Heir of the Forgotten

~Twisted Emotion~

Waking the next morning, Selene pulled her legs to her chest. Her fingers danced over her lips as she flushed. Had she really done that? Had she really slept with the prince? Shaking her head, she got up and dressed herself for the day.

Stepping towards the breakfast table, Selene finds her place.

Vincent takes the place beside her with a smirk. He didn't need to say anything to see Selene's cheeks redden. She turned away from him, taking the toast on her plate and biting into it harshly.

Dorian watched them with a raised brow. He won't ask what's going on. He may want to, but won't. "I'm glad to see you finally awake, Selene." Dorian smiles, which she reflects.

"Thanks. I don't know what caused me to pass out that long. If I had to guess, something about the grotesque scene caused a handful of memories to resurface. I guess I wasn't able to handle everything at once and needed time to recover." Selene's voice wavers with each word.

Vincent sighs, standing from his seat and backing off to lean against the wall. He told her it would be a terrible idea to tell Dorian ages ago. As much as he would like to, he can't stop her.

He's seen the way they are together, the soft glances. She'll ruin that by telling him because of Dorian's moral compass. But maybe... maybe he wants that. Maybe he wants Dorian to dislike her. Maybe he wants to know he's the only one. Last night really screwed him over. He wants to keep her tied to him.

Selene takes a deep breath, trying to soothe her nerves. "I was in love with him. We used to be close."

There's little surprise on Dorian's face in response to her words. "That much is obvious."

Selene nods, he didn't let her finish. "We were always together. I thought we shared the same goal. I was hoping we would get free of it together." The way Dorian's hands tightened into fists squeezes her heart. "I'm sorry."

"How many lives?" Dorian whispers as he searches desperately for hope.

Selene stares at the table. "Ten, but that's not counting what he's done in relation to me." Her voice cracks as she averts her gaze from Dorian.

Dorian slams his fist into a table. He stands abruptly, shaking the table, before storming past Vincent. "You already knew that, didn't you?" Vincent nods at the accusation, as his friend scoffed. "We depart at ten. Ensure you have what you arrived with." He heads outside with that.

Selene tosses a cup at a wall, watching it shatter with a curse under her breath. She's unsure why his reaction stings so badly. It feels like her heart's being suffocated in a tight grip.

Vincent sighs, shaking his head. With a few steps, he stands behind her. "I warned you." He keeps distance between them, savoring every moment. The way her hands tremble and her breathing isn't stable amuses him.

Selene scoffs as she stares at the shattered glass. "Oh fuck off." She inhales sharply. "Last night.... Do you regret last night?" Her words peek up barely above a whisper.

"Do you?" Vincent hums, observing her. As Selen shrugs, he smirks and spins her around. "He'd have my head for this. Yours too, but probably literally." He smirks, showing off his canine.

"You're such an ass." Selene knows this isn't normal. Whatever this is. It's charged in the negative, not love. Yet, it's a distraction. A distraction she needs. It's easy to tell Vincent is enjoying this for all the wrong reasons himself.

Vincent snickers and pulls her in for a kiss. He's rough and lacking compassion. He nips her lip on purpose with a canine, just to hear her gasp. "You've gotten yourself into this mess." He runs his tongue over her bleeding lip.

"It seems the other way around, Prince." She smiles as he brings a hand to cup her cheek. Selene leans against the touch.

Vincent wishes he could tell when he began to feel like this. Part of him knows this will disappear if they get back, if his condition is fixed. A bit of healing, and his mind will clear. "Perhaps we entangle each other."

Selene snickers, nodding, "probably..."

"We should get going before we set Dor off. And don't worry about him. He'll get over himself at some point." Vincent hopes, at least. It would be rather sour if this whole last part slowed because of Dorian.

Selene moves around him, stepping towards the door. Vincent follows behind as they head out.

Vincent enters the carriage first and holds his hand out for Selene. She takes it with a small smile. Vincent pulls her to sit beside him and leaves Dorian alone this time.

Dorian rolls his head as he crosses his arms. "We are all aware that we are likely headed into a trap, right?"

Vincent and Selene both nod.

"Not a trap if we are expecting it." Selene smiles, turning to stare out at the scenery. She wonders if they cleaned the gruesome scene up yet.

It's an uneventful trip. Without many words exchanged, it's silent. The only interactions are slight glares and silent eye rolls. There's occasionally a tongue click or sigh, but that's it.

Even when the sun sets, Dorian keeps them headed to their location. It's mearly a few hours more. "This road is fairly safe." He talks as though he needs to justify their continued departure.

Vincent shrugs, "I never mind going straight through." He never thinks he's in danger. With Dorian and himself, they can handle any trouble.

The two males stay awake, listening closely to their surroundings. About two hours in, Vincent glances at a weight dropping on his shoulder. He snickers, then moves his arm over her shoulder. He's teasing her about this later.

This is enough for Dorian to voice his concerns. "Did you sleep with her?" He asks casually, as if it's something he expects from the prince. As his closest friend and only friend, he can ask such questions.

Vincent rolls his eyes. "We are both consenting adults. Are you jealous Dor?" A smirk lifts at the corners of his lips with Dorian's brief tense. "That's a shame. She kissed me first." He lets it sink in. He wants Dorian to believe she doesn't fancy him. Vincent knows she does, the way Selene looks at Dorian gives that much away.

Dorian raises a brow before pinching the brim of his nose. "And sleeping with her when your affliction is clouding your judgment, and after she'd only just woken up high on emotion, was a good idea?"

"Why would it not be? She's not dumb enough to think it means much. If she does, that's not my problem." Vincent hums, twirling a strand of Selene's hair on his finger as if to mock Dorian.

"Gods, Vincent, tell me you're not actually falling for her. Plus, she's associated with a criminal. She's taken ten lives, Vincent. Innocent lives." Dorian scolds him.

Vincent shrugs, each word of warning he brushes off. "I'm not that foolish."

"Damn it Vincent." Dorian groans, going silent. He stares at his friend and the female in his arms. "The king will be ticked. Isadora will be just as pissed." In Dorian's opinion, this is a mistake. If he had stayed with Selene instead, he could have prevented the eventual mess the two of them will cause.

Vincent shrugs, "since when have I cared about his opinion? Isadora is also the one who dumped me, so why would I care about what she feels?" Vincent smirks alongside his words.

Dorian shakes his head, running his hands through his hair. "You're going to be the death of me through stress."

The rest of the journey is silent. The two males stay awake to prevent any disasters. This close to a town neither male thinks there will be any danger on the road.