Hearing what Nicholas said, Heidi nodded her head at the knowledge of why the empire was known and called as Bonelake.

  “Is it really made of bones?” her eyes were transfixed on the smokey land. To her it looked like clouds which were containing the lightening, that was threatening to come out. The only difference was that the clouds were grey and the smoke here was an inky hue, “I have never seen something like this.”


  “Of course, you haven’t. It is one of Bonelake’s wonders.”


  “What are the other wonders?” she finally broke her gaze away from the land to turn to look at him who stood beside her.

  “Me,” was his simple answer.

  “You hold yourself very high, milord.”


  “Ah. It seems like we don’t agree with it,” his said narrowing his eyes at her whilst he smiled.

  “I never said I don’t!” she replied back quickly. The lord was a peculiar man. He was definitely a one of a kind in the entire universe. The narcissist lord, thought Heidi to herself, “You didn’t answer my question. About the lake.”


  “The smoke and fog you see are the remnants of the deceased. Animals, humans, vampires, half vampires, pure blooded vampires,” he listed, “Most of the creatures that were or are deceased are brought and dumped here.”


  “Dumped? But why, aren’t the dead entitled for a respectful burial?” her brows furrowed in question.

  “They are. You see, getting a decent burial for the so called after life, isn’t easy here. You will find that there are a very few graves in this empire and the graves have their own hierarchy. The pure blooded and the other vampires aren’t keen to have themselves buried next to a lower creature.”


  “You’re joking,” she murmured, taken back by his words. As it was, humans and vampires had classified themselves into different classes in the society but to think that it continued even after death. She shook her head in disappointment.

  “The lowest graves are usually moved to another cemetery which are then brought here when a person cannot pay for the spot.”


  “You said the lake has pure blooded vampires in it too.”


  “I did. You might know well that not everyone are good. There are good and bad people in both our society,” he paused for few seconds before continuing to speak, “Men and women who couldn’t follow the rules and regulations of the empire, behaving like criminals and also who went against the lordship are often sent here. Don’t worry yourself about it. Consider it to be more like a ritual which has been taking place for centuries,” said Nicholas.

  “So there’s no after life for these souls,” she muttered under her breath.

  “Once, when a man was walking by the shores, he was reported to be missing the next day. What do you think happened to him?” he asked her, his eyes staring at the nearest smoke which was trying to creep in closer to them.

  “Unrested souls took revenge on him?”


  “No, silly. What happened was that he had gone to the local bar and fallen unconscious after walking by this beautiful shore.” Heidi who had been listening to his words with utmost seriousness, rolled her eyes at the sudden twist in his story. “But that isn’t what I was getting at. Though I haven’t personally explored the lake, rumor is that the ground is a bottomless pit. It is best to avoid stepping close to the smoke because as you have mentioned-the lake contains souls that didn’t pass through this world in peace.”


  “I don’t know if I find it captivating or creepy,” she smiled finally. May be it was both. Even with its alarming history the smokey fog was captivating in her eyes. The east empire sure was one of a kind along with the lord.

  Nicholas looked at the girl who now stood next to him viewing the enchanted lake.He was pleased to see that the woman finally had a change of mood. In his opinion, women who cried were troublesome and a great deal of hassle which he avoided usually. He didn’t like meddling himself in those kind of situations unless he had an ulterior motive.

  Since he had met Heidi, she had always treated him as a normal being. He wondered if the human had ignored the fact that he was a lord and not to forget a pure blooded vampire. Maybe it was because of the circumstance they had met in the beginning that made the girl ignore it. But then, the girl ignored most of his words which made him tease and talk to her more to get into her head. He often immersed himself in physical relationships with women and it didn’t matter if it was of a higher or lower class. He enjoyed it as much as drinking blood. And to find Heidi entertaining whom he shared no physical relationship was something new to him.

  “I didn’t know I would say this but,” she turned to look at him, his features sharp and precise like a molded statue made out for perfection, “You are strangely kind at times. You might be a good man after all,” she commented.

  The lord hadn’t expected for her to say something like that to him, especially how his butler had put it-bullying her was it. At first glance, she looked average. Nothing out of ordinary. But if one gazed into her doe like eyes as long as he did, they could find something beautiful and rare in it. He wondered if it was because, somewhere she reflected him.

  “Thank you for bringing me here,” he cocked his head when he heard her speak, “I think I would still be walking alone if you didn’t come.”


  “Don’t mention it. I am glad that I found you to be safe. A forest is never safe to walk alone especially at night.”


  “Are you talking about the black witches?”


  “There are far more threats than just the black witches in the deep forest. I am sure that you are aware that Bonelake has a greater population of vampire compared to the other lands. The habitual conditions made by nature is made so to maintain our lifestyle.” Heidi wasn’t sure if she understood it as she felt his words jump right over her head. A small nagging headache had formed at both side of her temples and she raised her hand to touch it, “Shall we?” he asked her, nodding her head she followed him back to where they had left the horse.

  Heidi didn’t know why the lord made her sit in front of him on the horse instead of sitting behind him. Was he worried that she would fall down? She didn’t know the lord had it in him to try cheering a woman as herself. He wasn’t that bad after all. When they were about to start with the white horse raising its front legs, Heidi almost lost her balance if it weren’t for Nicholas who had grasped her waist from behind. His strong arms stayed firmly around her. She hadn’t noticed it before coming to the lake but now that her emotions had finally settled down, she could feel his chest pressed against her back. She tried concentrating on the path ahead of them but it was hard while sitting so close to the lord. Her heart began to thrum in her chest, making her current condition more aware.

  When they reached the mansion, Heidi bowed her head and left to her room. In the morning, Warren had expressed his sincere apologies to her which she accepted. She didn’t know everything about him but this much she could say that even though Venetia Lawson was Warren’s mother, the man wasn’t like her. Warren’s father was a human who had passed away few years ago. With the few glimpses and conversations that took place between the son and mother, she realized Venetia was a dominant vampire.

  Like many vampires she had met, he came off to be cold but he was a very respecting man. He was polite around the clock, making sure to ask if she was having any trouble or if she had eaten or how her tutoring was going. It gave off a feeling that she was a work he checked everyday. As days passed by, she spent more time with Warren. Once going to the council and waiting for him outside the building before going to his father’s town and to the tea parties they were invited to. Due to this, she saw less of the lord. During the time at the mansion, her eyes would usually search to find him to be nowhere there. She hadn’t realized it before but now she missed his company secretly though she would never say to him. He had grown on her, their senseless bickering and their talk which helped her in understanding about the vampires.