Charles was feeling so alive. Other than his continuous work with the artifacts, which was sometimes monotonous, he hadn't felt this much stimulation in a long time.
Though he was initially attracted to Virginia-probably because of her beauty, what he was feeling now was stronger. It was different.
He felt drawn to Virginia, like a magnet.
When he was working in his study, which was located directly above the library, Charles' thoughts, his ears and his smell kept gravitating beneath him. He was happy to know she went into the library for, more often than not, he and Giovanni seemed to be its only visitors.
As he heard her flipping through the books, he noticed she made occasional happy little hums and gasps of excitement. This piqued his interest, so he just had to go down there and see her for himself.
He planned to keep his distance from her when he entered the library. He just wanted to talk to her. But after seeing her with Dracula in her hands and witnessing her sapphire blue eyes glimmer as she scanned through it, he had to get closer. He felt magnetized to her.
Charles was aware that Virginia had the tendency to feel a bit uneasy around him, so he did his best to be kinder. He wanted her to be comfortable with him.
After she got over her initial shock of seeing him, she didn't seem scared of him at all. He could hear her blood pulsing quickly, but it wasn't fear that caused it. Seeing as she seemed more shy than uncomfortable, Charles decided to test his limits a bit and get nearer.
He purposefully leaned in towards her to get Dracula off the shelf to see what she would do. Her smell was strong and sweet, but, still, he didn't desire to drink from her.
Fortunately, after a couple of decades of being a vampire, the aroma of fresh blood was more like a relaxing candle than a trigger for his hunter's instincts. Her fragrance was pleasing. It made him happy.
As he nearly brushed her arm reaching for the book, he noted her heart quickened, but she didn't appear to be scared. He thought he noticed a tinge of pink on her cheeks, however. This gave Charles enough faith to prompt him to strike up the conversation.
Virginia took him by surprise immediately, when the first thing out of her mouth was a wise remark about his taste in all things gothic. Then, she did it again when she started talking about the themes in Dracula.
He was in awe of her, and he wanted to hear more of her thoughts and opinions.
When Virginia mentioned that Jane Eyre was her favorite book, Charles felt giddy. He thought you could tell a lot about someone by their tastes, especially their tastes in literature. Her love of Jane Eyre told him that she admired strong, independent women who grew themselves in the direction of their choice. It told him that she probably wanted love, but she wouldn't be afraid to let go of it if it meant doing the right thing for herself.
It told him she was smart, and that only made him more attracted to her.
As soon as Virginia started feeling more confident and began to flirt with him, Charles knew he was a goner.
Charles liked the thrill of hearing Virginia's heart beat fast. And her smell was pleasant.
He liked that she had confidence and that she could be so brave after such a sudden and heartbreaking transition. He liked her honey-brown hair piled up in a bun on her head. He liked the way her eyes lit up as she discussed her favorite book.
There was just so much of her to like and Charles wanted more.
"I've told you my favorite book, so now you have to tell me yours. It's only fair," Virginia said, leaning into the bookshelf.
Charles thought about it. He wasn't quite sure. He had read so many. "Hmm, that's a tough one. Though, I'd say that Dracula is ... close to my heart."
Virginia chuckled, and then Charles became painfully aware that she didn't appear to know that he was a vampire. He wondered if she realized that Angela was a vampire too.
Charles's gut twisted a bit at the thought of her finding out. Would she be disgusted by him? Would she be afraid again? He tried to push the worries down and focus on the wonderful conversation they were having.
"So, I've been wondering about some of the art around here," Virginia said. She stepped away from the bookshelf and walked past Charles.
Charles swiveled around to follow her. She stopped by the entrance of the library in front of Stephen Mackey's "Seance."
Virginia looked back at Charles with a mix of amusement and speculation. She lifted a finger to point at the piece. "They're kind of dark."
Charles shrugged. "Maybe it's a bit too on the nose, but you already pointed out my fascination with the gothic."
Virginia crossed her arms. "What is it about gothic elements that speak to you, though?"
For a while, Charles didn't know how to respond. He supposed that he was attracted to it because it depicted the world he lived in, the world of a vampire. It was comforting to see it depicted and be noticed by so many people. And the fact that people sometimes found beauty and complex emotion in it made him feel a bit like a human again.
"I guess that I like the dark, gothic elements because there's a surprising beauty in them."
Virginia's face softened and she focused on him while he spoke.
"Though I'm not an overly religious man, I appreciate the emotion and depth of the story. And the modern, Americanized take on what gothic means, speaks to me too. It's all about history and pain and remembering. It's a beautiful kind of haunting."
Virginia was silent for just a moment, seemingly soaking in his response. "Okay, but some of these are just creepy," Virginia said, pointing to another art piece, "Tamara and Demon" by Konstantin Makovsky.
Charles chuckled. "Yes, I suppose they are."
"I mean, what's with the demons and vampires and dead people?"
Charles's smile faded slowly. He was sure now that she didn't know. "Let's save that interesting subject for another time. I'd hate to have nothing to discuss next time I see you."
...
They talked some more about books and she asked him some questions about some of the art pieces in the library and in the hallway.
"How'd you come to get all these one-of-a-kind pieces anyway?" Virginia asked.
Charles grasped his wrist behind his back.
He really didn't want to talk about work right then. "It's my business. I research and collect artifacts. Sometimes, if the price is right and I'm not already attached, I sell them."
Virginia grinned pleasantly. "That's very cool. I bet you see all sorts of unique things."
"Indeed."
As they continued to talk Charles, thought about ways that he could keep Virginia close to him and keep her safe. He was sure she'd discover soon that she was in a house full of vampires, but until then, he wanted to keep a close eye on her.
At least Charles felt he could trust most of the other vampires in the house. Angela and a couple of the other staff survived off of animal blood. Everyone else who could afford it bought blood bags from the blood bank. Gabriel and Charles had connections that they took advantage of, but it was really the only option they had since they weren't the type of vampires to kill people.
The only problem was that Charles didn't think he could trust Eliza.
He recalled overhearing her threaten Virginia to stay away from him. She was hot-headed and unpredictable. Not to mention, she was also still hung up on him no matter how many times he tried to tell her that they were through. Who knew what she would do, especially now that Charles was developing feelings for someone else, and a human, no less. Eliza's jealous tendencies would be at full charge.
He decided he would need to have a talk with her later.
Charles soon realized that he had been talking with Virginia for over an hour, so he figured he should let her go.
"I should really be getting back to work," Charles said.
Virginia's smile fell a little flat. She nodded.
"Before I go, how are you doing? With the .. adjustment?"
She seemed caught off guard at this question. She looked down at her feet and answered quietly. "I'll be better. But right now I'm pretty sad. It's a strange place, no offense."
Charles laughed wryly.
"I miss my sister a lot. And I'm quite angry with my father. All in all, it's a lot. But I'll be fine. I'm quite enjoying Angela though, and the view from my room is beautiful."
Charles sighed. "I apologize for everything. I hope that you can find some comfort here. If you ever need anything, simply ask for it. I'm generally busy working, but Angela could help you."
She nodded and continued to look at her shoes.
"But I would also be happy to listen to your requests or complaints at any time."
She smiled softly. "I'll hold you to it."