The scent of various flowers mixed with the smell of burning wax wafted through her nostrils as she stood unmoving at the doorstep of her new home. The coachmen had dropped them at the entrance to the residence as he went ahead with Henry to put the horses back into the stable. This left her alone with the person she was dreading to face the most.

Her husband.

"Are the arrangements up to your liking?"

Her hands clenched tightly into fists as she looked at the numerous candles lightening her path—A path filled with rose petals. As far as she could look, flowers and lanterns were used skilfully to adorn the gloomy walls of the castle, bringing life to each and every corner of the dead manor.

"You didn't need to go this far." She let out a small mumble as she moved towards the front doors.

In order to avoid making eye contact with the vampire lurking behind her, she reached out her hand to touch the symbols carved onto the oak with the pad of her bare fingers. The uneven surface bumped against her soft skin as she lazily trailed her finger down the thorny stem of the rose snaking around the cross.

"Would you rather have me toss you away after marrying you as if it held no meaning in my sight?"

Her hand froze midway on a thorn as she heard him utter those words.

'Do I really want him to do that?' She knew he had striked a nerve.

Not knowing how to reply, she chose to remain mum at his rhetorical question.

A sudden whoosh of air caused the hood on her head to fall down just before a cold chill ran down her spine, narrating the failure of her attempt to put some distance in between them.

He was now standing right behind her.

"It's an ancient custom from Rome where the groom has to carry the bride up the stairs." His gentle whisper tickled the skin behind her ear causing her to shiver involuntarily.

'Carry.. the bride?' Her eyes widened with shock as her mind registered his words.

Not giving her a chance to retort, he placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her around to face him. Leaning down, he placed a gentle peck on her cheek before lifting the petite female up in his arms. It all happened too fast, leaving her little time to make out the situation. A small shriek escaped her lips impulsively as her hands went behind his neck for support, causing him to let out a small chuckle.

"Did you just.. laugh?" Her eyes were fixated on the small grin that was gracing the corners his lips.

He continued to trudge forward as if he had done nothing out of the ordinary, "I did."

'He's so much different than his future self. It's like they're two totally different persons.' She was finding it hard to tear her gaze away from his beautifully sculptured features.

Unable to help it, she found herself subconsciously comparing his past and future versions.

His brows were free of any signs of frowning unlike his original self. His eyes were the same shade of green she had seen originally yet they lacked the cold lifelessness she had become accustomed to. His lips had a hint of smile dancing around the corner instead of being set into a displeased scowl.

"Has my lady a habit of staring?"

She blinked as she heard him let out those words. It felt similar to the time he had asked her not to stare at him so intently, back in her apartment.

"Sorry."

Muttering an apology underneath her breath, she lowered her eyes, letting her head fall onto the crook of his shoulder. She felt like a tortured soul, exhausted by a centuries old journey, wandering aimlessly in its constant pursuit of a place to rest.

She could no longer deny that, no matter the situation, time or era, he was that place for her.

She snuggled deeper inside his arms as the feeling of being home washed over her worn out self, bathing her in an embrace of absolute tranquillity.

The more her head stayed resting on his shoulder, the more urgent the urge to kiss his neck got. Every part of her body that touched him seemed to be coming alive with an unknown sensation, and from the way his fingers tightened their hold on her ribs, almost digging deep inside the side of her breast, she knew he was feeling the same way as her.

"If you keep rubbing your nose against my neck, I shall not be held responsible for my actions later on."

Her heart skipped a beat as embarrassment tinted her cheeks with a light hue of pink.

Her eyes looked around urgently to find an escape only to realise that they had already reached the top of the staircase. Her death grip on his shoulders loosened gradually as he gently placed her back on her feet.

Refusing to meet his gaze, she hung her head low, staring hard at the white velvet pooling around her feet, "I'll go to my room."

His hand shot out to grab her wrist before she could take another step away from him,

"You shan't."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she lifted her head to stare intently at him, "Why?"

"This is our first night after wedding."

If her heart had skipped a beat before, she was sure this time it had stopped beating altogether.

"No,"

After the moment of shocked passed, she lifted her hands in front of her as she slowly started backing away from him,

"No, no, no. We are not doing anyth-"

In a flash, he stood before her, covering her mouth with his hand before she could complete the rest of her sentence.

"Mmph?!" A muffled voice escaped the back of her throat as she stared wide-eyed at him.

"Shhh, the servants might hear you." He had breathed the words lightly against the leather covering his hand—the only thing keeping their panting lips from meeting each other.

When he was sure she had absorbed his words, his hold on her mouth slackened. As soon as it happened, she pushed his hand away, glaring daggers at the vampire standing in front of her.

"What was that for?!" She whispered-yelled at his unusual behaviour.

In order to answer her query, his hands came around her waist, tugging her close to his chest almost as if he were hugging her just before he lowered his mouth close to her ear,

"The Abbot has a strong hold on this town including the slaves and servants of the noblemen. I stopped him from blessing our room as a remnant of the bedding ceremony but I am sure he must have placed some pawns here and there in order to gather more information regarding you,"

Catching on with his act, her hands went behind his torso, fisting his coat tightly with her clutches while he continued murmuring lowly to against her cheek,

"Listen carefully, love. He's an unforgiving man. He left no stone unturned in making a hell out of my life, It only stopped when I saved his daughter. He loathed me because of my unknown origins and I have an intuition that he feels the same way about you too. Morever, the rumor about you being a meretrix has him on edge. He will not rest until he confirms your chastity."

Her trembling fingers lost the tight grasp she had on the wrinkled leather, "Do we.. need to do it?"

A small gasp broke out of her lips as his hand went behind the nape of her neck, tilting her head up to peer into her stormy eyes,

"No, love. We only need blood on the sheets to make it look believable."

"Blood?"

"Human blood." He corrected her with a small whisper before leaning down to bury his face in her raven locks, "I cannot use my own blood as it turns to dust as soon as it leaves my body."

Trying to ignoring their increasing proximity, she trained her eyes up into the flame of a burning torch, "Then am I supposed to cut myself and drop some blood on the sheet?"

With an abrupt jerk, he grabbed her shoulders, putting some distance in between them so he could stare directly into her eyes,

"No. If you somehow start bleeding again from that cut, our lie will be exposed to everyone."

"Then-" She stopped midsentence as she saw the all too well expression plastered on his face.

"Henry." Both of them mumbled the name at the same time, satiating each other's silent query.

Heaving out a cold sigh, his hands gently stroked the length of her arms before encircling her waist and drawing indiscrenible patterns there with the tip of his gloved fingers. Although it was an act for any onlooker who stumbled upon them, her brain refused to handle the truth. The slow lazy movements were driving her wild with a deep unknown longing.

'I need to get out of here before I do something I end up regretting.'

Before he could continue assaulting her waist with his fingertips, she stopped him by holding onto his arms. Leaning back enough, she stared hard into his grassy gaze,

"I shall go fetch Henry. I need to take a walk as well."

'To clear my head.' She said the last part in her mind.

She could see him parting his lips to object but before he could do so, she grasped his hands hurriedly, clutching them tightly as if her life depended on it, "Please."

"You shan't have to beg for such minor matters. You belong to yourself. I do not own you."

His words rattled her brain, 'His kindness is only making things harder for me.'

Forcing herself to give him a smile, she side stepped him to go down the stairs, but right before she could move out of his grasp, his voice stopped her midway.

"Faith." The seriousness in it was all too overwhelming.

Without turning around, she muttered a small 'yes.'

Her fingers started fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve as she awaited his next words,

"I have yet to receive my wedding gift from you."

Her eyebrows raised as she stopped fiddling with her fingers, "What can I give you, My lord? I do not have anything on me at the moment."

"A kiss."

For a moment, she could hear nothing besides her rapidly beating heart hammering against her ribbcage. Nothing but her own rapid breaths until it was joined by a pair of feet tapping lightly against the floor. She could sense the cold creature gradually getting closer to her causing her breasts to heave with greater intensity.

Just as she felt like dying from a cardiac arrest, something cold pressed softly against her shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a mop of black hair scattered all over the fabric near her deep scoop neckline.

He was leaning his head down on her shoulder.

"I do not believe in touching what does not rightfully belong to me. That is the very reason I always wore gloves around you as well. Although, I do have the right to touch you now, I see no point in doing so without you reciprocating my feelings,"

His cold breath was caressing the exposed skin of her shoulder, causing her to shiver,

"I shall never force you to do something against your will. I only require this of you, that too with your permission,"

She held her breath as he paused for a brief movement, before continuing to utter his next words in the crook of her neck,

"Do you have the heart to kiss me, Faith?"

Despite knowing the consequences, his gentle request made her turn her head to look at his face.

She knew it had been a mistake the moment made eye contact with glistening emeralds peeking through the curtain of half parted eyelids, letting her peer openly into his vulnerable soul.

He looked lost.

Clenching her teeth hard, she pursed her lips together,

"My Lord.."

Sensing her hesitation, he closed his eyes, murmuring lightly against her skin,

"I do not ask this of you at the very moment. The decision is up to your choice. I shall wait for you.."

There was a small pause before he parted his lips again to let out his next statement,

"And the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from your hand."

Her mouth dropped open slightly as realisation dawned upon her.

He was whispering ancient celtic wedding vows to her.

In the solitude of this centuries old medieval castle, where there was no need to put up an act of pretence in front of a vengeful priest or judgemental villagers, he had silently pledged his loyalty to her.

She could feel her heart swelling with an unnamed feeling, scaring her with this newfound warmth.

Suddenly the weight on her shoulder was lifted off, causing her to open her eyes again,

"You should go, love."

He had moved away from her. She could no longer feel his cold presence behind her back. That was all she needed to escape. In a second, she was running swiftly down the stairs without sparing another glance behind her.

Only when she reached the doors of the castle, did she turn her head a bit to stare at the man standing near the railing. She wished she hadn't.

He appeared as a silhouette, leaning quietly against a stone pillar, merging perfectly well with the gloomy atmosphere of the castle. His unnatural stillness made him seem lifeless in that moment, whilst only one feature distinguished him from being categorized as dead.

It was the pained smile painting the corners of his lips as he matched her astounded gaze with his ruby orbs.

~*~

She didn't know how long she had been walking for, the only thing she knew for sure was that Henry was no longer to be found in the stables and in a quest of searching for Henricus, she had gotten lost herself inside the manor.

'I never knew this place was such a maze!'

Her legs were starting to hurt from walking aimlessly without having to rest. This Ares didn't have a bond with her. He could not listen to her thoughts and although the situation worked in her favour, it had its disadvantages as well.

She had thought of saying his name out loud, he had sensitive hearing. He could hear her, but every time she opened her mouth to do so, his pained smile flashed before her eyes, making her drop the idea of facing him again.

She let out a long sigh of despair before twirling around slowly to observe her dark surroundings. It appeared to be some sort of a garden.

She was busy trying to decide which way to go before a sudden rustling from behind her alerted her out of her self talk. In an attempt to whirl around hurriedly, her foot caught up with a vine from the ground, resulting in her loosing her balance.

Something cold and hard grazed her back sharply before she landed hard on her butt,

"Ah!"

A warm feeling was spreading all over her back.

"Forgive me, Milady. I did not intent to surprise you." A distant voice reached her ears before she heard shuffling of feet moving closer to her.

Through her blurry vision she saw a middle aged woman, dressed in maid's uniform, lowering herself down in front of her, "Oh, dear. You are injured."

'No shit, Sherlock!' She wanted to say that angrily but she doubted the woman knew anything about Sherlock.

Holding back her tongue, she pressed her lips tightly before letting out her next words with great difficulty,

"N-No, I'm fine."

She grabbed an iron bar for support in an attempt to lift herself up from the ground, but a sudden pain shooting up her back make her drop down again. Trying not to scream in agony, she bit her tongue to suppress her muffled moans.

"Let me help you, Milday."

Before she could object, two warm hands had already wrapped around her shoulder, trying to help her up.

'Damn it!'

Trying her best not to shriek like a banshee, she let the woman support her weight partially. The movement caused her side to burn with an intense pain that made her feel as if her flesh were being torn into several pieces, leading her to grab her side impulsively. A strangeld gasp escaped her lips when something wet touched her fingers.

Her hand was trembling with fear as she withdrew it from her injury to look back at it.

"Oh my lord, you are bleeding!"

There, in the warm glistening light of a small lamp, she could clearly see a dark liquid sticking to her fingers. The sight of it was making her sick to her stomach.

"Let me see it, Milday." The woman pressed her hand lightly to her wounded back, trying to peel the torn piece of cloth away from it gently.

Out of nowhere, a faint whisper tapped lightly on the hazy windows of her mind,

"No!" Thrashing her free hand violently, she moved away from the maid as quickly as possible, but the look on the lady's face told her she was too late in doing so.

The woman was staring wide eyed at the place where her hand had previously been, long lost in her train of thoughts. Her stationary condition was scaring the life out her.

"Witch."

If it hadn't been for the pin drop silence, she would've missed the word easily.

"What?"

Her heart froze with fear as the maid stopped her gaze from staring into space and locked it on her.

"You are a witch! Worse than the rumors described you to be!"

"No, I'm not. Listen to me-" Her voice got cut short as the maid picked up a shovel lying by the ground and swung it in her direction.

"Stay away from me, you witch!" The woman was fuming, holding the shovel like a sword in front of her for protection.

'What do I do? Do I make a run for it?' She looked sideways trying to find an opening, 'But if I run away, she'll tell others about these markings.'

The pain behind her back was worsening with every passing moment, 'I won't be able to make it with this wound before she starts sprouting non sense to the others servants.'

She knew she had only one way out of this mess. Holding the woman in the place just until he arrives.

A lump formed in her throat as she opened her mouth wide, yelling on top of her lungs,

"Ares!"

Faith watched the woman's nostrils flaring with anger as she ran towards her like a mad bull,

"You dare trap our lord, witch!""

She tried her best to avoid being hit as the woman swung the shovel wildly in her direction. Her back collided forcefully with the wall behind her as she moaned out loud with pain. The stone had jabbed her directly into her wounded back.

Before she could recover from the previous blow, another swing came flying towards her, causing her to whirl away in record time.

"Ah!"

She had been successful in saving her head from the impact but the shovel had ended up hitting her shoulder.