Lucius

19

It takes three days of being constantly by her side for Star to change back to Faline. During that time Lucius doesn't leave her side. He does his best to reassure her and tell her how much he loves her. He cries more than once as he holds her.

It is during one of those times that she transforms. "Lucius, if you love me so much why did you push me away? Why did you stop being with me and even go so far as to move to another room?" The pain in her voice pierces him to his very soul.

"I didn't ever mean to hurt you. I have been a loner for a very long time. There is a council member that has been trying to destroy me for most of that time. He it was that had the council take out my family. For some reason they believed his lies. My parents stood in his way and so he murdered them in cold blood, but somehow got the council to sign off on it, making it legal.

"He it was the loudest voice against me keeping you as my ward. When I went to inform them that you are my mate he wanted to forcefully separate us. They other council members looked at him in horror and voted him down. I gained a promise from them that they would leave us alone.

"I received information that he is planning on attacking me through you. I'm still not sure how or when, but I know that it will be soon. He can't afford to have his plans come to light because he will be working directly against a council order. Should he be found out then he'll be punished. At the very least he'll lose his council seat." Lucius tells her everything. Things he should have told her before and didn't. Things that nearly lost him his love.

Faline looks at him in anger, "It involves me and threatens my life and you didn't think that it was important for me to know that?"

Lucius knows that he's in deep shit right now. He's alright with that as long as she's still alive and not running away from him.

"I'm sorry, Faline. I'm not used to sharing my thoughts and plans. I know that's a weak ass excuse, especially since I damn near lost you because of my own actions.

"I love you more than life, Faline. I wouldn't fade like Star was, I'd go down with a lot of deaths by my hand. I can't lose you. Yet, at the same time I almost did. If Darin found out about what happened..."

Faline looks at him scared, "Who did you say?"

"Lord Darin, he's the one that has made himself my enemy." Lucius states then looks at her scared face.

"What's wrong?"

"The so called alpha of the pack that kidnapped me? The day I heard him saying that he was going to force me? Well he said that he had orders from Darin that I was to die. He was going to force me and let the others force me until I died. But it was all because of the orders of that Darin." Faline looks very scared like he hasn't seen her since he first found her.

Lucius speaks slowly trying to piece things together, "You think that Darin is behind the rogues attacking your original pack and taking you?"

"I never saw them scared of anyone, except when they talked about you or about him. They were terrified of him, nearly as terrified of him as they were of you."

"If it was Lord Darin they were referring to they had reason to be scared of him. He's almost as powerful as I am." Lucius says softly and pulls her close.

Faline is confused, "Don't vampires get stronger as they age?"

"Yes, and Darin is very strong because of that. He's very old, one of the oldest."

"But wouldn't that make you weaker than him?" Faline turns in his arms so that she is facing him.

"True, normally it would, but my family is stronger than his. We are direct descendants of the first vampires. His family comes from the third generation of vampires and is much weaker as a result. That's why he wanted my family dead."

"There must be a better reason than that, and why would he care about me one way or another? Besides, with me as your mate you won't be having children and there won't be anymore of your bloodline, so it doesn't make sense to mess with things."

"I don't know the answers, but I'm going to find them out one way or another, that much I can promise you." Lucius tells her.

Faline has brought up some very valid points and arguments. It really doesn't matter why, but he wants to know. Why mess with things now? With them as mates there won't be young for either of them so both their bloodlines will end. There is no reason to mess with either of them again. There must be more. There must be something in Faline's line that made her parents and hence her a target for Darin.

He needs to talk to Alpha Steven.

"Fancy a trip to the pack tomorrow?"

"Not particularly, no. Why do you want to go there?" Faline asks him, only mildly curious. She hasn't been back to the pack territory since Star presented. She doesn't miss it a bit. She does miss the females.

"Have you heard how the males were after the females returned?" Faline finally asks Lucius.

Lucius smirks, "More than a few of the females returned to the hotel when the house they left spotless was filled with garbage and stank to high heaven. It took the males more than a week to clean up sufficiently for all the females to return.

"From what I understand, the males are a lot more appreciative of their mates now. They are far less condescending and treat them more like they should." Lucius keeps the smirk in place as he tells her this.

"Oh, and just how should that be, Lucius?"

Lucius loses his smirk. "They should have been treating them like goddesses or at least as equals. More like I did before I pushed you away. I swear, Faline, I will never do that again. When I heard Star's howl it damn near killed me, nearly brought me to my knees in pain. I can't believe I pushed you away from me like I did.

"I swear that I'll never do that again. Just promise me, Faline, that you won't ever leave me again."

"I won't make a promise I don't know if I can keep. You were killing me, Lucius, I will leave if you do that again."

"Never again, Faline. I can't handle it."