7 Chapter Six

True to his word, he returned with three servants in tow and a canopy bed that really was much too over the top.

Nemyria could not complain, however, as the mattress felt divine. So divine, in fact, that she fell asleep before Tiberius had finished wishing her a goodnight.

Hours later, she woke to the scent of food and the sound of a door clicking shut.

Cracking her eyes open, she noticed two things.

One, Gavrynn sat in the corner of the room, his arms crossed, monitering the scene. Two, Tiberius wore his normal grin and had a plate of food in hand.

Pushing herself up, she heard Gavrynn snort and say, "See? I told you."

Tiberius ignored his brother, settling on the edge of Nemyria's bed.

"Hope you're hungry, love," he said.

He set the plate down, and it took all of a moment before Nemyria dove into the food. Tiberius chuckled.

"Someone never learned table manners," he said.

Swallowing, she paused her eating long enough to reply, "This isn't a table, now is it?"

And she returned to wolfing down her plate. Tiberius chuckled and quieted, waiting for her to finish her dinner.

When she did, Tiberius looked to his brother, who took the plate away. Turning to Nemyria, he asked, "How'd it taste?"

"Good," she replied, "A lot less irony."

"Nice to see that you can tell when I'm not trying to poison you," he replied, and added, "How did it taste, Nemyria. I want to know what was in it, not what wasn't."

"It tasted better then anything else I've ever had," she said. After a moment of hesitation, she added, "Thank you."

A soft smile slid onto his lips, and he took one of her hands. Lifting it to his lips, he pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her hand.

"I'm glad you liked it," he murmured onto her skin, "Good morning, love."

Snorting, she rolled her eyed.

"Good afternoon, Tiberius," she replied.

"Did you enjoy your nap?" he inquired.

"Very much," she replied.

"Good," Tiberius said, leaning in to press his forehead against hers, "Is the bed to your liking?"

She nodded. "It's comfortable."

His red eyes met her orange ones. "Have I earned a kiss, then?"

"No," she said.

A dissapointed sigh escaped his lips, and he drew her into his lap. With a frown, she questioned, "What are you doing?"

"Attempting to convince you to accept my affection," he replied.

"You agreed not to earlier," Nemyria stated.

He sighed, and allowed her to leave his grasp. He did, however, intwine their fingers, clasping their hands together.

"Is this fine?" he asked.

"I suppose," she replied.

That grin returned, and she found herself matching it.

"So, Nemyria, would you like to tour your new home?" he asked.

Gavrynn mumbled his brother's name, almost in warning.

"I would like to go back to sleep," she replied.

"You can sleep anytime. This offer lasts only the next ten minutes," Tiberius said.

Again, Gavrynn said his brother's name, trying to get his attention. Nemyria, noticing this, tried to shut down the conversation.

"No. I find I have a date with my bed," she said, "One where you are not invited."

"I always did love crashing parties," he said, "And whisking away the most beautiful maiden attending."

"No, Tiberius. Tomorrow. I'm too tired to do that today," Nemyria said, flopping onto her bed with over exaggerated exhaustion.

He chuckled, bringing her hand to his mouth to press a soft kiss to her skin.

"As you wish, my love," he said, and let her hand fall from his grasp.

"Tiberius," Gavrynn snapped.

"What?" Tiberius snapped back.

"You have a meeting in two minutes ago," Gavrynn almost snarled out.

Tiberius paused. Then swore, and shot off.

Blinking, Nemyria sat up.

"You'd think he wouldn't worry about that," Nemyria said.

"He prides himself in his punctuality," Gavrynn replied, "And he likes to turn around in that stupid swivel chair and say some stupid one-liner."

Nemyria snorted. "Figures."

"He'll probably make some stupid grand entrance now, too," Gavrynn said with the roll of his eyes, a hint of affection for his brother in his voice.

"And you aren't going with him?" Nemyria asked, easing back into bed, drawing a blanket around herself.

He shook his head. "I'm your guard now. That means I'm stuck with you for literally forever, unless he wants to kick me out."

She nodded, snuggling up under her covers.

"Comfortable?" he asked.

Again, a nod.

"Must be nice," he mumbled.

"What? Do you not have a bed?" she questioned.

"I have a cot," he replied.

She paused.

"But you're the king's brother."

"Yeah. And I'm supposed to be dead," he said, "I'm lucky to have a cot, or a room, or even my head."

"I'm sorry," Nemyria said.

He shrugged. "I'm used to it."

As if that made things better.

Still, she shifted the subject, trying to lighten the mood.

"So, when do you return to that cot?" Nemyria asked.

"Whenever my brother decides to let me off duty," he replied with the shrug of his shoulders, "Sometimes I don't see my bed for a week. Sometimes a month. Sometimes two."

"You don't sleep?" Nemyria asked.

He looked at her as if she was an idiot. "I'm a vampire."

"Yeah, and my dad always slept," she said.

"And how old was he?" Gavrynn asked.

Nemyria hesitated.

Good question.

"Maybe 1800 something," she replied, "Old."

"Exactly my point," Gavrynn said, "When you get that old, you use up energy faster, and therefore need sleep."

"And I take it that means you don't?" Nemyria asked.

He nodded. "Tiberius and I are only just over a century old. We've got a long, long time until we start needing to rest more than once or twice a month."

"That must be nice," Nemyria said.

"Except he finds it an excuse to keep me on my feet for weeks on end," Gavrynn mumbled.

"I could ask him to let you take a break every so often," Nemyria offered.

He shook his head. "He may favor you, but he wouldn't change how he treats me because you asked him to. Besides, I'm your guard. I can't leave you undefended, or I loose my head."

She snorted. "You vampires are harsh."

"You think we're harsh, just look at my cousins," Gavrynn mumbled, "Draven's got a bounty on his head for falling in love with, mating, and impregnating a human. Alvira's pretty much insane. I don't even know what Cloven's alignment is. Blayze is the only normal one, and the three younger kids are paranoid as all hell because of their situation."

Nemyria paused.

"Do they have the same one-heir policy?" Nemyria asked.

He nodded. "Cloven's been picked, whether his parents know it or not. The others are going to die as is, but Draven decided to speed things up, apparently."

"What a sad existence," Nemyria said, "To live life being unable to love and knowing you're going to die."

"What a miserable existence indeed," Gavrynn agreed, something in his voice that gave her pause.

"You can't fall in love either, can you?" Nemyria asked.

He shook his head. "She'd be slaughtered the moment Tiberius found out, to ensure she doesn't reproduce. Then I'd be next."

"I'm sorry," Nemyria said.

He shrugged. A silence that Nemyria truly did not like settled in, and she dragged the conversation away.

"So, what happened to the human girl?" Nemyria asked.

"She escaped," Gavrynn said, "Dragged Draven right off the executioner's block and ran. She and Draven have been missing for two weeks. The king is threatening to kill her siblings if she doesn't return before she gives birth."

"That's horrible," Nemyria mumbled, "Having to choose between your mate and child, and your siblings."

Gavrynn nodded, "I'm just hoping the rumors about her heritage are true. She might have a chance at survival, then."

Nemyria blinked.

"The woman has purple eyes," Gavrynn went on, "They think she's got some vampire blood in her. They think she and her sibligs might be the missing heirs of the night walkers."

A missing heir. How ironic.

"What do you think she'll do?" Nemyria asked.

"Considering the fact that she tried to kill the king over there, probably something stupid that'll bring us into some war," Gavrynn replied, "If she's smart, she'll get to her parents and make some alliance between the two kingdoms."

"But wouldn't that make Draven the heir?" Nemyria asked, "If she is the night walker's missing child, she isn't the oldest, so she'd be returning with Draven."

He shook his head. "Cloven's wedded a pure-blooded vampire and produced a child already. Goodness, do you know anything?"

She snorted. "And here I was, thinking we starting to get along."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just go to sleep."

"Of course, dad," she replied, rolling her eyes.

His jaw clenched. She laughed, closing her eyes. Re-opening them, she asked, "What's the meeting Tiberius is at about?"

"Gagging nosy half-breeds, hopefully," Gavrynn replied, "The hell if I know."

She snorted. "Rude."

"Go to sleep."

"No. You aren't the boss of me."

"You're acting like a child."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"How old are you, anyway?"

"Twenty four," Nemyria replied.

Gavrynn blinked. "Gods, you are a child."

"I am not," Nemyria snorted.

"Compared to me, you are," Gavrynn said, "Hell, until you settle, it's illegal for Tiberius to mate or marry you."

"But an engagement is fine?" Nemyria questioned.

"Betrothal," Gavrynn corrected, "And technically, those can be made from one's conception. Hell, before that if your parents intend on having you."

Nemyria frowned. "That's ridiculous."

"Agreed," Gavrynn said.

"I find," Nemyria said, "That this nation annoys me with how loveless it is."

"You and me both, Nemyria," he mumbled, "You and me both."

Some lingering sadness showed through his voice, and she debated for a moment if she wanted to question him. Then she dismissed the question, and she said, "Well, goodnight. Wake me when breakfast is ready."

Gavrynn snorted, but Nemyria had fallen asleep before he could give some snide remark.

So he sat there, alone in the darkness of the room, and played with the ring he kept on the wrong finger.