Fauna was the one to open the door.
And Nicholae followed a second after.

The outward appearance didn't do the inside of the shack justice at all.
The walls were a lavender color and the floor a light cedar wood.
Fresh herbs hanged on wooden rods while the window sills carried pots of other herbs and flowers.

'Honestly, not what I expected.' Nicholae said touching the satin drapes.

'What were you expecting?' The witch asked from the second floor.
She leaned against the wooden rails when she was done tying a pink ribbon to a potted tree.

'Rats and roaches scurrying across the floor playing tag in their own shit and a cauldron in the fireplace boiling their brothers and sisters. And to top it off, an ugly old hag mixing the brew.' He replied.

'Sorry I didn't meet your expectations. However, I do have a cauldron in the back but isn't boiling anything at the moment.'

'You haven't completely disappointed me. You got the ugly hag bit down.'
Fauna gawked at his unexpected behavior.
She quickly whispered in his ears.

'My lord we are here to solicit her help, not antagonize her.' She warned him.

'Oh, Fauna we can do both.' He replied in a similar manner.

'The ugly would soon be rectified.' The witch smiled foxlike.

Nicholae didn't let the confusion show on his face. He simply watched the old hag climb down the stairs and then he walked to her.
He offered his hand to help her down the last few.

'For someone who looks your age, you are strong.' He said after he felt her solid grip on his hand.

'It's all in a healthy diet.' She laughed.

Fauna couldn't hide her confusion in time.
'Is something wrong, darling?'
The witch asked her.
She quickly answered with a shake of her head.

'Where are my manners. I didn't even introduce myself.'
She looked at her two guests in feigned shock.

'I'm Ginger. But you must already know who I am since you walked into my store. And I know who you are.' She said smiling at Nicholae with her crooked teeth on display.
'Lord Nicholae.'

He was genuinely surprised she knew of him.
'There are a number of my relatives who are far more important and much more impressive. So how did you come to know me.'

'Honestly, it's because of your little eh... should I call it, stunt some odd years ago.'

Nicholae stood stunned. A hand full of people knew about the short period when he went off the rails. It was approximately right after Valentina's death.
And it was because of Valentina's death that he'd gone on his drug-induced rampage.
It had been brief and dark and in the shadow of a much larger event, so no one took notice of it.
His family covered it up never to speak of it again.

Apparently, the secret had gotten out, somehow.

'I see I made you speechless my lord.'
His blood boiled.

'Don't get used to the feeling.' He smiled back at her.
'We're aren't here to dig up skeletons from the past. We're here for you most famous poison.'

'I make a lot of poisons my lord. Each of them famous in their own way. Could you be specific?'

She went over a purple chair and made herself comfortable.

'Kiss of death.' He plainly spoke.

'I don't know where you heard that wild story from. But I've never made such a concoction. The witch council frowns upon it.'
She slid the mask of innocence in place, but she wasn't fooling him.

Nicholae briefly sent a look to Fauna and by her expression, she wasn't beguiled either.

'Yes, yes. You're innocent and I'm innocent and we all know nothing and who does really.' Nicholae walked and sat on the armrest of Ginger's seat.
He placed a hand over her shoulder and spoke comfortably.

'But you see. I don't have time to play beat-about-the-bush with you.'
And that was very true.
Right now a very dangerous enemy was at large and until recently, Nicholae had only one thing he feared losing. Now his trouble had doubled.
He wasn't going to let Valentina die twice.
That'd be over his dead body.

'I have a little homecoming planned and you could ruin it by playing clam. So sweet Ginger, just part with the knowledge and help out a friend.'

She laughed in his face causing his fangs to grow involuntarily.
Fortunately, he kept them hidden until he'd need them.
'My Lord, I'd love to help you, however, I only speak the truth.'

It was Nicholae's turn to smile.
So he did, baring his elongated fangs. The witch's smile dimmed at the blatant threat.

'Someone once told me why the kiss of death was frowned forbidden by the council.
They said the main ingredient for the poison is a heart of a newborn freshly torn. Not just any newborn, but one with a witches blood running through its veins.'
He sighed.
'The witch council frowns on killing their own kind. And a baby, that's just inhumane. But you know what the potion also does? It's preparation leaves this taint on the aura and a certain smell.'
He restrained himself from looking at Fauna and giving away her unique gift.
He didn't need her becoming a target.
He also loved having the upper hand on the hag.
'You see, I have friends who have a much better sense of smell and they could sniff the offender out with the help of the Tchkovsky witches. I could find you that way just to double check. And that'll be very fun. However, it'll draw unwanted attention to us no? So just tell me who bought the poison from you and my lips will be sealed.'

She placed one hand on one hip and tossed her thin white hair aside. Had it been a younger lady, the act might have been attractive, with the witch, it only looked wrong.

'For a pushover, you sure are pushy.'

Mental images of him snapping her neck played out in his dark twisted fantasy.
Kill the bitch.

Fauna stepped in.
'We will pay you handsomely for your service, Mayem.'
Ginger's eyes flashed dangerously upon hearing the term used for older witches in the valley.
This made the corners of his lips lift ever so slightly.
'I don't need your money.' Her eyes were locked dead on Fauna's face.
'My reward will be much greater than that. And you should know what team to bat for little one.'
She was close enough to Fauna to play with her red curls.
'Where did he find a pretty one like you.'

Fauna respectfully pulled her head aside.
'It is clear, My lord that we clearly wasted our time here. We'll find someone else who can be of better assistance to you.'

But it wasn't wasted time. She'd unwittingly confessed that there was something much larger looming over the horizon.

Outside her door, they encountered a young girl, no older than nine, skipping to Ginger's house.
Fauna stopped her.
'Don't go in there, just leave whatever it is at the door and run to your parents' house. Do you understand me.'

'But granny Ginger...'

Nicholae chuckled.
'Oh does she want to kill her for calling her that.'
Fauna's expression told him that was exactly Ginger's plan.
'The blood of youth. It'll make her young.'
With more urgency in her voice, she asked the girl to run away.

Ginger stepped out in time to see her prize turning the corner.

'You need to mind your business you little piece of shit.'
But before she could get her bony claws on Fauna, Nicholae stepped between them and placed a chokehold on the witch.
Now. Kill her.

Ginger lifted her hand as if to cast a spell but Fauna was quick to protect her Lord.
A sudden murderous feeling blossomed in his head.
'I didn't waltz in here with my head in my ass.' He darkly chuckled.
'We left you alone. Since you didn't help us I could do one of two things. Kill you and make sure you remain dead or inform the witch council of your extracurricular activities.'

'Then you'll never get your answer.' She gasped.
'So you do know what we're looking for. Well, then Fauna isn't that something.'
His grip tightened and Ginger frantically clawed at his steel hands. His anger was growing still. This bitch knew who was behind Valentina's death and might still a clear and present danger to her. She didn't deserve to live.

Fauna held her breath behind him.
They had a small audience watching.

So, against his better judgment, he dropped the witch and rolled his shoulders.

'I'll stay in touch.'

He pushed through the small crowd and returned to their hidden vehicle.
Fauna sat in very miffed.
'I mean no disrespect by this your Lordship, but what exactly did we achieve?'

In all honesty, Nicholae hadn't planned the meeting to go like this. But his anger and passion to protect the ones he loved had taken over rationale.
Fauna didn't need to know all that.

'It's all part of my plan. Now that she's shaken up, she'd try and contact whoever bought the poison to alert them. But she wouldn't do that now, for fear that we might still be around.'

With that, Nicholae started the engine and drove off forming a mental note to stake out Ginger's little shack.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nicholae finally opened the bottle he'd taken from home.
Tonight his thirst was demanding, he doubted the bottle would even be enough and yet the second the blood touched his tongue he spat it out.
After a taste of Valentina, he knew he'd hate the taste of anything else.
However as much as he disliked the taste, it was a necessary poison to ingest.

It was a struggle to finish the bottle even, and at the end, he even gagged a little. Very weird.

Ginger slowly came out of her house completely covered.
Could she look any more suspicious?
Fortunately, Nicholae was able to follow her without any brows being raised.
The supernaturals in the town had probably gone partying or hunting.
They looked like the type to chase down innocent humans just for the fun of it.
But those people weren't his problem tonight, the authorities would take care of them. His priority was Ginger.
And she was zigzagging through alleyways and corners.
It wouldn't have been hard following her if it wasn't for his upset stomach.

Nicholae couldn't hold back the bile that rose, forcing to be let out.
He bent over in a corner and retched till every drop of blood he'd just drank was out of his system.

'Why, his Lordship, May we help you?'

Nicholae stiffened on the arrival of the newcomers who carried a familiar stench along with their unrequested appearance. He smelled blood.
He slowly stood and faced the five rogue vampires before him.
They were easily identified due to the perpetual look of hunger in their eyes.

The shortest one in the group stood forward.
From the look of him, they were looking for trouble.
'I have no business with you.' Nicholae said before wiping his mouth with his jacket sleeves

Yet the pests still stood before him.
'I'm sorry your Lordship, but our business is with you.'

The timing couldn't be worse. He was hungry and losing his target. So understandably, he was pissed.