Chapter 135 - Poison

Julie watched Donovan leave the front side of the dorm with a pleasing look on his face. Her eyes then shifted to look at Roman, who turned back to pick up a fresh T-shirt from the cupboard. Once he was done wearing it, he picked up his jacket. 

"Sleep here tonight," said Roman to her, and Julie furrowed her brows. 

"You're going?" she asked in worry. 

Roman stared at Julie. Seeing her turn anxious, he said, "Maybe the Corvin is right. It would be better if I quench my thirst before having you around me. This dorm is the safest place for you to stay and no one will come in or try to disturb you. Sleep in peace and keep that useless bird nearby."

Julie's hands clenched, and she said, "I am coming with you."

She didn't trust Donovan even for a fleeting second, and it was obvious that the Elder vampire was scheming something by making use of Roman. 

"Stay here, Winters," said Roman, ready to step outside the room, but Julie quickly followed him. 

"I am not staying back here while you go with him," Julie said, her eyes meeting his dark red eyes that looked fiercer because of the ripper features.

"I am telling it for your own benefit," stated Roman, raising his hand. He caressed the side of her cheek. 

Recently, she had been so used to having him around her that the thought of him turning his back on her internally tore her heart. 

"We don't know what more to expect from the night as so much has already happened. I am sure there will be something that might not please your eyes," Roman's words were as blunt as before, and Julie could tell he was warning her. 

"I still want to come," responded Julie, her words were firm, and he gave her a nod. He might have told that he had killed a person, and she knew if he came back to his usual self, he would hold himself guilty over the innocent life. She didn't want him to carry that burden.

"Alright. If that is what you wish," said Roman and Julie stepped out of the dorm. While Roman locked his dorm's door, the Corvin appeared from one side of the walls as if it was hiding in there. 

"I am going out of Veteris with Rome, do you want to come with us?" asked Julie, and the creature stared at her. She didn't know where Donovan was planning to take Roman, but she wasn't going to let things turn worse. She hoped she could send people to a different place. That way, it would avoid conflicts. 

'Summon me,' said the creature, it turned in Roman's direction, who put an arm around Julie's shoulder. Julie didn't make out if Roman was being jealous of the Corvin or if he was purposely taunting it. 

"I will do that," assured Julie, while also remembering she had to tell Roman about Mr. Evans knowing about what she was, where he had seen her with the Corvin. Right now, it didn't seem like the right time, she thought in her mind. 

The Corvin disappeared from their sight, and Roman said, "Come." 

They walked down the stairs, and when they stepped out of the boy's Dormitorium, Julie noticed a sleek, long, shiny car standing right in front of the building. Outside the car stood Donovan, who had his hand placed on the car's bonnet, "I saw this picture in a book and ordered Eloise this morning to buy it here as quickly as she could. Lovely, isn't it?" 

It was a limousine, and Julie had never sat in one until now. Forget that. She had never even stood next to one. 

"Are you planning to hide bodies in it?" questioned Roman, with his dry humour, and Donovan chuckled. 

"It is a multipurpose vehicle, isn't it? In the past, it was absolutely hard to hide a body in the carriage and we had to make the dead person look like he or she was only sleeping," responded Donovan. Standing straight, he walked towards the door that had been pulled open by the driver. Donovan stepped inside the limousine, and Roman walked towards the door while Julie followed him from behind like a cat that wasn't ready to leave its human. 

But before Roman could get inside, he stopped and turned to look at Julie, who almost crashed into him if she didn't stop her feet. 

"You first," said Roman, taking a step backwards and looking at Julie with his keen eyes. 

The driver took a few steps backwards as Roman had moved to his side. Julie wondered what that was about, and she quietly got inside. Soon, Roman followed her, and they sat next to each other while Donovan sat on the opposite side. 

The driver closed the door and then soon started to drive it outside Veteris. 

During their journey, Julie noticed the Elder vampire staring at Roman, while Roman had turned to look in the other direction. Donovan's eyes then moved to look at Julie, who turned guarded. 

"How are you doing now, Ms. Winters? I met your little pet earlier, who seemed very fond of you," commented Donovan, pulling out a bottle of wine from the side of his seat. 

"Good. Thank you for asking, Mr. Donovan," Julie tried to be polite, unable to believe that he had found out the truth about her this soon, and it was all because of the Corvin. 

"I thought I smelt something very familiar in your dorm, and I am glad that my intuition was somewhere right. You sure liked to try to fool me," a small smile stretched on Donovan's lips. He then continued, "Is he yours or does he belong to someone else?" 

Julie pursed her lips before he answered, "He found me." 

"Donovan knows a lot about the witches. He was there when they reigned a few lands in the background," stated Roman, watching Donovan pour the wine into the glass and hand it over to Roman. When Donovan poured another glass, he offered it to Julie. 

"Take it," said Donovan with a smile, and there was something very eerie in the atmosphere here that Julie felt compelled to take the glass of wine from him. "You can drink it," he nudged her. He then continued to say, "The Corvins aren't common creatures, and you won't find them hovering around people unless it wants to kill someone." 

To think that Donovan could have answers to her question, Julie was intrigued to continue their conversation, even though she didn't like him. 

Donovan said, "If the Corvin has come to you by himself, it means he is yours to keep. Like a loyal pet, though it isn't easy for someone to bind the Corvin to themselves. They are very loyal. Just like Roman is loyal to me." 

At Donovan's words, Roman rolled his eyes, "People have odd wishes and expectations."

Julie noticed how Donovan wasn't offended by Roman's words. Instead, he only smiled as if he enjoyed Roman's rude remarks. 

"What's your mother's name?" questioned Donovan, running his thumb around the rim of the wine glass. His eyes subtly narrowed, staring at Julie. 

"Harriet Winters," replied Julie and Donovan tried to recollect if he ever had heard this name before. But the name didn't ring a bell in his mind, and his lips twisted in disappointment. 

"We aren't fond of witches, because of how tricky some of them are. I met one and I don't think I have ever met anyone like that. I have a huge distaste when it comes to your kind," commented Donovan, and Julie was about to say she was sorry that he felt that way, but he continued. "I would have at least considered you with a grain of salt if you were a human, but a witch… I won't lie, it makes me want to pierce a wooden stake right in your heart."

Roman's eyes turned to look at Donovan, with annoyance in there. 

"I don't think it would go well," said Julie and Donovan became intrigued by the girl's reply. 

"Did you discover something already? I have seen witches holding immense abilities, and also some witches who have bluffed to hold power. It makes me curious to know what you can do. Have you already found it?" Donovan brought the glass to his lips, and he took a sip from it. 

"Stop talking, both of you," Roman muttered under his breath. 

"Looks like you are more annoyed than usual today. I am sure when we reach the place I have planned, your mood will turn brighter than the sun itself," chimed Donovan, and he questioned Julie, "So Ms. Winters, how many other witches do you know? I heard your father shot your mother, which will make sense if he found the truth about her. Which in turn makes him a hunter, doesn't it?"

"Do you always go through people's backgrounds?" asked Julie, a little braver than usual because she had Roman sitting right next to her. 

Donovan chuckled at her question, "Usually yes. It is always better to know when to pull out the strings. It's nothing but acquiring knowledge." 

"People now call it one having stalker tendency," remarked Roman, taking Julie's glass from her hand and downing the wine. 

"But isn't that fun? To be able to collect and then use it when the time is right?" questioned Donovan. His eyes moved from Julie to look at Roman before it fell on the glass. The faint smile curled his lips. "How about your uncle and aunt, their son? Are they witches too?"

"I am not sure," replied Julie, feeling Donovan's continuous creepy gaze on her as he didn't look away from her. 

To think that he had killed Reese thinking it was her… she wondered if Donovan was waiting to get an opportunity to kill her. Maybe push her down the stairs and then go 'Oops!'  Somewhere, the sliver of doubt and worry hung in the back of her head, and she told herself not to drop her guard down. 

The rest of the ride, Julie tried not to look at Donovan and every once in a while, her eyes moved to the corner to see Roman, who had a blank expression on his face. When the ride came to an end, Donovan questioned the driver, "Is this the place, Smith? I will be very disappointed if you brought me to some trashy place."

The driver bowed his head from where he sat and replied, "This is the place, Elder Donovan."

They stepped out of the limousine, and Julie was the last one to step out. She saw the crowd in front of them. She quickly looked around the place and saw a huge line of people in front of a large building. 

"This is the place for the night creatures," said Donovan to Julie with a smile. "With all the cameras and tight security, it makes it hard for vampires to be able to enjoy themselves. Hence there are certain places which are owned purely by vampires. You should be careful dear," said the Elder vampire before he started to walk towards the building. 

Julie could feel a slight headache in her head. She couldn't believe that Donovan had brought them here, where the chance of her being a potential snack for people was high. 

She noticed the way some of the people, who were in the line, turned to look at them. Some looked at the vehicle, and some looked at her and Roman. A few vampires ran their tongues across their fangs as if the waiter had finally brought their meal. 

Even though she was a witch, who could send people into another time or place, it didn't mean that the vampires' presence didn't bother her. 

When she moved closer to Roman, he said to her, "Stick close and don't wander around by yourself." 

Julie nodded her head, and they made their way towards the entrance door, where Donovan spoke to the bouncer and stepped inside the building. 

"Mr. Moltenore," the bouncer greeted Roman and he unhooked the chain to let Roman pass. Julie followed Roman, but the person put his hand in front of Julie to stop her from passing through. 

"She's with me," said Roman, and the person picked up a tag and said,

"We'll need to have her name so that it can be added to the list of guests. This will also help," said the man and Roman stepped in front of the counter, pulling the book towards him and he wrote Julie's name. Roman took the tag and put it around Julie's neck. The person then said, "I would advise not to remove it, if she's your guest."

Roman and Julie stepped inside, and it took a couple of seconds to adjust her eyesight. When they walked past the corridor, she saw blue lights randomly moving from the ceiling which was directed on the floors. 

The whole place had a gothic touch to it, making her wonder if it was done out of purpose, to throw the hunters off their tracks. If it weren't for the constant moving lights and the lights in the ceiling that came from the private booths and bar counter, the place would have looked nothing less to a bat cave, thought Julie in her mind. 

As they walked past the crowd, where the floor was filled with people dancing, and the music blaring, Julie caught some of the vampires who had their mouth placed on the other person's neck as if they were leaving a hickey, but Julie knew that these peeople were like leeches, sucking out blood. 

"Moltenore," came a voice, from the side over the music, and Julie turned and saw a couple who made their way to where she and Roman was. 

"Greysen and Aliana," said Roman. 

Roman, who often didn't like to be in people's company, he exchanged hugs with the couple and Julie wondered who they were. Somewhere, she came to realize that this part of the world he was part of, she wasn't well versed with it. 

"I never expected to see you here. What are you doing here?" questioned the boy who had blonde hair and both his ears pierced with rings. 

"Donovan was feeling lonely and needed some time before he would turn depressed," responded Roman and the boy chuckled. 

"So it is true. I thought I heard some rumors that the Elders are awake," replied Greysen. 

"If you are here, does it mean you are here to have some good time?" asked the girl named Aliana, who was a brunette with a choker tied to her neck and her eyes pale grey in colour. 

"If you were a human, I would have thought about drinking your blood, but I will pass," said Roman to the girl with little to no interest, where the girl was obviously trying to flirt with him. Julie pursed her lips, not because she didn't trust Roman, but he had turned quite chatty since the time he had returned to Veteris after Piper's death. 

Julie's eyes subtly narrowed, scanning the vampiress from head to toe, when the person named Greysen asked, "Is this your meal for the night? Didn't you hear that outside beverages aren't allowed in here anymore?"

"I am not a beverage,  but a person," muttered Julie under her breath. 

"This is Julianne Winters. She's mine so keep your claws off of her," Roman introduced her to the two vampires in front of them, who raised their eyebrows. 

And there, just like that, the little jealousy that had bubbled in her mind, simmered down. 

"Since when did you start making girlfriends?" asked Aliana, and this time she was the one to examine Julie from head to toe. Compared to the clothes that people wore in here, Julie's attire stood out like a sore thumb. "Is it the term used for blood bags these days?"

"She looks cute and small," replied Greyson, who suddenly seemed interested in Julie after Roman's words. 

Roman put his hand around Julie's shoulder, pulling her closer, he said, "Later then." He took her away from there, making their way to the booth which had already been reserved by Donovan. Or more rightly to be said, the previous customers, who were sitting there, had been kicked out.

Once Julie and Roman left to walk towards the booth, the two vampires stared at Roman and the human, Aliana commented, "I thought the Elders disliked human company. Surprising, isn't it?"

"Oh, I am sure he still does," Greysen nudged his chin in the direction where the Elder vampire was sitting. "He doesn't look too happy with her company. He probably brought them here so that it would be easy to kill her."

"Might be so," said the vampiress, before her eyes shifted to look at Roman's handsome face. "Do you think Donovan would mind if I go and greet him?" 

Inside the booth, Julie sat on the plush couch, and the waitress arrived with menu cards in her hands. The woman had a bright smile plastered on her face, and she looked at Roman and Donovan. When her eyes fell on Julie, she ignored Julie as she appeared to be a human. 

"What would you like to have this evening?" the waitress politely asked the two vampires. 

"What do you have to offer, darling?" asked Donovan, putting a charming smile on his face. 

The waitress said, "We have the drinks with the twists as you know, and there are some direct drinks if you would like to order it either here or in the private sitting rooms. We have various varieties and you might quite enjoy them." 

"Do you know what I would probably enjoy the most?" Donovan raised his eyebrow and Julie wanted to cringe too hard but she tried to not do it in front of the Elder vampire. "Are you on the menu there?" 

"I would willingly step into the casket now," Julie heard Roman mutter under his breath and she was glad to hear that they had the same feelings on this matter. 

And though Roman and Julie cringed, the waitress found Donovan's words quite pleasing to her ears. She returned the smile and coyly said, "The waitress and waiter are off the menu, Sir. I think I know quite well, the drink you might enjoy."

Donovan leaned his back and gave a nod, "I cannot wait."

The waitress then turned to look at Roman and asked him, "What would you like to order?"

"Poison." 

"That would be one Silverwater mixed with blood?" the waitress tried to get the order correctly. "I will need you to sign the waiver for the drink," and she handed the notepad to him. For a moment, Julie believed that Roman was being sarcastic, but did the drink really exist? Her eyes moved to look at him with evident worry in her eyes. He signed on the form, which clearly states that he was having the drink willingly. 

"Anything else?" asked the waitress, while ignoring Julie's presence. 

"What do you have in non-alcoholic drinks?" asked Julie, wanting to keep a sane mind, as she didn't come here to drink. 

"None," answered the waitress, her tone slightly on the clipped side, which Julie didn't pay any attention to. 

"I will have a glass of water then," replied Julie, with a polite smile. 

"Get something to eat which doesn't have blood mixed in it," Roman ordered the waitress, who gave him a smile. 

"Of course. I will be back with your orders soon," and the waitress left. 

"How impolite to not be drinking with us, Ms. Winters. You seem to be very… nice," commented Donovan, the smile on his lips had disappeared. "You even got Roman to drink your glass of wine. Seems like you don't want to put any effort in bonding with me." 

Lies, thought Julie in her mind. 

"Hm? Did you say something?" asked Donovan and her eyes slightly widened. 

"I didn't move my lips," replied Julie and Donovan's eyes narrowed subtly before he looked away from her. 

When the waitress brought the  drinks to their booth, Julie saw the Silverwater which was placed in a small shot glass on the tray, and next to it was a glass filled with blood. The Silverwater looked very similar to liquid mercury. 

Julie asked in a concerned tone to Roman, "Why are you drinking it when you're still recovering from the earlier gunshot?" her voice held worry in it. 

"A little silverwater won't cause any disruptions with my current condition," responded Roman, his hand that had been outstretched behind her, he ran it on the back of her head, gently petting her. 

"Roman is right. It's the same as drinking medicine. They tone down the level of toxicity in here and it isn't harmful," came the casual words from Donovan before he added, "And the blood is mixed with different substances so it will be nothing." 

"You don't mind if I take your drink, do you?" asked Julie, before she picked up the little cup and gulped down the silverwater in her mouth. 

Donovan's eyes narrowed at Julie's action, not pleased, while Roman stared at her with a subtle frown. 

"If you wanted to drink, I would have ordered you another one, Winters," remarked Roman, bringing his hand to her face and caressing his thumb across her chin. She could feel Donovan's gaze on her, while also realizing Roman was romancing her in public and in front of his maker. 

"I don't want you harming yourself," she whispered. 

"The Silverwater that you drank is tampered with alcoholic contents that are purely made for vampires, and not for humans," said Roman while staring into her brown eyes. 

Huh? Thought Julie to herself.