Sinful

4| Pulchra Nocte

Romes POV:

*A couple hours prior*

I underestimated how smart fledglings were.

And how incredibly well they were at hiding.

I sat up my bed, my phone sat on the night table begging for me to grab it. I had been away for five days, and each of those five days was spent in panic and fear for Camille and Noelle. I only had two more days before I would have to go back and accept defeat. I groaned and swiped my phone off the oak and into my clutches.

But before I could even turn it on, a picture of Val popped up on my screen. Illuminating my dark room with the light that came off the screen. I was surprised, I hadn't ever received a call from him since I would be the one who called him every day to check up on everything. I quickly pressed the green button and his voice was brought to my ear.

I felt true fear merging in with my blood, intertwining and clotting around in my body.

"What's gone wrong?" I hastily spoke, not giving Valentine a second to get his message out.

I heard interference before the signal cleared up, "Rome, earlier today I saw Ambrose trying to sneak into your room." The fear in my body amplified with the course of anger that interbred with it. "I was able to stop him before he could even set his hands on your doorknob." I breathed out a sigh of relief as my emotions diluted a bit. "But, I don't think this is the safest place to house your handmaid or her daughter. She won't even let me in to talk to her."

I rubbed my forehead as a headache began to form, "Give her the phone."

No response was given to me, instead, the sound of three sharp knocks answered back.

"Camille, phone for you." He said simply.

Valentine... in himself well there was nothing to be said about him. Cold, quiet, sometimes even mean. Some days I wouldn't even consider him my cousin, just a robot of some kind. He's been like that ever since he turned. If you were lucky you would catch the extremely rare moments where bits of his old personality would slip through the cracks. He used to be a very cheeky individual. The day I left a little bit of that poked through as he told me goodbye in Romanian... I didn't even know he knew how to speak that language. I really missed his easy-going nature, we weren't close when we were younger- but after the both of us turned, and watching our parents die before we did... though it changed him, inevitably it brought us closer.

"Who is it?" I heard Camille's voice after a week of its absence, my eyes shut as I counted my lucky stars that she was alright.

"Rome." Came Val's simple answer.

I heard the door creak open, I made a mental reminder to have it greased. I despised that noise. His phone shuffled around until I heard Cami call out my name.

"Camille," I started. "I told you that you need to trust Valentine." I lectured over the phone.

"Rome, I don't trust anyone other than you." Was her simple answer, I felt the urge to coo at her words but also the urge to slap her senseless.

I sighed into the phone before responding back to her. "Cami, I'm stressed enough as is. If you trust me, trust me enough to believe that Val is only here to protect you." I tried reasoning. "He doesn't even like the taste of blood!" I added as a joke, damn well knowing he did- but she didn't need to know that.

"I take it that the search for a 'mate' isn't going too well?" She said, ignoring everything else I said. "Not exactly your smartest plan." She said with bitter resentment.

"Cami, stop." And she quieted, "Watch your tongue."

She didn't respond and neither did I, as much as I loved her I don't stand to be disrespected. So I waited for her to apologize.