Richardo's POV:
I looked at Paris and purred softly as I heard the carriage stop finally, pulling up in front of a large castle. Hopefully... Laurence isn't going to trick us and turn us in to our parents. I can't bare to be separated from him. I love him too much. Our parents can't understand that, and they'd tear us apart from one another and force us away from each other. I can't allow it.... I held him close and buried my face into his neck, breathing in his sweet comforting scent. He is mine, and no one else's.... I want to be with him for eternity, and not just because he's my mate. I sincerely love him. I don't care if he's male- it makes me love him more for it. I gave his neck a soft kiss and smiled. I'd do anything for him. "Paris, we're here," I whispered in his ear then pulled away from his neck to look him in the eyes then gave a sigh. "Let's go see him. I'm sure he's waiting for us patiently. He must know we're here already." I opened the carriage door then climbed out first, looking towards the castle then reached back for him. I took his hand and helped him out like a gentleman before I held him close, putting an arm around his waist as I kept a tight grip on his hand. "I hope he won't trick us," I whispered then glanced behind us, seeing Dante, Victor, Val, Laura, and Reuben getting out of their carriages. Victor had a look in his eyes that made me a little concerned, looking somewhat starved. He must not be getting enough from who we have with us. Dante probably isn't sharing Reuben because of Reuben being his mate... and Laura can only feed so many vampires before she gets sickly. She was already pale from the donations she's given, and she's been favoring feeding Val first when we go to feed from her.
"Well, we're here," Dante hummed out then smirked before he grabbed Reuben's hand and started to pull him up the stairs to the doors. "Come along, Reuben. Don't leave my side while we're here. I'd hate to lose you here." Victor closely followed them and gave a slight growl as he eyed Reuben's neck hungrily then smirked slowly like he was thinking about ripping him away from Dante for a taste. I shook my head then looked at Paris.
"We're going to have to do something about feeding Victor. He looks starved," I whispered to him then sighed. We could all do with some fresh, new blood. We've only been drinking from a few humans and each other... and the humans are getting tired out from supporting five blood thirsty vampires and a newborn. I hope Laurence will be able to feed Victor.... As we started up the steps of the castle, the doors opened to a few servants waiting on us.
"Master Laurence has asked of us to make sure you're fed before bringing you to him." A maid announced. "We have agreed to as long as you are kind. Master Laurence is waiting in his throne room." I looked up at them then nodded before I looked at Paris and held him close, pulling him towards the door by his waist as I looked the maids over.
"Thank you," I told the maid then glanced towards Victor as he looked at the maid hungrily and walked up to her. He looked down into her eyes then gave a soft purr before he took her wrist and gave it a gentle kiss and bit in quickly, starting to feed. "That didn't take him long," I whispered to Paris and laughed. "At least he's not tearing her apart. You should feed too," I murmured as I got him up the steps and looked towards another maid. "Could you please feed him?" I asked her and then moved my hands to his shoulders and held them. "He could use some fresh blood too."
"Of course. We're here for that," the maid said kindly and offered her wrist. Paris took it and started to drink from her- biting down deep to get as much as possible and be quick about it.
"I could use some fresh blood," Val said quickly and walked up to a butler waiting. She took his hand and brought it up to her mouth before biting him. Looks like she wanted something different from her human.
"Dante," Reuben husked out. "They smell so delicious." Dante looked at Reuben then at a maid.
"Come here," he purred softly to Reuben then moved him to the maid and gently took her wrist, bringing it up to his mate's lips. "Expose your fangs and bite down gently. Don't hurt her too bad, okay? She's not one of my maids, so don't upset them." He gave his mate a sweet look and kissed the top of his head before he rubbed Reuben's jaw, coaxing him to her. "This will be your first taste of human blood, won't it?" He hummed out thoughtfully. "You haven't had Laura's blood...." I shook my head at them then went towards a nearby butler, not wanting to go too far from Paris and then brought the butler close, leaning in towards his neck and bit down into it. I moaned softly from the new taste and gripped the front of his vest as I brought my fangs in deeper. He groaned a little but didn't push me away. I heard a roar nearby, shaking the ground around us that made my heart start to race. I widened my eyes then yanked away from the butler, looking for the sound then saw a man chasing a giant black dragon with chains.
"GET BACK HERE, BAYLORIK!" He yelled, sounding angry with it. The dragon roared back at him and took off into flight, snarling as it flew away. I saw an icy blue dragon take it down from the sky, pinning it to the ground by its wings with a light growl before it looked back at the man and purred lovingly, rubbing it's head against the other dragon as it watched the man approaching. The black dragon snarled and tried to get up, but the other growled and put its teeth against the black one's neck threateningly.
"Don't be alarmed. That's Laurence's dragon tamer, his dragon, and a new dragon- Baylorik. He's being trained to be a good boy. Laurence is this way." A butler said calmly as he watched us. I looked after him then started to follow him as Dante had Reuben pull away from the servant and the others followed shortly. I glanced around curiously as I held Paris close to me, giving his hand a squeeze nervously. I sniffed the air, checking for my parents to make sure they weren't here then frowned as I caught a faint scent of them. They had been here a few days ago. I quit walking quickly and then looked at Paris before I looked at the servant.
"Our parents have been here," I whispered in his ear, starting to get nervous. This could be a trap! No way am I letting us get caught by our parents and forced back into that life- that horrible, colorless life.
"Their scent is distance and thin. They might have come to Laurence seeking his knowledge of our destination. They haven't caught us yet... So, let's try to think positive. He's on our side." Paris told me calmly then started back to walking. I frowned a little but was quick to follow him, holding his hand. Oh man... I don't like this... but then again... what choice do we have? The servant showed us into a grand throne room where the servants quickly departed, leaving us in front of a throne with a butler holding some sort of egg in his arms with a little boy beside him.There was a young boy sitting on the throne in a slouching posture. He had his legs over one arm and his elbow on the next. His hand was curling his white hair. It looked like Paris's hair. He had a silver bow to tie it up behind his hair. His eyes were looking out the window when we entered, but they shot towards us, and he gave a happy smile.
"You've arrived! I thought it would be today. Lucky, I set up servants to guard the door. Did you get enough to eat? You all must've been starving. Let me introduce everyone. This is my butler- Timothy, his son Baleen, and the red dragon. I don't have a name just yet. Now- You're Paris, Richard, Val (my lovely fiancé. Might I say it's lovely to see you again.), Dante, Victor, and two important extras. Strays you picked up on your adventure to meet me. Dante's mate- and Val's blood bag. My name is Laurence. I'm who you came to see." He stood up and started to walk towards us. He was so much younger appearing than what I thought he would appear. He was maybe thirteen. A shortie. He still had boyish features. He's younger than I imagined. I frowned slightly as I watched him come up to us but relaxed as I looked him over. He doesn't seem that dangerous, and he doesn't seem threatening.... He couldn't really turn us in. He looks so happy to see us, too joyful. I smiled then and let go of Paris's hand and reached a handout to him to shake it with a purr. He's kind of sweet and innocent. I felt a soft spot growing for him as I watched him walk up to us, and I grinned.
"The rumors are true then, aren't they? You can see the future," I purred out then shook his hand as he got closer. I heard his butler Timothy laughing a little as he watched us before he rubbed Baleen's head and then looked towards us.
"You're shorter than I thought you'd be," Dante hummed out, looking over Laurence's small body. Victor started to laugh then.
"What? Are you disappointed, Dante?" Victor purred out then exposed his fangs playfully at Dante. Dante looked back at him then smirked before he exposed his fangs back.
"Who said I was disappointed? Maybe I like the fact that he's smaller than us," he purred back then looked at Laurence. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Laurence."
"Well the pleasure is all mine. I've been waiting awhile to see you guys," Laurence told us and gave a sweet smile. "Timothy, I'm getting a craving for tea. How about you fix us some tea? Baleen, you can hold the egg in your father's place. We'll take this into my study where it'll be warmer, and I can introduce you to more knowledge your parents have hid from you. By the way... Paris, Richard, your parents visited me recently, and I sent them towards Dante's castle to search." His eyes shot to Dante then. "You'll have to go home and cover for Paris and Richard when they arrive at your castle. I'll time it right and send you there to take care of them and send them somewhere else." Dante frowned but nodded.
"Of course... I will send them someone else's way," he said calmly then looked at us with a frown. I glanced over at him.
"Thank you, Dante," I said softly then looked at Laurence before I gave him a huge smile. "Thank you too, Laurence. I admit I did get worried when I caught their scent," I mumbled and bit my bottom lip, watching him. "I shouldn't have." I really... really want to be his friend. He's amazing! He played my parents, and he's just.... There's something about him, something I really like....
"That's fine if you had your suspicions. We never met before... but this was the only way to see to it there was a great future for you. This way," Laurence said and started for the door. "I want to fill your heads with knowledge." Victor was quick to follow him in excitement, pulling out the book Laurence had given us earlier. I glanced back at Timothy, watching as he handed the egg down to his son and disappeared through a door off the throne room. I wonder if Laurence likes dragons. He has one already, and he's got an egg pretty much following him everywhere. I glanced back towards Laurence then grabbed Paris's hand as I pulled him with me to follow him. Dante frowned and held Reuben closely, glancing the two of us over before he looked back at Laurence then sighed. He and Val followed with their two tag along, moving behind us.
"Is there more to know than what's in this book?" Victor asked Laurence quickly, starting to flip through the book. "This is already so much~!"
"Oh, there's so much more for you to learn. There are other species.... There are myths. There are afterlife details. Transformations as well. There's much more. Vampires can go through a transformation to become a higher being. A demon. There's a cost though." Laurence told us as he glanced over his shoulder. Baleen ran up to his side and giggled. He held the egg tightly in his arms so he wouldn't drop it. I frowned then.
"Demon?" I asked quickly and held Paris a little closer. That... sounds horrible. We can become something like that.
"Woooow~" Victor got wide eyed then in amazement. "We can become a demon?" He asked and laughed. "That's..." he started to quiet down as he tried to find a word for it. He likes that? I frowned his way. Is he okay in his head?
"I don't think that's something you should be happy about," Dante warned him, looking Victor over.
"How do you become a demon?" Paris asked quickly. He sounded a little worried then. Laurence stopped walking and turned halfway to look at Paris before smirking.
"Vampires become demons from drinking too much blood. That's why your parents restrict you on the amount you drink. But... you can become ill if you don't get enough blood, and you'll sometimes lose control of your hunger... and feast on whole towns- then you would become a demon of course from lacking control. Vampires must drink a medium of blood."
"What's it like? To be one?" Paris asked softly.
"Well..." Laurence laughed in amusement. "I've never been one." I frowned and held Paris's hand a little tighter before I leaned in towards his ear.
"I don't think we should be wanting to know about that...." I whispered to him. From drinking too much blood? That's kind of.... I blushed at the thought. If anyone is close to be a demon, then it's me.... I'm always biting people... and drinking blood.
"Richard, I hope you're not drinking too much blood," Val teased me. "Paris is paler than when I first met him at the ball. You're not drinking too much... right?" Paris blushed and pushed some of his hair behind his ear.
"He's been drinking a calm amount from me," Paris told her. I looked at Val then pulled Paris close to me, moving my arm around his waist.
"He's not too pale," I defended quickly. I looked at him then kissed the top of his head. "I wouldn't make my mate unhealthy. I love him!"
"Yeah," Paris whispered and kissed my cheek. "I love him too. He's not taking too much from me." Laurence chuckled and kept walking. I followed him, holding onto Paris's waist as I watched him curiously. I heard chirping coming from the egg then, slowly getting louder with each chirp. Laurence glanced down at the egg before frowning as he walked us into a new room with tons of books surrounding a desk. I glanced around as we stepped in then looked towards Laurence's desk before I took Paris over to a small couch and sat him down in it with me, pulling him close as I moved my arm around his shoulders and had him lean against me. Victor sat down in an armchair and looked the books over curiously before he looked down at his book and flipped through it some more with a purr. Dante and Reuben sat down together nearby with Val and Laura. The egg began to quiet down a bit before there was a light growl from inside it. What the hell? Why is it so noisy? Laurence sat down at his desk and motioned for Baleen, stealing the egg from him and rubbed it.
"My egg is due to hatch soon," Laurence told us. "Probably today." Baleen giggled and looked the egg over.
"I think I found a name. Ruby! Because it's going to be red," he told Laurence and giggled again. "Ruby!"
"That's the girl version of Reuben's name," Val giggled out.
"Is not," Reuben hissed. Dante laughed then and looked at his mate.
"Yes, it is. Reuben- Reuby," he purred out then nipped Reuben's ear playfully. There was a scratching noise inside the egg then as the growls quieted, and I could hear faint taps against the side of it. Baleen frowned before giving a thoughtful look.
"Why don't we wait to see it's gender," Laurence purred to Baleen. "Then we'll decide."
"So... is it hatching?" I asked curiously, looking the little egg over in wonder. I heard another growl rise up in it before another chirp came from it. The egg rocked a little in Laurence's hands like it was shifting in the egg, and another scratch sounded on the side of it.
"Probably," Laurence said calmly. "Our voices are making it eager to get out." I nodded and kissed the side of Paris's head before I saw a small claw suddenly stick through the side of the egg. A small hiss came from inside as the claw got stuck as it tried to pull it back in. Laurence smirked as he watched the egg. Baleen giggled and started to jump a little in excitement.
"It's hatching Laurence! It's hatching!" Baleen yelled out and gasped. It finally managed to get it's claw back inside before a little snout tried pushing its head through the hole it made, calling out quickly. Laurence rubbed the egg.
"It's okay, come out," Laurence encouraged. It growled lightly when it could get its head through and retreated into the egg. I could see it looking out of the hole in the egg before it chirped again. "Come on," Laurence said again. He sat the egg down on top of the desk. It rocked then before the egg rolled a little way. I heard a snarl from in it before another claw stuck through it. I laughed a little as I watched it yank it's claw back in before it pushed its head through the hole, managing to get its head out this time before it struggled and got its front paws out then pushed on the egg to get the rest of its tiny body out. It sneezed then fell off the top of the egg onto the desk, flaring its blood red wings out to try to balance itself as it fell onto its side. It was gorgeous looking. Its scales were a pretty shiny red, healthy looking, and its claws were a beautiful midnight black- sharp and deadly.
"Oh wow!" Baleen giggled and watched the dragon. He giggled and grabbed Laurence's arm. "That's a pretty dragon!" It slowly got to its feet then looked the egg over before it growled and attacked it, starting to tear it apart as it rolled with the egg towards the edge of the desk. Laurence grabbed the dragon quickly and rubbed its head.
"You're fine. You're out of it," he told the dragon. The dragon looked up at Laurence with wide eyes before it purred loudly and leaned in towards his hand, curling against his hands as it closed its eyes and moved its wings close against it. I smiled then. That's kind of cute.
"What are you going to name it?" I asked Laurence, looking the tiny thing over.
"I'm letting Baleen help me decide," Laurence told me. "He asked to help." Laurence glanced over at Baleen and smiled. "He's going to be my head butler when he's older."
"He is? Hopefully he won't be tiny too," Dante teased and smirked at Laurence. I frowned a little and glanced at Dante before I looked at the dragon curiously, watching as it lightly nipped at Laurence's fingers. I heard the doors open, and Timothy walked in with a tray of tea and sat it down on the desk, fixing each of us a cup. He glanced at Laurence then froze up as he saw the dragon then laughed, setting tea down in front of Laurence.
"He looks like a miniature Ertis," he said sweetly to Laurence then brought Paris and me a cup before he took it to the others. He walked back to the desk and then cleared away the eggshell. "Would you like me to dispose of this, or would you prefer for me to put it away as a keepsake?" He asked Laurence and looked the tiny dragon over.
"Dispose of it. Get the little guy something to eat as well." Laurence told him before picking up the dragon and checked its gender. It growled and struggled, trying to roll back onto its stomach in Laurence's arms and tucked its tail quickly up against its stomach, flaring out it's small wings as it tried it's best to right itself. Timothy laughed and picked up the egg then left to go do as instructed.
"You little... clever... beast," Laurence tsked out. "Don't make this harder than it has to be. I'll name you after a tree." It sneezed at Laurence before puffing out some smoke then curled one of its claws around Laurence's finger before. It moved its tail a little before it stretched out and started to suck on Laurence's finger it was holding, giving up on rolling onto its stomach. Laurence held it with one hard and moved the dragon's tail with his other hand. It growled a little but didn't struggle. I looked it over curiously, seeing it was a proud male then laughed. At least Laurence won't have to worry about eggs being in his hoard with a male. Laurence let out a sigh of relief and placed the dragon on his shoulder. "Good, you won't be mating with that devil outside." The dragon purred and then moved into the crook of Laurence's neck before he began to nuzzle against him, rubbing his chin against him before he melted and purred louder.
"Oh! Demon! Let's name him Demon!" Baleen suggested and giggled. I frowned.
"Demon?" I asked Baleen. "Why Demon?"
"Because don't you imagine red when you think of Demon?" Baleen asked. Dante laughed then.
"You could call him Teufel. It's Devil in my language," he purred out in amusement. I shook my head then chuckled, kissing the top of Paris's head. I heard the dragon purring before it yelped and slipped down Laurence's chest, falling off his shoulder.
"Teufel?" Laurence asked and gave it a thoughtful look. It started to crawl back up Laurence then before it stopped under his chin then looked up into Laurence's eyes before it purred and showed its wings off to him, giving a playful growl. Laurence looked him over before smirking.
"You need to meet the dragon you'll grow up around and one day rein over," Laurence teased. It tilted its head before it snuggled up under Laurence's chin and nuzzled it's head against him happily. I suddenly heard the door open, and Timothy came back in with a small bowl of milk, the scent of honey coming from it. He placed it down on the desk then looked towards Laurence and the dragon. Laurence sat the dragon down on the desk next to the milk. "Drink up and get strong." The dragon looked the milk over curiously before he sniffed it then cautiously started to crawl into it. It purred and sunk down into it, starting to play in the milk in delight. Timothy laughed before he leaned over and dipped his fingers in it then rubbed it against the dragon's snout, trying to get him to lick the milk off.
"Hey silly, that's not for playing in," he told him and smiled.
"No, it's for eating," Laurence told him and shook his head. "Timothy, go get Baylorik."
"B-Baylorik?" Timothy asked quickly then looked at Laurence. "Are you sure, young master? He might eat him. I think he's forgotten about the fact you were getting an egg with Abbott chasing him around and training him."
"I want them to meet before it's too late to get them adjusted to each other," Laurence explained. "Plus, I would like him to meet my guests."
"I'll bring him with Abbott," he said then started to walk off, looking unsure about the whole thing. The little dragon licked the milk off his snout then looked down at it hungrily before he sunk down in it and started to devour it like he was starved. Laurence looked towards us then.
"Where were we?" He asked and grabbed his cup of tea. He took a sip from it.
"Well, you were naming the dragon," Dante hummed out.
"Telling us about demons," Victor said quickly, looking at Laurence sharply. "You were telling us about it."
"Oh right~ Demons. What would you like to know, Victor?" Laurence asked.
"Are they more powerful?" He asked and sat the book aside, closing it. "I mean, if you drink a lot of blood to unlock it, then it stands to reason that you would become more powerful from it, right? Why else would you want to become one?"
"Yes. You will grow stronger, hungrier, power hungry, and feared. There are pros and cons to it." Laurence told him. Victor nodded then smirked.
"So... how strong? Could you demolish an entire army as a demon?" He purred out. Dante frowned at Victor.
"Victor, power hungry isn't a good thing," he told him then crossed his legs.
"You can wipe out towns like a plague. You wouldn't eat souls, just blood." Victor nodded to Laurence then.
"That powerful huh?" He hummed out thoughtfully. "I would hate to meet one after me." He smirked then. Dante kissed the top of Reuben's head then before he slipped Reuben into his lap and wrapped his arms around him. The dragon slipped out of the bowl, starting to lick itself clean to get the honey milk off him as he purred. He had gotten plump from all the milk he had, making his stomach stick out a bit. I chuckled at the sight and looked him over.
"He got fat," I purred in amusement. Timothy walked in then, holding the door open as a dark-haired male walked in, growling angrily as he clawed at a collar around his neck. Another man walked in and smirked, watching the dark haired one.
"You can't get it off," he told him and crossed his arms. "I bet you're angry, aren't you?" The dark-haired male snarled at him then, turning on him as his gold eyes glared him down.
"Take it off," he hissed.
"No, you're in the presence of your master. I'm not taking it off you and allowing you to take your other form until you learn to behave," he hummed out then walked over to a seat, taking it.
"Abbott," the dark haired male hissed, starting for him.
"Baylorik," he said calmly and leaned his head over the arm as he kicked his legs over the side.
"Take. It. Off. Me. Now!"
"No," he hummed out then looked his nails over. "Behave, or you won't have any fish." The dark-haired male- Baylorik- snarled and stepped up to him then froze before his eyes landed on the little red dragon cleaning himself on the desk. He hissed in anger and was quick to go to the desk, snatching the dragon up and went towards a window. I heard the little dragon yelp before it snarled in anger, starting to claw at Baylorik's hands as it struggled to get free. Laurence crossed his legs calmly and flicked a finger at the man that took his dragon away. Shadows drew towards them then and snatched the baby away- bringing it back to Laurence.
"Baylorik. As your master, I would advise you to stop acting out in front of my guests. I called you in here to meet them as well as your superior," Laurence told him as he looked down at the baby dragon. "This little guy is superior to you, so be respectful of him." Baylorik snarled then, looking from Laurence towards the baby dragon.
"He's not my superior!" He hissed then glared the baby down as the small dragon curled up in Laurence's arms and snarled towards Baylorik. "That's a tiny red rat! It doesn't belong in my hoard!"
"Baylorik, behave," Abbott said then sat up, looking at Baylorik. His eyes glowed a light blue then as Baylorik turned to look at him, glaring at him. "Didn't you hear your master? He told you to behave," he told him firmly then growled out something in another, rougher language. Baylorik blinked before he sat down and nuzzled his head against the seat calmly, starting to purr. Abbott smirked. "Good boy. Now, you're going to listen to your master whenever he tells you to do something, understand? I didn't want to use Mirada's powers to get through your head, but you're not going to embarrass my employer in front of his guests." He got to his feet then and walked over to Baylorik before he reached down and started to rub under his chin for him, watching as he melted into the seat and moaned. The little dragon snarled lightly then puffed smoke Baylorik's way, fluttering his wings like he was upset about his presence. Laurence rubbed his little dragon on his head and let out a sigh.
"Baylorik. You came into my castle and took away something special to me and won't leave. You'll respect the new dragon's presence. This is his hoard, and you're his guest." Abbott pulled his hand away and watched as Baylorik growled towards Laurence, looking over at him.
"Behave," Abbott said calmly then tapped Baylorik on the nose, making him go silent. Baylorik stayed quiet then settled into the seat before he looked at Abbott and snatched his hand, moving it back to under his chin. Abbott chuckled and started to rub him there again before he picked Baylorik up and sat down in the chair and had him sitting in his lap as he petted him. "I think he'll be fine for now, Laurence. He's not going to eat the hatchling right now, and I'll continue to watch him and monitor him until he obeys you without my help." The little dragon gave a sharp snarl towards Baylorik before he looked up at Laurence and curled up in his arms, latching onto him possessively.
"He'll get the fact that he's not top dragon real soon," Laurence promised his small dragon. The small dragon purred then before he nuzzled his head against Laurence and then looked up at him before he leapt onto the desk and started for Baylorik with a small roar, flaring his wings out. Baylorik yanked his head away from Abbott then and roared back, starting to get angry again. Paris tensed up next to me and clenched his jaw. Laurence tsked as he watched the smaller dragon. He grabbed him and tapped him on the nose.
"No," Laurence said sternly. The smaller dragon widened his eyes before he settled down and started to purr, nuzzling his head against Laurence's head with a cute look. I shook my head then kissed Paris on the lips softly.
"I don't think they're going to fight," I mumbled. "That dragon tamer and Laurence have it under control."
"Baylorik, I want you to meet the guests I was telling you about a few days ago," Laurence said calmly. Baylorik looked towards us then sunk down against Abbott.
"They're all vampires," he muttered, glancing each of us over. I laughed then sipped on my tea I had.
"Yes, we're all vampires," I purred at Baylorik. He looked towards me then, watching me closely. I exposed my fangs playfully at him and purred. He looked at my fangs then up at me before he lost interest and looked at Abbott, starting to dig around in Abbott's pockets. Abbott smacked his hand lightly then began to rub his chin.
"No," he whispered.
"Baylorik, if you want to misbehave, you can go back to your cold and hard cell downstairs." Laurence smirked then.
"Cell?" Baylorik asked, looking over at Laurence with a frown before he moaned and leaned his head back as Abbott moved his hand a little to the left.
"Yes. The treasure hoard isn't yours."
"Yes, it is," he said quickly and pushed Abbott's hand back to look at Laurence then narrowed his eyes. "It's mine!"
"No, it's not.... I might give you a few coins to chew on in your cell." Baylorik hissed then.
"Young master, perhaps we should make the two share?" Timothy suggested lightly. "It might cause problems in the two if only one has the hoard."
"Are you sure they'd understand what sharing means?" Laurence asked. "Especially when mating season comes." Abbott cleared his throat then and looked at Laurence uneasily as he rubbed Baylorik's head.
"Well... if you'd prefer... I could take Baylorik off your hands and move him to our headquarters. A tamer would take him in and train him," he suggested softly. "That's if you would prefer to only have the little one in your hands. I could subdue Baylorik enough to move him out of here and into a different hoard."
"Absolutely not. He chose this place to be his death bed. He's going to rot here," Laurence hissed out.
"What did Baylorik do?" Paris asked softly.
"He killed Ertis, my young master's beloved dragon," Timothy told him then frowned. "He was rather old, but our young master wanted you to meet him very much, and a few days ago, Baylorik came and killed him for the treasure hoard." Abbott sighed then.
"I won't remove him then if that's how you feel about Baylorik being moved," Abbott told Laurence. "He'll stay unless you call on us to take him off your hands. There's no shame in doing it. We wouldn't blame you- especially with a smaller dragon that needs a healthy environment to grow up in."
"If I remove him then Ertis's death will mean nothing. He would have died for nothing. Baylorik killed him for gold.... Now he's going to live here until he dies. I tried running him off out of anger... but I like the idea of him rotting here instead." Laurence rubbed his baby dragon on the head and glared Baylorik down.
"Yes sir," Abbott said then nodded before he looked at Baylorik then leaned in towards his ear. "How about you go ask someone to clean you up? You could use a bath from being outside all morning... and your master has guests to attend to without a dragon snarling at his baby dragon." He patted Baylorik's head then and gently pushed him out of his lap and started to lead him to the door. "Come on. Let's get you something to eat too.... I think something green as punishment for your reaction to the new dragon." He smirked and took Baylorik out of the room, leaving Laurence behind with the little red one. It relaxed quickly as Baylorik's presence left, and he began to call out to Laurence sweetly, getting a little more adventurous as he climbed up onto Laurence's head with a purr. I laughed then and watched him curiously.
"He's rather cute...." I purred out. Laurence looked up at the dragon and picked him up to get him off his head. He sat him back down in his lap before looking at us.
"I've had dragon problems," he sighed out. "I hope my image in your heads haven't changed due to my ill feelings I have towards Baylorik." He looked towards Baleen and rubbed his cheek. I shook my head.
"Not at all, Laurence. If he had killed someone beloved to me, I would be angry as well," I told him softly. Victor purred.
"I'm okay with it. You just have a few more layers than I expected," he said and smirked. Dante looked Laurence over before he kissed Reuben's head and hugged him tightly. I shifted then as I examined Laurence then looked him in the eyes.
"Laurence... you sent us a letter inviting us here," I spoke up softly then, bringing up why we were here in the first place.
"I did," Laurence said and chuckled. "I think we all know why you're here. I'm going to help you win the war." I smiled in relief then.
"You are?" I asked him then gave Paris a small squeeze. That's great! I laughed then and gave him a huge smile. "I'm very grateful to you, Laurence~" I'm going to make him my friend before this is through!
"For the next couple of days, I will teach you what I know that your parents kept from you. Then we'll train you well and send you off to start your army. Then you'll take down your family." Laurence said calmly. I nodded then paused as I heard Dante laugh.
"Train them? Would you like me to help train the love birds? I'm skilled in fighting," he told Laurence with a smirk.
"Yes. I do expect you to train the love birds. Paris wasn't brought up in fighting. He needs a tutor like you. I'm also going to help you find your powers." He looked directly at Paris and me. "You'll both need to start self-searching. You have powers."
"Powers?" I frowned then. "I thought we would obtain powers naturally. We're supposed to search for it?" Dante smirked then.
"Good luck boys~" He purred out at the two of us. "Teleporting is hard enough at first. I can't imagine what your powers are going to be like."
"Well I could spoil it," Laurence said and chuckled. "It might open your minds to try harder on them."
"What's the fun in spoiling it?" Dante asked and smirked at him. I frowned then and looked at Paris before I kissed his temple softly.
"Paris... you haven't found any powers yet, have you?" I asked him curiously. I haven't asked him yet... but I know he can't teleport because the ride across Europe wouldn't have happened if he could. Paris blushed.
"I don't know," he told me softly and glanced away. "I don't think of it as a power." I frowned then.
"Does that mean you can do something then?" I asked him and rubbed his cheek with my thumb as I kept my arm around his shoulders. He gave a small hurt look before biting his bottom lip.
"Sort of..." He whispered. I paused then looked him over.
"Paris?" I asked softly. "Are you okay?" Did I upset him? He nodded a little before rubbing his neck.
"I um.... I- I have a servant," he told me.
"A servant?" I asked him and frowned. "Well of course you do. You're a prince of France. You have lots of servants at home."
"No... I have a different servant. He helped me get us here." He glanced away- looking towards a corner of the room. "He's here, but I've instructed him to only let me see him." I frowned then looked towards the corner of the room then at him.
"What are you? Insane? No one is there," Dante said and looked Paris over with a frown. "Are you seeing people and hearing voices?"
"No," Paris said quickly.
"Of course not," Laurence said calmly. "He's here." Laurence glanced towards the corner of the room. "My shadows know there's another lurking here." I looked from the corner to him then before I gave him a soft smile.
"That's... amazing that you have a servant like that," I told him then gave him a soft kiss. "You didn't have to hide that from me. I would've accepted it."
"No... I'm not so sure about that," Paris whispered and shook his head.
"Paris, don't go assuming we'll judge you so quickly," Val said sweetly. "We're all on each other's side in this room." I nodded.
"Val is right," I told him then rubbed his cheek. "We're all on the same side... and you're my mate. I love you, and that's never, ever going to change." I smiled at him then gave him another kiss. "I promise I will love you no matter what."
"Go ahead," Val encouraged. "Let's see your servant. I want to see." I looked towards her then at him.
"If they don't like it, you don't need their opinion," I told him firmly then wrapped him up in my arms, pulling him into my lap. "You're still you, no matter what." He leaned his head up against my shoulder before he nodded.
"Reveal yourself," Paris mumbled. I heard footsteps moving away from the wall then before it ended at an armchair. A dark figure appeared in the chair then- long white hair ran down a male like face. He crossed his legs as shadows lingered around his body. His hair was so like Paris's hair. More than Laurence's hair. His eyes were shinning a dark blue as they looked us over and flickered red. His face lit up in amusement as the rest of his appearance took on. Horns started to grow out on his head. He threw an arm up and started to stretch out as he bounced his foot. He stretched his arm out and brought it just in the reach of Paris and placed it on his knee.
"Paris, it's about time you let them see me. I was growing bored having a one-way conversation with you." He gave a small smirk. "You two were really naughty these past few days." Paris tensed up and glanced towards the guy. Laurence leaned over his desk then in interest.
"Grimm," Laurence purred out. "It's been awhile." I frowned as I looked at this man's hand on my mate's knee and quickly brushed it off Paris with a slight growl.
"Hands off," I told the man then held Paris closer to me. He's been watching us.... I looked the man over then eyed his horns over before I looked at Paris then at the man. The hair.... "Is there... a relation?" I asked Paris softly in his ear, staring at the man. "Your hair looks like his hair.... Why does he have horns?"
"Grimm is a demon," Laurence said calmly. Victor widened his eyes.
"Like... a vampire demon... or a demon straight from Hell?" He asked Laurence, looking Grimm over. Wait... Paris Grimm.... This man is also called Grimm. I widened my eyes then looked at Grimm.
"Why is your name my mate's last name?" I asked quickly.
"Oh..." Grimm smirked. "I'm a demon straight from hell. Serving the Grimm family. It's my curse. I mated with a vampire pureblood years ago. Every generation I come back to serve a specific chosen. Paris is from this generation I'm serving. It's a family curse." Paris looked towards Grimm in confusion like this was the first he heard of it. I widened my eyes a little. Paris... is part demon? I looked down at him then.
"So..." Victor's eyes shot to Paris as I started to say something but stopped. "Your part demon," he whispered in awe at Paris. I frowned a little, watching Paris closely as I felt a little funny about it. He's not a full pureblood... and he's had a demon following us around- a relative demon. I loosened my grip slightly then as I looked down at him. Dante looked the two of us over before he looked towards Grimm.
"Well, this is new," he whispered, studying Grimm. Did Paris not know he was part demon? He looks confused about this.... Paris blushed and bit his bottom lip.
"Paris, I would never lie about this. You are my descendent," Grimm said calmly. Paris gave him a hurt look then.
"You never said a word..." He trailed off. "You kept it from me like them."
"Would you have understood and accepted it?" Grimm asked and raised an eyebrow. I frowned then before I retightened my grip on Paris and held him close to me. He's still my Paris- even with demon blood running in his veins. He's still my sweet mate who ran away with me to be with me- my sweet mate who wandered into my music room to find me.
"Paris, it's okay," I told him and then kissed his temple. "You're still you... and you're still my mate. Demon blood running in your veins doesn't change who you are. Some new enlightenment like this doesn't change you either because you'll still be you."
"Paris... This is actually good for you," Laurence told him. "You can easily make a transition from demon to vampire thanks to your rare species." I looked from Laurence to Paris before I leaned in and kissed his lips with a small purr. I leaned in towards his neck then and sharpened my fangs then bit down into him, remarking him. I'd show him I still love him.... Paris let out a small gasp and melted in my arms instantly. He gripped my shirt and let out a purr.
"Richard," he whispered. "I love you." I pulled away from his neck then looked him in the eyes.
"I love you too," I purred then leaned in for another kiss. He kissed me quickly before pulling away and gave me a loving look.
"You see Paris? We're all still your friends," Val told him. "No matter what kind of... interesting... secrets you have." Dante frowned before he leaned his face into the crook of Reuben's neck, holding him closer. I looked into Paris's eyes then moved his hair back behind his ear and kissed his forehead.
"Let's make a deal," I whispered. "Let's do our best to not keep secrets from each other from now on if we can help it. I want to be completely honest with one another and know everything about you and for you to know everything about me."
"Okay," he whispered and blushed. "I was going to tell you... when I thought it was time."
"Dante," Reuben whined out. "Why're you so clingy to me!? I'm burning up with feelings... you're so touchy it's making me tingle." He tried to escape from him as quick as possible. Dante held him down and then pulled back before he looked at Reuben with a slight blush.
"It's making you tingle?" He asked Reuben then laughed a little before he leaned in and kissed Reuben's lips. I held in a laugh then as I looked at the two of them. Dante moved his hands down to Reuben's waist and wrapped his arms around him there as he pulled his body closer. Reuben pulled back and exposed his fangs, letting out a small growl. Dante exposed his fangs back to him and purred at him. "I can't hold my mate?" He asked him. "My lover? My future partner in ruling?" He leaned into Reuben's neck and bit down, marking him. I shook my head then looked at Paris before I purred.
"You don't mind me holding you, do you?" I teased him lightly then leaned in playfully, moving my lips close to his teasingly so they were just lightly brushing his as my breath hit his face. I made a small noise as I looked him in the eyes then rubbed his lower back a little before I closed my eyes and purred. I could hear Reuben giving a small gasp and giving in to staying in Dante's lap.
"I wouldn't mind sitting by you some time," Paris told me. "You don't have a very comfortable lap- there's no cushion." Paris gave me a sweet look. "You can try sitting in my lap... but I don't think I'd be that comfortable." I laughed and pulled back from his lips.
"I'm not comfortable? Aww... that's too bad," I purred out then laughed. "You don't find me comfortable?" I gave a playful growl then slid him out of my lap beside me. "Okay, you can sit beside me if you'd like. I can't keep you in my lap all the time, can I?" I moved my arms away from him then before I stretched out and purred. He looked me over with a slight longing look as if he had just gotten settled with being in my lap. He looked away and pouted.
"Timothy will show you to your rooms when you're ready to rest," Laurence told us. "You'll have to discuss room arrangements with him." I nodded then looked at Timothy before I looked at Paris then purred. I smirked before I moved him back into my lap then kissed his cheek, wrapping my arms around him.
"Is that better?" I asked him then smiled. He nodded and giggled.
"Yeah," he told me. "I like being close to you," he whispered. I laughed happily then and hugged him before I gave him a sweet kiss and purred.
"Can Reuben and I go to a room?" Dante asked Timothy as he stood up, carrying Reuben in his arms. Timothy nodded and then looked towards the rest of us.
"Would any of you like to go to a room yet?" He asked us before he looked at us. "You two are going to have a long day tomorrow training with my young master and Dante," he said and smiled. "Perhaps you should retire for the day?" Victor got to his feet and walked up to Timothy.
"I'll retire as well," he hummed out.
"I think we need some shut eye," Val said as she got up and looked at Laura. "You need it most of all."
"I'm tired," Paris admitted and got to his feet.
"I know you're all tired," Laurence chuckled out. "Go get some needed rest." I nodded before I got to my feet and held Paris's hand then looked back at his... whatever Grimm was.
"Grimm has to go somewhere else," I told Paris and looked at him with a frown. "I don't want him watching us sleep."
"He doesn't watch us," Paris mumbled. Grimm gave us a smirk before he disappeared. I looked at Paris then nodded.
"Okay," I purred then kissed his cheek, feeling a little easier about it. "Let's go to bed," I whispered in his ear then pulled him close. "We can cuddle in a bed tonight instead of a carriage~"
"That would be so comfortable," Paris mumbled and gave a longing thought. I laughed then gave him a playful look before I swept him off his feet and kissed the top of his head. I glanced back towards Laurence then smiled.
"Thank you, Laurence," I purred then looked towards his little dragon sleeping on his shoulder then at him. "Good night. We'll see you in the morning?"
"You'll see me for breakfast," Laurence promised. I nodded then looked down at Paris before I kissed his lips then smiled happily, taking him out of the room as Timothy took us down the halls and then stopped in front of a door and opened it. He looked at us then.
"Here you go," he said then smiled. "If there is anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask a servant. We're always here to help." I smiled then went in with Paris, setting him down on his feet.
"Thank you, Timothy," I purred. He nodded then shut the door, walking down the hall with the others. I looked at Paris then gave him a playful look as I leaned in and stole a kiss from him. I trailed my hands down to his hips then laughed against his lips. I leaned into him then and slipped my tongue into his mouth slowly, tilting my head as I brought him close. He pulled back from the kiss and looked me in the eyes.
"You really don't mind who I am?" He asked me. I looked him in the eyes and smiled.
"No, of course not. You're still my mate- the mate I fell hard for," I purred to him. "I love you, and you being part demon doesn't change who you are." I held his hands then and then got on my knees, kissing his hand gently. "You loved me even though I changed your views of what vampires should be, didn't you? You loved me even though I made you run away with me, right? You loved me even though I dragged you across the face of Europe and to England, yes?" I smiled up at him then rubbed my cheek against his hands. "I love you so much, Paris. I'd do anything for you~ We're mates for life, no matter what." He gave me a loving look and leaned down, giving me a kiss. He walked up to the bed and crawled into it.
"I don't want people to know I'm so different from them," he mumbled. I got to my feet then walked over to the bed slowly.
"You're not that different. You breathe. You drink blood. You think. You love. You walk. You talk." I sat down on the bed then and looked at him. "If anything, Laurence said that you'd be able to come back from being a demon easier.... That's special. You won't have to worry about it as much as others. If they can't accept, you're part demon, then maybe they don't belong in your life," I said then rubbed his cheek with the back of my hand. "You're sweet and kind, and I love you very much. You have wonderful friends that accepted it easily. Don't hide it.... Be proud of who you are. You're Paris Grimm, and that means something wonderful and great." He nodded and brought me closer to him, placing his head on my chest.
"I wonder if my parents knew..." He trailed off and sighed. I looked at him and frowned.
"They knew a lot of things and kept it from you," I whispered. "Tell you what, the next time we see them... we'll ask." I kissed the top of his head and wrapped my arms around him. It feels so good to be back in a bed~! A real bed! A bed fit for a king! And I have my mate in it too~! I laughed happily and squeezed him as I smiled at the thought. Paris nodded and let out a small sigh.
"Maybe Grimm would know. He's older apparently. I'll ask him now that he's becoming more open to tell me things." Paris gave me a loving look. I nodded then leaned down and kissed him passionately, running my hand up his spine towards his hair. He gasped and took off his shirt. "Can you scratch my shoulders?" He asked curiously. I laughed a little then. Did my hand running up his back make him want me to scratch his shoulders? I smirked then.
"Okay~ I'll scratch your shoulders," I told him then leaned in and kissed him deeply, running my hands to his shoulder blades and started to scratch them up as I kissed him. He kissed me back before placing his head on my shoulder and gasped.
"Thank you," he whispered. I laughed a little and then kissed the side of his neck as I dug my nails into his skin to make him bleed. I brought him on top of me fully then and purred as I bit down into his neck and marked him while I scratched him. He let out a moan and arched his back. "Richard," he purred out. I moaned as I got a taste of his blood then flipped us quickly, hovering over him. I dug my nails in deep then pulled away from the bite then started to kiss his neck, trailing it down his chest. I dragged my nails down slowly as I moved down his body, moaning softly. I love him so much~ I want to hear him say my name again like that. He gasped and grabbed my hands. "Don't go so low," he warned. I purred and looked up at him before I moved my hands back to his shoulder blades and scratched at them for him before I started on a love bite on his chest. He closed his eyes and looked satisfied. I laughed as I saw the look on his face. He just wants to be scratched~ I laid my head on his chest as I focused on scratching him then, backing off on what I was up to with the love bites. He let out a small hum that died down as he pushed my hands away. I watched him then leaned in and kissed his lips softly.
"Are you tired?" I asked him softly, looking down into his eyes.
"We should get some sleep due to the fact we have to work with Dante tomorrow," he told me. I looked at him then nodded.
"Okay," I purred softly to him then gave him another kiss before I moved off him and pulled him into my arms. "I love you, Paris." I smiled then leaned my face into his neck, closing my eyes with a yawn. I felt my stone give a small pulse, reaching out towards Paris's stone. I purred happily and laughed at the feeling. He giggled and wrapped his arms around me.
"I love you too Richard!" He purred in my ear and kissed my neck. I laughed and then held him close to me as I snuggled up to him.
"Good night~" I closed my eyes then and felt a little drowsy before I gave another yawn and felt tired to my very core....