Lily stopped Edgar at the entrance to Sonya's wing after he had given his report.
'What happened?' She asked pulling him to the side and away from inquisitive eyes.

'I don't know. I pulled Niko out of there before things got very serious.' Edgar replied.

Edgar instructed her to follow her into a more secluded area so they could talk freely.

'So we don't know if he was successful or if he was discovered.' She complained sounding angry at Edgar for leaving before they could get answers.

'We know what happened. If he went according to the plan, he killed Jeffery and ditched the body.' Edgar said. But Lily's expression didn't make him feel very certain that his version of how things should have happened was correct or even similar to hers.
'Lily...'
'Yes?'
She slid a nervous hand into her hair.

Edgar exploded with a string of violent curses aimed at all of life's creatures in existence.
'What the hell did he do?'

'He wanted to keep the body.' Lily confessed.

'And you told him not a chance in hell correct?'
He cursed some more when lily denied him the chance of hearing what he wanted to hear.

'He could ruin more than just the pack if he keeps Lord Nicholae's body.'

'All we needed from him is the ruin of the pack, the mistress would have handled the aftermath Lily.' Edgar wanted to shake her brains and rearrange it in her head.
She was simply over ambitious for her own good and it often lead to a lot of problems but it seemed she would never learn.

'Just trust me Edgar. This would work. I'm doing this for the mistress.'

'We have to leave, now.' Edgar said. It was the only answer if the demon failed. The witch Fauna would have him singing like a canary like she'd done with Tiana, and then they'd be outed as being accomplices.

'No we can't. The Mistress would not appreciate us running away before the fight here is really over.'

'She doesn't know we're here.' Edgar wanted to scream.

'The hell she doesn't. You think with her spies planted around no one would tell her about us?' Because she hadn't bothered to say anything to Lily, she saw this as the mistress approving of her plan. That is until it went south and then she'd punish Lily.
So Lily was not abandoning her post here until she was sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that the demon had been caught and killed.
'I'm not going anywhere Edgar. You can leave if that's what you want to do. But I'm staying.'

She walked away leaving Edgar fuming.

'Lily. I can't sleep.' Niko stood a few distance away with Rex in tow.

'I don't know what you want from me kid.'

Edgar stepped into view.
'Would the young Lord like to go for a morning drive?'

He crouched before the boy patting his hair making Niko smile.

'I'd like that very much.' He looked up at Lily,
'Would you like to join us? It'll be fun.'

'I'm sorry my lord, I'm very busy.' She flipped her hair and walked off.

'She doesn't like me very much right now that's all.' Edgar said in excuse for Lily's flippant behavior to the young Lord however the young man didn't look as if he believed Edgar.

'So why couldn't you sleep my Lord?' Edgar decided to break the lengthy silence when they drove into the waking city of Nike.
The towering scrappers created the illusion of touching the skies.
He could see working pedestrians entering buildings even at the crack of dawn.
He soon returned his attention to the rear view mirror, Niko was still looking out the window at the busy people he might never understand.
With the wealth and power his family possessed he wouldn't ever have to understand.

'I was having nightmares again.' He whispered so low that Edgar almost missed it.

'What were they about?'
Niko said nothing. He only patted Rex who sat on his lap.
The dog was growing and would soon become too heavy for Niko to carry.

'Do you want to talk about it?' Edgar tried once more. When Niko shook his head he let it go and veered the conversation to a different route.
'What do you usually do when you get nightmares?'

'I go to Papa's room. I slept in his bed regardless of whether he was there or not since he used to go away a lot.'

Edgar tightened his grip on the wheel and looked forward.
He couldn't believe the irresponsibility of it all on Nicholae's part.

'But this time Lady Sonya locked his door and warded it. I couldn't get in.' He whined.

'She's doing this to protect you.'
Edgar said simply because he thought that was the right thing to say. Honestly, he didn't understand why Nicholae's room needed to be locked when the man wasn't going to be strutting into the Manor.
But they didn't know this.

'From Papa? My Papa is a good man. He doesn't deserve to be exiled.'

The man was irresponsible, leaving his in behind. He knew full well that his decision would mean him leaving his son and he did regardless. It was evident to Edgar that Nicholae was a heartless vampire who cared more about his own gain than his offspring and Niko needed to see that.

'So why did he leave you?' Edgar asked.

'Because he had to.' The boy gave an answer a brainwashed child would give.

Edgar shook his head. He bit the end of his tongue, he knew that this wasn't any of his business so he let it go.

'Can we stop and get ice cream?'

Edgar pursed his lips.
'You want ice cream?'

Niko nodded.
'Papa and I usually get ice cream when I can't sleep . He keeps a tub in the fridge in his bar sometimes.'

'And you like it?'

'Yes my favorite flavor is the Oreo 'rocky road.' Polly has the best one yet! According to Fauna of course.'

'You can taste it?'

He nodded.
'You're new so you might not know. I'm not a full vampire so I can still take human food.'

Edgar was genuinely surprised.
The gossips in the manor had no such rumor around the halls. This must be a tightly kept secret and the boy was freely telling him that now.

Edgar didn't need to put in the address for Polly's he already knew of it, he too enjoyed her ice cream.
At this time she'd be preparing to open but if he insisted a Tchkovsky wanted it, he was sure she'd make something happen.

Edgar quickly tested the theory and he was proved right.
He sat in the car with Niko as they licked their sweet cream.

'Don't feed it to Rex or he'll get sick.' Edgar quickly intervened before the boy gave the dog a lick.
'Rex is special.' He argued and the dog gave him a look.

'Oh he is?' Edgar sarcastically asked.
Niko nodded but uncertainty crept into his features.
'Let's not test the theory now, okay Rex?'

The poor dog whined and turned his head away from Niko.

'So who's your mother?'

'I'm not really sure. But all I know is she wasn't a vampire because I'm part human. Papa told me she died when I was born that's why I never got to meet her.'

He hated that the boy was an open book spewing all his secrets to him, a driver he'd only known for a few days.
Edgar wondered if Nicholae forced himself on a poor human and conceived Niko.
It was unlike the Tchkovskys but how else should a pure blood be stuck with a halfbreed heir of it wasn't as punishment.

'I'm sure Papa must have loved her a lot because he loves me a lot.'

That was a possibility Edgar was having difficulty swallowing.
He knew the Tchkovskys to be the head of a cold hearted group of vampire families who couldn't even begin to understand the word love.
It wasn't a secret that the Tchkovskys, Dragas, Durnovos and the rest of the snooty noble vampires only married to keep for convenience and to keep the bloodlines pure. They used the defenseless humans as indentured blood bags.
Nothing they did was out of love.

'You don't look very convinced.' Niko smiled up at him.

'No... it's not that....'

'You don't have to lie to me. I know he loves me because he could have left me at an orphanage or had my mother commit an abortion.'

Edgar liked his cone and contemplated the boy's point. For a child, he made a sensible point.

'Come. I want us to visit my friends before we go by home.'
He broke off the bottom of the cone and fed it to Rex who was very pleased.

He gave Edgar the coordinates and in about half an hour or so, they arrived at an orphanage.
The banner  etched in gold read: Astra Meo.

Edgar wasn't aware about the Orphanage situated not too far from the Manor.
He knew the nobles owned a number of orphanages around the territories for tax purposes and a lot of them drew publicity since they were located in the nice cities.

Niko got out and ran up the stairs and behind the huge doors.
Shouts and screams erupted from inside mere minutes sending Edgar barging inside.

A number of children surrounded Niko in a flurry of excitement, hugging him here and there.

'Did Lord Nicholae come too?'
The question captured Edgar's attention, he keenly watched the reaction of the kids who were no doubt spoiled by the vampire.
They were all dressed in fine clothes and they looked very clean and well fed. They were much distinguished with the apparent wealth and affluence.

'Good morning Sir. I don't believe I've seen you before.'

The speaker was a middle aged woman in about her fifties.
'I'm uh... Niko's chauffeur.'

She only nodded and didn't say much afterwards but her eyes always strayed back to Edgar.

'Madam Macron, is it okay if we organize a field trip to Polly's Ice cream shop?'

The matron shook her head.
'I'm sorry Lord Niko, but I don't believe this field trip is an educational one.'

The children mumbled and grumbled.
One of them brightened up and whispered something in Niko's ear. And although he agreed he didn't look a hundred percent as pleased as his colleagues whispering around him.

Seeing as there was no present danger, Edgar decided to use this opportunity to do a little inspection around the facility. True, the mistress wouldn't be interested in an orphanage but since Lord Nicholae wasn't Tooting his horn about this, there could be secrets worth digging up.

Asluck would have it, he found a grounds keeper wheeling a barrow of seedlings.
Edgar greeted him and introduced himself.

'I didn't Lord Nicholae hired new people to take care of Niko.'

'Lady Sonya hired me.'

The Gardner shrugged.
'Ah. That explains it then because Lord Nicholae doesn't just trust anyone as you can well imagine.'

Edgar nodded keeping a tight reign on his thoughts.
'First time being here?'

Edgar agreed.
'Well then welcome. I'm Casper. Gardner and horticulture instructor.'

'The pay must be great?' Edgar tried. Or they had something on him, why would he want to work here. This man was human.
'Technically I don't get paid...'

'Why would I charge to teach my little siblings.'

'Siblings?'

'I grew up here at the orphanage. Lord Nicholae brought me here when I was four years old. This is my home.'

Edgar tried to hide his confusion. Maybe he was from a powerful family. There were so many possible explanation but none of them made sense.

Casper went on telling Edgar all about Astra Meo and some of its history.
When Niko returned, Edgar was more confused about this particular Vampire Lord.

'They want Papa to convince Madam Macron to take them in the field trip. They know Papa is good for that.'

What had started out as an innocent drive had turned into a learning experience for Edgar but it wasn't enough. He would have to investigate Lord Nicholae more.