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Miguel continued pacing back and forth in front of his grand entryway. The sun was nearly set, Nia have been home by now. When he heard the familiar crackle of his carriage, he still paced…hoping his reaction to her wouldn’t be too fierce…

           The doors opened and he stopped immediately, walking quickly to survey his wife.

           “Dinner-“

           “I’m sorry,” she said quietly.

           Something was wrong, but to wring it out of her wasn’t his expertise. If he trodded tonight, she’d never say a word. If he forced it out of her, there would be regrets waiting on the other side of an unnecessary fight. She seemed happy to receive him, but there was definitely something on her mind. 

           “Are you hungry?” He asked sweetly.

           She nodded, then folded into him for a hug. Like a distraught child. He cupped her head into his chest, sniffing her hair and waiting for the downpour. However, she stood there, head buried in his shirt. Nia had never been quiet.

            “Let’s eat.”

            She straightened out, and smiled a little, following him into the dining area. Maria kept her pace, slowly accepting her accessories, and as they were sitting, went to the room to settle down as well. 

            Nia was hungry, perhaps her silence could be fixed with food. While it could help, her mind was still tinkering over what she just witnessed. 

            “How was your visit?” Miguel asked, working his way through his own plate.

            “Odd,” Nia answered honestly, “they own a lot of curios.”

           Miguel raised an eyebrow, trying not to laugh. There were only two things he knew for certain that Nia disliked. 

           “Bugs,” he said confidently.

           She nodded, laughing at herself as well. The entire home seemed to be decorated with dead bugs – she had seen the biggest scorpion ever, on display in the hall. While that was pretty disturbing…nothing compared to what she thought she saw.

            “Serves you right,” he joked, “stay home.”

            Nia laughed. He used any excuse to say that, but he may be correct this time around. Nia shifted in her seat, noting she still had something on her mind. Truly, the bugs were magnificent, though not her taste. She had never been certain of vampire hunters, simply because she had been kept away.

             If Isabella and her husband were werewolf hunters, anything that happened – Nia would feel responsible. She saw the signs early on, but assumed Isabella was different. No children or plans to have them. Darker wear, even on sunny days. No feminine trinkets, except a beautifully carved amulet she claimed was her idea of a wedding ring.

              Nia had been silent for far too long now, and hadn’t touched her food. When she looked up, she saw Miguel studying her, a very stern look upon his face. To that, she burst into tears, grabbing at her napkin as her husband approached to be at her side.

              “I’m sorry!” she wailed now, allowing him to cup her face. 

              Miguel squatted down, looking into her eyes, as he waited to hear what the issue was.

             “I thought I made a friend, but I’m not sure how I feel about her-“

             “Was she disrespectful?” Miguel pondered.

             “No, maybe…maybe it’s just too good to be true!”

             Nia didn’t want to give herself away too much, because she knew angering Miguel would spring a trap. As she settled down, his eyes still on her, she realized she may need to twist things around a bit.

             “I want to throw a ball, and all I know is Isabella,” she said quietly, as if now a timid mouse.

             “For your birthday, I assume,” was his answer, “I suspected. But what’s lack of friends got to do with that? Most balls…people clique up. No one knows everyone. And you wouldn’t want to anyway.”

             Miguel rubbed a few her tears away, then dragged a chair to be next to her. There, he offered his hands, hoping she would make eye contact. She did, smiling a little. As if she couldn’t help but to smile from his warmth.

             “We can throw a ball,” he answered, “since it’s just her. Maybe her husband. She has friends, they’ll all come. Perhaps after, we’ll go on vacation…”

             For the simple fact that he said yes, Nia was willing to ignore his old man sentiments. Leaving sounded like running. But she was sure he had his reasons. She took a bite of her meal, realizing it was rabbit. It had been a while since it was served, meaning the trapped had been fixed. Perhaps Miguel was worried for nothing. 

             Once she was done, they slowly walked to their room together – Nia was exhausted from the day. And instead of pursuing her, Miguel allowed Nia to fall asleep in his arms. 

              He knew there was more to her tears, but Nia had never really been out in society. 

***

            Isabella was listening to the waves crash upon the shore, and her husband’s snoring. She was idling on telling all of her friends about the ball. It put her own household at risk. If Miguel turned out to be a werewolf, their chance was at the ball. However, monster hunters were also frowned upon. All the friends she accumulated over the years would no longer support her. The ugly truth would come out.

            That, and it would alert The Stretch of Concord as well, something she didn’t feel like dealing with.

           Isabella seldom slept unless she took her tonics. Every night, she imagined the death of her father. The howling, tearing of flesh. His pathetic cries. Some monster hunter he was. And to this day, she still felt he had been set up. It was too convenient. He was without the tools he forged, alone. 

            She was only twelve and hadn’t been trained enough to properly put a werewolf down, so ended up hiding under the floorboards…where she could hear and see everything. Blood oozed into the cracks, dripping onto her night gown and satin slippers. She had pressed her hand tightly over her mouth, in the attempts to calm her breathing and muffle any attempted screams. 

            Isabella was standing on the balcony to her bedroom, looking into the black of night, feeling as if she were being watched. It had been fifteen years since her father was ruthlessly murdered…and she still hadn’t killed an actual werewolf. Edgar had, he loved for it. But she felt she was failing the history of her family. 

            The black of night was deepening, eerily surrendering to the ocean spray, and the wailing of distant seals. But it was silent other than this, no human voices, or birds. Just darkness, water…and her. draped in cream silk, her night garments fluttering in the wind. She was swallowed up in her sorrows again, and Nia’s face flickered in her mind now.

          Her perfect coils, and caramel skin. Those eyes…they were like honey. Her stance…the way she dressed. It didn’t seem natural. She didn’t seem bogged down by normal humanness. She had complained about Miguel, about never leaving. That was normal. For someone as young as Nia…who’d never been married…

         She spoke and acted as if she had been locked away for the majority of her life. Her clothing was dark, vivid though. Like she was spoiled or rich. Miguel’s manor was impressive, that part made sense. But Isabella pondered why a woman of dark complexion needed a black lace parasol, and black lace gloves in nearly eighty degree weather. Perhaps she was ill?

          Isabella dismissed that she may be a vampire, considering she was always outside. She had nothing else to consider. A demoness, maybe. Like the ones she used her tonic for. To keep them at bay.

          A white abyss was forming, the darkening shadows of her demons descending as they always did. She could hear whispering now, feel her thoughts creeping elsewhere. How dare she assume anything from Nia when she had her own issues she was battling. Isabella was pretending to avenge her fathers death, what she really wanted was to kill without cause. And who better to take it out on, then newly weds…and a possible werewolf?

            Miguel had been in town a few years ago, and Isabella couldn’t help herself. He was gorgeous. Just the right height, long dark hair that was wavy, and tucked behind his left ear. She remembered her eyes traveling all over. From his broad shoulders, his tight fitting jacket over his arms. His stance and demeanor – he meant business. Their eyes met briefly, he was uninterested in anyone else, but for some reason took time to stare at Isabella, as if staring into her soul. 

            During all of this, he looked her up and down before walking off with his servants. Isabella couldn’t sleep for weeks, she felt feverish. Waiting for when she’d see him again. The demons were hissing in her ear now, mocking her decision to stay with Edgar…whom she was comfortable with but did not love.

             When she laughed to herself, the sounds of the ocean returned, the light from her room could be seen, and she felt a sense of shame. Miguel probably suspected she may be a monster hunter. Or perhaps he was trying to figure out what she was looking at. He remained the subject of her fantasies for a while. 

           Nia and her crossed paths at the tea parlor, having chosen the same blend. She didn’t know her name until just last week, when Nia said she had to travel uphill. There was only one home up there. Cervantez. All her fantasies were completely obliterated. Nia was gorgeous, she knew Miguel was all over her. She could almost smell the man on her. 

            Isabella walked inside, knowing Edgar wouldn’t stir, then she walked into the drawing room to have a seat. The fire was still going, the room lit well enough for her to continue reading as she always did when she couldn’t sleep. 

           She leaned forward to reach for her book, immediately noticing a long, stray hair on the table. Nia had sat here, perhaps it was hers. However, it was straight, coarse…and dark gray from the looks of it. Isabella stood in excitement, looking back at her dead animal on display, knowing its fur was brown. 

           Nia’s silence was odd, but elongated dog hairs definitely gave her away.