The vampire and the assassin

Chapter 29

I tapped the prongs of the fork against my lip as I mulled over the question. What's the best time and way to kill you other than with a silver knife to make sure you're really dead?

"How did you become a Lord?" I opted to ask before my mouth actually opened to ask what my brain had been thinking in that moment.

Xander laughed quietly at the comment. "I guess I wasn't expecting that." He retorted. "It was simply because of who my creator is." Xander told me as I began to eat, listening to him. "My master, if you want to call him that, is the vampire king. He is like the ultimate vampire, if you wish to think of him that way. I was the first to be turned by him. That makes me the first Lord and also the first heir, if you wish to think of it like that."

"So if anything happened to him..." I began after finishing a mouthful. It all makes sense now. Lucian wanted Xander killed so that he probably had a better chance at becoming king. It made sense why Lucian also wouldn't tell me the reason for his plan. I might have demanded more than just my freedom for the job.

"Yes, I would take his place as the vampire king. I hope nothing ever happens to him, as I certainly couldn't be doing with that, nor do I want to be the vampire king; however, I certainly couldn't let Lucian take the throne."

I had to keep my composure as Xander confirmed my thoughts on why Lucian had wanted me to do it. He'd wanted me to do it because he wanted the power. Was his next move to take out the king? I certainly wasn't helping him with that suicide mission plan.

"There are also certain things in place as well." Xander grinned as I looked up at him. "So you do not need to worry about Lucian abusing power, as he will never become king with what my maker has put into place."

"And what is that?" I was certainly curious about it, and I'd begun to wonder if Lucian knew any of what Xander was telling me right now. I guessed that if Lucian had asked me to kill Xander, then he had no clue about what we were discussing right now. Which made me a little on edge about where my loyalties stood now, considering I knew something Lucian didn't. I knew one thing: the more I found out about Lucian, the less reluctant I was to help, and this included telling him what Xander was telling me now.

"It is nothing for you to worry about. I suppose you could think of it as, I've already picked the next successor if anything ever happened to the king and I." He let out a small sigh. "I am, however, expecting Lucian to try and pull something. I know he is itching to get into power, and he thinks that I would not make a good king."

"I think you would." I told him honestly. "You do amazing things in the house, keeping the peace and keeping a balance between us and you."

"I do not see us and you. I see all of us." Xander retorted. "For too long in the world, it has been us and you. A new time needs to come where it is all of us and nothing else."

"That is why you would be a good king if you ever needed to step up." I told him quietly and then looked down at my food and began to eat again as I could feel a deep blush crossing my cheeks.

"Thank you for believing in me, Rosa. That means so much." I didn't dare to look up, as I didn't want to see what expression he was wearing while looking at me. "Anyway, what else would you like to know?" He asked.

At that comment, I did look up. "How did you meet Dorian?" I glanced back down a little, took another forkful of food, and put it in my mouth.

"That... Is complicated, and it isn't really my story to share with you, I am afraid. I will say, I do owe Dorian and his family my life." As I heard that comment, I found myself having a newfound respect for Dorian. I tapped the fork prongs against my lips again as I looked at Xander.

"Are you hungry?" I seemed to have abandoned my food again to listen to Xander, as all the new information seemed to float around my head.

"I am, but I won't hurt you for blood, unlike Lucian. I am guessing he's attacked you once or twice for blood."

I didn't say anything as I lowered my head and began to fiddle a little with the food on my plate.

"I've seen him do it, Rosa; that is how I know that; that is what he does to his humans." I raised my gaze to look up at Xander as I wondered if all of this had been a ploy to get me to let him drink my blood or for me to talk about Lucian and drop myself into trouble; if it was, it wasn't going to happen.

"We might be vampires, but that is the only similarity he and I share—well, that and who our maker is." He added. "Eat, please." I carried on eating as he carried on talking. "I am much older than him; I have learned much more than him, and that includes controlling my blood lust." He seemed to break off for a moment and then began to speak again. "My maker... He allowed me to take what I wanted, when I wanted. I killed many humans to begin with, and he just let me do it. I am not proud of my early life, Rosa. However, with age and once I found the strength to go my own way away from him, I learned that I could not behave like I had. All it would do was get me caught, and then that would be the end of my undead life, so I had to learn to adapt and blend in. That included keeping a close watch on my hunger. I won't lie; there were times when I was close to killing someone for their blood, as I'd let my hunger get that bad. However, I found I could control my hunger, and as I got older, I also found that I could control how long I could go between feedings, and it seems that the blood was lasting me much longer too. If that makes any sense,

"Perfect," I retorted. "I understand that. When I left my parents and was with my ex-boyfriend, there were nights when I was really hungry as he had left me in the house with no food. So I get what you mean about the hunger and making what meals you can get to last you." I let out a small sigh and then shook my head. No, I wouldn't let myself think of Liam right now; I was going to enjoy my night and learn as much as I could about Xander, and while I did, I'd also try and figure out the mess of what I would do.

"So the guy is an ex, then?" Xander asked.

"Huh?" I looked up at him, a little confused, and then realized what he was talking about. "Oh, yeah. Like I said, the biggest regret of my life, I want to say I've learned from it..." I couldn't help but laugh a little. However, I think I will never get out of the poor choice in men and the men I draw to me." I shrugged my shoulders. "Anyway, what is going on with you and Helena? I mean, you promised you'd tell me when I was eating."

Xander laughed and shook his head. "I was hoping that you'd have forgotten, as I was letting you guide the conversation tonight." Xander shifted again a little. "Like I told you, I do not think I am in love with her anymore." He answered. "Vampires... often find what humans refer to as soul mates. These are people we tend to want to share all eternity with, and they are basically our soul mates. I wasn't sure if I'd ever find my soul mate, which is why I agreed to marry Helena. It had nothing to do with the fact that we're soul mates; I just had it in my head that I'd never find the one, however..."

"You've recently found that one person?" I tilted my head to the side, looking at him, as a plan kind of came into my head. Maybe I could find out who it was and, rather than killing Xander, persuade him to run away with that person and make out I'd killed him. I was really beginning to find it hard to kill such a sweet person. Sure, he had his faults, but he'd been nothing but kind to me and most of the humans in the house. Most of all, he was willing to admit his faults, which was more than Lucian was willing to ever do.

"I have." He answered. "Helena doesn't know. Only Marie and Dorian." He confessed with a sigh. "I mean, you know I've found someone; however, they know who it is."

"I promise I won't tell anyone." I told him softly as I began to push a bit of food around the plate, then set my knife and fork down and looked up at Xander. "Thank you for the meal; it was amazing and not what I'm used to in the least." I smiled. "So, you don't know what to do about the situation?" I asked as I shifted positions and lightly rested my arms on the table.

"I know what I want to do, but I can't force my will on my mate." Xander retorted. "I do not believe in doing that. My mate should come to her own choices." He told me in a casual manner.

"So what do you plan on doing with Helena?" I asked.

"I have no plans to marry that woman." He answered honestly. However, I have to be careful in the way I break it off with her; I do not want my mate to get hurt because of her hissy fit, as Helena is the type that would do it."

"So does your mate know?" I asked, wondering why he was worried that his vampire soulmate would be hurt by another vampire.

"That I am unsure of, sadly." He answered with a sigh. However, I get the feeling she is beginning to know. I could be wrong, though. I plan on just giving it time; I am sure things will work out in the end." He grinned.

"I guess that means I won't get the chance to hang out like this from time to time with you." I couldn't help but laugh.

"You're still my favorite if that's what you're worried about, Rosa." He grinned again. "I will always make time for my favorite person."

"I think that's the first time I've heard you admit that out loud." I couldn't help but blush as the heat raced across my face and my heart began to hammer hard in my chest.

"Dorian has always known that, and that's why he's decided to make you his best friend. Marie. I think she is very slowly learning that. She isn't as keen on the idea, but she will have to get used to it." Xander laughed. "And you are my favorite. I don't see the others talking to me, apologizing when they mess up to me directly, or even something as simple as looking at me and smiling. I think they all fear me."

"I don't think it's that. I think it's more the fact that they've been there much longer, so they've had Glenda drill into them manners around you, and everything I do is the polar opposite of what she teaches anyone to do. I mean, if she found out I was here with you tonight, she would string me up and feed me to the werewolves."

"Hmmm, I've never thought about it like that, and I certainly wouldn't allow her to do that to you." Xander laughed quietly.

"I will be honest; when I first came, I was terrified. I'll admit, I still am, but I don't want to be scared any more. I want to learn all about vampires and not be scared of them."

Then, if you give me the chance, I will be happy to help you learn to not be scared of us."

"I'd like that." I smiled, feeling just a little lighter about myself. Just what we needed. Good work, Einstein.

"We should head back now. You look like you could do with a good night's rest. I'll just go and pay, and then we can get going if you'd like."

"Ok." Xander got up and headed out of the room and down the hallway. I also got up and got my jacket on, and as I did, I thought about everything I'd learned tonight about Xander. I really didn't want to hurt him. He'd been nothing but kind to me, and he'd done nothing in the slightest to hurt me. I had nothing to gain from killing him. Sure, I had Lucian's word on my freedom, but even I knew from my time with Lucian that his word wasn't to be trusted in the slightest; just because I'd kept my end didn't mean he'd keep his end. I knew that I could simply keep Xander alive and carry on living my life as it is now. I believed Xander's word over Lucian's ten times over, and I was pretty sure Xander would keep Lucian away from me, but could I really live the rest of my days in that house wondering when I'd pay for my choice? I knew Lucian, and I knew he'd keep his word on that one thing, and that was killing me if I didn't go through with killing Xander.

"Ready to go?" Xander asked.

"I am." I answered as I walked to the door, pushing down all the chaos in my mind. I'd have to figure it out quickly; I didn't have much time left. Xander offered me his arm again, and I slipped mine through his as we walked together and headed back to the car.

When we got there, the car doors at the back were already open. Xander helped me in as I yawned a little. He chuckled quietly and shut the door, then came around to his side and got in.

"Thank you for tonight; I've had a lot of fun and learned a lot."

"Thank you for agreeing to come, and I have also learned a lot. Thank you for trusting me with your life story." Xander answered. I don't know why, but I cuddled up next to Xander despite him being freezing cold from being undead. I rested my head on his arm as the car began to drive away. "Get a little sleep, Rosa; I'll wake you when we are nearly there. I promise." I nodded as I let my heavy eyes drop. I'd honestly not felt as light and relaxed as I'd felt that night, but I wasn't going to complain. I just knew the next time Xander and I got to spend a little time together again like this, I wouldn't let myself fall asleep next to him like that. I didn't want to let myself get used to it. After all, he was already promised to his soul mate, and I certainly didn't want to come between that love, even though a small piece of me was hurt to think that someone else got to call him their own.