I'm left dumbstruck.
Admittedly, I'm no saint, and I don't believe traitors should be forgiven, nor do I pity these two, but darn, I must concede them this tiny bit: Jordan and Eve are savage.
The maid barely lasted a few minutes under their, let's say, interrogation methods before opening her mouth and blabbering everything. The butler didn't last much longer either. In a heartbeat, he was tattling on his employer, begging for a painless death.
"P-please, that's everything we know…!"
"Oh, really? Are you sure?"
A cold smile, followed by more screams.
In the corner of my mind, I'm taking note to never ever get on my husband's or Eve's bad side, for all that matters. A glance at James tells me he has made the same note for himself.
Nice people are always the scariest when they snap, and that rule seems to apply to demons, too.
"What kind of dumbasses are you?!" Oh, seems like James is also about to snap. "You were frustrated that your master married a human, enough to get misled into believing a bunch of nonsense and fake promises?!"
Yeah, I had a hunch not everyone in the house was happy with my sudden arrival. I imagine serving a human isn't exactly the most rewarding thing for these oh-so-mighty demons. Their fragile egos took a hit, hadn't it?
Well, James has no intention to spare said egos, and he's tearing theirs to shreds.
"Wake up! Do you truly believe you're worth the trouble? You're nothing more than pawns who would have been discarded once the dirty work was done. There's no way in hell Oliver would take traitors under his wings; that's asking for being backstabbed later. Is it really that difficult to get?!"
What can I say? No matter the species, people tend to overestimate their own value. Hunters are a good example, and Miria stands at the peak.
"I don't care about your petty frustration," Jordan speaks up once James is done saying his piece, his tone of voice sending shivers down my spine.
My husband appears even more furious now, even though his fury is hidden behind a cold smile. Using me as an excuse for their betrayal isn't sitting well with him, nor is it with Eve. Both make it obvious, and I'm unsure how to take it.
In a way, it feels strange to have people getting angry on my behalf when I'm not even angry. The staff's disrespect was to be expected, so why should I bother getting angry about it? It's a waste of energy.
I'm just glad they're not making their displeasure obvious in front of the kids, or I fear all hell would break loose.
"Your feelings are of little importance, and I'm more interested in how Oliver's lackeys managed to get to you. No one should be able to enter the house unless they have received my, Eve's, or Scott's explicit permission."
Fair enough. I doubt Jordan wants another repeat of today, so this is more interesting to him—wait a minute. When did he grant me that permission?!
Whatever. Let's not think about it.
The maid and the butler respond with silence, and I cock my eyebrow.
Oh my, their eyes are quite interesting right now, but I can't bring it up in front of James.
So, I walk closer to Jordan, avoiding the pool of blood as much as I can. I mean, I don't want to soil my shoes. Anyway, I tug on his pajama sleeve to draw his attention. Yes, he didn't take the time to change clothes before coming down to the basement, and his pajamas are now ruined.
"Hm?"
The demon lowers his head, lending me an ear. Dude, you're too tall. How about getting a head or two smaller? No? OK, fine. I'll get on my toes.
"Can you come with me for a second?"
Whispering wouldn't guarantee that James wouldn't hear me. Vampires have good hearing. Not as good as werewolves', but good enough to be annoying.
"Sure—"
The door gets flung open, interrupting Jordan mid-sentence, and Lucy appears in the doorframe. Guess Eve isn't the only door menace in the vicinity.
Wait, no, that doesn't matter right now.
What the fuck is she doing?! Bringing the kids with her when she knows perfectly well what we've been doing?! Hello! Don't show atrocities to children, thank you!
"Dad, dad!" Elois giggles, unbothered by the gory sight. Unlike me, he doesn't give a shit about the pool of blood and runs through it, splashing his pants. Hugging my leg is more important than staying clean, obviously. "Are you done soon? Aunt Lucy has been complaining that she gotta examine James before leaving, and she has to go soon…!"
"Uncle James's health is more important than some bugs' punishment!" Ellena nods, plastering herself against her father's leg. She also doesn't care about dirtying her dress with blood.
…Right, I've forgotten. These two are demons, and from what I've heard, the demon realm's scenery isn't what I'd call child -friendly. It would be rated mature in a movie.
But still…!
"Don't give me that glare, will you?" Lucy rolls her eyes. "I have a prior engagement, and I can't keep babysitting your kids forever."
Hey, they're not mine per se!
"Anyway, James, off we go. Don't make me drag you by the scruff of your neck, m'kay?"
I could have pitied the vampire, hadn't he been running away from his doctor's appointment. No, don't give me the puppy eyes; I will not help you!
Regardless of James's will, Lucy yanks him outside the basement and off to wherever in the house she's decided would make a good makeshift patient room. She's kind enough to give him a bit of privacy, so what is he complaining about, huh?
"So, what did you want to tell me?" Jordan asks, taking Ellena in his arms. The little girl snuggles against her father's chest, still uncaring about the blood.
…I feel like I'll need to get used to this kind of scene. I doubt this will be the only occurrence. In the end, I can't raise these kids the human way.
They're demons, not humans.
"Well." I cough to clear my throat, glancing at the two traitors, who were still gasping for breath. "Streaks of red sometimes flash in their eyes, especially when you bring up things related to Oliver."
"Oh, really?"
"Really. It's a little hard to miss when I'm this close to them. The natural color of their eyes is purple and yellow, not red, so these stripes are quite striking."
"Just how much more foolish can these kids get?!" Eve asks what everyone is thinking, and even Todd can't help but shake his head in exasperation. The disgust in his eyes is unmistakable, too.
It's easy to understand why, though.
These flashes of red are an indicator that they've chosen to become a high-ranked vampire's familiar, something possible only after drinking their new lord's blood. To put it bluntly, the maid and the butler have already switched allegiance, deciding to serve a master deemed more worthy of them. They weren't thinking of only getting back at Jordan for disappointing them with his spouse choice.
Now, both of them stare at me with a silly look on their faces. They're not very bright and don't seem to have made one plus one yet.
"W-what is the meaning of this…?"
"Nothing much. Just that my husband is a little more deserving of your servitude than you thought. Not like it matters; it's already too late to repent."
Those words must sting, for Seers are very much deserving of their allegiance. Although I wouldn't want these two anywhere near me. I don't need people who betray their master 'cause of some sort of childish frustration, thank you.