The next morning we had a meeting, both the entirety of the Butterfly Clan sans the younger girls, and the researchers.

"You men have brought more than trouble to us," Agnes snarled. "I think it is time for you to leave."

"No!" Dr Gregoire stood up. "In the contract you promised us until spring—you can't possibly give us incomplete data we can't work with!"

"Didn't you see the ruckus you caused us yesterday night?"

"We helped you out, did we not?" Yves said, hooded eyes narrowed in fury. "Either way, we will not be leaving."

"You men think you can barge into our castle and do what you want?" Agnes's hand on the table was a fist. "I've been waiting, been calm, given you and my girls chances again and again and this is what I get in return?"

"Please Madame Agnes," Uriel began, calmer than his party, "we do understand and want to thank you for all the liberty you've given us. If such a thing happens again, we want to be able to protect you."

"Protect?" Agnes pointed at the broken window, which was now heavily covered by thick curtains. We usually used curtains anyways, but since the humans came we started to let the moonlight in occasionally. "You had them attack us!"

"We were only outside, we didn't realize they would be upset that Miss Margery and Miss Cecile came to town."

"Then maybe you should think next time before you plan something as worthless!"

"But you go to town—"

"I have my credentials. I have lived in Jardin, in our Butterfly castle, for decades and decades. They know me, and fear me."

It made sense. Agnes had been going to town as our leader, and they understood she was not part of them, only coming and going like a wolf appearing to grab a rabbit or so. But we—Cecile and my appearance felt like integration. They feared us merging into them, being imposters in their utopian village.

"Now, hurry and pack your items."

The men looked amongst themselves and just as Dr.Gregoire's mouth opened again to beg her, Cecile spoke up.

"Mother—please let them stay."

Agnes looked up cooly, ready to strike Cecile as she spoke out of turn. But she went on, voice trembling.

"They are all that we have to keep the townspeople from returning. They'll know we can't do anything if you let them go, and attack us. Or, worse case, they'll think we hurt the men in some way and even if they speak up for us, they'll think they've been seduced and come attack us anyway."

Agnes narrowed her eyes.

"How dare you speak against me."

"No, Madame Agnes!"

This time Dr.Gregoire stood up and walked over, where Cecile sat. He stood behind her like a knight, gallant despite his usual timid scholarly air.

"It was all us to blame. We are willing to do anything if it would soothe your nerves or make up for our lack of—thought. In hindsight, we shouldn't have done such a foolish thing and endangered you and your girls. We deeply apologize."

"As you should," Selma said. But then she realized everyone was quiet, and it wasn't the time for retorts. She hushed up.

"Very well!" I spoke first. "If you are really sorry, then you wouldn't mind me having Yves come over to the tower, would you?"

All the heads turned. Uriel had his brows furrowed, but then slowly understood my intent.

"Yves, it was your idea, too, that we should go outside and have fun." I leaned forward with a sly smile. "If anything, we should punish him."

Primrose didn't understand. "You already have Uriel! What are you trying to do?"

"It doesn't matter to you, Primrose." Why was she so dumb?

"It does! Don't think you can have everything your way—"

"I'm just saying that because he was embarrassing me in front of the whole town!"

She giggled. "Oh, yes. I love how obedient you are to a mere human man."

"And now I'm getting my revenge—"

Agnes clapped her hands.

"Be quiet! Stop behaving like fools!"

I caught her eye quickly, and she understood. It was all a ruse so she would make them stay, because pregnancy doesn't take one night and the supposed night never even happened. But, of course, if nothing happened I can always blame it on Uriel and therefore have her give me Yves.

And his rifle.

"It was a serious discussion, but you girls—" she shot Cecile a glare, "all had to interrupt and ruin it. But now I see, the general consensus is my girls would like you to stay, after all, it is their first time cohabitating with humans. And it is amusing, although going to town was taking it too far."

"So you'll let us stay?" Dr.Gregoire asked from behind Cecile, who looked up at him with thankful eyes.

"Yes. So meeting finished, Agnes? I mean, Mother?"

"Yes," she said reluctantly.

The girls stood up first, then the boys followed, nervously, before I went to Dr Gregoire.

"Follow me."

He followed me and the two of us lead our respective ladies and gentlemen behind us, until I finally managed to wait our Sabine and Primrose going their own way. Then I gestured to my tower and they came.

"Stay down here," I told Dr.Gregoire, "with Karl and Marcel. Watch that Agnes doesn't come into the tower, I need to talk to Yves."

"You don't really mean to punish him, do you?"

"Of course not!" Couldn't he believe me? I was on their side! "And Cecile, stop hanging around him. Go be useful for once and distract Agnes."

Cecile, who had been idling around the doctor like she was his wife, worried for his safety, pouted at what I said. However, she didn't complain as she left obediently.

"You are really cruel to even your own sisters," Uriel noted coldly.

"I'm trying to set this up," I hissed back at him before we turned to Yves, who stared at us with one eyebrow raised.

"Yes?"

"Come to the tower," I said. I walked up, not waiting for him to decide. Instead, I waited as I heard the two distinct footsteps follow, heavy but not too loud, quick to catch up with me.

"What is it, Uriel?" Yves whispered to him. The stairway echoed and I could hear extremely well. "You can tell me."

"I wanted her to say it—but I promise, Yves, you're a brother to me, I wouldn't possibly trick you."

"Unless someone is tricking you."

They were quiet until we finally reached the tower. My room was in disarray after all of us had gathered there. The doors were still open, and the divan and chairs had all been moved into a circle in my already cramped room.

"Please ignore the state the room is in—and if you can, move it back for me." I smiled sweetly, and the two exchanged looks.

"Yves, I swear I'm not being tricked," Uriel said as he began moving the chairs, "she's just spoiled, as you can see."

"Sure." Yves moved the divan, and then the two stood there at attention. "What do you need from us now, princess?"

"Don't call me that, I might just become attached, my Prince Charming."

"Margery, it's not the time for jokes." Uriel glared at me.

"Fine. He's right. Yves, we've been conspiring the whole time."

"Conspiring what?" He was still and calm. As expected of a vampire hunter.

"If I kill Agnes, Uriel will bring me to the outside world."

"You?" Now his expression darkened, and he narrowed his eyes at Uriel. "You made such a deal?"

"Margery truly wants to—"

"What do you know about her?" Uriel couldn't reply to Yves's low hiss. "How long have you known her? Have you heard of the rumors surrounding her? The Queen Butterfly also nicknamed as the Bloody Butterfly?"

"She's being forced to do all this."

"Are you?" Yves turned to me for the first time, and for the first time, I could not meet a man's eyes.

Was it shame?

"Miss Margery, have you really been forced to commit all those murders? Drink that blood?"

"Of course," I said, but my voice came out low and unsteady.

"According to what the others said, you started when you were fourteen. As a fourteen year-old, did you really have no choice? You drank the blood and killed men who had children and family without thought? No pity for these 'mere humans'?"

I saw red, but I was not mad at Yves. But I shook when I spoke, and even Uriel walked over, hand hovering over my shoulder. That's when I realized I was holding back tears. I couldn't look at them, but I looked at my dress. I had finally changed into a soothing dark green of silk, but I remembered. I had worn this dress many years ago. When I killed a man.

He didn't want to sleep with me, he even refused my kisses. He smiled kindly and said he was interested in talking to me about the castle.

'I was wondering if you and your clan might be interested in doing repairs for your castle. It's such a wonderful piece of architecture, and the pride of Jardin. If only we could fix it, I can compromise on the cost, of course.'

And what happened later? I couldn't quite remember. I had let him out of my room, and then Agnes pulled me aside to ask me what in the world I was doing.

'He's fixing the castle, what's wrong with that? He could even give up a good deal—'

"You do not let any men leave this place alive.'

I remember, even now, the way I looked at her, the way I heard her threatening me of the dungeon without words, the memory of Cecile and the other vampires's mothers killed. The memory of my own mother, too, screaming and crying.

'You do not let any men leave this place alive.'

It only took that one time. I never let anyone leave again.

"She's repenting!"

I looked up at Uriel, who had said that. He removed his hand and then it was a fist at his side.

"Don't you see, Yves, she wants to leave for that very reason: she doesn't want to kill anymore."

"She doesn't want to?" Yves repeated after him.

"You know how I know?" Uriel continued, "the first day she asked me to bring her away, her one and only plea was that I didn't hurt her sisters."

The two men stood there, Uriel in a white shirt with a shabby jacket, Yves only in his black shirt with a black waistcoat. One like a pauper, another like a prince.

One a vampire hunter, one on his way to help one.

Help me.