Azrael teleported himself back into the old house. His thoughts raced a mile a minute, as his gaze bounced from place to place. Who was she? What was she doing here?

'Quod anima non invenitur nisi agnita,' his mind repeated the words she'd spoken. A punch to his gut as the trap on his heart slammed shut. Who the fuck is she?

Words he hadn't heard or spoken for almost twenty years. And it was clear from the shock on her face she knew not of their meaning... Her beautiful face. A sudden warmth flooded through his veins as his jaw and shoulders tensed. Even in the darkness he had recognised something, but that was ridiculous, it wasn't possible.

How could it be? He clenched his fists to expel his tension. He needed to investigate this further to oust this feeling, rid himself of this unwelcome confusion.

"Dana," he called out. "Dana, do not keep me waiting." Impatiently he ran his hand over his chin, patience was not a virtue he possessed.

"About fucking time," he muttered as a chill hit the air and a shimmering grey mist seeped from the wall. It filled the room as it swirled together to form a shadowy human outline, with no discernible features.

'Yes, my Prince?' The shadowy figure spoke telepathically.

Dana was one of his loyal servants. She had served him well for hundreds of years. "A human girl was here moments ago, on the grounds. I need you to find her. Learn more about her." His mind drifted back to their brief encounter as he sent a mental picture of her face to Dana. "She headed for the boundary wall to the west. Find out who lives in the bordering property and report back to me."

'Did she please you, my Prince?' she asked.

"That is of no concern to you Dana." He waved her away with a swish of his hand as the indistinct figure dispersed vanishing as quickly as it had arrived.

He paced up and down the half empty room. His mind flitted from his encounter with the mystery female to that of his vision years before – the child. He had searched the world over for the child, the girl whom would now be a woman. But she wasn't whom he searched for; he would have known in an instant if she was the vessel he sought. But who was she?

Lost in thought he had not witnessed Dana's return.

"My Prince," she announced herself out loud. Dana stood before him in a vessel.

Azrael shot her a double take as an old balding man with black eyes stared back. "Surely you could have done better?" he asked amused. "It appears this one might die at any moment."

The old man bowed his head. "A temporary host, my Prince."

"Well?" he asked, irritation clear in his waiting for news.

"Lord Daevan resides in the bordering property. From the Dark Realm."

A smile crept slowly upon his lips. "Ah, well isn't that interesting?" He rubbed his chin again. "And the female?"

"I'm unable to enter the property; magic wards protect the building. But I saw a human girl, young I'm sure, although her face was not clear to me, but I am confident it was the one you have shown me."

Azrael's mind swirled with questions. Did Lord Daevan have a daughter? Was she a vessel? Surely not?

It was compulsory to present any vessel to the Conclave. All children from the Physical Realm must be declared... offered... especially following a higher-ranking demon mating with a human. It was the law.

It left him with little option but to attend the next meeting. "They will hold the next Conclave gathering in five days when the new moon cycle begins. Inform them I will be attending."

"Yes, my Prince," said Dana lowering her head.

Different scenarios played through his head. "I will need you to observe the coming and goings of our Lord Daevan, but under no circumstance must he learn of your presence."

"Yes, my Prince. If that is all?" she waited.

Tension spread through his body again, he hated waiting. "Yes, for now. Go."

She bowed her head and teleported from his presence.

>>>

Eva stepped from the shower and grabbed the towel from the rail. She attempted to push all thoughts of the strange encounter with her non-human neighbour out of her head.

She wrapped herself in a cocoon of the fluffy towel and reached for a smaller towel to dry her hair. Feeling somewhat dry, she stood in front of the mirror. Unable to see her face she wiped the condensation to leave a smear. Her pink face stared back along with a few scrapes and scratches from training with Sebastian and Christian and her adventure in the neighbouring property.

She picked up a brush and pulled it through her straggly blond hair. Her mind drifted back to the stranger and how different he was to Christian and Sebastian. Her tummy bubbled with excitement at the thought of his piercing blue eyes. He had looked young, perhaps her age? But she had an inkling he was much older, possibly he was like her father, a vampire demon? But if he had been a demon – wouldn't he have tried to hurt me, kill me?

Stop it! I will never see him again, so stop thinking about him, it changes nothing. She sighed.

There was no point in dwelling on boy's full stop. Her father had always made it clear – No. Boys. Allowed. Evangeline!

A flush to her cheeks and a smile erupted as the memory of a naked Christian lay on top of her. His hardness pressing in her thigh. He hadn't felt small. Her stomach clenched at the thought before catching a snag of wet hair. She focused on her reflection.

What would he see in me? Nothing I'm probably just one of his best friends.

It was true; she had known Christian and Sebastian since she was seven years old. When her father introduced them, they had been her first real friends. In fact, they were her only friends until Kara came along. Her father had seen fit to pull her out of a normal school due to the other children's cruelty towards her.

Eva stared at her eyes in the mirror. She recalled how the other children would call her a 'freak' because of her Heterochromia - One vivid blue eye and one deep chocolate brown eye. And they were right. It made her look like a freak. It was the first thing anybody noticed, and she would often avoid direct eye contact to dodge the usual onslaught of questions.

From an outsider's point of view, they wouldn't have known their stares or comments upset her as she hid it well. Having good reason to hide any upset from her father.

A day she remembered vividly flashed through her thoughts. The memory of coming home from school. Her father had found her sobbing at the top of the stairs. He had sat and held her in his strong arms before carrying her to her bedroom. There he had sat patiently for over half an hour until she had been ready to talk. Huge blobby tears had soaked his shirt as she told him about one boy in particular, Ethan Hayes.

This one particular boy had teased her and coerced the other children to throw stones at her whilst chanting 'freaky eyed monster.'

Once her father had comforted her, stroking her hair. He had made her a promise. She would never suffer humiliation or worry about Ethan Hayes, as he would take care of it. Eva had snuggled into the safety of his large arms wrapped around her; knowing he had meant every single word uttered as she drifted off to sleep.

Two days later when Eva returned to school, everyone was talking about the attack. Somebody or something had murdered Ethan Hayes and his whole family. She had listened to the teachers whisper between themselves. They told the story of the whole family found with their throats ripped out and body parts missing, along with very little blood at the scene. Everyone it seemed was of the opinion that it was an animal attack, but she knew better.

Eva wasn't stupid; she knew her father had slaughtered him. From that day she decided she would never complain again. But soon after he removed from the clutches of cruel children and home-schooled her. And although lonely at first, the relief had been welcome.

She sighed again. Her reflection was clear. The redness of her face from the hot shower had faded to leave behind her everyday creamy complexion. She took a moment to view herself. Apart from her odd eyes and the scratches, she would describe herself a cute. She had full lips, well-structured cheekbones and a button nose. Perhaps she wasn't too bad to look at. Now if only her father would let her date.

Who I am kidding? I will be fifty before he will allow me to date! She groaned as she picked up her toothpaste and toothbrush to clean her teeth but smiled to herself as the face of the blue-eyed man danced through her mind.

>>

Eva walked back into her bedroom and was surprised to see Karabo lay on her bed, reading.

"What rubbish are you reading?" Karabo asked without looking up from Eva's Kindle.

"Hey Kara," said Eva using her preferred name. "And it's not rubbish, it's rather educational... if you must know."

Kara laughed, flicking her long box braided hair over her shoulder. "What? This is educational?" She deepened her voice. "He thrust his huge member, into her tight..."

Eva cheeks burned hotter than a firecracker. "Hey, give me that-" she pulled the Kindle from Kara's grasp.

Kara looked up, still smiling before it dropped and formed a frown as she noticed Eva's face. She tightened her lips before shaking her head. "Well, well, well. What scrapes have you and the boys been getting yourselves into?" Sitting up she reached up to Eva's chin and tilted it towards her so she could inspect the scratches on her upper cheeks. "Have you put some of my cream on this?"

Eva tutted rolling her eyes. "It's fine honestly, doesn't hurt a bit."

Eva loved Kara but her protectiveness towards her was often frustrating.

Her father had returned with Kara from one of his trips to South Africa, having found her in an orphanage following the death of her parents. He had said the only reason he brought her home was that she'd had the sweetest blood he had ever tasted. Although she had never once witnessed her father feed from Kara and Kara in return had never mentioned he had taken her blood. So, Eva concluded that her father harboured a soft spot deep inside that dark heart of his. And when Kara reached her seventeenth birthday, he had offered that she could remain with them and work for him or go off into the world and he would help her financially. But Kara couldn't bear the idea of leaving them. They were her family.

And being almost the age as Christian and Sebastian meant that all four of them got on like a house on fire. Although she now worked for her father, she was never treated like an employee. To Eva, Kara behaved more like an overprotective older sibling.

Kara wrinkled her nose. "Well they look sore to me."

"Nah, don't worry so much Kara, they will heal and be gone in two or three days." Eva assured her before she gazed towards the long dress mirror, smiling at her scratches. "Plus, if you saw me today, you would have been so proud of my battle scars. I was awesome, I almost kicked Christian's butt."

"Tsk-tsk." Kara lifted herself from the bed, flicking her hand in a dismissive hand gesture. "Young Ladies shouldn't be running around the woods with wolves. I will bring some cream later. And make sure you apply it before you go to sleep. We don't want to scar that beautiful face of yours." Kara reached down to the bed and picked up the fresh towels Mrs Bates had handed to her before heading towards the bathroom.

Eva turned to follow. "Humph, why? It's not like I'm even allowed a boyfriend or go on a date of any sort, father sees to that. And as you can clearly see, boys are banging down the front-door to get to me." Eva huffed. Sarcasm was one of her fortes.

She licked her lips as the word 'boyfriend' rolled around her mind and the memory of Christian, naked and pressed against her.

Kara placed the towel neatly on the rail before turning to eye Eva carefully. "What are you thinking?" She could practically hear the cogs turning in that smart mind of hers.

Eva blinked as the tips of her ears burned. "Uhm, err... Nothing," she replied coyly.

Kara lifted a brow. "Uh-huh," not believing her for a second, she knew that look.

Eva watched Kara breeze past her, as a question popped out from her mouth before she had time to process her thoughts clearly. "Have you been kissed Kara?" She wiggled her eyebrows inquisitively.

Kara turned to see Eva's expectant face waiting for an answer. "What? Where's that question come from?"

Eva shrugged her shoulders. "Just curious." Tell me. Tell me. Tell me.

Kara looked at her with wide eyes, pausing for a second, unsure if was a good idea to be honest with her. To hell with it, who can it hurt if I tell her? "Yes, I've been kissed."

A silly lopsided grin appeared on Eva's face. "Was it nice? Did you like it?" Who was is with?

Kara laughed, as she rolled her eyes. "Yes, and very much!"

Another question passed through Eva's mind. Wow, I wonder if she's had.... "What about sex? Have you had sex?"

What the? Kara spluttered a cough, pressing a hand to her chest. "Really? You go from a simple question - have you been kissed to have you had sex? What is going through your mind young lady?"

Eva released a noisy puff of air as she tilted her hips to one side and rested her fists on them. "Pfft!" she exclaimed. "Stop it with the 'young lady.' You're only a year older than me and your, w-well - you're hot, just look at you... So, I just assumed you would have, you know... done it?"

Eva was sometimes jealous of Kara's tall willowy frame with legs that went on forever. Her round deep chocolate eyes and black flawless skin that didn't require any makeup or fancy products. Anyone would be forgiven in assuming she was a model, in fact she often called her 'Lupita Nyongo' to wind her up, as to her they looked like they could have been twins. Kara was perfect in every sense of the word.

Kara laughed again, shaking her head. "It's really none of your business, but if you must know, yes."

Eva's eyes rounded as excitement flooded her body; this was so much better than reading about it on her Kindle. "Wow, and did you like it? Was it good? What was it like? Is it like in the books?" Eva rushed to her bed and sat herself down, hoping for some juicy details.

Kara could practically feel Eva's excitement bounce from wall to wall like an out-of-control ball. "Whoa, slow down with all the questions, that's information I'm not willing to share. You're practically still a baby."

Eva pouted before exhaling an embellished sigh. "Hey, I will be twenty in six months' time, and I'm not a baby. And if you must know, as well as reading all about it. I've also seen it. In fact, I've watched quite a few films where people have sex, on Netflix."

"Yes, I've just seen what type of reading material you pollute your mind with." Kara raised her eyebrows. "So, if you have read all about it and seen it on Netflix, there is no need for me to supply you with any further information. You're obviously exceedingly well educated on the subject."

Eva groaned, before tilting her head, pouting and throwing Kara her most persuasive puppy dog eyes. Who can resist puppy eyes? "Awe, c'mon Kara, just tell me a little... pleeeeease."

"No, I will not. And don't look at me with those eyes, and don't think I don't know what you're doing, it won't work with me... I'm not Christian... or Sebastian." Kara shot Eva another warning look. "And a lady does not discuss her sexual exploits, and that goes for gentlemen too. So, if any young man brags about his conquests, then they aint no gentleman and won't be worth a minute of your time. Got it?" She stood looking at Eva with her hands planted firmly on her hips. "Now I suggest you get dressed. Dinner will be ready soon and your father's home."

Eva bit down on her bottom lip, ignoring the stern look from Kara. "Do you like Sebastian?" she asked curiously.

Kara crossed her arms, "Why?" she asked.

"Well, just because... you and him..."

Kara interrupted. "What, because we're both black?"

Eva gulped. What the...? She didn't want Kara getting the wrong idea. "No... no... NO! I never meant... that." Her cheeks flushed pink. "It's just you two seem to get on so well, always laughing and playful and touchy, feely with one another. So, I just thought... Oh, never mind, just forget it."

A slow grin spread over Kara's face, any chance to have a little fun and watch Eva squirm was highly amusing. "I'm only teasing you Eva. Yes, I like Sebastian and I can see why women throw themselves at him, he's hot and very sexy. But having a romantic relationship with him is a no no for me - he likes to dominate, and I prefer a more easy-going personality. Somebody who can be spontaneous, likes to have fun... more like Christian."

Eva's eyes widened with surprise as she felt a strange unfamiliar feeling twist her in her stomach. Am I jealous? She wasn't sure. "Hold on... are you saying - you and Christian, you and him are-?"

Kara let out an exasperated sigh as heat burst across her chest spreading up towards her throat. "NO! And I'm not saying anything more on the subject and now, you, young lady. Get that ass downstairs, don't keep your father waiting."

Eva sighed and pushed herself up from the bed. "Aren't you having dinner with us?" her tummy rumbled.

"Nope, have plans and before you ask... Don't!" replied Kara

Slightly disappointed she decided she would use her persuasive skills on Kara later and extract the information, forcefully if needed. Knowing Kara hated being tickled. "Okay, but don't think you're getting out of answering my questions, we will talk later."

"Nope sorry, no can do. I'm busy later," she replied sticking out her tongue at Eva.

Eva was not going to let this opportunity go by without further interrogation. "Well tomorrow then?"

"Not gonna happen, I'll be busy then too!" Kara turned to leave but turned back looking around at Eva's bedroom floor. "And If I were you, I would clean up this room before Mrs Bates sees it. You know how she likes things."

Eva grumbled as she looked around at her messy bedroom floor. Ah, sod it! I would rather read and clean up later. She picked up her Kindle and flopped down on her bed. If Kara wasn't going to supply her with any juicy details, then she would read about it instead.