~1850~

Over the next decade, Claire’s usual inner turmoil was only added to after Sebastian discovered those other events that had taken place on the night of his mother’s death; never mind the actual details of how that encounter had been forced upon Claire. That, she still hadn’t found a way to explain. It was hard enough to continue to hold onto his trust of the Kindred population as a whole without him also knowing the type of nefarious powers that some Kindred possessed and could even use on their own kind. Not wanting to share that dark knowledge with Sebastian, Claire continued to let him believe that she had deliberately put the deadly wedge between his parents; despite all of the actual facts. And that only put a wedge between her and the now twenty-nine year-old Sebastian as well.

Though that decade leading up to the mid-point of the 19th century brought so much other turmoil to their town that by 1846, Claire no longer had a moment to think on her mortal relationships at all. In the years from 1821 to 1846, their town had actually been claimed by and considered part of Mexico. Then, after twenty-five years spent living in what was technically Mexico, even without even leaving their home at all, another war broke out right on their very doorstep.

1846 brought the two year long Mexican-American war and constant battles right around and outside the walls of their home. Most nights they would wake up wondering if their walls would even still be standing, as well as wondering how many of the humans around them would be. Finally, in 1848 America won that war; but that year brought with it an even more apparent threat to their previous existence. That was the year that gold was discovered in California and brought with it thousands of mortals to their town, turning it into an honest to goodness city; however that city spent the years from 1848-1870 being known as the toughest and most lawless city west of Santa Fe… And Claire and Sean were living right in the middle of it now.

By April of 1850, their city became officially known as Los Angeles; and by September of that same year, California officially became the 31st state. However, since the gold rush began in 1848, Claire had almost completely given up on running her tavern most nights, leaving it in the hands of Sebastian and several of Sean’s male servants. She would still put in an appearance there once a week or so to simply tally up the now immense profits and divvy out the pay for her employees. But even on those nights she would push her way through the huge crowds of dirty, drunken, and debauched miners to hide away in her office to tend to her tasks; and there she would remain until closing.

Two years into that gold fever they were swamped in on a nightly basis, Sean awoke and dressed to tend to his duties governing the Kindred. As little as he cared for his role, it was somehow an easier task than governing the mortals was, as no one had stepped up to even try to control the plethora of those mortals who now surrounded them. As he finished dressing, he cast a glance back at Claire as she had continued to sit forlornly in the middle of their bed, eyes downcast.

“Not getting up?” Sean asked her with a skeptical look.

“What’s the point?” Claire mumbled in return.

That particular response did catch Sean as he moved from where he had started toward the door and took a step back towards their bed instead, “care to explain that opinion?”

“I’ve barely run Raven’s Loft for the last two years anyway. Doubt it matters if I ever step foot in the place again” she responded in the same mumble.

“The place is making huge sums of money now with all our lovely new residents around. It’s been extremely profitable since this madness all started” he attempted to assure her.

“I didn’t realize you suddenly cared so much about money” Claire replied, her eyes still not coming up to meet his.

“Well I don’t particularly” Sean agreed, “I just thought you’d be proud that the place is finally a success.”

“The place is hardly even mine anymore” Claire scoffed.

Sean narrowed his eyes at that statement, “now that you mention it, I was wondering why exactly you haven’t been there hardly at all lately; especially now that you have a huge number of customers every night. Is your scarcity because of Sebastian?”

Claire scoffed again, “I wish the only problem was Sebastian thinking I was some evil hussy who made his father kill his mother.”

Sean adopted a look of further concern before moving back toward her to take a seat on the edge of the bed. He placed a hand gently over hers before speaking, “so what other problems are there then?”

“Nothing that falls under your jurisdiction; at least not as long as I don’t step foot through the doors” she added the second part of her statement in a bitter whisper.

“Anything that has you upset is my jurisdiction” Sean told her with a small smile as he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

Claire sighed as she just shook her head, “you wouldn’t understand anyway.”

“I understand quite a bit; try me” Sean returned, attempting to hold his smile, concerned though it remained.

“This you wouldn’t understand; you’re not out there. You don’t know what it’s like. And even if you were out there; it wouldn’t be the same for you” she added as she reverted to that bitter mumble once more, despite his affections.

“That you’ll have to explain” Sean urged, though his voice remained gentle.

Claire shook her head once more, “I tried to run the place on the first few nights after all these men came to the city. It didn’t go well” she stated simply.

“Still waiting on you to explain” Sean pressed.

Claire scoffed, “if I have to go there and cater to the number and type of men that are here now; then one of two things will happen, and neither will be any good.”

Sean watched her with a bit of worry as he forced himself not to dig into her mind for further clarification, “so I take it they weren’t very respectful?”

“That’s one way to describe it” she told him with the same bitterness. She then continued, “I’ve spent nearly three centuries with the only man who has ever or will ever respect me. You’ve coddled me. None of these men will ever see me as an equal or hardly even as a human being… and yes, I know I’m not one” she shook her head again.

“So, you’re upset that I’ve treated you with respect for three centuries?” Sean raised an eyebrow.

Claire scoffed again, “I’ve spent hundreds of years being allowed to believe that I’m an actual person with actual feelings. After just a few nights there, I know better. It’s an adjustment to put it mildly” she added as she sniffled.

Sean let out a worried sigh as he continued to watch her, “did they try to hurt you, Claire?”

“I left before that could happen. And I’ve barely been back since” she reminded as she looked away with another sniffle.

“You assured me that you didn’t mind being at the place on your own; has that changed now?” Sean asked with continuing concern.

“Before all this gold fever all I had to deal with was an occasional drunken sailor. Now, I’m surrounded by hundreds of assholes, yes assholes, every night that I’m there. You know what happens to men when they are drunk and surrounded by plenty of others just like them; it makes them even more horrid… especially to women. And that fact is one that I’ve been mostly protected from for way too long. I seem to have forgotten that every single one of them is nothing but a prick” she finished angrily.

“I assumed that you felt safe there. If you want…”

“That’s the worst part!” she interrupted with continued anger, “I actually could kill every single one of them, without even trying!”

“Claire…”

“Exactly the problem! I could take out each and every one of those assholes; but if I did, it would break the precious fucking masquerade. And my husband’s the fucking Prince! How the hell am I supposed to actually defend myself if it means my own fucking husband would have to call a blood hunt on me for doing so!” she finished with anger increasing her volume that much more.

“Claire…calm…”

“So, yeah, that’s why the fuck I haven’t been back there. My perfect fucking eternal life and I either have to spend it acting like a piece of property or turning Sabbat just to take out all the assholes who deserve it!” she retorted with continued anger.

Sean swallowed hard as he tried to give her a moment to calm down from that anger, not that that was likely to happen, “so, what can I do?” he finally asked.

Claire scoffed again, “if I knew that, there wouldn’t be a problem, would there?” another angry sigh, “so the only solution I’ve come up with is to hide here protected inside my high walls with my husband who has let me believe I’m his equal for three hundred years. Because if I ever step outside these walls, I have a hundred men waiting to remind me that I’m nothing more than something to own and treat worse than their damn dogs!”

“Hard to tell who you’re angrier at; me or them” Sean stated quietly, his own eyes down as he took in her words that night.

Another sound of discontent, “we never would have lasted a year if you hadn’t treated me the way you have, let alone nearly three hundred years” she admitted, her volume only lowering slightly before continuing, “but it has put me in the position of having forgotten what it really is like to try and exist at all in this world.”

Sean was quiet another moment, “you really think I’d call a blood hunt on you for defending yourself?” he had to ask.

“You can’t; we’re bound” Claire sighed, “but it’s what you would be expected to do, and if you didn’t do it then others will know that you’re not doing your job because of that bond. Me defending myself could cost you your entire Princedom and territory, Sean.”

“And what a territory it now is” Sean scoffed, and then continued, “you know I care a lot more about you than any of that” Sean assured.

“And therein lies the problem” Claire sighed once more, “so, I’m left with no choice but to accept the way they treat me, or else do something about it and cost you everything, as well as put all of us at risk. And putting every one of our kind at risk just because I wish that all this human scum would act more like you? How can I justify that?” another heavy sigh, “so here I am, hiding from humans once again since they refuse to treat me humanely just because I don’t happen to have a penis” she scoffed with another shake of her head.

“I never did quite understand how having different genitals has any bearing at all on anything but possibly whether you stand in the privy or not” Sean shook his head as Claire almost managed a smile, almost.

“Well then pretend for a moment that you don’t have that beautiful body part yourself…” Claire began.

“I have been accused of being just like a pretty girl; by the very king of England at that” Sean smirked.

Claire couldn’t help her own smirk, “so imagine it, and tell me what the hell you would do. You’re a Prince. Give me an answer” she told him plainly.

Sean spent a long moment in thought before speaking at all, “it is really hard to imagine otherwise after three hundred years spent in possession of that particular appendage” he added with another faint smirk.

After another moment, she replied “honestly, what can I do at all?” Claire stated, moving from anger to sadness as she cast her eyes down.

“Well, I suppose you could make an attempt at dealing with the problem mentally rather than physically” Sean shrugged.

“Explain” Claire offered as her only response.

“When one of them starts being a prick, do that lovely voodoo that you do and re-order his way of thinking; rinse, repeat” Sean added with another slight shrug.

“So mass hypnotize every male in the place?” she replied with a raise of the brow.

“I’d say try it on a case by case basis first; eventually they could all come around to showing some respect after it’s forced into their heads, literally” Sean responded. He then added, “I guess if all else fails you could always start putting a drop of your blood in every bottle of alcohol in the place. Then they’d all be in love with you within a week” he added wryly.

“You would really condone my binding every man that comes into the tavern?” Claire asked with disbelief.

“Well, if it means keeping you safe, then I’m willing to expand my thoughts on accepted practices; I am the Prince after all. I can change certain rules if a need arises” he added in the same wry tone.

“Of course that means we’d be stuck with them forever” she wrinkled her nose.

“Not necessarily. As soon as the gold dries up, I doubt they’ll stay. And if they do overstay their welcome, just tell them you want them gone; I’m sure they’d listen after being dosed with that tasty blood of yours every night” Sean responded, attempting to consider all possible outcomes as they spoke.

“And you’re not afraid of having hundreds of men with my blood in their veins attracting any of Sebastian’s wonderful relatives in a very bad and bloody way?” Claire had to pose the other worry she had had about giving her blood to any mortals at all since finding out about Kristofer’s extended family.

Sean sighed as he thought on that concern a moment. He then decided on “actually that is the one advantage to having thousands of people living in my city now; Werewolves are famous for avoiding civilization when at all possible.”

“Not that this city is very civilized” Claire scoffed.

“Nonetheless, it’s full of people, and that is something that the overgrown dogs do seem to avoid at all costs; so I guess it’s one blessing from the hell of being surrounded by so many mortals” Sean conceded.

Another long moment passed before Claire finally pushed herself forward from the headboard she had been leaning back against. She then placed a long kiss over Sean’s lips which he was at first startled by, but still quite grateful for. Once the kiss ended she spoke again, “well I suppose I should get dressed and have a bite to eat before going to make a whole lot of special drinks for our human friends. Thank you so much for your wise, if unorthodox, advice my Prince” she told him with a wry smile of her own before moving from the bed.

“You can pay me the next time we see each other” he told her with his own smile, worried though it still was.