The lusting lily. I had never heard of it before, but it seemed pretty self-explanatory. It made enough sense when combined with my recent actions that my stomach plummeted to my very feet and I felt my body wobble as if I were standing on a ship, not on solid ground.

"Come, darling," Xion said, holding out his hand towards me. The fingers I had grinded against were now trembling, but when I didn't move to take his hand, he simply grabbed my wrist anyway, pulling me along.

I had been drugged. I had been given something to fill my head with lust over my lunch. It explained why I felt so strange during my training with Devlin.

"Do you think Devlin was the target?" I asked, before I could think better of it. "If it was given to me right before my training, then maybe he was the one I was supposed to...seduce."

Xion's grip tightened on my wrist for the briefest second, then softened almost instantly. "I don't know," he managed, like his throat was closing at just the thought.

I was taken to my room where Xion pulled out new clothing for me to wear, his eyes trained on everything and anything that was not me. And while part of me could understand, another part of me was wounded, frightened.

"We will leave you in peace. Send a guard if you need for anything," Xion said, his back already to me, moving towards the door.

"Please don't go." The words came out raw and hurt. "Please." Because, if he left, then I would be alone. Because, if he left with all these words unsaid, who knew how long it would take to close the rift between us. I had just given myself to him and he was running.

"I don't know if that would be a wise idea," Seraphina said from her spot by the door where she watched the entire event unfold.

Xion only nodded mutely in agreement.

"I think it has worn off, Seraphina. If you are uncomfortable or would like to start...searching for answers, please go ahead," I added. Whatever hadn't faded yet was no match for the sickly feeling that was brewing in my belly. Xion flinched, his dark eyes flashing towards the door like a wounded animal looking for an escape route, desperate to follow his sister. "Xion, I'm not upset about what happened. We didn't know."

"I should have known," he hissed.

I sat on my bed. I should have hated that I was in such a vulnerable position in front of him again. I wasn't uncomfortable and I knew that even if I took off the robe, I would feel the same way. The violent, arrogant vampire that Sampson had encountered was not the same vampire that was in the room with me. "How would you have known?" I challenged. "I have made advances before. How were you supposed to know that this one was fueled by something else?"

"I should have known," he repeated.

"Xion, come sit."

He wouldn't even look at me, staring stubbornly at the fireplace instead.

"Xion, please come sit with me."

He begrudgingly complied and I couldn't help but notice that he sat as far away from me as possible. It simply wouldn't do, not when I was feeling this way. I shuffled close enough that I could loop my arm through his and rest my cheek against his shoulder. He was entirely rigid. Even still, just having him here helped.

"I'm not upset," I said. "Well, not with you. And I don't regret anything that happened." I would sort out the other emotions later, as ugly and as tangled as they were. I couldn't have him blaming himself.

"You don't need to lie to me."

I peered up at him through my lashes, saw how tight his jaw was, how dark his eyes had become. My hand reached up on its own accord, my thumb smoothing a line along his jaw. I expected him to soften, to lean against me. He only became more rigid.

"Please look at me," I whispered.

Dark, storm cloud eyes met mine finally. And I could see it all right there. The hatred, the anger, the fear, the agony. "I wanted you to touch me. I wanted more. The wine started to hit me while I was training with Devlin and all I could do was run right to you. And you wouldn't even give me what I really wanted. I don't regret what we have done and I wouldn't have regretted it if we had gone further. The reason it happened is one thing, but what happened is a different thing to me entirely."

"It is not your job to comfort me right now, Lark," he grunted. "I should be comforting you. You are under my care, in my palace. I let this happen."

"It could have been an accident or a mistake." I wasn't quite sure how, but I was certain there was a way.

Xion let out a sigh and moved to untangle me from him. I probably could have fought a little harder, but his rejection was clear enough. And he was right, he should be comforting me. I could only beg for him so many times.

"You will be safe here tonight. I promise that. I will change staff around immediately," Xion vowed, rising to his feet. I thought he would go back to staring at the floor, but his gaze was steady and on me. "I feel that it is only fair that we allow for a clause in our agreement. I have not been able to keep you safe. If you feel like you want to leave, you are free to do so. The three month agreement will not apply should you choose to leave within the next couple of days."

"Xion--"

"If you need anything, I will have someone stationed outside your door."

I wanted to call after him. I wanted to demand that he hold me until we both felt alright again, but somehow, I knew I couldn't force it out of him.

The door clicked shut behind him, muffling the whispers of his conversation with Seraphina. I just fell back on my bed, laying there numbly. Someone had put something in my drink. And because of that, I had ripped through the halls of this palace, hunting down my mate. He had touched me as if I were a masterpiece. And now, I just felt violated and vulnerable. Not because of him, but because of someone else.

"Xion, you can't just leave her without a guard!" Seraphina shouted, her voice shrill and sharp.

I heard Xion's low voice say something in reply, but he was calm enough to not raise his voice.

"What do you mean someone else will cover her? I am her guard. You made it so. You know that I can protect her. You should be doing your due diligence and swap all the staff. Clearly, we don't know who we can trust."

"You're right, we don't know who we can trust!" Xion snapped back, then softened, but only slightly. "This is not personal. I wouldn't be a proper ruler if I didn't make everyone follow the same rules. I've even asked Devlin to take the night off as my personal guard."

"This is personal, because I am your sister!" Seraphina pressed.

"Well, as a sister, you should understand that I will do everything in my power to protect my mate. So, you are dismissed for the evening and I will personally appoint a new guard for this evening."

"And for the other nights?" Seraphina demanded.

There was only silence on the other side of the door. Because there was no guarantee that I would be here beyond tonight.

I stayed in the room for the rest of the night. I knew that if I opened the door, a new face would be waiting for me. Today had already turned into a nightmare. I didn't want to see pity in someone's eyes, didn't want to amble my way through an awkward introduction. I didn't even call on Daisy to run me a bath, though I thought the hot water and some nicely scented soaps might ease my mind.

Instead, I changed out of the robe into something comfortable and loose. And I stared at the ceiling. I had been drugged. Someone had slipped that stupid flower into my drink and, in turn, I had crawled all over Xion. The shift in him had been intense. From gawking at me like I was an entire universe to unable to make eye contact.

And now, I was free to leave. I should have wanted to go. I should have been frightened. I didn't understand why anyone would want to put anything in my drink, but I didn't appreciate being a target. I had never been targeted for anything back in my village. It was sleepy there and any threats could have been taken care of by my father.

I stayed there, on that stupid bed, feeling lonely and a little wild. I knew I slept a little, but it more felt like blinks of time passing.

The next morning, Xion didn't come for me. I wasn't exactly expecting him to, but I was hoping that he would be there first thing with a tray of breakfast. He would apologize and tell me that I was free to leave if I so wished, but I would stay. He would kiss me so sweetly and I would wonder how I ever considered leaving.

That didn't happen.

No one came for me and when I finally forced myself to get dressed and peer outside. A guard I didn't know was outside. I had seen her around the palace before and though she looked sweeter than Seraphina could ever be, I found her to be infinitely less comforting of a sight.

"Good morning," she said, straightening her already rigid posture.

"Can you take me to Xion?" I asked, not particularly in the mood for pleasantries.

She faltered. I was sure that if Devlin had been present, he would have given her the lecture of a lifetime about keeping her thoughts off her face. "I cannot," she said after a second.

"Has Xion told you to keep me away?" I grilled.

"Um, no."

"Then take me to him," I ordered.

"I am unable to do that," the guard said, her voice wavering.

"Why not?" I barked.

"I haven't been--"

"Because Xion is gone," Devlin interrupted.

I whirled around to face the large man.

"What do you mean, gone?"

~~~Question of the Day~~~

What song did this chapter remind you of?