Endania

“Your Grace,” Monica said inclining her head a little in respect. “I was not aware you were out and about.”

The Duchess snapped out of her staring and nodded. “Yes. Well, I felt I needed a bit of fresh air.” She looked at me. “You believe you are the daughter of my deceased husband?”

“I know I am, Your Grace,” I said looking at the ground.

“Okay. What’s your name?”

Huh, that reminds me. Monica didn’t ask me what my name was. “Sylvia Griffin.”

Her eyes widened. “Griffin?”

I frowned. Why should that surprise her? “Yes.”

“You have his first name as your last name,” she said softly.

“His name had been Griffin?” I asked confused. I can’t see my mom giving someone she hated that much. I had thought it had been her name but now that I think about it, she wouldn’t give me her last name because she hated me.

“Yes.” She turned to Monica. “Please go to the ID Hall and get an ID for her.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Monica said then she turned to me. “I have to have a picture of you in this form and your wolf form to make you an ID.”

“Oh, okay,” I said. I smiled and she took a picture then I turned into my wolf form and Her Grace gasped which made me look at her quickly before turning back to Monica.

“She looks just like he did when he was in wolf form,” Her Grace whispered.

Monica nodded and took the picture. “She does,” she murmured. “I’ll be back with her ID later.” She hurried away.

“Her Grae turned to me. “Please change back.”

I shifted and grimaced. Looks like I was still healing a bit. I stretched a little and winced again. It’s mostly my left arm that is sore.

“Are you okay?” Her Grace asked concerned.

“Uh, yes. I’m just still healing,” I said which is odd. I should be a hundred percent healed by now unless they did some internal damage while they were torturing me.

“Healing? Did someone hurt you?”

“My mom and her husband.”

Her eyes turned blue then turned back to normal. “How dare they! Where are they now?”

“Um., I don’t know. I just know they’re on a two-week vacation.”

“Okay.” She looked at me in the eye. “Will you come in? I’m sure you have questions about my husband.”

“Okay.” We went to her living room. She rang a bell and a few minutes later a servant came in with tea.

“Would you like to live here?” The Duchess asked.

I blinked. “Really?” It would be amazing to live in a place like this.

“Yes.”

“Then yes, I’d love to live here.” I hesitated. “May I call you mom? Since you were married to my dad.”

She smiled. “Of course. Now what do you wish to know?”

“What did he look like in his human form?”

“Raven-black hair and brown eyes.”

“How did you meet him?”

“I was reading in the library when he came in. He saw me and came right over. We said hello and just started talking about everything. We got married a year later and I’ve never regretted it.”

I smiled a little. “Was he a Duke when you met?”

“No, he was just the Duke’s son then.”

“How long were you together before he died?”

“Let’s see. He died a year ago so about fifteen years.”

I thought about that. So he got together with her when I was one and he died when I was seventeen. The door opened and Monica came in. She held out a card to me. “Here’s your ID,” she said.

“That didn’t take long,” I said as I took it.

“It never does.”

“Oh.”

Monica turned to the Duchess. “Will she be staying with you, Your Grace?”

“Yes,” Her Grace replied.

I really had to stop calling her ‘Her Grace’ so let’s try this. “Um, You Grace?” I asked.

“Yes?”

“What’s your name?”

“Donna.”

“Okay.”

“Your Grace? Should Sylvia have someone to guard her?” Monica asked. “Just until we know she’s safe.”

Donna nodded. “Has Ashero finished his training?”

“He just finished this morning, Ma’am.”

“The Ashero will guard her until we know she’s no longer in danger.”

“Wait!” I said. They both looked at me. “My mom and her husband can’t get in here since they don’t have IDs.”

“Sylvia,” Monica said gently. “Your mom does have an ID. His Grace and her met at a bar here in Endania.”

“Oh.”

She turned back to Donna. “I’ll go get him.” She left the room.

Donna turned to me. “Here are some things you need to know about Ashero. He’s a vampire. If his eyes turn silver it could mean he’s mad, hungry, or he’s using Encanto. His weaknesses are wood (Wooden bullets or stakes.), fire, and Fangro.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“It’s a vampire’s wolfsbane.”

“Oh.”

“Do you know what a vampire’s abilities are?”

I nodded. “Super strength, speed, hearing, and smell.”

“Yes. He’s eighteen and you are going to be his first charge.”

“Okay. Uh, do the vampires here feed on people?”

“Kinda. The humans here have a choice. They can donate blood or they don’t. We fill blood bags and give the bags to the vampires.”

“So they don’t feed directly from a human.”

“No. You know we can all speak mind-to-mind?”

“Yes, but not with humans, right?”

“Right.

The door opened and Monica came in with two people. One was a boy my age with blue eyes and ink-black hair who I’m assuming was Ashero. The other was a girl with green hair and green eyes. “This is Ashero,” Monica said. “Ashero, this is Sylvia Griffin. Your Charge.”

He inclined his head. “Miss Griffin.”

“Hello,” I said shyly. He was hot.

“And this is my sister Nature,” Monica finished.

Nature walked over to me and grabbed my hand. “Hello. Mon has said you are the Duke’s daughter,” Nature said shaking my hand vigorously.

“I am,” I said gently prying my hand out of hers. She had a strong grip. She was wearing a green dress while Monica was wearing a white one. Why hadn’t I noticed that before? Oh, right. I was busy being overwhelmed by everything.

She saw me looking. “Do you like our dresses?”

“They’re very pretty.”

“Aw, thank you. We Element Dragons wear the color of our element and our hair matches our element too.”

Her Grace stood. “Ashero, you will escort Sylvia to her room since you know where it is.” She looked at me. “You look exhausted so you should go get some sleep. There are clothes in there for you too. Ashero has the room beside yours and the rooms are connected by a door. Tomorrow you may explore Endania but for tonight you must rest.”

I nodded and followed Ashero. He checked the room then looked at me. “I’ll be in my room if you need me,” he said in a smooth voice.

Which just made him hotter. “Okay,” I said and he went through the connecting door. I took a hot shower for the first time in years and put on PJs. I lay down on the bed and sighed. My life was starting to get better.