Hiro keeps up a speedy pace as he leads the way back to the house, and it’s all I can do to keep up. I follow along in his wake feeling mutinous. Unfortunately, he was right when he said he was more stubborn. Not to imply that I’m not stubborn, but like everything else about him, his stubbornness is perfect. He’s going to do everything in his power to make sure that I don’t get the opportunity to bring up the conversation we just had. And he does have a point. I probably shouldn’t be so focused on this when my first mission is likely right around the corner. But knowing that he does feel something for me, even if he didn’t straight up say that he loved me, is something I’ve been dreaming about for years now. How on Earth am I supposed to just let that go?

Well, the obvious solution is to kill this bloody vampire in record time and hurry home like he said. Then he’ll have to keep his word and we can talk about it again.

Hiro leads the way to the supply shed that’s tucked beside the house, and he can’t hide his surprise when he turns to me and sees the determined look on my face. But his surprise only lasts for a moment as he quickly returns to butler mode. “Time to feed the animals. And it’s deworming day for the horses.”

“Alright,” I say in my most innocent voice. He eyes me suspiciously as I casually brush past him to grab the pitch fork.

I’m on my best behaviour as we both start tossing hay over the fences. The various animals wander slowly over to the hay. Since there’s also lots of wild grasses in each pasture, the hay is really just a supplement, so they all take their time with it. Lastly we grab the deworming medicine for the horses and I tuck a brush into my pocket. After I give them all the apple flavoured medicine, I give them each a good grooming with the brush while Hiro checks their feet.

It takes a while to get everything done, but finally we finish and I turn to Hiro. “Well, anything else need doing?”

He studies me for a moment, as if waiting for a surprise attack. When none comes, he just shakes his head. “That’s it for the day. Go grab your new toy and let’s give it a test before I prepare dinner.”

I race off to my room, eager to give this one a go. The timing is perfect; if this latest invention works the way I intend it to, it’ll be a huge help on my mission.

The invention in question is an enhancement suit. I made it to look similar to my traditional vampire hunting garb, but instead of being black, it’s a dark red to match my hair. Also so that I can tell it apart from my other suits.

The fit is even more snug than my other clothes as well. The purpose is to make it more effective, but it also happens to look extremely sexy. I can’t help but smile. Let’s see Hiro ignore me in this.

The last piece of the ensemble is a custom hooded cape that I also made. I fix it to the shoulders of the suit and check myself one more time in the mirror. Everything looks perfect. But I knew that already. The real question is, will it work when I activate it? That’s what we need to find out.

I race through the house, all the way down to the training dojo in the basement. Like I knew he would be, Hiro is waiting for me. He’s standing in the middle of the room, with his eyes closed. His breathing is slow and controlled, as if he’s meditating. His suit jacket is hung on one of the hooks by the door, and I take a moment to appreciate the way his crisp white shirt stretches over his perfectly chiseled muscles. Yep, absolute perfection.

There’s no way he didn’t hear me enter, but he pretends not to notice me until I announce, “Prepare to be amazed!”

He smiles, still not opening his eyes. “I am amazed by you daily, and so I’m always prepared for it.” But when he finally opens his eyes and catches sight of me, he goes absolutely still in momentary shock. Clearly attempting to regain his composure, he clears his throat and says in a carefully calm tone of voice, “So, what is the purpose of this one?”

Tossing my hair casually over my shoulder, I give a slow twirl. “Besides making me look like a goddess of death you mean?” I ask nonchalantly.

He clears his throat again and I feel like crowing in triumph as I see just how hard it is for him to hold his composure together. “Yes, besides that.”

“Well, it has many purposes. The already mentioned one I made with you in mind though.” I give him a wink.

To his credit, he doesn’t respond, but his eyes are burning again, like that had for a brief moment on the cliff. When I don’t continue, too absorbed in watching him silently squirm, he frowns at me and asks, “Are you done trying to torture me? Because like I told you before, I’m way more stubborn than you.”

I watch him for a moment longer, then sigh as he keeps his expression carefully under control. “Well damn, it was worth a try.”

The corners of his mouth twitch ever so slightly, and he says, “Thank you for the fantastic display, My Lady. I’ll be sure to keep this image of you in my mind all the long hours we are apart.”

My cheeks burn for the millionth time today. But I ignore him and take a deep breath as I prepare for the real test. Both The Grandmaster and Hiro forbade me long ago from testing anything new by myself, just in case something were to go wrong, so I’ve yet to see if this suit works. There’s a slight chance that it will kill me the moment I activate it. But according to my calculations, the margins of error are so small that it should be fine. Probably.

“First, we’ll test the cloak,” I say aloud, and right on cue, Hiro pulls out the notebook he uses to record the results from each experiment. That way I can always review things later. I have just as many notes written by Hiro’s hand, if not more, than I have written by mine.

Pulling the hood over my head, I press the small button hidden at the neck line and crouch low to the ground in the same moment. I watch Hiro’s eyes widen in shock, and he stares hard at the place where I had just been only moments before. Moving extremely slowly so as not to make a sound, I start to creep around him. With triumph, I notice that his eyes don’t leave the spot where I had been.

“Victoria?” he asks, sounding shaken. “Are you there, or should I record the test as a failure?” He tries to sound joking on the last part, but I can hear how forced it sounds.

Not wanting him to worry too much, I lunge at him from behind. He hears my movement, but doesn’t turn in time as I lock my arms around his neck and hang from his shoulders. “Miss me?” I tease, leaning in to give him a swift kiss. He turns his head at the last second and the kiss lands just below his jaw. “Damn, I thought I’d have you with that surprise attack.”

He reaches carefully over his shoulder to pull me around and set me on my feet in front of him. I imagine that it’s a strange experience for him, considering that the cloak is still active so he shouldn’t be able to see me. Feeling his way up my arm, he carefully pulls the hood down so that my face is revealed. “I’ll admit, I was surprised,” he says, smiling. “But that doesn’t change the fact that my reflexes are faster.”

“We’ll see about that,” I reply, a huge grin breaking out on my face. I take a step back, flipping my hood back up as I go so that I disappear again. “Let’s move on to testing the rest of the suit.”

“Uhh, My Lady, would you mind being visible for that test?” Hiro asks, a note of worry in his voice. “If something goes horribly wrong, I would like to be able to see you.”

“You have a point,” I concede and press the button by my collar again. Hiro relaxes visibly as I reappear, but I think he’s trying to hide just how unnerved he had been. “Mark down test number one as a success then.”

He takes a brief moment to write in the notebook, then looks up at me with his pen held at the ready. I notice that while he’s trying hard to remain composed, his eyes can’t help but wander in appreciation. A smirk is playing on my lips. It’s certainly impressive how he’s still holding it together, but I’ve definitely never gotten under his skin quite this much before.

“Commencing test number two, physical enhancement bodysuit.” Hiro quirks an eyebrow and watches as I reach to my right bicep and snap open a hidden switch.

I had been expecting to feel something, but I can’t stop from wincing and gritting my teeth in pain as the suit powers up. It had all sounded good on paper, but now I realize that of course having thousands of tiny needles puncturing my skin won’t feel very pleasant.

Seeing my expression, Hiro takes a step forward. “Are you okay? Do you need help?”

“No, I’m fine,” I say, closing my eyes. “Just mark down that powering up is surprisingly painful.”

I hear the pen scratch busily and open my eyes with a deep breath. “It’s just going to take some getting used to,” I assure him, forcing my muscles to relax. As I do, I feel power surge through my veins. “There, it’s getting better already. Next time I should be able to adjust faster.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“And you’re sure that this is working as intended and not slowly killing you?” Hiro asks, only half joking.

“Yes I’m sure. I’ll explain how it works after I’ve tested it a bit.”

Despite my reassurances, Hiro watches me carefully as if waiting for me to burst out in flames. Which I can hardly blame him for that, considering that was one of the possible outcomes. But like I said, the chances of that are extremely low. All the same, I know I should ease myself into the tests slowly.

I start with bending my arms and legs. It hurts more when I do that, making the stabbing sensation stronger, but after moving a little, I hold my arm up to my face to examine it closely. There’s no sign of blood soaking through the fabric, which means that it’s working as intended. At least in the department which keeps most the blood inside my body.

Glancing up at Hiro, I notice that his expression has turned pained, and his eyes look a little darker than usual. “Are you quite sure that it’s not killing you?” he asks, taking a deep breath through his nose.

I roll my eyes, though I’m really kinda touched by his concern. “Yes, Hiro, I am positive. This is going much better than some of my tests. You remember all my failed attempts at flying devices?”

He shudders dramatically. “Don’t remind me. They’re the reason I always have a fire extinguisher nearby whenever we test something.”

“A wise idea, really,” I say, nodding sagely. Truth be told, I also don’t like thinking about those near-death experiences. But it is good to remember that things could always be worse whenever my tests grow uncomfortable.

Running through one last limb check, I take a deep breath and nod. “The pain has become completely manageable. I rate it a two out of ten at the moment.”

Hiro writes that down but shakes his head. “If the test is so successful, then I’m not sure why pain needs to be involved at all.”

“No pain, no gain, right?”

“Not sure that they had the tests of a mad scientist in mind when they made up that phrase, but if you say so My Lady.”

Ignoring his sarcasm, I continue, “Okay, let’s move on to the real tests. Test number one, speed enhancement. You might want to step aside, assistant.”

Looking wary, Hiro moves to stand against the wall, giving me the whole rest of the dojo to work with. I take a deep breath and whisper, “Here goes nothing.”

I seem to do nothing more than lift my foot, but then I have to throw my weight backwards to stop myself from crashing headfirst into the far wall. The tip of my boot stops a hair away from the stonework. “Holy shit! I can’t believe that actually worked!”

Taking my time to turn around and face Hiro, just in case I lose control of myself, I find that he’s watching me with open mouthed shock. “Ha!” I crow, “Mark it as a ten for success. And make sure you add that it left you speechless in awe. That says a lot.”

“I’m not going to lie, it really does,” he says in disbelief, finally remembering how to close his mouth. He takes the notes then looks up at me with a wild light in his eyes. “I was not expecting anything like this. You moved almost as fast as a vampire!”

Giving him a smug look, I reply, “Well that’s the idea. If I want to fight vampires, it will be much easier if I’m at their level. And since that test was so successful, now it’s time to pull all the stops.”

Pulling some more gadgets from my hidden pockets, I fit them into place. A watch with a touch screen that allows me to control the settings for everything. A pair of goggles that not only enhance my vision but make it easier to see things clearly while moving at high speed. Small devices that clip onto my ears to enhance my hearing. At least, in theory that’s how all this stuff works. Since it’s all untested, I won’t know until I try them.

I turn on all the gadgets, unable to stand the suspense of activating them one at a time. If any of them are going to fail fantastically, I’d rather know about it sooner than later. When nothing extreme happens, I focus on adjusting them all.

The hearing enhancers work a little too well at first, making my heartbeat sound like an explosion. “Jeez, do vampires really have such good hearing?” I mumble, fiddling with the settings on my watch so that they filter out the sound of a heartbeat. When I can no longer hear my own, I look up at Hiro, my breath catching in my throat as I see him through the vision enhancing goggles. He really is flawless, even more so than I ever realized looking at him normally.

Shaking myself mentally, I force myself to focus. Maybe it really would be a bad idea to have him with me on my first mission. The distractions would be extreme. “Can you drop your pen?” I ask, wincing as my voice blares in my ears. A little tweaking later and I add, “Testing, testing… There, my voice is manageable.”

Hiro holds the pen out then lets it fall. I hear the sound of it hitting the ground loud and clear, as if it were dropped right next to my ear. “Test successful. Now pick it up and try to put it down soundlessly.”

He follows my instructions, and even though he tries his best not to make a sound, I still hear the subtle noise of it touching the floor. “Test successful!”

“You’ve really outdone yourself this time, My Lady,” Hiro congratulates me, standing up to record the notes.

“Now, let’s see if these goggles work.” Smiling at Hiro innocently, I add, “You can mark down that they make you look even more handsome, and that’s something I didn’t think was possible.”

Hiro shrugs, but he can’t keep the smile from his face. “Your words, not mine.”

I take a deep breath and focus on the task at hand. “Goggles and movement test.”

I’m more prepared this time for the suddenness of my movement. And the goggles do their job well, allowing me to keep my motion under strict control. I run five laps around the dojo in the blink of an eye. Unable to resist the temptation, I come to a screeching stop in front of Hiro, lifting the googles and darting in, attempting to kiss him. I thought with my speed enhancements I would be able to manage it this time, but somehow he manages to place his finger on my lips to stop me.

“You’re too predictable,” he says, one eyebrow raised.

I sigh in frustration and take a step back. “I really don’t understand why you bother trying to stop me when you probably want to kiss me as badly as I want to kiss you.”

Again, his expression turns sad and he murmurs, “What I want is irrelevant. I refuse to put my own selfish desires ahead of what’s best for you.”

A slow, slightly wicked smile spreads across my face. “So much for you being more stubborn. I just made you talk about the forbidden subject.”

His eyes narrow dangerously and he clenches his jaw. I take an involuntary step back, unable to stop a shiver of fear from trembling down my spine. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll drop it Victoria. I refuse to talk any further about this until you’ve had a chance to see the world and meet some people. I’m way too old for you. If you choose to be with me, I don’t want it to be because you never met any other guys.”

The deadly serious expression on his face tells me he means it. I sigh, defeated. “Fine. But don’t be surprised when no one out there catches my eye.”

“I will be surprised if that’s the case, but pleasantly so,” he replies, his expression softening a bit again.

“How old are you anyway?” I ask, hoping the sudden question would catch him off guard and give me an honest answer.

But Hiro just smiles politely, butler mode in full swing. “Please, let us continue with the tests. It’s almost time I prepared dinner.”

Knowing that the battle is lost, I resolve to focus all my energy on the tests. I run all my gear through rigorous examinations, finishing with a strength test for the bodysuit.

I lead the way from the dojo to the gym that’s connected to it. But I pull up short in surprise so fast that Hiro almost bumps into me.

The Grandmaster is there, doing his daily exercises. Currently, he’s shirtless, doing pull-ups with a huge weight hanging from a belt around his waist. The Grandmaster is an imposing figure at the best of times, his stern face scarred from a lifetime of battle. The suits he usually wears around the house do little to soften his appearance, but seeing him like this is always shocking. He’s in his eighties, but despite that, his body is still as fit and strong as that of a much younger man. I’m a little ashamed to admit it, but I’ve always been afraid of him when I see him in the gym. Without his shirt, the scars on his chest make him look absolutely terrifying.

“I hear your latest tests have been going well,” he says in his deep, steady voice, not pausing in his pull-ups.

“Yes sir,” I reply, standing a little straighter. The Grandmaster always taught me that it doesn’t matter if I’m afraid, as long as I remember never to show that fear. I put that training to good use now. If he knew that I was still afraid of him after all these years, he would be furious with me.

He’s loving in his own way of course. But his own way is never to show it. He’s stern and strict, and that’s how he shows love. When I was a child, just old enough to begin training, we began hard. He never struck me or hurt me, but if I was doing something wrong, his voice would shake the foundations of the house. Before I ever learned to fear the bite of a monster, I learned to fear the wrath of The Grandmaster. I should be long past that stage according to him, but it’s a fear I never could grow out of.

He does one last pull-up, then lets himself drop to the ground, landing lightly on his toes despite the huge added weight. “It’s an enhancement suit.” He says it as a statement, not a question, and my cheeks burn with embarrassment as I wonder what else he overheard. Probably all of it, but considering he isn’t glaring daggers at Hiro, he must have approved of Hiro’s controlled responses to my teenish impulsiveness.

“Yes sir, it is,” I reply carefully. “It works better than calculated.”

“Explain it to me, in layman's terms,” he orders, hanging the belt with the weight back in its place and crossing his arms.

“It uses electrical currents through thousands of tiny needles to stimulate my muscles and make me capable of inhuman feats of strength and agility,” I recite, making sure to meet his eyes. The Grandmaster is big on solid eye contact while speaking.

“Hmm,” he grunts, then nods to the heaviest bench press in the room. “Show me.”

I don’t bother protesting that we haven’t tested the brute strength portion of the suit yet, and that we should start with something lighter. As far as I know, neither The Grandmaster or Hiro can lift that weight. At least, I’ve never seen it used, although Hiro never works out when I’m around.

Swallowing my fears, I walk with purpose over to the bench press. Hiro moves to spot for me, a worried frown on his face. “Let me know if you need help,” he whispers, too quiet for The Grandmaster to hear. With his policy of trial by fire, I know that he would disapprove of Hiro’s intervention.

“Take notes. Extreme weight lifting,” I tell him, placing my hands at the correct position on the bar. I brace myself, trying to ignore The Grandmaster’s gaze boring into me. Very slowly, I push against the bar, not sure what to expect.

The bar moves as if it weighs nothing.

I feel a smile break out on my face as I let it come down to my chest then extend my arms to their full length. It takes no effort.

“Test successful! I think I could easily lift something even heavier.”

“Better not over do it for a test run,” Hiro cautions. “Put the bar back for now. We also have to test if there are any lingering side effects once you’ve had a night of sleep.”

“That’s a good point. I hadn’t really thought of that,” I admit, carefully resting the bar back on its stand. I sit up and stretch my arms. “For now, I feel perfectly fine.”

The Grandmaster stares at me hard for a moment. “For the first time, something you’ve made doesn’t look like a complete waste of time,” he rumbles, and coming from him, it’s high praise. “Go get changed for dinner. We have something we need to discuss.”

He turns and walks for the door before I even have a chance to finish saying, “Yes sir.”