I don't remember falling asleep, though I did remember fighting the tired feeling as it became stronger and stronger. Right after my meeting with the witch queen, I had assumed I wouldn't be able to get a sound sleep for weeks, but as more and more words poured out of me, the easier the sleep came. But I did regret not crawling into the little tent when my back ached from leaning against a tree stump all night.

As I went to stretch in an effort to shake some of the kinks out, I realized that a blanket had been placed over me.

"You complained every time I tried to move you," Xion explained. The fire had died between us, the world far too wet here, but he looked as if he hadn't even breathed since I fell asleep.

"Well, my body is complaining at me now, serves me right," I said around a yawn, stretching my arms up over my head. "I can't believe I just fell asleep out here after...everything." After meeting his mother, after hearing her awful words, after seeing dead bodies, after knowing I had been the target.

"I stayed awake. I watched you." His cheeks darkened at the confession. Even though he was embarrassed, it wasn't his words that caught my attention. It was the fact that I could see him blushing. He had gotten so pale over the night. "I wasn't watching you. I just meant that I was on watch."

"It's okay," I said, pushing the blanket off me. "But I think we should get going. The horses have had some rest and some grass and we have gotten our sleep. There's no point in delaying."

"So eager to get back?" Xion asked, cocking his head.

"Something like that," I replied.

The first act of business was getting out of this now ruined gown. I snuck off to the privacy of the woods to slip into something more comfortable for the travels. I raked my fingers through my hair, trying not to be too self-conscious of all the knots they got snagged on and splashed some cool water on my face. I never wished for Daisy's critical eye more. She would have fashioned a hairbrush out of twigs and made me look fabulous.

When I returned, Xion was holding the same water container that I had put my blood in. That had felt like a lifetime ago now. His nose wrinkled as he brought it to his mouth, Devlin saying something to him as he drank. Watching the warmth return to his skin was as obvious as watching a sunrise. Then he gagged a little bit and shoved the waterskin back at Devlin.

"I'll have you know that there are at least a few hundred vampires in our kingdom that would kill for even a taste of my blood," Devlin teased.

"Yes, yes, unfortunately, the magic in your blood no longer has its appeal for me," Xion sighed. "But I appreciate it nonetheless. I think I could have made it home, but it's simply not worth the risk."

"Are you ready, Lark?" Devlin asked as I moved towards them.

"I suppose so. Were you able to get enough sleep to recover?"

"Of course, Xion let me sleep all night, even though I was supposed to take night watch. Whenever you're ready, we'll pack the rest of our items and be on our way."

Devlin was the one to drive us back home. Xion was to be tucked away in the carriage with me for security reasons. It was so strange to travel back to the vampire lands the same way we had left them, knowing that something had shifted, knowing that what I had experienced out here had changed me.

I didn't realize how safe I felt in the merprovince until we passed through the sticky, heavy veil. What had made me panic on the way there, tightened my belly even more on the way back.

"You're awfully quiet again, my dove."

I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. "I don't feel like this journey has helped us solidify any form of trust so I can hardly guess why you think I would be a chatty companion now. The only reason I talked to you last night was because I wanted to share home with someone."

"Right, of course. What do you feel I withheld from you now?"

My eyes flashed to him. "Are you serious, Xion? You didn't think to tell me that your mother is the witch queen? A little bit of warning would have been nice! And then, she blatantly asked you if you would kill me!"

He had the decency to flinch which made me feel a pinch better about the situation. "That is on me, unfortunately. I honestly never meant to keep you ignorant. I just thought that you would know. It's not something that has been quiet or hidden in our world. The witch queen has children for alliances and power trips. I was brought up with the expectation that I would play a large role in the vampire court, one way or another. I have been hated and monitored by the vampire community and the witch community for so long that I just assumed everyone was aware of who I was."

"Humans are more focused on survival than your politics," I responded. But I could feel something softer, something more sympathetic around my heart giving way.

"I never meant to blindside you," he murmured. "I was properly horrified when I realized my mistake. And as for my mother's comment, it means nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"Don't," I snapped, whatever softness within me vanished. "Do not brush it off as if it was nothing. She asked you if you could kill me, Xion. No mother should say anything like that about a woman their child intends to be with. Mate or not, human or not."

He flinched again, wincing as if I had physically struck him. "My mother had a complicated relationship with her mate. When kingdoms are involved, mate bonds can and have turned ugly. He attempted to poison her which led to her successfully poisoning him. But all of that was far before me. It was after she killed her mate that she decided to start procreating for the sake of power because having a life or children for any other reason no longer seemed valuable."

"How can I be sure that we are any different?"

"Considering our first real meeting involved you holding a knife to my throat, I suppose I really can't. But we have an agreement already. Three months. If things don't work out as they should between mates, then we have already agreed to move on. You and your family will be taken care of one way or another and I will continue to be king. We don't have to try to make things work if it is clear that they will not."

This was all dreadfully complicated. I let my head fall into my hands with a groan. I wanted to go home, I wanted to see my family. I yearned so badly for the simple cottage life that dull Sampson could offer me. I would have given just about anything to experience a day at a market with my father like I used to, before all of this had been dropped onto me.

But now, when I thought of returning to my village, something was wrong. I thought of Sampson coming through the door of our home and my stomach soured. The idea of sharing dances with him, or saying my vows to him, or lying beneath him when... Hell, I really was going to be sick.

"Lark, sweetheart," Xion whispered. "It is just three months and we hardly have two months left now. We will figure this all out as we go. We don't have to rush and we certainly don't have to make any decisions right now."

But that was the problem, wasn't it? The decision I would have made even two weeks ago seemed so clear. And now, given the same set of options, I had no clue which path to take. Then again, I had never been terrified for my life living back home. Maybe the answer was simpler than I assumed.

"Xion, you still killed your father. You're still a vampire. You still kidnapped me. How am I supposed to be okay with any of this?"

"I can't answer that for you, Lark. And I can't expect you to understand it either. The life you lived is nothing like how I grew up. I can understand why you reacted to the news of my father the way you did, but I was not raised under his wing like you were with your dad. I came to claim my rightful place in his court when the vampire blood within me consumed all the witch blood I had. He said he would wipe out my entire family if I tried to take my rightful place. I made a decision that seemed simple at the time. Now, I am here, protecting the witch people."

There was a beat of silence as the carriage slowed. Xion's hand immediately flickered to where I now knew he kept a dagger, but fell away as we jostled back and forth through some ruts.

"How are you protecting them?"

"Did you know that when vampires consume witch blood, they get a short burst of magic? Insubstantial really, maybe enough to hold a magelight for a moment or two, but it gives the vampires a wild thrill. So, naturally, when lower powered witches like Devlin were hunted. It went on for centuries, but when witch after witch were found dead, my mother could not be idle. Yes, I have burned through my witch blood, but I was still raised there. And it's not like what happened to the witches was exclusive. Do you enjoy participating in the Bloodletting?"

"I was able to manage it until I got kidnapped," I replied hotly.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, vampires are not bloodthirsty creatures who only come out at night. Do you think a kind man would orchestrate something like the Bloodletting when it is just as reasonable to ask for volunteers? Why do you think that a man who prefers women ordered that only women participate?"

"Oh." I couldn't even control my expression as it contorted with disgust. "That's vile."

"He was vile. I will not tell you how to feel about what I have done to my father, but I can honestly say that I have no regrets. He might have not been awful for his own species, but he was awful for the others. A man that cannot see consequence beyond his own nose is not meant to be a ruler."

Well, it explained why he was so hated. He wasn't even a full-blood vampire and here he was ruling their kingdom after being raised elsewhere, with different ethics. Their previous king had fought for them, had hurt others for them, and here Xion was calling out their behavior.

"So now I understand why they attacked you," I said. "But I'm still confused as to why they wanted me. I am not a queen. I have no political power. I can't sway you one way or another."

Xion sighed, the tension deepening into his skin. "Because you are my mate. And if you choose to leave me, that is fine. That is something I can live with. But if you were taken from me..." His features tightened as if he were in physical pain. "I would not rest. I would not remember that I am king. I would find you, no matter the cost. And they know that, they know the power of a mate. If they laid a hand on you, hurt you, or killed you, it would destroy me. it is why I have kept you hidden behind the walls for so long, why I could not retrieve you myself. Now, I just need to figure out how they found out about you."

~~~Question of the Day~~~

Have you ever had a surprise party?