[ XV ] Chapter 15

"Genevieve. . ." Caius sighed in exasperation. His voice cracked slightly and my heart melted for him. Suddenly, I understood that his past was hard for him, maybe even to the point where he wanted to die. I knew that Spartans were raised to be bloodthirsty and were beaten and starved during childhood, in the old days of course.

"Tell me." I nearly begged. "Maybe it'll ease your pain, if only a little." I don't really understand this longing to know his past, but I figured maybe I should help a tortured soul.

Caius stared at me for a while and I stared shifting my weight in discomfort. Only then did he look away and take in a deep breath. "Is it really that bad?" I murmured worriedly, going to stand in front of him to stare at his face.

A sigh and a hand through his hair confirmed it. It was such an odd sight to see one of the most feared vampires in the entire world flustered and agitated. "Please. . .?" I whispered, tentatively placing a hand on his shoulder. The muscles tensed under my touch.

The vampire lord in front of me chuckled dryly as his eyes darted to mine briefly. "You are very persistent."

I cracked a small smile. "Yeah, I can be. Now tell me." I urged. "Or I'll keep you here for eternity." I winked. Truly, that is what I really wanted, and it seems like Caius wouldn't mind either.

He smirked. "I wouldn't mind that." He whispered, confirming my thoughts and staring deep into my eyes.

Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms. "Tell me." I demanded. Caius' eyebrows raised incredulously. But nonetheless, he seemed to be piecing his past together in his mind. Over three thousand years of living can actually make you forget your past. Don't say that. My subconscious backfired angrily.

"I. . . was the bastard son of a noble in Athens." Caius muttered, starting his story and cutting the conversation between me and my little friend in my head. He shifted his gaze onto the rising sun, his crimson irises unfocused. "I can't quite remember his name, but I remember that he used to take a lot of women as his consorts. Whenever he got bored of the harlots, he would leave them on the streets with nothing to live on." A disgusted look crossed his face. "With one particular wife, he slipped up a bit with her and had a son.

"That was you, wasn't it? The son?" I whispered, my grip tightening slightly on his shoulder. The vampire king nodded reluctantly.

"The thing is, she and my father didn't want a child so they paid a man to take the little babe to Sparta, hoping that the child would be killed in the harsh, strict training in becoming a warrior." Caius smirked humorlessly as his eyes clouded up, getting caught up in the memories once more.

I grinned. "He thought wrong. Here you are, standing in front of me."

Caius looked down at me, the fog disappearing from his eyes as a frown formed on his perfectly shaped brows. Sliding my hand down his shoulder, his arm, and to his hand. I clasped his calloused hand in mine. I don't know what came over me, but I lifted our joined hands to my lips to I kiss it. "Continue." I whispered.

He smirked and something seemed to have changed in the way he held himself. His rigid stance evaporated like water into air and now he seemed much more relaxed. It seems as if he only needed someone to talk to. "A very strict family took me in. No matter what I did, they would strike me with paddles and whips, telling me how I should listen to their wishes and demands.

"Scars remained after the wounds healed, and I swore revenge on them. They died of the flu, therefore I could not carry out my wish. The training was harder. A boy that was nearly the same age as me liked to beat me in our sparring sessions. He would always ask the instructor to be paired with me so he could give me new cuts and bruises. The instructor never questioned him for the boy was of noble blood. Guess who the boy was."

I raised a brow, unable to think straight with my mind clouded with rage. Rage that anyone would harm Caius— wait what. Yes. Vieve. You finally got it. I blinked. "Who?"

"Aro."

My mouth dropped open in surprise. "Wha— Why— H.." I started spouting incoherent words as I tried to process this. Aro was the boy who liked to beat Caius. I shook my head and squeezed Caius' hand harder, gaining strength from him. "Okay. Never mind."

Caius' mouth twisted upwards in a smile. "Even though Aro loved trying to break my bones, he was my best friend. Spartans were taught that any sentimental feelings was a weakness, therefore any love between family, friends, or lovers was forbidden. Then, when we came of age, we were sent into the wilderness for our final test. Aro never came back from his.

"When my turn began, I stayed alert of any dark shadows for my only weapon was a spear. I managed to make it to the next day, though, I spotted Aro. At first, I couldn't believe that he was alive and well. Then I spotted his eyes. They were red. I still remember the terror within me when he appeared in front of me in a mere second."

"He changed you?" I muttered.

Caius nodded an affirmative. "And my vampire life started there."

I stayed silent, looking down at his strong hand and stroking it idly. I wondered if there was more to his tale than this. A feared vampire like him must have scars so deep to be able to execute people without a second thought. "Say something, Genevieve." Caius whispered, his fingers tightening around mine.

So I looked up at him and stared as if he were a different person. Now I see him in a different light; I see him as a broken, tortured soul. My mind wandered to Spartans and their teachings. I flinched at the bloodiness of it.

A hand on my cheek dragged me back to reality for the millionth time. "Please do not think about this too much." I covered his hand with mine and closed my eyes. I savored the quietness of the morning, the birds singing their early songs with the rushing water beneath us.

Suddenly, I just had the sudden urge to do something. Removing my hands from his grip and ignoring the confused look on Caius' face, I threw my arms around his neck and stared into his bewildered eyes. His lips were just centimeters from my own, his eyes glanced at mine and that was all I needed.

Leaning in, I pressed my lips to his.