Lucius

2

"What is it, Faline?" Lucius asks immediately dropping to his knees before her.

He hadn't missed her wince of pain when she moved either. He's going to deal with that rogue pack tonight. He'd been aware of a pack that moved in a few years ago, but hadn't bothered them as long as they didn't bother him. Had he known that they were rogues he'd have dealt with them sooner.

"Are you going to kill me now?" Faline asks softly.

"I don't hurt children, Faline. I won't hurt you, do you believe me?" Lucius doesn't like the look on Faline's face. Half hopeful and half distrustful.

Lucius tries a different tact, "What do you want me to do?"

Faline doesn't answer, but this time he thinks it's because she's too scared to.

Lucius sighs deeply, "Okay, let me give you some choices and you tell me what you want out of those choices, okay?" Faline nods hesitantly and Lucius lets out another sigh, this one of relief.

"I can call the local pack and have them come and get you." He smells her fear immediately at that suggestion.

"I don't trust that they will be able to keep me safe or even want to." Faline says and Lucius has to give her credit, she might just be right.

"I could kill you," there is no increase in her fear, it's almost like she is relieved that is one of the choices.

"And finally, you could stay with me." Lucius is wondering just where the hell that idea came from, but he finds himself hoping that she will take that option.

Faline looks at him in confusion. "So you would adopt me? You aren't a werewolf."

Lucius smiles at her confusion. It's unlikely that she has ever run into a vampire before. "No, I'm not, I'm a vampire."

At the widening of her eyes, Lucius knows that she's heard about vampires.

"Vampires don't like wolves." Faline says softly but makes no move to leave his presence.

"Not generally, no. However, there are exceptions to the rule."

"So you'd be my father?" Faline asks him testing out the idea. She actually wants to stay with him, just never expected him to give that as an option.

Lucius shakes his head, "Not father, guardian." Lucius smiles, being her guardian would create huge waves in the supernatural world. Adopting her would have worse consequences, besides once she gets older she might not want to have anything to do with him.

"So what would I call you then, Lord Lucius?" Faline asks looking at him in confusion.

Lucius smiles at her gently, "You can call me Lucius."

"Then that's what I want, I want you to take care of me." Faline says and for the first time she smiles at him. Lucius isn't sure what to make of it, but something inside of him changed with that smile.

"Very well, when was the last time you ate?" He doesn't like how skinny she is. Wolves shouldn't be starved or they become dangerous. If she had her wolf already he might have had to kill her.

"Yesterday breakfast. They are angry about something and so took it out on us slaves." That's when Lucius remembers the pain she had when she moved.

"I want you to drink my blood, it will help with the pain. Not all vampires can heal and not all vampire blood will do so, but mine will." Lucius waits until Faline nods before he bites his wrist. Faline starts drinking but makes a face as she does so. 

When done she raises her face from his wrist, "That didn't taste very good."

Lucius smirks, "Good, then you won't be biting me all the time to get to my blood."

Faline sticks her tongue out. Already the blood is making her pain go away. It's getting easier to breathe too. That last beating had included kicking and she thinks they bruised or broke some of her ribs.

Lucius frowns at her clothes, they are little more than rags. "Tomorrow we'll get you some decent clothes. But for now, let's get you some food. Any preferences?"

Faline shrugs. "I ate whatever they allowed. Usually it wasn't very good so, I'll eat just about anything now." Especially since she's so hungry.

Lucius extends his hand to her once more and frowns at the now dried blood on it. He'd forgotten about that. He'll need to stop someplace and clean up. He knows of a gas station not too far from there that he can use the restroom and clean. He believes that there are also some cheap clothes there, he might find something to fit Faline.

The two leave the alley way, both ignoring the dead wolf that was left lying on the ground.

Lucius is pleased, he's able to get in the restroom without having to bother the cashier for the key. He brings in Faline and cleans her up a bit as well. After they are as clean as he can get them without a bath and clean clothes he leads her into the store portion of the gas station.

He'd been right, Lucius nods to himself as he finds the clothes. He sighs in relief as he finds something he thinks might fit her. After paying for their purchase he takes her back to the restroom and has her change.

Lucius smirks, "Well, they aren't the best, but they're better than those rags you'd been wearing. Let's go get you some food."

"What about you? Won't you be eating too?" Faline asks innocently.

Lucius smirks again, "I don't eat food, love, I drink blood. I'll find someone to drink from, but not until I make sure you have the food you need. Okay?"

Faline blushes, she'd forgotten that about vampires, "Okay." She mumbles looking down.

"Faline," Lucius says and waits for her to look at him, "No need to be embarrassed. Vampires aren't werewolves. You've never been around a vampire before so you wouldn't have known. Now if you live with me for a while and still forgot that fact then, you should be more than embarrassed. But you are too smart to forget something like that." Lucius tells her even as they continue towards a cafe in the more rough part of town.

Faline looks down again and blushes, but this time at the compliment. "How do you know I'm smart?"

"Because you escaped those mutts that had you enslaved and made it to my territory where you knew that you would be taken care of. Perhaps not how you thought, but you knew you'd find freedom here. That tells me you are smart and brave, very brave.

Faline shakes her head, "No, Lucius, I'm not brave, I just couldn't handle any more pain. If they had caught me, I would have been severely beaten. I wanted death, but I hoped you'd give me a quick one, whereas I knew they would prolong my pain. They liked to do that, see how long they can hurt us until we are nearly dead from the pain."

"Not any longer, you are under my protection now. No one will hurt you if I have any say in it." He has a lot to say. In over a century no one has successfully defied him. Those that tried are long dead.