"For once, you arrived before I did," Lucius said to Nina the moment he walked through the door of the log cabin and swept her into his arms. Knowing Nina was about to snap angrily in reply, he quickly placed his lips over hers, kissing her hungrily until all else was forgotten.

Without pausing, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the only bed in the cabin, warmed by the roaring fireplace that Nina had gotten going when she first arrived. Ever so gently, he placed her down on the thick wool bedding, as if she were a fragile flower that could fall apart if handled without care.

Nina stared up at the man she had fallen for as he gazed back at her with love and not a small amount of desire. "Take your clothes off," she softly said, earning a slow, sensual smile from the vampire who was more than happy to oblige. Lucius flung his clothes off, creating a mess of fabric lying haphazardly all over the wooden floor, not that either of them cared, too lost in each other's love.

As if watching a beautiful play, Nina's eyes never left Lucius while he took his time putting on a very mouthwatering show. When he was done and hovering over her once more, she coyly smiled, "Now help me." Without wasting a second, he was kissing down her neck as his fingers deftly unbuttoned her dress, helping her shed the unnecessary cloth even as their bodies heated up.

Outside, a cool wind sent leaves rustling, detaching a few from the confines of the trees to drift along until reaching their final resting place on the forest floor. Warm shades of dusk deepened to the darkness of night; a candle was finally lit to share its light with the dancing flames from the fireplace inside the cozy cabin.

Curled comfortably on her side, Nina's eyes slowly fluttered open from a deep sleep to focus lazily on Lucius lying beside her, hands tucked behind his head, a contemplative look on his face. She frowned, not expecting him to look so preoccupied after their time together, and leaned over to him which startled him out of his reverie. He quickly readjusted his position to cuddle her in his arms.

She asked cautiously, "Is something the matter?"

He quickly leaned in to kiss her forehead, "Not at all."

In return, she gently flicked his forehead, earning an exaggerated cry of pain from the vampire. "Tell me the truth. Something bothers you."

"Just my father, as usual." Seeing the look of worry on her face, he sighed, "I thought our relationship had improved after I began taking on more administrative duties, but of late, it feels like we are back to the beginning." Lucius began absentmindedly stroking her hair.

"He used to pick on my lifestyle, and granted, I was living a life of debauchery," his expressful eyes earnestly met her own, "but ever since I met you, I am no longer that man." Nina gave Lucius a small but reassuring smile. The vampire prince was forthcoming about his past, not hiding how wild he had been, but Nina trusted him when he swore those days were behind him.

Lying next to her, he felt it important to staunchly reiterate, "No more parties nor getting drunk or doing anything remotely embarrassing." He heaved another deep sigh, as if trying to expel his feelings out with the air leaving his lungs, "I do what he says, when he wants it, without question. But why is it that after all I have done, Father still makes it sound like I am some worthless scoundrel, a good for nothing who leeches off his money. I am just so tired of trying so hard and yet achieving nothing when it comes to that man."

Lucius darted a glance at her frowning face and broke into his usual lopsided grin, obviously wanting to change the subject. "But enough about all the gloom and doom back in Tilrigen." He scooted off the bed to pick up his pants and began rummaging through its pockets. "I have something for you."

Lucius placed a small, round thing into her hand. Nina held it to the light.

"Amber." She recognised its warm colour.

He was still grinning at her, saying, "Lovely, yeah? I bought it from a human craftsman on my way to you."

She continued to play with it, admiring the way its beautiful hue glowed warmly in the light. Somehow it made her feel just as warm on the inside. "It truly is eye-catching. Thank you," Nina gave him a peck on the cheek.

Again, Lucius tucked his hands back behind his head. When he lapsed into silence, Nina lay quietly beside him, overcome by her own thoughts. Besides the invisibility shield, she had recently uncovered another Talent but this one seemed more detrimental than beneficial to her. Until now, she had seen it as a wasted Talent. Until now...

Her thoughts zeroed in on the sparrow, hopefully still locked in its cage back in its room, and the implications of what she had done to it. Could she do the same for Lucius? Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, she studied the man beside her through the coppery-gold haze of her long hair which she tried using to deliberately obscure her face from view.

Could she do it?

She could.

Should she?

If the Committee knew of such a power... Nina's heart turned cold at the thought. They would use her like a tool, forcing her to work ceaselessly, with even less of a care for her emotional well-being then they currently had.

"I know my handsomeness is beyond compare, so there is no reason to hide your admiration," Lucius broke her train of thought with his teasing.

Only then did she realise she had been caught staring. Was it that obvious? Nina smiled sheepishly back at the vampire. She gathered her thoughts for some time before carefully asking, "Lucius, do you love me?"

"I love you," he replied without a sliver of hesitance.

"Why?"

It was an odd question, one the vampire never expected from his lover. As he stared at her, perplexed, she pressed on, "Why do you love me, above all others?"

"Because you are the only one who sees me."

Nina felt as if she were staring into the depths of his soul as she gazed into his light blue eyes. "My flaws, the mistakes I have made, and also the good that I have done, you know them all and you accept me as I am." Lucius' unwavering eyes held her own, "To everyone else, I am Prince Lucius Bloodreign of House Bloodreign, heir to the throne and future leader of Tilrigen. To you, I am just Lucius."

Her own eyes darkening with emotion, Nina kissed him, his words a reflection of her own painful existence. 'I know what it feels like to be recognised for everything but who you are. I also know what it feels like to be valueless to others, other than when they need to use you.'

It was at that moment that Nina did something that would seal the fate of all supernaturals for the next thousand years. It was a spur of the moment decision, brought about by the shared suffering and lonely love of two unique lovers. She placed her hands firmly on both sides of his neck, and did to him what she had done to the sparrow.

Lucius gasped, eyes going round as he felt an electrical current run up the back of his head and down to the tip of his spine. "Nina," he called softly, unsure of what to do.

"Hush, my love. I must concentrate."

Lucius obediently quieted, not at all worried that his lover was doing something abnormal to him. The process was quick, and Nina released him after a few seconds.

"What was that?"

"My gift to you, something that will make your father proud of you."

Lucius was bemused by her answer, sitting up before gripping the sheets in both hands, "What?" Not two seconds later, a gush of flames erupted from his clenched fists, setting the bedding aflame.

**

On a sunny, mundane morning, Nina had been distractedly healing the wing of an injured sparrow she had come across near her home while thinking of how she could expand her fire-wielding capabilities, namely creating bigger flames, perfecting her striking accuracy and so on, when the unthinkable happened; Nina had accidentally gifted the sparrow the ability to spew fire. A new and unheard-of Talent of hers had been unlocked, one that left her with the headache of subduing a fire-breathing sparrow.

Nina quickly realised that once given, a Talent could not be returned. She knew this when she laid her hands on Lucius and gave him the gift of fire. It had taken Lucius more than an hour to douse the flames erupting from his fingertips, after careful coaching by Nina. Once the panic had faded, the joy quickly set in as Lucius excitedly squeezed the truth from Nina.

She swore him to secrecy before telling him everything, receiving fluttery kisses all over her face in return as Lucius went into a joyous frenzy, his face awash with delight and wonder. Seeing him so happy made her relieved, but concomitantly at the back of her mind, a niggling thought crept up slowly; just like the sparrow in its new home, had she inadvertently built Lucius an invisible cage?

Now as they stood at the outskirts of Onirique, Nina was beginning to seriously worry about the implications of her actions. Beside her, Lucius remained clueless, too overcome by his own emotional high. He had insisted on chaperoning her all the way back to the city even if it meant doubling back that much more to the vampire portal at Hjem. They took the shortcut through the woods although Nina avoided the redhead witch's home, explaining to Lucius of her encounter with the curse-witch along the way. He was intrigued but not fascinated enough to want to pay the place a visit.

Standing together, he pulled her into a tight hug, snapping Nina out of her worried thoughts.

"I love you." Face buried in the crook of her shoulder, he mumbled into her hair. All it took was those three words from him to make all her doubts and worries vanish. If there were consequences, she would deal with them later. Right now, all that mattered was the love she shared with Lucius. Nothing could be more precious than this.

She remained silent but firmly wrapped her arms around him. Right then, a cold breeze ruffled the tall grass by their feet. Lucius shivered as a peculiar icy pull spread through his chest. He pulled back from the hug, blinking in confusion and discomfort, but Nina smiled, one hand still touching his back. The feeling dissipated, and Nina pulled away, the piece of glowing amber hidden in her clenched fist.