Lady Zula let them go from her embrace and looked at them with grief filled eyes. "We better go back to the room.... Cayden I think it's best that you spend the night with us, in our room." She said as she grabbed Cayden's hand and started to drag him out of the study room.
Cayden flushed a deep red when he heard what she said and tried to protest but Lady Zula was not having it. "No, you will now be in my care! In the morning we will have a long chat about 'things' and I won't feel comfortable if you are not within my sight!" Cayden groaned and looked at Ariana.
Ariana was not to pleased, she turned her gaze away when Cayden's flushing face turned to her for help. She didn't like seeing him so red while her mother was dragging him along. Once they made it upstairs, Lady Zula called on the butler in waiting to bring in a fold out bed for Cayden.
Ariana watched as Cayden's face started to relax and wondered what caused him so much embarrassment. "Cayden." She said as she took a couple of steps towards him. She reached out and grabbed his sleeve. "Are you going to sleep right away?"
Cayden looked at Ariana then Lady Zula. He sighed and started to rub the back of his neck as he brought his gaze back to Ariana. "You want to ask me questions now, right?" Ariana nodded her head slowly. "That's fine I have some questions too."
There was a knock on the door and two butlers came in carrying a single fold out bed. They started setting it up when Lady Zula asked the butler in waiting to bring up some warm milk and cinnamon rolls. "The old hag has a sweet tooth so I know she always has a stash of cinnamon rolls, ready at any given moment." She said with a wink as she looked at the two.
Cayden smiled and Ariana noticed he had small dimples resting above the corners of his lips. "A double smile." She said as she raised her hand to stop her giggle. Cayden's gaze became tender when he heard what she said. "That's right a double smile..." Lady Zula watched the boy as she sat herself down in one of the two red velvet wingback chairs in the room. "Cayden sit, I want to have a chat with you." She said as she pointed at the opposite chair.
Cayden looked at the chair then at Lady Zula. He reluctantly moved himself to where she instructed while Ariana looked around the room, until she spotted the stool by the vanity. She rushed over, picked up the stool and placed it in between Cayden and Lady Zula's wingback chairs.
"So Cayden let's start with the basics. Full name, age and your parents names please." Lady Zula said as she crossed one leg over the other and placed her hands on top of her thigh. Cayden looked at Ariana, while she looked back with sparkling eyes. Cayden sighed and let his head fall down to his chest. "Alright, I promise I won't lie to you but in return if there is something I can't answer, please don't press me okay?"
Lady Zula heard a knock on the bedroom door. She gave Cayden a stern look before she nodded her head. "You may enter." She said in a loud, clear voice. The butler in waiting walked in with a tray, carrying three tall glasses of steaming milk and a plate with a small mountain of cinnamon rolls. "Thank you James I will take over from here. You may retire for the night."
The stoic butler handed over the tray and watched Lady Zula place the tray on top of the coffee table. "That's not possible miss." He clenched his jaw, his olive skin became tight, his dark, brown eyes were screaming defiance while his salt and pepper, curly hair was slicked back perfect
Lady Zula looked back, locks of her dark hair topple off of her shoulder. "Excuse me?" She said a little bit more shocked then she wanted to let on. "I'm sorry miss but Madam wants me close by in case you need anything..." James said then moved his dark gaze towards the children. "We don't want another mishap to happen again, where we get another uninvited guest within these walls."
Lady Zula's face became very stern as she straightened up her back. "James, leave!" James gave a courtly bowed before he turned and left the room. "Old hag is even oppressing children that are not even her own." She scowled as James left. "Disgusting." She said under her breathe before she looked at Cayden. "Here, lets chat while we eat." She said as she passed a cinnamon roll with a napkin to Cayden then Ariana.
Ariana couldn't wait to sink her teeth into the roll. While Cayden just stared. After Ariana was almost done her first roll, Cayden took a bite, he slowly savoured the bite and swallowed. "My name is Cayden Remo, I'm fourteen this year and my parents... well my birth mother passed away from an illness 9 years ago." He said sadly as he looked at the cinnamon roll in his hand. Ariana looked at Cayden and felt her heart ache along with his.
"Remo, Remo, Remo....Remo! You're Erik Remo's boy?!" Lady Zula shouted. Cayden silently nodded his head in agreement. "Isn't his wife Shula Remo? Isn't she your mother? I mean there are other siblings of course and they are around your age... you're an illegitimate..." Lady Zula said as she stared at the boy who suddenly became furious and decided to devour his cinnamon roll then answer right away.
He reached out and grabbed his glass of milk. He chugged it down, banged his empty glass onto the coffee table and his cold gaze shot daggers at Lady Zula. "That's right I'm a bastard child." He hissed. Lady Zula softened her gaze as she looked at the boy but it was Ariana who spoke up. "My mother is not trying to be mean or degrade you. I think she is more shocked then anything else. I think you've talked about them, the Remo's before, right mom?"
Lady Zula sighed as she leaned back into her chair, clawing her fingers into the velvet fabric of the chair. "So they too are a white lily family." Ariana and Cayden looked at Lady Zula curiously but Lady Zula ignored their gazes. "So how did you end up in a slave contract? Don't tell me that Lydia forced it on you?" Cayden took another cinnamon roll and started to pick small pieces off before popping it into his mouth.
"Yes and no." He answered lazily and kept popping pieces of the roll into his mouth. Lady Zula raised her eyebrow, expecting him to elaborate but he silently kept eating. "Is it my fault?" Ariana whispered as she grabbed the fabric of her night gown and stared at Cayden with big round eyes. Cayden swallowed a piece of roll too quickly and started to cough. Lady Zula gave him her glass of milk and watched him drink half before he regained his breathe.
"It was not your fault, it will never be your fault! I... was to stubborn trying to win their approval. I was stupid enough to play into their games." He said as a mixture of emotions flashed across his face. Anger, sadness, fear, hatred and regret. "I fu-u.. cough... I made a mistake. I was supposed to act as a bodyguard for a very important family acquaintance. However I failed my mission and it resulted in me being disowned and sold off to some slave traders."
Lady Zula leaned in closer as Cayden spoke and her eyes showed a flash of disdain. "Did Ariana's uncle buy you and that's why you know each other?" Cayden looked appalled at the sound of uncle and colour drained from his face. "No, I was bought by a wealthy lady who kept me as a pet." He answered as he shuttered. "It was only recently that my slave contract was purchased by that man. My original owner died... cough... under unforeseeable circumstances. You see she liked buying pets and some times her pets costed more then what she had."
Lady Zula knew exactly what Cayden was hinting at and nodded her head but Ariana was completely clueless. "So what did she do?" Cayden blushed and turned his gaze away from her. "Some bad men didn't like how she made some extra cash and helped her lighten her burden." Ariana was still completely lost and looked at Lady Zula. Lady Zula sighed and reached out to grab her hand. "She was running a prostitution ring without a proper license."
Ariana darted her eyes back at Cayden. He brought up his hands in defense. "No I never part took in that kind of thing! She sent out her least favorite pets, her favorites accompanied her at night but I was too young and she kept me close because of my ability to gather information." He said in protest but Ariana had a feeling that it wasn't as simple as it sounded.
"How do you know Ariana?" Lady Zula asked as her gaze became sharp. Cayden tensed up and straightened his back. "I can't tell you..." Lady Zula brought her hand up to the side of her face and lightly placed her finger tips onto her temple and cheek. "How are you not suffering from you slavery pact?" She asked darkly causing Cayden to break out into a cold sweat.
"Heh ... still silent fine. What does Ariana's 'uncle' want with her? There is no way her mother wants her back... she was to weak hearted and paranoid about her own child taking her husband's love away. Even swore this child could seduce the most thick skinned of men but the way I see it, is like this. This child is too d*mn loveable. She works hard, she's passionate, naive and innocent, so tell me do you actually know each other?"
Cayden's face turned bright red and he stood up from his chair. "I know what she's like! How dare you question our relationship! I have been with her from when she was a year old until she was - ugh!" Cayden shouted and the slave marking reappeared around his neck and hands. Ariana stood up and tried to reach out to Cayden but he stumbled backwards.
"Sh*t! Did the Thunder bird leave?! Ahhh!" He screamed as he tried to drag himself up. Lady Zula stepped beside him and crouched down to his eye level. "Why do you care if the Thunder bird is gone or not?" Cayden gritted his teeth and sweat started to roll down from his temples down his face. "It broke the psychic connection to my master... Ugh!" Cayden could barely take the pain anymore and pulled on the collar of his shirt as he panted for air.
"So your master, Ariana's 'uncle' doesn't like you talking to me about your mission?" Lady Zula said as she started tracing the slave markings with the tip of her index finger. Cayden's vision started to blur as tears pooled in his eyes. "Stop it! They want me dead right?! My blood touched you and it relieved the pain right?!" Ariana shouted as she pulled on her dress.
Lady Zula paled as she heard Ariana's words. She dropped her hand and looked at Ariana then Cayden. "Is this true?" Cayden refused to answer and he clenched his jaw while the markings started to glow a brighter red. Ariana grabbed the empty cup and smashed it against the table. "No!" Lady Zula and Cayden shouted together but Ariana was determined, she raised the broken glass and clenched her eyes shut as she swung downward.
The door smashed open and a pen was thrown forward, shattered the glass that was in Ariana's hand. Lady Zula let out her breathe in relief but Cayden was getting worse by the second. He dropped back onto the floor and started to convulse from the pain. James took long strides towards the boy and grabbed his arm, pulling him off the ground. "Please don't hurt him!" Ariana cried. James just turned his gaze towards her and in one swift movement placed something onto Cayden wrist. The furiously glowing slave markings started to lose its light while Cayden's breathing started to even out.
Ariana was about to drop on to her knees when James dropped Cayden and moved forward to catch her. "Glass shards." Was all he said as he effortlessly lifted up Ariana and gently placed her onto the chair that Cayden was sitting in. "Why did you drop him?! He's in pain!" Ariana shouted as she pounded her fists onto James' chest.
"Why? He is but a mere slave he should be used to worse treatment." James said bluntly as he moved his gaze towards the boy. He saw that Lady Zula had moved his head onto her lap and started to stroke the boy's hair. He pursed his lips and his eyes became void off emotions. "He will be fine. Madam has infused a Thunder bird scale to the cuff around his wrist. Though it's crudely done she figure out why he came out of hiding." He said nonchalantly and grabbed Ariana's wrists, midair. "Does this satisfy you young Miss?" He said as he eyed Ariana.
She pulled her wrists free and narrowed her icy gaze at the butler. "Leave." She command. James gave her a courtly bow before he turned to Lady Zula. He took a sharp breathe in and did a 90 degree bow, stepped over Cayden and left the room. Two younger butlers came running in and started to clean up the glass. "Sorry but may I bother one of you to help me?" Lady Zula asked the two butlers.
"Aye, Miss ask away!" the sandy brown haired man said. "Anything." The ginger haired, freckled faced man answered. "Very well, I want to know your names first." The sandy brown haired man flashed her a cheeky smile. "I'm Roderick and this fine fellow is Charles." Lady Zula nodded her understanding. "Good, nice to meet and you and what not. I need help lifting this young boy up and onto the fold out bed." The two young looking butlers looked at one another and went back to cleaning up the glass.
Lady Zula was momentarily dumbstruck and quickly recovered her composure. "Did I just not ask you to do something?" Lady Zula said with a commanding tone rather then an asking one. "S'rry Miss, but ah, we can't h'lp you when it comes to the boy." Roderick replied flatly. Charles gave her a blank stare and finished scooping up the glass shards. "And why not?!" Lady Zula asked as she felt her blood starting to boil.
"S'rry Miss, o'ders from the top. He has the cuff on, we ignore him. That's the rules." Roderick said with a shrug as he collected the tray. "What happens if I tell the Madam I will want to speak to her in private?" Ariana said as she gripped the arms of the wingback chair. The young men stopped moving and turned their gazes to Ariana.
"Depends what can you give her." Charles said as he placed a handkerchief of the glass pieces, small brush and dust pan onto the tray. "What does she want? I assume she won't let us leave so easily either unless I do something for her?" Ariana said darkly as she kept her gaze locked outside the window. Charles gave a small chuckle. "Smart child. We'll go ask." He said as him and Roderick started to move forward. "Only one of you needs to go inform her the other can stay here and help my mother with her requests." Ariana said as she brought her hand upwards, balanced her elbow on the arm rest and cradled her head at the same time.
Charles gave her a toothy grin. "As you wish Miss, Roderick will finish up the cleaning and inform the Madam. I will stay behind." Ariana let out a small 'tsk' sound as she waved her hand. "Fine." Lady Zula looked at Ariana with a mixture of pride and fear. She knew the child was not ordinary but she acted as if she was used to these kinds of interactions. "Ariana, honey, how do you know Cayden?" She asked gently. Ariana's pupils dilated as she looked at Lady Zula. "I don't remember."