Soon the wheels of the carriage and the horses' hooves came to a halt in front of the large council building. The coachman stepped down from his seat and came to stand in front of the carriage door. But he didn't open it.
Eve had never come by anywhere close to this place. Not just her, but any ordinary person, including those with a high social status, weren't allowed to come here as the place was only for people who worked here. The inner council members held privileges as the King and the Queen of their country.
Looking away from the window, Eve turned to Vincent. She said, "People will see us."
"My reputation in my eyes doesn't scar easy, Ms. Barlow," one corner of his lips curled. He explained, "It is night and most of them are either working in their office or have already left. There's barely anyone to see us."
Vincent raised his hand towards the carriage door, about to knock, when he asked Eve, "Are your legs still there?"
Eve nodded, "It hasn't changed yet, but they are getting stuck..." She was trying hard to stop herself from transforming into her true self.
Without warning, Vincent leaned forward and raised the hem of her inner dress to her knees. He noticed the blue scales covering most parts of her skin on her legs, holding a shine and a gold tint. He said,
"Let us get you into the office before your tail comes out, shall we?" Vincent knocked on the carriage door and soon the coachman opened the door for them to step out. He carried her out of the carriage and into the building. As much as Vincent had told her that there would be fewer people, they met some of them on their way.
Eve was thankful that no one stopped them to ask Vincent questions, even though she could tell by their curious look that they wanted to know why a pureblooded vampire like Vincent was carrying a human. But then this was Vincent and she doubted many had the courage to talk to him.
Patton, who was in the corridor, noticed Vincent walking and quickly greeted him, "Mr. Moriarty, good evening. So gla--What happened to the lady?" When the man took a whiff of air, he smelt blood and believed it came from Eve when in truth it came from both Eve and from Vincent, whose clothes had blood of the guards on him.
"Get Clarks to my office," ordered Vincent, and a confused Patton left.
When they reached a deserted corridor, where the torches of fire burned on one side of the wall, while the other side of the wall was missing as a garden was built, the light from the torches fell on the white marbled floor, turning the place brighter. Eve listened to Vincent's shoes clicking sharply against the floor. When they stepped in front of a door, Vincent kicked the door open and stepped inside the room.
It was a spacious room that had a desk, chairs, and red wooden racks built against the wall filled with books. On the other side was a couch and a fireplace. There was a carved wooden divider. Even though Vincent had only arrived at the room, candles were lit on four sides of the room.
Eve had taken a seat in front of the desk and heard Vincent say, "Clarks is a physician, and also an expert in dissecting bodies when we need more information that a naked eye cannot catch."
"Won't she find out what I am?"
"She knows to keep a secret, not about everyone," Vincent offered her a charming smile and added, "I was the one who recruited her a few years ago. She's loyal to me."
Vincent left her side, walking to the other side of the room and behind the divider. She heard the water running from the faucet. She could only guess that Vincent being the odd one, had a bathtub in his room on the other side of the wooden divider that was being filled with water now.
Her eyes followed him, watching him roll up his sleeves until his forearms revealed the veins underneath his skin. He walked to one side of the room, pulling open the cabinet and picking up a small jar.
"Why do you have those in there?" Eve questioned him, realising what was in the jar.
"I like to collect things that some of the creatures use. It is good to be familiar with it. Makes it easy to catch them," Vincent said before pouring the salts into the bathtub.
After a while Vincent turned off the faucet and stepped away from the divider. As he made his way to where Eve was, their eyes met. Someone knocked on the door from outside, but he took two seconds to respond as he continued to stare at her. He loudly said, "Come in."
The door opened.
Eve saw the man Vincent had earlier spoken to and with him stepped in a brunette woman whose hair was tied in a pencil. The woman wore a golden framed glass. The physician smiled at Vincent, and her golden eyes fell on the human.
Eve stiffened when she realised this person was a werewolf.
"Good evening, Mr. Moriarty. I was told that you wanted to see me?"
"Clarks, meet Ms. Barlow. I need you to look at her wounds," stated Vincent and the woman nodded. "Patton."
"Sire?" Patton was quick to respond.
"I need you to run a little errand. Go to Meadow and visit the woman's house named Lady Aubrey Dawson. Pass her a message that her niece is in my care and she will return home tomorrow."
Patton bowed and closed the door behind him.
Eve removed Vincent's coat that she had been wearing until now, letting it fall on the chair she sat on. Her hands clenched when the physician came near her to look at the wounds.
"Those are some harsh lashes and are still fresh. The skin is too tender and she doesn't seem human," said the physician while turning to Vincent. "But you already know that."
"Mermaid," stated Vincent, making his way to where Eve sat when he could hear the hitch in Eve's breathing.
A slight frown appeared on the physician's face, and she said, "For a mermaid, she seems and feels--" before the woman could touch Eve away, Eve flinched. The physician pulled her hand back to her side and said, "--different. Smells like vampires, werewolves and... dungeon..."
"Do you have anything that could heal her wounds quicker?" Asked Vincent, and the woman pursed her lips before nodding.
"I have an ointment. Her healing should speed up in her true form faster than the human form," advised the physician while looking at Eve's skin, "I will bring you the ointment so that you can put it on her. I will be back in a bit."
The physician stepped out of the room, returning after ten minutes with a small box and handing it to Vincent. Before leaving his office, the woman informed him,
"Mr. Moriarty, I found something that might interest you. If you have time to drop by the laboratory," she smiled at Vincent, bowing her head, she left the room with the door clicking behind her softly, leaving Vincent and Eve alone.
