The next morning Aerilyn proceeded to her normal routine of getting up, washing, getting dressed and heading to breakfast.

As she approached the doors to the breakfast hall she felt nervous thinking about the intimidating Queen on the other side. She had become some what more bearable and had stuck up for her several times now when there was clearly no need to.

The anger she first felt towards Queen Solenne was beginning to waver.

She ducked her head in the door, as if on que the Queen's head snaps towards her, taking her in, her eyes never leaving the girl "Good morning" Solenne softly smiled.

"Morning" Aerilyn spoke, Nilsa hadn't appeared this morning, she suspected she was preoccupied with being on watch.

Whether that was on purpose to keep her away from Aerilyn or not she wasn't sure.

Solenne took the girl, looking her over as if she wanted to eat her up "Luanna and Prince Matheus will be joining us this morning so I expect you to be polite" Aerilyn nodded her head as she sat down.

At least the Queen seemed to be in a good mood today, Aerilyn thought.

"Do they live here?" The girl asked curiously as she dared to lock eyes with Solenne, her golden orbs brighter in the morning sun.

She wasn't sure how it worked in the vampire world, if they had rooms in the castle or if they had their own homes. They seemed to come and go whenever they pleased.

Solenne broke the eye contact to look outside the windows admiring the scene "Not all of the time, Luanna's husband Richard will be arriving over the next few days and Matheus has yet to find his mate so he lives here". The Queen's hunger to mark the girl was only growing, every fibre of her wanted to take her back to her room and ravish her, but here she sat and no one would have known any better.

Yet she restrained herself, this was the toughest it had ever been to stop her fangs from protruding.

Queen Solenne had given up with the thought of finding her mate, after watching everyone else either find theirs or fall into despair losing their mate, she had decided she would be better off alone.

Everyone else knew that she needed her mate to complete her, her grandfather who she was very close to once told her that when she finds her mate, no matter who it is, she should cherish them and that it would be the most powerful feeling she'll ever experience.

Solenne always idealised the love her grandparents had, unlike her father who forced her mother to be his against her will. This caused the Queen to have a troubled upbringing turning her very cold, she had become what the humans said she was, living up to that expectation placed upon her, but deep down if you dug deeper there was a kind girl there.

The sad part was, they were not even mates.

Aerilyn picked up some sausage, eggs and toast onto her plate before continuing. "What is he like?" She poured some orange juice. Solenne was happy the girl was eating and had an appetite, it pleased her that she was putting on weight slowly but surely.

What made her even happier was that the girl was speaking to her and asking questions, she was willingly making conversation.

"He's a character, but definitely under Luanna's fist" the Queen joked. Luanna burst through the door and bowed as it was custom to "I can hear you, you know" she rolled her eyes as she strutted in.

Solenne who never turned away from Aerilyn spoke "You weren't not meant to hear, you have him wrapped around your fingers, it's nothing I wouldn't say to your face" Aerilyn raised her eyebrow at the Queen's nonchalant response, their playful humour kept her entertained.

"What she meant to say was that he is lovely and you will get on with him very well I am sure" Luanna confirmed. Aerilyn didn't understand why it would matter if she got on with him or not, she's just a human. She lowered her head to eat and keep quiet as she did not want to get in any trouble.

"Good morning sister, Luanna, sister's pet" Matheus strolled through the doors and bowed as well.

"She has a name" Solenne gritted her teeth.

"You make it so easy" he smirked at her. Truth be told, her brother didn't understand the fascination with Aerilyn, sure her blood smelt out of this world, but other than that he couldn't make sense of it.

Especially, his sisters tetchy behaviour when he would make a comment about the human and so he pressed her buttons in order to try and figure it out.

The two siblings were close, but their past kept them from being closer.

Aerilyn fiddled with the hem of her dress as they spoke.

The Queen was sat to the right of her but facing her, Matheus was at the other side of the table opposite her and to her left was Luanna.

Luanna sat and drank a glass of what Aerilyn assumed to be blood "Any news on the attack or who was behind it?" Luanna asked, she was growing worried that they would move closer to home.

Solenne shook her head "Not yet, General Talc is trying to establish contact with our mole in the resistance to find out who ordered it" she spoke tiredly, she had been up all hours trying to figure out what had happened.

A mole? That was news.

"We heard you let a wolf go free too" Matheus questioned before adding "that's not like you" furrowing his bushy eyebrows.

Aerilyn looked at Solenne wondering if this was true, they briefly made eye contact.

"And" Solenne said like it was nothing.

"Why did you let him go?" Luanna pressed.

"He had pups and I had no reason to kill him" the Queen's eyes didn't meet Aerilyn's this time, almost like she was ashamed she hadn't killed him.

She was ashamed, she looked weak to everyone and she felt it too.

Aerilyn smiled this time "I'm glad you didn't kill him". Her smile reached her eyes as Solenne looked at her, seeing the girl smile was worth it for Solenne, if that's what she had to do to put a smile on her face she would do it more often.

Aerilyn had finished eating breakfast to which they carried on talking with the girl barely saying anything. "Is our cold Queen turning warm or is it me" Matheus joked.

Solenne shot him a glare, warning him.

The tension was evident in the room, they were all tense at the situation.

Solenne tried not to show too much emotion in front of them. "Your cold Queen is sorting our problems out, if you have such an issue with my handling of the matter. Maybe you would like to take over" She goaded him.

Truth be told, Prince Matheus did not want to take over, he was not fit to be King. It was a stressful job that his sister did a better job of, he was also not as powerful or strong.

He held his hands up "No, I'm just surprised. What do you think the lords will say when they find out you spared one?" He was walking on thin ice.

Solenne's eyes began to change colour as she looked at Aerilyn. "Anyone who challenges me will be exiled or killed" there was that ruthless vampire that existed.

She was beginning to regret the decision in sparing the wolf as she looked back over at her brother.

As they didn't have a proper meal once Aerilyn had finished her meal they stood up to leave before Luanna spoke.

"Don't forget you need to take that collar off Solenne, don't let her neck become infected" the Queen was right behind the girl following her out of the room.

They walked side by side again towards the girls room.

"Come, follow" Solenne spoke as they reached a door. Solenne grimaced as she looked at Aerilyn's neck closely, it would have to come off for a day or so to allow her neck to heal, she was just reluctant to remove it.

Aerilyn allowed Solenne to show her the way but it turned out they were stood outside the room a few doors down from Aerilyn's.

"Don't tell me your room was this close to mine this whole time" Aerilyn rolled her eyes, mumbling.

"Yes, did you not realise?" The Queen purred as she opened the door stepping in.

This was the first time she had been in her room and she wanted to take it all in. It was bigger than her room but more homely than she had thought it would be.

There was paper all over the desk messily, grazed with writing and a big bed in the middle of the room. It was green themed as if Aerilyn had decorated herself, all to the girls taste, it reminded her of being in the forest or outside, a slice of heaven.

The smell was what shocked her, it hit her at once, the Queen's perfume mixed with her natural outdoor smell, if she could bottle it up she would.

The Queen noticed the effect the room had on the girl even though she didn't say anything, but secretly she was happy that her room pleased Aerilyn as she closed the door behind her.

"Sit" Solenne gestured to the girl to sit on her bed, this was not just any bed, this was the Queen of Vampires bed. She still wondered how she got herself into this position, what would her brother think, if she ever found him.

Solenne walked into the bathroom looking for something before coming back out with the cream in her hand, she sat down on the bed next to Aerilyn.

"I am going to take your collar off now, are you going to behave?" Solenne intimidated the girl at the position they were in, she couldn't talk so she just nodded.

Nimble fingers made their way to her neck as she tried to suppress a gasp, Solenne leaned in close to lift her hair away, placing her hands around the back of the collar to un clasp it.

This wasn't any type of collar that could be taken off though.

Reserare animae dimidium meae

(Unlock the other half of my soul)

Queen Solenne spoke in Latin. At her words the clasp opened.

What Aerilyn didn't know was that the collar was bound to the Queen through old magic, only Solenne could take it off.

The girl stretched her neck, feeling freer than before.

Queen Solenne could sense the girl wanted to ask more questions about what was said at breakfast, it was bugging her that the girl wouldn't just ask.

"Ask me" Solenne whispered.

Aerilyn looked puzzled "Ask you what?" she looked away from the Queen keeping her eyes down.

Solenne placed her hand under the girls chin to make her look up. "I can sense your questions, so ask, whilst I'm in some what of a moderately good mood" letting go of Aerilyn, Solenne sat back a little to give her space.

Aerilyn couldn't think for a second, how did she even know she had a question.

"What did you just say in that weird language?" That threw the Queen off guard, she was expecting to be asked about the wolf.

Solenne held the girls neck but not too firmly, just to keep her in place. "I asked it to unlock and it's not weird, it's Latin" she replied amused.

"Ohhh, I don't know anything about latin" Aerilyn felt uneducated.

Solenne smiled at her being so unsure of the language "there is much for you to learn"

Taking the cream, Solenne applied it to the neck slowly but surely, causing Aerilyn's eyes to water at the stinging sensation as she winced.

Stray tears fell down her face.

Queen Solenne couldn't stand the sight.

"I'm sorry" Solenne apologised, noticing the discomfort, her eyes were sad.

"It's fine, couldn't you just give me some blood wouldn't that sort it out" Aerilyn joked, trying to make light of the situation.

The Queen thought for a moment, tilting her head to the side.