DANIEL 

Usually, as a vampire, Daniel could feel as heavy as marble, as unyielding as ice, but this morning he walked on air, gliding over the marble and ancient runners. Daniel imagined he'd never touch the ground again. During his entire young adult life, Daniel watched with great amusement as boys threw themselves at the feet of the oblivious Blake Winslow and now, he was the one who surfaced as the victor. He was the last man standing.

Daniel was never so happy to be wrong about someone.

And he was very wrong indeed.

"Daniel!"

Damien appeared like a jump scare around the corner. He had flung himself out of his bedroom, still wearing his silk pajamas and his long hair was half out of its bun, curling around his shoulders. Unlike the usual movie serial killer, Damien didn't come armed with a gun or a stake. He only threatened Daniel's good time. Attempting to avoid his brother-in-law, Daniel moved to turn around when Damien plopped to the ground, reaching for Daniel's ankles.

His smile dropping, Daniel's eyes flashed red as he dashed out of Damien's reach, faster than what the mortal eye can perceive, which caused Damien to slip forward and land on his face.

Lowering to his hind legs, Daniel wagged his finger at Damien. It was amazing that Damien was a few years older. "You really need a hobby that doesn't involve your siblings."

If Damien heard him, he didn't show it as his eyes stayed trained on Daniel's ankles. He slumped, genuinely disappointed. "You're walking totally normal."

Standing tall, Daniel crossed his arms. "I'm afraid to ask, but is there a reason why I wouldn't be walking normally?"

As he approached, Damien's brow narrowed. He sat his hands on his hips, seemingly frustrated by what wasn't there. Only focusing on Daniel's ankles, he muttered, "I could've sworn my ward went off last night."

"A ward?"

"Of course. I put one in front of Blake's door so if someone walked through, it'd burn their ankles."

"You set a fire off in the palace?"

"Of course not. I'm not crazy—"

"That is highly debatable."

"It was just a small burst of light. Enough to singe a vampire."

"You know, for threatening the crown, I could have you thrown in prison."

Damien's purple eyes, the same eyes as the rest of the Winslow clan, snapped up. His brows were scrunched in confusion and hurt. "What? But we're family."

Throwing his hands up in defeat, Daniel decided to walk away because Damien was unfortunately right. They were going to be family and Blake would probably kill him for killing his brother. This wasn't the old world either and Daniel couldn't set a bounty on Damien's head for the coven to tear him apart... but maybe for his birthday. Daniel was just going to have to hope that he could whittle Damien's judgement away with time.

Maybe when Damien finally realized how Daniel would do absolutely anything for Blake. That there wasn't another man in this world that would take care of Blake as well as he could... though Damien was pretty insufferable. He'd have to ask Frances' matchmaking friend to set him up. Someone else needed to consume Damien's thoughts.

But this did remind Daniel.

On a new mission, Daniel searched the guest wing for a particular Winslow. Turning up empty, he passed through the kitchen and dining room, greeting the staff when he turned up empty again. This castle was teeming with the Winslow family and he couldn't find one, especially not the one he wanted. Close to admitting defeat, Daniel climbed the west wing steps, when he finally heard that familiar voice.

Blake's father, Clay Winslow was in the middle of a conversation with a few of the maids. He seemed to have taken two of their laundry bags, lugging them as they walked together. Grey was peppered through his black locks and his round glasses covered half of his face.

"I've never been a fan of magical romancing methods. It's messy business," Clay explained and the girls were flushed and giggly. They must've asked him about love potions, which were one of the only potions the Winslow family didn't sell. "But then again when I was your age, I was more interested in my studies than romance. My now wife, Emma—have you met her? She's wonderful—Anyway! She had to inform me that we were dating. I hadn't realized we had been going on dates until she kissed me goodnight. I'd be lost without her—Oh! Daniel!"

By his name, the maids dropped into a curtsy and bowed their heads. Daniel smiled. "Good morning. As you were girls."

They nodded, one grabbing the bag of laundry from Clay, who waved them goodbye. When they were alone, Clay fell into step with Daniel. "So, how are you this morning? Are you feeling any better?"

Quirking his head, Daniel wasn't sure what he meant until he unfortunately recalled how much of an ass he had made out of himself last night. "Mr. Winslow, I do apologize about last night."

Clay waved the apology away. "Don't be silly. My family should be apologizing to you. I'd say Damien was remorseful, but we both know that's not quite true." He made himself laugh and even Daniel smiled a little. They walked together down the steps, passing the towering windows and old family portraits. Someone had even spun gold tinsel and garland around the railings, Christmas lights twinkling between the green needles and mini pinecones.

"But still," Daniel insisted, folding his hands behind his back. "I don't want you to think I'm not taking this engagement seriously. I plan to take very good care of Blake, sir. I just want to make him happy—"

With a laugh, Clay waved his hands as if brushing off the concern. "Oh, I've never worried about it as much as the others—Oops!" He covered his mouth, only letting one snort escape. This was a man that never waited for his mind to filter his words. He was so disarmed and opened, Daniel imagined he could learn every single one of his secrets if they spent the rest of the afternoon together.

It was why Daniel loved him so much as a kid. He never made Daniel feel lied to or tricked.

Clay asked, "Don't tell anyone I told you that. I promise they only hold a normal amount of nerves. The wedding is only a week away."

"Your secret is safe with me but... what makes you so sure about me? About us? Blake and I didn't get along well growing up."

"Daniel Gabriel Bellerose, you are speaking with a man that believes in fate."

Daniel could've sworn he saw Clay's purple eyes twinkle. Shaking his head, Daniel fell a step behind Clay as he laughed. "Fate? Do you really think a deal between a demon is fate? Sounds like this whole thing was set in motion on purpose. This was orchestrated by our ancestors and even scheduled."

"At first glance..." Clay nodded and put his arm around Daniel's shoulders, bringing him in like they were sharing more secrets. "An outside observer would say, I think but I have known you since you were a little boy." His smile brightened, knowingly and maybe even a little wickedly. "Do you remembered that you were always the first one to greet us when we arrived at the castle? I've asked how you always knew when we arrived, but you would just shrug and say you just knew... Except once, Blake and Emma came a day late. You didn't greet me and the boys, but you did greet Blake the next day."

"I don't..." Daniel's brow narrowed, muttering "or maybe I do..."

"I bet you also don't remember that when you were very small, the sound of Blake crying would make you cry. We had to house Blake on the other side of the castle, so you could get some sleep. Though, sometimes you were the only one that could get him to stop."

Daniel thought hard, recalling the way he could sense the moment the Winslow family passed through the gates to the Sagewick castle, the way he could tell Blake was upset before anyone else. There was a time Blake had gotten lost in the thousands of corridors, the thousands of rooms and hadn't been seen for hours.

Daniel had followed his instincts and almost found Blake immediately.

Soon after that, Daniel noticed the way Link and other boys, his friends teased Blake, so he started pretending he didn't care about how Blake felt anymore. He decided getting like by his brothers was way cooler because being cool was suddenly so important to him. His stomach twisted at the memory, hit by a gross amount of embarrassment. He'd be kicking himself the rest of his life, Daniel imagined.

"But there could be plenty of reasons for that..." Clay let Daniel go, walking the rest of the way down to the grand foyer. His voice echoed, bouncing all around these tall ceilings. He raised his hands as he shrugged. "I like to look at the present as much as everyone else. You two met again, became friends and from what I can tell things are going well. Are they going well?"

Clay turned with a smile.

Daniel nodded. "Very well. I'm..." Taking a deep breath, Daniel rolled his shoulders back and let his nerves fizzle out. "I'm excited to marry to your son."

Clay smiled wider. "All pretty convenient to not be fate. You two had to get married. Nobody said you had to fall in love." Laughing again, Clay sounded like he was congratulating himself with a very funny joke. "But I'm sorry, we got a little off track. You wanted to speak to me about something, right? I'm headed to town to buy some last minute Christmas gifts, would you like to join me?"

"Oh, uh I wish I could, but I can't. This won't take long," Daniel promised and caught back up. "Mr. Winslow—"

"Please call me Clay, I haven't called you your highness- well, ever!" Clay laughed again. Like he was comfortable in his own home, Clay walked right to a large portrait of an old family dog and opened it like it was a door. He walked inside the coat closet they usually used for parties as a coat return.

"I have a question about Adrian."

"Oh, he's not giving you a hard time too, is he?" Clay asked, not even a little thrown by the question. He flipped through the coats, searching and going back and forth. "What can I say? Blake is the baby of the family. We're all pretty protective. Some more than others."

"But what is Adrian to Blake? I don't want to disparage Adrian, I know he means a lot to your family... but I've gotten the impression he thinks of himself as more than a bodyguard."

"Because Adrian is more than just a bodyguard to Blake. Adrian has been Blake's only friend his entire life." He must've noticed the surprise flashing across Daniel's face because he explained further. "Blake had always been shy and unsure of himself. I think he compared himself to Link and Damien, thinking he was supposed to be as extroverted as them, but he's not, which I happen to love about him. So, when things didn't work out for Blake, he'd come home crushed. I think this is what softened Adrian a little bit. He was always quite cold, I'd even say robotic... but when little Blake came around pulling on his sleeve that harsh facade crumbled."

"There it is!" Clay cheered and grabbed his long overcoat, quickly pulling it off the hanger and slipping it on. "But now that Blake is staying here and we're going back home, it's only natural Adrian is going to retire. I think helping Blake transition was the last chapter of his job with the family. It'll give him some peace—"

"Wait." Daniel did a double take as Clay passed him. "Adrian is retiring?"

"Technically, he's already retired. He was only going to stand by until we arrived. Of course, he won't be going home until after the wedding. I've bet Emma quiet a lot of cash that he'll be crying harder than any of us."

Daniel opened the door, using it to stay standing. All this information hit Daniel like a battering ram. Still, he couldn't let this go. Daniel asked Clay as he stepped into the falling snow. Just below the steps, a running car waited. "Sir, please ignore this question if I've taken a step too far but... could Adrian hold any romantic feelings for Blake?"

"What? Lord, no!" Clay blinked, short-circuiting. He hurried back up the steps and Daniel could almost see smoke billowing out of his ears. "Adrian's feelings are nothing but platonic..." he put his hands on Daniel's shoulders, giving them a tight squeeze. "I assure you. Does Adrian love Blake? Yes, he does, but it's more as a friend and even as a father. I'd never let Adrian come here if I even had the smallest inkling he did."

"Okay." Daniel nodded. "Thank you. Please forget I asked."

"It's alright. I'm glad you can come to me."

"I feel a tad foolish now."

Clay laughed and patted Daniel's shoulders one more time. "Don't be! You're still young and your feelings are so new. I've had a few jealous streaks of my own, you know."

Forcing himself to smile, Daniel wished Clay good luck with his shopping. He stood in the cold, letting the fangs of winter sink into his skin. He longed to cool off to keep his brain from melting and he'd do something irreversibly stupid.

Taking a moment, Daniel fixed his shoelaces straight, tucked in his shirt tighter and fixed his belt buckle back to the middle. There. He felt a little more like himself. Brushing off the flakes of snow, Daniel walked back into the castle and strolled towards the library. Taking out his phone, he asked Michael to bring Blake his cellphone and a change of clothes to Daniel's room. He added:

Daniel: [And I'd like you to keep your comments to yourself.]

Michael's lack of reply said it all. Somewhere in the castle, Daniel could imagine the mutterings and his disapproving sighs, which tickled Daniel. He knew Frances would be loving every moment, so would Josephine and if Damien really knew where Blake spent the night, he might explode. Daniel smiled to himself, amazed he even had a few guesses.

Not too long ago, Daniel had no idea what was going on with anyone.

Didn't know what happened outside his precise calendar.

Finally, Michael replied:

Michael: [Fine. You won't hear a lecture about indecency from me. I'll keep my comments to myself as requested, but I do want you to know I have them.]

Shaking his head, Daniel laughed and started his reply when the library door opened before he could reach it. Daniel jumped back, the door just missing his face. Equally as surprised, Adrian straightened, taken aback.

"Oh, my apologies," Adrian said and stuck on the end like an afterthought, "Your highness."

Daniel just nodded, wishing to avoid all verbal altercations with Adrian. It wasn't a kink of Daniel's to be insulted or belittled at every turn. Most people wouldn't have the power to do this, but Daniel knew Adrian when he was a kid, when he was insecure and wanted to be just as cool and commanding as the Winslow bodyguard. And when he never approved of Daniel, it crushed him.

He wanted to keep Clay in mind, needing to take his words as a form of comfort. It also helped to know Adrian would be gone after the wedding. Both men walked forward, but Daniel noticed Adrian waver strangely as he passed. Looking behind his shoulder, Daniel watched Adrian limp and Daniel slowed to a stop, his vision burning around the sides. He squeezed the doorknob, feeling the metal warp to the shape of his fingers.

That heat returned.

That festering itch that made Daniel sick to his stomach.

"Adrian?" He called and when Adrian turned, his actions were smooth, like there was nothing wrong. Daniel flicked his eyes away from the bodyguard's ankle and forced himself to smile brightly. "Are you alright? Is there something wrong with your ankle?"

Adrian's expression tightened, being bolted into place. "Not at all, your highness, but thank you for your concern."

"Of course." Daniel nodded again and he thought about letting Adrian leave, but there was a fire burning in his chest. He couldn't let it go. He needed to get this out or he might explode. He was so sick of princely niceties and politeness when Adrian wasn't affording him the same. "Adrian, I just heard the news. Congratulations on your retirement."

Adrian didn't flinch, which frustrated Daniel even more. "That's kind of you, your highness." He wanted to shake Adrian. Wanted to start a fist fight.

Daniel took a deep breath, letting his chest fill and his shoulders roll back. "I think you've planned this well. You can step down now that I'm taking over."

"You act like I'm already gone."

"I was thinking..." Placing his hands behind his back, Daniel walked towards Adrian. "This is a time where you should be relaxing. Not working. So, I'll have Michael arrange a room for you at the hotel with the other wedding guests."

"Your Highness, you're too charitable. Does Blake know?" Adrian asked like he already knew the answer, like he knew Blake had nothing to do with this conversation and if he did, Adrian would be staying. This question said more, said something like "Blake would choose me over you."

This made Daniel's ears hot.

His jaw tightened, his teeth grinding together. "I know what's best for Blake."

This declaration only tickled Adrian. He chuckled and looked down on Daniel the same way he did when Daniel was a child. "You certainly sound like you believe it."

Adrian parted with the last word, leaving Daniel alone with all he wanted to say and do, regretting every second. Not a single nerve settled inside of Daniel. Nor did he find any relief. It was the right thing to do, wasn't it? But Adrian didn't even put up a fight. This was what Daniel wanted but... why did it feel like he just lost?

#

Author's Note

Hello friends! This update is a bit early, but I finished it and couldn't help myself! I've never been very patient >.< Sorry to interrupt all that fluff with some tension and a little plot! Haha. It's been a while since we had just Daniel chapter! It made me miss Blake a little 😂 (even though he's discussed the entire time). 

SO! Let me know what you think ~ Do you think Damien will try anymore shenanigans? What did you think about Daniel's conversation with Clay? Do you think Clay is right? That Daniel shouldn't worry? And now, Adrian is leaving the castle! How do you think this will make Blake feel? 

All comments are appreciated! If you like this book, check out my others! I have three completed and another WIP I'm working on that involves a werewolf, a vampire and human in a poly relationship. There's lots of drama, mystery and of course, romance 💕