Meeting Lady Anaya's concerned face, Eve smiled at the young woman and replied, "Yes, I am fine," on noticing the young she-wolf holding a frown, she added, "I am not used to staying out this long."

Eve didn't mean to think about the time she had spent with Vincent, alone in the room. But it was hard to get rid of the way his lips, tongue, and breath felt on her skin. Minutes had passed since it had happened, yet she could still feel it.

"I can understand how that feels. Initially, when I started attending soirees, I would always get tired and catch a fever. But then that was also because it was also during the time when I was transitioning," Lady Anaya explained to Eve. She paused and asked, "I hope you don't mind me talking. I have been told I get ahead of myself and don't realise when to stop."

Eve shook her head, "I think you speak the normal amount of words one needs to speak, Lady Anaya. You do not have to worry about it."

Her eyes drifted to look back at Vincent, who held a smirk on his lips while he listened to one of the council members speak to him.

She had only given her blood to Vincent, but with how her body had heated, she felt like she had sinned with him.

Lady Anaya smiled before taking a sip from her glass and asked, "Are you doing anything particular this Sunday?"

"I have to watch over the carpenter's work and someone will be coming to paint the house. Why do you ask?" Eve asked with a question in her eyes.

Lady Anaya looked slightly surprised and asked, "Oh, is it for any particular occasion?"

"The house needed some repairs to be done and we thought it was time to get it done," answered Eve, and then she asked, "Why did you ask?"

"It is nothing of importance," Lady Anaya offered Eve a polite smile and said, "I don't know many people here except for Noah's family. I thought to invite you to join me for an afternoon tea, only if you are free of course. I wouldn't want to impose on you."

"Maybe another time," Eve suggested and the young woman nodded.

lghtnvlubm fr th bt nvl rdng rn

"Yes, that would be lovely," Lady Anaya said, returning Eve's smile.

Vincent, who was done talking to the council members, turned to Eve, which she caught as she was waiting for him to leave this place. He made his way to where she was while his eyes fixed on her, and Eve took a breath as if trying to fix her composure. Lady Anaya offered a small bow to him, but Vincent being Vincent, didn't respond and said to Eve,

"We'll be leaving."

Eve nodded before turning to Lady Anaya and bowed, "Thank you for your company, Lady Anaya. I had a good time."

"I share the same feelings, Ms. Barlow. I hope we can catch up with each other soon," Lady Anaya offered a polite bow and watched the couple walk away from there.

Eve and Vincent walked through the corridors before stepping out of the mansion. On their way, Eve didn't talk to him, and neither did he. She had calmed her breathing, telling herself that was how vampires drank blood from people, and the turmoil in her chest would settle by the next morning.

Mr. Briggs was already standing at the carriage, waiting for them and he opened the door.

Eve lifted the front of her dress and stepped inside and was soon followed by Vincent, who took a seat on the other end of where she sat. When the coachman closed the door, Vincent looked at Eve, who was busily smoothening her gown's skirt.

He stared at her because it had been five minutes since she had been fixing it. At this rate, she would not need to iron her dress the next time. He asked her,

"Are you feeling alright?" Eve felt blood rush up her neck.

"Yes."

Eve's reply was short, and she avoided looking at Vincent. This made him narrow his eyes for ignoring him.

lghtnvlubm fr th bt nvl rdng rn

"What are you doing?!" Eve asked wide-eyed when Vincent scooted towards her. He had a lot more space on his side of the seat.

"Thought I would get some body heat as I was feeling cold," came the sarcastic words from Vincent, and he looked into her blue eyes while her face started to turn pink. He raised his hand and placed two fingers on her forehead, "Doesn't seem like you are sick."

Eve moved her head backwards, which wasn't much because of the lack of space near her. She breathed, "I told you I am fine."

Vincent continued to stare at her before his lips curved into a wicked smile and he said, "You are thinking about what happened between us. How cute."

Like him, Eve used her finger to push him back so that he wasn't going to lean in further toward her. But the vampire didn't budge, and her index finger only turned crooked.

Vincent tilted his head and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"On which side of the bed to sleep when I get home to have a sound sleep," Eve responded while she stared back at him. Only Vincent Moriarty would be brazen enough to ask a question like that, and she glared at him.

The carriage started, but he didn't pull away from where he was. Instead, he said,

"Your words and the expression on your face don't match. Do you want to know what I think you are thinking?"

"I will pass," Eve was embarrassed enough for the night and wanted for the ground to swallow her.

Vincent noticed Eve's guarded expression along with a look of suspicion that was often directed at him. He whispered to her,

"I haven't done anything for you to pass... out."

lghtnvlubm fr th bt nvl rdng rn

Eve wasn't sure if Vincent was high with the alcohol he had drunk back in the soiree or if he was in a far worse mood to poke fun at her. Though the pureblooded vampire was often playful, right now, something was different.

Vincent's hand shot to hold her chin, which was gentle yet she knew if she were to try to pull away it wouldn't be easy. Eve felt her heart jump. He hummed,

"Your words might deny the taste of pleasure you had earlier, but your body says something else. There's no need to be embarrassed about it, it happens to most of them."

"Good to know... I am going to have a backache," Eve complained to him as she sat in an uncomfortable position with him invading her space.

The next moment, Eve felt Vincent gently bring her forward with his finger that didn't let go from under her chin. He leaned closer to her face and his lips parted, while the expression on his face was serious.

She stuttered, "M-Mr. Moriarty--"

"Do your eyes change colour with the weather or place?" Vincent questioned her while staring into her eyes.

Eve snapped out of her embarrassment and asked, "What? No, it doesn't."

"I thought so," Vincent murmured.

He had never seen anything other than blue in her eyes until now. On a closer look, he realised it wasn't yellow but gold in colour, similar to the outline of her scales when she turned into a mermaid.

"This happened the other night too. Yellow eyes..." Eve let him know.

Vincent's lips twisted before he questioned, "So it has happened before," and she nodded.

h ltt nd mt ulr nvl t lghtnvlubm

"Once. The night I returned from the Winter's Carnival," replied Eve.

When Eve blinked the next time, the golden specks had disappeared and were a clear blue. That means in the last few days, something changed in her, thought Vincent to himself.