– There is, but it's barely beating, and Morgan must have told you about it. Where would be the best place to put you in my castle?

– I don't care.

– I don't want you to catch cold in the cellar and die before I'm done with you. Besides, you're my guest. A very special guest, so-

He stopped talking before finishing his sentence.

"How contradictory he is! He's like a spoilt brat, reveling in his impunity and not knowing how best to destroy his new toy so that it doesn't break at once, but endures his abuse of it for a long time!" – involuntarily ran through my mind.

The scenery outside the car window was a bright contrast to this terrible day: everything was green and looked like a huge green canvas studded with colourful flowers.

– How long will it be? – I asked, because I couldn't bear to be in the same enclosed space as the vampire.

– Can't wait to die?

– I can't wait to get rid of you!

Grayson laughed, as if I'd made him laugh.

Suddenly, the phone rang, and I knew from the ringtone that it wasn't mine.

Grayson pulled his phone out of his pocket and put it to his ear.

– Yeah, Mitchell. Is everyone gone? Oh, great! Have a good holiday! – He put the mobile phone in his pocket. – We have the castle to ourselves now. I think we'll have a fun time together.

He said that and made me feel uneasy.

– Why are you doing this? – I couldn't help but ask, not knowing why he was making such grand plans to kill me, or why he was being so friendly when he'd just hit me. – I can't understand what you want from me.

– I'm a very hospitable person by nature. Just don't piss me off-that's the secret," the vampire replied, and we didn't speak again, just drove in silence until the car stopped at the tall iron gate.

"This is it: my prison is in front of me"-The thought flashed through my brain, and goosebumps ran through my body.

Grayson pressed some button on the control panel, and the gate opened slowly and silently. The car drove into a huge courtyard, and the gate closed just as silently. Grayson stopped the car at a beautiful large fountain.

– Welcome to my castle. Get out," the vampire ordered me in an indifferent tone, quickly got out of the car and walked toward the castle without paying attention to me.

The brightly shining sun immediately exposed his real form, and that horrible sight made me shiver and shudder with a sense of disgust. But I obediently got out of the car, and I saw the castle where the vampire had said he would keep me for a month.

It was a huge castle of dark stone, with two towers at the corners. Logically, I figured that the same two towers were on the other side of the castle, since it stretched even farther back. Grayson Castle looked like the castles in nineteenth-century English films: beautiful and elegant, with huge windows and columns supporting a large porch, and sheltering under a vault of slightly scary but eye-catching stone gargoyles. A wide stone staircase rose to the high porch, flanked on both sides by heavy but beautiful stone railings. The castle was mesmerising and there was something mysterious about it: looking at it, I felt this beautiful old building pressing down on me with its monumental weight. And I suddenly thought: "Did this beauty was created by human beings?

In front of the castle there was a huge park covered with well-maintained paths, greens, bushes and trees, and beds of colourful beautiful flowers bloomed under the huge windows of the castle. This free and natural layout of the park is commonly referred to by landscape designers as the "English Park". In the centre of the courtyard, where Grayson parked his car, surrounded by carved wooden benches, stood a large stone fountain in which three girls carved in white marble poured water from their palms. In the distance behind the castle could be seen a forest. The castle, park, and forest must have occupied a simply huge area. And all that magic belonged to a vampire I hated.

I turned back to the gate and took a closer look at it: it was part of the high fence that obviously surrounded the entire estate. The top of the iron gate was crowned with sharp spires, and the fence itself was wrapped in some bright, curly green plant covered in purple and dark pink flowers.

It was the estate of a true English aristocrat of delicate taste, and in my heart I involuntarily confessed to myself that it was simply magnificent. On the way to the estate I had imagined my future prison in a completely different way, thinking that Grayson's castle would be a scary dark building covered in fog, as it is often portrayed in vampire films, gloomy and frightening. But Grayson's castle was the complete opposite of that picture: it was beautiful, bright and well-maintained.

"So I'll have a luxury prison," I grinned, but I was sure I'd spend the rest of my time rotting in the dank casemates that this castle, so bright on the outside, was probably filled with.

Grayson seemed to have forgotten about me, and I didn't know where to go or what to do, so I sat on the beautiful bench by the fountain and waited for the vampire to come back for me.

How silly! He was gone, but instead of trying to escape, I waited patiently for him to return! Escape – what a sweet word! But that cruel vampire knew the words he used to bind me to him tighter than a chain, and he made me an obedient puppet-as soon as he mentioned Cedric's name, my will died.

– How do you like my modest residence? – I heard the vampire's voice just above my ear, making me jump with surprise.

How could he sneak up on me so silently, despite the fine gravel of the paths?

– She's not immodest at all," I said, glancing up at him; fortunately, Grayson was in the shadow of the castle and not a horrible skeleton.

– Come on, let's go get your luggage. – The vampire grabbed my hand, and we walked to his car again.

When we stepped out into the sunlight, I was horrified to see the vampire's hand clutching mine: it had turned into an ugly bone, covered in yellow, dried skin. I felt creepy and uncomfortable, but I couldn't even squeak-it made Grayson even more frightening. He was something even worse than Cedric. His true age was probably the reason. What was he saying? He's over three hundred years old!

Grayson turned to me, and I could barely keep from shrieking in horror: his beautiful, pale face had turned into the face of a monster, and was even creepier than Cedric's had been when he'd revealed himself to me. But I loved Cedric, and I didn't care that he was a monster. Grayson, on the other hand, I hated and feared-he was a monster, and I was at his mercy.

– Don't worry, you'll get used to my form soon enough," the vampire told me mockingly. – Morgan's never shown himself to you like this, has he?

– Once," I squeezed out.

He grinned-a smile that must have made me shake.

– Get used to it: I won't hide. – Grayson let go of my hand and opened the boot, pulling out my suitcase and tossing it at my feet. – Pick it up and carry it to the castle.

Picking my suitcase up off the ground, I set it on its wheels and dragged it behind me. The vampire and I headed towards the castle. As we walked in the sun, I tried not to look at Grayson, but in the shadows, my tormentor became handsome again. We climbed the stone stairs (I had to carry my heavy suitcase myself), and the vampire opened the tall wooden door in front of me, with a beautiful metal weave of leaves on it.

– Welcome to Sunset Hall! – he said in an unexpectedly friendly tone, and suddenly he pushed me through the door, causing me to fall face-first to the floor.

– Can you not yank and push me? – I blurted out.

– I can if you ask me to," Grayson said.