~~

I was shocked when a maid told me that Kaden wanted to see me in his office, I haven't heard a peep from him in four days.

So when she told me that I needed to get up early to see the master of the house I naturally stood there confused for a few minutes.

Then I curled my hair more precisely than I ever have before.

I didn't want to impress him I didn't need to look stunning, I just didn't want to...disappoint.

It was stupid and I knew it but I couldn't help it. A chunk of me wanted the damn leach to look at me like he wanted to sink his fangs into me for more than just my blood.

God I was such a slut.

Beh, could be worse.

I could be Angelica.

Ew.

Slipping on my heels and glancing in the mirror I nodded, strolling out the door and down the hall.

I didn't bother knocking on Kaden's door, I just walked right into the study, the heavy wood door clicking closed behind me.

He looked at me for a long moment, "pet."

"you wanted to see me?"

He nodded gesturing for me to come closer, I did. He pulled me down onto his lap the moment was close enough, "You look beautiful today my little flower."

I smiled a bit, "thank you..."

It was quite for a long moment, "do you know why I called you here?"

"no."

I'm such a liar.

He's selling me off isn't he?

or is he going to return me to the shop?

or lock me away in a different wing of the house?

or tell me he may have given me an STD with his tongue?

Oh...he probably wants to talk about what he did to me with his tongue...

Conversation aversion activate! "did you're fangs really fall out?! can I see them?"

He gave a small chuckle, "no pet my fangs did not fall out. We do need to have a serious conversation though."

I bit my lip and looked at my lap, nervous.

He must have sensed that because he began rubbing the back of my neck lightly, speaking lowly and calmly, "What we did should never have happened...but I cannot honestly say I regret it. You are darling and charming and everything a woman should be-"

I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear blushing furiously.

"-you deserve the world and I want nothing more to give it to you, but I cannot. I wish I could tell you that I would throw away ever rule in society and make you mine, that I would tell them all to be damned and sweep you off into the sunset if you would have me; like one of those drab and tacky romance novels but I cannot."

I looked up at him sadly, "I know but if it helps, I would prefer the kidnapping thing like in one of those dirty romance novels where they do the nasty every three pages."

His laughter echoed through the room dying down as his eyes met mine, "you really are a darling little thing, you know that don't you?"

I shook my head, honestly even I found myself annoying sometimes.

"I would have enjoyed falling in love with you Calla."

I nodded feeling tears come to my eyes, "I...I think I might have enjoyed falling in love with you too, even if you are a leach."

I wasn't going to ask him why, why he wouldn't fight the world of he really thought I was worth all that much. I knew he was reasonable, knew doing something like that would be stupid. Still I was sad, I was curious, but I would stay quiet.

"They would execute us both once they found out. our heads severed from our bodies and our corpses burned."

gross. Still..I had to ask,"how do you know?"

"once when I was a child...there was a very wealthy duke not far from where I lived, he had a human pet. It was very very uncommon for the times. back then humans didn't know of us and a vast majority of vampires wanted to do nothing them. But this duke was an eccentric man who thought a human would be better as a pet rather than a servant or a slave and so he had his daughter pick a young woman from town, one they could have as a family pet. She did..and life went on. But then rumors started and eventually the truth came out, he was sleeping with her. It caused an uproar in the community. A vampire lying with a human was viewed as an atrocious act..as it still is. And so as by law made long ago to preserve dignity and secrecy the community. The two were executed."

I frowned, "but vampires are no longer a secret...so.."

"We are stuck in our ways my flower, stuck in our ideal ways of perfection and old fashioned rules were lords marry ladies and the help is not seen nor heard. where image and status trumps all. Nothing would be different."

I bit my lip, "but isn't your father like the king.."

"yes."

"so maybe since you're his son..."

"My father would leap at the chance to murder me. As I have said before I am an illegitimate child, a stain on his perfect ruling. It is why I was on the first boat to America when he decided vampires should expand here. I was made lord when we came out of the shadows if you will , and only because that was already my status back in England."

"oh..Kaden.."

"yes pet?"

"Why does you're father hate you?"

He was silent for a long moment before running his hand through my hair and shifting me on his lap, "As I have said, my birth was a stain on his perfect ruling. as king he is expected to be a prime example of perfection. perhaps had I been born perfectly things might have been a bit different but..." he gestured to his eyes with one hand. "along with my physical faults the fact that I was born from a Swedish woman of low lineage that was not his queen only made things worse. My father hated me but at the time I was his only child. His only heir. I lost my right as heir the moment my brother was born to my fathers second wife of course and locked deep into the castle until I was old enough to hold a sword, then I was shipped off to the countryside. My father visited occasionally to make sure I had not died or was not plotting against him. If anyone was going to kill me it would be him, he made sure I knew that from a young age..."

He trailed off as my eyes traveled to his chest where I knew a large scar ran the length of his chest, feeling sad and sick and all sorts of things I didn't even know people could feel. Kaden had suffered so much just because he was born."did he..."

"yes. He has never had love for me Calla, you must understand that, It was difficult for me at first but then I realized I had never lost anything because he never loved me in the first place. I was his shame and he hated me for it, hated me and my imperfections. Eventually I used that to my advantage, I embraced everything about me he hated and projected it. When i was a child I was too ashamed to meet anyones gaze afraid of their reaction but then I started staring into the eyes of the beast just because I knew they know who I was and what a horrible shame I was to the vampiric race. Eventually I took each flaw and forced them to face it, adding new imperfections every now and again."

"Like your hair."

"Like my hair." He shot me a devilish smirk, "I figured out as I grew older that despite my flaws women found me attractive, I used that to my advantage knowing very well that like my father I am good at words. Good at making people think what I want is what they want as well. I used that to gain support and eventually get my title as lord. There is not much even a king can do if people with to follow me so he gave me some power in fear that I would cause an uproar just to spite him. In all of those years he hated me for what I am but he had forgotten one key thing."

My lips parted in aw, "illigitmate or not, you were his blood. your were born a kings son."

He offered me a small sad smile, "yes Calla that I am. Perhaps one day I will find a way to keep you safe and keep you as mine but I do not want you to get your hope up or even expect anything. Kings son or not, I am no prince and I am no king, I do not have the power to overturn law and one such as this will not gain enough support, kings son or not, We are stuck in our ways."