~1812~

Claire did manage to survive throughout the first five years of Sean’s rule, at least physically. Her mood however was still quite a bit less than ideal on most nights. Though Sean’s duties did continue to keep him so busy most of the time that the only one who really had been around Claire enough to notice her continuing melancholy was her servant, Finn. Claire spent her nights in fear of not only that prophecy looming over her, ready to take her away just as it had taken their former Prince and her grandsire away; but also living in terror of Sean’s psychic abilities giving him that damning information which was locked in her head and could at any moment be found out, therefore putting a permanent wedge between them.

Regardless of his seemingly endless duties, Sean also had to deal with his own fears as well. There was of course that prophecy which would be an ever-darkening cloud over them both with each passing night. However, he also had additional worries that were usual for any Prince; though now those were compounded further by the reality of what was going on throughout the eighteen states that now made up America. There was now a full-fledged war going on between America and Britain. It was true that the California territory was still quite removed from most of that war, however Sean clearly remembered that Haven’s ability to finally drive the serpent from his territory was only because of the allies he had in other Princes; most of whom were residing in and around the country that was now at war with Sean’s own. This left him with only Columbus’ Prince Marcus to offer any kind of support if the serpent were indeed still alive and took it upon himself to bring a second reign of terror to Sean’s territory.

Now that all of the council’s new and much more formidable homes had all been built within those fifty square miles behind that wall; Sean’s duties had now shifted to maintaining the patrols around his home and territory as well as keeping trade and commerce within that territory running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. On this summer night, Sean was pouring over various agreements with traders and merchants in the study which was modeled after the much smaller one that Haven’s former home had included. He then looked up as Finn appeared in the doorway.

“Something wrong?” was Sean’s greeting to the handsome young man as he looked up from his papers only momentarily.

“Isn’t there always?” Finn returned wryly as he moved into the room.

Sean looked up again, raising a brow at that statement. As Finn did nothing more than move further into the room, he spoke again “something more wrong than usual?”

Finn sighed as he bravely took a seat in the chair on the opposite side of Sean’s large oak desk. The young man then took another breath to steel his nerves in the face of the questioning look Sean still centered on him. Finally, he spoke his concerns aloud “there’s a prophecy?”

Sean sighed and looked down at that question, distractedly setting the papers back on the desk before him. He then turned his eyes back to Finn “we’re still not positive if that prophecy is still on the table” he attempted to comfort, though his tone lacked confidence of that fact.

“What does that mean?” Finn asked worriedly.

Sean shook his head at the fact that a servant was the one bringing these concerns to him, which caused him to ask his next question “and why are you the one bringing this up to me?”

“Because I want to know if it’s true. Is Claire really in danger?” Finn pressed, trying to maintain as strong of a tone as he could in light of the very real awe and intimidation he couldn’t help feeling just by being in Sean’s presence.

“Aren’t we all in danger?” Sean stated with a slight sigh as he busied himself straightening the papers in front of him once again.

“That was quite the politician’s answer” Finn dared, his impatience giving him the strength to continue to speak up at all.

“That didn’t sound like a compliment” Sean returned, though kept most of his disapproval out of his tone.

“Please, just tell me” Finn asked, desperation coloring his tone then.

Sean sighed heavily once more “obviously, Claire has already told you.”

“She wasn’t all that specific” Finn admitted.

“Specific enough to get you to come down here and question me though” Sean returned, though his words were quiet.

“Please Sean, I love her. I need to know if I’m… we’re going to lose her” Finn stated, correcting himself halfway through his shaky statement.

Sean’s eyes moved down then. He knew the blood bond made all their servants believe they loved them, but most often they suffered that emotion in silence. He then managed a response “you think I don’t love her too, Finn?”

“I thought you did” Finn stated bravely, though the words were still a whisper. Though when he dared to look up to see the flash of darkness on Sean’s face, he couldn’t help shrinking back in his seat again.

“And why is it that you seem to doubt my love for Claire now?” Sean returned, not able to keep coolness out of his tone on that question.

Finn swallowed hard as he attempted to fight the urge to flee in response to even that slight of a trace of anger in someone who could end him as easily as Sean could, had he truly wanted to. He then took a deep, shaky breath as he tried to form an answer “it’s just that if she really is in danger, then I don’t understand why you wouldn’t be spending every waking moment near her… while you still can” he finished in a broken whisper.

“So you’ve come here to give your particular input on our marriage?” Sean retorted, his anger obvious at the thought of having anyone at all doubt his love for her.

Finn shrunk further into his seat as his heart raced, but he forced himself onward; he had to. With another shaky breath, he continued “I guess I’m just hoping that the fact that you’re not with her every moment; that that somehow means that maybe she really isn’t in the danger she seems to think she’s in?” he finished the statement as more of a question, if not a flat out plea for Sean to offer any assurance at all that they would not be losing Claire after all.

Sean sighed as he cast his eyes down again. Though Finn’s words had angered him, he did truly understand the place those words were coming from; as Sean held the same fear that was so easily apparent in the blue-gray eyes of the servant who believed he loved Claire just as much as Sean had always loved her.

“I honestly don’t know, Finn” Sean finally admitted.

“You don’t know?” Finn repeated, his pulse only slowing slightly as it seemed that Sean’s anger had given way to a softer, sadder emotion now.

“The prophecy stated that Awsha would be the one to kill Haven” Sean attempted to begin that explanation as Finn’s eyes widened at the statement. Sean then pressed onwards “considering we don’t know for a fact that she was actually behind Haven’s death; we also don’t know if that part of the prophecy actually came true.”

“So, what does that mean?” Finn asked again, only leaning slightly forward in his seat again now.

“If Awsha is even still alive and if she was the one behind his murder…” Sean had to pause to gather the strength to finish that sentence “then yes, Claire is in very real danger right now” he stated as he bit back his own emotions at that fact. Upon allowing himself to look up long enough to see the terror in Finn’s expression, Sean continued “but if it wasn’t Awsha; if she is dead and gone… then we can start to let ourselves believe that the attack on Baron’s home and the culling of all of his minions really did work. And if that’s true, then Claire would be safe from the rest of that prophecy then too.”

“But the first part of the prophecy did come true?” Finn managed with a shallow breath.

“Yes, Awsha was corrupted by the serpent. And yes the father died, but again, we don’t know if that was really Awsha who was responsible for that” Sean attempted to convince Finn as well as himself.

“But it was ghouls who killed Haven and his servants” Finn reminded, to which Sean only looked down. Finn shook his head and continued “and then they killed themselves once Haven was dead. They obviously didn’t want us tracing them back to their masters” Finn put the facts together easily enough. With another exasperated breath, Finn spoke again “how can you not think this was Awsha and Baron?”

“There haven’t been any other attempts at taking my throne; and that’s what Baron had always wanted. Plus, I have reason to believe that if they are still alive, they’ve shifted their eyes toward the unclaimed territory north of here” he added in regards to the thoughts he had pulled from Eliza’s mind about the territory she herself had fled from upon the beginning of Sean’s reign.

Finn just scoffed, to which Sean raised a brow. Finn then moved further forward in his seat “so that would mean that your throne and your territory are safe from them. But does that actually mean that Claire is?” he asked as his voice broke on that final question.

When Finn returned to the bedroom where Claire was trying her best to bury herself in another book, it was nearing midnight. She looked up as he entered the room and immediately noted the worry and upset on his face. “What’s happened now?” Claire asked him worriedly.

Finn let out a slight breath as he moved toward the bed where she had now set aside the book. “I went to talk to Sean… about the prophecy” Finn admitted quietly.

“You went to Sean?” Claire asked with a bit of her own worry at the information.

“You barely explained it. I had to know” Finn told her apologetically as he moved to take a seat on the bed with her.

“And do you feel better now?” Claire replied with a tone that implied that she already knew that answer, even without the benefit of Sean’s mindreading abilities.

Finn’s pale eyes moved down as he sniffled a bit before looking back up at her and speaking in a whisper “I love you so much, Claire.”

It was then Claire’s eyes that moved downwards as she found her voice “you know you only feel that way…”

“I only know I feel that way” Finn corrected her as he moved closer and bravely covered her mouth with his own lips.

Claire tensed a bit, but soon her own need for comfort, as well as her extended absences from Sean’s touch on most nights, did cause her to give into kissing him back. As their lips moved against each other’s, her fingers came up to curl in the reddish brown curls, causing him to press even closer to her as his arms wrapped around her. When he finally was forced to break off the kiss long enough to get a breath, Claire had to speak up “I assume you and Emilia aren’t as…close as before?” she whispered.

“She’s just as busy as the rest of Sean’s servants now. Why do you think I’m always the one up here at your side?” he managed a small smile, the two of them remaining close together as his fingers threaded their way through her long black locks.

“I’m guessing her absence might be the real reason why you… want to be so close to me tonight” Claire decided on, though her voice was gentle.

“I want to be close to you every night” Finn corrected her once again. He then couldn’t help adding in another whisper “while I still can be.”

Claire sniffled a bit at yet another reminder of the fate that was most likely awaiting her. She then attempted to offer Finn some sort of comfort “you know that if anything… if I did actually die” a slight sigh as she felt his arms tighten around her “you no longer would feel that way about me at all. The bond dies with me” she added as her voice broke again.

“Then I never want this bond to end” Finn told her breathily before covering her mouth with his once again.

After having spent five years now feeling as though she were being suffocated by the knowledge of some terrible fate coming to her at any given moment, Claire needed to feel some sort of comfort then. She desperately wanted that comfort to come from her husband, but it seemed that want was rarely ever able to be fulfilled now that Sean had all of these new responsibilities thrust upon him. Giving into those escapist tendencies she had always suffered from, Claire moved to ease Finn down onto the mattress, her body following.

As she lay across him, continuing those kisses, Finn fully expected her to move to sink her fangs into his neck as she had done so many times before. Admittedly though, the times she had fed on him had usually not involved them lying atop a bed together, and that thought caused him to immediately harden against where her hips were pressed to his.

Claire managed a soft smile as she felt his obvious arousal and broke off the kiss long enough to whisper “you want to make love to me?”

Finn blushed slightly though managed his own smile “that’s something I’ve always wanted.”

“Again, you know that’s because of…” Claire began, only to be interrupted by him allowing a slight chuckle and moving to reverse their positions, bravely placing his own body above hers then as his lips moved to her neck.

After a few passionate kisses delivered to her pale skin, Finn found his voice again “If you really are going to be gone soon” he sniffled as he forced his words onwards “is it so wrong that I’d want to be inside you at least one time before that happens?”

Claire looked up at him with some strange combination of sadness and arousal at actually feeling wanted again, despite the true reasons behind Finn’s desire for her. She then swallowed a bit before speaking “I never said it was wrong.”