The next evening, as I slipped in through the front door after meeting with Lily, Luicus shifted his attention from the fire that blazed in the hearth, to me.
"Where have you been all evening?" He questioned.
I chose my next words carefully. "Outside, in the woods"
"In the woods, all alone once more? You're not going around making friends, are you, Azrael?"
I shook my head, lying. "No, uncle. I was by myself. I have always been by myself"
Dacianus interrupted. "Leave the lad, it's not demanding too much if he makes human friends. After all, he won't be here for long"
Lucius poured himself a cup of wine, ignoring his brother. "Do you believe I haven't noticed your increased intake of fruits, Azrael?"
Dacianus interrupted again "Lucius, it's merely fruit. We have an abundance of trees here..."
"Silence and allow me to speak."
He turned his cold gaze back to me. "I chose to ignore it the first instance, tolerated it the second, thinking perhaps, I was the one overthinking things." He sat upright and peered at me seriously. "I don't mind you helping yourself to fruits, Azrael. Take as many as you wish. However, what finally confirmed my suspicions was when Ionan informed me about the berries you requested for one particular day until it became a frequent thing. He was concerned because he knew you were severely allergic to berries, so he came to me, hoping you weren't planning on harming yourself in the future"
He turned to Dacainus "He is such a kind man, is he not?"
Dacianus nodded. "Indeed"
Lucius turned back to me "So, you see, I went after you the evening that followed ... stealthily. And I did it every... single... day"
He brought the cup to his lips and took a sip, his gaze never leaving mine.
I was paralyzed to the spot in fear knowing I'd had been caught.
"It was a good thing fortune smiled upon me because each time you ventured out, the sun had started to set and I had the trees to shield me" He continued, shifting to look at his brothers "It turns out our little Azrael here, has a lady friend"
Dacianus let out a slow whistle, a surprised brow arching on his face, while Geta, who had been quiet all along, let out his usual grating laughter.
"I do wonder what she'd taste like. Perhaps, I'll have her for the night's meal" he laughed again, his long legs sprawled across the table. Dacianus hit away his feet and hissed angrily till he was forced to bring them down.
"Behave yourself, Geta. She's a child" he scolded.
"What did we tell you about friends?" Lucius asked, getting up "Making friends should not be your foremost concern, your focus ought to lie elsewhere"
"I know this, Uncle Lucius," I said quickly "My focus lies in mastering the shadow arts... on being the mentor to the Alesul"
"Then you must never see her again. Swear it by Dragavei"
Geta got up and rolled his eyes "Just let me devour her, Lucius. It's not a matter of great importance"
"Do not harm her!" I yelled, facing him.
My little outburst left everyone stunned and speechless until Geta's sudden wild laughter broke the silence.
"Oh, what do you intend to do, little one?" He goaded, striding towards me and stooping to my level "Bite me?" He released another peal of maniacal laughter "Oh, wait… you're still a mere mortal"
Rage heated my blood and I let out a savage yell, ramming headfirst into his stomach.
The attack was sudden and Geta, unprepared for it, fell backwards, his head hitting the ground.
I was able to land two heavy punches to his face before he flung me across the room.
Lucius and Dacianus watched on in amusement.
"The brat grows wild! He managed to draw blood!" Geta exclaimed, smiling as he got to his feet. "I am impressed. I see this lass, whoever she is, brings out the worst in him"
Lucius applauded the little performance, a proud smirk on his face as he approached me. "Tell me about this lass, Azrael"
I stumbled to my feet, dusting my clothes.
"Her name is Lily. She's tall and pretty, with hair as blonde as sunlight and eyes as green as olives" I paused to catch my breath "And she adores lilies and roses"
"Ah, I see"
"Just like Darcia"
Lucius nodded, then turned serious "You must desist from seeing her"
Geta shook his head pitifully."I dare say the lad thinks he's in love with her"
"I am in love with her"
Suddenly, the three men went silent and Lucius struck me in the face. "Foolish boy! What do you know about love, you're a decade and three years old!"
I had grown accustomed to the sting of being hit, it hurt only for a moment.
"I delight in how I feel when I'm around her" I spoke up quickly "She eases my burdens and..."
"Burdens?" Lucius interrupted. "You consider what you're learning here a burden? You consider your training a burden?"
"No, Uncle Lucius, I..." I shook my head and diverted elsewhere, my tone challenging "I know vampires are forbidden from loving humans but I am not a vampire yet"
I turned to Dacianus for help.
"And what happens when you get turned?" Geta asked.
"Then shall we wed, and I shall grant her the dark gift," I responded hopefully.
It was Lucius' turn to laugh and soon Dacianus joined in.
I felt betrayed. I thought Dacianus would always have my side.
"And what do you know about being wed, boy?!" Geta asked, joining in the laughter.
"How certain are you that she'll be prepared to accept you for the monster you are, let alone become one of us? You have a lot of thinking to do" Dacianus relaxed in his chair. "You would not want to compel the woman you love, would you?"
"I would not have to because she would love me for who I am. Bloodsucker or mortal"
Geta's eyes gleamed with anger as he edged closer. "You truly believe you know what is best for you? You're nothing but a naïve child, blind to the dangers that surround us."
My fists clenched with frustration, but I kept mute, letting my uncles speak and scold me.
"Your training is your only salvation. It is the only matter you should place before all else for now. You claim to be in love? It's nothing but a fool's errand" Lucius' lip curled into a sneer. "A distraction"
I shivered at the harshness of his tone but held my ground. "I fail to comprehend what harm it could do to spend time with Lily. Especially when she brings me so much joy."
Lucius' eyes blazed with fury and he grabbed me by the shoulders, squeezing tightly "Are you hard of hearing or you've just simply chosen to ignore all that we've uttered?!" He snapped.
"Your sentimentality will get you killed! You must learn to cast aside such weakness if you wish to survive in our world."
Dacianus strode towards both of us and released me from Lucius' hold. Then he exhaled in exasperation, looking down at me.
"You're a child, Azrael. What you feel is not love" he said "And besides, love is a luxury we cannot afford. Your emotions will only serve to weaken you, leaving you vulnerable to our enemies"
"They will always find a way to exploit that weakness" Geta contributed.
I had so many words to say, but I kept them to myself. There was no rule, no decree that stated that vampires couldn't love. Those were their morals, which they were trying to impose upon me.
Geta broke the silence "Someone fetch this lad a whore, for Dragavei's sake!" He grinned as he stared at me. "I believe I had my first woman when I was younger, did I not, Dacianus?"
"I still remember the day our father took you. Lucius and I had already experienced it years earlier"
Geta smiled again "Once you're in it, Azrael, you'll realize all you needed was some fine, mature cooze, not some lanky lass named after a blasted flower" he snickered again "Your hormones are stirring. It's lust, boy, not love".
"Lust we can tolerate"
Suddenly, I couldn't keep my thoughts locked in anymore and I blurted out, "No. You're wrong. You're all wrong. I WILL marry her"
There was a violent determination in my voice. "I mean it Uncle Lucius"
His eyes ran over me, taking in my stance. I was ready to fight.
My sparring sessions had been better, it was only a matter of time before I perfected some techniques.
"Perhaps we should take this outside," he remarked coldly.
"Lucius, don't. Just stop to think" Dacianus grabbed him by the arm to prevent him from moving forward, but he shook himself free and shoved his brother's chest roughly.
"I am thinking. Maintain your distance"
He grabbed me by the back of the collar and started pulling me outside, into the shade where we usually trained.
Lucius spoke angrily "It seems the little brat has grown some wings. Some of that training seems to have inflated his ego, making him believe he is superior to us, that he knows what's best for himself"
He shoved me to the ground, glancing back to look at his brothers "He even dares to think he can challenge us now. Very well then, I'll indulge him"
Lucius turned to Geta "Bring us swords, Geta. Real swords"
Geta hesitated "Think this through, Luce. He's still a boy"
"The swords. Now"
He went and retrieved the swords, throwing them to the ground. Lucius picked one up and wielded it, then pointed to the other on the ground "Pick it up"
I stood and took up the sword, no longer as terrified of my uncle as before.
Somehow my love for Lily made me want to fight.
It gave me the courage I needed to face my fears, and besides, I'd been getting better at the ancient shadow arts.
Lucius smirked at the boldness at which I stood and gripped my sword.
"Come at me" he ordered.
I shook my head, a frown gracing my brow. "No. You come at me"
Geta and Dacianus broke into laughter, infuriating Lucius further.
"Get him, Azrael" They cheered.
Lucius attacked first, and I managed to avoid his initial strikes, driven by a wild need to defend myself.
The sound of our swords clashing filled the training area as I desperately tried to hold my own against my uncle's attacks.
But I was still no match for him.
Lucius slashed me across my right arm, causing me to wince in pain and lose focus. Seizing the opportunity, he knocked me to the ground.
"You're a Vlad, are you not?" He taunted, circling me as I lay on the ground.
"The son of Andrei Nicolae Vlad, popularly known as the Ravager!" Lucius announced. "Your father was a mighty warrior. He defeated rival covens in mere minutes and was a master of the ancient arts of shadow. Yet, behold him now... rendered helpless by some vile affliction."
He sent another kick to my side, and I winced.
I couldn't help but wonder how my mother endured growing up with these cruel beings. Her childhood must have been incredibly difficult.
"That's enough, Lucius" Dacianus intervened, approaching with Geta by his side. "Step away from him."
Lucius hissed defiantly, but Geta hissed back.
"You're going too far," he said, staring at me. I was curled up on the ground. "You forget he's still a human child"
Ignoring Geta's warning, Lucius sent a final kick to my nose, fracturing it.
"You shall never leave this house again. Never!" He sternly warned, "Do you hear me?!"
I could barely respond before I felt him kick me again.
"Do... you... hear me?"
"Yes," I whispered weakly.
"Foolish boy!" He yelled, throwing the sword mere inches from my head to the ground before stalking away.
As I fell unconscious, I heard Dacianus instructing someone to fetch Dr. Alejandro.