Present

I awake with a start, gasping for breath on the bathroom floor. A few minutes may have passed or hours, I'm unclear. But the memories of my test, of priest Aja... they make my skin crawl. The remainder of my robes are thrown off. I practically launch myself into the shower. Searing hot water burns my skin. Heat is a much better sensation than the distorted thoughts of Aja's hands all over me. I scratch until my skin is raw. Blood circles the drain. I'm unclear if it's the vampire's or mine.

"It was a nightmare," I say sternly, like a mantra. "A nightmare from the blight. Nothing more. The toxin warped your mind. That's it."

Family would never hurt me. They're all I have left. Without them, I'm... just a murderer.

Stepping out of the shower, I realize I didn't bring a change of clothes. Luckily for me, Lore is asleep, or at least pretending to be when I exit in a bathrobe. Quietly, I grab a change of clothes and return to the bathroom. The fabric feels like needles against my arms, irritating my inflamed skin. Even the soft mattress does little to ease me. I toss and turn, incapable of finding rest. Every time I close my eyes, I see Aja and that vile grin. I smell cigar smoke. I feel his lips on my neck and his fingers on my thighs. Then I awake and lay in bed, sweating enough to warrant another shower but I haven't the energy to get up.

The mattress suddenly dips. I jolt at the unexpected warmth seeping into my side. Lore's alluring blue eyes meet mine. He smiles like it isn't the weirdest damn thing to slip into bed with me. Admittedly, he probably isn't that bothered by doing so merely because he knows the action bothers me. And bothering me has become his new favorite hobby.

"What are you doing?" I hiss, pressing my forearm against his chest. He almost slips off the bed from the force.

"Isn't it obvious?" He attempts to brush my arm aside. My hand twists into his nightshirt. He sighs. "If you continue tossing and turning, I won't get any sleep either. Cuddling is a far better option."

"I do not see how that can be true."

"Vampire, dhampir, and mortal alike are social creatures. Often all we need is the comforting warmth of another to ease our troubled minds. Besides, the children sleep in my bed after having a nightmare all the time. I have no issue with this."

"This is entirely different than kids jumping into bed with their father."

Lore suddenly throws his legs over mine. The momentary surprise lessens my pressure on his chest. He uses that to his advantage, wiggling close enough that my shoulder brushes his chest. Our heads share the same pillow. His long hair tickles my nose. He smells nice. He's warm.

"Different or not, the sentiment is the same. I am merely here to help you sleep," he whispers.

"Say that to your legs that are tangled with mine."

"There is no ulterior motive."

"Bullshit." I push off Lore to sit up. "I'm not in the mood for your teasing--"

Lore grabs my shoulder to tug me back into bed, now also on my side so we're face to face. His stern expression prevents me from leaving.

"Everyone has nightmares," he says, hardly above a whisper. A chill overtakes his normally electrifying blue eyes. "If we do not accept help, those nightmares will get much, much worse. Too much to bear, even."

"Do you speak from experience?"

"Of course. I'm a two hundred and something year old dhampir. Nightmares are my speciality," he jokes once more, but this time I know it's another way to hide. He does that a lot. Probably because he's good at hiding truths behind joking smiles and quick wit. I might not have known better if we haven't been spending as much time together as we are.

"And who helped your nightmares?" I ask, shivering when Lore's hand moves down my shoulder to my arm. His fingertips against my skin reminds me momentarily of Aja. But seeing Lore, feeling his hair brush my cheek, it reminds me that this touch is his and that it's okay. My toes curl in ways I wish they wouldn't. And his concerned gaze taking in the scratch marks along my arms warms my chest.

"Her name was Lilly," Lore answers, gaze oddly distant. "She was my eldest daughter, the first I ever adopted."

I recall the plaques I saw in the school house. At the top of the wall, the very first one faded by age, did have a name starting with L.

"I had very few staff at the estate and no family at the time. I thought I didn't need them, that solitude would do me better, but I suppose... I was much lonelier than I realized," he mumbles more to himself than me. "I happened across Lily in town begging for scraps. Her parents had dropped her off like garbage. I don't know what urged me to grab her hand, but before I knew it, I brought her home. She wouldn't move out from under her bed for almost two weeks. I thought I had made a terrible mistake, that she wouldn't be happy around a stranger. A male dhampir, at that."

"Then one night, she came sprinting into my room screaming about a monster in her room. Of course, it was nothing more than the shadow of a very determined branch that had got stuck on the window from the wind. But I managed to ease her concerns and she asked me to stay with her. I slept on a chair by her bed. Although my back ached the next morning, I don't recall having ever slept better than I did that night. No nightmares. Just the soothing sound of her breath and her warm, tiny hand in mine. Having the children around makes me feel at ease," Lore finishes, his eyes a warm blue that could melt the coldest of ice. He moves slightly causing his head to push forward. Our foreheads almost touch.

"Was Lily a vampire, dhampir?"

"Mortal," he says.

"Was she a seraphic?" I ask, because if she wasn't...

"No. She passed away many, many years ago," Lore answers quietly.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"It's alright. I would have been much more upset had you asked back then, but not now. I've come to terms with knowing that, should I adopt a mortal child without magic, I will outlive them. I don't think that means I shouldn't give them what I hope to be a loving home."

My foot knocks against his, pretending not to notice how he hooks his foot around my ankle to keep us close.

"Don't try so hard to make yourself sound like a great guy," I whisper.

"I never try hard for that. I merely succeed in being a great guy." Lore's soft laughter mingles with my own. His hand on my arm has moved up once more. The tips of his fingers breach the sleeve of my shirt. His thigh brushes against mine. When we breathe, our chests touch. My gaze drifts to his slightly parted lips. Even seeing the slight peek of a fang doesn't stop the growing yearning in my chest. The desire to lean in and crash my lips against his--

I flip to my other side and throw a pillow between us. Lore sits motionless for a moment. Then gazes at me, eyes blinking rapidly in adorable confusion.

"S-Stay on your side," I say, berating myself for stuttering. Flopping back on the bed, I keep my back to him, but that does not save me. There's the dip of the mattress. Lore's hair tickles my arm. Then his lips press against my shoulder, the softest touch like a butterfly landing atop a flower petal. And he's gone.

"Now, I will stay on my side," he says. "Goodnight, Seren."

I grip my shoulder so hard it will probably bruise in the morning. Air escapes my lungs so rapidly I have to heave a long breath to regain my composure. Then my trembling hand grasps the pillow and I clench my eyes shut, knowing I should have said something about that kiss but incapable of coming up with a pathetic lie.

Besides, Lore was right. The nightmares remain at bay through the night.

When I wake, Lore's soft expression is the first thing I see. He sleeps soundly, neither frowning nor smiling. He must have moved his hair at some point in the night because it has all been brushed back to be tucked neatly under his chin like an extra piece of pillow. I bite my lip to stifle a laugh. I damn near reach up to brush a few stray strands from his porcelain cheeks, but manage to contain myself. Good thing too because there's a knock at the door.

"Your Grace," Draven calls.

I pretend to wake up at the sound of his voice. Lore's eyes flicker open, as vast as an evening sky. For a moment, his eyes are devoid of all emotion, then in a blink he sighs.

"We have arrived at the capital," Draven finishes. "We are to disembark shortly."

"Alright, we will be out momentarily," Lore replies. He waits a moment, perhaps to ensure Draven is gone, then he whispers at me, "Good morning, my sweet Seren."

I roll my eyes, but reluctantly grumble, "Morning."

When he smiles, honestly, my breath catches like a kid with their first crush. I can't even lie to myself that it doesn't. So I swiftly throw myself out of bed to get dressed, relieved that Lore doesn't try to pester me.

- - ┈┈∘┈˃̶༒˂̶┈∘┈┈ - -

Hello, hello friends! Glorious news, one of my stories Speak the Truth is now available for purchase on amazon as an eBook or paperback. It's a three part series that will be fully uploaded by the end of the year, but if you've read STT or enjoy my stories, please consider giving it a purchase!

To purchase Speak the Truth go to amazon and search Speak the Truth Volume One Twoony and it will pop up if it's available in your country. You don't need a kindle or anything for the eBook so if you want to purchase it you can read it on your phone or your computer. I will update this series again when volume three is out to remind everyone, but you can also follow my social media if you want updates on anything else.

Back to the story haha Aw, we got some cuddling time in~ Has Lore managed to fix the damage he did earlier? We got to learn some more about Lore's past as well. Our boys are getting closer whether they're ready to admit it or not ;D