The three friends walked back across the sprawling estate. Eva was quiet as she searched her mind for a prank to play on Christian. An idea sprang to life. "Hey, guys, I'm gonna head over to the east side. I want to check on the horses before dinner." She hoped they wouldn't follow.

"Are you sure you'll be ok princess, in the dark, all alone?" teased Christian.

Eva stood straighter and flicked her ponytail over her shoulder. "Christian, you need to ease up on the whole damsel in distress theme. I'm not a kid anymore. I'm almost twenty and I'm perfectly capable of looking out for myself."

Christian moved to stand in front of her but continued to walk backwards with a cocky smirk etched across his full lips as his eyes brazenly wandered over Eva's body.

She watched his eyes trail the length of her body pausing on her breasts. She held her breath. "What?" she asked, excitement bubbled in her tummy. Why does he keep looking at me... like that?

Christian cocked an eyebrow; he felt no shame as he soaked in every curve. She doesn't have a fucking clue how hot she is! he thought. "Yeah, you're all grown up now princess, curves in all the right places, but I don't think you can kick my ass... just yet. I proved that a few minutes ago."

Eva tutted, it relieved her he couldn't see her cheeks flush. "Oh yeah?" she threw her staff at Sebastian. "Hold this Seb" and lunged forward, reaching for Christian's ticklish spot on his neck to distract him. In a flash she darted behind him and kicked the inside of his knees, which forced them to give way as he fell with a thud to the soft grass beneath him. Where he now knelt. "Maybe not on your ass... but you on your knees – well that's a good look. I like it!"

Seb roared with laughter. "Got ya there buddy, you need to watch that smart ass mouth of yours."

Christian rose from his knees brushing the grass from his jeans, but couldn't hide the idle smile playing over his lips. "Yeah, you got me princess, but you won't be able to distract your enemies with tickling first." Fuck, would I like you on your knees... that mouth... my dick.

Eva watched his amber eyes darken, wondering what he was thinking. "Yeah, but it worked on you," she laughed with Seb.

And I know something that will work on you princess. He rubbed his hand over his face as he watched his two friends laugh.

They were close to home; Eva could see the lights that flood lit the driveway. "Catch ya later and try not to miss me boys." Blowing them a kiss, she left to search for what she needed to carry out her prank.

Eva jogged through the vast gardens, glancing over her shoulder to double-check the boys weren't following. She picked up speed as she headed towards the stables. Once inside the stables she stroked and fussed each horse, before retrieving a small plastic bag from the store cupboard.

The sun had set as she exited the stables; with only the waning moon and stars for light she headed to the boundary wall.

It didn't take long for Eva to reach the wall to the east of her father's property. She had never met the neighbours – the term 'neighbours' she used loosely as she had seen anybody come or go in the old house next door. The property gave her the creeps, but she required a particular element for her prank, so setting aside her unease she continued.

Eva walked alongside the cobbled stone wall and stopped when she spotted the old tree that would help aid her scale the enormous divider. She glanced around to check she wasn't being watched, then stretched up on her tiptoes and gripped the first branch using all her strength to hoist herself up.

Branch after branch she climbed, reaching the required level she leaned forward to grasp the wall. Eva mounted the wall and positioned her legs either side and shimmied across, looking down for a clearing that would allow her to jump safely.

"Yes!" She found the perfect spot to jump and flung her leg over and prepared to dismount. She paused biting her bottom lip. It had been a very long time since she had been over that side of the wall, not since Sebastian had dared her to go over.

Duh... Light Eva, a torch would have been useful and safer! Stupid, stupid.

She cursed herself for not being prepared. It was dark and clouds blanketed the moon. Eva didn't care for the dark. As a child she would often wake during the night and wish for the light. She inhaled a large breath and exhaled it slowly. It left little option but to jump not knowing of what would greet her below.

"One, two, three," she pushed herself from the wall. The ground was soft beneath her feet, too soft... mud engulfed her feet. Ewe... my new sneakers, shit! Just great... boots would have been better than sneakers.

The mud clung to her new sneakers as she pulled them from the sludge and stepped over some overgrown plants to reach an unkempt broken pathway. She took a moment to examine her footwear as she shook off the remaining mud.

Damn! Oh well, no point in crying over spilt milk. Mrs Bates will love me.

Eva looked around and took a moment to study her location. It looked very different in the dark and with no light from the moon, the bushes appeared larger, more threatening. The chirps from the Crickets amplified. An eerie sensation settled in her stomach as she ran her hands up either side of her arms. What I am waiting for? She forced one foot in front of the other to follow the pathway.

What seemed like a long walk was perhaps only minutes. A quick look behind confirmed the wall had disappeared from sight. Now she stood in front of the old imposing house. The eerie sensation that churned around her insides intensified as she let her eyes roam over the creepy structure. The house lived as if under a constant shadow, it windows black with paint peeling from it frames, years of neglect had not been kind. Its walls covered in Ivy almost touching the old roof. Did ghosts roam it corridors, souls of the damned? Would it smell foul on the inside? she imagined it would.

Eva chewed the inside of her cheek; there was no logical reason for her unease. Stop being a pussy! It's just an old abandoned house. Let's get what we need and then get the hell out of here.

Eva continued to follow the path, towards the rear. Turning a corner, she walked along the side of the house. The Ivy was denser on the side of the house and without conscious thought her feet moved to walk along the edge of the path, to keep her from the Ivy's clutches.

Her eyes flared as excitement doused her unease as she spotted the ingredient she required, a flower – the Star Jasmine that only bloomed at night. Yes! There you are my precious. She smiled at the reference from one of her favourite movies.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

As she approached the plant, a cool breeze touched her cheeks. The delicate scent of the flower spread through the air tantalising her senses. She retrieved the empty plastic bag from her pocket and plucked what she needed, sealing the bag.

The shattering of glass followed by a string of curses caught her attention. She ducked down remaining still. A light emanated from the rear of the property.

Someone's here?

Eva remained crouched for a few minutes, nipping the insides of her cheeks with her teeth. The sensible choice would have been to go back to the wall and make her way home, but curiosity got the better of her. She kept low and crept along the side of the house to the back. Reaching the end, she peered around the corner.

The light came from an old Orangery. Not able to establish a clear view, she moved closer. Dirt on the windows and plants inside obscured her view, but she could see someone, a man perhaps? Yes, she was sure if was a man.

She tiptoed, edging closer, only inches away from the glass. Tiny pebbles ran around the outside of the Orangery. There was a gap in between the huge overgrown plants. She stepped onto the pebbles, crunching underfoot. The windows were so dirty. Looking at the bag in her hand, she shoved it into her jeans pocket before rubbing the glass to remove the built-up dirt and grime.

Ewe! Eva looked down at her dirtied hand before she rubbed it over her jeans. She focused her attention on the cleaned spot of the window. Inside was a man. He was tall, well built. He stopped walking and appeared to brush something from his well fitted suit. His hair held Eva's attention.

"Wow," she whispered. She had never seen hair so white; platinum was a more fitting description; it was straight without a hint of a curl. The ends almost touched the collar of his black shirt. She watched him as he walked around, he looked like he was searching for something.

Turn around, let me look at you. I want to see your face. She treaded carefully, pebbles shifting beneath her feet as she followed him. Her hand removing more dirt as she tiptoed.

Shit! She hadn't paid attention to where she was walking, as she stepped into a small ceramic pot.

Shit, shit, shit!

The man turned to stare in her direction. Shit, shit, stupid Eva, like a bull in a china shop!

Run, now! But something stopped her for a brief second. Frozen she took in the sight of him, savouring the image. Beautiful, he had the most beautiful face she had ever seen, how can anybody be that beautiful?

She was hot... too hot as she felt a strange clenching sensation down low in her belly. My god, those eyes. Men are not supposed to be beautiful with eyes like that, blue. Not just blue, that felt wrong, it was more like a glacial blue... clear... and inviting.

The crunching sound of the pot beneath her feet brought her back to reality. Stop staring Eva... run! She spun around and ran.

She didn't look behind; her goal was to get home. Rounding the corner, she ran along the pathway retracing her steps. The moon peaked out from the clouds casting a long shadow from the house. The light allowed her to see the wall in the distance. So sure she wasn't being followed she slowed her steps to glimpse over her shoulder to double-check she hadn't been tailed.

A sudden gust of wind caught the hem of her dirtied t-shirt as it whipped around her body cooling her in an instant. She inhaled sharply and held her breath.

It's only the wind Eva, she told herself.

Eyes narrowed; she turned her head gazing back towards the house. Satisfied the stranger mustn't have seen her, she turned to face a wall of chest. "Shit!" Her captive breath burst from her lungs as she stumbled backwards.

Oh my goodness. He was much taller when stood right in front of her. Her heartbeat sped up in a flash, thumping against her chest. She sucked in as a moan escaped her lips. How had he gotten here so fast? she thought.

"What are you doing on my property?" he asked abruptly, his eyes trained on hers, openly expressing distrust.

Eva took a step back as his eyes bore into hers, blinking she noted how he stood. This close he looked bigger than Christian or Sebastian. He held the same stance similar to her fathers, as if something destructive was trying to escape. He looked dangerous, but she didn't feel afraid.

He narrowed his eyes, as the vein in his forehead throbbed. "I will ask one more time. What are you doing... here on my property?"

Eva gulped as she anchored her eyes on his. "Sorry, I-I-." By the angels, those eyes...

She blinked, "Quod anima non invenitur nisi agnita," she said out loud. Stunned, eyes wide, she opened her mouth to speak again, but it snapped shut.

What the hell did I just say? Had those words come from my mouth? She didn't know the meaning of the words or understand the language.

"What did you say?" he asked, his voice unnerved as shock reflected in his blue eyes.

"I-I do-, I don't know. I-" she stuttered. Eva didn't have a clue how or why she had spoken a different language.

He puffed out his chest slightly as took a step towards her.

"Sorry," she muttered, as heat spread over her whole body, every nerve on high alert as he moved towards her.

He took another step closer, his jaw ticked, eyes blazing. "Who told you to say those words?"

Breathe Eva. She could feel the heat from his body, now only inches from her. "I-I'm sorry, I don't know..." She didn't know how to explain to this beautiful stranger without sounding batshit crazy. Her eyes widened as she observed the rim of his eyes switch from glacier blue to golden.

Stop staring Eva and shift your ass. NOW! The voice in her head was loud and insistent.

She stepped to his side, dodged around him and ran again. She wasn't sure why, but those eyes had said more than a thousand words.

He's not human.

Her heart banging in her chest, she reached the wall. It was too dark to see. She ran her hand along the bumps and indents, pushing aside bushes. She panicked as she had given no thought to getting back over the wall. The mud grabbed at her feet, it squelched slowing her steps.

"Shit!" she said out loud as a spiky bush scratched her bare arm. She ignored the burning pain; her only priority was to find a way back over. "Tree!" Relief stroked her frayed nerves. She spotted a tree further down and ran the last few metres to jump and grab hold of a branch. Climbing she jumped the small distance from the tree to the wall and threw her legs over and dropped to land in another muddy spot.

Bloody great Eva, sneakers now totally ruined. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her. Almost out of breath she reached the entrance to the kitchens. Her heart still beating wildly she listened at the open window to the kitchen. Mrs Bates was inside, preparing their evening meal.

Her appearance was shocking as she gave herself the once over. Sneakers ruined; jeans covered in mud. There wasn't a cat-in-hells chance she could walk through the house in her current state. She lifted each foot and pried off the muddied sneakers dropping them to the floor, before rolling up the ends of her dirty jeans. She returned her attention to Mrs Bates, the rattling of pans and the sounds of singing made her smile, she was home... safe.

Eva decided the last thing she needed was a lecture on her appearance, opening the door, she peeked inside.

Mrs Bates was busy at the stove. Eva stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She kept her eyes on Mrs Bates as she crept past and ducked around the kitchen door to see the staircase at the end of the long hallway.

Eva released a sigh as she closed to door to her bedroom and leaned against it. Lots of thoughts ran through her mind. His beautiful face, bizarre blue eyes, that changed colour and his white hair... but he wasn't human. She didn't know how she knew that; she just did.

A strong urge to talk to her father overwhelmed her, but he would be angry with her trespassing and disobeying rule number two – Go nowhere alone Evangeline. Father and his rules, bloody stupid rules.

She had noticed something curious when looking into his glacial blue eyes, rimmed with gold. Something strangely familiar and even in the dark they had been so clear and bright, almost glowing. Or was that her imagination?

The words! Think Eva. She had spoken with them with ease but didn't have a clue to their meaning.

Think Eva! They were on the tip of her tongue. "Qu- Quod.. Quod anima... Aargh..." It was pointless. Just forget it. I won't see him again... Ever!

She needed a shower, but first... She pulled the bag out from her jeans pocket. "You had better be worth it," she shook the bag. Inside the bathroom she opened her vanity unity to retrieve a small trinket box. Lifting the lid, she found the other ingredients she needed. She planned on working a little magic ignoring rule number six from her father list of many rules. His voice was loud and clear in her mind. No magic without supervision Evangeline. It wouldn't hurt... just this once... would it?