He opened the door for her but she bit her lip and took a step back, "You know all the bad guys drivers wear bowler hats in James Bond movies. It's like a signature."
His dark blue eyes sparkled, "You think I'm the villain?"
She watched his lips move and nodded, fighting her body, "I do. You smell like sex, you make me think about sex and I'm not one of those girls. You're smug and cocky. That’s a very villainous trait and you're too good looking. Oh and you have an accent and a driver with a bowler hat."
He tilted his head examining her, "Well James Bond is sexy, he makes every woman fall in love with him and he's smug, oh and cocky. I dare say he has an accent, Scottish even and he's very good looking." He put a hand up to his mouth to whisper, "Maybe the driver with the bowler hat is trying to be badass."
She laughed and looked back at the Tudor, Aimee was gone but Roland stood at the front door watching her. His old eyes looked concerned.
She hated the way he avoided every question. She put a hand out to Marcus, letting him pull her into the car and closed the door.
The driver started the huge black car and drove away. She tried not to look at Roland, knowing she had not listened to her father's dying wish but she wanted answers.
She turned to Marcus trying not to breath him in as she had the last time she had been in the car with him.
"What are you?"
He smiled, "Nephilim."
She frowned, "Uhm Bless you."
He laughed, "My father was an angel who came to earth and got my mother pregnant."
"When?"
His dark eyes twinkled like crystals as he grinned as if he were toying with her, "Some time ago."
"Did he stay with your mom?"
The sparkle in his eyes faded and a hostile look crossed his brow, "He did not. I was raised by my grandparents."
She didn’t want to ask about his mother knowing she wouldn’t want anyone to ask where her mother was.
"What am I?"
He shrugged, "For now a girl. Maybe a woman, although I think that line has already been crossed."
She blushed looking at the driver in the rearview and shook her head, "What kind of monster am I? If you're half an angel am I half the devil?"
He laughed, "The Devil is actually a very funny woman named Lorri and no I dare say she has never reproduced anyone or anything. You my dear are something very special indeed. You are the worst kind of monster, man made. Though you're a special blend of things."
She shivered feeling the attraction to him overwhelming her. She held her breath.
He smiled leaning in, "Is it easier if I just get it over with and kiss you."
His words brushed against her face.
She fought with the feelings over taking her and shook her head.
He pulled back shrugging and looked at the driver, "Lydia's Henry, if you please."
The bowler hat nodded.
Hanna watched Marcus with her eyes narrowing. He was toying with her.
"How do you do that? How do you make me feel like this?"
He laughed reaching up, touching her face with his cool hand. He dragged his thumb along her lower lip, "Side effect of what I am. Can't be helped."
She fought the urges her mind was desperately making into images in her mind.
"Do I smell Aleksander on you?" He asked fighting a laugh.
Her eyes widened, "What?"
He leaned in smelling her neck, "Yes, yes Aleksander. Did he come to see you this morning?" His dark blue eyes fought to hide something.
She imagined for a second it was jealousy and nodded, "Roland thinks he can help me with something."
"Humph, fat chance of that. He is like you in one respect, he to is man made." His voice was affected with pretentious mockery.
She felt a wall come up between them, he seemed to believe himself better than her, as if she could help the kind of monster she was.
She turned, looking out the window. Her sudden dislike for him made her impervious to his effects. She felt her face flushing.
The car turned onto a dead end street lined with huge old trees. She smiled seeing them. They reminded her of her fathers Tudor home.
Henry stopped the car in the middle of the road.
Marcus looked out the window speaking softly, "The car is permitted no further." He climbed out and walked around to her side.
He opened the door offering her his hand. She imagined his bare hand touching hers but recalled his disdainful feelings toward her. She climbed out refusing his hand. He didn’t step back as she left the car. He stood his ground, forcing her to step directly in front of him. He looked down on her, "I can't come with you but if you need any help just ran back out here. I can't protect you in there."
She glared at him, "She's like two hundred years old Marcus not a Titan."His dark eyes narrowed, "Its not her I'm worried about."
She gulped, "What do they want with me?"
He shrugged, "They may try to keep you against your will. If you want to I will take you to my place right now."
She looked around him at the massive white mansion at the end of the road and shook her head, "I need some answers."
He took her hand in his and kissed the back softly, "I will not leave this spot until you return."
She blushed, "Stop being nice to me and then mean to me. You can't have it both ways."
He smirked and stepped aside creating a pathway for her to walk to the mansion.
She felt a warm wind surrounding her as she walked nervously up to the old house.
A girl stood at the front door on the porch, she had dark hair and mocha skin. She wore an old fashioned dress and an apron. She waved at Hanna excitedly.
Hanna turned back at Marcus, who smiled at her. She didn’t know which way to walk, but she wanted answers and Lydia seemed like the only person who could help her.
The closer she got to the house the less color the girl on the porch seemed to have. She seemed almost translucent as Hanna approached the porch.
"You must be's the Miss Hanna we's been hearing bout."
Hanna raised an eyebrow seeing the front door through the girl.
"Are you, uhm, are you a, a.."
"Oh just say ghost and get it out. Lord suffering I don’t has all day to be standing here waiting on you. Come in before the flies gets ya."
Hanna didn’t know what any of it meant. She looked back at Marcus who stood at the car waiting for her to return. She felt afraid walking up to the door to the huge house.
The door was wide open. She crept in slowly looking around at the huge entryway and old-fashioned iron benches and coat hanger. She smiled at the wrought iron umbrella holder, it suited the décor perfectly.
"Well now dear come on in and get settled. We have much to discuss." Lydia stormed into the room grabbing her hand and dragging her into the house as the door closed unassisted. Hanna watched as Lydia spent a brief second looking out the front window as they walked into a large sitting room. She seemed to be noticing who stood on the street outside her house.
She smiled at Hanna and put her old hands on Hanna's arms, "Well now my dear you had some nerve coming here with Marcus. Did Roland not tell you we don’t associate with the Dark Ones?"
Hanna frowned, "Dark what?"
Lydia rolled her eyes, "Oh I suppose we have a lot of explaining to do. Roland seems to have left it all to me." She grabbed Hanna's hand and marched her across the sitting room to a large sofa.
Hanna couldn’t believe the size of the rooms nor how many there were. She gaped, looking around. "Why am I here?" She asked looking at the artwork on the walls. It had to be worth a fortune.
Lydia smiled, "Well firstly we need to get working on that elixir your father left you and secondly we need to get you into training. You need to start working on controlling yourself when you change."
Hanna felt her hair start to rise on her arms, "Change?"
Lydia nodded, "Well of course, we have people who can work with you. People who can help you in a safe environment."
Hanna shook her head, "No. I won't change. Not if I can stop myself."
Lydia laughed, "My dear the potion we gave you was only ever meant to be a short term solution for your father. He stayed on it for a long time and it killed him. He was very old and very strong and it killed him. I swore with everything I am that I would help you."
Hanna felt her eyes start to water, "I would rather die than become that monster."
"Who is that man on the street?"
Hanna wiped away her tears seeing a girl walking into the sitting room and sitting down. She was athletic looking and plain but in a cute sort of way.
"Ari this is Hanna and that is Marcus Dragomir."
"Is he a dark one? Should I go get rid of him?"
Hanna smirked at the young girl who was no more than a day older than her, if that.
Ari laughed, "Oh my god sorry, is he with you?"
Hanna nodded, "I guess. He wont come in."
Lydia's eyes burned, "He can't come in."
Hanna watched as Ari's face fell, "Hanna you run with rough crowds."
A hugely tall and thick boy walked in, Hanna couldn’t gage him either. He seemed young and yet like Aimee, his eyes spoke volumes.
"Hanna this is Lucas."
He nodded at her sitting on the couch next to Ari. The way he sat, almost wrapping around Ari but not touching her made Hanna uncomfortable. He seemed to be protecting Ari, as if Hanna would hurt her. She felt a small amount of shame knowing they must all know her for the monster she was.
"Don’t be ashamed Hanna, everyone here has something they don’t like about themselves."
Her face flushed. Her embarrassment increased, "I came for answers."
"Answers take time."
They sat in awkward silence until Hanna laughed, "Okay look I need to know what the hell is going on? My friend can't come in your yard and this guy looks like he might eat me if I move suddenly and you look like you're ten. Are you guys dating? Sort of gross you must be like what thirty. Dude. Lydia you want me to come here so you can do science projects with my blood. Aimee killed my dad and you sent her to come get me, like we could maybe hang out and shit? This is fucking bizarre, sorry for swearing but it is. I'm pretty sure I'm done here. Please excuse me." She couldn't help but be slightly polite at the end.