The Crown's Obsession (WN)
chapter-331

Lucy stared at Theodore, and when he stepped away from the door, she stepped inside his room, her face expressionless like him. She placed the lantern on the side table after noticing the room's brightness.

It felt like it was only yesterday she had come here to his room, knocking on the door to ask him questions for which she never got answers as she expected him to give. She looked around the warm and cosy room, where he had closed the windows and drawn the curtains over the windows.

"Were you going to sleep?" asked Lucy to drive the silence in the room when she heard the click behind her which came from the door being closed.

"I had a few parchments to go through which was given by Mr. Fitzwilliam over the tea estate in Humsbrey," answered Theodore, walking around to pull out a chair for her to sit.

Vampires usually healed themselves quickly, but it seemed like Theodore's wounds had not vanished and continued to stay on his face. Somewhere Lucy felt guilty that Theodore had been hit, due to her words that had fueled Samuel.

"I bought the box of first-aid," said Lucy. She didn't have to utter more words because she knew Theodore understood her intention without her having to speak out loud.

"Do you hate me so much that you said something to Samuel that made him punch me?" questioned Theodore.

"Sit, so I can tend to it," Lucy dodged his question.

Theodore pulled out the round-framed glasses from his face, placing it on the table before sitting down on the chair which he had pulled for her. Lucy opened the box, taking out the bottle of liquid so that she could soak the cotton in it. Once she was done, Lucy leaned forward, holding her heart still to start dabbing the cotton on Theodore's face.

In silence, Lucy continued to dab the cotton on the cuts and scratches, "I apologize for what Samuel did," she said, turning her body to take the bottle so that she could pour more liquid on it, and continue pressing the cotton.

"You shouldn't have stepped between us earlier. I had only started to enjoy the fight," came the response from Theodore. Lucy only stared at him, pressing the cotton to see him continue to look back at her unblinkingly, "Did you come to tend or worsen the wound?" there was a faint smile on his lips.

"Both," came the honest response from Lucy to receive a chuckle from him. When she was done trending to his wounds, she threw the cotton away and closed the box.

"How are you doing now?" asked Theodore, "Calhoun will support any decision you make." Lucy was aware of it. She knew Calhoun would not question her, especially after knowing what Samuel had done behind her back.

Was that all that Theodore had to say over what happened? Lucy asked herself. A part of her wanted to press the wound that was on his face for his reactions all these years, although she knew it wouldn't make any difference.

"I know," she replied before saying, "I should get back to my room," and she started to walk towards the door ready to leave.

"Lucy," she heard Theodore call her, and she felt her heart skip a beat which Theodore noticed. She turned around to look at him stand up from the chair, "Thank you for this," he pointed his finger to his face. Lucy took that he was speaking about her tending his wounds and not him receiving it.

Even after so many years had passed, the feelings that she had turned to hate, it was not hate but was only a veil to cover her true feelings for this person. Keeping her expression composed, she gave him a nod, "Goodnight," and she left the room with the lantern and the box she had come with.

Back in the village of East Carswell, since James had returned home, he had gotten to bed quite early. And though he got into the bed, the pain he felt that was shooting up his body was unbearable that kept him awake. Though the night was cold, James could feel his body burning as if it was on fire. He didn't know what hour of the night it was, but considering the noise outside the house had turned quiet, he believed it was the time where people had fallen asleep.

For some odd reason, even the slightest noise fell on his ears, and when he heard the wooden floor creak in his house, his eyes flew open. He pushed himself to get out of the bed to see what had caused the sound.

Walking towards the living room, he saw nothing, but when he turned, he found a man who was holding a knife with him. The man came to attack him, but James pushed the man away while feeling his body tingle. He could feel his bones starting to hurt. The intruder whom he had pushed didn't seem to get up, and James turned worried. He was about to go near the man, when at the same time, another intruder appeared to attack him. James caught hold of the man, twisting the attacker's arm and asked,

"Who are you?! Why are you trying to attack me?"

The intruder was a vampire, and he struggled to get out of his hold, "Tell me!" James demanded while continuing to twist the vampire's arm.

James was unable to control the werewolf's blood that was right now flowing in his body, and his strength tripled. The anger spiked in him and he heard the vampire groan in pain. "Mr. Barnes sent us here. Ugh!" the vampire pushed James away and went to attack him back again.

The vampire looked confused at the gold and yellow eyes of James, that almost glowed in the dark. Killing a human was easy, but for a human, this person had odd eyes and strength.

With one intruder lying on the ground and another fighting with James, James heard someone knock on the front door. Before the intruder could get him, James didn't know how it happened, but his hands went to the vampire's head, and he twisted it around to hear a snap and the vampire fell.

Why did Mr. Barnes send his people to kill him?! James questioned himself. Who was at the door at this hour of the night?

Pulling the body away from the living room to the kitchen, James made his way to the door. He slowly opened it to see it was Catherine Barnes.

"Catherine?" asked James confused, "What are you doing here?"

"I, can I come in?" James didn't know if it was a good idea. But since the men were sent by her very own father, he let her in. "I was worried about you because you left abruptly." Catherine looked around the house as she had heard some sounds coming from inside while knocking on the door. When she looked at James' face, she noticed his eyes, "What happened to your eyes?" she frowned.

James turned his head immediately, not meeting her eyes, "Your father sent some men after me. Do you know about this?" he asked, changing the subject right away.

"What? Why would my father do that?" asked Catherine and James showed the second person whom he had dragged to the kitchen, "I don't think it is my father. I mean why would he even do that?" this time it was her who was confused, "And what is wrong with your eyes? James?" her eyebrows furrowed.

James couldn't restrain the beast within himself. It was trying to push itself to the front, wanting to take control of his body. He couldn't hear what Catherine was speaking as his ears rang, and he covered them. The bones in his body started to reconstruct itself, and he groaned in pain.

"James?" Catherine was worried, not knowing what was wrong with him.

He fell on the ground, his mind turning blank, and the werewolf slowly took over his body, mentally as well as physically. He slowly started to change, his clothes ripping apart as fur started to cover his skin. Catherine, who witnessed this staggered back in shock with her mouth open. The werewolf growled, snarling at her.

The first intruder who James had thrown at the wall moved, trying to get back on his feet when he heard the feral growls in the house. He realized the person in this house was not an ordinary human but something more than that. He pulled out his crossbow, readying the arrow in it that was made of silver, and the vampire jumped outside where the feral growl was emerging from.

Seeing the werewolf, the vampire drew his arrow and was about to release it. The werewolf heard the snap behind it, and in an instant, it caught hold of the vampiress, turning the position in a way where the arrow was shot at Catherine.

Catherine didn't know what happened because everything happened so fast in front of her eyes. James had turned to an over-sized wolf. The werewolf was holding her neck. She slowly looked down at her chest to catch sight of the arrow that had pierced through her.

"J-James…" she uttered the man's name, her eyes turning hollow and vacant just like her heart.

The werewolf dropped her on the ground, and soon Catherine looked like the air and water had been sucked out of her body. Before the vampire could draw another arrow, the werewolf killed the vampire before disappearing from the house.