Under the vampire Lord's protection

Arabella descended the stairs leading to the great lounge room where Lady Persephone sat comfortably, waiting for her arrival. 

"Good evening, my Lady," Arabella curtsied in front of her then stood in place, eyes downcast. 

"And to you as well," Lady Persephone placed her teacup upon its saucer, "Take a seat," she offered a faint smile, gesturing towards the chair right next to herself.

Arabella obliged and for many seconds that ticked after her action, endured the Lady's scrutiny, flicking her own nails together while seemingly avoiding eye contact at all costs.

Lady Persephone examined the young woman from head to toe only to lean back against the chair once done. 

Her smile grew a tad brighter before she spoke, "What kind of day was it? The good or the bad kind?" 

Arabella turned towards the vampiress but still did not meet her gaze, merely staring at her lap instead, "It was a beautiful day, my Lady," 

"Your colors have returned, so I'd like to believe that," eyes mainly on Arabella's face, Persephone slowly nodded to her own words.

Arabella hadn't crossed paths with Lady Persephone since the night before the previous one, back when Silas had refused to feed on her blood. 

Thus, she wondered whether the Lady's words referred to her illness or what had transpired the night following it.

"Your wrist, girl," the Lady demanded calmly.

Without a hint of hesitation, Arabella pulled her long sleeve out of the way and presented her wrist. 

Tingles traveled her arm the instant the gentle touch of the Lady had landed upon her skin.

As she inspected it, Lady Persephone hummed in agreement with something Arabella hadn't the slightest clue about, an invisible train of thoughts that ran through the vampiress' mind alone, leaving the young woman in the dark.

"It has completely healed," the Lady remarked dryly, "I hear you spent the night in Silas' chambers," she half stated.

That phrasing caused Arabella's heart to pump blood faster across her veins for much of it to rush up towards her face.

By then, she had the confirmation that the Lady meant, without the shadow of a doubt, the previous night.

"I… It seems I… Was not conscious for most of it after the Master had fed upon my blood," stuttering around the beginning of her sentence, Arabella dished out the rest of it in a hurry, as though afraid the words would die in her throat.

"Come now, girl," the slight rise in pitch from the Lady made Arabella's heart skip another beat, "I have not lit a fire beneath you, have I? Simmer down,"

Arabella tried to tame her wild heart, hoping her burning face would cool down before it'd irritate the Lady any further. 

"He's personally requested that his blood be used to heal any injuries or ailments blighting you," Lady Persephone picked her cup again.

"He has?" Arabella muttered, eyes widening.

"You have been exposed to it twice now after being fed upon so do tell, how are you feeling?"

At that question, Arabella's brows furrowed as her eyes, for the first time, snapped upwards to lock with Lady Persephone's. 

Very reminiscent of the way Ada seemed suspicious while asking a similar question, but for the life of her, Arabella couldn't fathom the reasons for such inquiries. 

"Quite alright, my Lady," the young woman bowed slightly, "I will always be grateful for all the kindness you've shown me," 

She dared not ask, but her hopes for an answer were crushed when the Lady simply swept the subject off the board.

"Never the matter," the Lady took a sip of her drink, "I have summoned you tonight in order to assess your skills as we shall be hosting a gathering within ten days. I sure do hope our agreement still stands," Lady Persephone lowered her head a little which darkened her gaze, earning her a frightening glare.

"Of course!" Arabella practically sang. 

Lady Persephone picked her summoning bell by the handle and rang it. Less than two seconds later, three tall and gorgeous looking young women appeared in the room. They'd done so at such speed that it led Arabella to believe they'd materialized from thin air, inducing a cold gust of wind as they came. 

It was clear from their refined dresses, those were no maids. Very similar to each other but of distinct colors. 

"Introduce yourselves," Lady Persephone ordered them.

The first one in line was a blond. With a smile and a sickly-sweet voice, she uttered, "I am Grace," giving a slight nod.

The redhead who stood between the two others spoke next, "I am Allegra," she too gave a nod with a smile, her voice a notch deeper than Grace's, but sweet, nonetheless. 

Finally, it was the last girl's turn, "And I am Katherine," the brunette's voice, just as warm as her smile, resounded with a sense of confidence which filled Arabella with security. 

"Alright, you three, meet Arabella," Began Lady Persephone, "She is human, and she shall be an entertainer for our guests, just like you," 

The women exchanged curious looks among themselves before glancing back at Arabella and smiling again, all the while the human unwittingly clutched at the skirt of her gown. 

"Katherine, my dear, I'd like you to play a piece for us," Lady Persephone asked.

"Most certainly, my Lady," Katherine bowed before turning towards the magnificent piano that lay in one of the corners of the room. 

Katherine gracefully settled on the bench, lifted the lid and with the lower surface of her fingers brushed over the keyboard.

Taking a deep breath, she positioned her hands as desired over the notes and shut her eyes. 

Had Katherine been a man, her mastery over the instrument would have null doubt swept Arabella off her feet but… No, it mattered not, in the end. 

Lips apart, Arabella gawked at the vampiress as her fingers glided elegantly over the notes pushing upon some before moving onto others with acute precision, birthing such melody that whisked every sense in Arabella into a swirling daze. 

Gentle applause jerked Arabella out of her trance. Realizing that Katherine had already finished playing, Arabella hastily joined in on the clapping.

"Alright now, girl," Lady Persephone's voice came from her side, "I'd like to hear you play," 

How unfair? Katherine had made it seem so effortless, as though she'd engaged in a simple conversation with a friend.

How could Arabella possibly compete with that? Her, a mere human!

Nevertheless, and after some hesitation, Arabella pushed herself off the chair to walk towards the piano.

Sitting down on the bench, she closed her eyes to browse for the ideal piece through the crevices of her mind and when a cold breeze suddenly brushed her skin, a tittle then a series of notes flashed behind her eyelids. 

But right as her shaky fingers were about to hit the first key, Lady Persephone spoke up, interrupting her process, "Something the matter?" 

Arabella's head snapped to her right only for her gemstones to meet a pair of diamonds glaring at her from the door where their owner stood. 

"No," Silas said simply with a voice that iced her core before moving towards one of the chairs and settling down, eyes solely on Arabella.

Soft and muffled giggles from the three other female vampires filled the room as they exchanged some more glances among themselves before going quiet again. 

Arabella lamented her fate internally, knowing Lady Persephone's gaze alone was heavy, she needed no additional pressure at that moment. 

"Go on, girl," Lady Persephone urged her calmly.

"Yes, my Lady," she muttered in response.

Arabella straightened up, and faced the piano once more and thought, why should it be any different from every other time before that day? 

She closed her eyes, imagining herself back home, in the music room where the warmth of her mother kept her side company. 

Those days were long gone, but the scent that tickled her senses whenever those memories would pop in mind lingered. 

A good performance might have meant a golden ticket into the good graces of the Eleazars but how good would her performance really have been, hitting those notes while her chest clenched around her heart?

There was no use in fretting. There was only use in breathing and seeking the warmth of her mother from those good old years. 

"My bright star" had been the first ever piano piece her mother had introduced her to, and the girl had immediately fallen in love with it.

Though it had been quite the complex piece, her mother promised that if Arabella practiced every day, she too could play it one day.

And play it she did! Only a year from the start of her tutoring.

With tearful eyes, Arabella's hands danced among those keys, hearing nothing but the ghost of her mother's voice complimenting her like once upon a time, accompanied by the beating of her own heart. 

Continuous thumping that paced the beats, serving as an impeccable tempo. 

Gone was the world around her… Absolutely nothing mattered, not Lady Persephone, not those bewitching diamond eyes burning holes in her back, not her father, not the prince that wished to put shackles around her delicate ankles. 

Even the music the piano made dissolved into a palette of colors that painted dreamscapes tangled with hints of a cozy and familiar reality.