Fifteen

Kellen scowled at the faerie, “I don’t care that David was your lover. He wasn’t a very dedicated one if he’s trying to sleep with other faeries.”

“Can’t you at least hold a funeral?” The small blond light faerie sobbed, “I understand that as a Dark King you have a lack of emotion, but still.”

Kellen sighed and took a softer approach, he admired the faerie for coming to him at the Dark Kingdom, it was brave for her to do so. It still didn’t change that her lover tried to rape Darby, “As a light faerie I know it’s difficult to deal with loss, but next time, pick better and we won’t have these problems.” He nodded to Philip to show her out.

Light and dark couples are always causing issues. 

Philip did as he was told but Kellen detected the remorse as he did so. Silence filled up the room.

“Well?” Kellen snapped, “Spit it out.”

“I feel bad for her,” Philip admitted, “he was her lover.”

“As Dark King I have to make difficult choices and not everyone will agree with the decision.”

“Would it be to much to give him a funeral?”

“Yes, he was killed for a reason.”

“And what was the reason?”

“He was going to rape Darby. You can’t really be trying to defend him, you know as well as I do he would if he had the chance.”

“You have no proof of that. And isn’t intoxicating and sleeping around something that the Dark Empire is known for? If it wasn’t Darby, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion.”

“Your point?” He demanded through gritted teeth.

“You’re revealing weakness. Darby makes you extremely vulnerable.” 

Kellen stopped.

A weak king is a dead king. 

He stood up.

“Where are you going?” Philip questioned.

“I need to talk to Darby.”

Kellen found Darby reading on the balcony of the flat. She was reading by the light of lamp and moonlight, something that seemed completely odd to him.

“Why don’t you do that inside? It’s getting dark out,” he sat next to her.

She put the book down, “It’s warm today and I wanted to be outside. You keep me cooped up inside all day.”

“I’m sorry, It’s just. . . easier.”

“I don’t see how, but anyways, how was being king?”

“Problematic, but let’s not talk about that. What do you want to do?”

“Can’t we just talk?”

Ugh.

“About what?”

“I don’t know. . . anything. I feel like I don’t really know you, and I should.”

He pulled her into his arms, “The less you know about me the better, you wouldn’t like me if you knew me.”

“Hmm, I don’t believe that.”

You wouldn’t.

He sighed, “You’ll see what I mean someday. Tell me more about you, you’re more interesting by far.”

“Hardly. Umm, what do you want to know?”

“Any past relationships?”

“A couple in my junior year but they weren’t really meaningful. I kind of gave up on finding my soulmate in high school. I was more mature than all of the boys in that school, I need someone who can keep up with me. You?”

“I thought we were talking about you?” He said dryly.

“We’re going to do it my way. Please, just answer the question.”

“A few.”

She won’t have to taste anything to know that I’m not telling the truth.

“Define a few.”

After a moment he said, “A lot.”

She was quiet, “Were they flings or something special?”

“All flings,” he said quickly.

At least I don’t have to lie on that one.

“What am I?”

“What do you want to be?”

“Whatever you want.”

It was a bold statement, they both knew it was. He felt her quiver, despite the comfortable weather.

“Could you handle it?” He finally asked.

“Yes.”

He smiled wryly.

Of course she’d say that.

She watched him a moment. “How come you’re so scared to let me in?”

He was offended. “I’m not scared.”

“Then talk to me. You’ll easily kill someone because they get me drunk but if it comes to talking about yourself you’re all shy.”

“Those are two completely different circumstances,” he argued.

She stared at him.

She’s good, sticks up for what she believes in. How refreshing.

“Fine. Look, I haven’t slept alone for as long as I can remember, and if I did it was the intentions to have sex later on. I use people, I’ll sleep with them for my pleasure and enjoyment. I really don’t care for their feelings, hell, I don’t even care what I’m feeling. And most of the times, I can’t even feel anything,” he laughed, trying hard to act like it was nothing although he could hear his heartbeat loud in his ears; going much to fast for it to not mean anything.

Because it shouldn’t. Emotions never did before.

“You can’t help that.”

“You shouldn’t make up excuses for me. There are plenty things that I do purposely. I know what I’m doing when I’m flirting with the mortals, I just have an ignorant hope that I won’t hurt them and I always do, but I don’t stop.”

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

Wrong, I have to worry about that more than I had to before. 

“Even then. You have no idea what it’s like,” he didn’t want to talk about this anymore. Now that it was getting so personal.

“You’re right, I don’t. But I’d listen if you told me.”

He chuckled darkly, “You wouldn’t like it.”

“Try me.”

She has no idea what she’s getting into.

He didn’t speak.

“Kellen,” she lifted up his chin so he was looking at her, “you’re not a bad person.”

“You have no evidence of that.”

“I get that you’re the king of darkness and all that, but you can’t help it. I can tell that there is so much more to you than what you show the world.”

She doesn’t understand. She couldn’t understand.

But he still kissed her anyways.

“Do you feel a bit better?” She whispered.

“Yes,” he lied.

“Let’s go inside,” she told him, “I’m tired.”

He nodded and trailed behind, her hand in his.

Could it be possible that if we slept together I would finally be able to wake up feeling something more for her?

Darby moved closer to Kellen, it was moments like this that made her forgive the days where he was gone. He put his arm around her and she laid her head against his bare muscled chest.

Far to soon the sunlight began to stream through the window. He kissed the top of her head before sitting up.

“Do you have to go now?” She asked, resting her head against his back.

“No, I’m going to stay here with you today,” he told her.

She kissed his shoulder blade and murmured, “The truth of that tastes wonderful.”

He smiled and his tense muscles relaxed, “You’re able to feed by yourself?”

“Yeah. It happened last night, I wanted to surprise you.”

“That’s great,” he breathed a sigh of relief, “you’ve lost your mortality completely.”

“I can’t die?”

“Well, not exactly. It’s extremely difficult for a mortal to kill a faerie but when it’s faerie against faerie, it’s the same as two mortals. But along with that, you body can’t age anymore.”

“Hmm, well that’s something,” she looked at him, “does that make you happy?”

“Immensely.”

She got up and put on the silk robe that he got for her, “I want us to go somewhere today.”

He raised an eyebrow at her demand, “Anywhere in particular?”

“I don’t know, just somewhere where you’ll forget about being king and you’ll smile like you used to.”

He stood up and flashed her one of those smiles that she was talking about, wrapping his arms around her he said, “You shouldn’t worry about me.”

“I can’t help it, you’re to reckless.”

He grinned, “You aren’t living until you’re risking your life.”

She kissed him, “You’re insane.”

“I have to be,” he told her, leaving the room.

“Hey, I’m serious about going somewhere,” she yelled to him.

She heard him laugh from the other room and she sighed.