GrimWire

Chapter 17

"Dimiyen..." Lucas' voice was soft as he watched her from his seat behind the desk. The girl shrugged her shoulders lightly.

"He didn't do anything to me. Just kept me locked in a cell."

"Still... that's not something that should have happened to you. I'm sorry... very sorry," the vampire said, his voice whispering near the end. He intertwined his fingers together and raised them up on his elbows to lean his forehead against them.

"It wasn't your fault. If anything I should be apologizing. I left you and went after him instead. If I had stayed, Ahndrai-"

"It wouldn't have changed anything."

"But Lucas-"

"No. Don't play the 'if only' game with me. I've done that enough the past few years. It'll only drive you crazy, so stop. What matters now is that you're back. That's enough for me."

Dimiyen fell silent, her rustic gaze dropping to the floor. No sound filled the room for some time and even Lucas was getting a bit uncomfortable. Tyrathane must have felt the same for the human shifted forward, a brilliant grin on his lips.

"You're not human. What are you?"

"Ty!" Lucas hissed, surprised at the overall bluntness of the boy. He gave a frustrated sigh, letting the palm of his hand slam into his forehead as he groaned.

"Perceptive of you," Dimiyen answered with a bit of a giggle, "I'm a Fae."

"Fae?"

"Yes. Part faerie, part human," she smiled brightly at him.

"Oh. That's pretty interesting. Anything special you can do?" Tyrathane asked, tilting his head off to the side with an amused grin.

"Well, if you're asking if I can fly, the answer is no. Only full blooded faeries can and they're not as... large as I am. They are quite small actually and don't really like coming out into this world."

"How small is small?" the human asked persistently.

"About four feet in height," Dimiyen answered with a laugh.

"Alright that's enough interrogating. Damn, boy..." Lucas said with a shake of his head and a roll of his eyes. Did Tyrathane even know when to stop? He sighed, probably not. The human raised his hands up like he was innocent of anything. The vampire knew better though.

The ring of the bell echoed through the room and Lucas' infatuation got to his feet with a groan. Moving to the desk, Tyrathane picked up his papers and the bag at the feet of the desk. Turning around he offered Dimiyen a wink as he walked over to Lucas.

Leaning down he grinned broadly at the vampire who only glowered back, "Time for me to go. I'll see you later," he said and quicker than Lucas could prepare for, he kissed him.

When he was released, Lucas' face was hot and he wiped at his mouth, "Not in front of them!" he hissed in embarrassment, to which Tyrathane only laughed. With a wave of his hand, the human left the room.

"I should be going too," L'liya said and stood up from her spot.

"Class?" Lucas asked, an eyebrow rising in curiosity.

"Yes. I'll see you later," with that the vampire left the room. It was then just Dimiyen and him. An unnatural silence fell between them and Lucas shifted uncomfortably for a moment before glancing down at his papers. There was still so much work to be done, but he hadn't seen Dimiyen in years. Even so, it was hard to find the words to start a conversation with her.

"Thirsty?" she asked suddenly, looking up from the spot her eyes had been burning holes into.

"A little, what would you like? I have some tea bags around here..."

"Don't," she said, standing and giving him a big smile, "I'll get it. I know that you're very busy. As I hear, the word is that you've retaken your position as president. Why did you leave it in the first place?" she asked as she began rummaging around for the utensils needed.

Lucas settled back into the seat and frowned as his finger tapped the top of the stack of papers gently. He really didn't like discussing that kind of thing, but it seemed he wasn't going to get out of it. With a slight sigh he looked up to watch her as she started making the tea. She didn't need to do much, being a Fae she had command over certain aspects of nature, one of which being fire.

"I left because I didn't think it was worth anything after Ahndrai died," he answered softly.

Turning, she walked over with two cups of steaming tea. It smelt wonderful to him as she brought it. Setting it down on the desk in front of him, she seated herself and blew on hers gently before answering.

"I'm sorry. I guess I know how you feel, though. Losing someone so important to you like that... It's bound to do a few things to your life."

Lucas huffed slightly in agreement as he took the tea and brought it to his lips. Taking a deep drink, he savored the taste of it. She was always good at making tea, this was no exception. As he set down the cup, though, a strange feeling coursed through his chest. Looking to her, he lifted his hand as she casually sipped hers.

"Dimiyen... wait don't," he sputtered and then clenched his chest. Wincing, he ground his teeth and tried to stand to get to her. The Fae only watched him, a very sad look in her eyes. He wondered why, but then it hit him.

"I'm... so very sorry," she said slowly, a tear trickling down her face.

Breathing was difficult and it seemed his strength was fading. Even with the blood that he'd drunk from Ty didn't seem to help him any. He stumbled, knocking over nearly everything on his desk. Finally he collapsed onto the floor, the room around him growing dimmer. Dimiyen's features came into view as she knelt down next to him.

"I didn't have a choice. Please forgive me," she whispered as he fell unconscious.