"I vote we play more knights and dragons first," Angel declares when I initially arrive. Grinning, she points her sword at me. "Seren should be the dragon this time. Papa will be the king and I'll be the knight who rescues him!"

Lore claps in exaggerated delight. "That sounds wonderful! Please save me from this terrible beast, Angel. Papa is so scared."

"I'll make sure the dragon never even looks at you again!" Angel shouts and pokes me roughly in the stomach with the tip of her blade. Her expression sours. "This is where you fight me, dragon."

"Oh... I thought we were voting first on what to play," I mumble, glancing awkwardly between the giggling children and Lore's sympathetic smile. I get the feeling he goes through the kids bouncing back and forth between ideas on the daily. This isn't what I'm used to so I don't really know what to do.

"Yeah, you promised we'd play hide and seek next!" Oliver juts out his bottom lip.

He shoots the dangerous expression at Lore, who immediately says, "That's right, we're playing hide and seek now."

I see Lore does have a weakness; his pouting children.

"Let's ask Seren to play knights and dragons another day, okay?" Lore smiles at Angel.

"Fine," Angel huffs, reluctantly slipping her sword into its sheath.

Lore claps to get the kids attention. "Come on, kiddo's, we promised Oliver we'd play hide and seek today."

Darika's concentration wavers. The gusts of wind erupting from her hands dissipate. Isabella howls with laughter when she drops right into Arline's outstretched arms. Darika smiles sheepishly even if her sister continues giggling deliriously after the drop. Once everyone's rounded up, we draw straws to determine who seeks and who hides. Reegan and Arline become the seekers while the rest of us sprint across the estate.

When was the last time I played hide and seek, or any form of childish game? We played at the orphanage, but once I began my training I... well, I trained. There was work to be done. Monsters to slay. Day in and day out I practiced with sword, dagger, bow, then an axe to find what I excelled at, what could keep me alive on the field.

I missed so much, didn't I?

"Ready or not, here we come!" Arline and Reegan call in unison.

Shit! I dive under a bush along the outskirts of the treeline. The vegetation's thick and will provide good cover, but apparently I'm not the only one who thought that.

"Damn it all, what are you doing?" I hiss when Lore comes rolling into my hiding place. "Go find your own spot."

"Come now, sharing is caring," he says, choosing to rest on top of me rather than to the side or even under another bush.

My breath catches when our hips make fast friends. My thighs cradle his waist. I feel his legs brush against mine. Then our chests meet and his long hair that, today of all days, isn't up in a ponytail or braid, drapes over his shoulders to tickle my cheeks. The shadows cut across his porcelain features, eerily perfect, and his eyes shimmer like waves under the blinding sun.

"This--this has nothing to do with sharing," I manage to hiss, though the frustration I attempt to push into my voice disappears by the time the words pass my lips. I sound almost desperate. For what? I'm afraid to learn the answer.

"This is your attempt to irritate me by cutting into my personal space. Again," I add, glowering at his wicked grin.

"How flattering to know that you've been observing me so passionately as to guess my true intentions," he says.

Leaves and grass beneath us crunch when he moves to rest his elbows on either side of my head, successfully trapping me. This is when paranoia, fear, and self preservation should kick in. All my years of training are meant to resurface and find a way to escape, but the haze of my mind grows too strong. Even more so when his hips move either to drive me mad or make himself more comfortable. Regardless, I grasp his hips like I think that'll steady us, but I don't push him away.

"Shouldn't you have found a place to hide inside?" I ask, holding my breath when his nose brushes mine.

Lore raises a curious brow.

"You're getting your clothes dirty out here. Aren't you too expensive for that?" I explain.

He chuckles. I feel that damn sound reverberating in his chest and my own because of the fact that we're practically glued together. Is the temperature rising? It's hotter than I remember out here.

"I've been playing with the children outside for hours. I'm already filthy," he says, eyes falling half mast in a manner that makes me question my resolve. "Although, I'm certainly not opposed to getting filthy with you sometime. I'm sure it'd be worth it."

"You're... vile."

Lore chuckles a second time, making me suck in a breath. The natural movement of his body makes our hips slide. Any more of this and he's definitely going to notice something I'd rather he not remark on, but my body won't listen. It won't move, at least not in the way I'm telling it to.

"Shouldn't you be the one more concerned in this situation?" Lore abruptly asks.

"What do you mean?"

"Won't your boyfriend get upset knowing you're in a rather compromising position with another man?"

"Boyfriend?" I repeat, feeling suddenly embarrassed. I try to turn away but Lore surrounds me. One squirming movement from me forces me to bite my lip to keep back a moan. Lore's grin widens and I want nothing more than to kis--smack it off his stupid face.

"We aren't boyfriends," I finish too breathlessly.

"Oh, so you're the bad boy type?" He reaches up to tug at the high collar of my undershirt, revealing the very kiss marks I was trying to hide. I shove his hand away with my shoulder.

"Please, as if someone as hot as you hasn't had a plethora of one night stands that may or may not turn into anything," I say, thinking I've made sense until Lore's vicious smile makes me struggle to swallow.

"Someone as hot as me," he repeats, making my cheeks burn.

"You misheard--"

"I certainly didn't," he interjects, leaning in so the heat of his breath sears my neck. My body shivers. I'd say it's from fear, but I can't even convince myself of that nonsense.

"Seren," he whispers and presses his body firmly against mine. My fingers dig into his hips--to pull him closer.

"I can hear you, Papa!" Reegan calls, forcing sense into the both of us.

Lore veers back. I release him and push away, crawling away from the scene of the crime.

"Found you!" Reegan shouts. "And you too, Seren! Come out!"

"Ah, I thought we found the perfect spot. You're too good at this, sweetie," Lore laughs like he wasn't turning my world upside down a mere moment ago. I hear him standing and the twigs crunching on his steps as he walks away.

"I don't know, I found you 'cause the two of you were talking." Reegan giggles. "Seren, are you coming?"

"Y-Yeah." I cough and push myself onto shaking legs. "I'm coming."

I fear turning around, so I keep my gaze low. I can't look at him, to face what almost happened, what I would have let happen. If Reegan hadn't come when she did, Lore would have... and I would have...

I press the back of my hand to my lips. I feel sick.

"Seren?" Reegan tugs on my sleeve. I look down at her, forcing a smile.

"Are you okay?" she asks tentatively. "You look... funny."

"Sick, I think she meant sick," Arline explains. She must be sticking close to Reegan during their search, to help her or make sure she doesn't wander off into the woods on her own.

"I'm fine. I think I'm just getting a little hungry since it's almost lunch time," I say, giving Reegan a reassuring nod.

She believes my lie and nods. "Okay, but you can still help search, yeah? Since I caught you, that means you help me find the others."

"Of course. I'll make sure to find every single one of them."

She holds up her hand, puzzling me momentarily until I give her the high five she requested. Then she heads off, marching proudly after having captured two of us. I follow after her, sensing Lore's presence a few steps behind. His gaze burns my neck. Feels as if his every thought is forming thin needles to pierce my skin, to further rile me up.

That's all this is, isn't it? His attempt to confuse, tempt, and ruin a paladin of the Holy Church. I'm a play thing and my reactions encourage him to do more. To push and prod until I'm teetering on the edge of a cliff, then when the time is right--he'll push.

I almost glance over my shoulder, naively hopeful to see similar confusion on his face, but I manage to refrain. This won't do. I can't do this. Should I...

Should I write to the church to request a new mission? What in the Mother's names am I meant to tell them though? That I'm--that the charms of a dhampir are too much to handle. That his every move tempts me more and more. I fear I'll lose myself.

No, no, I can't do this. I can't tell the church. My family. They're all I have left. I'm nothing without them. No one. Just... Seren. Alone without a home or any reason to live. I wouldn't be here without them. I'd have died without them. I owe them everything.

What will Olere think of me; a disappointment? A disgrace? A pathetic man incapable of controlling his base urges? Olere and everyone a part of the church will see me as a waste, as a failure unworthy of the title of paladin and especially unworthy of their affection. I'll lose them. Everyone. My family, gone. Again. Maybe that is to be my punishment for daring to think for even a moment that Lore... that we could--

Sometime during my trance, I've found someone. Ashby stares wide-eyed at me from his hiding place in the kitchen cupboards. He holds a shaking finger to his lips in a silent request. His dim red eyes once overcome by fear at the sight of me hold a childish glee and that's all it takes to make me smile. It both soothes and terrifies me.

"Not telling is cheating," I whisper and present my hand to him, surprised when he takes hold almost instantly. Pouting, he scurries out of the cupboard. I notice him wince.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I ask, looking him over with sudden worry. "Are you hurt?"

Ashby looks down at his ankle that's slightly red and swollen. "I tripped," he mutters, head lowered in dejection.

"Hey, that's okay. We all trip. I've fallen down more stairs than I could count," I say, grinning when that gets a soft chuckle from him. Should I heal him--a paladin of the Holy Church using divinity to heal a dhampir child, Lore might throw a fit or Ashby may not like it either.

"Do you mind if I pick you up? We can go see your Papa so he can look at that," I suggest to be safe.

Ashby thinks for a brief moment, worrying me that I might have put him on the spot, like he'll feel bad if he says no. I'm about to suggest I merely call for Lore since he's nearby, but then Ashby holds up his arms.

"Okay," he declares.

I don't know why that makes me hesitate. My hands shake when I pick him up, surprised by how light and small he is. He nestles into my side, circling one arm around my neck while his other hand grasps my shirt. He stares at me, tilting his head curiously when I haven't moved.

"Sorry, let's uh, let's look for your Papa." I step out of the room, cradling Ashby to my chest as we walk the halls calling for Lore.

My chest has never felt so heavy as two phrases echo in my mind; I can't stay here.

I hold Ashby tighter.

But I don't want to let go.

- - ┈┈∘┈˃̶༒˂̶┈∘┈┈ - -

Alrighty then, this one is a doozy too. We've got Seren and Lore getting extremely close--physically, at least. Spending a day among the children has really taken a toll on Seren and his beliefs. Is this the turning point we've been waiting for? How will Seren face Lore again and what could possible happen next~