Laito found the twins a little after sunset the next night. The two of them were in the mansion's extensive library, both tucked into the corner with a book. It seemed they had taken Zara's instruction to heart, as Isari was wearing a pink sweatshirt while Isami wore blue. Isari had left her hair down and loosely curled while Isami pinned hers in a bun. For the first time since they'd arrived he could identify them without much hassle.

"There you are." Laito smiled slyly at the two of them. "Ayato was looking for the two of you earlier. He was so disappointed when he couldn't find you. Of course, he's allergic to literature so he'd never think to look here."

"That's a lie" Isami said without looking up. "Aya doesn't like us"

"I wouldn't say he doesn't like you. He just doesn't appreciate you the way he should" His smile vanished as the twins refused to look up from their book. Something was off.

He was close enough to see the pages they were holding between them. The book itself was a large volume about botany, something that probably hadn't been opened since Reji was a child. It was currently turned to a page about tropical plants, most of which would be used in poisons. Isami appeared to be the only one actually reading the book. Isari's attention was turned to her own book.

It was a small leather-bound journal, the page marked with a purple silk ribbon. From what he could tell, the pages were filled with Isari's elegant, narrow, handwriting and delicate, finely colored drawings. She was working on a sketch of a dragon in pencil. Laito held his tongue to keep from commenting. He would have to tell Reji about the journal. It might help them be rid of Madeline and the rest of her evil spawn.

"Did you want something, Laito?" Isami asked suddenly, her violet eyes training on him. "Our book is very interesting, we'd like to finish it."

He narrowed his eyes. Isami and Isari always shared sentences. During the two weeks they'd been in the mansion, he'd never once heard one speak without the other following close behind. Isami seemed to notice her error and quickly elbowed Isari.

"Hm?" Isari raised her head, looking at her sister slowly.

Laito impulsively reached out. His fingers closed around Isari's wrist. Her eyes jerked to him and he caught the dazed expression in her pretty violet eyes. Two shadowed marks showed on her neck where the skin hadn't completely healed yet. Someone had bitten her and taken too much.

"Oh little doll, what happened to you" Laito said, releasing her wrist slowly. Isami's eyes flickered between him and her sister, though he couldn't determine if it was curiosity or expectation.

Isari only tilted her head slightly to the side, blinking. Isami answered for her. "We don't know. But she smelled very nice"

The word caught him off guard. She. The only female vampires in the house were Yui, Madeline, and the sisters. He doubted any of the older girls would take their younger sister's blood, and Yui was still far too young. Any blood other than human would be toxic to her at her age.

It perplexed him. A female vampire, old enough to digest vampire blood, had taken blood from Isari, that much was clear. But the vampire that had taken it had nearly drained her dry. That showed immaturity. Sure, the loss of blood wouldn't kill Isari like it would a human, but it would leave her hazy and sluggish for the next few days and severely impair her motor skills and reflex's for the next month. Madeline was too old to be so foolish. And he had the feeling the siblings would have some disgust in taking blood from their sisters when there were humans around to feed them.

"Who was she?" Laito asked, looking from Isari to Isami. "This woman who took blood from Isari, who was she?"

"We've never seen her before. But we liked how she smelled. It was in the rose garden. So we went to ask her who she was" Isami shrugged. "She said we were very pretty. Then she sang us a song. And when she was done singing she bit Isari. But we didn't mind. Her singing was very pretty"

"Is that so" Laito narrowed his eyes. "Isari, perhaps you should allow me to take you to see Reji. He has a way with concoctions, perhaps he'll have something to help you recover faster"

"We'd rather sit here and read" Isami shook her head. "Isari will be fine. She's had more blood. And we must make sure Mother doesn't see what's happened. She'll be very angry"

Laito partially understood their concerns. In the few instances he'd met Madeline, she'd certainly seemed to believe vampires were above all other species. If she knew her daughter had willingly allowed another vampire, even Subaru who the twins were so fond of, drink from her she'd be infuriated. In Reiji's opinion, the two were almost certainly stronger than their mother. But in Isari's weakened state she couldn't reasonably stand up to a human, let alone an old and powerful vampire like her mother.

"I see" He nodded. "Well enjoy your book. You should see Reiji if you'd like a more recent one. He has quite the collection." Laito headed for the door, pausing as he reached it. "And perhaps see Subaru. Blood will be necessary if your mother should discover this development"

Laito firmly shut the door behind him as he left, locking it to discourage any others from happening upon the twins. The lock would deter Yui, who was far too polite to enter a locked room, Ayato, who'd lose his patience before bothering to break the lock, as well as Reiji, Subaru, and Shu who'd simply be uninterested. Konato was a wild card as always, but he rarely ventured up to the library anyway. Unless someone prompted him to go to the upper floors he'd remain with his dolls and his bear for most of the time he was awake. It was the sisters he worried about. Though Ayane and Azuka would probably have no interest in the library being locked, it would catch the interest of Kira or Zara if they were to happen along. Hopefully the twins would have the sense to hide if one of their sisters entered.

Instead of heading for his room or the lounge, Laito made a beeline directly for Reiji's study. Isari's journal, as well as their story of the mysterious woman had caught his own interest. Reiji would definitely want to see the journal, and he might have an idea of who the woman would be.

Reiji wasn't alone in the study. Shu was there as well, as were Konato and Subaru, Ayato was nowhere to be seen, but that could be safely summed up to him stalking Yui or annoying one of the older sisters. Only Konato looked up when he entered.

"I assume something's happened for you to grace us with your presence, Laito" Reiji didn't look up from the book he was absorbed in.

"Isari has a journal you might be intrested in" Laito lounged against the wall.

"I've seen her writing in it. And Subaru already informed me of this" Reiji said indifferently. "Is that all?"

"Someone bit Isari"

"Nothing new. I understand Subaru has bitten both twins" Reiji gave him a bored look.

"They nearly drained her"

That caught attention. Shu turned his head curiously toward Laito while both Kanato and Subaru turned their attention directly to him. Reiji seemed stunned for a moment.

"Subaru did you..."

"It wasn't me" Subaru shook his head. "I haven't seen them since last night. They were absorbed in whatever they were talking about so I didn't bother them"

"And Isari. Was she completely lucid last night? Nothing strange?" Reiji questioned.

"I didn't notice anything weird" Subaru shrugged.

"Then it was late last night or early this morning. Before the sun completely rose or set" Reiji wrote something down idly. "They didn't say anything?

"Isari isn't concious enough to speak. She walks and reacts. But Isami is the only one talking" Laito said. "And what Isami described was the interesting part. She said it was a woman, that she smelled nice, and that she sang to them before she bit Isari"

"She?" Shu frowned. "It was a woman?"

"They would have recognized their sisters." Subaru said. "And Yui is far too young. So it must be a vampire they haven't met."

"It was Christa" Reiji said simply. Subaru's head jerked toward him. "Think about it Subaru. If a female vampire was on the grounds I guarantee Madeline would know about it. Cordelia is dead, as is my mother. Which leaves one female vampire old enough to take blood from a vampire, and deprived enough to nearly drain her. Christa. You said the twins tasted very nice for vampires did you not? Christa is your mother. She would share your taste. If the twins smelled like you in someway, and tasted as nice as you say they do, your mother would have no qualms about drinking from them"

"But why would they go into that tower" Subaru's fist was clenched.

"They've never been told not to go there. Without something to entertain themselves they might explore. And Christa has that whole tower to herself. It only opens from the outside" Reiji sighed.

"That's the thing" Laito interrupted. "Isami said they were in the rose garden.

His brothers merely stared at him. The rose garden was planted for Cordelia. It was the one place in the mansion Christa despised more than Karlheinz. Even if someone let her out of the tower she never would have gone there.

"Then how did Christa-" Subaru seemed stunned. "That doesn't make sense"

"Someone let Christa out" Reiji said. "And someone directed her to the twins. Or sent the twins to her"