Slowly he lifted her up in his arms and carried her back to the castle. She held onto him tightly, refusing to let go as her shoulders trembled. As he carried her she only realized then that her left inner thigh was bleeding as well as her neck. The girl glanced up at the young man, wondering if he knew. The youth continued to walk, taking long even strides as he carried her to the castle, walking through the large, heavy, metal doors and up the many stairs to the room she was in before. Carefully he set her down on the bed, glancing at her neck then her leg, seeing the blood drip down before turning and walking out of the room. He returned shortly, holding bandages and a bowl of clean water with a cloth. He set the bandages down beside him, grabbing the cloth he wet it with the warm water and started cleaning her neck without so much as a word. After cleaning it he bandaged it carefully as to not hurt her too much. Her eyes widened with fear as he lifted her dress up and got working on her thigh, cleaning the gash and wiping the blood away gently. The youth then got the bandages and wrapped her leg up. She let out a breath when he put her dress back down and stood. With his hair covering his face he spoke in a deathly, but soft tone.

“You should ask next time before wondering off like that. Next time I may not be there to help you.” And with that he turned and strode out the room, closing the door behind him. The girl stared after him, her heart pounding. She wondered to herself if he knew she wasn’t human…if any of them knew she was more then human. Just then her stomach growled. Holding it she stood and walked out of the door slowly at first but as her stomach growled again she moved a bit faster, picking up the pace, looking around for a kitchen. Her footsteps went unheard as she moved down the stairs with pale bare feet.

Everything was made finely and looked very expensive. The floor was made of black marble, the smooth glassy surface reflecting everything they saw reminded the girl of that man’s eyes. As the girl took a deep breath through her nose she could smell the scents of freshly baked bread as well as meats and fruits. Her mouth watered and she pushed open a door to be welcomed by many platters of all kinds of foods. With a smile on her face she took little samples here and there, tasting delicious meats and different wines and drinks. Just before she was about to taste a strange, familiar looking red drink a white hand caught hers and stopped it. Looking up a bit started the girl saw the youth again.

“I do not think you would wish to try this drink.” Slowly he took the cup form her hands. She was a bit flustered but smiled.

“And why would I not wish to try it?” her voice, though still a bit weak was strong and seemed almost musical. It surprised the youth by far but he held his expression without faltering.

“Because it is not something humans would prefer drinking. It is blood, if you should know.” As if to prove his point the youth took a sip of it, savoring the delicious taste of blood. The girl simply stared at him, not seeming disgusted or frightened in any way.

“Well, then I’m sure you don’t want to share any of it either.” With a smile she took the glass from his hand. And for the first time his face showed emotion other then the blank emotionless wall. With a raised eyebrow he watched as she took a sip of the blood, surprise as well as disbelief in his eyes. “What? A girl can have her taste in things as she wishes them to be, although they might not be what others find as ‘proper’ but I like them just fine.” The girl gave him the glass once more, starting to taste other breads and meats. “These are all very nice. How did you come by them?”

“I have lived for a long time. And with the job I am paid well, in that I get these as gifts or on my own.” He drained the rest of the glass, now watching the girl with intensity, trying to find anything that would help him discover what she was if not a human then what?