A month passed and Lux hardly left my side.

He made sure that I ate and slept and he soothed me when I awoke from my nightmares. I soon found myself worrying about him. He looked exhausted and barely saw him drinking any blood. I was afraid of what happened to a vampire who didn't eat. If it was anything like- like I had felt... I didn't want him to go through that. Perhaps it was different, it could be easier. Or- or worse.

At the moment we laid curled upon the bed. It was a rare calm moment. No fighting him over eating something. No night terrors. No screaming. Just... us.

Lux sat behind me, my back was pressed against his chest and I sat between his legs. In my lap laid his laptop. His arms were curled tightly around my abdomen and his chin rested in the crook of my neck as he watched me play some sort of computer game. It made me feel like a kid again. Even though when I was actually a kid humans were just getting over the whole 'witch burning' thing. I felt Lux sigh softly and the heat of his breath tickled the hairs on my neck.

I jumped ever so slightly as I died. Again. The vampire squeezed his arms around me gently. I blinked and laid my head on his shoulder. Before twisting my face into his neck. I didn't want to play anymore. Lux took the hint and clapped the lid shut. He set it to the side and rolled us over as softly as he could. I winced as the fabric of my shirt scraped against the still sensitive wound on my lower abdomen. It spanned across a good part of my belly. Red and ugly every time I glimpsed it.

The incision, they'd said, would take a while to heal since they had to use 'special substances' to keep it from healing over while my baby was ...removed. The special substance being a holy one, a rare powder or liquid that could potentially immobilize a demon. And stop them from healing. All hospitals had a very limited supply. Just in case. Demon ones, at least.

I pressed my body against him and we became a tangle of limbs. My arms wound themselves around his waist as I buried my face in his chest. Lux purred from deep in his chest and ran his fingers over my shoulder blades. It had been like this the past few days. If he could finally coax me to lie down, then he'd lull me to sleep through brushes and pets. We'd often take naps to accommodate for the loss of sleep I'd caused the both of us. The vampire's warm breath fanned over my head as he pulled me closer to his chest.

It seemed as though sleep had almost fallen over me when I felt Lux's body go rigid. His hand clamped onto my hip.

"It appears his highness has popped in for a surprise visit," he grit his teeth in mild annoyance. For a few thundering moments, I thought he'd meant Cassius. But the way he'd spoken told me that was not the case. It ached all over again to think of him. To think of my body so close to Lux. And to feel the burden of my scar weighing on me like an anchor. "You don't have to speak with him if you don't want to."

I nodded numbly and pressed my face into his chest again, inhaling his scent. It calmed me in a way I didn't like to admit. I could hear footsteps stomping up the stairs and slid my eyes closed.

"You fucker, do you know how long you've been gone?" Someone seethed as the door was pried open. It was a male voice, smooth and a tad commanding. I could hear the stranger's breath catch slightly as he stepped into the room. "Are you seriously fucking with me right now Lux?"

"Go away Bane I'm busy," ah, so that's who it was. Infamous vampire king of the American district.

"Busy my ass. I thought you didn't do boyfriends?" Bane sounded simply appalled at the sight of us.

"Not my boyfriend," I could almost feel Lux rolling his eyes. The other man sniffed the air.

"Holy shit, Lux, are you fucking with me?" The vampire king was... not what I'd expected. "You found your mate?"

"Yes, and he's been through a trying time recently so maybe you should fuck off," Lux replied with a subtle menace in his voice. It jarred me that Lux had sworn, I'd... never heard him do that before.

"Don't be a dick, man," Bane hissed as I wiggled closer to Lux, "pretty boy has been riding my ass since that mission went awry."

I briefly pondered who pretty boy was, but didn't come up with any results.

And the only mission I knew of was the party.

"Are you going to go away or do I have to get up?" Lux sighed with no threat in his tone but sounded thoroughly irritated.

"No way are you getting out of this one you jackass," Bane muttered and I finally peeled my face away from Lux's chest and risked a glance over my shoulder at the vampire king.

I took in his appearance. His hair was a pale, pale blond color that was slicked back out of his face and the ends curled into gentle waves. His eyes too were a light mint green that narrowed in on my face for a fleeting moment. His tall frame was leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, shoulders back. I blinked in surprise when I noticed the way his ears were slightly pointed as they poked out from beneath his hair. Like a... faerie. He gave me a careful smirk when he realized where my eyes had landed.

"I can wiggle them too," his eyes danced with amusement and my stomach plummeted at how the attention shifted to me.

"Give me five minutes Bane," Lux groaned and rubbed his temples.

-------------------

And five minutes later Lux was walking me down the steps to where Bane waited in the living room. It took him some convincing that I was okay enough to endure the tiring company of his friend. As we turned into the room, I first noticed Bane lounging on a couch. A sparkling glass in one hand and the other hanging off the back of the couch.

And across from the vampire, another man sat, arms crossed like a child and face set in a brooding scowl.

It was Zisael.

Our eyes met and the same jolt of recognition rocketed through that gaze. The prince was on his feet in a flash as he stared at me in disbelief.

"Alabaster?" Zisael choked and looked at me with wide eyes, he looked the same as I'd last seen him. Except there was a litter of bitemarks around his neck and throat that nearly mirrored the ones Lux had given me. Bane looked into his glass and took a sip. Lux placed a warm hand on my lower back.

"And how do you two know each other?" The vampire king pondered, sounding uninterested, but I could hear an undertone of something I didn't recognize. Neither of us responded as we embraced each other. Not as enemies. Not as demons. But as friends. As brothers. It was a moment before the vampire spoke again, "Zisael, you know I don't like it when you don't answer me."

"It's a long, long story," Zisael muttered breathlessly as we broke apart and he scanned me for any sign of damage, it seemed. Bane pat the cushion beside him and Zisael hesitantly obeyed.

Lux pulled me onto a couch opposite from them and my heart beat fast at the exchange that had just occurred. Zisael was here. And now he could tell Cassius where I was.

"Do indulge us with this long story," Bane drawled, he seemed... different from how he'd acted upstairs.

"Well, the first time I ever met Zisael he pinned me to a tree in the royal gardens," I started, remembering how I'd loathed him at that moment. Now, I couldn't imagine hating Zisael in any way.

"Why were you there?" Bane grimaced and poured more alcohol into his cylindrical glass.

"Prince Cassius... might have taken me to his... bed," I felt Lux tense beside me as he rested a hand on my knee. The vampire king, no doubt, noticed this.

"I see it's a sore subject between you two," the man observed with no malice or hint at trying to stir something.

"Cassius took Alabaster as his mate until I found him at that wretched ball," Lux cut in with an icy tone. Bane spewed his drink and choked a little bit.

"He what?" The vampire gasped and I winced slightly. This was a mess.

"It was a misunderstanding. Cassius felt the bond from me, but I didn't feel it in return. And between Lux and I... it's mutual," I faltered, but that didn't make it sound right. I wanted to be mated to Cassius. But I couldn't say that here. Not with them.

"Moving on," Zisael butted in to save me from the tension, "the next time we met was after Alabaster left the castle."

"Right, at- at Impulse," I nodded and wrapped my arms around myself. "And we chatted, for a little while."

"Yep, and then all that shit with Cassius went down," the prince went on, skimming over the part about our sexual relations.

"And that's when he... marked me," I coughed and leaned against Lux in an attempt to soothe him if anything got too out of hand.

"Then the party happened and now we're here," Zisael ended abruptly, "and that's the gist of it."

"What a long story," Bane mocked and took the last swig of his drink.

"Shut up, those were just the major parts," the prince replied and I watched as the vampire king shot him a warning glance.

"Why don't you two go catch up while I speak with Lux?" The vampire offered and no one argued. We all knew who held the most authority in this room. And it was him.

I hesitated as I stood up and looked to Lux, he gave me a small nod and I walked out of the room with Zisael.

-------------------

As soon as we were out of hearing range the prince launched his question.

"What about the baby?" He sounded worried and I stiffened. My lips were drawn in a tight line and my fists clenched. I breathed in and out.

"Th-the baby," I choked and felt the scar on my stomach ten times more, "the baby is dead."

Zisael stopped in his tracks.

"What?" He sounded absolutely horrified. That one simple word was so fearful and disbelieving.

"I-it died, in the wo-womb," I faltered and felt the panic swelling in my chest, I held my hand over my heart as if trying to slow it down.

"Oh, Alabaster," he whispered and wrapped his arms around me. I gladly fell into the embrace and began to sob uncontrollably. I had already learned that it wasn't worth it to try to hold in. "I am so, so sorry."

Zisael pat my back until I had calmed my breathing once more.

"C-can you tell Cassius? Where I am?" I asked hopefully and saw as his face fell.

"I'm not in contact with him anymore," he admitted sadly, "they... banished me. Someone had to be blamed for the attack and I was the most obvious choice. My father... my family know, about my relationship with Bane. I was prepared to take the fall if that happened, Cassius and I and Bane planned it you know. And it just... went wrong. My brother was the one who convinced our father not to kill me."

I stood still and let that information sink in. They were in it together? How long? What Cassius had done... it was treason.

"So you still love him, I take it?" Zisael asked rather hopefully.

"I always will," I murmured firmly and didn't dare let my voice quiver. Not when it was a declaration that was so important to me.

I would always love Cassius.