Chapter 7 Bewitching The Deadly Vampire

Alaric vanished from his study and appeared behind Adrienne Mallory on the castle ground by the rose hedges.

“I see you’ve found a pest inside my castle,” said Alaric in an icy tone looking at the black wolf with animosity. It was lying on its side.

Who must it be? He wondered with foreboding. Just when he was thinking of positive thoughts when he wasn’t much into it until he met the fire-witch. Now he has something to compete with her.

“It’s unconscious, Alaric,” said Adrienne with a worried tone. She was looking at the wolf at the same time running her hand on top of its body.

“Let me take care of it.” He said in his usual cold voice showing only mild interest to the unconscious monster. He walked towards Adrienne crouching beside her.

He stretched his hands to touch the wolf when he felt the warm hands of Adrienne stopping his wrist.

“Stop. I can handle this,” she said firmly.

“I can do it better.” 

Adrienne faced him with raised brows.

“Yes, I know. You can do it better because what you’re going to do is make it so much better that it will no longer breathe,” she paused and looked at him scornfully asking,

“What could be better than death, Alaric?” 

“I don’t keep pets inside this castle, Adrienne,” Alaric retorted icily. “Especially not a wolf. They’re rabid animals.”

“But it’s injured, you heartless vampire,” she cut in.

Alaric released a sigh of exhaustion. Not again, he thought. 

“I am not going to argue with you, witch,” he said in a different voice. He raised both his hands in defeat. “Go ahead and heal that monster. As if I care.”

He added contemptuously.

“Then, let it leave the castle ground once it is healed. I don’t wish to co-exist with that wolf inside my castle.”

Alaric said with icy emphasis.

“It may take a day or two before this wolf fully recovers,” said Adrienne gently hovering her hands on the wolf’s body. “It’s badly injured. There were traumas inside its organs.”

“I don’t care. Just make it leave after two days.” He said irritated. “I have severe wolf allergies. I might kill it on the third day if it stays.”

Adrienne snickered beside him.

“Your dislike over a wolf is very pronounced. Must you hate this wolf that much?” she asked lightly.

Alaric clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Must you ask that, Adrienne?” 

Adrienne was looking gently at the wolf then turned her head to him.

“Okay, I understand,” she said biting her tongue from retorting a sharp reply. “But can I ask you a favor?”

He turned his head and looked deeply into her soft brown eyes.

“What is it, witch?”

“I believe this dog will need as much nourishment as it can when it gains consciousness,” she said carefully. “So, I hope you don’t mind if I feed it raw meat, Alaric?”

Alaric stood beside her and put both his hands on his waist looking down at her then shifting his sight to the wolf.

Damn, bloody monster, he thought highly irritated. I even have to share my meat with this pest.

He cleared his throat before answering.

“I-if you wish, Adrienne,” said Alaric stiffly. 

“That’s very considerate of you, Lord Emrick,” she joked gently.

“In exchange…” he said trailing off still looking at the body of the black monster.

“In exchange for what?” she asked unexpectedly while staring at Alaric Emrick disbelieving her ears that he would wish for an exchange deal over raw meat.

“You will have to cook me a steak.”

“Oh,” said Adrienne surprised, then she retorted. “Don’t you have the kitchen staff to do it for you?” 

“Don’t you need raw meat for the wolf to gain back health?” he cut back thinly.

Adrienne raised her brow and peered at his face. Alaric’s face was impassive. She couldn’t read much from his expression nor read what’s inside his mind. She gave a wide smile.

“Sure, no problem. I’ll cook you a steak.”

Then, an idea came into her mind.

After two days the black wolf returned to its health and fully regained its consciousness. Adrienne brought it to her room so it could sleep there tending to its needs. It regained awareness around lunchtime the next day it was found. 

She brought it again by the castle ground on the green lawn around the rose bushes where it was found. The black wolf was eating on a dog bowl when Alaric showed himself again to Adrienne and the wolf. 

“I see, the wolf has healed. I’m glad,” said Alaric as he approached the witch watching the dog eating meat. 

He peeked at what the wolf was eating and frowned when he saw what it was. The wolf growled at him.

“Our mutual dislike for each other is equal,” he said to the black wolf. He stepped away from where it was standing and joined Adrienne sitting by the bench. 

“I take it you even have the gall to feed the wolf the same food I am eating.”

He said with thin lips. 

Adrienne bit her lips guiltily and looked at him warily in the eyes.

“I hope you won’t be mad at me. She just needs meat and well when you mentioned it that day I-I thought it was a brilliant idea, Alaric.”

“Hmmm…?” he asked at him with half-closed eyes looking at her.

“But don’t worry Al,” said Adrienne in a hasty voice putting both her arms on his thighs. “I didn’t add wine to it. I promise. I don’t wish to spoil your favorite steak, of course.”

“So she’s calling me Al now, instead of Alaric,” thought Alaric. This woman sure knows how to poke her ways into me.

“Alright,” he said thoughtfully, “but you have to do me another favor again, Adrienne Mallory.”

“What is it?” she asked eagerly. 

“Anything to pass off her crime at me for feeding the wolf with the same food I eat,” Alaric continuously thought. “This woman…” 

He clicked his tongue before opening his mouth.

“I gather you know how to heal almost anything with your hands, is that correct, witch?” he asked looking into rose hedges.

“Yes,” Adrienne answered looking at him expectantly.

“Well, then. Let’s go.”

Alaric said rising from the seat. Without looking at her he said, “The carriage is waiting by the gates.”

Surprised once again, Adrienne rose from the bench and walked towards him.

“Where are we going?” she asked curiously.

Alaric continued to walk ahead of her.

“You can bring the wolf if you wish. He might like it.”

He said as if to answer her.

The carriage was waiting for Adrienne Mallory and her company before the gates. She, Alaric, and the black wolf went into the carriage and it was driven off. After a good thirty minutes, the coach stopped driving and opened the carriage door to them. Alaric went down first, followed by the black wolf, then lastly, Adrienne.

She was astonished by the vastness of the place. It was a wide vineyard of grapes. The grapevines stretched as far as her sight could see.

“What are we doing here?” she asked as they started to walk near the plants. 

“My head planter told me that they have encountered a problem with some of the grapes planted away from the river banks.”

Alaric started the conversation.

Sure enough, Adrienne could hear the mild sound of streaming water ahead of them.

As they approached closer, she saw how green and healthy the grapes were by those sides. They were as fat and healthy as the ones they walked across with. 

“There’s nothing wrong here,” she said in wonder enjoying the sights and smell of the fresh grapes that were closed to being ripe. She touched one of the plants and admired the silky feel of the fruit. 

She picked one of them and took a bite. “It’s already ripe.”

She said looking at Alaric who chose to avert his face from her. She picked one again and poked it at his face.

“Here,” she said invitingly touching the grape to his mouth. “Bite it.”

Alaric looked at her discomfited at first then bit the grape that was poked to his mouth.

“Taste good, doesn’t it?” she asked casually.

“Hmm…” he answered still chewing the fruit.

They kept on walking until they reached the part of the vineyard that showed the opposite of the grapes blooming healthily above ground.

“What happened here?” she asked frowning while studying the entire area whose plants showed dry and brown leaves entangled on sticks in long rows and columns. They were almost dying or maybe have already died, observed Adrienne as she saw a particular vine on a stick that was already beyond yellow.

“They’re dead because of a reason I don’t understand,” said Alaric. “The planters told me they were surprised even bewildered why these parts here don’t grow and even dried out.”

They walked to see all the plants that dried out.

“Do they have aphids eating at them?” she asked him looking at his blood-red eyes with her clear light brown ones.

“See for yourself, witch.” That was all he replied.

Adrienne poked her nose and studied one plant closely and saw them dried and limp on her hands but she couldn’t see any aphid living or glue neither at the back of its leaf nor at any vines.

“Hmmm…” she said thoughtfully. “They don’t have those in these grapes.” 

She said studying other ones that they’ve passed through.

“So…” he asked looking at Adrienne who appeared not to be listening to him but was glancing at the vineyard surreptitiously.

“Can you heal the plants?”

She made a long thorough look at the plants ahead of them and gave her reply. 

“It will take maybe more than an hour for me to fix the entire plant.” 

“I don’t mind very much, Adrienne Malloy,” said Alaric sounding relieved and happy at the same time, he felt the tug of a smile on his face which was becoming very common these days but kept his face stoic.

They walked together along each row and column while Adrienne touched each grapevine on sticks with her two hands as they passed along each plant walking at the middle of the plants. After an hour passed, Adrienne touched the final grapevine and it bloomed back to life.

“Phew. At last, we’re done.” She said looking and checking at the black-skinned grapes that have bloomed and ripened at her touch. Without saying a word, she picked three ripe fruits and popped them at her mouth continuously.

“How very unladylike, Adrienne,” said Alaric scolding her like a girl as he watched the redhead eating the grapes like a kid who was obviously enjoying each piece putting it on her mouth after finishing one. 

Adrienne enjoyed eating the fruit so much she was barely aware that when she put another one on her mouth and looked at the vine to pick another, it was the last two on the stem. Without saying much, she picked the last two and put them in her mouth.

“You just finished one whole, witch.” 

Alaric said watching her under his gaze.

“I fixed the entire plot, after all,” she retorted chewing on the last two fruit on her mouth and with her mouth still chewing added, “so, I’m entitled to have, at least a whole bunch to myself.”

Adrienne watched Alaric through her heavy-lidded eyes. Suddenly, she felt very tipsy like she had just finished a bottle of wine. She turned her gaze and saw another new bunch of grapes ripe on the stick. She stretched her arm to pick another globe.

Alaric leaned down at her as she tried to pick a new one stopping her wrist.

“That’s enough, Adrienne. I think you already finished one whole to add more.”

He said looking at her. Adrienne just gave him a very naughty smile under her lidded eyes, removed his hands on her wrist, and pulled his head down to her.

Alaric froze.