Please Reject Me.

Answers.

Carden’s POV

Walking down the hall I could hear my friends arguing about me in the main hall. They could hear me passing, but they knew better than to bother me when I was in such a terrible mood. I knew why they argued though, I strived to keep my court safe above all else and yet I walked on to earth without getting all of the court's approval first.

“Hazel, she was able to drink my blood,” I walked to my office and collapsed on to my chair, overwhelmed with everything that just happened. A blood bond I cannot believe I was so foolish.

“What will you do?” She asked curiously. “You are bound to give her what she wants the most.”

“Give her a choice,” I looked out onto my realm, I had the confidence to protect it during the war between us and Abraxus. Now though, this one woman could bring me to my knee and she had no idea.

A blood bond with a High Lord or Lady is to establish an eternal connection. The bond had been forbidden for millennia due to the outcomes that could happen. A blood bond is to tie souls together and make the innermost desire come true and stop at nothing until it does. None had happened until the night I was conceived by my parents. Their desire was innocent enough, to have a child with the person they loved most; each other.

However political powers so seized this as an opportunity to reduce the amount of power the Moonlight and Darkness court had. My parents argued it was an accident and their inner beasts did it, but they were forced to give up their seats as the High Lady of Dark and the High Lord of Light. They were made an example of, their innocent desire was falsified and changed to the fact that they wanted to have the most powerful being in all Avangala to take control of the other courts.

Selune took the Moonlight Court and in a sick twist of fate the Moonlight Court ended up gaining power not losing it. I was forced to pick up their mantle of the Court of Darkness. I shutter thinking about the night she and I were given those titles. Most were afraid that because I was born of a blood bond that I would bore the calamity as foretold and Selune knowing this used that fear to send my entire court to war with Abraxus. After a decade on the front line I ended up begging Selune to stop it to send other courts to the frontlines as well, too many of my friends had died. She did send other courts only after I complied with her demands. I did.

“She wants to die, Carden… If she chooses that path what will happen to all of us?” Hazel stated, her voice was laced with true worry. I shook the memories out of my mind.

“I don’t know, I guess we’ll have to give her enough will to live before she makes her wish,” I looked at the picture of my father and mother. I never wanted to end up like them, and yet here I was about to meet the same fate.

“You never wanted this kind of bond and yet you willingly bared your neck for her,” Hazel insinuated.

Hazel was right. I never wanted to be tied to anyone in any way that could hurt my realm, but I let that small woman. Of course, how could anyone have guessed her tiny fangs would even penetrate my skin?

“Will you tell her?” Hazel asked.

“In a way.” I sighed. “I don’t want to force her into anything.”

What in the hells was I thinking?!

*****

I grabbed the soup from the kitchen and brought it back to her room and sat down at the small table. I could hear Hazel telling her that I was back. Hesperia walked out, her hair was still wet, droplets of it dripping onto her pale skin. Thank the gods for this mask. I am afraid of how I would look as I watched her. The drops of water slid down her collarbone and down her cleavage. Her presence instantly silenced any worries I had.

“How was your shower?” I asked, trying to start a conversation.

“Better than I deserve,” she sat in the chair, the silk blue slip barely hiding what would be a voluptuous body had she been taken care of. Ugh, what was I thinking? I took a breath and her true scent engulfed the air around me. It was like lilacs and spring water.

“Why do you say that?” I watched as she grabbed the spoon and dipped it into the soup.

“I…” Hesperia paused thinking about the question before answering. “I’m not sure it just feels that way.”

I’m not sure how to give her the will to live, when she had been dealt nothing but a terrible hand in life. She brought the spoon to her mouth and finally ate, the relief on her face said it all. “Once your stomach has settled into eating regularly I would love to show you some of our local food,” I smiled softly.

She looked a bit surprised and then her face went still before saying. “If that is what you wish.”

There was a darkness in her eyes like her very soul was all but extinguished. How in the hells am I going to convince this woman to stay alive? She got four bites into the soup before her face twisted and she ran to the bathroom. I could hear her retching up the food. Had she been so starved not even a thin pea soup would upset her stomach?

I slowly opened the door to find her holding onto the toilet bowl. My feet instinctively carried me over to comfort her, I pulled her hair away from her face and rubbed her back. She didn’t shrink away from my touch. I could hear her whimpers as the acidic bile burned her throat.

After a minute it was over and I picked her up carefully, carrying her and setting her down on the counter near the sink. I pulled out a toothbrush and some antacid from a drawer in the counter. She brushed her teeth and rinsed out her mouth. “Would you like to sleep?”

Hesperia nodded softly and leaned closer to me. I couldn’t help but smile a little knowing she was expecting and accepted that I was going to carry her. I wrapped my arms around the young woman, every time it shocked me just how small she actually was. As I set her in the bed I heard her gasp. “Your jacket!?”

I chuckled and reached through a shadow pulling it out and showing it to her. “Don’t lose it next time,” I laid it over her.

“Um Carden, can I ask something?” She gripped the edges of the jacket

My name always made me cringe, I hated it after she said it, but hearing it roll off Hesperia’s lips it felt a little lighter. “Anything.”

“Well… I have a few,” she began to pick the skin on the sides of her fingers.

“I will answer as many as you ask,” I smiled down at her, before slipping my hands around hers to stop her from hurting herself. Her face looked serious as she organized her thoughts,.Her hands were so small, and dainty I worried I might hurt her. To my surprise she wrapped her hand around two of my fingers. I looked at her and she was looking at my hands. “What are you?”