At Your Service

Chapter 10- Fire

 That afternoon, the Vandiver household left for their summer home on Loch Lomond. As they could not complete the journey within twenty-four hours. They found an inn to stay in for the night. Huko and Finn, Carlisle and Solomon, and Marjorie and Anja shared a room each, three rooms adjacent to one another, the women's room sandwiched between the other two.

Anja sat in the lounge of the inn reading from a book of poetry. Marjorie, who was not accustomed to staying up late, was heading into the room when an arm blocked her from entry. The poor maid's cheeks went red when she met the gaze of who she had no idea was a demon.

"I understand you will be sharing a room with Lady Vandiver. Should she need anything, even if she doesn't wish to disturb me, I will be awake for the majority of the night. You may alert me yourself by knocking on the door only twice." His eyes grew dark. "You will protect her as if your life depends on it, because it might. If anything happens to her on your watch, there will be consequences." He took a moment before whispering, "Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Marjorie replied meekly.

Carlisle grinned before patting her head. "Goodnight, then." He turned on his heel before walking down the hallway to the elevator. When he arrived down to the main floor, he saw the back of Anja's head, her buzzed light brown hair and the long platinum blonde, as she sat on the couch facing the fireplace. She looked up from her poetry book as Carlisle sat down beside her.

"I'm assuming the servants aren't to know," Anja stated as she flicked to the next page.

"You assume correctly," Carlisle said as he looked at the poetry book. "Damion told me you love poetry." Anja smiled and nodded. "May I?" Anja nodded again as she closed the book and handed it to the butler, who took the book gently in his gloved fingers.

"It sounds like Damion has told you many things," Anja murmured, watching the demon flip to a random page. "What else did he say?"

Carlisle smirked. "He told me you'd make my job difficult because you are extremely independent and stubborn, but you haven't been giving me too much trouble like he said you would, and I've honestly been surprised." Carlisle was shocked to hear her snort before laughing.

"That's because I've been consciously going easy on you, and... I haven't really..." her expression fell, "been feeling like myself since the hospital. I haven't given myself any time to... think about it because I've been so concerned with the sigil."

Carlisle set the book in his lap. "Would you like to talk about what happened? Even I don't know what happened that night."

Anja stared at the flames flickering in the fireplace, silent. Carlisle stared at her with furrowed eyebrows. "I think we were drugged to make transportation easy. I woke up after my parents. They were soaked in gasoline. The people were dumping gasoline all over them. They were hanging by chains from meat hooks. I think it was a meat processing plant, but I can't be sure. I was chained in a metal chair. I was chained by the wrists and ankles. They wanted me to watch my parents burn... for educational purposes. They wanted them to die knowing I was watching before they killed me. They set them on fire, and they set everything on fire. They were dumping... gasoline on me but they ran out, so they only got my shins and feet covered. They bolted when the fire got too intense for them. My legs caught. The chains got hot. The walls and ceiling were collapsing when they came and dragged me out, still in the chair, but I wasn't awake." Carlisle thought she was done, but she continued. "They used normal fire." Carlisle scowled deeper. "They didn't use witch's fire, which kills the witch faster. They used normal fire instead. They wanted us to suffer, but they didn't expect me to get out alive. I feel like, if they really wanted me dead, they would've used witch's fire, almost like they wanted me to live with this."

Carlisle didn't know what to say. He wasn't good at this sort of thing, being a demon and all. He could feel the souls of the former masters of the Vandiver household stir inside of him. Anja just stared at the flames, rubbing one of her wrists with a thumb. Carlisle let out a soft sigh through his nose before reopening the book and flipping to a random page. "There is a name whispered when embraced," Anja turned to look at the demon, who now wore his reading glasses, "and there is another name that requires, in thought, to be chased." Anja shifted closer until her arm brushed against his. "There is a name that grows a grin, and the other tastes like sin."

"Your voice is really nice to listen to," Anja commented before yawning.

"Why, thank you, madam." The corners of the butler's lips curled ever so slightly before he continued with the reading. "One name feels extremely hospitable, and the other is a spoken sacrifice intolerable." He paused when he felt the side of her head rest upon his shoulder. Anja quickly lifted it back up.

"I'm sorry."

"I don't mind at all, madam." Carlisle grinned when he felt her rest her head on his shoulder again.

"I'm just... tired, and you look comfortable."

"Well, I'm glad you think so." The demon resituated himself so he was a little slanted, his shoulder now at an angle more comfortable for her head to rest on. "One name is shouted bravely, but the other is spoken safely. One name received more distinction while the other nears the edge of extinction."

Carlisle continued reading through the book long after Anja fell asleep at the earliest time in the past few days. Around one in the morning, he closed the book and turned his head to look at the sleeping witch as best as he could. He began humming a little tune, knowing that the vibrations of his voice had put her to sleep. She had felt them. He knew what she was dreaming about; she was standing in flames. She still had her legs. She felt no pain. She stared into the flames, letting them engulf her. It almost made him proud. In one smooth, swift movement, he wrapped an arm around her waist, stood, and twisted her into his arms before carrying her to the elevators to take her to her room, humming all the way.

Marjorie was surprised when Carlisle came in, but he'd used Anja's key card. He set her sleeping body on the bed in a seated position. Marjorie hurried over with a nightgown so she could get the witch changed. Carlisle realized she would see the same sigil on Anja she saw on him, but it was too late as she unbuttoned the dress. He quickly realized that her underwear covered it, so their secret was safe. Marjorie got her down to her bra and underwear when she whispered, "Turn around. There ain't a reason for you to watch." Carlisle raised an inquisitive eyebrow but turned on his heel while she took her bra off and put the nightgown on her. "There we go." Carlisle turned back around and sat down on the bed next to Anja to untie her hair, being careful not to tug or cause any tangles. Once this was done, he gently laid her down, moving the sheets aside so he could cover her with them when she was lowered.

"Goodnight, Marjorie," Carlisle whispered with a grin before giving the maid a bow.

"Goodnight, Mr. Lomen." Marjorie bowed her head before the butler turned and left the bedroom, leaving the women to sleep.