop for a split second on the small fairies sitting on the island counter and takes a deep breath, shaking her head, before walking to a chair with shaky legs and flopping down.

"Tea or coffee?" Lea asks kindly while Raven puts some things on a dish for her and goes to sit on a stool near the fairies, trying to hide her wings behind her back, she doesn't want the human to get more nervous than she already is, probably. I wonder if I should do the same... but this is my home and I'm hungry, damn it.

I sit down and pour a cup of coffee the way I like it, trying to ignore my tablemates while enjoying the first sip, eggs and bacon. Terra walks through the French door from the garden followed by the dogs and Ruby seems to relax suddenly, watching her while the wolf gives them food and Maeve persuades her to try the jam on a toast. We all eat quietly trying to give the human some time to get used to us, food vanishes from our plates quickly and Zara brings more trays with toasts, buns, cold cuts, more fruit for Ruby and ham for the wolf.

"Delicious," Alfonso whispers leaning back on his chair and his friends nod. "My compliments to the chefs."

"Those that didn't cook should clear the table," I answer and the necromancers nod, looking at Ruby out of the corner of their eyes before shrugging and levitating the dirty dishes to the sink. The human holds her breath but remains silent although the hand holding her cup has shaken a little.

"Ruby, we won't hurt you, seriously... We want to know how you found us..." Terra whispers and we all nod while I pray that no ghost will come downstairs from the attic right now, I'm pretty sure a lady wearing a white nightgown with a knife poking out of her chest and yelling insults at the husband who killed her to be able to marry his lover is the last thing the human would want to see.

"I told you: I went out for a walk, got lost and found her..." She points at me and I nod. "I just want to go home and won't tell anyone you're here..."

"I know, Ruby, that's not the problem. Lea and Zara are powerful witches that could erase tour memories easily before we take you back to your cabin, we aren't worried about you ratting us out... The point is that this property is surrounded by an invisible wall made of magical spells and no human can walk through the barrier, theoretically, but you're here..." Terra explains slowly and the beautiful woman frowns, confused.

"The spells failed."

"Impossible because they're as powerful as the first day and will last at least 500 years more," I answer firmly. "They managed to stop some witch hunters hours before you walked through the wall like it wasn't there... Are you sure you're not a descendant of a sorceress, a druid, a mermaid or a nymph from the woods? Or something like that... Even if you're human, apparently, genetic lottery could've made your supernatural genes stronger..." Ruby shakes her head sadly.

"I don't know, I don't think so, this is crazy... Are you really a werewolf?" she asks suddenly and Terra leans back on her chair, staring at her with caution before nodding. "This must be a joke... Are there hidden cameras anywhere? Those horns and wings are fake, aren't they?" Raven blushes when she realizes she's the center of attention and shakes her head shyly. "Oh my God..."

"I can change here to show you I'm a real werewolf right now but I should take my clothes off first..."

"Say yes," I whisper at Ruby. "It's worth it, believe me, she's so fucking hot... And all those tattoos are stunning..." I bite my lower lip and wink at the human who blushes.

"Iselen!" Terra and Maeve yell at the same time and they both look at me outraged.

"Why are you presuming that she's interested in ogling a naked woman?" The druid hisses angrily like she does every time someone speculates with people's sexuality or pronouns without asking kindly first.

"She's gay," I reply pointing at Ruby.

"You don't know that..."

"Oh, yes, I do," I cut her off abruptly. "Because I am too... When I was born 600 years ago, we didn't have gay clubs and the only way to find another woman to... get intimate... was sharpening your senses, watching closely and taking the risk. Believe me, I've trained my sixth sense a lot to be able to spot a comrade in the crowd and, in addition to this, her pupils get blown when she looks at Terra and she licks her lips nervously... She likes the wolf..."

"That could mean she's anxious or terrified," Maeve insists, angrily, while I shake my head.

"No, she likes the wolf... but she's afraid of me. Her heart races and she breaks a sweat when looking at me, she'd run away if I get closer... I can smell it because..." I turn to look right at Ruby and she opens her eyes wide, leaning back on her chair to put some distance between us. "... I'm a vampire... But don't worry, I've been perfecting my self-control for centuries and, besides, I have fresh blood in the fridge brought from a hospital, it's been analyzed and meets the highest standards of quality. I don't need yours..." I get up slowly and put my cup in the sink before opening the fridge to take one of the bags.

"Iselen, what did I tell you about being subtle?" I hear Terra growling quietly and I turn around raising an eyebrow.

"I hope you'll accept my apologies," I sigh wearily before looking at the human. "Ruby Rose beautiful lady with green eyes like the forest under the spring sunlight, you should know that you smell heavenly and that tells me your blood would be delicious, rich and sweet... Liquid fire running down my throat..." I tilt my head to take a look at her soft neck were the pulse races and I sigh again. "But we can never be together, I'm afraid, feeding on the guests sleeping under my roof is rude if they don't give me permission first. Also, I kicked the habit of biting young girls' necks and now I settle for these bags. Don't worry, you're safe in the Wind Rose."

"That was better, thank you." Terra rolls her eyes and I stare at her pursing my lips, upset.

"I'm used to this, you know," I explain to the human while holding the bag of blood. "Women usually prefer this soft stuffed animal... till they realize she sheds and leaves fur everywhere. And later, they discover I can move my tongue at vampire speed..." Ruby blushes when I wink at her and the others stare at me in disbelief, I ignore them taking a glass and pouring a little blood, I drink directly from the bag, usually, but we have a guest here today and I want to show her I have manners. "We still have to deal with a security breach, what are we going to do?"

"How long did you plan to stay in the wood cabin?" Zara asks smiling. "When do you have to go back to Los Angeles?"

"In three weeks," Ruby answers honestly to our surprise because she could've said three days although the truth is that the wolf and I would notice if she lies and we only need to smell her, their bodies betray humans easily.

"You'll be our guest during this vacation and we'll find out what's happening. You'll be back in the big city in three weeks but you won't remember us or we'll be part of your dreams sometimes, so my advice is: enjoy your time surrounded by supernatural creatures while you can... This is a rare opportunity."